Việc sử dụng các hoạt động quản lý lớp học của giáo viên nhằm thu hút học sinh tham gia vào tiết học nói tiếng Anh tại trường THPT Thụy Hương, Hải Phòng

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


VŨ THỊ THƢƠNG


TEACHERS’ USE OF CLASSROOM-MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
TO INVOLVE THE STUDENTS IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING LESSONS
AT THỤY HƢƠNG HIGH SCHOOL, HẢI PHÒNG CITY
VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG QUẢN LÝ LỚP HỌC CỦA GIÁO
VIÊN NHẰM THU HÚT HỌC SINH THAM GIA VÀO TIẾT HỌC NÓI
TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƢỜNG THPT THỤY HƢƠNG, HẢI PHÒNG

M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English Methodology
Code: 60.140.111



HANOI – 2013

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


VŨ THỊ THƢƠNG

TEACHERS’ USE OF CLASSROOM-MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
TO INVOLVE THE STUDENTS IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING LESSONS
AT THỤY HƢƠNG HIGH SCHOOL, HẢI PHÒNG CITY

VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG QUẢN LÝ LỚP HỌC CỦA GIÁO
VIÊN NHẰM THU HÚT HỌC SINH THAM GIA VÀO TIẾT HỌC NÓI
TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƢỜNG THPT THỤY HƢƠNG, HẢI PHÒNG

M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English Methodology
Code: 60.140.111
Supervisor: Trần Xuân Điệp, Assoc. Prof. Dr.


HANOI – 2013
i

DECLARATION

I certify that the work contained in this thesis is the result of my own research, and
this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or
institution.
Hanoi, October 2013
Signature

Vũ Thị Thƣơng










ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am indeed thankful to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trần Xuân Điệp, whose
sympathetic guidance has been the source of inspiration and knowledge for my
research. I am also grateful to other teachers of the Department of Post-Graduate
Studies for their encouragement and valuable advice.
I have profound regards for the teaching staff of Thụy Hƣơng High School in Hải
Phòng and for all the students who spent their precious time on completing my
survey questionnaire. Without their enthusiastic cooperation, my thesis would not
have been completed.
My great thanks are also given to my family and my friends who have encouraged
me a lot during the process of my study.

iii

ABSTRACT
In this minor thesis, a survey research was conducted to investigate the influence of
the teachers‟ classroom management on the students‟ participation in English-
speaking lessons. 8 English-speaking lessons were observed and the two sets of
survey questionnaire were delivered to 8 teachers of English and 330 students at
Thụy Hƣơng high school in Hải Phòng to identify the classroom-management
activities that the teachers have used in their English-speaking lessons and the
attitudes of these students towards their teachers‟ activities. The research findings
revealed various classroom-management activities that the teachers have
efffectively and ineffectively used in involving their students and the positive
attidtude of about 60 percent of the selected students towards their teachers‟
activities.

iv

LIST OF FUGURES
Figure 1.1: Types of students‟ participation
Figure 1.2: Strategies to cope with chaos in large classes
Figure 3.1: Teachers‟ frequency of using certain activities before the students‟
practice
Figure 3.2: Teachers‟ frequency of using certain activities during the students‟
practice
Figure 3.3: Students‟ attitudes towards their English-speaking lessons
Figure 3.5: Students‟ remark on their teachers‟ classroom-management activities












v

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
Declaration i

Acknowledgements ii
Abstract iii
List of figures iv
Table of contents v
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Objectives of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Scope of the study 3
5. Design of the study 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4
1.1. Definition of major related concepts 4
1.1.1. Students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons 4
1.1.2. Teacher‟s classroom management in English-speaking lessons 6
1.1.2.1. Personalizing a large class 7
1.1.2.2. Getting students‟ attention 9
1.1.2.3. Developing good discipline 10
1.1.2.4. Managing pair and group work 12
1.2. Review of existing related works 13
Summary 14
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 15
2.1. Research method 15
2.2. Research subjects 15
2.2.1. The researcher 15
vi

2.2.2. The selected teachers and students 16
2.3. Research instruments 16
2.3.1. Survey questionnaire for teachers 16

2.3.2. Survey questionnaire for students 17
2.3.3. Classroom observation 18
2.3. Research procedures 18
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 20
3.1. Data collected from survey questionnaire 20
3.1.1. Survey questionnaire for teachers 20
3.1.1.1. Teachers‟ opinions of a successful English-speaking lesson 20
3.1.1.2. Teachers‟ assessment of their students‟ level of English-speaking
proficiency and participation 20
3.1.1.3. Teacher‟s opinions of the most effective activities to raise the level of
students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons 21
3.1.1.4. Teachers‟ frequency of using certain classroom management
activities 22
3.1.2. Survey questionnaire for students 26
3.1.2.1. Students‟ attitudes towards their English-speaking lessons and the
related issues 26
3.1.2.2. Students‟ remark on their teachers‟ classroom-management activities26
3.2. Data collected from classroom observation sheets 31
3.2.1. Teachers‟ classroom-management activities in the observed English-
speaking lessons 31
3.2.2. Students‟ participation in observed English-speaking lessons 33
3.3. Summary of the major findings 34
3.3.1. Answer for research question 1 34
3.3.2. Answer for research question 2 34

PART C: CONCLUSION 36
1. Recapitulation 36
vii

2. Limitations of the study 37

3. Suggestions for further research 37
REFERENCES 38
APPENDIXES
Appendix A - SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS I
Appendix B - SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS XIII
Appendix C - CLASSROOM OBSERVATION SHEET XXI


1

PART A: INTRODUCTON
1. Rationale
In Vietnam, English has been taught as a compulsory subject in most schools
throughout the country. However, although the four English skills including
reading, listening, speaking and writing have been entirely introduced to the
teaching curriculum, there remains the reality that a significant number of students
who have been learning English for four to seven years or even more at schools still
cannot orally communicate in English. This undoubtedly results from the fact that
speaking skill still does not receive enough attention from both teachers and
students. Due to the fact that the English tests in schools‟ General Education
Graduation Examination for the students are in written form, most school teachers
seem to focus their concentration upon grammar knowledge rather than language
use. Similarly, the evidence of the students‟ lack of attention to their English-
speaking lessons is the situation of the students‟ low participation in classroom
activities. While studies have showed the positive impacts of the students‟
involvement on their academic results, a large number of students remain silent.
This urges school administrators, educators, and teachers to look into the causes of
the issue and seek for the most effective solutions. Consequently, a variety of
investigations have been conducted into this issue (e.g. Gomez et al., 1995; Al-
Seyabi, 2002; Lee, 2005; Tsou, 2005; Faizah & Liew, 2007; Sayadi, 2007; Lịch,

2007; Hằng, 2008; Linh, 2008; Tuyết, 2009; Uyên, 2009; Oyinloye, 2010;
Mustapha et al., 2010; Xoan, 2010). Then, of all the factors that have affected the
students‟ participation in English-speaking tasks, the teachers‟ classroom
management has been proved to be one of the major factors.
The researcher, from her own teaching experience, is in favor of the remark from
many previously mentioned studies that teachers‟ use of classroom management
activities affects the level of students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons.
Then,
2

this study is to investigate the dialectical relationship between the teachers‟
classroom management and the students‟ participation.
Thuy Huong High School in Haiphong City was selected to be the place where the
researcher conducted her study since the researcher and the teachers who have been
teaching English at this school often have discussions on the current issues in
teaching English, especially the issue of students‟ low participation in English-
speaking lessons.
2. Objectives of the study
This study aims at investigating the relationship between the teachers‟ classroom-
management activities and the students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons at
Thuy Huong high school in Haiphong. To achieve this aim, the study concentrates
on:
(1) Investigating the teachers‟ classroom management activities to involve their
students in English-speaking lessons;
(2) Identifying the students‟ attitudes towards their teachers‟ classroom
management activities in English-speaking lessons;
(3) Giving some implications to help the teachers to improve the students‟
participation in English-speaking lessons.
The result of this study is expected to be useful for the teachers of English at Thuy
Huong high school in particular and other teachers who have the same concern with

the issue of the students‟ level of participation in English-speaking lessons in
general.
3. Research questions
Within the objectives of the study, two research questions are raised:
(1) Which classroom management activities have the teachers at Thuy Huong high
school used to involve their students in their English-speaking lessons?
(2) What are the attitudes of the students towards their teachers’ classroom
management activities in their English-speaking lessons?

3

4. Scope of the study
Although there are various factors that have the influence on the students‟
participation in English-speaking lessons, the researcher only focuses her study on
one of these factors – i.e. teachers‟ use of classroom management activities.
5. Design of the study
The main body of this thesis consists of three main parts:
Part A – INTRODUCTION: provides a brief theoretical and practical background
of the research area and states the aim, the objectives and the scope of the study.
Herein, the research questions are also raised.
Part B – DEVELOPMENT: consists of three chapters:
Chapter 1: Theoretical background: provides the definition of major related
concepts (students‟ level of participation and teachers‟ classroom management
activities in English-speaking lessons) and reviews the related works that compose
the theoretical background of the study.
Chapter 2: Methodology: identifies the research method (survey research sampling,
research procedures) and gives detailed descriptions of the data collection tools
(survey questionnaire and classroom observation sheet) as well as the subjects of
the study.
Chapter 3: Results and Discussion: reports the results after analyzing the collected

data in themes and gives brief summary answer for the two research questions.
Part C – CONCLUSION: summarizes the whole research, gives some teaching
implications, and discusses the limitations of the study as well as suggestions for
further research.






4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.1. Definition of major related concepts
1.1.1. Students’ level of participation in English-speaking lessons
According to Tsou (2005:46), students‟ classroom participation „includes many
forms of students actions such as speaking, listening, reading, writing, and body
languages or physical movement‟. However, since „oral participation is the most
observable behavior‟ (Tsou, 2005:46), students‟ participation “usually means
students speaking in class: answer and ask questions, make comments, and join in
discussions‟ (Lee, 2005:2).
Liu (2001) in his multi-case ethnographic study distinguishes four types of students‟
participation: total integration, conditional participation, marginal interaction, and
silent observation. Based on the description of Liu (2001), Sayadi (2007:25)
summarizes the features of these four types in the following table:
Figure 1.1: Types of students’ participation
Patterns of
participation
Characteristics

Total integration
+ Most active
+ Know exactly when to speak, what to speak
+ Participation is spontaneous, appropriate, and
natural



Conditional
+ Constrained by factors such as socio-cultural,
cognitive, affective, linguistic, and
environmental
+ Limited interaction between learner and
learner, learner and teacher
5

participation
+ Figuring out when to speak, what to speak
+ Concern with appropriate classroom behavior
+ Carefully reflect on their participation after
each attempt


Marginal
interaction

+ Attentive listeners
+ Seldom speak up in class
+ Prefer listening, note-taking and group

discussion after class
+ Less adventurous
+ Thinking carefully and internal rehearsal
before attempting to participate

Silent observation
+ The least active
+ Seem to accept whatever discussed in class
+ Use various sorts of compensation strategies to
help digest and confirm what has been
communicated in class
(Sayadi, 2007:25)
As can be seen from the table, the students who actively verbally participate in
classroom discussions are ranked as „total integration‟ with the highest level of
involvement whilst the students who rarely or never raise their voices in class are of
„marginal interaction‟ and „silent observation‟ with the poor level of participation.
To a second or foreign language learning class, the students‟ participation is
required to be at high level because a successful language learning class is believed
to be the place where „learners talk a lot; participation is even; motivation is high
and language is of an acceptable level‟ (Ur, 1996:120). This means that the
participation patterns in English-speaking lessons should be „total integration‟ and
„conditional participation‟.
6

For years, the positive impact of the students‟ level of participation in classroom
activities on their academic results has been identified by a significant number of
studies (e.g. Busch, 1982; Day, 1984; Elly, 1986; Zhou, 1991; Lim, 1992; Wudong,
1994; Gomez et al., 1995; Faizah & Liew, 2007). These studies confirm that
students who show their higher level of participation in the classroom activities
would achieve greater academic results. Thus, English learners who do not actively

take part in the classroom discussions do waste their golden chances to improve and
master their English-speaking skill. Consequently, students in English-speaking
lessons are expected to spend most of their time on speaking English to their
classmates and their teachers to express ideas, to make questions or to give
comments so that the learning and teaching process can effectively take place.
1.1.2. Teacher’s classroom management in English-speaking lessons
According to Oyinloye (2010:307), a teacher has to deal with a wide range of
management issues in his class. These, as he clarifies, may include:
…creat[ing] the setting, decorat[ing] the room, arrang[ing] the chairs,
speaking to children and listen[ing] to their responses, putting routines
in place and then executing, modifying and reinstating them,
developing rules and communicating those rules to pupils.
He also states that each of these above issues will „determine the academic
achievement and behavior‟ of the students and it is „the way the teacher prepares the
classroom physically‟ that „could determine the level of students‟ participation in
lesson‟ (2010:307). His remark, on the one hand, shares the findings of a body of
research on the influence of the teachers‟ classroom-management activities on
students‟ learning process and results (cf. Freiberg et al., 1995; Marzano et al.,
2003; Hải, 2005; Lan, 2005; Oliver & Reschly, 2007; Hằng, 2008; Mustapha et al.,
2010; Huyền, 2010). His remark, on the other hand, confirms the claim of all
7

previously mentioned studies that pedagogical factor is one of the key factors that
affect the students‟ level of participation.
Following sections are certain teachers‟ classroom-management activities that have
been proved to effectively raise the level of students‟ participation in English-
speaking lessons.
1.1.2.1. Personalizing a large class
The techniques presented by The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) – a series
of programs facilitating and supporting new innovations in teaching – governed by

the University of Maryland appear to cover a large scope of effective management.
These strategies include: (1) make a class feel small, (2) encourage question, (3) be
available, (4) try to learn students‟ name, (5) relate lectures and discussions to
students‟ experiences, (6) pay attention to individual students, (7) consider self-
presentation, and (8) give personalized feedback.
Initially, teachers can „make a large class feel small‟ by performing various
activities such as walking around the classroom, moving toward the student asking a
question, distributing handouts. The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
supports the view that instructors should move into the aisles and around the room
by stating that if the teachers do that frequently, they are able to not only make the
class smaller but also promote the students‟ level of involvement. Another way to
set a small-class atmosphere in a large-class setting is letting students work in small
groups. Theberge (1994:34) states that small groups can „afford different
participation structures than the one-at-a-time talk of the whole class, and turns are
often distributed more equitably in these small groups than in whole-class
discussion‟. Thus, using group
work discussions will let students chance to work in a smaller environment so that
they could actually engage in classroom activities.
8

Encouraging questions is also an effective technique assisting teachers to make the
classroom atmosphere smaller and warmer. Responding in ways that appeals more
questions from students such as "I'm glad you asked that" or "That's a good
question", mentioning the names of the students who have asked questions and
using nonverbal responses such as smiling or nodding are strategies to cope with
students‟ reluctance of raising voices in classroom. When performing asking-and-
answering activities, teachers are advised to notice the „teacher wait time‟ – the
amount of time a teacher waits before he answers his own questions. Fritscher
(2000, as cited in Mustapha et al., 2010) finds that students rarely asked questions
or make comments to instructors who wait „no more than a few second‟.

Being available to students both before and after class is regarded to be a good
strategy to lower the high student-instructor ratio in large class. This, therefore,
makes the classes smaller. Walking around the room and asking certain questions
before starting a lesson are commonly used by various teachers. And that, in fact,
makes the class warmer. After class, teachers are suggested to stay back a few
minutes longer than usual to be available to answer questions of the students who
interested in the lessons.
Another strategy which is highly appreciated by a variety of researchers is using
students‟ names when addressing them (cf. Hayes, 1997; Mamadou, 2001). Hayes
(1997:113) cited an example to prove the importance of learning students‟ names: if
someone was called on by the term „Hey, you!‟, then his feelings are „usually ones
of annoyance, accompanied by a desire to ignore the person calling out‟.
Relating lectures and discussions to student experiences is a technique of appealing
students‟ interest in the discussed topic. Knowledge of teachers on the backgrounds
of his students can be of great help to incorporate students‟ life experiences into the
class. This also assists to establish a good relationship between the teacher and his
students.
9

Paying attention to individual students is undoubtedly a real challenge. In fact, a
teacher seems not to be able to keeping an eye on all students in a large class. The
teacher, therefore, is suggested to deliver his attention to individual by reviewing
students‟ attendance, students‟ performance on exams and homework.
Presenting teacher himself to students as a person rather than just a source of
knowledge also makes the class smaller. Teachers are advised to show their
personality and humor so that they can establish a good rapport with their students.
Sharing lesson expectations, experiences or challenges and getting feedbacks from
students makes the classroom friendlier.
One of the key shortcomings of the large classes is that teachers find it difficult to
give feedbacks to all students. To overcome this, teachers are encouraged to

„comment on a different group of exams or papers each time‟ so that students could
get individualized comments from their teachers at least once during the semester.
1.1.2.2. Getting students’ attention
Certain strategies that can assist the teacher to show their interest in students are
using body gestures and facial expressions, using interesting topics and audio-visual
aids, and asking for students‟ volunteer.
Lewis and Hill (1992, as cited in Lan, 2007) states that when the teacher takes his
eyes off students, his students seem to lose their concentration on his talks. Thus,
keep moving eyes around the class, students will feel engaged.
One of the most natural and effective ways to hold the notice of all students is
making the lesson interesting to students. Using teaching materials such as audio or
visual
aids can, on the one hand, also provide students with authentic teaching materials
and on the other hand, make the lesson interesting thank to the diversity of the
teaching aids.
10

Another common way to appeal students‟ attention is asking for volunteer. This
strategy makes students feel more responsible to participate in the classroom
interaction. This also provides dynamic students opportunities to model the
performance in front of the classes. It is clear that in a speaking lesson, the more
students are actively involved in the discussions, the more successful that lesson is.
1.1.2.3. Developing a good discipline
Discipline is a crucial factor in the teaching and learning procedure (Azhar,
2004:98). Also, amongst all the school-related factors, discipline has the greatest
impact upon students‟ responsibility (Ingersoll, 1996:164). Thus, developing a good
discipline is a major task of all teachers.
Initially, it is of great importance to raise the deep awareness about a good
discipline. There remains a common thought that discipline relates to strict rules or
heavy punishments which make students sit quietly in their seats. In fact, if this

perception of discipline is applied in an English speaking class, this class would
become a really least successful lesson a teacher may have. Of all the insights on
what must be a good discipline, the view of Pastor (2002:657, as cited in Lewis,
2008:159) appears to be a satisfactory one when he states that „discipline is not
primarily a matter of keeping things under control by making choices for students…
it is a matter of helping students learn to make good choices and be responsible for
those choices‟. It can be stated that the goal of discipline is to establish students‟
ability of self-responsibility. Then, good discipline consists of all rules that give
students the freedom to learn in their own way within the boundaries of a
reasonable amount of control.
To enhance a good discipline in large classes, teachers are also advised to pay
attention on the chaos which they may encounter in an English class. Following
table presents certain strategies that can assist teachers to solve the issue of lacking
control in their English classes.
11

Figure 1.2: Strategies to cope with chaos in large classes
Strategies
Activities





Planning
+ raise students awareness of the objectives of the lesson
+ select short activities that require language the students
already know quite well in initial stage
+ plan a rehearsal stage before the activity
+ plan and write the instructions beforehand

+ plan a filler activity for the groups that finish earlier than
the others
+ plan the lesson with a variety (change the patterns of
interaction: student to student, student to teacher; group to
group)
+ break up longer tasks into shorter sections and handle
these sections differently


Setting up
+ stress on silence and attention while teaching
+ stage instructions carefully
+ Train students to form and work in pairs and groups
+ Rehearse the task before the students do it altogether
+ Limit class activities to a set time

During the
activity
+ look interested in each group but from a distance
+ note down common errors of grammar or usage to
explain later on

After the
+ ask Ss feeling about the activity
12

activity
+ discuss performance of certain groups
+ ask students‟ comments on the performance of others
(Azhar, 2004)

1.1.2.4. Managing pair and group work
Carrying out the teaching and learning activities in pairs and groups is the most
suggested strategy to deal with the issue of large size English learning classes.
According to Nakabugo et al. (2007:3), „group work, if well arranged, can enable all
children in their small groups engage with the task at hand, share their views, and
learn from one another‟. Thus, managing pair work and group work is of great
importance in large English-speaking classes to promote the level of students‟
participation in the classroom discussions.
Initially, one of the teachers‟ major concerns must be the organization of pair and
group work. Teachers can organize the groups which fit the learners‟ abilities such
as mixed-ability groups where good learners can assist weaker learners to master
the tasks so that the teacher need not teach certain parts or same-ability groups that
provide teachers with more time to give extra help to weak individual learners in the
weaker groups. Using group leaders or monitors can not only help the weak learners
but also help the teachers to maintain discipline in groups.
Another issue of managing pair or group work is how to control pair and group
work effectively. First, teachers are suggested to move around the classroom to see
what improvement the students are making and whether there are any problems
with students‟ performance to provide them with advice, encouragement and extra
individual assistance. Then, teachers are also advised to pay attention upon the fact
that „not all students need individual attention in every lesson: for some, a quick
check that they are doing the activity correctly will often be enough, whereas others
will need closer guidance‟ (Hayes, 1997:113).
13

It is also of great significance for the teachers to give and check instructions
effectively when managing the pair or group work activities. Cyrum (2003, as cited
in Lan, 2007) suggests teachers to organizationally instruct students how to perform
the activities such as giving the rules related to the place, the time given, the group
size, and what students finish earlier should do clearly, relevantly and concisely in a

safe and enjoyable environment. Teachers are also advised to giving informational
instructions following the four guidelines such as „one idea at a time‟, keeping
instruction brief‟, „using key words or phrases‟ and making the instruction
relevant‟. All of these presented rules aim at assisting students to do their work
spontaneously and appropriately after the teachers have finished their instructions.
In addition, teachers also have to pay attention on the way they give feedback to
their students‟ presentation. It is the fact that there is no rule about feedback-giving.
Certain teachers who have a good relationship with their students can deliver
feedback right after the students have made mistakes but is it more suggested by
various researchers that it would be better for the teachers to give feedback after the
students have finished their presentations.
1.2. Review of existing related works
As previously mentioned, this study aims at investigating the relationship between
the teachers‟ classroom- management activities and the students‟ participation in
English-speaking lessons. In fact, a significant number of studies have been
conducted of this issue such as Freiberg et al. (1995), Marzano et al. (2003), Hải
(2005), Lan (2005), Oliver & Reschly (2007), Hằng (2008), Mustapha et al. (2010),
and Huyền (2010). Thus, the result of this study is expected to confirm the remark
of all aforesaid research that the teachers‟ pedagogical methodology has great
impact upon the students‟ oral involvement in English-speaking lessons.
Similarly, a large number of studies have been also conducted to identify the most
valuable pedagogical methods to involve more students in classroom activities (e.g.
14

Lim, 1992; Zhao, 1998; Davis, 1999; Bích, 2003; Azhar, 2004; Xuân, 2004; Tsou,
2005; Loan, 2006; Lịch, 2007; Lan, 2007; Ngân, 2008; Mai, 2008; Tuyết, 2009;
Uyên, 2009; Hoài, 2010; Lan, 2010; Quyên, 2010). In brief, these academic
methods vary from single strategies such as using games, task-based teaching or
differentiated instructions to a combination of various strategies such as active
learning activities, classroom-management activities or activities related to students‟

motivation. Based on the findings of these above mentioned studies, this survey
research is conducted at a specific high school – Thụy Hƣơng high school in Hải
Phòng city; and within the scope of this study, the researcher only focuses on
investigating the classroom-management activities that the teachers of English at
the selected high school have used to involve their students in English-speaking
lessons and then gives some implications to help the teachers to improve the
students‟ participation in their English-speaking lessons.

Summary
In this chapter, the researcher provides the definition of two major concepts of the
study such as the students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons and the
teachers
classroom-management activities in English-speaking lessons. Then, a number of
works that have related to the issue of the teachers‟ using classroom-management
activities to raise the level of students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons are
also reviewed to compose the theoretical background for the study.







15

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. Research method – survey research
This study was a survey research in the way that it was the work of the researcher
with an expectation of investigating the English-speaking teaching and learning
reality at Thụy Hƣơng High school in Hải Phòng. In particular, two major issues

were explored: (1) the teachers‟ classroom management activities to involve their
students in English-speaking tasks and (2) the students‟ attitudes towards their
teachers‟ classroom management activities in English-speaking lessons.
In this survey research, all the teachers of English and the students at Thụy Hƣơng
high school were the population (the entire group of interest) and the sample (the
subset of the entire group) were all the teachers of English (8 teachers) and 330
students (8 classes). The biggest difference between the population and the sample
was the number of involved students. Herein, 8 classes with 330 students were
selected from the population to meet the teachers‟ teaching timetable at school.
However, despite this sampling of convenience, the sample was still adequately
representative of the whole population because the selected students, as confirmed
by all the teachers, shared the similar proficiency in doing their English-speaking
tasks with the rest of the entire group.
2.2. Research subjects
2.2.1. The researcher
The researcher is attending the MA course at the Department of Post-Graduate
Studies, University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National
University of Hanoi. As trained in English teaching major, the researcher has had
opportunities of attending and teaching English lessons in certain Vietnamese high
schools. Also, the researcher did have chance to conduct certain studies in the field
of English language teaching. This study was another work of the researcher with
the aim of contributing its results to the broad body of research on the same issue.
Herein, the researcher worked as the person who delivered the survey questionnaire,
a classroom observer, a data collector and analyst to complete the study.
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2.2.2. The selected teachers and students
The subjects of the study were 8 teachers of English and 330 students at Thụy
Hƣơng high school in Hải Phòng.
All the teachers are female from 31 to 36 years old. They were trained in English

teaching major at Hanoi University of Education, Haiphong University, and
Haiphong Private University. They have been teaching English for high school
students for 4 to 9 years.
The selected students were 330 students from 8 classes: 2 from grade 10, 3 from
grade 11, and 2 from grade 12.
2.3. Research instruments
Survey questionnaire and classroom observation were selected as the data collection
tools in this study. The two sets of survey questionnaire were written in Vietnamese
to avoid the subjects‟ misunderstanding of the questions and to save time for the
researcher in explaining the required information.
Following is the description of these instruments.
2.3.1. Survey questionnaire for teachers
The first set of questionnaire (Appendix A) was delivered to 8 teachers of English at
the selected high school. Apart from the requirement for the teachers‟ background
information at the beginning part of the survey questionnaire, the rest consisted of
two main parts.
The first part included 6 open-ended questions that asked for the answers written by
the teachers. These questions fell into 3 categories:
Category 1: included 2 questions related to the teachers‟ opinions of a successful
English-speaking lesson.
Category 2: included 2 questions related to the teachers‟ assessment of their
students‟ level of English-speaking proficiency and participation.