Luận văn thạc sĩ áp DỤNG các HOẠT ĐỘNG GIẢI QUYẾT vấn đề TRONG dạy nói CHO SINH VIÊN năm THỨ HAI CHUYÊN ANH tại đại học THƯƠNG mại

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would love to express my deep indebtedness to a number of people whose
invaluable support and encouragement were of great help in the completion of this
study.
First and foremost, I would like to advance my special gratitude and respect to
my minor thesis advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Xuan Diep for his invaluable
suggestions, continuous support, great encouragement, motivating attitude as well
as critical comments from the beginning of my study. I could never have achieved
this without his support.
I am also thankful to all my teachers at the English department, University of
Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
My special thanks to 40 second-year students at Vietnam University of
Commerce for their invaluable support and cooperation to start and complete my
thesis.
Lastly, my special words of thanks are extent to my family for their endless help,
patience and support.
i
ABSTRACT
The current study entitled “Applying Problem-Solving Activities in Teaching
Speaking Skills for the Second-year English-Major Students at Vietnam University
of Commerce” was carried out to find out the effectiveness of problem-solving
activities in improving students’ speaking competence as well as investigate the
students’ motivation towards the use of problem-solving activities in speaking
lessons at Vietnam University of Commerce (VUC), and then give some
pedagogical implications for teachers. An action research was implemented with 40
students of English Department at VUC during four weeks. Data were collected by
observations, oral tests, questionnaires, and student’s journals. To answer two
research questions (1) To what extent does the application of problem-solving
activities improve students’ speaking skills? and (2) What are the effects of
problem-solving activities on students’ motivation?, four speaking lessons were
conducted in the form of problem-solving activities. The main findings highlighted

the students’ improvement in speaking skills after the treatment. This was shown by
the students’ journals and comparisons of results of oral pre-test and post-test,
which have the same format and criteria for assessing. The analyses of the post-
intervention questionnaire and observation sheet also indicated that the students are
more interested and involved in speaking lessons. Thus, it is expected that the
results of this study could benefit English teachers in general and English teachers
in VUC in particular to enhance their speaking lessons.
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, TABLES AND FIGURES
Figure 1: Action Research Model ( Kemmis, 1988) 19
Figure 2: Comparison of Results of Pre-test and Post-test 30
Figure 3 Students’ Level Motivation 34
Abbreviation
VCU: Vietnam University of Commerce
iii
TABLES OF CONTENTS
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1
PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW 5
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODS 17
2.1. The Seng 17
2.2. Subjects 18
2.3. Research Approach 18
2.4. Data Collecon Instruments 19
2.4.2. Questionnaires 20
2.4.3. Observation Sheet 20
2.4.4. Students’ Journals 21
2.5. Intervenon: The Applicaon of Problem-Solving Acvies 21
2.7.Data Analysis 25
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 27

3.1. Preliminary Invesgaon 27
3.2. Evaluaon 30
3.3. Summary 37
PART C: CONCLUSIONS 39
4.1. Recapitulaon of Main Ideas 39
4.2. Limitaons of the Study 40
4.3. Suggesons for Further Studies 40
REFERENCES 42
APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………I
iv
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale of the Study
Among four skills, speaking plays the most essential part in communication. In
fact, Vietnamese students realize the necessity as well as importance of enhancing
language skills in order to meet future job’s needs and communicate in social
conversations. However, it is hard for most of them to use English in the real
situations. In the real context of Vietnam University of Commerce, lecture-oriented
method is still applied at present although there have been a large number of
changes about teaching materials and supplementary activities. Students do not feel
elated and enthusiastic when participating in speaking lessons. Their lack of
confidence as well as uninteresting speaking activities leads to demotivate them to
join in. In addition, other problems such as lack of vocabulary, involvement or
enjoyment have great impacts on their participation in speaking lessons.
To solve these problems, more effective speaking activities need to be exploited
so as to enhance learners’ communicative competence and help them get more
involved in speaking lessons, so current teachers need to actively engage students in
speaking activities that are enjoyable and are based on a more communicative
approach. One of them is problem-solving activities, which received many supports
from scholars and teachers. Using problem-solving activities is regarded as an
effective way to practise communication skills in which students work with each

other to find out appropriate solutions to a specific problem. Therefore, this is a
good chance for them to interact with teachers or other students, which encourage
them to be more cheerful and inspired. Moreover, their discussion will help them
share information, create new ideas and boost their self-confidence. Thus, their
speaking skill will also be improved. Students use target language as a means to
solve a problem, which also increases their motivation, participation and critical
thinking.
1
The above mentioned situation has urged the researcher to conduct a study of
“Applying Problem-solving Activities in Teaching Speaking Skills to the Second-
year English-Major Students at Vietnam University of Commerce”. This study is
intended to make a contribution to helping students at Vietnam University of
Commerce improve their speaking skills.
1.2. Aims of the Study
The study aimed at finding out whether the application of problem-solving
activities has a positive impact on the speaking skills of the Second-year English-
Major Students at Vietnam University of Commerce. Then, suggestions on how to
use problem-solving activities effectively to enhance students’ speaking
competence are given.
1.3. Objectives of the Study
The specific objectives of the study were as follows:
• To investigate the extent to which the application of problem-solving activities
has improved the speaking competence of the Second-year English-Major
Students at Vietnam University of Commerce.
• To exploit the effects of problem-solving activities on students’ motivation in
speaking skills.
1.4. Research Questions
In this investigation, the following research questions were addressed:
1. To what extent does the application of problem-solving activities improve
students’ speaking skills?

2. What are the effects of problem-solving activities on students’ motivation?
2
1.5. Scope of the Study
The study was conducted on 40 Second-year English-Major Students at Vietnam
University of Commerce in the first semester of 2014-2015 via the application of
problem-solving activities in teaching speaking skills.
1.6. Significance of the Study
The foremost significance of this study is that it will contribute to a more
effective use of problem-solving activities in order to enhance speaking skills for
the Second-year English-Major Students at Vietnam University of Commerce.
The findings of the study will provide an insightful understanding of the current
situation of exploiting problem-solving activities in teaching speaking skills to the
Second-year English-Major Students at Vietnam University of Commerce. In other
words, the study also helps revisit the features and principles of problem solving in
education. Moreover, English teachers may find the recommended problem-solving
activities a useful reference to make their speaking lessons more communicative,
meaningful and practical.
1.7. Methodology
An action research was applied in this minor thesis to improve students’
speaking skills and teaching speaking in the researcher’s own class. In order to
collect sufficient and relevant data for the study, four instruments were employed:
- Pre-test and post-test to assess student’s speaking ability.
- Observation sheet to find out students’ motivation during the intervention.
- Survey questionnaires to investigate students’ achievement and motivation before
and after the intervention.
- Student’s journals to investigate students’ improvement towards this application.
1.8. Design of the Study
3
The study consists of three parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion.
The Introduction presents the rationale, aim, objectives, scope, significance and

methodology.
The Development includes three chapters which are as follows:
Chapter One covers an in-depth review of the literature in which a relevant
theoretical background and a review of related studies concerning applying
problem-solving activities in teaching speaking skills.
Chapter Two features the research methods including the background information
of the context, the subjects of the study, the instruments used to collect data, and the
procedures of data collection and data analysis. Moreover, a detailed description of
data analysis is provided.
Chapter Three shows the findings and discussions, the results of the study are
shown.
The Conclusions ends the report with the recapitulation of main ideas, the
limitations of the study and the suggestions for further studies.
4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE
REVIEW
1.1. Theoretical Background
1.1.1. An Overview of Speaking
1.1.1.1. Some Concepts of Speaking
Speaking skill plays an essential role in teaching and learning a foreign
language. There are a variety of views on the term “speaking” given by different
linguists.
According to Chaney (1998), “Speaking is the process of building and sharing
meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols in a variety of contexts”
(p. 13). While Byrne (1986, p. 8) defined that speaking is “a two-way process
between speaker and listener, involving the productive skill of speaking and the
receptive skill of understanding”. The speaker plays the role of encoding the
message to be conveyed in an appropriate language, while the listener has to decode
the message. A similar view of “speaking” given by Scott, R. (1981) was that

speaking is “an activity involving two (or more) people in which the participants are
both hearers and speakers having to react to what they hear and make their
contributions at high speed”. Through the interaction, each participant will try to
achieve his communicative goals and fulfill his ability of interpreting what is said to
him. Expressing message or sharing information through verbal and non-verbal
symbols is actually effective ways in real-life situations which will help people
understand each other without words. Theodore Huebner stated that “language is
essentially speech, and speech is basically communication by sounds”. According to
him, speaking is a skill used by someone in daily life communication whether at
school or outside. The skill is acquired by much repetition; it primarily a
5
neuromuscular and not an intellectual process. It consists of competence in
sending and receiving messages.
To sum up, it is obvious that speaking is one of the most important skills for
learners. The ability to speak fluently, appropriately and understandably every time,
everywhere and in every situation is the goal as well as the desire of language
learners. It is not easy for them to master immediately because speaking skills
require learners to practice regularly and patiently. From these reasons, Bygate
(1987, p. 2) considered speaking skills as “a skill which deserves attention every bit
as much as literary skills in both first and second language”.
1.1.1.2. The Roles of Speaking Skills in Language Teaching
Speaking creates motivation in language learning. According to Crook and
Schmidt (1991), motivation is defined as the learner’s orientation with regard to the
goal of learning a second language. Learning a language is to know to learn how to
use it, as Nunan (1991) stated “success is measured in terms of the ability to carry
out a conversation in the (target) language”. Mastering a language is that learners
can use it flexibly in every situation. If students cannot speak or they do not have a
chance to speak, they will get bored and lose their interest in learning a language.
Therefore, the right activities need using in a right way, which makes speaking in
class be cheerful and raises learners’ motivation as well as creates a dynamic

English language classroom.
Speaking also helps other language skills be improved. It is obvious that
speaking and listening are the two inter-dependent macro skills. A student who is
good at speaking is more likely to be good at listening than the others. A student
who speaks English well also has a higher chance of reading and writing English
better than the others (Nation, 1990, p.21).
Speaking is fundamental to human communication. In fact, we speak more than
we write, whereas many English teachers still spend the majority of class time on
reading and writing. Speaking and listening skills are not really esteemed.
6
Therefore, this creates an unbalance among these skills. If the goals of the language
course are to help students communicate English, speaking skill should be regularly
taught and practiced in a language classroom.
1.1.1.3. Principles of Teaching Speaking
Speaking plays a significant role in developing communicative competence, and
teachers’ responsibility is to equip students with knowledge and skills to be able to
use English for communication in the real world. Thus, Harmer (2001: 102)
suggested some principles in teaching speaking. First of all, speaking helps students
overcome their initial reluctance, which helps them be more motivated. Secondly,
students are asked to talk about what they want to talk about. Next, teaching
speaking requires appropriate feedback to be provided. The last one is that speaking
is also combined with listening and reading.
1.1.1.4. Classroom Speaking Activities
Speaking is regarded as a means of effective communication. The question of
how to increase communicative competence is the most crucial one. Many speaking
activities suggested by researchers and educators are useful for teachers in
improving the quality of speaking lessons and promoting students’ attitudes and
participation in learning a language.
Harmer (2001, p.271-274) proposed some speaking activities. The first one is
acting from a script. In this section, teachers ask students to perform the play based

on the dialogue in the script. Thus, the teacher as a director and the students
perform the dialogue. Communication games are the second one which can make
students relaxed in learning a language. This technique is particularly suitable for
the children in mastering the language. It is designed to provoke communication
between students in order for them to solve a puzzle, draw a picture, put the things
in a right order, and find differences between pictures. Lastly, it is Role Play that is
a stimulated activity in which students pretend that they are in a different situation,
7
either as themselves or playing the role of someone is quite different. We could ask
them to be a guest at some parties and go there as different characters. They could,
as themselves, pretend to be at an airport trying to check luggage, or either as
themselves or another character take part in a television program. The students in all
these cases are using language in order to participate in the activity rather than other
way round. Some students find it very comfortable to use language in a simulated
environment, and playing the role of someone else which allows them to
experiment freely to be another people.
1.1.2. Problem-Solving Activities
1.1.2.1. Definitions of Problem Solving
Problem solving is a popular way to stimulate students’ interest and motivation.
Students work in pairs or groups to share their opinions and feelings about a
specific problem. They work together to discuss, analyze and evaluate the problem,
then reach proper solutions.
A problem is a situation which is experienced by an agent as different from the
situation which the agent ideally would like to be in. A problem is solved by a
sequence of actions that reduce the difference between the initial situation and the
goal (F.Heylighen, 1998).
According to Ormond (2006: 111), “problem solving is using existing
knowledge and skills to address an unanswered question or a troubling
situation”.
Mayer and Wittrock (2006, p. 287) defined problem solving as “a cognitive

process directed at achieving a goal when no solution method is obvious to the
problem solver”. This definition consists of four parts:
Problem solving is cognitive, that is, problem solving occurs within the
problem solver's cognitive system and can only be inferred from the
problem solver's behavior.
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Problem solving is a process, that is, problem solving involves applying
cognitive processes to cognitive representations in the problem solver's
cognitive system.
Problem solving is directed, that is, problem solving is guided by the
problem solver's goals.
Problem solving is personal, that is, problem solving depends on the
knowledge and skill of the problem solver.
In Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
(Richards, J. C., Platt, J., & Platt, H. 1997), problem-solving activities are defined
as simple tasks, often involving word puzzles or simple drawings, used to stimulate
pair work and oral discussion among small groups of second language learners. The
use of such tasks is characteristic of some phases of lessons in the communicative
approach.
In the book “Keeping Talk” (1984), Klippel presented that in problem-solving
activities, learners have to find solutions to various types of problem. They must
work together to discuss several ways of solving the problems in pairs or groups.
There are many kinds of problem-solving activities shown in this book which are
useful for learners to practise speaking skills such as making suggestions, giving
reasons and modifying.
In problem-solving activities, learners have to share their feelings and opinions,
analyze and evaluate the problems to reach a decision together. Shumin (1997)
stated that “problem solving is directed towards the solving of a specific problem
that involves both the formation of responses and the selection among possible
responses”.

Problem solving is one of many communicative interactive techniques for
language teaching that received many attentions from researchers and educators.
Littlewood (1990) proposed that “problem-solving activity is a type of
communicative activities that have been designed to provide opportunities for
9
learners to produce a language that they have recently learnt”. The application of
problem-solving activities encourages students to think carefully and talk together
to seek solutions to tasks or problems. Moreover, these activities increase students
‘participation and motivation towards speaking skills. In other words, they also
create a fascinating and eventful learning environment to help learners understand
more about the importance and necessity of speaking skills.
1.1.2.2. Kinds of Problem-Solving Activities
A number of kinds of problem-solving activities have been used for teaching
language in EFL classrooms. These activities are organized in different ways in
which their main aim is to enhance speaking skills.
Byrne (1986, p. 94) proposed different some problem solving activities which
are as follows:
Linking activities:
Finding connections: Students have to establish connections between two
items (presented to them verbally or in the form of pictures). Two such
items might be horse and book. Some possible connections are:
(1) The horse is famous because it has won lots of races, so its owner has
decided to write a book about it.
(2) The horse belongs to a man who likes reading and riding. When he
goes for a ride on his horse, he often takes a book with him to read.
Finding differences and similarities: Students may be asked to find
differences and similarities as two separate activities or as part of the same
activity. For example, Students can be asked to find differences (either a set
number or as many as possible) between two pictures. Or students can be
asked to list both similarities and differences (for office and classroom).

Categorising activities:
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Putting items in categories: Students are given a list of items and asked to
locate these under headings according to different features. For example:
Everyday objects can be divided into essential/ non-essential;
cheap/expensive; imported/home-produced.
Identifying categories: Students are given a list of items and asked to
identify for themselves the categories into which the items can be arranged.
They may be asked to find a set number of categories or as many as
possible. For example, for clothes, some categories might be: worn all the
year round/worn only in winter; or with sleeves/ without sleeves.
Grading activities:
Grading: This involves putting a list of items in order according to certain
agreed criteria. For example: Students can be asked to grade the subjects
they study at school on a scale from most to least difficult (interesting,
useful and so on)
Deciding on priorities: Students have to put in order of priority, or they can
also be asked to put in order of importance (such as a school or a social
club)
Planning activities:
Planning a picnic: Students have to decide: when, where and how to go,
what to take and what to do. Similarly, students can be asked to plan a
party.
Planning a park: Students have to decide what facilities they would like
their park to have and also where they would like these sited.
1.1.2.3. Advantages of the Application of Problem-Solving Activities in
Teaching Speaking
It is essential to provide students with a variety of speaking activities so that
they will be able to cope with different situations in a real life. Speaking activities
11

make the classroom cheerful and dynamic, and applying problem-solving activities
in teaching speaking brings about some benefits for both teachers and students.
First of all, problem-solving activities increase students’ motivation towards
learning speaking. Concerning the motivation of classroom activities, Littlewood
(1981, p.17) suggested that “Language learners’ ultimate objective is to take part in
communication with others. Also, most learners’ prior conception of language is as
a means of communication rather than as a structural system”. Thus, the motivation
of most language learners is to gain a capacity to speak in that language.
Problem-solving activities in speaking lessons will produce a high level of
motivation and participation. In addition, problem-solving activities are considered
a stimulus to elicit speech. Furthermore, problem-solving activities are often
designed in the form of games, which is said to stir and maintain students’ interest
and motivation. Challenge – an essential element of every game will create a
competition among learners and impulse their eagerness in the learning process.
Secondly, problem-solving activities encourage students’ equal participation. Ur
(1996:128) explained that “participants tend to become personally involved; they
begin to relate to the problem as an emotional issue as well as an intellectual and
moral one”. A problem-solving activity requires a good cooperation and full
participation from students who share work and contribute to the common task.
This might establish a kind of atmosphere that encourages learners to help one
another or ask for the help from their peers. In other words, no student is too
dominant or the others keep silent during the activity. Better students have a chance
to help their weaker partners while the weaker ones can put aside their inhibitions
and learn something from better friends. This is also a way for students to learn
from others. Moreover, the encouragement to participate in the activity from the
teacher also makes a better different impression of closeness on students.
Thirdly, problem-solving activities offer students language practice
opportunities. In fact, learners in many EFL classrooms do not have enough time to
practise the new language. Therefore, they find it difficult to gain communicative
12

competence. Thanks to problem-solving activities, students are provided with the
opportunities for individual personal expression (Lawrence, 1972). Furthermore,
reaching a decision requires students to interact with each other, so the total
individual practice time is available to each student; and each student has a chance
to practice language by exchanging ideas with the others. It explains why Rivers
(1987) stated that the interaction as the key to improve English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) learners’ speaking ability.
In short, problem-solving activities facilitate all students to think, speak and act
while discussing to solve problems.
1.1.3. Procedures of Conducting Problem-Solving Activities in a Group
A problem-solving group suggested by Tuckman (1965) quoted in Wright
(1987) which is as follows:
Stage 1 Forming: In the group, there is some anxiety. There is a great deal of
dependence on the leader (the teacher) and a great deal of behavior directed towards
finding out the nature of the situation and also what behavior is acceptable.
At the same time, group members attempt to find out what the task is, what the rules
are for carrying out the task and the methods that are appropriate
Stage 2 Storming: There is now a conflict between sub-groups and also rebellion
against the leader. Opinions are extreme and there is resistance to group control.
Role relations are not agreed upon. All of this behavior is a resistance to the
demands of the task.
Stage 3 Norming: The group develops cohesion: norms of behavior emerge and
participants begin to accept group control. Conflicts are forgotten and members
begin to support each other. At this stage co-operation is the rule and there is open
exchange of views and feelings about the task and each other.
Stage 4 Performing: All individuals’ problems are resolved and there is a great deal
of interpersonal activity. Members’ roles in the group now lose their rigidity and
13
become more functional. At this stage solutions to the problems of the task are
found and all efforts are devoted to completing the task.

1.2. Review of Related Works
There are a number of studies on the use of problem-solving activities in
language teaching. Many researchers pointed out that applying problem-solving
activities in language classroom is very useful in creating an attractive learning
environment for learners.
Thanyalak Oradee (2012) did a study of comparing English speaking skills using
three communicative activities: Discussion, Problem solving, and Role playing of
Grade 11 students before and after learning. She pointed out the effects of using
these communicative activities in the language classroom in Thai context. In this
study, a one group pre-test and post-test design was also employed for 49 students
at a secondary school in Udon Thani, Thailand to assess their English ability. The
design of the research was mixed method design. The quantitative data came from
the speaking test and the students’ attitude towards teaching English speaking. The
qualitative data were drawn from a Learning Log, a semi-structured interview and a
Teacher’s Journal. The findings were as follows: 1. The students’ English speaking
abilities after using the three communicative activities were significantly higher
than before their use. (Pretest = 60.80; Posttest = 85.63). 2. The students’ attitude
towards teaching English speaking skills using the three communicative activities
were rated as good (Χ=4.50). The results revealed a positive role of using these
communicative activities in developing English speaking skills.
Another study that investigated the effect of applying problem solving in
teaching foreign languages to students of pedagogical departments was of Natela
Doghonadze and Gulnara Gorgiladze (2008). An experimental study was conduct.
The aim of the study is to review some existing research and to offer some
practical recommendations for methods of teacher training in foreign
14
languages based on problem solving. The researchers gave some typical activities
which helped to increase students ‘motivation in learning foreign language.
The another one is that a study into teaching speaking skills using problem-
solving method at class tenth of Sma Bina Muda Cicalengka by Asep Rahmat

Hidayat (2008) proved that the use of problem-solving activities in learning English
speaking is very useful for learners. The research used quantitative method with one
group pretest - posttest design. The instrument of this study was the test with the
population of 47 of class tenth students of SMA Bina Muda Cicalengka. The data of
this research were collected by using the pretest and posttest to the students’
sample. The results of the study proved that teaching speaking skills through the use
of problem-solving activities is clearly improved.
Chuyen (2011) did an MA thesis about using problem-based strategy in teaching
English in a high school. This study was carried out with the participation of 45
students who are at elementary level. The subjects took part in the 10 week
experimental teaching. The study was conducted as a quantitative study, using pre-
test and post-test along with questionnaires to collect data. After the experimental
teaching, the students showed positive attitudes towards the strategy.
From these related works, it would be worth investigating applying problem-
solving activities in teaching speaking skills at Vietnam University of Commerce.

1.3. Justification for the Study
The mentioned discussion of related studies in the area concerning teaching
language by the application of problem-solving activities demonstrates how the
current study could be fit into the existing literature.
Firstly, a number of studies have just elaborated on the role of communicative
activities in teaching speaking skills in which problem-solving activities are proved
as a technique to increase students ‘motivation. Therefore, the current study could
play an important role in exploring this issue further to enrich the literature.
15
Additionally, the related studies were simply based on the quantitative method.
Accordingly, in those investigations, there might be inevitably potential limitations
of relying on a single approach. The current study which used both qualitative and
quantitative data attempted to address this gap.
In sum, the present study was carried out to motivate students in learning foreign

language, especially in speaking skills. The study is expected to create a cheerful
and eventful atmosphere for learners as well as to become a useful tool for teachers
to improve their performance of English classes at Vietnam University of
Commerce.
1.4. Summary
This chapter has discussed theoretical background with the concepts of the key
terms related to speaking skills. Then, an overview of problem-solving activities in
developing speaking skills has been provided.
16
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODS
2.1. The Setting
The study was carried out at Vietnam University of Commerce (VUC) which has
a reputation in training students in the field of business and commerce. With the
aim “Training good entrepreneurs for the country”, VUC focuses on equipping
students with knowledge related to their own majors as well as improving learners’
English skills in order to satisfy the needs of businesses after graduation. English
Department at VUC was established seven years ago with more than 400 students in
which its mission is not only to teach English to students of different departments in
this university but also to train qualified graduates with both English proficiency
and economic background. Students in English non-major classes are required to
complete four courses of English as a part of their general education requirements.
The students of English-major classes follow a curriculum which four receptive and
productive skills (Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing) are focused. In
addition, they also learn other subjects related to English theoretical linguistics.
The current teaching material for the Second-year English-Major Students is The
Business Intermediate designed by John Allison with Paul Emmerson (Mc Millan
Publisher, 2007). It is one of the latest business books which provide students with
authentic materials of spoken language, communicative activities in which pair
work and group work are used to help them practise using the language in the
classroom. There are 8 units in this book which contains in such specific parts as

about business, vocabulary, speaking, grammar, writing and case study. Students
are provided with useful and authentic models related to real situations in business.
They have a good chance to learn new words in business and improve their
speaking skills.
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2.2. Subjects
The subjects of the study comprised 40 Second-year students from English
Department at Vietnam University of Commerce, which the teacher as a researcher
takes charge of. The students were from both urban and rural areas including 8 boys
and 32 girls. They are at pre-intermediate level of English speaking ability.
2.3. Research Approach
The study was aimed at enhancing the current situation of teaching and learning
speaking at VUC by adapting a new technique which affects students’ competence
in speaking skills. Taking everything into consideration, it was believed that action
research was the most proper approach to this study.
Why is action research? According to Bassey (1998:93), action research as an
enquiry which is carried out in order to understand, to evaluate and then to change,
in order to improve educational practice. McDonough (1997) proposed four
characteristics of ‘pure’ action research which are as follows:
• It is participant-driven and reflective;
• It is collaborative;
• It leads to change and the improvement of
• practice not just knowledge in itself; and
• It is context-specific.
Kemmis (1988) suggested the action research model. He proposed the process
of action research as a spiral of steps. They are planning, acting, observing, and
reflecting (Figure 1).
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Figure 1: Action Research Model ( Kemmis, 1988)

Nunan (1992) proposed seven steps, namely Initiation, Preliminary
investigation, Hypothesis, Intervention, Evaluation, Dissemination, and Follow-up.
The general steps of an action research cycle suggested by Nunan were used for this
study.
2.4. Data Collection Instruments
2.4.1. Speaking Pre-test and Post-test
In this thesis, in order to explore the effects of the application of problem-
solving activities in teaching speaking skills, the researcher used materials from the
textbook The Business Intermediate to design pre-test and post-test. The purpose of
two major tests was to check the participants’ achievement after the intervention. It
is the reason why the role of pre-test and post-test is important to this study because
it will determine whether the use of problem-solving activities is effective to
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improve students’ speaking skills at VUC. In the pre-test and post-test, students
were asked to work in pair role playing a situation within 8 minutes. The results of
both tests were the key sources of data to assess the impact of applying problem-
solving activities on the students’ speaking ability.
Criteria for speaking test assessment were adapted from Harris (1969, p.18)
including five subscales as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and
comprehension. The marking scales range from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) due to the
proficiency of participants when performing the tests (see Appendix 4).
2.4.2. Questionnaires
Two questionnaires were employed to investigate the participants’ attitudes and
thoughts before and after applying problem-solving activities in speaking lessons.
According to Brown (2001), “Questionnaires are any written instruments that
present respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to
react, either by writing out their answers or selecting from among existing
answers.”
One questionnaire was administered after the participants completed the pre-
test, and the other one was given after they finished the post-test.

There are 5 questions (See Appendix 1) designed with either four or five options
in the questionnaire before the intervention. These questions related to problems or
difficulties which students encounter when learning speaking.
In the questionnaire after the intervention (See Appendix 2), nine questions were
presented which focused on investigating student’s motivation towards the
application of problem-solving activities in speaking lessons.
2.4.3. Observation Sheet
Observation was conducted to know whether problem-solving activities made
any effects on students’ motivation during the teaching and learning process. The
observation (See Appendix 3) adapted from Nunan (1989, p.110) was used to assess
overall class motivation generated by the application of problem-solving activities
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during the intervention. The observation was manifested by levels of learner
interest, enthusiasm, and persistence with speaking activities, concentration and
enjoyment during class. Each item was scored on a scale of one (low) to five (high).
Observations were made for the whole 4 weeks while the experimental teaching
was carried out.
2.4.4. Students’ Journals
Besides the instruments mentioned above, data were also gathered by means of
the students’ journals during the implementation of the study. Wallace (2001: 62)
defined journals as, “”… they have been written to be read as public documents –
albeit, possibly, by a restricted readership of collaborator-researcher.” Their purpose
is to help the teacher as the researcher to have a deeper understanding about the
information.
2.5. Intervention: The Application of Problem-Solving Activities
Some suggested problem-solving activities were adapted to help English learners
in general and the Second-year English-Major Students of English Department at
VUC in particular promote their speaking competence. This section will present the
procedures of the activities which the researcher used for the study.
The lesson in the first week is “Corporate Culture”. Based on the literature

review mentioned in chapter 2, the researcher designed some problem-solving
activities for the lesson in group which were adapted from Byrne. The procedures of
conducting problem-solving activities proposed by Tuckman (1965) cited in Wright
(1987) for the study was illustrated which are as follows:
Stage 1 Forming: In the group, there is some anxiety. There is a great deal of
dependence on the leader (the teacher) and a great deal of behavior directed towards
finding out the nature of the situation and also what behavior is acceptable.
At the same time, group members attempt to find out what the task is, what the
rules are for carrying out the task and the methods that are appropriate.
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