Tài liệu Factors fostering communication in english classrooms a study on english language majors at tertiary level

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY VO THANH TU FACTORS FOSTERING COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH CLASSROOMS: A STUDY ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJORS AT TERTIARY LEVEL Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Assoc.Prof.Dr BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN VÕ THANH TÚ CÁC YẾU TỐ THÚC ĐẨY GIAO TIẾP TRONG LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH: NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁC CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH Ở CẤP BẬC ĐẠI HỌC Chuyên ngành: Lý Luận và Phƣơng Pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: PGS.TS. Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền i DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled ―Factors Fostering Communication in English Classrooms: A Study On English Language Majors at Tertiary Level‖ is conducted under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, a lecturer working at Quy Nhon University. I declare that the information reported in this study is the result of my own work and effort, except where due reference is made. The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not simultaneously submitted to any candidature for any degree or diploma. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the support, encouragement, and contributions from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, colleagues, friends and family, the successful completion of this study work would not have been possible. I take this chance to appreciate them for their useful advice and invaluable comments, and time. They have always been by my side and helped me enrich my knowledge and made my master thesis graduate journey a memorable chapter in my life. First and foremost, I am grateful to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, for her amazing supervision. Her knowledge and profession teaching-related expertise inspired me greatly during my studying at Quy Nhon University, and she opened new horizons for me in every field. I profoundly appreciate her accommodating guidelines and suggestions, great patience, and strong management skills in helping me resolve the obstacles whenever I had difficulties in my thesis. I am very lucky to have had her support for my work. This study was made achievable by the presence of the enthusiastic students at Quy Nhon University in Quy Nhon City, who devoted their time taking part in this study. I was also thankful to my colleagues for their fascinating assistance, encouragement and management during this phase. I feel fortunate to know all of them. Last, but not least, I am grateful to all the support that I received from my beloved parents throughout my thesis education. iii ABSTRACT In this modern world, communication skills play a vital role and one must have mastery over these skills to get success in their respective fields. So, speaking is the most important skill among all the four language skills in order to communicate well in this global world. However, it is a fact that there are some challenges for EFL learners when they deal with speaking skills. This study aims at identifying some factors that help students foster their communication skills. This was done by quantitative and qualitative methods with two instruments, namely questionnaire and interview. Moreover, the study also applied observation as another method to identify what activities were popularly used to enhance the learners‘ speaking abilities. Results showed four factors that got strong agreement from participants. They are Teaching activities, Team work, Classroom environment and Intrinsic motivation. Moreover, Role-play and Group work are two activities which got positive responses. The results of this study can help instructors and researchers take into account the speaking requirements of their language students in the context of English language teaching and learning. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ............................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. ii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1 1.1 Rationale .................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Aim and Objectives................................................................................. 4 1.2.1. Aim of the Study ................................................................................ 4 1.2.2. Objectives of the Study ...................................................................... 4 1.3. Research Questions ................................................................................. 4 1.4. Scope of the Study .................................................................................. 4 1.5. Significance of the Study ........................................................................ 5 1.6. Organization of the study ........................................................................ 5 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................... 7 2.1. Communicative Competence .................................................................. 7 2.1.1. Oral and Written Communication .................................................... 8 2.1.2. Challenges in Oral Communication ............................................... 10 2.2. Factors affecting oral communication .................................................. 12 2.2.1. Psychological factors ...................................................................... 12 2.2.2. Context factors ................................................................................ 13 2.2.3. Teacher’s and Learner’s attitudes toward English Speaking ........ 14 2.3. Factors fostering communication in English classrooms ..................... 17 2.3.1. Teaching activities .......................................................................... 17 2.3.2. Teamwork ........................................................................................ 18 2.3.3. Students – Students’ interaction ..................................................... 20 v 2.3.4. Supportive relationships ................................................................. 21 2.3.5. Classroom environment .................................................................. 22 2.3.6. Task instruction............................................................................... 24 2.3.7 Feedback .......................................................................................... 25 2.3.7.1. Positive feedback ...................................................................... 26 2.3.7.2. Negative feedback ..................................................................... 27 2.3.8. Intrinsic Motivation ........................................................................ 28 2.4. Speaking activities developing communication in English classrooms 29 2.4.1. Role-play ......................................................................................... 30 2.4.2. Group work ..................................................................................... 31 2.4.3. Pair work ........................................................................................ 31 2.4.4. Interviews/ Talk shows .................................................................... 31 2.4.5. Games ............................................................................................. 32 2.4.6. Debate ............................................................................................. 32 2.4.7. Storytelling ...................................................................................... 33 2.5. Previous studies on the factors fostering speaking skills ..................... 33 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 36 3.1. Research design..................................................................................... 36 3.2. The research setting and participants .................................................... 37 3.3. Research Instruments ............................................................................ 38 3.3.1. Observation ..................................................................................... 39 3.3.2. Questionnaires survey..................................................................... 40 3.3.3. Interview ......................................................................................... 42 3.4. Procedures for data collection ............................................................... 43 3.4.1. Observation ..................................................................................... 43 3.4.2. Questionnaire.................................................................................. 44 3.4.3. Interview ......................................................................................... 45 3.5. Procedures for data analysis.................................................................. 45 vi 3.6. Ethical considerations ........................................................................... 46 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ......................................... 47 4.1. Factors fostering communication in English classrooms from Teachers‘ and Students‘ perspectives. ......................................................... 47 4.1.1. Findings from Students’ questionnaire ........................................... 47 4.1.1.1. Teaching activities .................................................................... 47 4.1.1.2. Team work ................................................................................ 49 4.1.1.3. Students – Students’ interaction ............................................... 50 4.1.1.4. Supportive relationships ........................................................... 51 4.1.1.5. Classroom environment ............................................................ 52 4.1.1.6. Task instruction ........................................................................ 53 4.1.1.7. Feed back .................................................................................. 54 4.1.1.8. Intrinsic motivation................................................................... 55 4.1.2. Findings from Teachers’ questionnaire ......................................... 56 4.1.2.1. Teaching activities .................................................................... 56 4.1.2.3. Students – Students’ interaction ............................................... 58 4.1.2.4. Supportive relationships ........................................................... 59 4.1.2.5. Classroom environment ............................................................ 60 4.1.2.6. Task instruction ........................................................................ 61 4.1.2.7. Feed back .................................................................................. 61 4.1.2.8. Intrinsic motivation................................................................... 62 4.2. Findings from observation .................................................................... 63 4.2.1. The overview of observation ........................................................... 63 4.2.2. Results of the observation ............................................................... 64 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS ............................ 71 5.1. Conclusion ............................................................................................ 71 5.2. Teaching implications ........................................................................... 73 5.3. Limitations of the study ........................................................................ 74 vii 5.4. Suggestion for further research ............................................................. 75 REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 76 APPENDICES viii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1. The Reliability of Students‘ questionnaire .................................... 41 Table 3.2. The Reliability of Teachers‘ questionnaire .................................... 41 Table 4.1. Students‘ perception of Teaching activities ................................... 47 Table 4.2. Students‘ perception of Team work ............................................... 49 Table 4.3. Students‘ perception of Students – Students‘ interaction .............. 50 Table 4.4. Students‘ perception of Supportive relationships .......................... 51 Table 4.5. Students‘ perception of Classroom environment ........................... 52 Table 4.6. Students‘ perception of Task instruction ....................................... 53 Table 4.7. Students‘ perception of Feed back ................................................. 54 Table 4.8. Students‘ perception of Intrinsic motivation ............................... 55 Table 4.9. Teachers‘ perception of Teaching activities .................................. 56 Table 4.10. Teachers‘ perception of Teamwork ............................................. 57 Table 4.11. Teachers‘ perception of Students – Students‘ interaction ........... 58 Table 4.12. Teachers‘ perception of Supportive relationship ......................... 59 Table 4.13. Teachers‘ perception of Classroom environment ........................ 60 Table 4.14. Teachers‘ perception of Task instruction..................................... 61 Table 4.15. Teachers‘ perception of Feed back .............................................. 61 Table 4.16. Teachers‘ perception of Intrinsic motivation ............................... 62 Table 4.17. Times using English speaking activities ...................................... 64 Table 4.18. Observation checklist of the first online class ............................. 64 Table 4.19. Observation checklist of the second online class ........................ 65 Table 4.20. Observation checklist of the third online class ............................ 66 Table 4.21. The findings from three classrooms‘ observation ....................... 67 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION The present chapter provides the rationale of the study and describes the major components of the thesis. At the beginning, the main reasons for conducting the study is presented. The aims of the thesis then are stated, and clarified by the research questions. The chapter also discusses the scope and significance of the current study. It ends with a description of the organization of the thesis. 1.1 Rationale In teaching, there are diversified aspects which are needed to be done to create a successful lesson/ classroom and a skillful teacher. Teaching every English skill needs many factors to carry out and involve the whole class. This study seeks to examine the factors that can contribute to students‘ willingness to communicate in English classrooms. Communication is the key in the classroom: successful teaching is generally considered to require only 50% knowledge to 50% communication skills. Besides, an English-speaking teacher should be proficient in all four modes of communication – listening, speaking, reading, and writing – and should know how to utilize this proficiency effectively in a school environment. Being able to do this has been proven to impact the success students achieve in their academic lives, as well as the teacher‘s own career success. Teachers will also get to know more some of the strategies which can be used to enhance student‘s oral communication skills. Speaking is a useful skill while communicating verbally. Like the other skills, it requires more than just word pronunciation and is more difficult than it first appears to be. The majority of second language learners frequently view "communicative competence," or "an appropriate ability to pass along or give knowledge, or the ability to make known by talking or writing‖ 2 (McCroskey & McCroskey, 1988), as the primary aim of learning. Speaking fluency is often seen as the benchmark for language proficiency among language learners. Fluency is defined by these students as the capacity for interpersonal communication, rather than the capacity for reading, writing, or understanding oral language. They view speaking as the most crucial ability they can learn, and they gauge their success based on how well they are able to communicate verbally. The voluntary participation of students in communication classrooms is influenced indirectly by motivation through confidence. It is shown that learners‘ belief has a direct impact on motivation and confidence. The active communication appears to be a major predictor of language acquisition success since it is thought to be the result of a mix of proximal and distal characteristics including psychological, linguistic, pedagogical, and communicative components of language (MystkowskaWiertelak & Pawlak, 2014). In order for a teaching setting to be effective, meaningful interactions are required. There are three main routes of communication in the classroom: teacher to student, student to student, and student to instructor. As the teacher creates his/her syllabus and organizes classroom activities, be careful to define the teacher‘s expectations for how students should interact with each channel on a regular basis. Numerous research initiatives have concentrated on the variables that help or impede communication in the target language. For instance, Kang (2005) researched the factors developing willingness to communicate of Korean students and found that characteristics including security, excitement, and responsibility may contribute to situational second-language speaking skills. In a different study, Cao and Philp (2006) contrasted subjects' selfreported interaction decisions and willingness to communicate behavior in an L2 classroom setting. They found that a variety of variables, including familiarity with the issue, familiarity with the interlocutor, interaction 3 patterns, self-confidence, communication medium, and cultural background, all have an impact on the active communication. A large-scale investigation of factors fostering the willingness to communicate in English-as-a-foreignlanguage (EFL) classes is the focus of this research. Using structural equation modeling, a model including willingness to communicate in English, communication confidence, motivation, learner beliefs, and classroom environment was assessed. Exploratory factor analyses on a dataset obtained in a pilot project and confirmatory factor analyses in the full research were used to validate the measures. The idea to carry out this study was not only from the importance of this skill as stated in the literature but also originated from the writer‘s experience. It was interesting to find out that it is totally different when teaching communication for young learners and students at university. There were numerous researchers who researched about this field but with children such as David K. Dickinson, (2011) or Jennifer J. Chen (2011). The kids are easy to get involved in the lesson‘s activities and they are always ready to talk or answer any questions without being afraid of anything. In contrast, studies that related to this issue but at the tertiary level are rare. Students at university seem to lack the confidence to speak up in the communication classroom and I recognize that this aspect is needed to be done. The shyness usually happens with older students since they find it challenging to communicate in English. Hence, encouraging college students to communicate, participating in classroom activities during communication English class and motivating, engaging students in classroom practices or activities are Herculean tasks for English teachers at the tertiary level, because students do not value English as a subject or recognize the necessity of having confidence in communicating in English. As a result of the importance of understanding the factors affecting 4 communication skills and the writer‘s experience, the study of these factors fostering communication skills of English tertiary students was chosen, aiming at exploring these factors and some activities to help boost these skills. 1.2. Aim and Objectives 1.2.1. Aim of the Study This study is aimed at investigating what the teachers and students at tertiary level perceived as important factors when developing and fostering oral communicative skills. 1.2.2. Objectives of the Study In order to achieve this aim, the researcher tried to fulfill the following objectives: - To explore factors that are essential for developing and fostering oral communication in English classes at Quy Nhon University from teachers‘ and students‘ perspectives. - To identify speaking activities that teachers of English use in speaking classes to develop students‘ oral communication skills 1.3. Research Questions In order to achieve the above aim and objectives, the researcher collected data and analyze it in order to answer the following questions: 1. What factors are essential for developing and fostering oral communication in English classes at Quy Nhon University from teachers‘ and students‘ perspectives? 2. What speaking activities do teachers use in English-speaking classes to foster their students‘ communication competence. 1.4. Scope of the Study As mentioned above, this study aims at identifying some factors building up students‘ ability in speaking English at the tertiary level. The study was conducted with the samples selected from students and teachers 5 from Quy Nhon University in Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province. The data for this study was obtained through observation, interview and questionnaire administered to the total number of 8 EFL teachers and 120 second-year English-major students. It examined the way speaking was taught at University and what speaking activities teachers applied in EFL classrooms. Some suggestions in teaching speaking skills with university students in English classrooms were also mentioned in this study. The main part of this thesis is about the factors fostering communication. It is obvious to see that there are many factors that can enhance students‘ speaking skills; however, I just focus on eight mains factors which are: Teaching activities; Team work; Students – Students‘ interaction; Supportive relationships; Classroom environment; Task instruction; Feedback and Intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, there are also seven speaking activities which contribute to the active participation of students in English-speaking classes. They are: Role-play; Group work; Pair work; Games; Interview/ Talk show; Debate and Storytelling. 1.5. Significance of the Study This study concentrated on the factors fostering communication in EFL speaking classrooms at tertiary level and speaking activities that were used in English classrooms to enhance students‘ speaking ability. This study helps teachers understand more about students‘ desire. The findings of this study will be used by the teacher as a basis for teacher's efficiency. This thesis would help the author achieve a deeper understanding of the features of classroom engagement and the effectiveness of interacting in the right way when teachers teach different ages. 1.6. Structure of the thesis. The thesis consists of 5 chapters: Chapter 1, Introduction, consists of Rationale, Aims, Objectives, 6 Significance and Organization of the study. This chapter introduces the rationale for selecting the study and gives readers a general overview of it. The study's goal and importance are then presented. Finally, it outlines how was the study organized. Chapter 2, Literature review. This section summarizes previous research on factors promoting communication in English classrooms and activities that assist students improve their speaking abilities. The next chapter is Chapter 3, Methodology. The study's objectives, research design, research technique, and research questions are all handled through methodology. The research topics and hypotheses for the current study are first presented. Second, it provides information on the study's participants and research design. Thirdly, it provides a thorough introduction of the materials utilized for the intervention as well as the research tools that were used to gather data for the study. Finally, the procedures used to perform the study and analyze the data will wrap up this chapter. Chapter 4, Findings & Discussion, summarizes the conclusions drawn from the data analysis. The instruments' dependability is introduced first. The results of the questionnaire surveys are then displayed. Following that, the data gathered throughout the observation will be examined. Finally, in order to provide more reasons for the study's findings, the data from the semistructured interviews will be evaluated. The last chapter, Conclusions, presents the findings from the investigation on the elements promoting communication in tertiary English classrooms. 7 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, a theoretical framework of this thesis presented and contextualized within the relevant field of research. The content presents in four sections: Communicative Competence; Factors affecting oral communication; Factors fostering communication in English classrooms and Speaking activities regarding similar research to this study 2.1. Communicative Competence In today's global environment, communication is critical to achieving success in any sector. Language is utilized as a communication tool and communication is the most basic kind of speech. Without the use of a language, perfect communication is impossible. Furthermore, people cannot attain their ambitions, objectives, or goals if they do not communicate effectively. A vast number of languages are only spoken and do not have a written alphabet. Even in languages having writing scripts, the majority of languages prefer to utilize their spoken forms above their written versions. According to Anuradha, Raman & Hemamalini (2014): ―It is an agreed fact that language is learnt by speaking it first after a lot of listening to the sounds, words, phrases and sentences from the surroundings‖. No one knows exactly how one learns a new language until now. Throughout history, however, many alternative ideas have been proposed. Skinner, a behaviorist, wrote Verbal Behavior in the late 1950s, which featured a hypothesis that stated that one learns a language by positive or negative reinforcement (Skinner 1957). This cleared the path for a number of scholars to react to Skinner's language acquisition hypothesis (Harmer 1991: 33). Noam Chomsky, a linguist, published. Review of Skinner's book Verbal Behavior, in which he explains his 'Cognitive Theory' (Chomsky, 1959). Language is taught, according to Chomsky, by learning the rules of the language system and progressively acquiring the ability to generate the language. Chomsky was chastised by a 8 number of sociolinguists for failing to include socio-cultural factors (Malmberg 1993: 72). In reaction to the criticism directed at Chomsky, sociolinguist Dell Hymes produced a paper that enlarged Chomsky's definition of "competence" and introduced a new concept known as "communicative competence" (Hymes, 1968). In addition to knowing the forms and patterns of a language, Hymes (1968) argued that competency should incorporate the learner's understanding of how language is utilized in various social settings (Young 2005: 429). As a result, a language is required to communicate with individuals who reside all over the world. Because English is considered an international language and is used all over the globe, it is useful for talking with individuals who reside in different parts of the world, including different areas, states, nations, and continents. The evolution of spoken language acquisition from a historical viewpoint explored in this section. The 'communicative classroom' defined using ideas that support the concept of 'communicative competence.' 2.1.1. Oral and Written Communication There are two bases for communication: Oral communication and Written communication. Oral communication is the verbal and visual transmission of information from one person to another. It is affected by various factors including social, institutional, psychological, and linguistic factors Presentations, speeches, and dialogues are all examples of oral communication. Oral communication can be accomplished in a variety of ways. It's critical that the words are appropriately structured and delivered in the appropriate pitch and tone. A successful oral communication method must have clarity, brevity, and accuracy. To ensure that the information is adequately communicated, it is best to avoid convoluted language and jargons. Establishing eye contact and modulating body language based on the message is critical. A rigorous instruction, for example, might be transmitted 9 more effectively with a formal and stern body language than with a relaxed and welcoming one. Speaking and listening are the two skills that are taught and learned in fast succession out of the four, according to Rao (2012), who quotes experts on skill development. Speech is the finest introduction to other language acquisition abilities. The instructor provides the language item in the class, and the students contextualize it. Speaking is a natural approach for EFL learners to acquire a foreign language; speech is significant because it allows for the practical application of the language; speech promotes fluency, correction, and correctness among EFL learners; and speech allows the instructor to make efficient use of class time. Language is primarily a spoken, rather than a written, phenomenon. Before there was anything to read, people chatted and listened for a long time. This is why it is believed that the development of writing was a recent occurrence in the lengthy history of humanity. Speaking is an important communication skill. Every teacher is always concerned about how the skill of speaking is taught in communication classrooms; what are the prevalent beliefs about the skill of speaking; what are the principles of learning and teaching speaking skills; the various activities and tasks associated with improving communication skills; and, finally, how to teach pronunciation to communication learners. The act of transmitting a message using written symbols is referred to as written communication. In other terms, written communication refers to any message sent between two or more people using written language. The appropriate word choice, proper sentence structure, and coherence of the sentences all contribute to the efficacy of written information. Written information is seen as being more legitimate and lawful than spoken information. Additionally, consumers depend more on written material than spoken communication. However, unlike verbal communication, written 10 communication does not immediately elicit a response since it takes time to develop into a comprehensible format. However, written communication has a lot of drawbacks. It takes a lot of time. Writing a message requires a lot of time. It takes time to write letters, type orders, notices, etc., and transmit them to the correct location. Additionally, the feedback process takes time. It is expensive not so much because of mail fees as it is because so many people are devoting so much time to it. In contrast to spoken communication, it is not feasible to preserve strict confidentiality. If anything is not clear in a written letter, there is no way to get it clarified right away. Because it is written, it is less adaptable and more difficult to modify. In an urgent situation, it is useless. In this study, the researcher just mentioned about the Oral communication which is practical and used popularly in English-speaking classrooms. 2.1.2. Challenges in Oral Communication Communication skills are critical in today's society, and mastery of these abilities is required to achieve success in one's chosen career. In order to communicate effectively in our global environment, speaking is the most critical of the four language skills. Because English is widely spoken across the world, learners must master its communication abilities in order to succeed in their chosen industries. As a result, the classroom is an excellent place to learn solid communication skills, particularly speaking abilities. Teachers must comprehend the issues faced by ELLs (English language learners) and attempt to use various teaching tactics in their classrooms in order to improve their students' speaking abilities in English. When encouraging pupils to talk in class, teachers may run into a few speaking-related issues. These include reluctance, a lack of relevant expertise, a lack of involvement, and the usage of mother tongue (Tuan & Mai, 2015). The first issue that pupils face in class is inhibition. They may experience