Practical constraints in EFL vietnamese classrooms affecting speaking assessment a case study in nam dinh upper secondary schools

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

TRẦN QUỐC BÌNH

PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS IN EFL VIETNAMESE CLASSROOMS
AFFECTING SPEAKING ASSESSMENT:
A CASE STUDY IN NAM DINH UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Những hạn chế của lớp học Việt Nam ảnh hưởng đến việc đánh giá
kĩ năng nói môn Tiếng Anh: Một nghiên cứu tình huống
ở các trường trung học phổ thông tỉnh Nam Định

THE M.A THESIS
Field:

Teaching Methodology

Code:

60.14.10

Hanoi - 2010


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

TRẦN QUỐC BÌNH

PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS IN EFL VIETNAMESE CLASSROOMS
AFFECTING SPEAKING ASSESSMENT:
A CASE STUDY IN NAM DINH UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Những hạn chế của lớp học Việt Nam ảnh hưởng đến việc đánh giá
kĩ năng nói môn Tiếng Anh: Một nghiên cứu tình huống
ở các trường trung học phổ thông tỉnh Nam Định

THE M.A THESIS
Field:

Teaching Methodology

Code:

60.14.10

Instructor:

To Thi Thu Huong, Dr.

Hanoi - 2010


6

TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHORSHIP DECLARATION

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ii

ABSTRACT

iii

LIST OF TABLES

iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

vi

PART I
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale of the research .........................................................................................1
1.2 Research questions and research aims ....................................................................2
1.3 Scope of the study ........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.4 Methodology.............................................................................................................4
1.5 Significance of the study ..........................................................................................5
1.6 Design of the study ...................................................................................................5

PART II
CHAPTER II: LIERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Constraints in oral teaching skill at Vietnamese lower secondary school and
tertiary education ..........................................................................................................7
2.2 Constraints in speaking teaching in Vietnamese upper-secondary schools ..........9
2.2.1

Educational system .......................................................................................9

2.1.1.1

Large classes ............................................................................................9

2.1.1.2

Lack of appropriate resources ................................................................. 11

2.1.1.3

Textbook ................................................................................................ 12

2.1.2

Teachers’ problems .................................................................................... 13


7

2.1.2.1

Traditional way’s affection ..................................................................... 13

2.1.2.2

Lack of English competence ................................................................... 14

2.1.3

Students’ problems ..................................................................................... 15

2.1.3.1

Low English competence ........................................................................ 15

2.1.3.2

Demotivation of speaking ....................................................................... 17

2.3 Requirements of speaking assessment at Vietnamese upper-secondary school .. 18
2.3.1

An overview of speaking assessment criteria at upper-secondary school. ....18

2.3.2

Continuous speaking assessment ................................................................ 19

2.3.3

Types of speaking assessment .................................................................... 21

2.3.4

Criteria in speaking test .............................................................................. 22

2.3.4.1

Validity .................................................................................................. 22

2.3.4.2

Reliability............................................................................................... 23

2.3.4.3

Authenticity............................................................................................ 24

2.3.4.4

Marking .................................................................................................. 25

2.3.4.5

Backwash effect ..................................................................................... 26

2.3 Role of teachers in assessing oral skill ................................................................... 26
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY
3.1. Case study ............................................................................................................. 29
3.2 Steps in the selection of participants ..................................................................... 32

3.2.1 Questionnaire Participants ................................................................................ 32
3.2.2 Interview informants ......................................................................................... 34
3.3. Data collection ....................................................................................................... 35
3.4. Data analysis ......................................................................................................... 36
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS
4.1. Overall findings..................................................................................................... 37
4.2. The practical constraints affecting teachers to conduct speaking assessment. ... 38
4.2.1. Difficulties caused by the educational system .................................................. 39
4.2.1.1 Large classes ............................................................................................. 39
4.2.1.2

Excessive work in addition to classroom teaching ................................... 41

4.2.1.3

Textbooks............................................................................................... 42


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4.2.1.4

Exams’ negative backwash ..................................................................... 43

4.2.1.5

Few opportunities for retraining .............................................................. 44

4.2.2. Difficulties caused by the students ................................................................... 45
4.2.2.1

Students’ low English proficiency .......................................................... 45

4.2.2.2

Students’ low demotivation .................................................................... 45

4.2.3. Difficulties caused by teachers ......................................................................... 46

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS .............................................................................. 46
4.1. Overall findings .......................................................................................... 46
Table 3 - Practical constraints affecting teachers‟ English speaking
assessment ......................................................................................................... 49
4.2.1. Difficulties caused by the educational system ........................................ 49
4.2.1.1 Large classes .......................................................................................... 49
4.2.1.2 Excessive work in addition to classroom teaching .......................... 51
“The last tasks in speaking lessons in the textbook are difficult for students‟
speaking ability. I seldom quit speaking lessons but I can only use the first
two or three speaking tasks. I ask them to read aloud and learn by heart and
speak in front of the class. However, I cannot use the tasks of discussion. They
are too difficult for my students” (Teacher 1). ................................................ 52
Being asked about the lack of speaking tests in the textbook, the teachers
shared their opinions: ....................................................................................... 53
4.2.1.4 Exams‟ negative backwash............................................................... 53
4.2.1.5 Few opportunities for retraining ..................................................... 54
4.2.2. Difficulties caused by the students .......................................................... 55
4.2.2.1 Students‟ low English proficiency .................................................... 55
4.2.2.2 Students‟ low motivation .................................................................. 55
All the teachers in the sample reported that students were demotivated to
learn speaking English: .................................................................................... 56

4.2.3. Difficulties caused by teachers ................................................................ 56
4.2.3.1 Teachers‟ low English proficiency ................................................... 56
The younger participants also shared some ideas about the problem: .......... 57
4.2.3.2 Difficulty in eliciting students‟ responses ........................................ 58
4.2.3.3 Difficulties in ensuring reliability of assessment ............................. 58
4.3 The extent that these constraints influence the ways teachers perform
assessment of English speaking with particular reference to the use of
assessment tasks ................................................................................................ 59
4.3.1. Topic ........................................................................................................ 60
All the teachers who used this type of assessment doubted about its
authenticity: ...................................................................................................... 61
4.3.1. Interview .................................................................................................. 62


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Teacher 10 who used this task-type gave positive opinion about students‟
attitude: ............................................................................................................. 62
However, the task make teachers difficult to lower the noise in the classroom
and to give students marks. .............................................................................. 62
4.3.2. Personal information............................................................................... 62
Teachers also conducted this type for all the levels at the beginning of the
school: ................................................................................................................ 63
4.3.4. Role-play .................................................................................................. 63
On the other hand, teacher 1 expressed a different opinion: .......................... 64
4.3.5. Dialogue practice ..................................................................................... 64
“If this assessment task is applied in all the lessons, it is really boring”
(Teacher 5). ....................................................................................................... 65
4.3.6. Picture description .................................................................................. 65
4.3.7

Information gap activity ..................................................................... 66
Only one of the participants used this type of speaking assessment. .............. 66
The teacher who was the only one using this task shared his opinions. ......... 66
Teacher 3 thought that this task was new to him. ........................................... 67
4.3.8. Discussion ................................................................................................ 67
The only teacher using this task expressed her problem of scoring. .............. 67
This participant only applied this task in high-quality classes. ...................... 67
5.1. Nam Dinh upper-secondary English teachers‟ speaking assessment....... 71
5.1.1. The ways of speaking assessment in Nam Dinh upper-secondary school
English teachers ................................................................................................ 71
5.1.2. The types of non-authentic speaking assessment tasks.......................... 71
5.1.3.1 Constraints caused by students............................................................. 73
Lack of English input ........................................................................................ 73
Students‟ demotivation ..................................................................................... 74
Teachers‟ lack of teaching methodology in speaking test ............................... 74
Teachers‟ low consciousness of „backwash effect‟ ........................................... 75
No inter-rater test reliability ............................................................................ 75
Teachers‟ low proficiency ................................................................................. 76
5.1.3.3 Constraints caused by the education system ........................................ 76
Large classes...................................................................................................... 76
Excessive work in addition to classroom teaching ........................................... 76
Textbook ............................................................................................................ 77
Exams‟ negative backwash ............................................................................... 77
Ineffective training classes ................................................................................ 78
Teachers‟ personal beliefs ................................................................................ 78
REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 86
Heaton, J. B. (1990). Classroom Testing. Pearson Longman ........................... 87
Pennington, C. M. (1999). Language Learning. Arnold .................................. 89