Students’ Attitudes Towards the Teaching of Speaking by Native-English-Speaking Teachers A Survey Research at Thai Binh Teacher Training College

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
*****************

ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGUYỆT

STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE TEACHING
OF SPEAKING BY NATIVE-ENGLISH-SPEAKING
TEACHERS: A SURVEY RESEARCH AT THAI BINH
TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE
(Nghiên cứu điều tra về thái độ của sinh viên đối với việc dạy nói của
giáo viên người bản ngữ tại Trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Thái Bình)

M.A. Minor Programme Thesis
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 601410

Hanoi – 2011


VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
*****************

ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGUYỆT
STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE TEACHING
OF SPEAKING BY NATIVE-ENGLISH-SPEAKING
TEACHERS: A SURVEY RESEARCH AT THAI BINH
TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE

(Nghiên cứu điều tra về thái độ của sinh viên đối với việc dạy nói của
giáo viên người bản ngữ tại Trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Thái Bình)

M.A. Minor Programme Thesis
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 601410
Supervisor: PHẠM MINH TÂM, MEd.

Hanoi - 2011


LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS
NESTs : native-English speaking teachers
NNESTs

: non-native-English-speaking teachers

CLT

: Communicative Language Teaching

LISTS OF TABLES
Pages
Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards the role of speaking skill in their
English learning.

25

Table 2: Students’ attitudes towards native teachers’ advantages as
native speakers.

26

Table 3: Students’ attitudes towards disadvantages of native teachers as
native speakers.

28

Table 4: Students’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching techniques.

29

Table 5: Three different graders’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching
speaking (according to three categories in detail).

iv

32-33


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration …………………………………………………………………………… .i
Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………... .ii
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………. .iii
Lists of Abbreviations ………………………………………………………………... .iv
Lists of Tables ………………………………………………………………………... .iv
Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………….. .v-vii
Part A: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………..1-3
1. Rationale for the Study ……………………………………………………. 1
2. Aims of the Study and Research Questions ………………………………. 2

3. Scope of the Study …………………………………………………………. 2
4. Research Methodology ……………………………………………………. 2
5. Design of the Study ………………………………………………………... 3
Part B: DEVELOPMENT ………………………………………………………….. 4-36
Chapter 1: Literature Review ………………………………………………………. 4-18
1.1. Attitude and their Roles in Second Language Acquisition ………………4-7
1.1.1. Concepts of Attitude …………………………………………….4-5
1.1.2. Classifications of Attitude ………………………………………5
1.1.3. The Role of Attitude in Second Language Acquisition ………....6-7
1.2. The Teaching of Speaking ……………………………………………..... 7-16
1.2.1. Definitions of Speaking …………………………………………7-8
1.2.2. The Position of Speaking in English Language Teaching
and Learning …………………………………………………………...8
1.2.3. Accuracy and Fluency in Speaking ……………………………...8-9
1.2.4. Problems with Speaking ………………………………………...9-10
1.2.5. Communicative Language Teaching Approach in Teaching
Speaking and Communicative Competence ……………………….......11-12
1.2.6. Principles of Teaching Speaking ……………………………... 12-13

v


1.2.7. Classroom Speaking Activities ………………………………….13-14
1.2.8. Characteristics of Successful Speaking Activities ………………14-15
1.3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Native English-Speaking
Teachers ……………………………………………………………………..15-16
1.4. Previous Studies ………………………………………………………...16-18
1.5. Conclusive Remarks …………………………………………………....18
Chapter 2: Research Methodology ………………………………………………..19-24
2.1. Research Context ……………………………………………………….19

2.2. Research Questions …………………………………………………….19-20
2.3. Research Approach ……………………………………………………..20
2.4. Research Participants ………………………………………………… .20-21
2.5. Research Instruments …………………………………………………..21-23
2.6. Data Collection Procedure ……………………………………………..23-24
2.7. Data Analysis Procedure ……………………………………………….24
Chapter 3: Results and Discussion ……………………………………...................25-36
3.1. The answer to the first research question: Students’ attitudes
towards native teachers’ teaching speaking………………………………...25-31
3.1.1. Results ………………………………………………………………...25-30
3.1.1.1. Students’ attitudes towards the role of speaking skill in
their English learning …………………………………………….......25-26
3.1.1.2. Students’ attitudes towards advantages of native teachers as
native speakers ……………………………………………………….26-28
3.1.1.3. Students’ attitudes towards disadvantages of native teachers as native
speakers ………………………………………………………………28-29
3.1.1.4. Students’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching
techniques …………………………………………………………….29-30
3.1.2. Discussion ……………………………………………………………………..30-31
3.2. The answer to the second research question: The differences of
three different graders’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching
speaking in some extent ……………………………………………………...31-36
3.2.1. The results………………………………………………………….......31-35
vi


3.2.2. Discussion ……………………………………………………………...35-36
3.3. Conclusive remarks ………………………………………………….......36
Part C: CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………........37-39
1. Summary of Major Findings ……………………………………………..37

2. Implications for English Language Teaching …………………………...38
3. Limitations of the Study …………………………………………………..38-39
4. Suggestions for Further Studies ………………………………………….39
REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………..............40-42
APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………................I-VIII
Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire in English …………………………...................I-II
Appendix 2: Survey Questionnaire in Vietnamese …………………….....................III-V
Appendix 3: Interview Transcripts …………………………………………………..VI-VIII
A. Schedule 1: Interviews with the first year students ……………............VI
B. Schedule 2: Interviews with the second year students ………………....VII
C. Schedule 3: Interviews with the third year students …………………..VIII

vii


Part A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the Study
Teachers are considered to be one of the most crucial elements affecting the success
of students learning a foreign language in non-English speaking countries. In the last decade
there has been on-going discussion involved in advantages and disadvantages of native
teachers and non-native teachers of English (Philipson, 1992; Medgyes, 1994; Liu, 1999).
There have been also studies on learners‘ perceptions or attitudes towards the teaching of
both native and non-native teachers, even on that of a certain area of language such as
speaking, listening or grammar in China, Korea, and Japan (Liu, 1999; Liu & Zhang, 2007;
Xiaoru, 2008). The findings indicate a preference for native teachers, but this depends on the
qualities of native teachers and the language areas they take over.
In Vietnam, since students learn English as a foreign language and a number of them
are exposed to native English speaking teachers (hereafter referred as NESTs) there have
been hardly any studies on their teaching. Language learners, their parents, and even people
directly involved in language education expect that the best teacher of a language is a native

teacher. However, whether this expectation is true or not and to what extent it is believable is
left for future studies.
In the context of the study, Thai Binh Teacher Training College, where the researcher
is working as a non-native teacher of English, there were native teachers who came to teach
speaking skill through educational cooperation projects. However, they are short-term ones
and the teachers worked with all English majors of the college in oral classes for a school
year only and then left them for non-native teachers. The author of the study as a successor
wonders what the students actually think of native teachers‘ teaching speaking and whether
different graders have different opinions. That is also the reason for the study. The study is
expected to investigate the students‘ attitudes towards native-English teachers‘ teaching
speaking and give some valuable suggestions for the employment of native-English teachers
at the context of the study in particular and in Vietnam in general and the improvement of the
teaching of speaking in particular and other areas of English language teaching in general by
non-native teachers.
2. Aims of the Study and Research Questions
The aims of the study are: first, to investigate what the attitudes of English majors at
Thai Binh Teacher Training College towards the teaching of speaking by English native
1


teachers are, and to what extent different graders have different attitudes; then, to give some
implications for the employment of native teachers in the context of Vietnam and the
improvement of the teaching of English by Vietnamese non-native teachers. Therefore, two
research questions raised are:
1. What are the students‘ attitudes towards the teaching of speaking by native-English
speaking teachers?
2. To what extent do different graders‘ have different attitudes?
3. Scope of the Study
Due the time limit and the real context of the study where native teachers were put in
charge of speaking sections only, the study focused on investigating the students‘ attitudes

towards native teachers‘ teaching speaking. Besides, the research only emphasized studying
general issues related to the strengths and weaknesses as well as the main techniques of
native teachers in teaching speaking skill.
4. Research Methodology
As the major aim of the study is to find out students‘ attitudes towards the teaching by
native English speaking teachers, survey approach was selected, and two main data collection
methods employed were questionnaire and interview. Cencus sampling was used with all
English majors at Department of Foreign Languages of Thai Binh Teacher Training College.
The data were collected from 100 participants who belong to three different grades/groups.
The analysis was carried out in the light of finding out the answers to the research questions.
5. Design of the Study
The study includes three main parts:
Part A: Introduction presents the rationale for the study, the aims and research
questions, scope of the study, research methodology, and design of the study.
Part B: Development consists of three chapters as follows:
Chapter 1: Literature Review presents the theoretical background for the study. It
involves concepts, classifications and roles of attitude in language learning; issues related to
speaking and the teaching of this skill such as definitions, principles or techniques;
advantages and disadvantages of native teachers; and previous studies.

2


Chapter 2: Research Methodology is concerned with the context of the study,
research questions, research approach, research participants, research instruments, data
collection procedure and data analysis procedure.
Chapter 3: Results and Discussion describes the results of the study which were
collected from questionnaires and interviews, and the discussion based on the results to
answer the research questions.
Part C: Conclusion gives the summary of major findings of the study, some

pedagogical implications for English teaching and learning in Vietnam, and suggestions for
further studies based on the limitations of the study.

3


Part B: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1: Literature Review
This chapter will present the theoretical background for the study. In the first place,
concepts, classifications and roles of attitude in language learning are discussed. Then, issues
related to speaking and the teaching of this skill such as definitions of speaking, its roles in a
second language learning or techniques of teaching speaking, etc., are presented too. Next
comes to the advantages and disadvantages of native-English-speaking teachers. Finally,
prior studies related to the topic are summarized.
1.1. Attitude and their Roles in Second Language Acquisition
1.1.1. Concepts of Attitude
The concept of attitude is complex. Several definitions have been proposed to
describe its nature. Allport (1954, as cited in Gardner, 1985) states that:
―an attitude is a mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience,
exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual‘s response to all objects
and situations with which it is related‖.
(p. 45)
This idea is shared by Gibb (1988) as he agrees that attitude is a state of mind, which
is influenced by feelings, experiences of the world and belief. This definition sounds a bit
general: it is a state and response but exactly what kind of response it is. Gardner (1985, p. 9)
claims that a person‘s attitude bases on his beliefs or opinions: ―An individual‘s attitude as an
evaluative reaction to some referent or attitude object, inferred on the basis of the
individual‘s beliefs or opinions about the referent‖.
I myself find the following concept of attitude clear and convincing: ―An attitude is a
hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something.

Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or event— this is
often referred to as the attitude object‖ (Wikipedia – online dictionary).
Similarly, Hallorah (1967) states that attitude represents an individual like or dislike
towards an item. Attitudes are positive, negative or neutral views of an ―attitude object‖, i.e. a
person, situation or event. People can also be ―ambivalent‖, meaning that they
simultaneously possess a positive and a negative bias towards the attitudes in question.
Obviously, attitude is also a state but represents a person‘s degree of like or dislike. It is also
response but exactly positive or negative.

4


Attitudes are said to have cognitive, affective and conative components. The
cognitive component refers to the individual‘s belief structure, the affective to emotional
reactions, and the conative to the tendency to behave toward the attitude object (Gardner,
1985). This idea is shared by Wikipedia. It states that attitudes are judgments and they
develop on the ABC model: Affect, Behavior and Cognition. It further explains that ―the
affective response is an emotional response that expresses an individual‘s degree of
preference for an entity. The behavioral intention is a verbal indication or typical behavioral
tendency of an individual. The cognitive response is a cognitive evaluation of the entity that
constitutes an individual's beliefs about the object‖. More interestingly, this source reveals
that most attitudes result from either direct experience or observational learning from the
environment.
In short, attitude is a mental state that expresses an individual‘s degree of like or
dislike, positive or negative opinions about an object, a person, a thing or an event.
Additionally, it has three components: affective, cognitive, conative or behavioral.
1.1.2. Classifications of Attitude
According to Gardner (1985, pp. 40-41), the ways of classifying attitude can be seen
reflected in the relationship between the attitude measures and indices of achievement in a
second language. He proposes as follows:

Attitude can be classified along a dimension of specificity/generality. For example,
attitudes toward learning French is specific because there is a specific activity described.
Whereas, attitudes toward learning a foreign language is general since there is no particular
activity associated with the language.
Attitude can be classified in terms of their relevance to second language achievement.
Relevance can be defined in terms of the correlation between the attitudes and the
achievement variables. Some attitudes are obviously more relevant to the task of learning a
second language than others.
Another way of classifying attitude variables is either educational or social attitudes.
Instances of educational attitudes would be attitudes toward the teacher, the course, etc.
Social attitudes involve attitudes which focus on the cultural implications of second language
acquisition.
In brief, classification methods of attitude are varied. They depend on the relationship
between the attitude and achievement variables. This research focuses on educational and
specific attitudes, namely those towards teachers.
5


1.1.3. The Role of Attitude in Second Language Acquisition
Attitude plays an important role in additional language acquisition. Positive attitudes
towards another language helps create motivation that facilitates success in acquiring that
language and vice versa. Several studies have proved this.
Gardner (1968) and other researchers conducted a number of studies with the aim to
focus on the roles of attitude in second language acquisition and indicated that the learners‘
attitudes have a relationship with their learning performance. Some other studies concluded
that a certain aspect of attitudinal-motivational components offers favorable conditions for
the acquisition of second language. Namely, students who have positive attitudes towards a
second language are more motivated to learn and more successful in acquiring that language.
Similarly, İsmet ŞAHİN (2005) reviewed a number of studies and pointed out that
student attitudes towards learning a foreign language and student performance are strongly

related. Then he came to a conclusion that attitudes are one of the elements that determine
success in foreign language acquisition and native speaker teachers influence student
attitudes, which needs further studying.
Personally, this is a significant conclusion which fosters educators, especially teachers
to pay more attention to strengthen students‘ positive attitudes in their language learning.
However, attitudes are a complex aspect of psychology and they are impacted by different
elements or factors. Additionally, they are not permanent. Students may have negative
attitudes towards their language learning or even language teaching. Sharing this idea,
Shimizu (1995, as cited in Maggie Lieb, 2009) points out the influence of learners‘ attitudes
towards teachers on their language learning by stating that ―negative attitudes towards
teachers could adversely affect student motivation, not only in the classroom, but also in
terms of a student‘s desire to continue learning the language‖. This is really worth much
consideration because our goal is to inspire students‘ long-lasting second language
acquisition. Therefore, more researches need to be conducted to find out how to build up
students‘ positive attitudes and avoid their negative ones towards teachers.
More interestingly, Ellis (1994) shows mutual relationship between learner attitudes
and their achievements in second language acquisition. He clarifies that learner attitudes
influence L2 competence of each learner and are themselves impacted by this achievement.
Thanks to success learners achieve, their positive attitudes will be promoted and because of
lack of success, their negative ones could be made stronger.
I am of the same opinion that learners‘ attitudes and their success in second language
acquisition are mutually and bilaterally related. Therefore, building positive attitudes is the
6


key to achieving language proficiency and studies on learner attitudes are significant and
worth further concern and effort by educators and ELT practitioners.
In this research, students‘ attitudes towards teachers, namely native-English speaking
teachers are studied and its results are expected to suggest some implications for non-native
teachers and the employment of native teachers for better ESL/EFL teaching and learning in

Vietnam.
1.2. The Teaching of Speaking
1.2.1. Definitions of Speaking
There have existed different definitions of speaking, which depends on each scholar‘s
point of view to speaking. W. F. Mackey (1965, p. 266, as cited in Martin Bygate, 1987)
states about oral expression briefly but clearly:
Oral expression involves not only [...] the use of the right sounds in the right patterns
of rhythm and intonation, but also the choice of words and inflections in the right
order to convey the right meaning.
It is agreeable that what involves in speaking is not only pronunciation but also a
good use of vocabulary or grammar to express the ideas accurately. However, Mackey seems
to focus on linguistic rather than communicative aspects of speaking skill.
In another way, Bailey, Kathleen M (2005, p. 2) claims: ―speaking is a productive and
verbal skill. It composes oral utterances which are produced systematically to express
meaning‖. Speaking here is defined briefly and clearly but not very satisfactory to some
extent. Can‘t we communicate orally when we do not produce utterances systematically (my
own emphasis)? However, speaking involves both linguistic and pragmatic features and it
should be a process of delivering and interpreting message. This is satisfied by Florez (1999,
p. 1, as cited in Kathleen M. Bailey 2005, p. 2) when he states that speaking is ―an interactive
process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing
information‖.
Personally, it is an interesting and reasonable idea on speaking because it mentions
the complete process of oral communication: producing, receiving and processing
information. The message from the speaker can be interpreted differently by different
hearers. Communication could not be successful if the hearer misinterpret what the speaker
expresses.
In short, speaking is an interactive process of sending and receiving messages
successfully. It involves both linguistic and communicative aspects so that the listener can
7

receive and process the information the speaker want to convey, by which the concept of
speaking in this study is understood.
1.2.2. The Position of Speaking in English Language Teaching and Learning
Speaking is one of two productive skills and it seems to be the skill that language
learners desire to master most since their major aim is using language to communicate with
others. Thus, it is clear that speaking is the key component to English language teaching and
learning.
Pattison (1992) proves the position of speaking in learning a language that: "when
people mention knowing or learning a language, they mean being able to speak the
language". Similarly, Bygate (1987, p. 7) expresses his opinion on the role of speaking that it
is the vehicle of social solidarity, of social ranking, of professional advancement and of
business.
The mastery of speaking skills in English is a priority for many foreign language
learners. The learners often evaluate their success in language learning as well as the
effectiveness of their English course on the basis of how they have improved in their spoken
language proficiency. Nunan (1991, p. 39) clarifies this: "mastering the art of speaking is the
single most important aspect of learning a second language or foreign language, and success
is measured in term of ability to carry out a conversation in the language."
Teaching speaking is a very important part of second language learning. The goal of
teaching speaking skills is communicative efficiency. The ability to communicate in a second
language clearly and efficiently contributes to the success of the learner in school and success
later in every phase of life.
1.2.3. Accuracy and Fluency in Speaking
Accuracy and fluency are two of the main criteria assessed in oral performance. Both
of them are goals for the majority of learners in speaking English. By fluency it means that
they are capable of verbally expressing their ideas non-stop and without worrying about their
saying. In terms of accuracy, it means that they can communicate orally with no grammatical
and lexical mistakes or errors. However, a question raised is that which is more important?
According to Bailey (2005), one of the challenges learners encounter in speaking

English is balancing fluency and accuracy. They are two significant components of a good
speaker. He clarifies accuracy and fluency as follows:

8


Accuracy in this context refers to the ability to speak properly-that is, selecting the
correct words and expressions to convey the intended meaning, as well as using the
grammatical patterns of English. Fluency, on the other hand, is the capacity to speak
fluidly, confidently, and at a rate consistent with the norms of the relevant native
speech community.
(p. 5)
In my opinion, accuracy should involve comprehensible pronunciation as well, not
only vocabulary and grammar competence because oral communication will not be
successful if the speaker fails to pronounce words or utterances comprehensibly. In fact, in
many countries where people use English as a foreign language like Vietnam, a large number
of learners fail to have good pronunciation.
It is obvious that most learners of English want to achieve accuracy and fluency as
well in oral communication and they are both important. But how to balance and develop
both accuracy and fluency is a challenging task to both teachers and learners of English
speaking classes. In context of Vietnam, the traditional teaching and learning habits seem to
focus on accuracy rather than fluency. However, few students achieve accuracy as expected.
It is also the case in Japan. Kouichi Ano (2005) shows in her study that an increasing number
of Japanese students with fluency are discovered to replace accurate ones in terms of
grammar because of a shift from grammar focused teaching to communicative language
teaching by Japanese English education whose aim is to improve students‘ communication
competence. The main reason given is that speaking skills with different kinds of classroom
communicative activities have been put more focus on than accuracy of grammar. The result
is revealed that students can communicate more fluently but less accurately. This fact
deserves attention by educators, course designers and teachers.

1.2.4. Problems with Speaking
Besides the awareness of characteristics of successful speaking activities, it is
essential to point out speaking problems and find the solutions to them.
Penny Ur (1996, p. 121) mentions four main problems with speaking activities as
follows:
First, learners are often inhibited about expressing their ideas in a foreign language
because of their fear of making mistakes, losing face and attracting attention.
Second, learners have nothing to say even they are not inhibited.

9


Third, there is low or uneven participation among learners because some dominate the
others.
Last, learners use their mother tongue as it is easier and natural or they are not
motivated and disciplined enough to keep using the target language.
Sharing the idea on the first problem of speaking with Penny Ur, David Nunan
(1999), in a recent survey he conducted with his colleagues, comes to a conclusion that the
biggest problem in speaking classes was the students‘ reluctance or hesitation to speak. More
importantly, he finds out the reasons for the above problem in Amy Tsui‘s study (1996). The
study pointed out five major factors accounting for the reluctance of students to speak in
class. They are students‘ perceived low proficiency in English and their lack of confidence
and willingness, students‘ fear of mistakes and derision, teachers‘ intolerance of silence,
teachers‘ uneven allocation of turns and incomprehensible input from the teacher.
Similarly, in the book ― Practical English Language Teaching: Speaking‖, Bailey
(2005) indicates that:
A great deal of research has shown that students are often hesitant and anxious about
speaking the target language in class. In fact, researchers have studied language
classroom anxiety. The term refers to the situationally triggered anxiousness that
learners experience when they try to interact in the target language during lessons.

(p. 163)
It can be clearly seen that the main problem of speaking is students‘ hesitation and
anxiety to express their ideas. It is true in the context of Vietnam, with Vietnamese learners,
who are often shy and reserved. In my opinion, as a practitioner in Vietnam, one of the main
reasons comes from the traditional teaching habit, due to which teachers do not encourage
students to express their own ideas. It is also a cultural feature.
Additionally, how to solve the problems is another problem. In my own opinion,
teachers play a very important role in coping with these problems. They should create a
friendly environment in the speaking classrooms, which helps reduce students‘ anxiety.
Besides, teacher‘s flexible evaluation of students‘ oral performance may work well.
In summary, speaking problems are students‘ anxiety of expressing their ideas,
uneven participation among students, no ideas to express, lack of motivation and difficulties
in keeping using the target language. Teachers are the decisive element in solving these
problems. They can do it by creating a relaxing and stimulating atmosphere in their oral skill
classes.

10


1.2.5. Communicative Language Teaching Approach in Teaching Speaking and
Communicative Competence
Being founded in the early 1960s Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has
recently become a fashionable term to cover a variety of developments in syllabus design and
to a lesser extent, in the methodology of teaching a foreign language, especially English.
Different authors view CLT differently. However, most emphasize the importance of
opportunities to use English for communicative purposes when this approach has been
applied in language teaching and learning. Nunan (1989) typically states that:
―CLT views language as a system for the expressions of meaning. Activities involve
oral communication, carrying out meaning tasks and using language, which is
meaningful to the learners. Objectives reflect the needs of the learner including

functional skills as well as linguistic objectives‖.
In the light of CLT, there have been favorable changes in teaching speaking. Bailey
(2005, pp. 18-19) explains clearly that in some language teaching methods, beginning
learners undergo a period of listening to English before they begin to speak it. The focus is on
input-based activities. For example, learners initially respond physically to spoken commands
from the teacher rather than speaking themselves. In contrast, in CLT, the focus is more
interaction-based activities such as role-plays and information gap tasks in which pair-work
and group-work are typically employed.
For many years, language teaching was seen as helping learners develop linguistic
competence – that is, helping students master the sounds, words and grammar patterns of
English. However, from the appearance of CLT, the notion of linguistic competence came to
be viewed as a component of the broader idea of communicative competence. According to
Canale and Swain (1980), the second language learners cannot be expected to achieve a
satisfactory level of communicative competence if no knowledge of probability of occurrence
of grammatical forms and communicative function is developed. Their view of
communicative competence consists of four areas of knowledge and skills: grammatical
competence (ability to use correct grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation), sociolinguistic
competence (ability to use appropriate language in different contexts and settings), discourse
competence (ability to combine language elements to show cohesion in form and coherence
in thought), strategic competence (ability to verbal and non-verbal communication
strategies).
Savignon (1991, p. 264, as cited in Kathleen M. Bailey, 2005, p. 3) defines
communicative competence as ―the ability of language learners to interact with other
11


speakers, to make meaning, as distinct from their ability to perform on discrete-point tests of
grammatical knowledge‖. Bailey (2005, p. 3) also shows four important elements of
communicative competence: linguistic competence (grammatical or structure competence),
sociolinguistic competence (or pragmatic competence), discourse competence, and strategic

competence.
In brief, the application of CLT in language teaching and learning, especially in
teaching speaking has changed the view of language competence. It is not only linguistic
competence but also pragmatic, discourse and strategic competence.
1.2.6. Principles of Teaching Speaking
To et al (2011, pp. 45-46) in their course book ESL/EFL Classroom Techniques and
Practices clarify 6 principles of teaching speaking as follows:
(1) Be aware that the teaching of speaking is closely bound up with receptive skill
work.
(2) Give students practice with both fluency and accuracy
(3) Plan communicative tasks that are based on the concept of information gap
(4) Provide opportunities for students to talk by using group work or pair work, and
limiting teacher talk
(5) Plan tasks that involve negotiation of meaning
(6) Design classroom activities that involve guidance and practice in both
transactional and interactional speaking
Bailey (2005) divides principles of teaching speaking into three groups: Beginning
levels, Intermediate levels, and Advanced levels. At beginning levels, teachers should follow
the principles:
 Provide something for learners to talk about
 Create opportunities for students to interact by using group-work or
pair-work
 Manipulate physical arrangements to promote speaking practice
At intermediate levels, teachers should:
 Focus on and work toward real, spontaneous speech to avoid form-based drills
(repetitious or grammar-based exercises)
 Design activities, which encourage natural interaction between speakers
 Place learners in pairs or groups in order to create exciting speaking environment

12

At advanced levels, the principles of teaching speaking that should be followed by
teachers are:
 Allow only speech in the target language, which greatly increases the amount of
English spoken
 Have a clear guideline, which reduces the temptation of learners to hide in their
native language
 Discourage learners from using their native language without the teacher‘s
permission
In summary, there are principles that teachers of oral skills should follow. The
principles vary to learners of different levels. However, some common ones are giving
learners practice with both fluency and accuracy, providing opportunity for learners to talk by
using pair-work and group-work, planning communicative tasks that involve interaction and
negotiation of meaning, designing classroom activities that involve both guidance and
practice to improve learners‘ communicative competence, and keeping learners using the
target language. These principles are used as the criteria in this study.
1.2.7. Classroom Speaking Activities
Classroom speaking activities can be categorized into two main types: communicative
drills and communicative activities (To et al, 2011, pp. 47-48).
 Communicative drills: in which teachers control the learners‘ speech primarily by
ensuring that they produce short utterances and which are carried out through the
following activities:
Practical situations: students can practice requesting and providing
information.
Guessing games: students can do the guessing activities in pairs or groups.
Information gathering activities: involve conducting surveys, interviews and
searches in which students are required to use their language to collect
information.
Jigsaw activities: require students‘ cooperation and interaction.

 Communicative activities: aim at communicative end in which students have a desire
to communicate, a purpose to communicate, and use a variety of language structures.
Here is some examples of communicative activities:
Role-plays: involve the teacher giving role cards to students for pair-work.

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Discussion activities: students are given a topic and asked to discuss in group,
give and prove their opinions.
Opinion sharing activities: involve identifying and articulating a personal
preference, feeling, or attitude.
Reasoning gap activities: involve comprehending and conveying information.
Prepared talks: students make a presentation on a topic of their own choice
with or without agreement with the teacher.
Classroom speaking activities are various. However, teachers should choose the most
suitable ones for their learners‘ ability as well as the purpose of the course.
1.2.8. Characteristics of Successful Speaking Activities
In the teaching of speaking skill, organizing efficient oral activities is significant.
Therefore, it is required to be aware of the characteristics of successful speaking activities.
According to Penny Ur (1996, p. 120), there are four characteristics of a successful
speaking activity:
(1) There is a great deal of learner talking time (as much as possible), which means
the reduction of teacher talking time or pauses.
(2) Even participation by learners is needed (there is no dominance by some talkative
learners and opportunities to participate in speaking activities are given to all).
(3) Learners are highly motivated (It means they want to express their own ideas in
classroom discussions because of interesting topics).
(4) Language used is of acceptable level, which is comprehensible to other students.
Sharing the ideas with Penny Ur, Louanne Piccolo (2010) argues that a successful

speaking activity can help limit teacher talking time and increase student talking time; avoid
dominance by some talkative students and create even participation among learners; offer
interesting topics to motivate students to speak; and encourage acceptable language that is
relevant and comprehensible to the others. He also adds that interruptions during student‘s
talking need to be limited for a good oral activity. It is necessary to clarify whose
interruptions (teacher‘s or students‘) should be limited. To my thinking, interruptions by
teacher should be avoided but those by partners may be good because they create an exciting
and enthusiastic atmosphere during the classroom discussions. They also help increase
student talking time and exchanging ideas among the participants.
The above-mentioned characteristics of a successful speaking activity are reasonable
and it is noted that acceptable level of language should be understood as a combination of
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both linguistic knowledge and intercultural pragmatic competence. Oral communication will
fail if the speaker and the hearers do not share the background knowledge.
1.3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Native English-Speaking Teachers
Native-English speaking teachers (NESTs), like non-native English speaking teachers
(NNESTs), have both advantages and disadvantages. The followings are some major ones.
The most common strength of NESTs which is shared by many scholars (Li & Meng,
2005; Liu, 1999; Medgyes, 1994; İsmet ŞAHİN, 2005, etc) is their oral competence. Even
Medgyes (as cited in Iván García Merino, 1997) affirms that: ―The more proficient, the more
efficient‖. In their study, Li & Meng (2005, as cited in Mingxu Liu & Limei Zhang 2007)
add other two strong points possessed by NESTs. They are their various and more attractive
teaching methods and creation of a comfortable and enjoyable learning atmosphere which
stimulates students to be involved in class activities.
Similarly, Mingxu Liu & Limei Zhang (2007) points out in their study that NESTs
can create a student-friendly classroom environment. Another advantage also presented in
their research is that NESTs develop students‘ ability to think independently, which seems to
be a weakness of NNESTs.

More interestingly, Dr İsmet ŞAHİN (2005) points out that native-English teachers‘
advantages over their non native-English counterparts are ―their being more tolerant of
learners‘ errors with respect to grammatical errors than nonnative English teachers, their
giving more importance to fluency than to accuracy and their obliging learners to speak
English more because of their incapability of using learners‘ native language‖. It is
interesting when NESTs makes use of their own disadvantage of not using students‘ first
language to push them to speak the target language because this helps increase the students‘
talking time and limits the interference of the mother tongue in the second language
acquisition.
Besides strengths, NESTs have some weaknesses. According to Li & Meng (2005, as
cited in Mingxu Liu & Limei Zhang 2007), native-English speaking teachers are unaware of
the learners‘ expectations and problems. They select their own teaching materials, not follow
ones designed by the institutions and they use the flexibility of the evaluation of students‘
ability without unchanged criteria. Personally, the two latter weaknesses are not very
convincing because teachers can design their own materials or use the others if they find the
existing ones are not suitable. And it may be the case for the assessment. The criteria are only
appropriate for a certain setting and a group of learners.
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Ulku Ozturk & Derin Atay (2010) and Chen Xiaoru (2008) also agree that NESTs can
not predict students‘ language problems as well as their potential. They explain that it is
because NESTs haven‘t experienced the process of acquiring the foreign language
themselves. Xiaoru provides further information on NESTs‘ limitations that they can not
speak students‘ native language, so they have difficulties in forming positive relationship
with the students and helping them solve the problems, which is contrary to the ideas of Dr
İsmet ŞAHİN.
In brief, NESTs possess both strengths and weaknesses. The prevailing strength is
their language competence and their common weakness is their unawareness of learners‘
problems and expectations. However, the most important thing is that NESTs should be

employed to teach in the fields where they can make their best advantages.
1.4. Previous Studies
There have been a number of studies on students‘ attitudes or perceptions of native
English speaking teachers. Most of their findings show that students have positive attitudes
towards the teaching of English language by NESTs. However, there exist some problems
learners encounter when they are taught by NESTs and students at different grades and levels
of English proficiency have various preferences to NESTs.
Most of the students surveyed in the study by Mingxu Liu and Limei Zhang believe
the foreign teachers‘ class is friendlier and they have less stress in class compared with
Chinese teachers‘ classes. The findings of this study also indicates that the students at the top
level enjoy foreign teachers‘ classes more than the low level students who enjoy Chinese
teachers‘ class more. It is because the latter felt nervous in foreign teachers‘ classes because
of their inability to express themselves properly.
Similarly, Song-Ae Han studies Korean students‘ attitudes towards NESTs and points
out that ―The learners with low English proficiency express their worries about learning in
NESTs‘ classes because they think that NESTs are not as concerned about their difficulties
in learning English as KTEs (Korean teachers of English, my own explanation) are‖. The
research adds that NESTs have less deep relationships with their students than KTEs and that
NESTs‘ lack of knowledge of Korean language and culture can be disadvantageous for the
low level learners.
In contrast, the study by Chen Xiaoru (2008) reveals that the longer the students
spend with their teachers, the less they prefer NESTs. Namely, the majority of the freshmen
like to have NESTs in their classes due to their casual manner and variety of activities in
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class. Meanwhile, most of the students at higher grades prefer their Chinese English teachers
because they are more familiar with the national curriculum, and the examinations to be
taken; therefore, they are better able to equip their students with the necessary strategies and
help them pass the exams. Chen Xiaoru also concludes that Chinese students have a clear

preference for NESTs because of their high proficiency in English, ability to use English
functionally, and the awareness of the culture of English speaking countries. Additionally,
they believe that NESTs are more fluent and accurate with a special emphasis on their good
pronunciation.
No researches on students‘ attitudes towards the teaching of speaking by NESTs have
been found. However, there are some which discover learners‘ attitudes to NESTs‘ teaching
in some specific areas in English language teaching.
Chen Xiaoru (2008) finds out in her study that there is a clear preference for an
NESTs in the areas of pronunciation, culture, and speaking and she comes to a conclusion
that: ―Pronunciation and cultural knowledge stand out as the two most prominent areas in
which native speaker teachers have advantages over non－ native speaker teachers‖. She
proved this by giving some examples of students‘ responses in her interview that NESTs
speak fluently and use English as a medium of instruction, so they learn more; that NESTs
would provide them with more chances to speak English and serve as a perfect model for
imitation. Similarly, Tsui (1996) indicates that students value the authenticity of NESTs
with regard to pronunciation, knowledge of English speaking countries, and their informal
and flexible teaching styles.
Sekigawa et al, (2003) also studies advantages and disadvantages of having native
speakers as teachers of English and clarifies that the majority of students like to have NESTs
in their speaking and pronunciation classes because, they explain, listening to ‗real‘ English
in class is very exciting and they can put themselves in a situation where they can speak only
English; therefore, they get used to speaking and thinking in English. On the other hand, her
study demonstrates that learners have difficulty in understanding and communicating with
foreign teachers; they can not express themselves well in English. The reasons for these
obstacles are that they do not get used to different pronunciation and accents as well as fast
speed by NESTs and that their English competence is poor. As a result, students become
more passive and quieter, then fail to acquire speaking skill.

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Another study conducted by Liu (1999, as cited in İsmet ŞAHİN, 2005) concluded
that a good oral English teacher should be a good English speaker and many native English
speakers have proven to be successful teachers in oral English classes in China.
In Vietnam, there are hardly any researches done on students‘ attitudes to NESTs as
well as to their teaching of any specific areas of English language, including that of speaking.
It is partially because the employment of NESTs in academic institutions is not popular and
does not receive enough concern from educators. The author of this study have been working
in a college where there are NESTs employed, namely in the area of speaking and wish to
investigate students‘ attitudes towards the teaching of this field by NESTs with a view to
giving some valuable implications for successful English language teaching and making a
certain contribution to the evaluation of using native speakers as teachers of English in our
country.
To conclude, a variety of studies point out that students have both positive and
negative attitudes towards native English speaking teachers. However, preferences prevail.
Most respondents think that native English teachers can offer friendly classroom
environment, variety of interesting activities, flexible teaching styles. They prefer native
English teachers on pronunciation, speaking and culture courses because they have high
proficiency in English, offer a good model for students to imitate and a natural source of
attraction to students. Besides, some participants show that native English teachers can not
help them to anticipate and solve their learning problems and pass the exams easily.
1.5. Conclusive Remarks
In conclusion, this chapter conceptualizes the discussion of issues and aspects
concerning the topic of the study. First, it concerns the concepts, the classifications, and the
roles of attitude in second language learning. Then comes to an overview of the teaching of
speaking in which definitions, the roles of speaking, CLT approach in teaching speaking and
the ideas of communicative competence, issues of accuracy and fluency, techniques of
teaching speaking, classroom speaking activities, characteristics of successful activities, and
problems in speaking skill are discussed. Next, advantages and disadvantages of native
English teachers are presented. Finally, the results of previous studies on this topic are

summarized as well. The following chapters will present the investigation, the findings and
the recommendations of the research under the light of the above-discussed theories.

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Chapter 2: Research Methodology
This chapter is concerned with the methodology of the research. It includes research
context or the setting of the study, research questions, research approach, research
participants, research instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis procedure.
2.1. Research Context
This research is done at Thai Binh Teacher Training College, where the author has
been teaching English for over 8 years. There are about 2000 students here, most of whom
are non-English majors, who are being trained to be teachers of different subjects like
Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry.
Annually, there are around 100 English-majored students belonging to 3 groups:
English 1 (the first year), English 2 (the second year) and English 3 (the third year). Most of
them will work as teachers of English after their graduation; whereas, some of them seek for
other jobs like tour guides, hotel receptionists or interpreters. They often work with the
teachers of Department of Foreign Languages on English courses, all of whom were trained
at College of Foreign Languages, Hanoi National University or Hanoi University, more half
of whom got MA degree on English Linguistics. Besides, they have chances to learn English
with native English speaking teachers, who come from the United States of America or the
UK through education cooperation projects. However, it is discontinued. Native teachers only
worked with English majors in speaking classes and then left speaking classes for non-native
teachers.
Therefore, it came to the author that what the students actually think of native English
speaking teachers and their teaching of speaking. Do they have positive or negative attitudes,
do different graders have different attitudes and to what extent? That is the researcher‘s
concern and the reason for the study. It is expected to show the students‘ opinions about

native-English teachers‘ teaching speaking and give some valuable suggestions for the
employment of native-English teachers at my college in particular and in Vietnam in general
and the improvement of the teaching of speaking in particular and other areas of English
language teaching in general by non-native teachers.
2.2. Research Questions
The study is aimed at finding out the students‘ attitudes towards native-English
teachers‘ teaching speaking and the differences of these attitudes among three different
groups of graders if any. Therefore, it is supposed to answer two following questions:
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