a study on 10 graders motivation in speaking activities at son tay high school, ha noi = nghiên cứu động cơ trong các hoạt động nói tiếng anh của học sinh lớp 10, trường thpt sơn tây, hà nội

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THANH THỦY

A STUDY ON 10 GRADERS’ MOTIVATION IN
SPEAKING ACTIVITIES AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HA NOI
(NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỘNG CƠ TRONG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH
CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƢỜNG THPT SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI)
M.A. MINOR THESIS

Field: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Code: 60.14.10

Hanoi, 2013


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THANH THỦY

A STUDY ON 10 GRADERS’ MOTIVATION IN
SPEAKING ACTIVITIES AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HA NOI
(NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỘNG CƠ TRONG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH
CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƢỜNG THPT SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI)
M.A. MINOR THESIS

Field: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

Code: 60.14.10
Supervisor: Trần Xuân Điệp, Assoc. Prof. Dr.

Hanoi, 2013


DECLARATION
I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled “A Study on 10 Graders‟ Motivation in
Speaking Activities at Son Tay High School, Ha Noi.” is the result of my own work
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Faculty
of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International
Studies, Vietnam National University. The material in this research has not been
submitted to any other university or institution wholly and partially.

Nguyen Thanh Thuy

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof.
Dr. Trần Xuân Điệp, whose insightful comments, criticism, direction and kind support
were of great assistance to me in carrying out this study.
My sincere thanks also go to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of
Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their valuable knowledge and invaluable
guidance and help during my two years of study at the Faculty.
I am also indebted to my colleagues as well as my students at Son Tay High
School, who have helped me a lot in my data collection to fulfill this paper.
Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to my family for

their understanding and strong encouragement to me throughout the study.

Nguyen Thanh Thuy

ii


ABSTRACT
Success in language learning can be ascribed to many factors among which
is motivation. However, it is students‟motivation to speak that does exist as a
problem. In order to improve the quality of speaking classes, the work entitled “A
Study on 10 Graders‟ Motivation in Speaking Activities at Son Tay High School,
Ha Noi.” has been intended.
The study was aimed at investigating the motivation in speaking lessons of
10 graders at Son Tay High School (STHS) to find out:
(1) types of motivation possessed by 10 graders at STHS.
(2) level of motivation of 10 graders at STHS in speaking lessons.
(3) causes leading to the lack of motivation in speaking lessons of 10 graders
at STHS.
The research approach undertaken in this study was qualitative and
quantitative. The research data collection instruments were survey questionnaires
and interviews.
The results obtained from the analysis of responses to the questionnaires and
interviews for teachers and students revealed the types of motivation of 10 graders,
the level of motivation and the causes of students‟ deficiency of motivation at STHS.
Finally, this study provided some recommendations for effective application of
motivational strategies in enhancing students‟ speaking skills. It is expected that the
results from the study could be of benefit to the teaching and learning of English
speaking at STHS.

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ......................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS ........................................................................... vi
APPENDICES...........................................................................................................vii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................. viii
PART 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1
1.1. Rationale of the study........................................................................................... 1
1.2. Aim of the study ................................................................................................... 1
1.3. Objectives of the study ......................................................................................... 1
1. 4. Research question................................................................................................ 2
1. 5. Scope of the study ............................................................................................... 2
1. 6. Method of the study ............................................................................................ 2
1. 7. Significance of the study ..................................................................................... 3
1. 8. Design of the study.............................................................................................. 3
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................ 4
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND..................................................... 4
1.1. Motivation ........................................................................................................... 4
1.1.1. Definitions of motivation .................................................................................. 4
1.1.2. The importance of motivation in foreign language learning ............................ 5
1.1.3. Types of motivation in foreign language learning ............................................ 5
1.1.4. Factors affecting motivation in second language learning ............................... 7
1.2. Overview of speaking ........................................................................................ 11
1.2.1. Definition of speaking skill ............................................................................. 11
1.2.2. Stages in a speaking lesson ............................................................................. 12

1.2.3. Communicative activities ................................................................................ 13

iv


1.2.4. Problems with speaking activities ................................................................... 15
1.2.5. Characteristics of a successful speaking activity ............................................ 16
1.3. Literature review ................................................................................................ 16
1. 4. Summary ........................................................................................................... 17
CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 17
2.1. Research setting of the study.............................................................................. 17
2.1.1. An overview of the research site ..................................................................... 17
2.1.2. The English teachers ....................................................................................... 18
2.1.3. The students and their background ................................................................. 18
2. 1. 4. The English teaching and learning in Son Tay High School ........................ 18
2.2. Research methods............................................................................................... 20
2.2.1. Description of the subjects .............................................................................. 20
2.2.2. Data collection instruments ............................................................................. 20
2.2. 3. Procedures ...................................................................................................... 21
2.2. 4. Data analysis .................................................................................................. 21
2. 3. Summary ........................................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS .............................................. 22
3.1. Data analysis ...................................................................................................... 22
3.1.1. Analysis of students‟ questionnaires and interviews ..................................... 22
3.1.2. Analysis of teachers‟ questionnaires ............................................................... 30
3.1.3. Teachers‟ problems and judgement on the success of speaking lessons ........ 34
3. 2. Summary ........................................................................................................... 35
3. 3. Findings ............................................................................................................. 35
PART 3: CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 39
3.1. Recapitulation of the main ideas ........................................................................ 39

3. 2. Limitations of the study ................................................................................... 41
3. 3. Suggestions for further research ...................................................................... 42
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 43
APPENDIX

v


LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Page

TABLES
Table 1

Students‟ reasons for learning English speaking

22

Table 2

Students‟ participation in speaking lessons

25

Table 3

Factors affecting students‟ motivation in class

26

Table 4

Problems students have in speaking lessons

27

Table 5

Students‟ preference for communicative activities

28

Table 6

Teachers‟ techniques to motivate students in speaking lessons

30

Table 7

Teacher‟s encouragement in speaking lessons

32

Table 8

Place teacher stands in speaking class

33

Table 9

Teacher‟s communicative activities

33

Table 10

Problems teachers have in speaking lessons

34

CHARTS
Chart 1

Students‟ interest in speaking lessons

24

Chart 2

Activities enjoyed most by students

29

Chart 3

Teacher‟s activities in speaking lessons

31

Chart 4

Teacher‟s responses to unwilling speakers

32

Chart 5

Teachers‟ judgement on the success of speaking lessons

35

vi


APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Questionnaire for students
Appendix 2: Questionnaire for teachers
Appendix 3: Questions for interview
Appendix 4: Phiếu khảo sát (dành cho học sinh)
Appendix 5: Phiếu khảo sát (dành cho giáo viên)
Appendix 6: Câu hỏi phỏng vấn (dành cho học sinh)
Appendix 7: Interview transcript of students

vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

M.A: Master of Art
STHS: Son Tay High School
L2: Second language

viii


PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale of the study
Motivation is the key factor to success in English learning. It is undeniably
an essential component that decides successful acquisition of an L2. According to
Dornyei (2001), “teacher skills in motivating learners should be seen as central to
teaching effectiveness”, which means motivation is the focus of L2 teaching and
learning activities. Consequently, theorists have been trying to find out the most
effective ways to motivate learners with a view to achieving a long-desired
methodology which could be the most productive in the L2 classroom. However,
Dornyei (2001) found out that motivation still has a very limited place in the
curriculum of L2 teacher education programs worldwide. Teachers are still not
equipped with enough necessary skills to motivate their students while motivation‟s
central role in L2 acquisition has long been undeniably acknowledged. Due to the
lack of motivation, interaction during speaking lessons at schools is restricted, with
few students getting involved in the activities. As a result, it is necessary that this
issue be brought up over again so as to keep reminding teachers and teacher trainers
of the importance as well as the benefit motivation brings to language learning. The
purposes of this study are therefore first of all to review current literature
concerning motivation in L2 teaching and learning, then to investigate the
motivation at STHC, making suggestions to improve it. “The Study on 10th
Graders‟ Motivation for Speaking Activities at Son Tay High School, Hanoi” has

been conducted.
1.2. Aim of the study
The study is aimed to improve the speaking skill of 10 graders at STHC.
1.3. Objectives of the study
The objectives of the research are as follows:
- To find out different types of motivation 10 graders at STHC have.
- To examine the level of motivation and causes of motivation deficiency of 10
graders at STHC.

1


1. 4. Research question
To achieve the aims and objectives mentioned above, the research questions
designed are:
 Research question 1: What kinds of motivation do 10 graders in Son Tay High
School apply in speaking lessons?
 Research question 2: How motivated are 10 graders in Son Tay High School in
speaking lessons?
 Research question 3: What are major causes of 10 graders‟ lack of motivation?
1. 5. Scope of the study
Motivation is so broad a topic that cannot be wholly and thoroughly
discussed within the framework of the thesis. This study investigates five different
types of motivation as well as the level of motivation 10 graders of the three classes
at Son Tay High School possess. There exist a variety of factors affecting students‟
motivation in speaking lessons. However, because of the limited time and length
constraint of a minor thesis, only those factors relating to learners, teachers and
teaching and learning environment are discussed. From the findings of the study,
suggestions on motivational strategies to be applied in speaking lessons were
provided to increase students‟ motivation.

1. 6. Method of the study
The study adopts both quantitative and qualitative methods. The tasks involved
are:
-

Collecting data for analysis from 130 grade- ten students and 8 teachers of
English of the school.

-

Interviewing 8 students randomly among the 130 given questionnaires for
further information for the study.

-

Sorting data by different categories. Analyze and display data.
All comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusions are based on the
data analysis and interviews.

2


1. 7. Significance of the study
The study when finished will serve as one of the initial studies on speaking skill
in general and speaking motivation in particular at STHS. It is expected to be of benefit
to both the English teaching and learning at the school.
First, the information about types of motivation of grade 10 students in this minor
thesis is supposed to provide a thorough understanding of the actual purposes of students‟
speaking learning, helping teachers know their students better.
Second, the findings about the level of motivation in speaking English,

helping teachers get to know the importance as well as the urgent need to find ways
to solve the problem.
Third, the causes leading to low motivation clearly point out teachers‟
drawbacks as well as difficulties in teaching process, which accordingly suggest
some solutions to the problem for teachers. The findings and recommendations of
the study will be applied so as to improve the language learning in general and
speaking skill in particular in STHS.
1. 8. Design of the study
The study is divided into 3 main parts as follows:
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Development
Chapter 1: Theoretical Background of Motivation
Chapter 2: Methodology
Chapter 3: Data Analysis and Findings
Part 3: Conclusion

3


PART 2: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.1. Motivation
1.1.1. Definitions of motivation
There is no doubt that motivation plays a key role in second language
teaching and

closely correlates with second language achievement as well as

proficiency. However, "Without knowing where the roots of motivation lie, how

can teachers water those roots?" (Oxford & Shearin, 1994:15). A lot of researchers
have worked out what motivation means. There have been so far a number of ways
to define motivation found out in the literature. Motivation seams to be the reason
for the action. According to Dornyei, “Motivation explains why people decide to do
something, how long they are willing to sustain the activity and how hard they are
going to pursue it.”(Dornyei, 2001:17). Similarly, Williams and Burden (1997)
points out "Motivation is concerned with such issues as why people decide to act in
certain ways and what factors

influence the choices they make.” Moreover,

motivation is defined as “some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do
things in order to achieve something” (Harmer, 2001:51), „an internal state that
arouses, directs and maintains behavior‟ (Woolfolk, 2001:366).
Williams and Burden (1997) believe motivation “also involves decisions as
to the amount of effort people are prepared to expand in attempting to achieve their
goals." (1997:119). It explains “how hard they are going to pursue it and how long
they are willing to sustain the activities.” (Dornyei). Also, Atkinson (cited in
Arnold, 2000:13) considers motivation as “a cluster of factors” that “energize” the
behavior and give it “direction”. In Atkinson‟s point of view, motivation is a term
used to describe what energizes a person and what directs his activity, energy and
direction.
Gardner believes that motivation is “a key consideration in determining the
preparedness of learners to communicate” (Gardner, 1985:10). It plays a role in
students‟ willingness to get involved in the learning activities to bring about the

4


achievement accordingly. Motivation does involve a goal, an effort, a desire to

attain the goal.
1.1.2. The importance of motivation in foreign language learning
Motivation has been of great concern in second language learning as well as
in foreign language learning. Norris-Holt (2001) points out "Motivation is an
important factor in L2 achievement." (2001). According to Gardner (1985),
“positive attitudes and motivation are related to success in second language
teaching”. Highly motivated learners tend to participate more actively in learning
activities and there is more chance for them to excel.
According to Caroll (1962) , motivation decides the amount of time a learner
will spend on the task of language learning. She claims: “ The more motivation a
learner has, the more time he or she will spend learning an aspect of a second
language” (Carol, 1962). As a result, it is considered as an “important factor” which
decides on the “level of proficiency” of a learner. (Labonde, 1982)
1.1.3. Types of motivation in foreign language learning
There are different ways to classify motivation. In some studies, motivation
is categorized into two types: intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external).
*Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation is learners‟ interest in the culture, the target language
group or in learning tasks. It "Involves the arousal and maintenance of curiosity and
can ebb and flow as a result of such factors as learners' particular interests and the
extent to which they fell personality involved in learning activities." (Ellis,
1994:76). In fact, intrinsic motivation means the stimulation originates from the
learners themselves. It is their own inner anxiety to learn that brings about
achievement.
*Extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation can be understood as the opposite of intrinsic
motivation. “When individuals are extrinsically motivated, they hold some desired
outcome as a goal (e.g., getting a good grade or avoiding punishment), they

5

recognize that a certain way of behaving is an expedient means to that goal, and
they make plans to modify their behavior in such a manner that they are likely to
experience the desired outcome”.(Spaulding, 1992:5-6). This type of motivation
derives from the influence of some kinds of external incentives, including the
influence of the teacher, the learner's wish to please some other people or to succeed
in an external exam, other than their wish to learn for their own sake or interest in
learning tasks.
Motivation is also categorized into different types as follows:
*Integrative motivation
Integrative motivation, on the other hand, belongs to those who internally
want to discover the culture of the L2 and wish to be in harmony with the culture of
the target language. “It is thought that students who are most successful when
learning a target language are those who like the people that speak the language,
admire the culture and have a desire to become familiar with or even integrate into
the society in which the language is used” (Falk 1978). Gardner and Lambert (1972:
132) stresses “a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented
by the other group”. According to Finegan (1999:568), "integrative motivation
typically underlies successful acquisition of a wide range of registers and a
nativelike pronunciation”.
*Instrumental motivation
Instrumental motivation features the desire to achieve practical aims from the
study of L2 (Hudson, 2000). A student‟s opinion of a given language is
significantly shaped by its perceived usefulness and relevance to future career goals
(Chambers, 1999). Ellis (1994) also states "Some functional reasons such as to pass
an examination, to get a better job or to get a university place motivate learners to
learn an L2 because it opens up educational and economic opportunities for them."
(1994:75). Instrumental motivation, therefore, occurs when learners need the target
language as an instrumental to get a particular goal; it is the reflection of an external

need.

6


*Resultative motivation
There has been a controversial argument over whether motivation should be
seen as the cause or the result of success in second language learning. According to
Hermann (1980), "learners who do well are more likely to develop motivational
intensity and to be active in the classroom" (Ellis, 1994:515) He also stated that „it
is success that contributes to motivation rather than vice- versa‟ (cited in Ellis,
1997). In his view, the result of success indirectly influences motivation or
motivation may result from success. In sum, "the relationship between motivation
and achievement is an interactive one. A high level of motivation does stimulate
learning, but perceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing
motivation and even create new types. Conversely a vicious circle of low
motivation = low achievement = lower motivation can develop" (Ellis, 1994:515)
1.1.4. Factors affecting motivation in second language learning
There exist some studies on the factors affecting students‟ motivation in
learning a foreign language. Researchers have had some different views in this
issue, however, a list of common factors affecting students‟ motivation has been
decided on, which are divided into three groups: teacher‟s factors, students‟ factors
and learning condition factors.
1.1.4.1. Learner- related factors
a. Intelligence:
According to Lightbown & Spada (1999:52), it refers to “performance on
certain kinds of tests”, through which teachers can assess students‟ performance in
the class. It is reported that there is a link between intelligence measured by IQ tests
and second language learning; however, some students, in fact, are successful in L2
learning even though their academic results are not good.

b. Aptitude:
According to Gardner (1980) and Skehan (1989), aptitude is the main factor
determining the level of success of second language learning (Douglous et al, 1995).
Lightbown and Spada (1999:53) proposes that aptitude consists of:

7


(1) the ability to identify and memorize new sounds
(2) the ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences.
(3) the ability to figure out grammatical rules from language samples.
(4) the ability to memorize new words.
c. Personality
Various personality characteristics are listed, that is extroversion, inhibition,
self-esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness and responsiveness. In general,
researchers have drawn a conclusion that personality has a great influence on the
success of second language learners. (Lightbown & Spada, 1999)
Compared with introverted learners, extroverted ones seem to perform better
in acquiring basic interpersonal communication skills.”, which bring them “more
opportunities to practice, more input, and more success in communicating in the
L2.” Meanwhile, introverted learners will do better at developing cognitive
academic language ability.”, which means they typically enjoy more academic
success, perhaps because they spend more time reading and writing” (Ellis, 1994 &
Littlewood, 1984).
d. Age of acquisition
Late starters may be good at the syntax and vocabulary of a second language,
however, it seems very difficult for them to produce native-like words. It is
generally thought that children are better language learners than adults. In fact,
when adults and children come to a target language country or are exposed to L2 in
a target language community, children seem to acquire the target language more

perfectly. Younger learners have a greater chance of attaining native-like
proficiency in the L2 and older learners may show faster progress at the beginning,
but are probably surpassed by the young ones in the end. (Long and LarsenFreeman, 1991), citing Hatch (1977).
e. Leaners’ belief
Ellis (1994:479) argues that "past experience, both of education in general
and of language learning in particular" plays an important part in language learning.

8


“Furthermore, Ariogul (2009), Oz (2007), Abraham and Vann (in Ellis 1994:478)
think that beliefs might affect learning outcomes. The results revealed that learner
beliefs might change according to their levels, language studied and as well as the
institutions that learners are studying at.” (Kahraman, Ayhan Academic journal
article from Civilacademy Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 7, No.)
f. Confidence, Anxiety
According to Dornyei, confidence and anxiety make “a central component in
the personal dimension of motivation”. Clement and his colleagues believe that
“self-confidence is a powerful motivational process in multiethnic, multilingual
settings” , and that “self-confidence is also a major motivational subsystem in
foreign language learning situations”.
g. Learning style
A learning style is a student's consistent way of responding to and using
stimuli in the context of learning. Keefe (1979) defined learning style as „the
composite of characteristic cognitive, affective and physiological factors that
serve as relatively stable indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts with,
and responds to the learning environment.” Learning style is a consistent way of
functioning that reflects underlying causes of behavior. (cited in Ellis, 1997:
499).
h. Learning environment

Learning environment

involves

physical

conditions

and classroom

atmosphere.
- Physical conditions:
Physical conditions refers to the classroom size, chairs, desk, tables, lights, boards
and even bulletin boards, which affect students‟ motivation either positively or
negatively.
- Classroom atmosphere:

9


Classroom atmosphere means pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom.
Lightbown & Spada (1999) claimed that the supportive and non-threatening
atmosphere makes a contribution to learners‟ motivation.
Besides, learners' preferences is also taken into account. It is "an individual's
natural, habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing, and retaining new
information and skill" (Reid, 1995 cited in Lightbown and Spada, 1999). Learners‟
preferences in acquiring new knowledge consist of visual learners, aural learners
and kinaesthetic learners or field independent and field dependent learners.
1.1.4.2. Teacher- related factor
Teacher plays a key

role in students‟ learning motivation. Appropriate

activity do help motivate students in learning. Dornyei (2001) mentions some
teacher‟s factors affecting students‟ motivation: appropriate teacher behavior,
teacher‟s enthusiasm and a good relationship with the students, enthusiasm,
commitment to and expectations for the students' academic progress, acceptance,
ability to listen and pay attention to students.
1.1.4.3. Teaching and learning condition- related factor
Teaching and learning condition involves classroom atmosphere and
physical condition.
a. Physical conditions
Physical conditions refer to things in classroom such as classroom‟s facilities
(board, chairs, desks, tables, electric equipments, etc.) or classroom‟s size. Jeremy
Harmer (1992) confirmed that such physical conditions has great impact on
students' learning as well as their attitude towards the subject matter and affect
students' motivation either positively or negatively accordingly. Moreover, teachers
should create the ownership of the class among students.
Physical condition affects both teacher and students‟ motivation. The large class,
the poor facilities will lead to a decrease in motivation.

10


b. A pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom
A pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere creates motivation, or, in
other words, encouragement, for students to express their ideas. MacIntyre (1999)
and Young (1999) pointed out that students‟ anxiety created by a tense classroom
climate was one of the most potent factors that undermined learning effectiveness
and L2 motivation. (cited in Dornyei, 2001:121). Besides, “In order for the students

to be motivated, the learning environment needs to be free from anxiety; the student
should not feel threatened or intimidated.”
In fact, there are a number of elements which make up what we call the ideal
classroom climate, that is the relationship between the teacher and the students, the
relationship among the students themselves and the norm of tolerance which helps
students feel free of the feelings of embarrassment when making mistakes.
1.2. Overview of speaking
1.2.1. Definition of speaking skill
Florez (1999) defined speaking was “an interactive process of constructing
meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information”. (cited
in Balley, 2005:2). It is “often spontaneous, open- ended and evolving”, but it is not
completely unpredictable. In other words, “speaking consists of producing
systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning”. (Balley, 2005:2).
Bygate (1997) stated that speaking was a skill which deserved attention
every bit as much as literacy skill. It is often thought of as a “popular” form of
expression that uses the unprestigious “colloquial” register. Speaking is in many
ways an undervalued skill. Perhaps this is because we can almost all speak, and so
take the skill too much for granted. In his own view, Mackey (1965) shows that
“oral expression involves not only the use of the right sounds in the right patterns of
rhythm and intonation, but also a choice of words and inflections in the right order
to convey the right meaning”(cited in Bygate, 1997:5). According to Mackey, for
the student who wants to be good at speaking, he/ she has to choose the right forms,

11


put them in correct order, sound it like native speaker and even produce the right
meanings.
1.2.2. Stages in a speaking lesson
So far, there have been various discussions on the stages in a speaking

lesson. In Terry (2008)‟s presentation about “How to teach speaking in an EFL
class”, it was proposed that a speaking lessons consists of three main stages: precommunicative stage, practice stage, communicative interaction . Byrne (1976:22)
in “Teaching Oral English” says that there are stages: Presentation stage, the
practice stage and production stage.
-

Presentation

stage

(pre-communicative

stage):

Teachers

introduce

the

communicative function, highlight the fixed expression, point out the target
structure and provide students with the necessary vocabulary and the language of
interaction. In this stage, students passive- learners, concentrating not only the
meaning but also pronunciation, stress, intonation and spelling of the new language
item.
- Practice stage: Teachers give students opportunities “use the newly presented
language in a controlled framework so as too allow them to memorize its form and
assimilate its meaning more fully.” (Matthews et.al., 1991:8). There are actually
two steps here, controlled practice and guided practice. In the former, teacher
conducts what students should do and what kind of language to be used; meanwhile,

in the latter, teacher only prompts and corrects students if necessary.
- Production stage (Communicative interaction): Teachers encourage language
negotiation among students, take notes of any aspects that may hinder
communication such as pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, etc. After this stage,
teachers give students feedback on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary and ask
students to repeat the task if necessary.

12


1.2.3. Communicative activities
1.2.3.1. What are communicative activities?
Communicative activities are those which involve learning activities through
using language for a communicative purpose. Whatever activity the students are
involved in, if it is to be genuinely communicative and if it is really promoting
language use, the students should have a desire to communicate. If they do not want
to be involved in communication then that communication will probably not be
effective. The students should pay attention to the ideas being presented and not the
language form being used. (Harmer, 1991). During the course of teaching, the
teacher works as a participant, observing and providing help when necessary and
gives feedback to students‟ speaking.
1.2.3.2. Purposes of communicative activities
According to Littlewood (1990), communicative activities help learners use
the language items introduced to speak in the target language. Communicative
activities are advantageous because they provide “whole-task practice”, improve the
motivation, allow natural learning and can create a context which supports learning.
1.2.3.3. Types of oral communicative activities
There are a great number of communicative activities designed to create
chances for spoken communication in language learning environment.
* Communication games

According to Harmer (1991) , communication games are activities where
learners use all the target language to complete a game-like task. This brings
students opportunities for interaction. Communication games activities include
finding the differences (or similarities); describe and arrange; story reconstruction
and/or poem reconstruction (Bygate, 1987), each of which is actually the working
on information gap activity. The activity focuses on “meanings to be
communicated” rather than “linguistic form to be learnt”. (Harmer, 1991)
* Songs

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There is no denying the fact that music and songs create a relaxing
atmosphere, which act, as a result, as a very beneficial means to create motivation.
Eken (1996: 46) states that songs can be used:
• to present a topic, a language point, lexis, etc;
• to practice a language point, lexis, etc;
• to encourage extensive and intensive listening;
• to stimulate discussion of attitudes and feelings;
• to encourage creativity and use of imagination;
• to provide a relaxed classroom atmosphere and
• to bring variety and fun to learning.
* Discussion
According to Sheils (1993), “Discussion activities involve learners in
personal and fluent use of the target language.” He also stated that “The exchange
of opinions or feelings in a discussion should assist learners in getting to know
themselves and their classmates better”.
However, in order for this type of activity to be exploited successfully,
teachers should bear in mind “proper organization” (Harmer, 1991:125) in their
teaching because he believed that the problem of students having nothing to say is

because of teacher‟s inappropriate approach.
* Problem solving
According to Littlewood (1990), this type of activity dispenses completely
with the need to share information. Students now have access to all the relevant
facts. The stimulus for communication comes from the need to discuss and evaluate
these facts, in pairs or groups, in order to solve a problem or reach a decision.
* Role-play
“Role-play is one of communicative techniques which develops fluency in
language students, which promotes interaction in the classroom, and which
increases motivation.” (Ladousse, 1987:7)

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According to Littlewood (1992: 49): “... simulation and role-play are wellestablished as techniques for organizing controlled, pre-communicative language
practice, which prepares students later to take part in fully spontaneous interaction”.
This type of activity is applicable in lessons for students of different levels of
proficiency. Bygate (1997) believes that it can be carried out in several ways:
-

Role-play controlled through cued dialogues.

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Role-play controlled through cued situations and goal.

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Role-play controlled through cues and information.

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Role-play in the form of debate or discussion.

* Story- telling
This kind of exercise helps students to develop creative thinking because
they can either summarize a story using their own words or create a complete one.
Students have chances to practise expressing ideas in a concrete form: opening,
body and ending.
1.2.4. Problems with speaking activities
The learners have their own difficulties in language learning, especially in
speaking. Munjayanah (2004: 17) mentions the following as problems students may
face up to in learning speaking skill.
* Inhibition: Learners are often inhibited about trying to say things in a foreign
language in the class room. They are worried about making mistakes, fearful of
criticism or losing face.
* Nothing to say: Even if they are not inhibited, we often hear learners complain
that they cannot think of anything to say.
* Low or uneven participation: Only one participant talks at a time or he or she
dominates the group while others speak very little or not at all. In a large group each
member gets very little talking time.
* Mother-tongue use: In classes where all or a number of the learners share the
same mother tongue, they are likely to use it. It is easier and it feels unnatural to
speak to one another in a foreign language.

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