An exploratory study of ethnic minority students' motivation in studying English speaking skills at Sam Son ethnic pre-university school = Nghiên cứu tìm hiểu đ

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

LÊ THỊ THU HƢƠNG



AN EXPLORATARY STUDY OF ETHNIC MINORITY STUDENTS’
MOTIVATION IN STUDYING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AT SẦM
SƠN ETHNIC PRE-UNIVERSITY SCHOOL

Nghiên cứu tìm hiểu động cơ học kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh của học sinh dân tộc
thiểu số trƣờng Dự bị Đại học Dân tộc Sầm Sơn.


M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111






Hanoi, 2014
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

LÊ THỊ THU HƢƠNG



AN EXPLORATARY STUDY OF ETHNIC MINORITY STUDENTS’
MOTIVATION IN STUDYING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AT SẦM
SƠN ETHNIC PRE-UNIVERSITY SCHOOL

Nghiên cứu tìm hiểu động cơ học kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh của học sinh dân tộc
thiểu số trƣờng Dự bị Đại học Dân tộc Sầm Sơn.


M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111
SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN THỊ MINH TÂM, PhD.





Hanoi, 2014
i
CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT

I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled “An exploratory study of ethnic
minority students’ motivation in studying English speaking skills at Sầm Sơn Ethnic

Pre-university School” is the result of my own research for the degree of Master of Arts
at University of Languages and International Studies - VNU, and that this thesis has not
been submitted for any degree at any other universities or tertiary institution.

























Ha Noi, Sep 2014
Signature

Lê Thị Thu Hương
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my sincere and deep gratitude to my supervisor:
Nguyễn Thị Minh Tâm, PhD., for her wholehearted guidance, invaluable advice,
instructions, suggestions, and especially constructive criticism as well as her
encouragement in the completion of my research work.
Next, I am especially grateful to all the lecturers and the staff of the Faculty of Post-
Graduate Studies at University of Languages and International Studies - VNU, for their
useful lectures, materials, as well as guidance and enthusiasm which are of great value not
only to me but also to all my class - K21 TH.
I also wish to give my sincere thanks to all my colleagues and students at Sam Son
Ethnic Pre-university School who provided me with inspiration for the research topic and
helped me with the research data. Without them, I could not have finished my thesis.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my family and dear friends, especially my
husband and my son who are always beside me with their love and understanding,
encouragement and spiritual support throughout this thesis.

iii
ABSTRACT

During the seven-year teaching period at Sam Son Ethnic Pre-university School
(S2EPS), the researcher has realized that the students at S2EPS lack adequate English
speaking skill to further their study at university and their future job as well. It is also
realized that motivation is one of the major factors affecting the success or failure of
students in learning a second/foreign language (L2) in general, and particularly learning
the speaking skill. Therefore, with the desire to help these students, the study is carried out
in the context of S2EPS in order to explore ethnic minority students‟ motivation in learning
English speaking skills.
The study was conducted with 100 students of S2EPS by completing a set of
survey questionnaire and with 6 students among whom by attending a focused group
interview. On the basis of data analysis, the findings, first of all, showed two kinds of
motivation possessed by the ethnic students which are the instrumental and integrative.
Secondly, some factors affecting their motivation in the learning process of the speaking
skill were found from the data, which are student factors, teacher factors as well as
classroom factors and the textbook. The extent to which these factors affect students‟
motivation are then discussed. Finally, some strategies and techniques to motivate ethnic
students at Pre-university schools in general and at S2EPS in particular to speak English
more effectively were suggested and recommended.

iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CLT: Communicative Language Teaching
ELT: English Language Teaching
ESL: English as a Second Language
FLL: Foreign Language Learning
L2: Second/ Foreign Language
SLA: Second Language Acquisition
SLL: Second Language Learning
S2EPS: Sam Son Ethnic Pre-university School

v
LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Table 1: How learners‟ motivation can possibly be affected in speaking classes.
Table 2: Students‟ reasons for learning English speaking skills.
Table 3: Students‟ interest in speaking activities used in the class.
Table 4: Students‟ opinion on factors affecting the learning process of the speaking skill.
Table 5: Students‟ opinion on strategies and techniques teachers should to use to motivate
them in learning English speaking skills.
Chart 1: Students‟ attitude towards the importance of the speaking skill.
Chart 2: Students‟ attitude towards speaking English.
Chart 3: Students‟ level of participation in speaking activities.

vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Candidate‟s statement………………………………………………………
Acknowledgement………………………………………………………….
Abstract……………………………………………………………………
i
ii
iii
List of abbreviations …………………………… ………………………
List of tables and charts…………………………………………………
Table of contents ……………………………… …….……………………
iv
v
vi

PART A. INTRODUCTION…………………………………….………
01
1. Rationale ……………………………………………………… ………
01
2. Aim of the study …………………………………………………………
02
3. Scope of the study………………………………………………………
02
4. Research questions……………………………………… ……………
02
5. Methods of the study……………………………………….…………….
6. Organization of the study………………………………………………
02
03
PART B. DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………
04
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………
04
1.1. Theoretical background of motivation…………….…………………
04
1.1.1. Motivation in foreign language learning ………………………
04
1.1.2. Classification of motivation in foreign language learning.………
05
1.1.3. Characteristics of a motivated learner……………………………
06
1.2. Theoretical background of teaching the speaking skill ……… ……
07
1.2.1. The notion of the speaking skill …………………………………
07

1.2.2. Teaching the speaking skill in Communicative Language Teaching
approach…………………………….…………………………

08
1.3. Factors affecting learners‟ motivation in the learning process of the speaking
skill………………………………………………………………

09
1.3.1. Learner factors…………………………………………………….
09
1.3.2. Teacher factors………….…………………………………………
11
1.3.3. Classroom factors.…………………………………………………
1.4. Previous studies on the topic…………………………………………
13
16
vii
1.5. Summary of the chapter… ……………….…………………………
17
CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY………………………………………
18
2.1. Research setting… ……… …………………………………………
18
2.1.1. An overview of Sam Son Ethnic Pre-university School…………
18
2.1.2. The teachers of English ….………………………………………
2.1.3. The students………………………………………………………
2.1.4. The textbook……………………………………………………….
2.1.5. The teaching and learning conditions……………………………
18

18
19
19
2.2. The study……………………………………………………………….
2.2.1. Research questions restated………………………………………
2.2.2. Data collecting instruments, participants and procedures ……
2.2.2.1. Survey questionnaire… ………………… …… ……
 Purpose
 Structure
 Participants
 Data collecting procedure and presentation of data
2.2.2.2. Focused group interview…………………………… ……….
 Purpose
 Structure
 Participants
 Data collecting procedure and presentation of data
20
20
20
20
20
20
21
21
22
22
22
23
23
2.3. Summary of the chapter………………………………………… …

CHAPTER 3. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS…………
3.1. Research question 1: To what extent are students at S2EPS motivated in
studying English speaking skills? ……………………………………….
3.1.1. To what extent are students at S2EPS motivated in general?
3.1.2. To what extent does each factor affect students‟ motivation in the
learning process of the speaking skill? ………………………….……….
3.2. Research question 2: What motivated strategies and techniques can be
applied to teaching English speaking skills at S2EPS? ………………….
3.3. Recommendations to English teaching and leaning practice in S2EPS
23
24

24
24

27

32
33
viii
3.3.1. For the teachers……………………………………………………
3.3.2. For the students……………………………………………………
3.3.3. For the management board………………………………………
3.4. Summary of the chapter………………………………………………
33
36
37
37
PART C. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………
1. Recapitulation………….…….…………………………………………

2. Pedagogical implications of the study……………………………………
3. Limitations of the study ……………………………… ………………
4. Suggestions for further study… ………………………………………
REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………
APPENDICES……………………………………………………………
Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire for students (English version) …………
Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire for students (Vietnamese version)……
Appendix 3: Focused group interview questions (English version)………
Appendix 4: Focused group interview questions (Vietnamese version)……
Appendix 5: Focused group interview transcripts………………… ……
Appendix 6: Summary of statistic data collected from survey questionnaire
Appendix 7: A lesson plan for an English speaking learning class………
38
38
38
39
39
40
I
I
V
IX
X
XI
XVI
XX

1
PART A. INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
Widely regarded as the world's lingua franca, English, particularly English
communication has long since become the most effective tool to involve Vietnam as
well as other countries in the process of globalization. Being aware of the
importance along with the tremendous impact of English on the rapid growth of the
society, as well as the State; like all universities and colleges in the whole country,
in the last three years, academic training curricular in S2EPS have made English a
compulsory subject. Especially, teachers of English in S2EPS are paying more and
more attention to developing students‟ English speaking skills.
S2EPS specializes in training ethnic students, providing them with
supplementary courses so that they can become eligible for university admission.
Targeted students here must be ethnic people who live in remote areas such as the
mountainous areas, high zones, and who attended the university entrance exam but
failed to be accepted. S2EPS enrolls students at a certain score range and prepare
them for university study. Therefore, all the students here are ethnic minority people
coming from 7 provinces in the north of the middle area in Vietnam: Ninth Binh,
Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue.
As an English teacher, with a seven-year teaching period at S2EPS, I have

recognized that the majority of the students here are not good at English; they show
their lack of motivation in learning English, especially the speaking skill. Many
students are not interested and do not invest enough time and efforts to learn and
practice this skill. Such a fact urges me to carry out a study with a desire to explore
ethnic students‟ motivation in learning English speaking skills, and to find out
factors affecting the teaching and learning process of this skill. Furthermore, based
on the study, some motivational strategies and techniques to improve the students‟
English proficiency in general and involvement in oral activities in particular will
be drawn out.
2
2. Aim of the study
The aim of this study is to explore motivation possessed by ethnic minority
students at S2EPS in studying English speaking skills. Accordingly, two objectives
are set by the researcher when conducting this study as follows: to find out factors
affecting the learning process of the speaking skill, to discover what motivational
strategies and techniques can be applied to teaching English speaking skills.
3. Scope of the study
This study is limited to ethnic minority students‟ motivation in learning the
speaking skill at S2EPS. Therefore, the investigation of the issue on other skills will
not be included in the study. Furthermore, it should be taken into consideration that
the subjects of the study are the students at S2EPS who are being taught the
speaking skill in the light of the communicative approach.
4. Research questions
To reach such an aim as mentioned , the study attempts to find out the answers
to the two following questions:
Research question 1: To what extent are students at Sam Son Ethnic Pre-university
School motivated in studying English speaking skills?
Research question 2: What motivational strategies and techniques can be applied to
teaching English speaking skills at Sam Son Ethnic Pre-university School?
5. Methods of the study

To achieve the aim and objectives mentioned in this study, the researcher
mainly used the qualitative method with the assistance of a quantitative instrument
which is a set of survey questionnaire for students to get information and evidence
for the study. A focused group interview was conducted with the purpose of
examining the data collected from the above survey questionnaire, and seeking for
explanations and suggestions from students about why and how they want to be
3
motivated in speaking classes. All the comments, remarks, recommendations and
conclusions provided in the thesis were based on the data analysis.
6. Organization of the study
The study is organized into three main parts: Introduction, Development and
Conclusion.
Part A - Introduction provides an overview of the study including the rationale, the
aim, the scope, the method, the research questions and the structure of the study.
Part B - Development is a major part of the thesis is divided into 3 chapters.
Chapter 1 reviews the theoretical background of the research. Additionally, the
previous studies on this topic are presented in this chapter.
Chapter 2 gives the brief description of the research setting and introduces the
procedure of the study.
Chapter 3 includes the findings and recommendations.
Part C - Conclusion presents the recapitulation and implications of the study as well
as the limitations and the suggestions for further study.

4
PART B. DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1. Theoretical background of motivation
1.1.1. Motivation in foreign language learning (FLL)
The word motivation appears to be simple and easy but it has been seemed
impossible for theorists to reach a consensus on the exact definition. For this,
Dörnyei, (1998: 117) comments: “Although motivation is a term frequently used in
both educational and research contexts, it is rather surprising how little agreement
there is in the literature with regard to the exact meaning of this concept”. However,
this has not prevented them from trying it. Below are a few definitions of
motivation which were found during the research process:
First of all, motivation is derived from a Latin word „„emovere‟‟ that means to
move or to do an action. Next, Ames & Ames (1989) defines motivation as the
impetus to create and sustain intentions and goal seeking acts. Also, Oxford &
Shearin (1994) state that motivation is a desire to achieve a goal combined with the
energy to work toward that goal. Similarly, Johnstone (1999: 146) considers
motivation as a stimulant for achieving a specific target. Additionally, Gardner
(1985) states that motivation involves four aspects: a goal, an effort, a desire to
attain the goal, a favorable attitude toward the activity.
From the above overviews, it can be concluded that motivation is a process of
initiating, guiding and maintaining goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what
causes us to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a
book to gain knowledge. It involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive
forces that activate behavior. The term motivation can simply be understood as the
reason why a person does something.

In foreign language teaching, motivation has been widely accepted by both
teachers and researchers as one of the main determinants to the rate of success in
5
second language learning (SLL). Indeed, it is really difficult for low motivated
students to learn English as a second language (ESL) since without motivation
means that learners lack “the primary impetus to initiate learning L2 and later the
driving force to sustain the long and often tedious learning process” (Dörnyei, 1998:
117). Interestingly, Gardner (1985: 10) defines L2 motivation as “the extent to
which an individual works or strives to learn the language because of a desire to do
so and the satisfaction experienced in this activity”. Furthermore, Lightbrown &
Spada (2001) identify motivation in second language acquisition (SLA) as “a
complex phenomenon which can be defined in terms of two factors: learners‟
communicative needs and their attitudes towards the L2 community”.
In brief, L2 motivation is a combination of inner desire plus physical
orientation toward the target language as well as favorable attitudes plus sustained
effort in order to gain the achievement in this language.
1.1.2. Classification of motivation in foreign language learning
Up to now, various ways to classify motivation have been presented. In their
research, Lightbrown & Spada (2001) confirm that the success or failure in SLL
depends very much on 2 kinds of motivation: the integrative and the instrumental.
Integrative motivation reflects “a high level of drive on the part of the individual to
acquire the language of a valued L2 community in order to facilitate communication
with that group”. This motive is clearly distinct from a second drive, instrumental
motivation, where the learner‟s interest in learning the L2 is associated with the
pragmatic, utilitarian benefits of language proficiency, such as a better job or a
higher salary. These types of motivation can affect and control the procedure and
outcome of learning. Comparing these 2 types of motivation with each other, Ellis
(1994) believes that the best and the perfect motivation is the integrative since it is
more competent and well-organized. Students who do not have these types of
motivation will face problems and difficulties to learn and gain knowledge of a L2.

There is also another way in classifying motivation which is introduced by
Ryan & Deci (2000) in Self-Determination Theory: the intrinsic and the extrinsic.
6
Intrinsic motivation is the desire to engage in an activity for its inherent satisfaction
rather than for some separable consequences (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Extrinsic
motivation, on the other hand, is the propensity to take part in activities because of
the reasons which do not link to the activity. These reasons can be the anticipation
of reward or punishment, like being successful in the exam or getting a good mark
(Vansteenkiste, Lens, & Deci, 2006). Therefore, it comes out clearly that the greater
the value the individuals attach to the accomplishment of an activity, the more
highly motivated they will be to engage in it and later to put sustained effort until
they achieve their goal.
1.1.3. Characteristics of a motivated learner
Educators often show deep concern about learners‟ lack of motivation to learn
and attribute. Failure is partly due to low motivation. In school, failure is mainly
due to low-motivated students. Most educators agree that motivating students
towards academic is one of the crucial and critical tasks of teaching. According to
MacIntyre et al. (2002), L2 communication is “heavily determined by fundamental
characteristics of the learner‟. Therefore, the studies on characteristics of a
motivated student have been carried out during the past decades.
Naiman et al. (1978), one of the authors of a classic study of successful
language learning, has come to the conclusion that the most successful learners to
whom a language come very easily display certain typical characteristics which are
clearly associated with motivation such as positive task orientation, ego-
involvement, need for achievement, high aspirations, goal orientation, perseverance,
tolerance of ambiguity. Similarly, Rubin (1975) summarized the findings of some
researchers on the main traits of successful learners as follows: (i) find their own
learning way, (ii) organize language information, (iii) develop a “feel” for the
language by experimenting with its grammar and words, (iv) make their own
opportunities for practicing the language inside and outside the classroom, (v) learn

to live with uncertainty, (vi) use mnemonics and memory strategies, (vii) make
errors work for them, not against them, (viii) use linguistic knowledge including
7
knowledge of 1
st
and 2
nd
language, (ix) use contextual cues in comprehension, (x)
learn to make intelligent guesses, (xi) learn language chunks as wholes and
formalized routines to perform “beyond their competence”, (xii) learn certain tricks
to keep conversations going, (xiii) learn certain production strategies to fill in
gaps in their own competence, (xiv) learn different styles of speech and writing and
learn to vary their language according to the formality of situation.
In sum, there are many different traits to evaluate students as motivated
learners. They, generally, must have excellent skills to overcome many learning
problems but they need to learn how to do it and to understand why to do it.
1.2. Theoretical background of teaching the speaking skill
1.2.1. The notion of the speaking skill
Speaking is one of four macro-skills of teaching and learning a L2 based on
the purpose of analysis and instruction. To reflect the nature of speaking, Brown &
Yule (1983) discussed spoken language in comparison with written language. As
for them, written language is characterized by well-formed sentences and integrated
into structured paragraph; spoken language consists of short, fragmentary utterances
in a range of pronunciations. There is often a great deal of repetition and overlap
between a speaker and another, speakers frequently use nonspecific references.
In the past decades, many theorists have studied and presented their
viewpoints on speaking. According to Brown (1994), speaking is an interactive
process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing
information. For Chaney (1998: 13), speaking is “the process of building and
sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of

contexts”. Additionally, Byrne (1986) classifies, “speaking is a two-way process
between the speaker and the listener involving the productive skill of speaking and
the receptive skill of understanding”.
In sum, it can be concluded from the above definitions that speaking is the
productive skill used to convey meaning. Therefore, speaking plays a crucial part of
L2 learning and teaching.
8
Indeed, of the four language skills mentioned above, the speaking skill plays
the most important role since it is fundamental to human communication (Ur, 1996:
120). When talking about the role of speaking, Bygate (1987: 7) claims: “It is the
vehicle of social solidarity, of social ranking, of professional advancement and of
business”. In language teaching and learning, speaking is a medium through which
much language is learnt, and which is particularly useful for learning. The ability to
communicate in a L2 clearly and efficiently contributes to the success of the
learners in school and success later in every phase of life (Kayi, 2006).
Interestingly, Nunan (1991: 39) states that in social contexts, speaking is
particularly useful since it is the key to communication. Moreover, in the
international relationship, English speaking ability is obviously crucial to be able to
participate in the wider world of work.
In conclusion, because of the importance of oral skills in language teaching
and learning, it is really essential that language teachers should pay great attention
to teaching the speaking skill.
1.2.2. Teaching the speaking skill in Communicative Language Teaching
approach (CLT)
It can not be denied that teaching the speaking skill is a vital part of L2
learning and teaching. Despite its importance, for many years, teaching this skill has
been undervalued and English teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a
repetition of drills or memorization of dialogues. However, today's world requires
that the goal of teaching speaking has changed. Now many linguists and ESL
teachers agree that students learn to speak in L2 by interacting. CLT serves best for

this aim. CLT is based on real-life situations that require communication. By using
this method in ESL classes, students will have chance to communicate with each
other in the target language. In brief, ESL teachers should create a classroom
environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities and
meaningful tasks to promote oral language.
9
As regards CLT, Brindley (1986: 11) pointed out that “The 1970‟s and 1980‟s
could be regarded as the era of CLT”. CLT also marks the beginning of a major
innovation within language teaching, because of its superior principles which are
widely accepted nowadays. Nunan (1989: 194) states “CLT views language as a
system for the expression 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 learners; they include functional skills
as well as linguistic objectives. The learner’s role is as a negotiator and integrator.
The teacher’s role is as a facilitator of the communication process. Materials
promote communicative language use; they are task-based and authentic”.
From the above statement, it can be seen CLT emphasizes communication in a
L2, improves learners‟ competence via communicative activities. CLT also shows
language is used as a means of communication. In other words, CLT is
characterized with communicative competence, learner‟s-centeredness and four
skills integration. These characteristics will be the principles for teachers to choose
appropriate techniques, activities to improve students‟ communicative competence.
1.3. Factors affecting learners’ motivation in the learning process of the
speaking skill
In order to achieve success in learning to speak a language, learners need to
have communicative competence. However, this is affected by a variety of factors
such as: the teacher, inadequate school facilities, reduced self-confidence, negative
attitude towards the L2, compulsory nature of L2 study, interference of another
foreign language being studied, negative attitude towards L2 community, attitudes
of groups members, and course book (Dörnyei, 1998). Additionally, Kikuchi &

Sakai (2009), listed 5 demotivating factors: learning contents & materials, teachers'
teaching styles, inadequate school facilities, lack of intrinsic motivation, test scores.
From the above overviews, various factors affecting the learning process of
the speaking skill can be classified by the researcher as below:
1.3.1. Learner factors
10
 Learning styles
Learning style is “cognitive, affective and physiological traits that are
relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with and respond to the
learning environment” (Keefe, 1979). Also, Davis (1993: 185) defines it as “an
individual‟s preferred way of gathering, interpreting, organizing, and thinking about
information”. Although we share similar learning patterns, preferences, even
approaches, everyone learns and processes information in various ways.
Ellis (1994: 507-522) indicates a number of learning styles including concrete
learning style, analytical learning style, communicative learning style and authority-
orientated learning style (based on Willing, 1987). He eventually concludes that
“Learners manifest different learning styles but it is not yet clear whether some
styles result in faster and more learning than others”.
In short, learning style of learners is one of factors influencing quality of oral
lessons since not all students join actively in oral activities. It is also really difficult
for teachers to know exactly about differences among students. The more teachers
know about students‟ learning styles, the more able they are in motivating them.
 Second language levels
Regarding the reluctance of students‟ participation in oral activities, Tsui
(1996) states five crucial factors including students‟ perceived low proficiency in
English, students‟ fear of mistakes and derision, teacher‟s intolerance of silence, en
allocation of turns, and comprehensible input (cited in Nunan 1999: 234).
This reluctance in participating oral activities is actually a common problem
for Vietnamese students in general and students in ethnic minority areas in
particular. Owing to their low English ability, limited background knowledge, and

being afraid of making mistakes, many students just sit in silence. They can not be
confident enough to participate in the classroom speaking activities.
To sum up, the limitations in students‟ L2 levels can directly affect their
willingness to participate no matter how much they like the activities.
 Beliefs and attitudes
11
Richards & Lockhart (1994) put forward that learners‟ belief can influence
their willingness to participate, their expectations about language learning, their
perceptions about what is easy or difficult about a language and finally their
learning strategies. Interestingly, Lightbrown & Spada (1999) assume that the
beliefs of learners are usually based on previous learning experiences and
assumptions that a particular type of instruction is the best way for them to learn.
Collins Cobuild Student's Dictionary explains that: "Your attitude to
something is the way you think and feel about it". Attitude decides the progress and
commitment of learners, as well as the participation in the class.
From all above, it can be understandable that beliefs and attitudes deeply
affect the whole educational process in general and success in learning the speaking
skill in particular. Additionally, having belief means having a positive attitude.
 Confidence and anxiety
Although confidence and anxiety are simply kinds of feeling in the mind, they
have a profound impact on SLA generally and on learners‟ participation in speaking
activities particularly. Indeed, anxiety and speaking performance are closely related.
If the students are afraid of losing face as making mistakes or being laughed at by
other students, they are certain to keep quiet and wait until they are required to
speak in oral English lessons. Zhang Xiuqin (2006) states that anxiety is the main
negative factor preventing students participating in oral activities. High anxiety
learners tend to withdraw from voluntary participation and reluctant to take risks.
In sum, learners‟ levels of participating in oral lessons can vary very much
according to their confidence and anxiety they have towards their ability to learn
that language. It is the fact that the learners with language anxiety find it more

difficult to give their own opinions than the self-confident ones. The more anxious
learners are, the worse they perform in speaking.
1.3.2. Teacher factors
 Teacher’s roles
Since teachers are keys of the teaching and learning process, they have great
12
impact on deciding rates of classroom speaking performance. Thus, evaluating and
implementing teachers‟ appropriate roles in oral classrooms is really important and
meaningful towards learners‟ communicative success. With an increasing concern
about the CLT approach in L2 teaching and learning, roles of a teacher are different
from those in the other different teaching methods. Harmer (1983) lists roles of a
teacher as follows: controller, organizer, assessor, prompter, participant, resource,
tutor, and observer. On the other hand, Byrne (1986: 2) states roles of a teacher
according to the stages of teaching speaking: the presentation, the practice and the
production stage. At the first stage, the teacher acts as an informant. At the practice
stage, it is time for students to do most of the talking and the teacher provides the
maximum amount of practice. Teacher‟s role is like the skilful conductor of an
orchestra, giving each performer a chance to participate and monitoring the
performance, and the teacher takes on the role of manager and guide at the last one.
In sum, it is concluded the important role of a teacher through stages of oral
lesson is a motivator. Whatever the teacher is doing in the class, his/ her ability to
motivate students, to arouse their interest, to involve what they are doing is crucial.
 Teacher’s characteristics
Teaching profession demands teachers to have some certain typical qualities.
One of their most important qualities is the ability to motivate their students to
participate in classroom activities therefore the teacher firstly should be one that
students respect and lay their trust on. Teacher‟s prestige will make students feel
safe in lessons and willing to participate in activities. According to Barry (1993),
some characteristics of a teacher include being natural, being warm, being pleasant,
being approachable, and being tolerant. Indeed, to establish a good relationship, it is

vital for teachers to be cordial, acceptant and tolerant. However, in fact, not every
teacher can have all the above characteristics, but one of them is a positive factor to
help improve a good relationship between teacher and students.
In short, it can be concluded that the teacher‟s attitude and style are majors
factors affecting directly the relationship with students, and partly the effect of oral
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lessons. Therefore, in order to create a positive environment for SLL and enhance
students‟ participation in speaking activities, it is necessary for teachers to maintain
such a good interaction during the lesson.
 Teacher’s methodology
The teacher‟s methodology refers to the approach or method and the teaching
techniques he/she uses in the classroom. Through the history we have experienced
the existence and development of many teaching methods that can be divided into
two types: teacher-centered and learner-centered methods. Traditional methods such
as the Grammar translation Method, the Direct Method and Audio-lingualism are
teacher-centered ones which mostly focus on grammatical and phonological
accuracy. These techniques are choral repetition, drilling substitution, content
explanation and narrative presentation seem so mechanical and simple that they will
result in learners‟ passiveness and limit their participation in learning. In recent
years, in the light of CLT, teachers‟ teaching techniques are changed from teacher-
centered approach into learner-centered approach which is characterized by some
main activities in classroom to improve students‟ communicative competence such
as role-play, games, pair work, group work, interview, discussion and so on.
However, no teaching method is the best one since each one has its own advantages
and disadvantages. In order to apply a suitable teaching method, teacher should take
some of factors into consideration including learners‟ level, interests and purposes.
In sum, teacher‟s methodology is also one of factors affecting positively or
negatively learning the speaking skill. For this reason, teachers should be flexible in
applying methods to enhance students‟ performance in oral activities.
1.3.3. Classroom factors

 Learning environment
Language learning environment concerns both physical conditions and
classroom atmosphere. Indeed, all the factors affect directly students‟ involvement
in oral activities. The former refers to desks, chairs, boards, as well as modern
teaching facilities. Harmer (1983) confirms that such conditions had great impact on
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students‟ learning as well as their attitudes toward the subject matter. These
conditions, therefore, affected students‟ motivation either positively or negatively.
The other factor related to learning environment is a pleasant and supportive
atmosphere in the classroom as Lightbrown & Spada (1999) claim “the supportive
and non-threatening atmosphere makes a contribution to learner‟s motivation”.
In sum, classroom environment does influence on students‟ motivation in
studying the speaking skill. Therefore, both teachers and students have to together
establish a purposeful and happy atmosphere in class. Additionally, educational
managers need create a good and facilitated teaching and learning environment.
 Classroom size
It is the fact that class size has great effects on teaching and learning English
language, especially English speaking skills. Hoffman (1980), defines class size as
the number of students per teacher in a class. In his work “Problems, solutions, and
advantages of large classes” (2002), Lê Phước Kỳ states that in a language class in
which students‟ participation contributes greatly to the success of the lesson, the
number of students should be kept small so that interaction between teachers and
students and between one student and another can be maximized. On the contrary,
the lesson would never be finished and uninvolved students would get bored and
start to do the other things.
In brief, oversized class can affect students‟ motivation in oral lessons.
Therefore, helping all students have equal chance to speak in large classes is always
great challenge for teachers to achieve success in teaching the speaking skill.
 Textbook
Textbook is “the visible heart of any English language teaching (ELT)

program” (Seldom, 1988: 237). In English as a L2 context, it may even constitute
source of language input that learners receive and the basis for language practice
that occurs both inside and outside the class. However, there still remain some
limitations about textbook. The 1
st
problem is that textbooks are often implicitly
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prescriptive, might control the methods, processes, and procedures of classroom
practice and “deskill” teachers (Allwright, 1982). The 2
nd
problem is that since
textbooks are often written for global markets, they might not suit all classrooms so
it might require adaptation to better meet students‟ true needs (Richards, 2005).
In brief, to explore the extent to which learners‟ motivation is influenced, three
factors should be considered including learner factors, teacher factor and classroom
factor, which are summarized in the table below:
Factors
Description



Learner
factors
Learning
Styles
Learner‟s learning style is one of factors influencing the
quality of oral lessons since not all learners join actively
in speaking activities.

L2 levels

The limitations in students‟ L2 levels can directly affect
their willingness to participate no matter how much they
like the activities.
Beliefs &
attitudes
Beliefs and attitudes deeply influence the whole
educational process in general as well as success in
learning the speaking skill in particular.
Confidence &
Anxiety
The learners with language anxiety find it more difficult
to give their own opinions than the self-confident ones.


Teacher
factors
Teacher’s roles
The most important role of a teacher through stages of
speaking lesson is a motivator .
Teacher’s
characteristics
Teacher‟s attitude and style are majors factors affecting
directly the relationship with students, and partly the
effect of oral lessons.
Teacher’s
methodology
Teacher‟s methodology is one of factors affecting
learning the speaking skill. For this reason, teachers
should be flexible in applying methods.

Learning
Classroom environment does influence on students‟