VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THANH THỦY A STUDY ON 10 GRADERS’ MOTIVATION IN SPEAKING ACTIVITIES AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HA NOI (NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỘNG CƠ TRONG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƢỜNG THPT SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Code: 60.14.10 Hanoi, 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THANH THỦY A STUDY ON 10 GRADERS’ MOTIVATION IN SPEAKING ACTIVITIES AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HA NOI (NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỘNG CƠ TRONG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƢỜNG THPT SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Trần Xuân Điệp, Assoc Prof Dr Hanoi, 2013 DECLARATION I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled “A Study on 10 Graders‟ Motivation in Speaking Activities at Son Tay High School, Ha Noi.” is the result of my own work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University The material in this research has not been submitted to any other university or institution wholly and partially Nguyen Thanh Thuy i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Trần Xuân Điệp, whose insightful comments, criticism, direction and kind support were of great assistance to me in carrying out this study My sincere thanks also go to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their valuable knowledge and invaluable guidance and help during my two years of study at the Faculty I am also indebted to my colleagues as well as my students at Son Tay High School, who have helped me a lot in my data collection to fulfill this paper Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to my family for their understanding and strong encouragement to me throughout the study Nguyen Thanh Thuy ii ABSTRACT Success in language learning can be ascribed to many factors among which is motivation However, it is students‟motivation to speak that does exist as a problem In order to improve the quality of speaking classes, the work entitled “A Study on 10 Graders‟ Motivation in Speaking Activities at Son Tay High School, Ha Noi.” has been intended The study was aimed at investigating the motivation in speaking lessons of 10 graders at Son Tay High School (STHS) to find out: (1) types of motivation possessed by 10 graders at STHS (2) level of motivation of 10 graders at STHS in speaking lessons (3) causes leading to the lack of motivation in speaking lessons of 10 graders at STHS The research approach undertaken in this study was qualitative and quantitative The research data collection instruments were survey questionnaires and interviews The results obtained from the analysis of responses to the questionnaires and interviews for teachers and students revealed the types of motivation of 10 graders, the level of motivation and the causes of students‟ deficiency of motivation at STHS Finally, this study provided some recommendations for effective application of motivational strategies in enhancing students‟ speaking skills It is expected that the results from the study could be of benefit to the teaching and learning of English speaking at STHS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS vi APPENDICES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aim of the study 1.3 Objectives of the study 1 Research question Scope of the study Method of the study Significance of the study Design of the study PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Motivation 1.1.1 Definitions of motivation 1.1.2 The importance of motivation in foreign language learning 1.1.3 Types of motivation in foreign language learning 1.1.4 Factors affecting motivation in second language learning 1.2 Overview of speaking 11 1.2.1 Definition of speaking skill 11 1.2.2 Stages in a speaking lesson 12 1.2.3 Communicative activities 13 iv 1.2.4 Problems with speaking activities 15 1.2.5 Characteristics of a successful speaking activity 16 1.3 Literature review 16 Summary 17 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 17 2.1 Research setting of the study 17 2.1.1 An overview of the research site 17 2.1.2 The English teachers 18 2.1.3 The students and their background 18 The English teaching and learning in Son Tay High School 18 2.2 Research methods 20 2.2.1 Description of the subjects 20 2.2.2 Data collection instruments 20 2.2 Procedures 21 2.2 Data analysis 21 Summary 21 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 22 3.1 Data analysis 22 3.1.1 Analysis of students‟ questionnaires and interviews 22 3.1.2 Analysis of teachers‟ questionnaires 30 3.1.3 Teachers‟ problems and judgement on the success of speaking lessons 34 Summary 35 3 Findings 35 PART 3: CONCLUSION 39 3.1 Recapitulation of the main ideas 39 Limitations of the study 41 3 Suggestions for further research 42 REFERENCES 43 APPENDIX v LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Page TABLES Table Students‟ reasons for learning English speaking 22 Table Students‟ participation in speaking lessons 25 Table Factors affecting students‟ motivation in class 26 Table Problems students have in speaking lessons 27 Table Students‟ preference for communicative activities 28 Table Teachers‟ techniques to motivate students in speaking lessons 30 Table Teacher‟s encouragement in speaking lessons 32 Table Place teacher stands in speaking class 33 Table Teacher‟s communicative activities 33 Table 10 Problems teachers have in speaking lessons 34 CHARTS Chart Students‟ interest in speaking lessons 24 Chart Activities enjoyed most by students 29 Chart Teacher‟s activities in speaking lessons 31 Chart Teacher‟s responses to unwilling speakers 32 Chart Teachers‟ judgement on the success of speaking lessons 35 vi APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaire for students Appendix 2: Questionnaire for teachers Appendix 3: Questions for interview Appendix 4: Phiếu khảo sát (dành cho học sinh) Appendix 5: Phiếu khảo sát (dành cho giáo viên) Appendix 6: Câu hỏi vấn (dành cho học sinh) Appendix 7: Interview transcript of students vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS M.A: Master of Art STHS: Son Tay High School L2: Second language viii remarks for your speaking presentation of English in the class You feel interested in practising speaking in English In an A never say anything English B know the answers but speaking are too shy to speak period, C you assigned tasks you are only speak when interested in D participate in the speaking activities very enthusiastically Your A the attitude of the motivation teacher in B lack of confidence speaking C not being accustomed lessons to speaking English in may be class affected by D the classroom atmosphere A Fear of mistakes and Problems bad remarks you have B Poor ideas/ vocabulary/ in structures speaking C Low, uneven lessons participation D the habit of using II Vietnamese A games Activities B role-plays you like in C songs speaking D discussions lessons are In a A work individually speaking B work in pairs lesson, you C work in groups would like to Thank you very much for your cooperation! III APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey questionnaire is designed for “The study of 10th Graders‟ motivation in speaking activities at Son Tay High School, Hanoi” Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is of great use and solely for study purpose You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! Nguyen Thanh Thuy- Teacher of English Foreign Languages Group, Son Tay High School, Son Tay town, Hanoi I Your personal information Years of teaching English: ………………… II Please tick (√) where appropriate Items You motivate ss to speak in In a speaking lesson, you let ss Strongly Agree No Disagree Strongly agree idea disagree A Pre-speaking stage B Presentation stage C Production stage D All above mentioned stages A work individually B work in pairs C work in groups When your A encourage them to students are speak unwilling to B let them sit down speak, you and never ask them again during the lesson You often A give students good IV marks when they perform well B praise students on their strength/ progress C design a variety of ativities D adapt tasks for students‟ different speaking abilities Where you stand in speaking lesson? A Remain in the teacher's seat B Stand in front of the class near the blackboard C Stand near the students who tend to speak much D Walk round the class to help You often use the following communicative activities A Games B Role-play C Songs D Discussions You think your speaking lessons are effective Problems A Large class size V you meet when B The school teaching disciplines speaking: (Noise affecting other classes) C lack of confidence D Learners‟ low proficiency of English Thank you very much for your cooperation! VI Appendix QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW OF STUDENTS Why you practise speaking English? (for your future exams/in your future job; to communicate with foreigners; because of your interest in speaking skill/ English culture and people; because English is a compulsory subject; because you often get good marks and/ or positive remarks for your speaking presentation of English in the class or others?) What factors may affect your interest in class? (The attitude of the teacher, Lack of confidence, Not being accustomed to speaking English in class or The classroom atmosphere) What are your problems you have in speaking lessons? (Fear of mistakes and bad remarks; Poor ideas/ vocabulary/ structures; Low, uneven participation; Mother tongue use or others?) Do you like communicative activities in teaching? What activities you like best? (Games, Role play, Songs, Discussion or others?) In what stage of a lesson you think teachers need to motivate students: Prespeaking stage, While- speaking stage or Post- speaking stage? Thank you very much for your cooperation! VII Appendix PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT (DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH) Các em thân mến, Phiếu khảo sát đƣợc thiết kế để nghiên cứu động nói hoạt động nói Tiếng Anh học sinh lớp 10 Trƣờng THPT Sơn Tây, Hà Nội Tôi đánh giá cao giúp đỡ em thông qua việc hoàn thành câu hỏi phiếu khảo sát Mọi thông tin cá nhân hữu dụng dành riêng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Cảm ơn em nhiều! Nguyễn Thanh Thủy- Giáo viên Tiếng Anh Tổ Ngoại ngữ, Trƣờng THPT Sơn Tây, Thị xã Sơn Tây, Hà Nội I Thông tin cá nhân Số năm bạn học Tiếng Anh: II Đánh dấu (√) Items Bạn muốn học nói Tiếng Anh Strongly Agree No Disagree Strongly agree idea disagree A Bạn nghĩ cần thiết cho bạn kỳ thi đại học sau này/ công việc tƣơng lai B Bạn muốn giao tiếp với ngƣời nƣớc Tiếng Anh C Bạn muốn tìm hiểu văn hóa ngƣời nƣớc Anh D Bạn đặc biệt hứng thú vơi kỹ E Tiếng Anh môn học bắt buộc chƣơng trình học VIII F Bạn thƣờng đạt điểm cao / đƣợc nhận xét tốt nói lớp Bạn cảm thấy hứng thú với việc luyện nói Tiếng Anh Trong A khơng nói TIếng học Anh Tiếng B biết câu trả lời nhƣng Anh, bạn e ngại không nói C nói giáo viên giao luyện nói mà bạn thích D tham gia vào hoạt động nói cách nhiệt tình Động A thái độ giáo viên học B thiếu tự tin nói Tiếng Anh bạn C việc khơng quen với việc nói Tiếng Anh lớp D Bầu khơng khí lớp học học nói bị ảnh hƣởng Khó A sợ sai sợ thầy/ cô khăn bạn mắng chê gặp phải B thiếu ý tƣởng/ từ vựng/ IX cấu trúc diễn đạt học C tham gia nói khơng nói đồng D thói quen sử dụng Tiếng Việt Hoạt A trò chơi ngơn ngữ động B hoạt động đóng vai bạn C hát thích D thảo luận học nói Tiếng Anh là: Trong A làm việc đơn lẻ học nói, bạn B làm việc theo cặp muốn C làm việc theo nhóm Cảm ơn hợp tác em! X Appendix PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT (DÀNH CHO GIÁO VIÊN) Phiếu khảo sát đƣợc thiết kế để nghiên cứu động nói hoạt động nói Tiếng Anh học sinh lớp 10 Trƣờng THPT Sơn Tây, Hà Nội Tôi đánh giá cao giúp đỡ đồng chí thơng qua việc hoàn thành câu hỏi phiếu khảo sát Mọi thông tin cá nhân hữu dụng dành riêng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Cảm ơn đồng chí nhiều! Nguyễn Thanh Thủy- Giáo viên Tiếng Anh Tổ Ngoại ngữ, Trƣờng THPT Sơn Tây, Thị xã Sơn Tây, Hà Nội I Thông tin cá nhân Số năm đồng chí dạy Tiếng Anh: II Đánh dấu (√) Items Bạn khích lệ học sinh luyện nói Strongly Agree No Disagree Strongly agree idea disagree Trong học nói, bạn cho học sinh A phần “Pre-speaking ” B phần “Presentation” C phần “Production” D tất phần kể A làm việc đơn lẻ B làm việc theo cặp C làm việc theo nhóm Khi học sinh khơng sẵn sàng luyện nói, bạn A khuyến khích em nói B cho em ngồi xuống khơng gọi em nói Bạn thƣờng A cho học sinh điểm tốt/ em thực nói tốt XI B khen ngợi em có ƣu điểm/ tiến C Thiết kế loại tập đa dạng D Thay đổi tập cho phù hợp với khả nói học sinh Bạn đứng đâu học nói? A Tại ví trí ngồi giáo viên B Đứng trƣớc lớp, gần bảng đen C Đứng gần học sinh hay phát biểu D Đi vòng quanh giúp đỡ tất em Bạn thƣờng sử dụng hoạt động giao tiếp sau: A trò chơi ngơn ngữ B hoạt động đóng vai C hát D thảo luận Bạn nghĩ học nói bạn hiệu 8.Những khó A lớp đơng khăn bạn gặp C học sinh thiếu tự tin dạy E khả nói Tiếng nói là: Anh không tốt Cảm ơn hợp tác thầy/cô! XII Appendix CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN (DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH) Tại em luyện nói Tiếng Anh? (học em phải tham gia kỳ thi/ cần thiết cho cơng việc tƣơng lai; em hứng thú với kỹ nói Tiếng Anh; Tiếng Anh mơn học bắt buộc; am thƣờng đạt điểm cao hoặc/ nhận xét tích cực thầy/ lớp) Những yếu tố ảnh hƣởng đến động học nói Tiếng Anh học nói em gì? (Thái độ giáo viên, thiếu tự tin, việc khơng quen với thực hành nói Tiếng Anh lớp hay khơng khí lớp học?) Những vấn đề khó khăn em gặp học nói Tiếng Anh gì? (Sợ mắc lỗi bị thầy/ cô chê; thiếu ý tƣởng/ từ vựng/ cấu trúc diễn đạt; tham gia không đồng vào hoạt động nói; việc sử dụng tiếng Việt; yếu tố khác?) Em có thích hoạt động giao tiếp học nói Tiếng Anh khơng? (Trị chơi, hoạt động đóng vai, hát, thảo luận hay hoạt động khác? Em thích hoạt động nhất? Theo em giáo viên nên tạo động học tập phần học: Pre-speaking, Presentation hay Production? Cảm ơn hợp tác em! XIII APPENDIX INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT OF STUDENTS Kind of motivation Because I want to study abroad in future Because I like speaking skill I often good marks at this subject Because it is my compulsory subject at school Very simple I want to know English culture and people Because it‟s compulsory subject It is important I want to work in a foreign company as a tourist guide and English helps me to find a good job Because I want to pass future exams I want to become a teacher of English Because it is my compulsory subject at school The factors affecting students’ motivation in class I think that is the attitude of the teacher that affects my interest in a lesson I don‟t dare to speak if the teacher looks angry or serious In my opinion, all the factors you mention affect my motivation to speak English All the factors you mentioned affect students‟ interest in a speaking lesson: attitude of the teacher, lack of confidence, classroom atmosphere and not being accustomed to speaking English in class I think all affect students‟ interest in a speaking lesson: attitude of the teacher, lack of confidence, classroom atmosphere and not being accustomed to speaking English in class All affect students‟ interest in a speaking lesson If I had more confidence, I could speak more in speaking lessons All those four factors affect my motivation The attitude of the teacher and XIV lack of confidence are those that have great influence on my interest in a speaking lesson The good classroom atmosphere encourages me to speak more Besides, I am not accustomed to speaking English class I feel very ashamed when I stand in frond of my classmates I can‟t speak much because I‟m not used to speaking in pairs or groups Problems students have in speaking lessons Fear of mistakes and bad remarks Not many students speak, so I don‟t feel like speaking I can‟t find words or phrases in English, so I use Vietnamese instead I find speaking English difficult, so I speak in Vietnamese I like speaking English But sometimes I cannot find words and structures to express my ideas When I am trying to speak, other students raise their voice and the teacher call them instead I‟m not good at speaking English I‟m scared of making mistakes and get reproached by the teacher and laughed at by friends I found little chance to speak because others are better than me Teacher call them more often Students’ preference for communicative activities Yes, absolutely Songs make me extremely interested in the lesson I really like English songs They reduce stress Sure I like Games, Role play, Songs, Discussion because they are interesting, exciting and help me reduce stress or tension XV Sure Especially, we all like games because they create strong excitement among the whole class Yes I find role- play and discussion interesting in different roles Brainstorming is also nice Yes Games and interviews are my most favourite activities My teacher sometimes uses these two Yes Interviews bring us benefits because we can take turns to practise the language The sense of creating a conversation is like the sense of success Yes Discussion is often used in my speaking lessons We can work out this well Yes I prefer information- gap because it is interesting Thank you very much for your cooperation! XVI ... question 1: What kinds of motivation 10 graders in Son Tay High School apply in speaking lessons?  Research question 2: How motivated are 10 graders in Son Tay High School in speaking lessons?... speaking lessons; their level of motivation in speaking lessons, major causes of 10 graders? ?? lack of motivation and motivational strategies that should be applied in speaking lessons All the data... 10 graders at STHS (2) level of motivation of 10 graders at STHS in speaking lessons (3) causes leading to the lack of motivation in speaking lessons of 10 graders at STHS The research approach