Tài liệu The effects of online dictionaries on facilitating vocabulary learning a case study at an english center in ba ria vung tau province master of tesol

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA - VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY --------------- MASTER’S THESIS OF TESOL SECOND YEAR STUDENTS’ SPEAKING COMPETENCE IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AT LAM DONG MEDICAL COLLEGE. PHẠM MINH HIỀN Student’s code: 18110088 Supervisor: TRƯƠNG THỊ MỸ VÂN, Ph.D. BA RIA-VUNG TAU, 2021 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY --------------- MASTER’S THESIS OF TESOL SECOND YEAR STUDENTS’ SPEAKING COMPETENCE IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AT LAM DONG MEDICAL COLLEGE. Pham Minh Hien Student’s code: 18110088 Supervisor: Trương Thi My Van, Ph.D. BA RIA-VUNG TAU, 2021 DECLARATION The thesis titled “Second year students’ speaking competence in English for specific purposes at Lam Dong Medical College.” was conducted under the supervision of Ph.D. Truong Thi My Van, senior lecturer of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Dalat University. I hereby declare that the information reported in this study is the result of my own work, except where due reference is made. The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted to any candidature for any other degree or diploma. Candidate’s name: Pham Minh Hien Ba Ria – Vung Tau, 2021 i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS My name is Pham Minh Hien, being a M.A candidate of Tesol at Ba Ria – Vung Tau University. I accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of my study deposited in the Library. I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of theses. Candidate’s name: Pham Minh Hien Ba Ria – Vung Tau, 2021 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I wish to express my gratitude to the following people without whom I could never have accomplished this thesis. I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, PhD. Truong Thi My Van, for giving me guidance throughout the process of conducting my thesis and giving me valuable comments, greatly inspiring me in the learning process as well as in completing the thesis. I acknowledge my gratitude to the lecturers of Ba Ria - Vung Tau University (BVU) for their dedication to teaching me during my study time. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my participants including my students, my colleagues and all members of the training department of Lam Dong Medical College, without whose unconditional participation, this research could not have been completed. I am grateful to my workplace, the leaders, the board of directors, all members of Department of Medicine – Basic Science, Lam Dong Medical College for the support of time and other favorable conditions for me to complete my thesis. Sincerely thank you! iii ABSTRACT Speaking is one of the most important skills that needs to be focused on and enhanced because it is an effective means of communication. It is an important aspect to acquire when learning a second or foreign language, and the success of learning the language is measured from the performance of learners to speak the language learned because students who can speak English well will have the self-confidence to face and even interact with English native speakers. However, this skill is also considered one of the most difficult aspects of the language learning process. Many students find it difficult to fully express their thoughts in English; they are afraid of communicating in English even though they have learnt this language continuously for many years. Some students understand English texts but they cannot speak English fluently. I am working in the medical field in tertiary level, and I would like to focus on the challenges faced by nursing students in Lam Dong Medical College (LMC) in learning speaking English for specific purposes (ESP) classes and the factors affecting students’ speaking competence in my research. The purposes of the study are to investigate the challenges and the factors affecting medical students’ learning speaking ESP. The research method used in this study is qualitative. Data collection instruments are surveys, interviews and class observation. One hundred students of the Nursing department in Lam Dong Medical College were involved in answering a questionnaire, three interviews conducted with three nursing students and three other interviews for three groups of nursing students selected purposively in order to support the research aims. The findings of the study revealed that there were several major problems and many factors affecting students’ speaking competence that hindered students' development of ESP English speaking ability and led to their low quality output in the context of LMC. Key words: Speaking skills, communicative skills, English for specific purposes, Medical English iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ...........................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 1.1 Background of the study ................................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................. 2 1.3 Research Objectives of the Study ..................................................................... 3 1.4 Research Questions ........................................................................................... 4 1.5 Scope of the research ........................................................................................ 4 1.6 Significance of the research .............................................................................. 4 1.7. Organization of the Thesis This thesis includes 5 chapters as follows: ........... 5 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 7 2.1 Communicative competence ............................................................................. 7 2.1.1 Definition ................................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Characteristics of speaking competence .................................................... 9 2.1.2.1 Fluency .................................................................................................. 9 2.1.2.2 Accuracy ............................................................................................. 10 2.1.2.3 Pronunciation ...................................................................................... 10 2.1.2.4 Vocabulary .......................................................................................... 11 2.1.3 The methods of teaching English speaking skills .................................... 11 2.1.4 Factors affecting English speaking learning ............................................ 15 2.1.5 The challenges of Speaking Deficiency among EFL Students ................ 17 v 2.1.5.1 Linguistics problems ........................................................................... 17 2.1.5.2 Motivation for learning ....................................................................... 19 2.1.5.3 Psychological problems ...................................................................... 20 2.1.5.4 The problems relating to topical knowledge....................................... 22 2.1.5.5 The environment of speaking.............................................................. 22 2.1.5.6 Fluency ................................................................................................ 22 2.1.5.7 Mother tongue use............................................................................... 23 2.1.5.8 Low or uneven participation ............................................................... 23 2.2 English for Specific Purposes (ESP) ............................................................... 24 2.2.1 Definition of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and types of ESP ..... 24 2.2.2 Characteristics of English for Specific Purposes ..................................... 28 2.2.3 English for Medical Purposes (EMP) ...................................................... 29 2.2.4 The Problems in Teaching ESP amongst EFL Students .......................... 30 2.2.4.1 Difficulties Related to Students .......................................................... 31 2.2.4.2 Difficulties Related to Teachers.......................................................... 33 2.2.4.3 Difficulties Related to environment and others .................................. 34 2.3 Theoretical framework .................................................................................... 35 2.4 Previous studies ............................................................................................... 36 2.4.1 Review of studies related to the speaking problems faced by EFL learners ........................................................................................................................... 36 2.4.2 Review of studies related to the problems faced by EFL learners in learning ESP in general and in learning English of Medical Purposes............. 38 2.5 Chapter summary ............................................................................................ 41 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 42 3.1 Research questions .......................................................................................... 42 3.2 Research design ............................................................................................... 42 3.3 Research site .................................................................................................... 43 3.4 Research participants ...................................................................................... 44 3.4.1 The students ............................................................................................. 44 3.4.2 The teachers ............................................................................................. 45 vi 3.5 Research instruments ...................................................................................... 45 3.5.1 Questionnaire ........................................................................................... 46 3.5.2 The semi-structured interview ................................................................. 47 3.5.3 Class observation ..................................................................................... 49 3.6 Data analysis methods ..................................................................................... 50 3.7 Chapter Summary............................................................................................ 51 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................. 52 4.1. Research question 1: What are the challenges faced by the second-year students at Lam Dong Medical College in English speaking classes? ................. 52 4.1.1 The description of ESP teaching and learning at Lam Dong Medical College. ............................................................................................................. 52 4.1.2 The challenges in teaching and learning ESP English speaking skill in Lam Dong Medical College .............................................................................. 54 4.1.2.1 The quality of admissions on the training process .............................. 54 4.1.2.2 Motivation on studying speaking skills in ESP classrooms ............... 54 4.1.2.3 Psychological issues............................................................................ 54 4.1.2.4 The abuse of the mother tongue in ESP speaking .............................. 55 4.1.2.5 Students’ speaking abilities................................................................. 56 4.1.2.6 Other problems students faced when learning ESP speaking skills ... 58 4.2. Research Question 2: What are the factors affecting the students’ English speaking competence? ........................................................................................... 62 4.2.1 Mass entry admission ............................................................................... 62 4.2.2 Perceptions of teaching and learning Medical English ............................ 63 4.2.3 Unreasonable distribution of training programs ...................................... 64 4.2.4 Little time being spent on studying speaking medical English................ 65 4.2.5 Time to self - study medical English of students ..................................... 66 4.2.6 Teaching and testing methods of lecturers ............................................... 68 4.2.7 Textbooks and materials .......................................................................... 70 4.2.8 Facilities for teaching and learning specialized English .......................... 73 4.3 Chapter summary ............................................................................................ 73 vii CHAPTER V CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 74 5.1 Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 74 5.2 Implications ..................................................................................................... 75 5.2.1 Recommend for administrators ................................................................ 75 5.2.2 Recommend for teachers .......................................................................... 75 5.2.3 Recommend for students .......................................................................... 75 5.3 Limitation of the research ............................................................................... 77 5.4 Suggestions for further research...................................................................... 77 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 79 APPENDICES ......................................................................................................... 89 APPENDIX A: QUESTIONAIRES ..................................................................... 89 APPENDIX B: SEMI – STRUCTURED INTERVIEW ...................................... 99 APPENDIX C: CLASS OBSERVATION .........................................................101 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1: Components of Communicative Competence ........................................... 8 Table 2.2: Some common methods of teaching English speaking ........................... 12 Table 2.3: The factors that influence the learning of English ................................... 15 Table 2.4: The Problems of Speaking Deficiency amongst EFL Students ............... 24 Table 2.5: The characteristics of ESP ....................................................................... 28 Table 2.6: The main speaking problems during the process of teaching and learning English speaking skills ...................................................................................... 37 Table 2.7: The problems faced by EFL learners in learning English of Medical Purposes ............................................................................................................ 39 Table 2.8: The problems and the recommendations of solutions in the Teaching of English in medicine ........................................................................................... 40 Table 4.1: The challenges faced by LMC students in learning speaking Medical English............................................................................................................... 61 Table 5.1: Some solutions to improve the quality of teaching and learning speaking skill in the Medical English Course of LMC .................................................... 76 ix LIST OF GRAPHS Graph 4.1: The students’ Perception on their issues in ESP Classes ........................ 56 Graph 4.2: Students' communicative ability in ESP classroom ................................ 57 Graph 4.3: Students' levels of speaking skills of Medical English in the nursing department. ........................................................................................................ 60 Graph 4.4: Comparison of student results of learning speaking Medical English in 3 consecutive academic years .............................................................................. 61 Graph 4.5: Survey result of staff and lecturers on the importance of studying ........ 63 Medical English ........................................................................................................ 63 Graph 4.6: Student survey results of importance of studying Medical English ....... 64 Graph 4.7: Survey results of lecturers, staff and students on appropriate level of duration of Medical English training ................................................................ 65 Graph 4.8: Students' time to learn to speak specialized English ............................... 66 Graph 4.9: Time to study Medical English of students............................................. 67 Graph 4.10: Evaluation of teaching methods of speaking skills in ESP classroom . 69 Graph 4.11: Resources for specialized English learning .......................................... 71 Graph 4.12: Survey on facilities for studying specialized English ........................... 73 x LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 2.1. The Tree of ELT (Adapted from Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 17)). .. 27 Fig.2.2. The conceptual framework .......................................................................... 36 xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT Communicative Language Teaching EFL English as a Foreign Language EMP English for Medical Purposes ESL English as a Second Language ESP English for Specific Purposes GE General English LMC Lam Dong Medical College TPLT Task Based Language Teaching TPR Total Physical Responses xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study Language is a very essential instrument that enables speakers to state their existence and others ask something, express agreement and refusal. For this reason, oral language or speaking is regarded as of utmost importance to language learners. Achieving fluency in oral communication is the main dream and the main motivation which a large number of learners bring to language classes (Richards &Renandya, 2002). Bailey and Savage (1994) states that speaking in a second or foreign language has often been viewed as the most demanding of the four skills. Most people learn a language to have a goal of being able to speak so that they can communicate well in that language. Thus, the demand for speaking fluently is higher than that of other language skills. English is considered as a global language and thus both the West and the East have become equally busy promoting this language (Imam, 2005). English has become the international language used in business, technological and academic communication. This trend of English globalization, as a worldwide phenomenon, makes it necessary to communicate with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Nowadays, the majority of English users can be found in countries where the language is employed as a foreign or second language. Effective use of English as a second language (ESL) or foreign language (EFL) in oral communication is one of the most common but also highly complex activities people need to learn for their interpersonal communication. English speaking skill requires speakers to use the authentic language where it means that students need to use the language in any occasions or when communicating with the other students in an academic context. When students speak, they construct ideas in words, express their perceptions, their 1 feelings, and their intentions, so that the interlocutors grasp the meaning of what they mean. It is not surprising that to Vietnamese students, the English language is very essential to the development of their country in general and their city in particular. They are aware of the crucial role of this international language which plays an increasingly important role in the development of science, technology, politics, economics, culture and international relations. Good speaking skills in English will be very helpful for students in daily communication and in finding good jobs at big companies and multinational corporations that have been invested in Vietnam. English speaking skills are considered as a tool to work effectively. Therefore, the demand for teaching and learning English, especially English for specific purposes is rising, not only for communication purposes. English for specific purposes (ESP) has been developed worldwide since the 1960s and it is receiving a lot of attention, especially in universities. In different countries, the specialized English also develops at different levels. In Vietnam, teaching of ESP has been applied for a long time and has become an important subject in the training program at universities, colleges and professional secondary schools to meet the needs of improving the learners' expertise. However, according to Vietnam Department of Higher Education, teaching and learning English for specific purposes in Vietnam are still ineffective and has not met the society’s needs. Along with that trend of development, ESP has also been taught and studied at Lam Dong Medical College (LMC) in order to equip students with professional knowledge in English, meeting the professional needs, as well as the needs of communication, information exchange, study, research or working with foreigners. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Regarding medical students in general, and students in LMC in particular, they are aware of the essential role of English in their future jobs. In the future, students in Lam Dong Medical College can work as pharmacists or nurses in a popular city of 2 tourism – Da Lat, so it is necessary for them to use English to help foreign tourists who are their patients or customers. They need English to communicate with foreigners to find out their health problems and then help them to take care of their health. Furthermore, English language is one of their most valuable resources in the labor market. Practically, the better medical students in LMC can use English, specially ESP, the more opportunities they will have to apply for a good job with a high salary in Vietnam or abroad. However, many students in LMC don’t like English because they are not good at this language. They learn English because it is one of the modules in the training program. They feel afraid of learning English, they feel shy when their lecturers ask them to practice speaking English, they do not want to actively participate in English classes and do not want to give the contribution to the classes. The students in Lam Dong Medical College seem to face many challenges in learning English in general and in learning speaking skills in ESP in particular. Therefore, this study makes an effort to find out the challenges and the factors affecting in learning English speaking in ESP classrooms of the medical students in this context. 1.3 Research Objectives of the Study Speaking is not only one of the most important skills that need to be focused on and enhanced because it is an effective means of communication but also is one of the most difficult aspects of the language learning process. One researcher states, “Although speaking is considered a main language skill that students should improve, it has been widely noticed that they face many difficulties in speaking English” (Samira, 2014, p.22). Enhancing the quality of teaching and learning speaking English, specially English for specific purposes, for non-English major students at universities and colleges throughout the country is an issue that draws great attention from educators. There have been many English language researchers, lecturers, articles, research papers and books about the challenges of learning a foreign language, as well as in learning speaking skills to language learners. This study does 3 the same, but aims at non-English major students in the medical field in Vietnam. It is designed to investigate the possible challenges of teaching and learning speaking skills in ESP medical classrooms at a college in Lam Dong province, Viet Nam and the factors affecting students’ speaking skills. 1.4 Research Questions This study is designed to have insights about the possible challenges in learning speaking skills in ESP classroom of Lam Dong Medical College students. It is planned to address the following questions: 1. What are the challenges faced by the second-year students at Lam Dong Medical College in English speaking classes? 2. What are the factors affecting the students’ English speaking competence? 1.5 Scope of the research This study focuses only on one skill in learning ESP, speaking skills, and two aspects which include the challenges and the factors affecting in learning speaking skills of medical students. Besides, the research only concentrates on the speaking skills of the second-year nursing students of Lam Dong Medical College, the study does not cover all students of the college. 1.6 Significance of the research This study is hoped to shed light into the challenges that medical students in a Vietnamese context may encounter in learning speaking skills in ESP classrooms and the factors affecting the students’ English speaking competence. The identification of the challenges and the underlying factors can be helpful for the teachers and students, as well as for the college authority to look for solutions or adjustments to improve the quality of teaching and learning of this subject. This can be also a reference source for those teachers who are interested in teaching ESP at other medical institutions. 4 1.7. Organization of the Thesis This thesis includes 5 chapters as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1 gives an initial overview of the thesis, which set the general context of the research. Seven sections are concluded in this, namely “Background to the study”, “Statement of the problem”, “Research objectives of the study”, “Research questions”, “Scope of the study”, “Significance of the study”, and “Organization of the thesis”. Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter 2 presents the theoretical background of some previous studies and it is composed of 2 main sections: Communicative competence and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Chapter 3: Methodology Chapter 3 describes research methodology employed in this study, which consists of research questions, research design, research site, research participants, research instruments and data analysis procedures. This chapter accesses the designed methods of collecting, analyzing, and illustrating the data to answer the research questions. Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion Chapter 4 reveals the findings and discussions of the study according to the research questions. This chapter presents results of the collected data from questionnaire, semi-structured interview and class observation and then analysis and discussions are taken place. The findings are presented and then discussions of the findings are provided. Chapter 5: Conclusions The last chapter is composed of a summary of research findings, as well as an explanation about unavoidable limitations of the thesis and suggestions for further 5 field-related studies. Ultimately, suggestions for further studies are put forward. It also recommends some theoretical and pedagogical implications and concludes the study. 6