DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

i
A study on how oral practice can change TNH 10
th
graders' attitudes towards
grammar learning
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A study on how oral practice can change TNH 10th graders' attitudes towards
grammar learning .....................................................................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................i
DECLARATION.....................................................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................iv
ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................v
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................................vi
LIST OF GRAPHS..................................................................................................................ix
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................................x
CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................1
1.1. Rationale........................................................................................................................1
1.2. Aims of the study...........................................................................................................3
1.3. Research questions........................................................................................................3
1.4. Scope of the study.........................................................................................................3
1.5. Significance of the study...............................................................................................3
1.6. Outline of the study.......................................................................................................3
CHAPTER II- LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................5
2.1. Attitudes.........................................................................................................................5
2.1.1. Definition of attitude...............................................................................................5
2.1.2. Attitude change.......................................................................................................6
2.2. The role of attitudes in language learning..................................................................7
2.3. Ways that help to change students’ attitudes............................................................8
2.3.1. Oral grammar practice creating teaching techniques...........................................8
2.3.2. Narrowing the gap between teaching style and learning style..............................9
2.4. Grammar teaching from a CLT perspective...........................................................10

2.5. The role of oral grammar practice in grammar teaching......................................11
ii
2.5.1. Definition of oral grammar pracice.....................................................................11
2.5.2. Classification of oral practice activities in teaching and learning grammar.....13
2.6. Conclusion....................................................................................................................23
..................................................................................................................................................23
CHAPTER III : METHODOLOGY...................................................................................24
3.1. Study design.................................................................................................................24
3.2. Research questions......................................................................................................24
3.3. Subjects of the study...................................................................................................24
3.4. Data collection instruments.......................................................................................25
3.4.1. Questionnaires......................................................................................................25
3.4.2. Interviews..............................................................................................................26
3.5. Study procedures........................................................................................................26
3.6. Data analysis................................................................................................................27
CHAPTER IV- DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION..................................................28
4.1.Questionnaires..............................................................................................................28
4.1.1. Data analysis of the students’ experiment questionnaires..................................28
4.1.2.Comparison of students’ attitudes towards grammar learning between pre-
experiment questionnaire and post- experiment questionnaire.....................................41
4.2. Interviews.....................................................................................................................42
4.2.1. Pre- treatment interview.......................................................................................42
4.2.2. Post- treatment interview.....................................................................................43
4.3. Discussion.....................................................................................................................44
4.4. Summary......................................................................................................................45
CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION............................................................................................46
5.1. Summary and conclusion:..........................................................................................46
5.2. Limitations of the study:............................................................................................46
5.3. Suggestions for further study:...................................................................................47
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................I

APPENDICES........................................................................................................................III
Appendix 1:.............................................................................................................................III
Pre - Experiment questionnaire on English grammar learning.......................................III
Appendix 2:.............................................................................................................................VI
iii
PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA TIỀN THỬ NGHIỆM VIỆC HỌC NGỮ PHÁP TIẾNG ANH.....VI
Appendix 3:...............................................................................................................................X
POST- EXPERIMENT QUESTIONNAIRE........................................................................X
ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR LEARNING............................................................................X
Appendix 4:..........................................................................................................................XIII
PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA SAU THỬ NGHIỆM HỌC NGỮ PHÁP TIẾNG ANH...............XIII
Appendix 5:..........................................................................................................................XVI
PRE-EXPERIMENT INTERVIEW.................................................................................XVI
Appendix 6:.........................................................................................................................XVII
PHỎNG VẤN TIỀN THỬ NGHIỆM.............................................................................XVII
Appendix 7:.......................................................................................................................XVIII
POST-EXPERIMENT INTERVIEW............................................................................XVIII
Appendix 8:..........................................................................................................................XIX
PHỎNG VẤN SAU THỬ NGHIỆM.................................................................................XIX
DECLARATION
I certify that this minor thesis entitled “A study on how oral practice can change TNH
10
th
graders' attitudes towards grammar learning ” is submited in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts is the results of my own work, except where
otherwise acknowledge and that this minor thesis or any part of the same has not been
submitted for higher degree to any other University or Institution.
Hanoi, 3/2009
Signature
Nguyen Thi Chuc Ha

iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am, first of all, particularly indebted to my supervisor, Ms. Nguyen Bach Thao, MA
for her invaluable advice, instructions and correction, excellent suggestions and constant
encouragement during the research period. Without her guidance and help, this work would
not have been accomplished.
Secondly, my sincere thanks also go to all lecturers and staff of the department of Post-
Graduate studies for their valuable lessons and precious helps. Thanks to their lessons as
well as needed helps, I could overcome enormous obstacles when doing the study.
Besides, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to my colleagues and my students at
Tran Nguyen Han High School who have participated in this research and many others who
helped me during my study at Tran Nguyen Han High School.
Last but not least, I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to my husband, my
children, and my parents for their constant support and thorough understanding.Their great
encouragement and love have helped me to overcome the difficulties during my study.
v
ABSTRACT
As far as I’m concerned, grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages .
It is also one of the most difficult aspects of language to teach students perfectly.At Tran
Nguyen Han High School where many English teachers prefer traditional approaches in
teaching grammar, students seem not to pay attention to their study and show negative
attitudes towards learning. This study is therefore conducted with the hope to find out
whether communicative approach helps students change their attitudes towards grammar
learning.
So as to reach this aim, the study sets out to test the hypothesis that oral grammar
practice can change students’ attitudes towards grammar learning. The study is applied to
200 students at 10 C1, 10 C2, 10 C3, 10 C4-Tran Nguyen Han High School, Hai Phong
City.The data is collected through interviews , questionnaires . By doing this, we can
compare the changes of students’ attitudes towards grammar learning.
Findings show that students have positive attitudes towards the use of oral grammar

practice in grammar lessons. Moreover, students can absorb grammar rules as they hear and
use the language through oral communicative activities. And they remark that the use of
communicative activities in grammar lessons helps them acquire grammar more efficiently.
This way of teaching grammar may be a good solution for the 10
th
grade students in
particular and other graders in general.
Based on the findings of the study, some practical recommendations are derived for the
application of communicative activitives so that it can help teachers teach grammar better. It
is also hoped that this study will provide an effective way of teaching grammar and thanks to
it, students at Tran Nguyen Han High School will be more interested in learning grammar to
gain a better result.

vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A study on how oral practice can change TNH 10th graders' attitudes towards
grammar learning .....................................................................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................i
DECLARATION.....................................................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................iv
ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................v
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................................vi
LIST OF GRAPHS..................................................................................................................ix
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................................x
CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................1
1.1. Rationale........................................................................................................................1
1.2. Aims of the study...........................................................................................................3
1.3. Research questions........................................................................................................3
1.4. Scope of the study.........................................................................................................3
1.5. Significance of the study...............................................................................................3

1.6. Outline of the study.......................................................................................................3
CHAPTER II- LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................5
2.1. Attitudes.........................................................................................................................5
2.1.1. Definition of attitude...............................................................................................5
2.1.2. Attitude change.......................................................................................................6
2.2. The role of attitudes in language learning..................................................................7
2.3. Ways that help to change students’ attitudes............................................................8
2.3.1. Oral grammar practice creating teaching techniques...........................................8
2.3.2. Narrowing the gap between teaching style and learning style..............................9
2.4. Grammar teaching from a CLT perspective...........................................................10
2.5. The role of oral grammar practice in grammar teaching......................................11
2.5.1. Definition of oral grammar pracice.....................................................................11
2.5.2. Classification of oral practice activities in teaching and learning grammar.....13
2.6. Conclusion....................................................................................................................23
..................................................................................................................................................23
vii
CHAPTER III : METHODOLOGY...................................................................................24
3.1. Study design.................................................................................................................24
3.2. Research questions......................................................................................................24
3.3. Subjects of the study...................................................................................................24
3.4. Data collection instruments.......................................................................................25
3.4.1. Questionnaires......................................................................................................25
3.4.2. Interviews..............................................................................................................26
3.5. Study procedures........................................................................................................26
3.6. Data analysis................................................................................................................27
CHAPTER IV- DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION..................................................28
4.1.Questionnaires..............................................................................................................28
4.1.1. Data analysis of the students’ experiment questionnaires..................................28
4.1.2.Comparison of students’ attitudes towards grammar learning between pre-
experiment questionnaire and post- experiment questionnaire.....................................41

4.2. Interviews.....................................................................................................................42
4.2.1. Pre- treatment interview.......................................................................................42
4.2.2. Post- treatment interview.....................................................................................43
4.3. Discussion.....................................................................................................................44
4.4. Summary......................................................................................................................45
CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION............................................................................................46
5.1. Summary and conclusion:..........................................................................................46
5.2. Limitations of the study:............................................................................................46
5.3. Suggestions for further study:...................................................................................47
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................I
APPENDICES........................................................................................................................III
Appendix 1:.............................................................................................................................III
Pre - Experiment questionnaire on English grammar learning.......................................III
Appendix 2:.............................................................................................................................VI
PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA TIỀN THỬ NGHIỆM VIỆC HỌC NGỮ PHÁP TIẾNG ANH.....VI
Appendix 3:...............................................................................................................................X
POST- EXPERIMENT QUESTIONNAIRE........................................................................X
ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR LEARNING............................................................................X
viii
Appendix 4:..........................................................................................................................XIII
PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA SAU THỬ NGHIỆM HỌC NGỮ PHÁP TIẾNG ANH...............XIII
Appendix 5:..........................................................................................................................XVI
PRE-EXPERIMENT INTERVIEW.................................................................................XVI
Appendix 6:.........................................................................................................................XVII
PHỎNG VẤN TIỀN THỬ NGHIỆM.............................................................................XVII
Appendix 7:.......................................................................................................................XVIII
POST-EXPERIMENT INTERVIEW............................................................................XVIII
Appendix 8:..........................................................................................................................XIX
PHỎNG VẤN SAU THỬ NGHIỆM.................................................................................XIX
ix

LIST OF GRAPHS
Graph 1: Students’ opinions of the importance of English grammar for language learning.
Graph 2 : The reasons why English grammar is important in language learning.
Graph 3: Students’ opinions of learning English grammar.
Graph 4: Students’ impression of learning English grammar at school.
Graph 5 : Factors influence students’ attitudes towards grammar learning.
Graph 6 : Students’ opinions of English grammar teaching at school.
Graph 7 : Teaching techniques to present a new English grammar structure.
Graph 8 : Activities students get involved in class to practise new grammar structures.
Graph 9 : Students’ expectations
Graph 10 : Oral English grammar practice makes English grammar lessons more lively,
interesting and stimulate students to learn English.
Graph 11: Oral grammar activities students got involved in.
Graph 12 : Ranking oral grammar activities according to students’ preference.
Graph 13 : Frequency of students’ involvement in oral grammar activities.
Graph 14 : Students’ preference with regard to oral grammar activities organization.
Graph 15: Students’ difficulties when doing grammar practice orally.
Graph 16: Students’ opinions of oral grammar activities.
Graph 17: The usefulness of oral grammar practice in students’ language learning.
Graph 18: Students’ preference in oral grammar practice in the coming time.
Graph 19: Reasons for continuing oral grammar practice in the coming time.
Graph 20: Reasons for not continuing oral grammar practice in the coming time.
x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
A : Answer
B.C : Before Christ
CA : Communicative Approach
CLT : Communicative Language Teaching
E : English
M.A : Master of Art

Q : Question
Q&A : Questions and Answers
TNH : Trần Nguyên Hãn
T : Teacher
Ss : Students
CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
It has widely been accepted in language teaching and learning that grammar structures
are very important because they make up the skeleton of a language. Without grammar,
words hang together with no real meaning or sense. So as to be able to use a language to
some degree of proficiency, we need to master some grammatical knowledge. Grammar is an
important and necessary part in students’ learning because it forms the basis for the
development of four skills: reading skill, speaking skill, listening skill and writing skill.
Students, with good grammar mastery, not only produce sentences grammatically but also
acquire the ability to apply grammatical knowledge in certain contexts to express their
thoughts and feelings as well as to receive feedback. By teaching grammar, teachers not only
give students the means to express themselves, but also fulfill students’ expectations of what
learning a foreign language involves.
However, how to teach grammar effectively is not very easy and it is of constant concern
of high school teachers. So far, a great number of studies have been conducted to assist
teachers and students in teaching and acquiring English grammar.
Research and teaching practice have revealed that there’s a close relation between
teaching methods and learners’ attitudes towards learning, which in turn have great influence
on the learning results. This study, therefore, is carried out to investigate how the shift from
traditional methods to communicative ones affect the attitudes towards English grammar at
Tran Nguyen Han High school.
When teaching grammar, teachers of English at Tran Nguyen Han High School seem to
prefer traditional teaching methods in which grammar rules are taught deductively because
of the great influence on teaching habit caused by Haiphong environment and the former
objectives of teaching. The common practice of some senior teachers is just giving the

explanation of new words and grammar structures, asking students to learn by heart and
make sentences, reading the structures, texts or conversations aloud, asking students to
repeat and in general making students passive. Even younger teachers rarely organize
communicative activities in their lessons because they are afraid of making noise which may
influence the neighbouring classes and also they find it difficult to control the class then.
That’s why teachers seem to be interested in giving students a lot of written exercises to do
1
in class. This makes students have no interests in learning grammar at all. Students often do
their grammar exercises reluctantly and passively.
The fact is that the 10
th
grade students at Tran Nguyen Han High School have lots of
difficulties in learning grammar. They are taught grammar through repetition and written
exercises. Students are required to repeat the models and memorize the rules . Lasen-
Freeman (2005) points out that such activities in class are boring and not effective. Further
more, many teachers approach grammar far too seriously, with unsmiling faces, particularly
during the first phases of a new lesson when students are trying to grasp an initial
understanding of the form and meaning of the grammar structure.
The shortage of useful materials and high technology equipment also makes students’
learning slower and uninteresting. According to Beatty(2003: 248), if a language learner can
make use of high technology equipment such as a computer, his language will be improved
much more and faster.
In terms of teaching schedule, the 10
th
grade students are currently required to attend
only one period (45 minutes) of grammar per week. The students depend on the textbooks .
In class, students do not have a chance to use grammar in communicative activities. They are
just asked to do grammar exercises in the textbooks after the teacher’s presentation and
explanation of a new grammar point and at home they have to do grammar exercises in the
workbooks without having them corrected because the teachers have no time for it. It’s

difficult for teachers to finish their teaching successfully because of the time constraint, the
large class size, and the students’ mixed level. As the result, the students can produce correct
forms when doing exercises and taking tests, but consistently make errors while trying to
produce their own free writing or speech. It’s obvious that the students do not master
grammar structures thoroughly. And of course, this way of teaching and learning may result
in the students’ negative attitudes towards English grammar acquisition which surely hinders
their language learning conduct.
This situation also provides another good reason for the study to be conducted with the
hope to identify whether oral practice can change positively Tran Nguyen Han High school
students’ attitudes towards English grammar learning .
2
1.2. Aims of the study
The purpose of this study is to investigate Tran Nguyen Han 10
th
grade students’
attitudes towards grammar learning when grammar is practiced orally instead of through
written exercises
1.3. Research questions
a. What are Tran Nguyen Han 10
th
graders’ attitudes towards grammar learning when
traditional teaching methods are used?
b. How can oral practice change positively Tran Nguyen Han 10
th
graders’ attitudes
towards English grammar learning ?
1.4. Scope of the study
Due to the time limit and financial constraint, the author was unable to carry out the
investigation on a large scale. The researcher, therefore, would like to focus on the real
teaching and learning English grammar at Tran Nguyen Han High School, restricted to the

10
th
graders only.
1.5. Significance of the study
The study was conducted with the expectation that its results would be useful for
teachers of English at TNH High School. Based on the finding, conclusion could be made on
whether oral grammar practice should be applied or not. Hence, it could be a considerable
contribution to teaching and learning English grammar effectively and enjoyablely at TNH
High School.
1.6. Outline of the study
I . Introduction
This gives an overview of the study including the study background. This provides a
brief description of the thesis topic and information related to English grammar teaching and
learning atTNH Upper Secondary School. The aims, the research questions, the scope of the
study and the outline of the minor thesis are also included in this .
3
II. Literature review
This reviews the relevant literature related to the communicative language teaching
methods especially oral practice in English grammar teaching. Particularly, the focuses on
the attitude change and the application of grammar oral practice to change students’ attitudes
in learning grammar.
III. Methodology
The actual procedures of the study are presented in this :Study design, subjects of the
study, the data collection method, instruments as well as process of data collection and data
analysis.
IV. Data analysis and discussion
This focuses on presenting, analyzing and discussing the results obtained from the study.
V. Conclusion
This provides the summary of the findings, some recommendations on how to teach
English grammar through oral practice at Tran Nguyen Han High School. The conclusion

and limitation of the study will also be presented in this .
4
CHAPTER II- LITERATURE REVIEW
This focuses on some theoretical grounds of attitude and grammar teaching and
learning. It consists of two parts. The first part is concerned with major issues regarding
attitudes, the roles of attitudes in language learning and factors that affect the attitudes
change. The second one discusses communication approach in teaching grammar as well as
oral grammar practice.
2.1. Attitudes
2.1.1. Definition of attitude
According to Hallorah (1967) , attitude represents an individual’s like or dislike for an
item. Attitudes are positive, negative or neutral views of an “attitude object” i.e. a teaching
style, person, situation or event. People can also be “ambivalent” towards a target, meaning
that they simultaneously possesses a positive and a negative bias towards the attitude in
question.
In Gibb’s opinion (1988) attitude is generally defined as a state of mind, which is
influenced by feelings, experiences of the world and belief.
Fazio (1986) states that attitude comprises of three components: “an affective
component involving feelings about and evaluation of the object, a cognitive component
involving belief about the object and a behavioral intentions component” .
The above definitions show people’s attitude towards certain referent object, a
behavioral intentions component and a cognitive component involving belief about the
object. In language learning, we can see students’ attitudes in their feelings and belief about
the way of acting towards the lessons,learning style, teachers and the course books.
Briefly, attitudes have three main components : affective, behavioral and cognitive. The
affective components are easily assessed by monitoring physiological signs such as heart rate
whereas the behavioral aspects may be assessed by direct observation. On the other hand, the
cognitive aspects of attitude are generally measured by interviews, survey and other
reporting methods. This study concentrates on affective and cognitive components. It relates
to students’ feelings and belief about communicative teaching as well as evaluation of

grammar learning.
5
2.1.2. Attitude change
According to Hovland (1973), attitude change is a response to communication. Listeners
will keep positive attitudes if the communication is successful and interesting. Otherwise,
negative attitudes of the listeners will be formed if the communication is unccessful and
unattractive. The success of communication depends on several factors. The first of these is
the interest of the communicator of a message. To get interest, the tasks and topic are very
important. A frequent change of topic not only makes every student get something that
interests him or her sooner or later, but also helps to maintain students’ attention and
motivation. Further more, teachers should make sure that maximum language use in fact
takes place in every task. To be effective, a communicator must have credibility based on his
or her perceived knowledge of the topic, and also be considered trustworthy. The greater the
students have perceived similarly between the audience and the communicator, the greater
the communicator’s effectiveness becomes.
Hallorah (1967:60-61) states that formation and change of attitude are not two separate
things , but they are interwoven. People always adopt, relinquish and modify attitudes to fit
the ever- changing needs and interests. Simple education can’t change attitudes. Acceptance
of new attitudes depends on who presents the knowledge, how it is presented, how the
person is perceived, the credibility of the communicator, and the conditions by which the
knowledge is received.
In Sherif’s view (1975: 16) , we can understand that attitude will be changed based on
how a person sees the communication and the communicator. Less commited people will
change ideas more frequently. According to Hallorah (1967:60-61) ,attitude change also has
to do with other personality characteristics such as susceptibility to persuasion, intelligence,
readiness to accept change, ect. We are more likely to accept information if we feel the
communicator has no intent to change our attitudes and opinions.
Attitudes are expected to change as a function of experience. Hereditary variables may
affect attitudes- but believes that they may do so indirectly. For example, if one inherits the
disposition to become an extrovert, this may affect one’s attitude to learning a foreign

language ( Tesser, 1993) . Abelson (1968) argues that there are numerous theories of attitude
formation and attitude change such as Consistency theories, which imply that we must be
6
consistent in our beliefs and values. Heider (1959) states that when beliefs are unbalanced,
stress is created and there is pressure to change attitudes.
Attitudes can be changed by a number of sources including other people, media, family
or other subject itself. In 1968, McGuire developed steps to change an attitude.The steps are
attention, comprehension, retention, yielding, and action. Traindis (1971:144-146 ) agrees
that in analyzing the attitude –change process, we must consider the effect of who says what,
how to whom, with what effect.According to him, attitudes change :
- When a person receives new information from others or media - Cognitive change.
- When a person is forced to behave in a way different from normal - Behavioral change.
- Through direct experience with the attitude object - Affective change.
( Traindis, 1971 :142 )
Students may become bored and inattentive in class, do badly on tests and get
discouraged from the courses if students keep poor attitudes in learning. In some cases, they
can dropt out of University. But by applying a new technique or providing practical useful
information , teachers can change students’ attitude. Learners’ attitudes will be more
favorable if they are learning new information that they can apply to the needs they have.
Therefore, depending on some theories of attitude change, the author decided to follow
the Hovland’s view (1973) “Attitudes change as a response to communication’’ with the
fully hope that the findings of the study will be the certain application of oral grammar
practice in teaching and learning at TNH High School. As the result, students’ attitudes can
be changed from negative to positive because oral grammar practice not only meets the
demands of communication but also supports students’ needs as well.
2.2. The role of attitudes in language learning
Attitudes and learning go hand in hand. Garder and Lamber (1972) all agree that “
success in mastering a foreign language would depend not only on intellectual capacity and
language aptitude , but on one’s attitudes towards representatives of that language as well” .
In fact, attitudes play an important role in students’ learning. If they maintain a positive

attitude, they will carry out their learning to the best of their ability and vice versa. Students’
attitudes have an effect on their classroom behaviour, learning style and learning results.
Lightbrown and Spada (1999) state that attitude is fundamental to the success or failure
that we experience in learning. Depending on the learners’ attitudes, learning language can
7
be a source of enrichment or a sourse of resentment. Agreeing with the role of attitudes,
Brown (1994) says that language learners benefit from positive attitudes while negative
attitudes may lead to unsuccessful attainment of proficiency. Moreover, Gardener (1985: 41)
emphasized that favourable attitudes would be expected to result in better performance than
negative attitudes. If the students hold positive attitudes to learning, they will be willing to
participate in it. This attitude will be helpful for them in their learning. Marzano et all (1994)
mentioned the importance of positive attitude in learning that “without positive attitudes and
perceptions or holding negative attitudes towards the learning, students have little chance of
learning proficiently, if at all”.
In brief, it is clear that attitudes play an important role in learning so students will see
themselves achieving greater and greater result in language learning in general and in
grammar learning in particular whereas negative attitudes will hinder their learning.
2.3. Ways that help to change students’ attitudes
2.3.1. Oral grammar practice creating teaching techniques
Eagly and Chaiken (1993) all claimed that students’ attitude in language learning in
general and grammar in particular may be influenced by oral practice because oral practice
not only brings students favourable feeling but also the belief in learning. As mentioned in
2.1.1 attitudes relate to cognitive and affective components. A cognitive component involves
belief in the object; an affective component involves feeling towards the object.So we can
state that attitudes will be affected by oral practice.
Attitude reflects an individual’s like or dislike for an item (see 2.1.1)- (Hallorah, 1967) .
Meanwhile, oral practice provides students positive attitudes in learning. In other words, the
relationship between interests and positive attitudes is claimed.
Nunan (2007) emphasized that students’ interests may derive from oral grammar
practice because when involving in oral practice activites, students may change the emphasis

or intonation of their sentences as they wish, use their facial expression, physical movement
ect…This makes the lesson not only more lively but also more interesting , and it also makes
students more interested in learning. Besides, personalization will increase students’ interest
if students provide responses that are true for them.
8
In Ur’s view (1998) we can understand that when learners discuss issues with each
other, they will use the target language in a realistic manner. This transmission of new ideas
encourages students to express their personal experiences, opinions and feelings which
improve learners interests. Pennington (1995) states that as learners increase their interests
and their need to communicate with different individuals for different purposes, they require
additional communicative resources.
In summary, when grammar is taught and practiced as a means of communication rather
than as a means for correcting the mechanics and accuracy of sentences, it becomes more
purposeful so there is a more motivating focus for classroom learning. Students are more
interested in learning. Therefore, they will acquire more knowledge of grammar. This means
that oral grammar practice brings positive attitudes towards grammar learning.
2.3.2. Narrowing the gap between teaching style and learning style
Zhenhui (2001) emphasized that narrowing the gap between teaching style and learning
style is also necessary in attitude change because it plays an important role in enabling
students to maximize their classroom experiences in favourable psychological state.
Nunan (1989) agrees that students will have positive attitudes if their subjective needs
and perception related to the learning process are recognized by teachers. This is echoed by
Kumaravadivelu (1991:98), who claims “ the narrower the gap between teacher intention and
the learners interpretation, the greater the chances of achieving desired learning outcomes”.
In order to narrow the gap between teaching style and learning style, there should be a
compromise between teachers and students. For teachers , they should find the suitable
teaching style for the students.When teachers apply suitable teaching style, students will
keep positive attitudes towards their learning. Kirkegaard (quoted in Larsen- Freeman,1997)
proclaims that “ Real education begins when the teacher learns from a student”. This idea is
also shared by Larsen- Freeman (1997), who stresses that “…the extent to which you (a

teacher) are open to learning your students is the extent to which you are likely to meet with
success in the classroom- because learning your students will inform how you respond at a
particular moments in the lessons”. Things that teachers usually learn from the students may
include the following: students’ attitudes, motivation and preferences in a particular
situation. In the part of students, they need to cooperate with teachers in matching teaching
9
and learning styles. Also they should be open- minded to move from one learning style to
another in order to become more autonomous learners.
To sum up, the author has discussed the major factors affecting students’ attitude change
in grammar learning. Among these factors the researcher chooses oral practice to put in
experiment. The next point will be the discussion on the communicative approach as well as
oral grammar practice in teaching English grammar .
2.4. Grammar teaching from a CLT perspective
As we know, communicative language teaching (CLT) has greatly influenced foreign
languages teaching and learning for at least two decades now.The very term
‘communicative’ carries an obvious ring of truth : we ‘ learn to communicate by
communicating’ (Larsen – Freeman, 1986:131). Of course the fundamental intution behind
this approach is far from new. In the fourth century B.C Aristotle wrote : “ What we have to
learn to do, we learn by doing” (Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. II) . As for Karavas- Doukas
1996) , most teachers now claim to use a communicative approach in some way or other, and
it is hardly surprising that no-one wishes to be called a non- communicative teacher.
Communicative practice encourages students to connect form, use and maening because
multiple correct responses are possible. In Nunan’s view (1989) , its purpose is to establish
and maintain interpersonal relations, and through this to exchange information ,ideas,
attitudes, opinions, and feelings, and to get things done. Communicative activities can be
classified into two main categories, which are called ‘ functional communication activities’
and ‘social interaction activities’ by Nunan (1989). Communicative activities can be devised
for the classroom which emphasizes the functional aspect of communication. For example,
there may be a problem which learners must solve, or information which they must
exchange, with whatever language they have at their disposal.The main target of this activity

is that learners should use the language they know in order to get meaning across as
effectively as possible. For the second type of communicative activities, the activity can be
devised in such a way that they place emphasis on social as well as functional aspects of
communication. Students must still aim to convey meaning effectively, but must also pay
greater attention to the social context in which the interaction takes place. Simulation and
role playing are examples of important techniques for creating a wider variety of social
situations and relationships than would otherwise occur.
10
Communicative practice has many advantages, as discussed by Harmer (1987), they are
usually enjoyable; they give students a chance to use their language; they allow both students
and teachers to see how well the students are doing in their language learning; and they give
a break from the normal teacher and students’ arrangements in a classroom.
In the modern time, the world is changing very quickly, the tendency towards
internationalization and globalization is developing very fast. So everyone needs to use a
common language. So far, many people have learnt and used English as an international
language.Vietnam is a developing country that is trying to catch up with the growth rate of
the world. Learning English has become the most highlighted task. English study , however,
is still far from being satisfactory. Learners often get embarrassed in English
communication. Therefore, nowadays communication is emphasized world widely. We
study a foreign language not only to understand it but also use it in different contexts and for
different purposes, that is, we use it as a means of communication.
Similarly, in grammar teaching and learning, on the one hand, students need to know the
rules. On the other, with more opportunities to work with foreigners and the increasing
number of foreign visitors, or oversea study, there is a good need for communication in a
second language. That is why grammar should be taught with communicative practice. In
other words, there must be occasions when students in the classroom use language to
communicate ideas, not just to practice language.
To conclude, from the principles of CLT, the goal of teaching grammar is to help the
learners to speak with organized sentence structures in order to make themselves understood.
Teaching grammar therefore doesn’t mean we do grammar drills. Grammar teaching can

have fun through communicative activities.
2.5. The role of oral grammar practice in grammar teaching
2.5.1. Definition of oral grammar pracice
A grammar lesson consists of different stages, which are suggested differently by
different methodologists. Ur (1988) organizes grammar teaching into four stages:
presentation, isolation and explanation, practice, and test, whereas according to Celce-
Murcia and Hilles, a grammar lesson goes through four following phases : presentation,
focused practice, communicative practice, teacher- feedback and correction. Harmer (1987)
11
discusses the question of how to teach grammar in three aspects: presentation, practice and
testing. Thus, however different such suggestions are, practice as a stage is always present, it
comes after the initial presentation and explanation when learners have taken knowledge into
short term memory but have not really mastered it yet. Practice may be defined as any kind
of engaging with the language on the part of the learners, usually under the teachers’
supervision, whose primary objective is to consolidate learning. Practice involves both
spoken and written practice. (Ur, 1988:11) 2.5.2 Oral practice in grammar teaching and
learning.
Nunan (2007) agees that oral grammar practice gives learners increasing opportunities
and motivation to interact with other communicators, to raise their awareness of the forms
and functions of English grammar. Grammatical patterns are matched to particular
communicative meanings so learners can see connection between form and function.
Learners learn how to choose the right pattern to expess different communicative meanings.
They will incorporate various grammatical structures in their performance. Students, for
successful language use, need not only to be exposed to the structures and functions of
communication but also to practise applying grammatical knowledge in real contexts. To
reach the goals, the application of grammar in the classroom should be more creative and
open-ended .Creative language activities provide more opportunities for the learners to use
language more flexibly than receptive language tasks. Creative language use involves
learners in recombining familiar words, phrases and structures in new and unfamilar ways.
When students have enough time and enough opportunities to communicate and to receive

feedback on attempts at producing meaningful language, the errors will gradually diminish
(Corder, 1981; Selinker,1972, 1992). Thanks to that students will learn grammar better .
Teaching grammar communicatively or using communicative activities means teaching
grammar effectively. In other words, oral grammar practice provides for effective grammar
acquisition.But how to organize oral practice successfully is a hard question. According to
Ur (1988: 15) , “Interest is an essential feature of successful oral practice”. Without properly
getting involved in practising grammar orally and communicatively, students feel bored and
find it difficult to concentrate , their attention wanders, and they may spend much of the
lesson time thinking or dreaming of other things. So the poor quality of effort and attention
will reduce their learning results. Besides, because of bordom, students may start out -of-
focus talks often talk or produce unruly behaviour, therefore more valuable learning time
12
may be wasted on coping with discipline problems. On the contrary, if students are interested
in what is done, they will not only learn effeciently, they are also likely to enjoy the process
and want to continue learning.
Nunan (2007) emphasized that oral practice activities ,in grammar learning and teaching,
not only maintain learners’ interests but also sustain their attention in the long term process
of acquiring grammatical knowledge and skills in English. Oral practice will offer students
opportunities to practice and use grammar realistically and meaningfully so as to activate
learners’ knowledge of grammar. Oral grammar practice also increase the realism and
usefulness of grammar lessons. Moreover, for many teachers, correcting grammar errors in
students’ written work is quite a time consuming task.
In brief, grammar should be taught through oral practice activities to increase students’
interests which results in more effective grammar acquisition.
2.5.2. Classification of oral practice activities in teaching and learning grammar
2.5.2.1. Drills
In Harmer’s view (1999), drills are “fairly mechanical ways of getting students to
demonstrate and practice their ability to use specific language items in a controlled manner”.
Usually oral grammar practice is done with the whole class rather than with students in pairs
and the teachers are able to get students to ask and answer questions quickly and efficiently.

The advantage of this technique is that teachers can correct any mistakes that students make
and can encourage them to concentrate on difficulties at the same time. However, the
problem with drills is that they are often not very creative , to which a solution initiated by
Harmer (1999) is that teachers should make sure not to overuse them and that they do not go
on for too long. As soon as students show that they are able to make correct sentences with
the new item, the teachers should move on to more creative activities. Riverers and
Temperley (1991) classified oral drills into six types :
a.Repetition presentation drills :
In this part, the teacher gives a model sentence containing a particular structure or form
to be manipulated and the students repeat the sentence with correct intonation and stress.
Repetation drills are not , in one sense, a special category of exercises which will be used for
practicing certain type of structures; they represent, rather, a commonly used technique for
13
familarizing students with a specific structure. For this reason, they are sometimes called
presentation drills. This oral exercise can be illustrated as below:
MODEL :Where is the bank ? Oh, I see it.
STUDENT:Where is the bank? Oh, I see it.
MODEL: Where are the banks? Oh, I see them.
STUDENT:Where are the banks ? Oh, I see them.
This activity is judged as unreality and lack of application to the students’ situation. In
such above example, unless the students are looking at a picture showing a scene in a city, it
could become completely mechanical, with students attending only to the cue words ‘it’,
‘them’ ,or merely repeating them absentmindedly with the rest of what is fed to them. This
activity can be made real and applicable by introducing some reality like referring to objects
the students can see and having them point to things as they reply.
b. Substitution drills.
Each substitution requires correlative changes to be made elsewhere in the model
sentence:
MODEL : She likes her book
CUE : You…

RESPONSE : You like your book
CUE : Smith and Tom
RESPONSE : Smith and Tom like their books
This drill is termed correlative substitution and methodologists discuss it as useful for
studying such things as reflexives, possessives, the –s ending of the third person singular
verb in the present tense, the changing forms of the verb be , irregular verbs, the inflection of
the verb after relative pronouns, the forms of the plural and possessive morphemes, and
certain sequences of tenses in related clauses. To some extent, this activity is still mechanical
and it’s suggested that the cue be designed with a natural sounding tag which elicits a
response that completes a conversational interchange to make it more realistic.
Another subdivision of substitution drills is called multiple substitution drills in which ,
to make the substitutions in the appropriate slots, students have to think of the meaning of
the whole sentence . For this reason, students need to be very alert to perform this exercise
successfully.
MODEL : Nam brings many dics to class.
14
CUE: Jane and Mary
RESPONSE : Jane and Mary bring many dics to class.
CUE : books
RESPONSE : Jane and Mary bring many books to class.
CUE: The lecturer
RESPONSE : the lecturer brings many books to class.
This activity can be a testing tool to see if students can continue to make a certain
grammartical adjustment they have been learning while they are distracted by other
preoccupations.
c. Conversions
This term is used for exercises in changing sentence type , in combining two sentences
into one , in moving from one mood or tense to another, in changing word class (e.g.,
replacing nouns by pronouns), substituting phrases for clauses or clauses for phrases (e.g.,
adverbial phrases for adverbial clauses, infinitive phrases for clauses), or substituting single

words for phrases or phrases for single words (e.g.,adverbs for adverbial phrases, adjectives
for adjectival phrases). Conversions can be classified into three subdivisions : general
conversions, combinitions and restatement.
- General conversions:
Example: Change the following sentences into questions:
CUE: a. Smith and Tom are reading books in the library now.
RESPONSE : -> Are they reading books in the library now?
CUE : b. The actor lives in The USA.
RESPONSE : -> Does the actor live in the USA?
This traditional type of elementary conversion exercise requires the student to attend to
a number of different aspects of the formation of general questions in a very few items.
Students are required to use subject-inversion with ‘be’, doperiphrasis with single and with
popular subjects, and with main verbs including ‘have’ and ‘do’ and ‘a modal’ . This is a
formidable task for an elemetary-level student.
Conversion exercises like the following are also used:
Example : Listen carefully to each of the following sentences and replaced the words which
are repeated by pronouns in the appropriate form and position the words which are repeated.
You may need to add a preposition:
15