Application of task based language teaching in teaching speaking to the 1st year non english major students an action research at hanoi university of business and technology

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

BÙI THỊ THUỲ DƯƠNG

APPLICATION OF TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING IN
TEACHING SPEAKING TO THE 1ST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR
STUDENTS: AN ACTION RESARCH AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF
BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY
ÁP DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC THEO ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG
GIAO NHIỆM VỤ TRONG VIỆC DẠY KĨ NĂNG NÓI CHO SINH VIÊN
NĂM THỨ NHẤT KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH: NGHIÊN CỨU
HÀNH ĐỘNG TẠI TRƯỜNG KINH DOANH VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ HÀ NỘI

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111

HA NOI, 2015


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

BÙI THỊ THUỲ DƯƠNG

APPLICATION OF TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING IN
TEACHING SPEAKING TO THE 1ST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR

STUDENTS: AN ACTION RESARCH AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF
BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY
ÁP DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC THEO ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG
GIAO NHIỆM VỤ TRONG VIỆC DẠY KĨ NĂNG NÓI CHO SINH VIÊN
NĂM THỨ NHẤT KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH: NGHIÊN CỨU
HÀNH ĐỘNG TẠI TRƯỜNG KINH DOANH VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ HÀ NỘI

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Văn Độ

HA NOI, 2015


CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT
I certify that the minor thesis entitled: “Application of task-based language
teaching in teaching speaking to the 1st year non-English major students: An
action research at Hanoi University of Business and Technology” is submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts is the result
of my own work and this thesis has not been submitted for any degree to any other
university or tertiary institute.

Signature:

Date: November 30th, 2015

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof.
Dr. Nguyễn Văn Độ, who helped, supported and encouraged me while I conducted
this study. Without his helpful comments, value advice and considerable assistance,
this study could not have been completed.
I want to thank all lecturers of the Department of Post Graduate, University
of language and international studies, Vietnam national University for providing me
best conditions to fulfill my study.
I also want to express my appreciation to my colleagues and my students at
Ha Noi University of Business and Technology for their excellent assistance and
cooperation in collecting data for the study.
Last but not least, I would especially thank my family, my close friends and
my classmates who supported and encouraged me to conduct this study.

ii


ABSTRACT

It is the fact that speaking is one of the most important skills. However, the
teaching and learning English speaking at Ha Noi University of Business and
Technology are still far from satisfactory, which has urged the researcher to carry
out the present study.
By describing and analyzing the survey questionnaire, pre-test and post-test
collected, the researcher managed to find out the reasons for the students‟ weak
speaking skill and justify the effectiveness of using task-based language teaching to
improve the students' speaking skill. Although the research has revealed some

limitations, its findings prove that task-based language teaching improves students‟
speaking skill. Besides, this study has provided some implications for the teaching
of English speaking skill for Vietnamese students.
With detailed investigations and valid findings, the researcher believes that
this study is a reliable and useful source of reference for language classes in general
and for any learners and teachers who share the same concern.

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LIST OF ABREVIATIONS

HUBT

: Ha Noi University of Business and Technology

TBLT

: Task-based language teaching

TBT

: Task-based teaching

TBL

: Task-based learning

ESL

: English as a second language

EFL

: English as a foreign language

PPP

: Presentation-Practice- Production

%

: Percentage

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LIST OF CHARTS, TABLES AND GRAPHS
Chart 1: Students‟ attitude towards speaking skill

22

Chart 2: Students‟ interest towards speaking skill

22

Table 1: Students‟ motivations

23

Table 2: Students‟ learning styles

24

Table 3: Students‟ problems in learning speaking skill

25

Table 4: Students‟ comments on their previous teachers‟ teaching

27

methods
Table 5: The comparison of the percentage of students who passed the
passing grade

29

Graph 1: Students‟ opinions on speaking activities in the textbook

26

Graph 2: The score of students‟ speaking competence

28

Graph 3: Improvement of the students‟ speaking competence

29

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TABLE OF CONTENT
CANDIDATE‟S STATEMENT .................................................................................. i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ii
LIST OF ABREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... iv
LIST OF CHARTS, TABLES AND GRAPHS .......................................................... v
PART I: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1
1. Rationale of the study.............................................................................................. 1
2. Aims and objectives of the study ............................................................................ 2
3. Research questions .................................................................................................. 2
4. Scope of the study ................................................................................................... 2
5. Method of the study ................................................................................................ 2
6. Significance of the Study ........................................................................................ 3
7. Design of the study.................................................................................................. 3
PART II: DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 4
1.1 Speaking in foreign language learning ................................................................. 4
1.1.1 Definition of speaking ................................................................................. 4
1.1.2 Teaching speaking ....................................................................................... 4
1.1.3 Components of Speaking............................................................................. 5
1.1.4 Testing speaking .......................................................................................... 5
1.2 Task-Based Language Teaching ........................................................................... 7
1.2.1 Definition of TBLT and characteristics of TBLT .............................................. 7
1.2.2 Definition of a task ...................................................................................... 7
1.2.3 Components of the task-based teaching Framework................................... 9
1.2.4 Advantages of using task based language teaching .................................. 11
1.3 Previous studies relating to applying TBLT in teaching speaking skill ............. 12
1.3.1 In Taiwan ................................................................................................... 12

1.3.2 In Viet Nam ............................................................................................... 13
1.4 Summary ............................................................................................................. 13

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 14
2.1 Action research .................................................................................................... 14
2.1.1 An overview of action research ................................................................. 14
2.1.2. Rationale for the use of an action research .............................................. 15
2.2 Description of the context of the research .......................................................... 15
2.2.1 The current situation of teaching and learning English at HUBT ............. 15
2.2.2 The teaching program and material ........................................................... 17
2.3 Description of the research ................................................................................. 17
2.3.1 Subject of the research .............................................................................. 17
2.3.2 Data collection instruments ....................................................................... 17
2.3.2.1 Questionnaire.......................................................................................... 17
2.3.2.2 Interviews ............................................................................................... 18
2.3.2.3 Tests ........................................................................................................ 18
2.3.3 The action procedures ............................................................................... 19
2.3.4 Data analysis procedures ........................................................................... 21
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ...................................... 22
3.1 Analysis of questionnaire .................................................................................... 22
3.1.1 Students‟ attitudes towards speaking skill ................................................ 22
3.1.2 Students‟ motivations and learning styles ................................................. 23
3.1.3 Students‟ difficulties in learning speaking skill ........................................ 25
3.1.4 Students‟ opinions on speaking activities in the textbook ........................ 26
3.1.5 Teachers‟ teaching methods in speaking class .......................................... 26
3.2 Analysis of test ................................................................................................... 28
3.3 Analysis of interview .......................................................................................... 30

3.4 Discussion about the research questions ............................................................. 31
3.4.1 What are the possible reasons that lead to students‟ weak speaking skill?31
3.4.2 To what extent does task-based language teaching improve students‟
speaking skill? .................................................................................................... 32
3.5 Summary ............................................................................................................. 33
PART III: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................... 34

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1. Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 34
2. Recommendations ................................................................................................. 35
2.1 The teachers .................................................................................................. 35
2.2 The students .................................................................................................. 36
2.3 The other researchers.................................................................................... 36
3. Limitation of the study .......................................................................................... 36
4. Suggestions for further research............................................................................ 37
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 38
APPENDIX 1 .............................................................................................................. I
STUDENTS‟ QUESTIONNAIRE .............................................................................. I
APPENDIX 2 ............................................................................................................IV
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .....................................................................................IV
APPENDIX 3 ............................................................................................................. V
SPEAKING TEST (Pre-test)...................................................................................... V
APPENDIX 4 .......................................................................................................... VII
SPEAKING TEST (Post-test) ................................................................................. VII
APPENDIX 5 ............................................................................................................IX
THE ACTION PROCEDURES ................................................................................IX
APPENDIX 6 ............................................................................................................. X
ENGLISH SPEAKING ABILITY EVALUATION .................................................. X

APPENDIX 7 ............................................................................................................XI
DESCRIPTION OF A SAMPLE TASK-BASED SPEAKING LESSON ...............XI
APPENDIX 8 .........................................................................................................XIV
TRANSCRIPT OF STUDENTS‟ ANSWERS IN THE INTERVIEW .................XIV
APPENDIX 9 .......................................................................................................... XV
AN OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR FIRST YEAR
STUDENTS ............................................................................................................ XV
APPENDIX 10 .................................................................................................... XVIII
TRANSCRIPT OF TASK SAMPLE .................................................................. XVIII

viii


PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
In recent years, English has been considered one of the most important and
compulsory subjects for Vietnamese students. "Better English, better careers"
was the answer given by many of them when they told about their purpose of
learning this language. In addition, due to our country's recent regional and
global participation, it is essential for people to communicate by English to keep
up with the development of the world. Therefore, speaking plays an important
role because without it, communication cannot take place directly among people.
According to Nunan (1991), speaking skill is an essential process for learning
English. Performances through speaking are an indicator of success in careers
and finally in life.
When the researcher works as an English teacher at Ha Noi University of
Business and Technology, she has faced two striking problems. First and foremost,
students are very weak at English, especially speaking skill. They always sit quietly
and passively in the speaking lesson. Besides, they cannot implement speaking tasks
well when teachers require, which makes them fear of English classes. Another

issue she has met here is the teaching method. Most of English teachers apply the
traditional approaches such as teacher-centered or lecture-oriented in teaching
speaking skill. Therefore, it is one of the main causes leading to students‟ noninvolvement and passiveness in the classroom. To deal with this trouble, the
researcher has tried to find out a suitable way or an interesting teaching method to
improve students‟ speaking skill.
In fact, many educators and researchers have made an effort to give effective
ways. In addition, through reading the teaching document as well as listening to
lectures about English language teaching methods, the researcher is interested in
task-based language teaching and supposes that it is an effective approach to solve
with this problem. Nunan (1992) stated that “task learning increases student talks,
makes the classroom atmosphere input”. He also pointed out that task-based

1


language approach may play a crucial role in the communicative language
classroom: a variety of tasks could be employed depending on students‟ needs,
interests, and language proficiency levels.
The above mentioned situation has urged the researcher to conduct an action
research at Ha Noi University of Business and Technology “Application of task-based
language teaching in teaching speaking to the 1st year non-English major students”.
2. Aims and objectives of the study
This research aims at applying task-based language teaching to improve the
students‟ speaking skill. To be more specific, the objectives of this study are to:
- find out possible explanations for the weak speaking skill of the students
- find out the effect of task-based language teaching on students‟ speaking skill
3. Research questions
With the above purposes, the research questions are:
1. What are the possible reasons that lead to the students‟ weak speaking skill?
2. To what extent does task-based language teaching improve students‟ speaking skill?

4. Scope of the study
The research was conducted on the 1st year non-English major students at Ha
Noi University of Business and Technology. Regarding its scope, the research was
only aimed at investigating the causes of students‟ weak speaking skill and
measuring the effect of task-based language teaching on the students‟ speaking
skill. Besides, she also focuses on communicative tasks in the speaking lesson.
5. Method of the study
The method employed in this study is an action research, with the use of a
number of instruments, namely tests, questionnaires, and interviews.
Action research has been proved to be the best choice for this study because
the study was aimed at improving the students‟ speaking skill within a certain
context. The combination of different instruments used in this research would help
the researcher to gain reliable data and have a close investigation into the problems
that the students were having.

2


6. Significance of the Study
The study is hoped to raise teachers‟ awareness, especially the teachers at Ha
Noi University of Business and Technology about the application of task-based
language teaching as a useful method in their teaching process; inform all teachers
of the benefits of task-based language teaching and suggest some effective ways of
applying them in teaching English to make the lessons more interesting.
7. Design of the study
The study is intended to consist of three parts:
1. Part I: Introduction shows rationale, purposes, research questions, scope,
methods, significance, and design of the study.
2. Part II: Development: will be divided into three chapters:
Chapter 1: Literature Review deals with some theoretical background relevant to the

study: overview of speaking skill, theories about task-based language teaching and
review of previous studies.
Chapter 2: Methodology presents action research and also describes the current
situation of teaching and learning at HUBT, subjects of the study, data collection
instruments and data collection and analysis procedure.
Chapter 3: Data analysis and discussion presents the findings and answers for two
research questions.
3. Part III: Conclusion summarizes the study, conclusion of the study,
recommendations, limitations of the study and suggestion for further study.

3


PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 Speaking in foreign language learning
1.1.1 Definition of speaking
According to (Brown, 1994) and (Burns and Joyce, 1997), speaking is an
interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and
processing information. Its form and meaning are dependent on the context in which
it occurs, including the participants themselves, their collective experiences, the
physical environment, and the purposes for speaking. Cunningham (1999) states
that speaking requires that learners not only know how to produce specific points of
language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary (linguistic competence),
but also they understand when, why and in what ways to produce language
(sociolinguistic competence).
Nunan (1998; 2001) points that speaking is the natural state of language, as all
human beings are born to speak their native languages. It is thus the most
distinguishing feature of human beings. This verbal communication involves not
only producing meaningful utterances but also receiving others‟ oral productions.

Speaking is thus regarded as a critical skill in learning a second or foreign language
by most language learners, and their success in learning a language is measured in
terms of their accomplishment in oral communication.
1.1.2 Teaching speaking
Nunan (2003: 3) defines the meaning of “teaching speaking” as teaching ESL
learners to (1) produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns; (2) use word
and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language; (3)
select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting,
audience, situation and subject matter; (4) organize their thoughts in a meaningful
and logical sequence; (5) use language as a means of expressing values and
judgments; (6) use the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses,
which is called as fluency.

4


On the other way around, many times ago, teaching speaking has been
undervalued and English language teachers teach speaking just in the forms of a
repetition of drills or memorization of dialogues. It should be now extended that the
goal of teaching speaking is not merely to force them to speak the English
utterances but it should cover the mastery of students‟ communicative skills due to
the fact that only in that way, students can express themselves and learn how to
follow the social and cultural rules appropriate in each communicative
circumstance.
To do so, learners should be given an opportunity to work in interactive mode
to talk about themselves in personally relevant ways. This demands such new
dimension to the language learning process.
1.1.3 Components of Speaking
Bartz (1979) described 5 kinds of speaking components that enhance fluency,
understanding, and quality of communication content, quantity of communication

content and the exertion in communication. Fluency is smooth, constantly and naturally
speaking. Understanding refers to supply of content or data to make the audience
understand. Quality of communication refers to the language accuracy to speak.
Quantity of communication content refers to capacity of content. The exertion
in communication refer to the speakers try to understand by verbal and non-verbal
in communication. Parrot (1993) stated that the speaking components which
influence speaking ability were previous knowledge and experience of the listeners,
language knowledge, and listeners‟ attitude and expectation.
The important components of speaking are language knowledge, fluency and
accuracy. The speakers have a lot of language knowledge: pronunciation,
vocabulary and structure, they communicate fluently, accurately and appropriately
in the different situations.
1.1.4 Testing speaking
Testing or assessing speaking in a significant task performance-based
assessment can be difficult to set up and control. Kitao and Kitao (1996) mentioned

5


that there are not yet good answers to questions about the criteria for testing these
skills and the weighing of these factors. For example, it is hard to find people who
can pronounce a foreign language perfectly. Some lack the ability to communicate
their ideas correctly. This is a difficult task that teachers confront when testing the
oral production of learners. The opposite situation could occur as well; some people
do have the ability of expressing their ideas clearly, but at the same time they
cannot pronounce all the sounds correctly.
Generally, assessing speaking assessment includes grammar, pronunciation,
fluency, contents, organization and vocabulary (Kitao and Kitao, 1996). Testing
speaking skills could be a very interesting experience, and teachers have an
opportunity in selecting assessment tools. Moreover, learners have a great impact on

making the test successful. Tools for assessing this skill need to be suitable to
students‟ age and levels of knowledge. Whatever it is, measuring students‟ English
speaking abilities is necessary and the teacher should have criteria as a framework.
Score
1

2

3

Content
Fluency

Vocabulary

Grammar

Not be understand
or speak

Be able to speak
but difficult to
understand
Use proper
vocabulary to
communicate

Not be able to use
proper vocabulary
to communicate

Not be able to use
language structure
to communicate

Pronunciation

Mis-pronunciation
and unclear

Manner

Not gesture to
communicate

Use language
structure and
vocabulary to
communicate
despite some errors
Use pronunciation
correctly and clear
despite some errors
Be able to gesture
to communicate

1 = Need improvement

2 = Fair

6

Speak fluently and
can communicate
effectively
Use proper
vocabulary to
communicate
effectively
Use language
structure and
vocabulary in the
right context
Use pronunciation
correctly and clear
Gesture to
communicate
rightly
3 = Good


1.2 Task-Based Language Teaching
1.2.1 Definition of TBLT and characteristics of TBLT
Brown (1994: 83) claimed that “TBLT is a perspective that can be taken
within a CLT framework”. He stated that what various understanding of TBLT
emphasizes is the centrality of task itself in a language course and, for TBLT as an
overall approach, the importance of organizing a course around communicative
tasks that learners need to engage in outside the classroom. According to Littlewood
(2004: 324), TBLT is a development within communicative approach. In addition,
Foster (1999) points out that there are different task-based approaches which share a
common idea: providing an environment which best promotes the natural language

learning process, giving learners tasks to transact, rather than items to learn. Candlin
(1987: 3) said that “Task-based learning continues with and develops recent
attention to learner-centered approaches and in particular the idea of differentiation
and learner interdependence”.
TBLT refers to teaching a second/foreign language that seeks to engage
learners in interactively authentic language use by having them perform a series of
tasks. It aims to both enable learners to acquire new linguistic knowledge and to
consolidate their existing knowledge.
Ellis (2003: 149) pointed out some main characteristics of TBLT:
- 'Natural' or 'naturalistic' use of language
- Learners- centered rather than teacher controlled learning
- Focus on form (attention to form occurs within the context of performing the task;
intervention while retaining 'naturalness').
- Tasks serve as the means for achieving natural use of language.
- Traditional approaches are ineffective.
1.2.2 Definition of a task
Numerous linguists around the world have attempted to define the term “task”
as it relates to TBLT since the 1980s. If we look in the literature, we can find that
task is variously defined. Long (1985: 89) gives the definition in a broad sense:

7


A task is a piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for
some reward. Thus, examples of tasks include painting a fence, dressing a child,
filling out a form, buying a pair of shoes, making an airline reservation, borrowing
a library book, etc. In other words, “task” is meant the hundred and one things
people do in everyday life, at work, at play and in between.
This is a non-pedagogical definition in that it describes the sorts of things
individuals do outside the classroom, and some of these tasks do not necessarily

involve the use of language.
Richards, Platt & Weber (1986: 289) offered a more pedagogically oriented
definition: “task is an activity or action which is carried out as the result of
processing or understanding the language”. For example, drawing a map while
listening to a tape, listening to an instruction and performing a command, may be
referred to as tasks.
This definition implies that tasks involve communicative language use in which
the user‟s attention is focused on meaning rather than linguistics structure. David
Nunan‟s definition of task reflects the characteristic. Nunan (1989:10) stressed
meaning for the first time: “Task is a piece of classroom work which involves learners
in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while
their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than on form”
Richards (1986) claimed that a task refers to a language learning effort that
requires learners to comprehend, manipulate and produce target language as they
perform the set task, involving real-world language. According to Willis (1996: 23),
tasks are activities in which the target language is used for a communicative
purpose to achieve an outcome. On the other hand; Nunan (2004:9) used the word
„task‟ instead of „activity.‟ Ellis (2003:16) defined “tasks” as activities that are
primarily focused on meaning whereas exercises are activities that are primarily
focused on form. The definition of the task has been simplified to as follows:
 meaning is primary
 there is a problem to solve

8


 the performance is outcome evaluated
 there is a real world relationship.
1.2.3 Components of the task-based teaching Framework
According to Willis (1996:35), the TBT framework consists of three main

phrases, provides 3 basic conditions for language learning.
1. Pre-task (including topic and task) prepares learners to perform tasks in ways
that promote acquisition. In the pre-task, the teacher will present what will be
expected of the students in the task phase. Additionally, the teacher may prime the
students with key vocabulary or grammatical constructs, although, in “pure” taskbased learning lessons, these will be presented as suggestions and the students
would be encouraged to use what they are comfortable with in order to complete the
task. The instructor may also present a model of the task by either doing it
themselves or by presenting picture, audio, or video demonstrating the task.
2. Task cycle offers learners the chance to use whatever language they already
know in order to carry out the task and then to improve their language under the
teacher‟s guidance while planning their reports on the task. During the task phase,
the students perform the task, typically in small groups, although this is dependent
on the type of activity. And unless the teacher plays a particular role in the task,
then the teacher‟s role is typically limited to one of an observer or counselor-thus
the reason for it being a more student-centered methodology.
There are three components of a task cycle:
• Task: Learners use whatever language they can master, working simultaneously,
in pairs or small groups to achieve goals of the task.
• Planning: Learners plan their reports effectively and maximize their learning
opportunities. Having completed the task, the students prepare either a written or
oral report to present to the class. The instructor takes questions and otherwise
simply monitors the students.
• Report: is the natural condition of the task cycle. In this stage learners tell the class
about their findings. The students then present this information to the rest of the

9


class. Here the teacher may provide written or oral feedback, as appropriate, and the
students observing may do the same.

3. Post-task stage provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their task and
encourages attention to form, in particular to problematic forms which demonstrate
when learners have accomplished the task. In focusing the language produced by
students, the teachers will create two stages here, they are:
a. Analysis
Here the focus returns to the teacher who reviews what happened in the task,
in regards to language. It may include language forms that the students were using,
problems that students had, and perhaps forms that need to be covered more or were
not used enough.
b. Practice
The practice stage may be used to cover material mentioned by the teacher in
the analysis stage. It is an opportunity for the teacher to emphasize key language.
Before implementing this approach, teachers should be acquainted with the types of
task to be presented to the students. Willis has categorized them into six types of
tasks which are:
Willis (1996: 149) listed the following types of tasks of TBLT
• LISTING: Including a brainstorming and fact-finding, the outcome is a completed
list or draft mind map. This type of task can help train students' comprehension and
induction ability.
• ORDERING AND SORTING: Including sequencing, ranking and classifying, the
outcome is a set of information ordered and sorted according to specific criteria.
These types might foster comprehension, logic and reasoning ability.
• COMPARING: This type of task includes matching, finding similarities, or
differences. The outcome can be appropriately matched or assembled items. This
type of task enhances students' ability of differentiation.
• PROBLEM SOLVING: This type of task includes analyzing real situations,
reasoning, and decision-making.

The outcome involves solutions to the

10


problem, which can then be evaluated. These tasks help promote students'
reasoning and decision.
• SHARING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES: These types of tasks include narrating,
describing, exploring and explaining attitudes, opinions, and reactions.

The

outcome is usually social. These tasks help students to share and exchange their
knowledge and experience.
• CREATIVE TASKS: These include brainstorming, fact finding, ordering and
sorting, comparing and many other activities. The outcome is an end product that
can be appreciated by a wider audience. Students cultivate their comprehensive
problem-solving abilities as well as their reasoning and analyzing abilities.
These tasks are listed from easy to difficult, and all of them reveal the recognition
process of students. The tasks in TBLT should be applicable to real life to help
students accomplish the tasks and show their communicative competence in
classroom teaching and real life situations.
1.2.4 Advantages of using task based language teaching
TBLT benefits the students because it is more students-centered, allows for
more meaningful communication, and often provides for practical extra-linguistic
skill building. TBLT provides a natural opportunity for revision and acquisition of
words expressions sentence patterns and styles of writing. It promotes opportunities
to assess learners‟ progress in communicative skills through activities and provides
clear objectives in terms of what participants will gain. In addition it gives the idea
of lasting learning. According to Krashen (1985), students learn how to learn and it
is suitable to all ages and backgrounds and is closer to real- life communicative
situations, making it a way of bringing the real world into the classroom.

As the tasks are familiar to the students in real life situations (such as going to
school), students are more likely to be engaged. TBLT provides the students with an
active role in participating and motivates the students in their learning and often
provides for practical extra-linguistic skill building. It offers the students more
opportunities to display their thinking through action. The tasks allow the students

11


to use all the language they know and are learning, rather than just the target
language of the lesson. The students are ultimately free to use what grammar they
need and vocabulary they want. The task can provide the students to work together.
The different participants, peer students and the groups can project different views
on the same situation. The students can present their product and evaluate others.
1.3 Previous studies relating to applying TBLT in teaching speaking skill
From the previously mentioned survey of the studies dealt with task-based
learning (TBL), it has become evident that TBL is a different way to teach English.
It can help the student by placing him/her in a situation like in the real world where
oral communication is essential for doing a specific task. Task based learning has
the advantage of getting the student to use her/his skills at her current level. TBL is
concerned with learner and not teacher activity and it lies on the teacher to produce
and supply different tasks which will give the learner the opportunity to experiment
spontaneously, individually and originally with the foreign language.
1.3.1 In Taiwan
Some previous studies regarding task-based application in the EFL
classroom were summarized in this section to give an overview of what researchers
had done so far in this new field. Fan –Jiang‟s (2005) study aimed to investigate the
effectiveness of implementing TBLT in a Taiwanese primary school, and her
finding revealed that TBLT could enhance students‟ motivation and attitudes
toward learning English.

Guo (2006) examined the characteristics of task-based interactions in senior
high school students, their communicative competence throughout the process, and
their opinions about collaborative activities. Her results revealed that there were
longer turns in spontaneous speech and increasing use of interactional adjustments
toward the end of the treatment period, and using supplementary cooperative
materials involved students in comprehending and producing the target language
more willingly and more effectively.

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1.3.2 In Viet Nam
There are numerous studies relating to using TBLT in teaching speaking skill.
Ngan (2009) reported that after task-based project her first year non-major students
of English at National Economics University “regarded TBLT as a motivating
experience”. Moreover, “The learning outcomes were enhanced and the learning
process became more enjoyable and rewarding”.
Additionally, Hien (2010) presented that “TBLT could increase the students‟
participation in speaking lesson in terms of quantity and quality and help the good
and average students improve their oral ability more.” However, with the
achievement of the previous researches, the researcher expects that TBLT can
improve the students‟ current speaking ability in speaking lesson at her teaching
context.
1.4 Summary
This chapter clarified some theoretical issues of speaking skill, namely
definition of speaking, teaching speaking, components of speaking and testing
speaking. Besides, the literature review of TBLT was also emphasized such as
definition some terms and characteristics of TBLT, components of the task-based
teaching framework and advantages of using task-based language teaching. Finally,
some previous studies relating to applying TBLT in teaching speaking skill were

mentioned.

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
This chapter provides background information about action research, the
current situation of teaching and learning English of non English-majored students
with the course book “Market Leader Elementary 3rd” and a description of the
methodology employed to collect data for the study.
2.1 Action research
2.1.1 An overview of action research
The different conceptions of action research can be revealed in some typical
definitions of action research, for example Hopkins (1985:32) and Ebbutt
(1985:156) suggest that the combination of action and research renders that action a
form of disciplined inquiry, in which a personal attempt is made to understand,
improve and reform practice.
Cohen and Manion (1994:186) defined it as „a small-scale intervention in the
functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such an
intervention‟. Kemmis and Mc Taggart (1988:6) identify three characteristics of an
action research, which are “carried out by practitioners”, “collaborative” and
“aimed at changing things”.
Tsui (1993) suggested 5 steps in conducting action research: Identifying
problems; Finding causes of the problem; Designing strategies for improvement (
plan for action) and writing a proposal for action research; Trying out the strategies
( action) and keeping a diary of what happened in the class; and Evaluating the try
out. Whereas Nunan (1992), defines the framework of an action research including
seven steps:
Step 1: Initiation (Identify the problem)
Step 2: Preliminary investigation (Collect data through a variety of means)

Step 3: Hypothesis (Develop research questions)
Step 4: Intervention (Devise strategies and innovation to be implemented)
Step 5: Evaluation (Collect data again and analyze it to work out the findings)

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Step 6: Dissemination (Report the result by running workshops or issuing a paper)
Step 7: Follow-up (Find alternative methods to solve the same problem)
Different from Tsui, Nunan (1992) suggested that teachers should observe
and make notes on what their learners said and did in class, and then, based on
these observations, identified positive ways to bring about this change. Besides,
observing the class and making notes are feasible for a teacher to implement his/her
action research where cassette recorders or camcorders are not available in the
researcher‟s teaching context. Therefore, this study will make use of Nunan‟s steps
in action procedure.
2.1.2. Rationale for the use of an action research
Mills (2003: 4) defines that action research is “any systematic inquiry
conducted by teacher researchers to gather information about the ways that their
particular school operates, how they teach, and how well their students learn. The
information is gathered with the goals of gaining insight, developing reflective
practice, effecting positive changes in the school environment and on educational
practices in generals, and improving student outcomes.”
Cohen and Manion (2007) state that the aim of action research is improve the
current state of affairs within educational context in which the research is carried out.
Teachers in general and teachers of English in particular actually carry out
action research for most of their time. Whenever s/he identifies a problem which is
happening in the class, it is his/her task to find ways to solve that problem.
Therefore, action research is inevitably a very common practice.
2.2 Description of the context of the research

2.2.1 The current situation of teaching and learning English at HUBT
Ha Noi University of Business and Technology established in 1996 has
trained variety of different fields such as business administration, tourism business,
finance, banking, accounting and information technology, and so on. Especially, the
students at every field must learn English and pass the examination to achieve Toeic
certificate because it is one of the main condition for them to graduate from school.

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