An investigation into the attitudes of teachers and students at the hanoi college of industrial economics towards speaki

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

-----------------------------------NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG LAN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS AT THE HANOI COLLEGE OF INDUSTRIAL
ECONOMICS TOWARDS SPEAKING ACTIVITIES IN THE
TEXTBOOK NEW HEADWAY PRE-INTERMEDIATE AND SOME
SUGGESTIONS

Nghiên cứu thái độ của giáo viên và sinh viên trường
Cao đẳng Kinh tế Công nghiệp Hà nội đối với hoạt
động nói trong giáo trình New Headway PreIntermediate và một số gợi ý.
M.A. Minor program thesis

Field: English teaching methodology
Code: 601410

HANOI - 2010
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES


2

-----------------------------------NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG LAN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS AT THE HANOI COLLEGE OF INDUSTRIAL
ECONOMICS TOWARDS SPEAKING ACTIVITIES IN THE
TEXTBOOK NEW HEADWAY PRE-INTERMEDIATE AND SOME
SUGGESTIONS

Nghiên cứu thái độ của giáo viên và sinh viên trường
Cao đẳng Kinh tế Công nghiệp Hà nội đối với hoạt
động nói trong giáo trình New Headway PreIntermediate và một số gợi ý.
M.A. Minor program thesis

Field: English teaching methodology
Code: 601410
Supervisor: Phạm Minh Hiền , M.A
HANOI - 2010

DECLARATION OF ORINALITY

I certify my authority of the Study Project Report submitted entitled:


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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION OF ORINALITY ……………………………………………………… i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………..……………………………. ii
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………… …………………………..

v

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS …………………………………… ……………………..

ix

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS …………………………………… ………………

x

PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationales …………………………………… …………………………………

1

2. Aims of the study …………………………………… ………………………….

1

3. Scope of the study …………………………………… …………………………

2

4. Significance of the study …………………………………… …………………..

2

5. Methodology of the study …………………………………… …………………

2

6. Design of the study …………………………………… .……………………….

3

PART II: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter I: Literature review.
1.1. Communicative Language Teaching …………………………………… …………

4

1.1.1. Definition of CLT …………………………………… ……………………

4

1.1.2. Characteristics of CLT …………………………………… …………………

4

1.2. Speaking skills …………………………………… ………………………………

5

1.2.1. Definitions of speaking skills …………………………………… …………

6

1.2.2. Importance of speaking skills in ELT …………………………………… …

6

1.2.3. The development approach of speaking skills ………………………………

7

1.2.4. Problems with speaking skills …………………………………… …………

9

1.2.5. The techniques in teaching speaking skills …………………………………

9

1.2.5.1. Pair-work …………………………………… ……………………

9

1.2.5.2. Group work …………………………………… …………………

10

1.2.6. The activities in teaching speaking skills ……………………………………

10

1.2.6.1. Information gap activities …………………………………… ……

11

1.2.6.2. Jigsaw activities …………………………………… ………………

11

1.2.6.3. Role play …………………………………… ……………………

11

1.2.6.4. Discussion …………………………………… ……………………

12


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1.3. Textbooks …………………………………… ……………………………………

13

1.3.1. Definitions of textbooks …………………………………… ………………

13

1.3.2. The roles of textbook in language program …………………………………

13

1.3.3. Previous studies related to the series of textbooks New Headway …………

14

1.4. Motivation …………………………………… .……………………………………

15

1.4.1. Definitions of motivation …………………………………… ………………

15

1.4.2. The importance of motivation in foreign language learning ………………

16

Chapter II: The study
2.1. Current situation of teaching and learning English at the HCIE …………………

17

2.1.1. Description of the English course at the HCIE ………………………………

17

2.1.2. Description of the 1st year students at the HCIE ……………………………

17

2.1.3. Description of the teachers at the HCIE ……………………………………

18

2.2. Design and methodology …………………………………………………………

18

2.2.1. Subjects of the study …………………………………………………………

18

2.2.2. Instruments of data collection ………………………………………………

18

2.2.2.1. Questionnaires ……………………………………………………….

18

2.2.2.2. Interviews ……………………………………………………………

18

2.2.2.3. Classroom observations ……………………………………………

19

2.3. Data analysis ………………………………………………………………………..
2.3.1. Questionnaires ………………………………………………………………

19
19

2.3.1.1. Questionnaire for the students ……………………………………………

19

2.3.1.1.1. The attitude of students at the HCIE towards speaking skills in

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ELT
2.3.1.1.2. The attitude of students at the HCIE towards the speaking skills in
the textbook NW Pre ……………………………………………

20

2.3.1.1.3. Students‟ difficulties in speaking lessons …………………………

22

2.3.1.1.4. Students‟ preferences and demands for the speaking lessons ……..

23

2.3.1.2. Questionnaire for the teachers ………………………………………….

24

2.3.1.2.1. The attitude of teachers at the HCIE towards speaking skills in

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ELT

2.3.1.2.2. The attitude of teachers at the HCIE towards the speaking skills in
the textbook NH Pre………………………………………………

24


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2.3.1.2.3. Teachers‟ difficulties in speaking lessons and their textbook

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adaptation ……………………………………….............................
2.3.2. Interviews ……………………………………………………………………

27

2.3.3. Classroom observations ……………………………………………………..

28

Chapter III: Findings and suggestions
3.1. Findings ……………………………………………………………………………

31

3.1.1. About the students ……………………………………………………………

31

3.1.1.1. The students „attitude towards speaking skills ……………………..

31

3.1.1.2. Prior passive learning experiences …………………………………

31

3.1.1.3. Low level of proficiency …………………………………………

32

3.1.2. About speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre ……………………………

32

3.2. Suggestions for teaching speaking skills …………………………………………

33

3.2.1. Suggestions for students …………………………………………………….

33

3.2.2. Suggestions for the teachers …………………………………………………

34

3.2.3. Adaptation for the speaking skills of the textbook ………………………….

36

PART III: CONCLUSION
1. Summary of the study …………………………………………………………...

38

2. Limitations of the study …………………………………………………………

38

3. Suggestions for further study ……………………………………………………

39

APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Survey questionnaires for students ………………………………………

I

Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire for teachers………………………………………….

III

Appendix 3: Questions for students „interview ……………………………………

V

……
Appendix 4: Questions for teachers „interview …………………………………… …

VI

Appendix 5: Classroom observation form …………………………………… ………

VII

Appendix 6: Contents of speaking activities in NH Pre ………………………………

IX

REFERENCES

XI


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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CLT

refers to Communicative Language Teaching

HCIE

refers to the Hanoi College of Industrial Economics

L2

refers to second language

ELT

refers to English Language Teaching

IGA

refers to Information gap activities

ESP

refers to English for special purposes

ESL

refers to English as a second language

EFL

refers to English as a foreign language

NH Pre

refers to New Headway Pre-Intermediate


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LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Table 1: Students‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in ELT …………………………. 20
Table 2: Students‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre

20

…………
Figure 1: Students’ attitudes towards speaking topics

21

…………………………………
Figure 2: Students’ attitudes towards speaking activities …………………………….. 21
Figure 3: Students’ enthusiasm towards speaking activities in speaking lessons

22

……..
Figure 4: Students’ attitudes towards speaking time allowance ………………………

22

Table 3: Students‟ difficulties in speaking lessons …………………………………..

23

Table 4: Teachers‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in ELT …………………………

24

Table 5: Teachers‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre ……….

25

Table 6: Teachers‟ difficulties in speaking lessons and their adaptation ……………..

26

Table 7: Results of class observations ………………………………………………..

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PART I: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationales
In Vietnam, since the country adopted open-door policy, the need for integrating into the
world has increased. In order to achieve this need, a tool for integrating has been explored:
English. That is why English is now widely taught throughout the country in almost all
educational institutions, universities, colleges, schools and language centers at every level.
English teaching and learning have become very important to our country because of
industrialization and modernization.
The teaching of English in Vietnam always follows the frameworks of English Language
Teaching (ELT), from the grammar translation to audio-lingual method in which teaching
and testing are focused mainly on writing and reading so Vietnamese students of English are
very good at grammar but can hardly speak English.
To catch on with the above demand and to improve English speaking skills, Vietnamese
teachers of English have been searching for a more suitable and effective method of teaching

and have come to decide on using the Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT)
at all levels. As a result, speaking skills have gained their important roles in the curriculum
of most English courses nowadays. At the Hanoi College of Industrial Economics (HCIE),
where I have been working for 10 years, speaking skills have been taught based on the
textbook Headway Pre–Intermediate since 2006. From my personal observation and
professional experience as a teacher of English, I have realized that teaching and learning
speaking skills have still faced some difficulties and the students‟ ability to speak English
has not improved much. For several years, I have been haunted by the questions what
difficulties the teachers and students have and how to improve the students‟ English
speaking ability effectively. Analyzing the attitudes of the teachers and students towards
speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre will help me find the situation of teaching and
learning speaking skills, in general and teaching and learning speaking skills in the textbook
NH Pre in particular. From the result of the investigation, the writer of this thesis can
suggest some solutions to improve the situation.

2. Aims of the study
With the above- presented rationales, the specific aims of the study, accordingly, are:


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- to find out the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards speaking skills in
ELT.
- to investigate the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards the speaking
skills in the textbook NH Pre.
- to find out students‟ preferences and demands.
- to recommend some solutions based on the findings of the study.

3. Scope of the study
As it has been stated above, the study is designed to explore teachers and students‟ attitudes

towards speaking activities in the textbook NH Pre in order to make some methodological
recommendations for teaching speaking skills. The study is, therefore, explorative by nature.
Given the aims of the study, I limited myself to focus on teachers and the first-year students
at the HCIE who have taught and studied the textbook NH Pre.

4. Significance of the study
This study is first hoped to be helpful to both teachers and students at the HCIE because its
finding will enable not only the teachers to see whether their ways of teaching English in
general and teaching speaking in particular are appropriate and effective but also make
students to fully understand their responsibility for their study. The practical meaning of this
study is to evaluate teaching and learning speaking skills based on the textbook NH Pre.
Therefore, it is also expected to be beneficial to both teachers and students at colleges and
universities where New Headway series are used as a textbook.

5. Methodology of the study
To achieve the aims stated, quantitative method was mainly used. The data collected for the
study come from 100 first- year students at the HCIE who have just finished studying NH
Pre and 10 teachers who have taught Basic English for the first year students for over 2
years.
Survey questionnaires were used to collect information and evidence for the study with the
hope that the research would be reliable and the processing of the data would be manageable
within limited time budget.
In addition, the research also used qualitative method that is the author collected some
information based on her informal classroom observations and interviews with 10 students
and 5 teachers chosen from 100 students and 10 teachers in the questionnaire survey. The


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researcher hopes that these methodologies supplement each other and the data are more

reliable.
All comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion provided in the study are based on
the data analysis.

6. Design of the study
The study consists of three main parts, a list of reference and appendices.
Part I, INTRODUCTION, deals with the reason for the research and the aims, scope,
significance, methodology and design of the study.
Part II, DEVELOPMENT, includes three important chapters:
Chapter 1 is intended to give some theoretical background related to speaking skills,
textbook and the problems in teaching and learning speaking skills.
In chapter 2, the methodology underlying the research is presented. This chapter presents the
background information of the subjects of the study, the instruments used to collect the data.
Chapter 2 provides an analysis on the current situation of teaching and learning speaking at
first year classes at the HCIE; the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards the
speaking skills in ELT; the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards the
speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre and the students‟ preferences and demands.
Chapter 3 focuses on some findings and recommendations about learning and teaching
speaking skills based on the textbook NH Pre.
Part III is the CONCLUSION of the study, providing summary of the issues, the major
findings in the research, limitations and suggestions for further.


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PART II: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter I: Literature review

1.1. Communicative Language Teaching

1.1.1. Definition of CLT
CLT has been defined differently by different authors such as Wilkins (1972), Nunan (1989)
etc.
According to Nunan (1989: 194), “CLT views language as a system for the expressions of
meaning. Activities involve oral communication, carrying out meaning tasks and using
language, which is meaningful to the learners. Objectives reflect the needs of the learner
including functional skills as well as linguistic objectives. The learner‟s role is as a
negotiator and integrator. The teacher‟s role is a facilitator of the communication process.”
CLT was expanded with the development of the notional- functional syllabus (Wilkins:
1976) and a communicative syllabus (Munby: 1978). The former was an attempt to organize
second language curriculum based on communicative principles. Both were based on the
theory that the basic categories of language were notions and functions rather than
grammatical categories such as nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Widdowson (1978) further added
to the field when he proposed a model of language in which he made a distinction between
usage and use, which usage referring to grammatical aspects of language and use referring to
communicative aspects of language.
According to Bock (2000) CLT is tailored to get at meaning and learners negotiate meaning
in class. Meaning is considered as what is communicated. The negotiation of meaning can be
implicated through pair work, group work in problem-solving tasks. He also states:
“Authentic materials, functional tasks, and group and pair work are significant aspects of
CLT”.
The definition above represents a particular view of understanding and explaining language
acquisition. It is socially constructed and must be seen as a product of social, cultural,
economic, and political forces.

1.1.2. Characteristics of CLT
The focus of CLT is therefore on functional language usage and learners‟ ability to express
their own ideas, feelings, attitudes, desires and needs. In CLT, skill is more important than

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content. That means the focus of the lesson is fluency, not accuracy. Communicative lessons
are characterized by activities where learners communicate and where tasks are completed
by means of interaction with other learners. Therefore, learners‟ completing a task is
foreground and communicating with each other back grounded.
Another characteristic of CLT is “its learner- centred and experienced-based tasks view of
second language teaching” (Richard and Roger, 1986:69). According to CLT theory,
individual learners possess unique interests, styles, needs, and goals that should be reflected
in the design of instructional methods (Savignon, 1991). Teachers are to develop materials
based on the demonstrated needs of a particular class. Students must be made to feel secure,
unthreatened, and non- defensive in a CLT classroom, so teachers using CLT should avoid
adopting a teacher-centred, authoritarian posture (Taylor, 1983).
Li (1998:967) summaries the characteristics of CLT in 6 categories as follows:


A focus on communicative functions



A focus on meaningful tasks rather on language



Efforts to make tasks and language relevant to a target group of learners through an
analysis of genuine, realistic situations.



The use of authentic, from life materials



The use of group activities



The attempt to create a secure, non threatening atmosphere

However, to make CLT possible, textbooks which are used play a very essential role. With
uncreative books, teachers should consider how to change the weak version of CLT into a
strong one. Communicative activities should be used with wisdom at the proper time to
arouse learners‟ interest. In other words, CLT has to be focused meaningful and fun (Yang,
2003).

1.2. Speaking skills
Speaking skills in English are a priority for many foreign language learners and for them
speaking ability is considered to be the measure of knowing a language. Learners often
evaluate their success in language learning as well as the effectiveness of their English
course based on how well they feel they have improved in their spoken language
proficiency.


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1.2.1. Definitions of speaking skills
According to Florez (1999) speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that
involves producing, receiving and processing information. It is often spontaneous, openended and evolving.
Brown and Yule (1983) state that spoken language consists of short fragmentary utterances
in a range of pronunciation. However, speaking is a skill, which deserves attention as much

as literacy skills in both first and second language because our learners often need to speak
with confidence in order to carry out a lot of their most basic transactions (Bygate, 1991).
Further more, speaking is known with two main types of conversation called dialogue and
monologue.
Brown and Yule (1983) point out the ability to give uninterrupted oral presentation
(monologue) is rather different from interacting with one or more other speakers for
transactional and international purposes.
A comprehensive discussion of the nature of speaking is provided by Bygate (1987), who
shows that in order to be able to speak a foreign language, it is obviously necessary to have
micro-linguistic skills, that is, to understand some grammar, vocabulary and the rules
governing how words are put together to form sentences. However, these motor-perceptive
skills, as Bygate calls them, are not sufficient since while producing sentences. We often
have to adapt them to the circumstances. He then presents the second set of speaking skills:
the interaction skills which involve using knowledge and basic motor-perceptive skills in
deciding what to say and how to say it, while maintaining the intended relation with others.

1.2.2. Importance of speaking skills in ELT
It is believed that to know the language means to know how to speak. As a result, different
linguists and methodologists have recognized the essential role of speaking skills in ELT for
various reasons.
In the first place, it is the speaking skills which help the learners have communication which,
as for Richard. A (1991), is the proper aim of language teaching. Once the learner
communicates well, he can get information from others about anything he would like to
know. Moreover, as Larson.C.U (1996) believes, effective communication can bring people
a more productive, satisfied and meaningful life. In other words, being able to communicate
successfully in a foreign language helps people to take it easy and be confident to express


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themselves. Therefore, conflicts, threats and nerves can be avoided and a better relationship
will come to them.
Secondly, as Littlewood (1991) states, communicative use is the goal as well as a means of
learning which helps the learners reach it. Therefore, speaking skills enforce and bring about
the successful acquisition of reading, listening and writing, in other words, the learning of
English as a whole. Sharing the same view, Decaney and Bowen (1968) stress that only after
a reasonable mastery of spoken form has been achieved should other skills be taught. And
Martin Bygate (1987) adds that speaking “is also a medium through which much language is
learnt, and which for many is particularly conductive for learning.”
In conclusion, speaking skills keep a special and very important position in ELT as an
effective speaking ability not only helps a learner to acquire the language better but to
communicate successfully to improve his academic knowledge as well. Only when a learner
of English can actually use the language as a means of communication, can he master the
language in the true meaning. After all, speaking ability is the very signal that reveals if a
person really knows the language or not.

1.2.3. The development approach of speaking skills
Byrne (1991:22-31) points out that there are three phases to develop learners‟ oral ability,
which are as follows:
Phase 1: The presentation phase
In this first phase, teachers are the center of learning and teaching activities and they work as
an information provider because they know English, select materials to teach and present the
materials in such a way that the meaning of the new language is as intelligible and
memorable as possible while the learners are motionless. As far as we are concerned, oral
materials are written mainly in two forms, which are dialogues and prose. Thus, it is
obviously that these two different forms need presenting in different ways.
As for Byrne (1991:22), the following ten different steps are often used to present a
dialogue.
1. Establish setting by using pictures. At this phase, English is used as much as
possible.

2. Draw out learners‟ experience related to situation.
3. Explain some key words.
4. Set listening task by asking key information of the dialogue
5. Ask learners to listen without looking at the dialogue


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6. Allow learners to have a look at their book when necessary for them
7. Ask learners to listen and repeat
8. Ask learners to pick up difficulties (good chances for them to speak) and explain
difficulties
9. Ask them to practice (role-play)
10. Ask them to dramatize the dialogue
It can be said that these ten steps are perfect and logically arranged. However there is no
need to use all these steps for presenting a dialogue, it depends on the learners‟ English
competence. Thus, some of the steps can be left out to save time and make the learners more
motivated.
In order to present a prose, Byrne (1991:26) suggests that teachers should use the following
steps:
1. Introduce the topic by asking to look at the picture or asking them about related
things
2. Introduce the text. New words and structures are given
3. Provide relevant practice
4. Set the reading task: make questions
5. Ask the learners to read the passage in silence and find the answer
6. Ask learners to read again aloud and ask for the answer
7. Explain difficulties they still have
8. Do silent reading again because the learners need to go on step 9
9. Get the learners to talk about what they have to learn based on the previous answer

10. Like presenting a dialogue, these steps should be used dynamically to increase the
learners‟ motivation.
Phase 2: The practice phase
Unlike the presentation phase, at this phase learners have to do most of talking. Teachers
provide maximum amount of practice and of course practice is often in the form of activities
to improve fluency of speaking.
The learners, at this phase, answer the teacher‟s guided questions, discuss with their partners
to find new ideas related to the topic. Therefore, it is better to promote more pair work and
group work. At the end of the practice phase, Ur (1990:12) suggests that what the teacher
should do to enhance the learners‟ fluency of speaking. First, attention must be fully paid by
the learners. Second, the target language must be clearly heard or repeated. Third, learners


21

understand the meaning of new materials and finally, short-term memory of the material
must be created for later use in the lesson.
Phase 3: The production phase
Now learners need opportunities to speak English freely at this phase. They talk about what
they have prepared at the practice phase again. The learners present their own ideas and their
friends‟ ideas can be added during their talk. A real chance to speak English takes place
when the learner can use English naturally for themselves, not for their teacher. Using group
work at this phase will help learners have chances to participate in talks; time can be saved
and learners seem to be more confident.
Byrne (1988:2) notes that so as to improve speaking ability for learners we should follow
these phases orderly. However, they might not be applied as expected because of time
limitation, types of learners and materials in use.

1.2.4. Problems with speaking skills
Ur (1996) claims that a successful speaking ability should achieve a maximal student taking

time, even participation among students, student strong motivation to speak and
comprehensibility of students‟ language. She also points out the following common
problems that tend to occur in a speaking class:
1. The students are inhibited about trying to say things in the classroom
2. Students can not think of anything to say
3. Some students dominate while others speak very little or not at all
4. Students tend to use their mother tongue instead of the foreign language
(Ur,1996:121)
Thus, for a successful speaking lesson, the teacher, among other things, should be aware of
these problems so as to have appropriate and effective solutions to improve the students‟
speaking ability

1.2.5. The techniques in teaching speaking skills
According to CLT, pair and group work activities are considered to be the most common
practices in a language classroom, in which students are allowed to interact with each other
and then will be able to communicate in the target language.

1.2.5.1. Pair-work
The definitions of pair work have been developed over the years with the contributions of
linguistics and are brought together by Adrian Doff (1988: 137) as follows: Pair work is a


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process in which “the teacher divides the whole class into pairs. Every student works with
his or her partner in pairs, and all the pairs work at the same time (it is sometimes called
“simultaneous pair work”). This is not the same as “public” or “open” pair work, with
pairs of students speaking in turn in front of the class.”
The definition of pair work in this case is an activity that gives students a chance to talk to
each other practice language together, study a text, research language or take part in

information gap activities.
Generally, there are two main types of pair work, fixed pairs and flexible pairs, suggested by
Byrne (1983). The former is when the students work with the same partner in order to
complete task of some kinds. In this kind of pairs they will deeply understand each other and
know the other‟s ability. Meanwhile, in the later, the students keep changing the partners.
They can lift their chairs freely to talk to any partners they like. This thus will make the
activity more interesting.
Obviously, pair work is one of the most successful ways of getting students to use the new
language they have been taught.

1.2.5.2. Group work
Beside the definition of pair work, Adrian Doff (1988:137) also defines group work as a
process that “the teacher divides the class into small groups to work together (four or five
students in each group), as in pair work, all the groups work at the same time.”
In groups, students can write a group story, role- play a situation, prepare a presentation,
discuss an issue or come to a group decision.
Clearly, group work is a co-operative activity, during which students share aims and
responsibilities, they have chances for greater independence as they take some of their own
learning decisions, without the teacher controlling every move, and they can work without
the pressure of the whole class listening to what they are doing. They learn to negotiate, to
listen to different opinions and points of view. They participate more equally and in most
cases, they feel free to experiment and use the language

1.2.6. The activities in teaching speaking skills
Many researchers discuss classroom activities and a lot of activities are designed based on
the theory and characteristics of CLT.
Richards and Rodgers (1986:165) discuss that the range of exercise types and activities with
a communicative approach is unlimited, provided that such exercises and activities enable

23

learners to attain the communicative objects of the curriculum, engage learners in
communication and require the use of such communicative processes as information sharing,
negotiation of the meaning and interaction.
Klippel (1984), Doff (1988) and Harmer (1998) plan out a lot of communicative activities
and games which can help learners achieve some degrees of communicative efficiency
competence.

1.2.6.1. Information gap activities
Sometimes, IGA can be employed to change the atmosphere in pair and group work. This is
one of the easiest and most interesting forms of communicative activity in the speaking
class. In order to get the most proficiency, the teacher can divide the class into pair or
groups. In each pair or each group, one acts as the asker, the other the answerer, let them
discuss for a few minutes and they change the role. IGA may take three forms: (1) One
student has some information and the other has to find it by asking questions; (2) One
student has some information and tells it to the other student; (3) Both students have
different information and they tell each other.

Information gap activities serve many

purposes such as solving a problem or collecting information. Also, each partner plays an
important role because the task cannot be completed if the partners do not provide the
information the others need. These activities are effective because everybody has the
opportunity to talk extensively in the target language.

1.2.6.2. Jigsaw activities
Jigsaw activities are more elaborate information gap activities that can be done with several
partners. In a jigsaw activity, each partner has one or a few pieces of the "puzzle," and the
partners must cooperate to fit all the pieces into a whole picture. The puzzle piece may take

one of several forms. It may be one panel from a comic strip or one photo from a set that
tells a story. It may be one sentence from a written narrative. It may be a tape recording of a
conversation, in which case no two partners hear exactly the same conversation.
This structure controls the number of variables that students must deal with when they are
first exposed to new material. As they become comfortable, they can move on to true
communicative output activities.

1.2.6.3. Role play
Pattison (1987: 63) considers that most communication practices in the average foreign
language classroom involve an element of role play because the speakers pretend that the


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foreign language is their only means of communication. In his definition, role play may
involve assuming a partly or wholly different person, and/ or pretending to be in a different
situation.
Role play involves giving a role to one or more member of a group and assigning a purpose
that participants must accomplish. Simulations often involve a more complex structure and
more members and all the members of the group work on an imaginary situation and solve a
specific problem. (Brown: 1994)
According to Harmer (2001) students may benefit a lot from this kind of activity as it
simulates a real-life encounter as if they were doing so in the real world. As for Harmer, role
play can be used to encourage general oral fluency or train students for specific situations
especially when they are studying ESP.

1.2.6.4. Discussion
Discussion is one kind of speaking activity in which students are given a topic by the teacher
(or they can choose their own one), then they have a set of time to discuss it. In a discussion,
students have a chance to think of the ideas and the language to express them. Students often

feel more confident and comfortable when talking about something with their friends in
groups. Harmer emphasizes that some discussions may happen in the middle of the lesson
and they are not prepared for by the teacher but if encouraged they can provide some of the
most enjoyable and productive speaking in the speaking class. Harmer suggests that the best
way of encouraging discussion is to provide activities which force students to reach a
decision which is often the result of choosing between specific alternatives. However, during
a discussion chaos may be an inevitable result and at the time the role of the teacher as a
controller becomes very important
Discussion activities help learners practise what they have learned, find ways to achieve
objectives such as solving a problem, ranking objects, procedures and so on. Through
discussion, learners can also develop conversational skills such as how to take turn, to
change the topic of the conversation, to interrupt someone politely and so on. Discussions in
small groups also have some of the advantages as it does in role play activities such as
putting shy learners to ease to feel like speaking, giving more opportunities for learners to
speak, making learners more aware of their responsibility to group success.
In summary, the activities presented in this section do not cover all the activities that
teachers apply in the classroom. However, communicative games, role plays and discussions
can be exploited to over other speaking activities such as interviewing, problem-solving


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tasks and so on and factors such as learners‟ interest, maturity and experience of learning and
life should be paid enough attention to.

1.3. Textbooks
1.3.1. Definitions of textbooks
Tomlinson (1998) defines a textbook as a book “which provides the core materials for a
course” and which covers many issues in a single volume by taking into consideration all the
points that students are required to learn during a course period. Generally, such kind of a

book includes four-skill activities, grammatical information, vocabulary studies, and
different language functions.
Matos (2000) reviewed the definition of the textbook in his article as Harries and Hodges
(1995) stated “Textbook- a book used for instructional purposes, especially in schools and
colleges”. In most cases, textbooks represent the hidden curriculum of the language studies
in a certain program or country. For this reason, they play an important role for obtaining
information about the likely teaching and learning practices of a particular school, program
or institution (Richards, 1998).
According to Sheldon (1988), the selection of a textbook or textbook package is an
important decision in language education as it is necessary to take into consideration such
factors as ‘professional, financial, and political investment’. Additionally, Chambers (1997)
states that it is not an easy process to select a suitable textbook, as many people may be
involved in the selection procedure and different opinions may cause resistance for the use of
any specific textbook. Therefore, it might be useful to include all the teaching team in the
textbook decision process.

1.3.2. The roles of textbook in language program
English language instruction has many important components but the essential constituents
to many ESL/ EFL classrooms and programs are the textbooks and instruction materials that
are often used by language instructors. As Hutchinson and Torres (1994: 315) suggest,
“…no teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook.”
Other theorists such as Sheldon (1988: 237) agree with this observation and suggest that
textbooks “represent the visible heart of any ELT program.” Besides, many authors believe
textbooks are a starting point from which teachers are stimulated and provoked to create


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lessons for their classes. Cunningsworth (1984: 65) believes that published materials provide
the initial framework, which must be adapted by each individual teacher to match the needs

of their students. Later on (1995) he argues that they are an effective resource for selfdirected learning, an effective resource for presentation material, a source of ideas and
activities, and a reference source for students, a syllabus where they reflect predetermined
learning objectives, and support less experienced teachers who have yet to gain confidence.
Moreover, Hutchinson and Torres (1994) have pointed out that textbooks may play a pivotal
role in innovation. They suggest that textbooks can support teachers through potentially
disturbing and threatening change processes, demonstrate new and/or untried methodologies,
introduce change gradually, and create scaffolding upon which teachers can build a more
creative methodology of their own.
Finally, according to Haycroft (1998), most important reward of using textbooks is that they
are psychologically vital for students since their accomplishment can be measured concretely
when we use them.

1.3.3. Previous studies related to the series of textbooks New Headway
Ranalli (2002) evaluated New Headway Upper-Intermediate, one of the course-books used
at the Foreign Language Institute of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. According to
Ranalli, the book concentrates on traditional approaches such as a clear focus on grammar
with in-depth analysis and clarification through many exercises and reading material, yet it
employs the “Communicative approaches” since students are required to work out rules
individually and reflect upon their personal opinions. He also states in his study “the
speaking practice is so well integrated and the book can boast many opportunities for
personalization”. However, activities such as those above “do not actually teach how to
organize conversation in English” (Cunningsworth, 1995: 70). The language input is useful
and relevant although the language variety is not ideal. He also questioned if there is enough
speaking practice of a useful type. He argued that while the discussions which predominate
in Headway are useful for developing fluency, an approach which incorporates speaking
sub-skills or strategies is warranted in the case of Korean learners.
However, the weak point of the book can be overcome trough adaptation and
supplementation.
Raghdah Al-Madany investigates Saudi students‟ view of the English textbooks Headway
Series based on need analysis, in order to identify the students‟ needs and help them learn

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the English language in a smooth way. The results showed that there was a general
satisfaction about the textbook. The majority of the students agreed that the book covers the
four major skills and it has multiple task and activities that encourage interaction among
pair/ group work. The students also agreed that the textbook presented everyday life
situations and they enjoyed doing the tasks presented in the textbook.
According to Zareva (-) in his study of Headway Elementary books, the textbooks take into
consideration the needs of its learners through developing their receptive and productive
skills within a selection of context. The authors have done a great job in making sure to
engage learners in diverse tasks and multiple activities. According to Zareva, the textbook
raises English cultural awareness among students which develops their intercultural
competence at the early stages of their language learning. The textbook provide learners with
knowledge about different cultures as they are being exposed to native and non-native
English speakers in the textbook itself.

1.4. Motivation
1.4.1. Definitions of motivation
There are some definitions of motivation that are defined by several famous researchers.
According to Ellis (1997:75), “motivation involves the attitudes and effective states that
influence the degree of effort that learners make to learn an L2”.
Dornyei (2001:7) stated “motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard
they are going to pursues it and how long they are willing to sustain the activities”
Another theory on motivation can be seen from Littlewood‟s respective that “ in second
language learning as in every other field of human learning, motivation is the crucial force
which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how much energy he devotes to
it, and how long he preserves. It is a complex phenomenon and includes many components:
the individual’s drive, need for achievement and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation

and new experience, and so on”.
Gardner (1985:10) defined that “motivation in the present context refers to the combination
of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes
towards learning the language”. In other words, motivation can be defined in terms of two
factors: learners‟ communicative need and their attitudes towards the second language
community (Light brown & Nina Spada, 1999:56). It means that if learners need to speak the
second language in a wide range of social situations or to fulfill professional ambitions, they


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will perceive the communicative value of the second language and will therefore be
motivated to acquire proficiency in it.

1.4.2. The importance of motivation in foreign language learning
Motivation plays a very important role in teaching and learning as “positive attitudes and
motivation are related too success in second language learning” (Gardner, 1985). And
motivation is considered as “a key consideration in determining the preparedness of learners
to communicate” (Gardner, 1985:10).
Oxford & Shearin (1994) appreciate the role of motivation because “it determines the extent
of active, personal involvement in L2 learning”
Carroll (1962) further suggested the following critical factors in second language learning:
aptitude, opportunity or method and motivation among which motivation predicted the
amount of time a learner would spend on the task of language learning. She pointed out: “the
more motivation a learner has, the more time he or she will spend learning an aspect of a
second language”
In short, motivation plays a vital part in developing language skills. It can be considered as
both the cause and the result of language learning achievement. That is, learners who
experience success in learning may become more or in some contexts, less motivated to
learn. (Ellis, 1997:75)

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Chapter II: The study
2.1. Current situation of teaching and learning English at the HCIE
2.1.1. Description of the English course at the HCIE
Concerning the teaching and learning English at the HCIE, the students here have three years
training in the College but they only have three semesters dealing with English with the total
of 180 periods. The English course is divided into two stages. In this study, the researcher
only focus on the first stage
The first stage - Basic English for the first year students - lasts 150 periods and it is carried
out in two semesters. This stage aims at providing students with general knowledge of
English grammar, vocabulary as well as developing students‟ four language skills. At this
very first stage, the textbook NH Pre by John and Liz Soars is used with the hope that we
can develop the students‟ communicative competence and the students can learn the real
things from daily life.
At the end of each semester, students are assessed based on a written test of reading and
writing skills only. As a result, many students and even teachers are 'examination-oriented'.
They spend time developing reading and writing skills while 'ignoring' listening and
speaking skills.

2.1.2. Description of the 1st year students at the HCIE
Like students of other colleges and universities, the students of the HCIE may come from all
parts of the country: big cities, provinces and mountainous areas. Their age ranges from 18
to over 20. Students of the HCIE do not have the same level of English language proficiency.
Few of them have learned English for 7 years at secondary and high schools some have only
learned English for 3 years and some others have never learned English. Students from big
cities seem to be better; however, they are only good at grammar, not speaking or listening.
They can do grammatical exercises very quickly and well but they cannot speak fluently and

most of them do not feel confident in communicating in English.
When studying English at the HCIE, most of the students want to enhance listening and
speaking skills on one hand and develop their English for Economics on the other hand with
the hope that they can use English as a useful tool in their career.


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2.1.3. Description of the teachers at the HCIE
If students are the most important factor in the learning process, teachers are the most
important factor in the teaching process. At the HCIE, there are 10 teachers of English
language aged from 25 to 43 but only none of them have ever been to English speaking
countries. 7 out of 10 full-time teachers of English at the HCIE were trained at Hanoi
Foreign language Teacher training College, one of the teachers – the former teacher of
Russian– finished an in-service course of English, one teacher graduated from Hanoi Foreign
Language College and one teacher graduated from Hanoi Open University. Half of the
teachers have been teaching English for over 5 years and have acquired certain pedagogical
competence. However, the method of teaching, which is applied by most of the teachers at
this college, is a very traditional one- the Grammar Translation method. Other methods are
rarely used.

2.2. Design and methodology
2.2.1. Subjects of the study
The study was conducted in the HCIE. Data was collected from 100 first year students and
10 teachers of English at the HCIE. There will be a sample accompanied within the research.

2.2.2. Instruments of data collection
The main instruments, which I have used in this study to collect data, are questionnaires,
interviews and class observation.

2.2.2.1. Questionnaires
Questionnaires for both students and teachers generally comprise a combination of open –
end questions, providing balance between depth and authenticity of information and fixedoption data, which are more easily quantifiable.
The survey for students was written in Vietnamese and included two parts. The first part
investigates their attitudes towards speaking skills. The second part deals with their opinion
about the speaking skills in the book in different aspects.
Teacher survey questionnaires, on the other hand, enabled to collect teachers‟ opinions about
the quality as well as practicality of the textbook.

2.2.2.2. Interviews
Beside questionnaires, interviews are regarded as a useful tool for collecting data in second
language acquisition research. The interview method was selected to confirm the information
gather from the questionnaires,