Tiểu luận PPLNCK final assignment research methodologydocx

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Rationale
1.2. Aim and objectives
1.3. Scope of the study
1.4. Research questions
1.5. Structure of the study
2. Literature Review
2.1.
Review of previous studies
2.2.
Review of theoretical background/framework
3. Proposed Research Methodology
3.1. Research type
3.2. Population and sample
3.3. Research methods
4. Proposed Chapter Outline
References

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Appendices (optional)

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Research schedule

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1. Introduction
Rationale
English communication plays an important role in our daily life.
Speaking is an essential tool to communicate with foreigners because English is

1.1.

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the most widely spoken language in the world. In this era of globalization, there
have been dramatic changes taking place around the world. English
communication is one of the skills that high school students must master,

especially in developed urban areas. As English is widely spoken around the
world, learners need to acquire communication skills to achieve success in
their respective fields. For students, especially high school students in urban
areas in Vietnam. They are required to use and communicate in English on
campus, in class, during school hours, with all textbooks in English, full English
lectures in class, and all assignments. in English, it is important for them to be
able to communicate well in English. But of course, with students from
different backgrounds, their communication skills are also very diverse.
Therefore, it is important to point out the factors that affect the English
communication skills of high school students in developed regions in Vietnam.
Nowadays, students can improve their English speaking ability by cultivating
from subjective and objective factors.
Knowing how to communicate in English will open doors and change
your life. The only way to communicate is to speak. After acquiring a new
language, you will gain more confidence by replicating it with others in
speaking activities. By practicing speaking English in a relaxing environment,
students don't worry if they say it wrong as it is an important part of the
learning process. My analysis of the text revealed themes and subtopics affects
the English communication process of high school students in urban areas of
Vietnam.
Aim and objectives
Research aim

1.2.

The study shows the factors affecting communication skills in English, in
order to improve English communication skills of the high school students in
Vietnam’s urban areas.
Research objectives
The research objectives of the study are:

- To assess whether what difficulties high school students in Vietnam's urban
areas in the process of communicating in English.
-To identify the causes of difficulties of the students at a high school in
Vietnam’s urban areas when learning English communication skills.
-To identify the factors that influence English communication skills of the
students at a high school in Vietnam’s urban areas.
-To propose some recommendations and outline some solutions to improve
English communication skills of the students at a high school in Vietnam’s
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urban areas to overcome difficulties when learning English communication
skills.
Scope of the study
The study aims to provide the current situation of using English to
communicate among high school students in urban areas of Vietnam. In
addition, the study has pointed out the factors affecting the English
communication skills of high school students in urban Vietnam. The article also
points out the difficulties, the causes of the difficulties and some
recommendations to solve the above situation.
This essay may be used in training institutions or for other similar
research purposes.
1.4. Research questions
-Do the students at a high school in Vietnam’s urban areas have difficulties
in learning English communication skills?
1.3.

-What are the causes of difficulties of the students at a high school in
Vietnam’s urban areas when learning English communication skills?
-What are the factors that influence English communication skills of the

students at a high school in Vietnam’s urban areas?
-What are some recommendations and some possible ways to improve
English communication skills of the students at a high school in Vietnam’s
urban areas?
Structure of the study
The study is divided into 5 chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction

1.5.

Chapter 2: Literature review
Chapter 3: Proposed Research Methodology
Chapter 4: Findings and discussion
Chapter 5: Conclusion
2. Literature review
2.1.
Review of previous studies
Certainly, English language has gained much attention in language-ineducation policies in Asian countries. It is a compulsory subject in high school
curriculum in some countries in Asian, including Vietnam. English language
have started to provide access to English language as a foreign language in the
national education program in Vietnam. However, at the high school level,
arising from such implementation were issues associated with foreign

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language policies for high school education which have been identified in many
research studies (Cindy, Naomi & Moon, 2015; Coco et al., 2017; Li, 2018; Chan,
2018). Some of these issues were also reflected in education more generally.
Currently, in Vietnam, about 55/63 provinces are implementing high school

English programs (Nguyen Hoang, 2016); the rest is teaching ethnic minority
languages. Most provinces have enough resources (teachers, facilities, parents'
needs and children's preferences, etc.) to incorporate English into their
curricula. However, the reality is significantly different. The implementation of
English education is not as effective as expected although expectations are very
high among stakeholders. Based on an investigation of the English teaching
situation at the upper secondary level, Min suggests that 'conditions are not yet
suitable to allow a successful expansion of teaching at the primary level' (Min,
2015: 25). She adds that 'there is no clear perception of the goals, means and
outcomes of teaching English to upper secondary students' (Min, 2015: 30). In
addition, teachers are not fully trained to teach upper secondary English and
do not have a good level of English (vocabulary, academic vocabulary,
specialization). Existing textbooks and materials are not completely suitable
for urban high school students to develop their language communication skills
'(Min, 2015: 30) for high school students. With those missing conditions, the
effectiveness of English education for high school students hardly meets its
purpose.
Professional teachers are one of the most important factors in ensuring the
effective implementation of communicative English education at the upper
secondary level as they can greatly contribute in motivating students to learn
English. . Besides, it is not easy to teach students effectively, because foreign
language are less required at the upper secondary level than at all educational
levels because students still have important university exams. Besides other
factors depend more on spoken language (Miranda, 2014). Some researchers
agree that teachers should have a high level of language proficiency and be
truly professional in comparison to their broad knowledge of vocabulary
(Miranda, 2014; Lima, 2000; Slattery & Willis, 2001) and understanding good
on methods of teaching communicative English to high school students (Lima,
2000). While advocates of English language teaching and foreign language
studies praise the growing interest in English language programs, many fear

that these efforts are unnecessary. The biggest concern is the quality and
quantity of professional teachers, who can meet the conditions to teach high
school students who can communicate after 3 years of studying at a high
schools in Vietnam’ urban areas to practice perform these efforts.
2.2. Review of theoretical background

Communication is a skill that involves a systematic and continuous
process of speaking-listening-understanding and feedback. Most people are
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born with the ability to talk, but each must learn to speak well and
communicate effectively. Speaking, listening and understanding verbal and
nonverbal cues are skills by observing others and modeling our behavior based
on what we see and perceive. We are also taught some face-to-face
communication skills through education. (Shakira, 2016).
In Vietnam, there are now official English textbooks published by the
Ministry of Education and Training for each school year. Most of the content of
academic books is unclear, unattractive, lacks pronunciation exercises, focus on
grammar and vocabulary. Consistent themes in vocabulary and grammar
throughout the three books. The cassette attached to the book is not renewed,
the quality is not good (Nguyen Hoang, 2016: 38). For English communication,
different schools use different materials to teach and learn communicative
English.
These studies are supported by research on high school IELTS in Vietnam
conducted by Moon for the British Council in September 2018 which shows
that textbooks do not match students' needs for English language skills. Their
focus (grammar, not communication), input type activities, make students learn
passively, unable to communicate in English. Despite these limitations, these
books are still widely used because of their release by the Vietnamese Ministry

of Education and Training (Moon, 2018). In my opinion, those comments are
absolutely correct and I support them.
Although the policy of teaching communicative foreign languages in high
schools in Vietnam has been widely accepted and supported, more urgent
actions are needed to improve the current situation. We don't just need to focus
on reading, writing or grammar and vocabulary skills, but listening, speaking
and communication skills are most important. We desperately need good
teachers not only in urban areas. We need to encourage and support high
school students in English communication skills, especially urban high school
students, where they are developed and qualified to use communicative
English. Thus, I do this research.
3. Proposed Research Methodology
3.1
Research type
To achieve the aims of the study with high reliability the study employed two
data collection instruments. These were survey questionnaires and personal
observations. Survey questionnaire was the major data collection instrument
employed in this thesis. In addition to conducting survey questionnaires,
personal observations played a crucial role in terms of supplement data for the
analysis. The personal observations were employed with the aim to collect
adequate data for analysis.
3.2

Population and sample

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Due to the thesis conducted to find out the factors affecting the ability to
communicate in English of high school students in urban areas of Vietnam. At

the time of the survey, the number of participants in English communication
was 10 schools, each school randomly selected 50 males and 50 females
currently living and working in urban areas in Vietnam, between the ages of 16
and 18. at the time of the survey. Their family background and ability to learn
English are very different. Their nationality is Vietnamese and they all study
English according to the framework program issued by the Ministry of
Education and Training; in other words, English is their second so that the
results of the survey questionnaire can be reliable.
3.3
Research methods
One thousand survey questionnaires were distributed and all returned
survey questionnaires were subsequently analyzed. All participants were asked
to provide their name, nationality, age, occupation, gender, and other factors
necessary to find out the factors affecting their ability to communicate in
English. In order for the data to be reliable, before submitting the survey
questionnaire, the participants were initially asked to grant permission to
participate in the survey. Questionnaires written in English and Vietnamese are
equally valid. The questionnaire consists of two parts. The first section focuses
on personal information about the participants such as nationality, age, gender,
education and occupation. The second part of the questionnaire provides
scenarios that require participants' responses. The situations in question are
designed to reflect real life situations.
The choices of inviting forms in the equal power settings where the
speaker and the hearer are in equal power and they can be unfamiliar with
each other. English participants prefer the forms of Yes/No questions, whereas
most Vietnamese ones make invitations in the forms of imperatives and
declaratives
4. Proposed chapter outline
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Rationale

1.2. Aim and objectives of the study
1.3. Scope of the study
1.4. Research questions
1.5. Methods of the study
1.6. Structure of the study
Chapter 2: Literature review
2.1. Review of previous studies
2.2. Review of theoretical background/frameworks
Chapter 3: Methodology
2.3.
Research type
2.4.
Population and sample
2.5.
Research methods
Chapter 4: Findings and discussion
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4.1. Results/Findings
4.1.1 Language barriers
(vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and fluency)
4.1.2 Psychological factors
(anxiety, attitude and lack of motivation)
4.1.3 The learning environment
(lecturers, peers and speaking module topics)
4.1.4 language practice
(self-practice, language practice with tutors and peers, practice language with
media and technology, and maintaining positive motivation)
4.2. Discussion

4.2.1 Main cause (what is the most important factor)
4.2.2 Others cause
Chapter 5: Conclusion
The focus of this study was to identify the factors affecting the English
communication ability of students at high schools in urban Vietnam. Literature
review of the thesis based on the theoretical basis of students' English speech
behavior, ability to use English language, theory of difficulties and influencing
factors in the communication process. in English through previous studies. Data for
analysis were provided by two groups of participants: 10 high schools in urban
areas of Vietnam, in which each school surveyed 50 male students and 50 female
students. The study uses two data collection tools: survey questionnaires and
personal observations, the main survey questionnaire. The methods of data analysis
in this study are statistics, comparison and contrast. After the results are presented,
discussion and statistics of the collected questionnaires will be carried out. Finally
the conclusion.
References
1. Cindy, Naomi & Moon (2015). English in high education in Vietnam: Policies,
outcomes and stakeholders' lived experiences. Current Issues in Language Planning,
11(2), 150-162. doi: 10.1080/14664208.2011.584371.
2. Li & Chan, (2018). Success or failure of primary second/foreign language
programmer in Asia: What do the data tell us? Current Issues in Language Planning,
12(2), 309-323. doi: 10.1080/14664208.2011.609715.
3. Cameron, L. (2003) Challenges for ELT from the expansion in teaching children.
ELT Journal 57 (2), 105-112.
4. Miranda (2014) Teaching English in the High School Classroom- Thailand:
Longman.

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5. Nguyen Hoang (2016). Foreign language education in primary schools in the
People's Republic of China. Current Issues in Language Planning, 8(2), 148-160.
doi: 10.2167/cilp113.0.
6. Min (2015) Investigating the teaching of English at High Level in Vietnam: A
summary report. Paper presented at the Teaching English Language at High Level
Conference, Hanoi, Vietnam.
7. Lima (2000). High English language education policy in Viet Nam: Insights from
implementation. Current Issues in Language Planning, 12(2), 225-249. doi:
10.1080/14664208.2011.597048.
8. Shakira, (2016). Importance of English communication skills. International
Journal of Applied Research 2 (3), 478 480, 2016.
9. Slattery, M. and Willis, J. (2001) English for Primary Teachers. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
10. Moon, (2018). The situation of high school IELTS in Vietnam. Paper presented
at the Teaching English Language at High School Level Conference, Hanoi,
Vietnam.
Appendices
Research Schedule
Research phase

Objectives

Deadline

1. Background research
and literature review

●

Meet with supervisor for initial

discussion
●
Conduct a more extensive
review of relevant literature
●
Refine the research questions
●
Develop a theoretical framework

30th
November,
2021

2. Research
planning

●

15th
December,
2021

design

Design questionnaires
●
Identify online and offline
channels for recruiting participants
●
Finalize sampling methods and

data analysis methods

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●

Recruit participants and send out
questionnaires
●
Conduct
semi-structured
interviews with selected participants
●
Transcribe and code interviews
and clean survey data

25th
December,
2021

●

Statistically analyze survey data
●
Conduct thematic analysis of
interview transcripts
●
Draft the results and discussion
chapters

31th
December,
2021

5. Writing

●

Complete a full thesis draft
●
Meet with supervisor to discuss
feedback and revisions

1st January,
2022

6. Revision

●

30
April,
2022

3. Data collection and
preparation

4. Data analysis

Redraft based on feedback
Get supervisor approval for final

●

draft
●
●

Proofread
Print, bind and submit

Approved by
SUPERVISOR

(Signature and full name)
Date: ……………………

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