A study of using authentic supplementary tasks in teaching speaking to 10 grade students at doan thuong upper secondary school, hai duong province

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

VŨ THỊ QUYÊN

A STUDY OF USING AUTHENTIC
SUPPLEMENTARY TASKS IN TEACHING
SPEAKING TO 10 GRADE STUDENTS AT
DOAN THUONG UPPER-SECONDARY
SCHOOL, HAI DUONG PROVINCE
NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG NHIỆM VỤ BỔ
TRỢ XÁC THỰC ĐỂ DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO
HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT ĐOÀN
THƯỢNG, HẢI DƯƠNG

M.A. MINOR THESIS
FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 601410

HANOI, 2012


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

VŨ THỊ QUYÊN

A STUDY OF USING AUTHENTIC
SUPPLEMENTARY TASKS IN TEACHING

SPEAKING TO 10 GRADE STUDENTS AT
DOAN THUONG UPPER-SECONDARY
SCHOOL, HAI DUONG PROVINCE
NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG NHIỆM VỤ BỔ
TRỢ XÁC THỰC ĐỂ DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO
HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT ĐOÀN
THƯỢNG, HẢI DƯƠNG
M.A. MINOR THESIS
FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 601410
SUPERVISOR: ĐỖ BÁ QUÝ, M.Ed.

HANOI, 2012


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of contents
List of abbreviations
List of tables, charts and figures
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
2. Aims and objectives of the study
3. Scope of the study
4. Methods of the study
5. Design of the study
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1. An overview of Task-based Language Teaching
1.1.1. Definition of a task
1.1.2. Task components
1.1.3. Types of tasks
1.2. An overview of supplementation
1.3. Speaking skill
1.4. Authentic tasks in speaking
1.4.1. Definition of authentic tasks
1.4.2. Levels of authentic tasks
1.4.3. The means of achieving authenticity
1.5. Overview of related studies

iv


1.6.

Summary of the chapter

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1.

Participants
2.1.1. Overview of Doan Thuong Upper-secondary School
2.1.2. The context of teaching and learning English speaking skill
2.1.3. The teacher informants
2.1.4. The student informants

2.2.

Data collection instruments
2.2.1. Questionnaire
2.2.2. Classroom observation

2.3.

Data collection procedure

2.4.

Data analysis methods and procedure

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
3.1. Research question 1: What are the teachers’ perceptions of attitudes
towards using AST in teaching speaking to 10 grade students?

3.1.
Research question 2: What are the students’ attitudes toward
effects of AST on their speaking lessons?
3.3.

Summary of the chapter

PART C: CONCLUSION
1. Summary of the findings
2. Pedagogical implications
3. Limitations of the study
4. Suggestions for further studies

REFERENCES

APPENDICES
Appendix 1 : Survey Questionnaire for Teachers
Appendix 2 : Survey Questionnaire for Students
Appendix 3 : Classroom Observation Checklists

v


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
- AST

: Authentic Supplementary Tasks

- CLT

: Communicative Language Teaching

- DTUS

: Doan Thuong Upper-secondary School

- TEFL

: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

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LIST OF TABLES, CHARTS AND FIGURES

List of tables
Table 1

: Task components‟ classificatio

Table 2

: Task components according to

Table 3

: Basic profiles of six teacher in

Table 4

: Basic profiles of student inform

Table 5: Teacher‟s attitudes towards teaching speaking and using

authentic tasks in teaching spe
Table 6: The stage of the lesson that teachers preferred to use
authentic tasks
Table 7: The work distribution that teachers preferred when using
authentic tasks
Table 8: The advantages and disadvantages of AST as perceived by
the students
Table 9: Results from open-ended questions

List of charts and figures
Chart 1: Teachers‟ perceptions of the importance of authentic tasks in

TEFL
Chart 2: Teachers‟ identifying of authentic and pedagogical tasks
Chart 3: Teachers‟ attitudes towards authentic tasks‟ advantages
Chart 4: Teachers‟ attitudes towards authentic tasks‟ disadvantages
Chart 5: Teacher‟s frequency of using authentic tasks
Chart 6: Students‟ responses as perceived by the teachers

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Chart 7: Teachers‟ difficulties in exploiting AST
Chart 8: Students‟ attitudes towards AST‟s effects
Chart 9: Students‟ opinions towards teachers‟ applied AST
Figure 1: A frame work for Task-based Language Teaching
Figure 2: The relation among four language skills
Figure 3: Comparison between Brown and Menasche‟s levels of
authentic tasks and Nunan‟s classification of tasks

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Nowadays, English has increasingly become one of the most popular
languages with more than one billion speakers all over the world. English is playing
a key role in today‟s modern world because it is used as an international language
in many areas such as: science and technology, business and commerce,
international relations and diplomacy, etc. Therefore, “Teaching and Learning
Foreign Languages in the national education system for the period 2008 - 2020”
project was launched and carried out. Its goals are by 2020 : “making the majority

of Vietnamese youth (...) have enough foreign language capability to use
independently, be self-confident in communication and learning, work in an
environment of integration, multi-language and multi-culture; making foreign
languages (mainly English) become the strength of Vietnamese people and
contributing to the industrialization and modernization of the country”. The long–
term plan set up an urgent requirement for foreign language teachers, in general, and
English teachers, in particular to innovate and “learn the newest and best methods of
teaching” (Hiệp, 2005, p. 3). Another aims are to teach learners a working command
of English to satisfy various communicative needs in their life and to build a
friendly school with students‟ active learning (Hiệp, 2005).
Fortunately, according to Hiệp (2005), since the early 1990s, Communicative
Language Teaching (CLT) has widely spread out for the fact that, in comparison
with traditional pedagogy -which is based on language study (grammar, literature)
and written exercises (translation) rather than real life communication and speech, it
meets the requirements of English learning in an era of integration and
globalization. However, in the context of Vietnam education, it is lack of motivation
from learning environment or even from the textbook that actuates Vietnamese
learners to communicate successfully in English. Therefore, it is necessary for
English teachers to not only adapt the textbook but also apply authentic materials.
These, with appropriate selection and implementation, can be

1


reliable sources for designing tasks in which formulaic language learning can be
avoided, and can provide a bridge between the linguistic skills of learners and their
ability to take part in native-like real world activity (Valeriu, 2000).
Recognizing the gap, many researchers, both worldwide and in Vietnam,
have analyzed the term “authenticity” in teaching Reading, Writing and Listening.
However, the number of researched Speaking Authenticity ones is still limited

while, thirty-five percent of our daily communication time is spent on speaking
(Burely-Allen, 1995). Therefore, the exploitation of authentic speaking tasks should
receive worthy attention.
Within the context of DTUS, Hai Duong province – a rural area school,
students have few chances to use English in their daily life. The teachers pay much
attention to grammar while student‟s proficiency is even not enough to master some
particular tasks in the textbook. From my point of view, among four skills, speaking
is the least preferred by students due to students‟ low level and the disparity
between the textbook and students‟ needs. Therefore, it requires some
supplementation for the textbook to gradually upgrade the students‟ level as well as
to motivate them to actively participate in English lessons, especially speaking ones.
From the reasons mentioned above, the researcher finds her duty in
conducting the study on “A Study of Using Authentic Supplementary Tasks in
Teaching Speaking to 10 Grade Students at Doan Thuong Upper-Secondary School,
Hai Duong Province”
2. Aims and objectives of the study
The study aims at searching Doan Thuong Upper-Secondary School tenth
grade teachers and students‟ attitudes toward exploiting authentic supplementary
tasks in speaking lessons. To teachers, the researcher closely focuses on their
perception of authentic tasks, using authentic supplementary tasks in speaking skill
as well as the difficulties they encounter when carrying out the tasks. To learners,
concentration is put in another aspect: their perception of the effects of the authentic

2


supplementary tasks on their speaking lessons. To realize these aims, the answers to
the following questions are sought:
1.

What are the teachers‟ perceptions of and attitudes towards using

authentic speaking supplementary tasks in teaching speaking to 10 grade
students?
2.

What are the students‟ attitudes towards the effects of the authentic

supplementary tasks on their speaking lessons?
3.

Scope of the study
Initially, the study only covers the tenth form teachers and students at DTUS.

With a large number of participants as well as the variety of students‟ level, these
samples can be considered an appropriate reflection of DTUS‟ teachers and
students‟ language competence.
Secondly, “the authentic speaking tasks” term of the study belongs to the
supplementary term which does not contain the designed tasks in the textbook.
Therefore, the evaluation of the textbook in terms of authenticity is not included in
the study. Only the teachers and students‟ beliefs and attitudes towards the term are
presented.
Finally, the “speaking tasks” mentioned in the thesis only means the
activities that teachers and students carry out in the speaking periods (according to
the course distribution). Any further tasks, for examples, in reading or listening
lessons, are beyond the scope of this study.
4. Methods of the study
To reach the aims of the study, both qualitative and quantitative approaches
are made used of. Data are collected from questionnaires and classroom
observation. The quantitative data collected from survey questionnaire were then

analyzed statistically, while qualitative data were obtained from classroom
observation. Hopefully, with the combination of these methods, the study would
yield reliable and valid findings.
5. Design of the study
The thesis consists of three main parts:

3


The Introduction presents an overview of the study including the rationale,
aims, research questions, scope, methods and design of the study.
The Development is the backbone of the thesis which includes three
chapters. Chapter one supplies readers with the explanation of key conceptual
terms, the definitions, the contrasting views and debates as well as the critical
analysis of each key concept. Chapter two outlines the research methods used and
demonstrates that recognized procedures have been followed in the study.
Participants, data collection instruments, procedures of data collection and data
analysis methods and procedures would be included. Chapter three presents the
results collected from two instruments above in an objective way according to two
research questions. Then, the discussion or the interpretation from the resulted
would be presented.
The Conclusions contains the summary of the main findings of the thesis, its
limitation, suggestions for further studies and some pedagogical implications for
teachers.

4


PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter acts as the theoretical foundation for the whole study in which key
concepts find out their references. In addition, an overview of related studies at the
same level, which supports the researcher to carry out the study, is also included.

1.1. An overview of Task-based Language Teaching
1.1.1. Definition of a task
It can be emphatically asserted that a full and acute awareness of the term
“task” appears almost essential to get a close and deep look at the theory of
“authentic task”. Since CLT approach became an innovative approach in language
teaching, task-based language teaching consolidates its central position; therefore, it
raises an urgent question for researches to find out what does “task” means. As a
consequence, a variety of “task” definitions were established, among them is
Willis‟s (1996, p.23) one: “Tasks are activities where the target language is used by
learners for communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an outcome”
which, as commented by Nunan (2004), emphasizes the exchange of meaning, in a
communicative way, as the means of mastering target language. Another worthmentioning one is defined by Long (1985, p.89): “A task is a piece of work
undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for some reward. In other words, by
“task” is meant the hundred and one things people do in everyday life, at work, at
play and in between.”
Compared with Willis‟s definition, Long‟s one is distinctly different. It, in
short, is “non-technical and non-linguistic” (Nunan, 2004, p.2), in which language
uses can be omitted (helping someone across without talking). Thus, it requires
drawing a distinction between the “uses of language in the world beyond the
classroom” and “those that occur in the classroom”, which is named “real-world
tasks/ target tasks” and “pedagogical tasks” (Nunan, 2004, p.1). For the fact that the
transformation from a target task to a pedagogical one happens naturally and

5

simultaneously with its movement from real world into the classroom, pedagogical
tasks appears to be the only focus of this study.
It, then, comes the definition of Nunan which, from my limited personal
viewpoint, can deal with almost ambiguity in defining “task”, shorten other abovementioned definitions‟ shortcomings, set up the criteria of a pedagogical task,
particularize learners‟ duties in exploiting the target language and appreciate the
role of meaning in language learning. Therefore, whenever the term “task” is
mentioned in this paper, it refers to Nunan‟s definition.
“A task is a piece of classroom work that involves learners in
comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target
language while their attention is focused on mobilizing their grammatical
knowledge in order to express meaning, and in which the intention is to
convey meaning rather than to manipulate form. “
(Nunan, 2004, p.4)
1.1.2. Task components
Besides seeking the appropriate answer for the question of what a task means,
it is also important to put a certain concentration on task components. Actually,
many researchers pay rapt attention to give out logical task structures, some of
which are succinctly summarized in the table below:

6


Table 1: Task components’ classifications
From the above table, although different ways were given to sub-divide tasks,
they share something in common. To some extents, the author‟s way of division
overlaps, covers or concretizes others‟ theories. Nevertheless, within the scope of
this study, I follow the task structure of Nunan, which is closely related to other key
concepts of my study as well as probably further the working of the study. It is,

TASK

consequently, important to bring out the definition of each component.

Table 2: Task components according to Nunan (2004)
1.1.3. Types of tasks
There exists a variety of ways to classify task basing on different categories.
Nunan‟s classification in which task is divided into two main types “Real

7


world/target task” and “Pedagogical task” is the most suitable to represent the types
of task used in this study. Moreover, the frame work that Nunan presented in “Taskbased Language Teaching” also reinforces the knowledge for the research.

Real world/ target tasks

Pedagogical tasks

Rehearsal
tasks

Enabling skills

Activation
tasks

Language
exercises

Communicative

activities

Figure 1: A frame work for Task- based language teaching
(Nunan, 2004, p. 25)



Real-world or target task: A communicative act we achieve through
language in the world outside the classroom.



Pedagogical tasks: A piece of classroom work which involves learners in

comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the language while their
attention is principally focused on meaning rather than forms. They have a nonlinguistic outcome, and can be divided into rehearsal tasks or activation tasks.



Rehearsal task: A piece of classroom work in which learners rehearse, in
class, a communicative act they will carry out outside the class.



Activation task: A piece of classroom work involving communicative
interaction, but NOT one in which learners will be rehearsing for some out-of-class
communication. Rather they are designed to activate the acquisition process.



Enabling skills: Mastery of language systems grammar, pronunciation,
vocabulary, etc. which ENABLE learners to take part in communicative tasks.



Language exercise: A piece of classroom work focusing learners on, and
involving learners in manipulating some aspect of the linguistic system

8




Communication activity: A piece of classroom work involving a focus on a
particular linguistic feature but ALSO involving the genuine exchange of meaning.
1.2. An overview of supplementation
As it can be obviously seen from the literal meanings of the two words
“Supplementary” and “Materials”, which, according to Oxford Advanced Learners
th

Dictionary 7 Editor, respectively mean “provided in addition to something else in
order to improve or complete it” and “things that are needed in order to do a
particular activity”, Supplementary materials can be understood as “Materials
designed to be used in addition to the core materials of a course or the course book
by the teachers” (Hương & Minh (2008, p28). Naturally, supplementary materials
are not the replacement of the coursebook.
Supplementary materials are not merely meant “adding something new”, but
definitely to “bridge the gap between a coursebook and the demands of a public
examination, or the coursebook and students‟ needs” (McGrath, 2005, p.80)
McGrath (2005) suggested two ways to supplement a course book:

1.

by utilizing items, such as exercises, texts or activities from another

published sources
2.

by devising our own materials; this may include the exploitation of

authentic, visual or textual items
When using published materials, teachers often photocopy the necessary
tasks or exercises which tend to be expensive and sometimes frustrating (when there
is something wrong with the machine or students lose the pieces of paper or forget
to bring them to class). However, all reference books are cautiously edited by a
group of qualified people. According to McGrath (2005), 50 per cent of teachers
claimed not to use commercially-produced materials at all. Instead, they choose to
prepare their own supplementary materials which can satisfy them when “the course
book does not fully meet the specific needs of the learner group” or “no suitable
published materials are available (or these cannot be copied or bought)”.

9


1. 3. Speaking skill
When talking about language and language teaching, people cannot help
mentioning the four skills: Reading, Listening (Understanding), Speaking and
Writing as well as the relation among them. Speaking skill, along with writing skill,
is considered as productive skills. The other two are receptive skills.

Receptive

Skills
Written language
Figure 2: The relation among four language skills
According to Byrne (1976, p.8), speaking is “a two-way process between
speaker and listener, involving the productive skill of speaking and receptive skill of
understanding”. Both listener and speaker have a positive function to perform: the
speaker has to encode the message to be conveyed in appropriate language, while
the listener has to decode the message.
Hương & Minh (2008) also explain speaking as the act “to utter words with
the ordinary voice/talk, to express or communicate ideas, options by talking”. As a
result, there are numbers of abilities underlying speaking proficiency: lexical and
grammar, compensating language, connected speech, language processing,
expressive devices and social linguistic knowledge. Hương & Minh (2008, p.170)
 Lexis and grammar: the use of a number of common lexical, especially to
perform certain language functions such as greeting, disagreeing, approval, etc.
 Connected speech: common phenomenon in spoken interaction in which sounds
are modified, omitted, added or weakened. Effective speakers thus need to be able
to not only produce individual phonemes but also use connected speech.
 Expressive language: native speaker of English change pitch and stress of
particular parts of utterances, vary volume and speech can convey meanings beyond
their words, especially in face-to-face communication. Students need to recognize

10


and develop some of such features and devices in the same way if they are able to
be effective communicators.
 Compensating language: effective speaking benefits from the language of
negotiation that we use to seek clarification and show the structure of what we are
saying. Speakers also need to know when and how to take the floor, how to keep a

conversation going, how to terminate the conversation, and how to clear up
communication breakdown as well as comprehension problems.
 Language processing: effective speakers need to be able to process language in
their own heads and put it into coherent order so that it comes out in forms that are
not only comprehensive but also convey the meaning that are intended.
 Sociolinguistic knowledge: knowledge of language. Learners must have
competence which involves knowing what is expected socially and culturally by
users of the target language in order to know how to respond nonverbally according
to the purpose of talk.
1.4. Authentic tasks in speaking
1.4.1. Definition of authentic tasks
Normally the notion of authenticity has largely been restricted to discussions
about texts; there have been few systematic attempts to address the question of task
authenticity. However, “Control over linguistic knowledge is achieved by means of
performing under real operating conditions in meaning

 focused language

activities” (Ellis, 1990, p. 195). Therefore, it might be posited that authenticity “lies
not only in the “genuineness” of text, but has much to do with the notion of task”
(Guariento & Morley, 2001). According to Hương & Minh (2008, p.28), Authentic
Task is defined as “A task which involves learners in using language in a way that
replicates its use in the real world outside the language classroom”. Hence,
examples of authentic tasks would be answering a letter addressed to the learner,
arguing a particular point of view and comparing various holiday brochures in order
to decide where to go, not filling in the blanks or changing verbs from the present
simple to the past simple.

11

Nunan (1988, p.4) provided a generally accepted definition of authentic tasks
which takes real-world behavior and learners into account: “tasks which replicate
or rehearse the communicative behaviours which will be required of them in the
real world.” In other words, he also defined “authentic tasks” as “tasks that closely
mirror communication in the world outside the classroom” (Nunan, 2004, p. 212).
Nevertheless, within this limited study, the term “authentic tasks” bears a strong
resemblance to Nunan‟s first definition.
1.4.2. Levels of authentic task
Theorists have tended to speak of task authenticity as an either/or
proposition, and while many of the tasks that are done in the classroom are seen as
inauthentic, it has also been observed that classrooms have their own authenticity
(Taylor (1994). Thus, although even the most realistic role play does not accomplish
a real world task (train tickets do not get bought in classrooms), the task is an
appropriate learning activity.
In offering the following typology of task authenticity, the researcher admits
there is probably no such thing as real task authenticity, that classrooms are by their
nature artificial. The only genuine task authenticity for language learning may well
be total immersion in the target language environment without an instructor.
Nevertheless, task authenticity is defined into three types: genuine, simulated and
pedagogical.
1. Genuine task authenticity exists when learners engage in tasks in ways and for
reasons they would in the real world.
2. In simulated task authenticity, there is some attempt to copy the real within the
context of the classroom, but the focus is on language learning.
3. Pedagogical task authenticity occurs when there is no attempt to copy the real,
but the task is useful within the context of the classroom.
(Brown and Menasche, 2005)
Consider the example of reading a newspaper editorial. The genuinely
authentic task would be to read the article silently and move on to reading

12


something else without imposed discussion or language exercises. This would be
considered inappropriate in a classroom, unless it was time assigned for sustained
silent reading, and even then, if the learner would rather have read a magazine than
the newspaper, the purpose is language learning and the task is not genuinely
authentic. Simulated task authenticity would apply, for example, to an activity in
which learners are paired and must imagine themselves to be roommates discussing
the editorial. In this, there is some attempt to copy the real world. Another common
task with simulated authenticity would be one in which the instructor requires the
learner to write a letter to an editor to comment on an actual editorial.
Pedagogically authentic tasks include answering comprehension questions about
the editorial, comparing two editorials on one subject and listing the similarities and
differences, and writing a composition on the topic of the editorial.
Compared with the way that Nunan (2004) classified types of task (as
mentioned in 2.1.4), the levels of authenticity according to Brown & Menasche
(2005) shared something in common, as shown in the diagram below:

Real world
Genuine task

authenticity
Figure 3: Comparison between Brown and Menasche’s levels of
authentic tasks and Nunan’s classification of tasks
As can be shown, there comes a small difference between the two in which
simulated task authenticity cannot find its equivalent. In fact, as both Nunan (1989,
p.41) and Brown & Menache (2005)‟s agreement, “genuine task authenticity” is
hardly found in the classroom due to the naturally artificial of classroom and the

indispensable instruction of teachers, which is superfluous in real communication.
On the preparation of authentic tasks, Rogers and Medley (1988) also
proposed three levels of appropriateness including appropriateness of text,
appropriateness of task and appropriateness of sequence.
1.4.3. The means of achieving authenticity

13


According to Guariento and Morley (2001), there are four broad schools of
thought regarding task authenticity:



Through genuine purpose:

Willis (1996) pointed out that emphasis should primarily be on meaning and
communication and this is something which replicates the process of
communication in the real world. Therefore, students have the chance to interact
naturally, in “real time” to achieve a communicative goal, which will be “far more
likely to lead to increased fluency and natural acquisition” than exercises that
“encourage them to get it right from the beginning”



Through real world targets:

The target tasks are identified following a need analysis of the task which the
learners are preparing to undertake. A task might be said to be authentic if it has a
clear relation with the real world needs. (Long and Crookes, 1992)



Through classroom interaction:

Rather than focusing on real world situation outside the classroom, Breen
(1985) argued that the most authentic activities exploit the potential authenticity of the
learning situation. Putting students in pairs or groups to discuss evaluate and report on
the usefulness and appropriateness of teacher feedback and different kinds of home
assignment. And it is this very process of negotiation of meaning that is authentic.



Through engagement:

Authenticity of task might be said to depend on whether or not a student is
engaged by the task. Tasks, which are considered to be authentic by teachers, can be
inauthentic to certain learners (Widdowson, 1980). Therefore, it is suggested that a
task could be “authenticated” via careful explanation of its rationale and the
involvement of students in task selection.
1.5. Overview of related studies
It is undeniable that there are numbers of studies worldwide which not only lay
the foundation for task authenticity but also go deeper into the analysis of the term.
Nunan with “Task-based Language Teaching” (2004) and “Designing tasks for the

14


Communicative Classroom” (1989) provide readers with reliable explanations of
key terms in Communicative Language Teaching, elucidate them and supply

teachers with effective and practical methods and techniques to make use of the
materials. “Text and Task Authenticity in EFL Classroom” (2001) by Guariento &
Morley creates a revolution in the meaning of authenticity when paying certain
concentration to the authentic task and summarizing four broad schools of thought
to achieve task authenticity. Taylor‟s “Inauthentic Authenticity or Authentic
Inauthenticity?” (1994) also brings out the meaning of “nature”, “real” and involves
the perception of teachers and learners as important factors.
Vietnamese researchers also find their interests in exploiting the topic
“authenticity”. As a result, many studies whose foci are authentic materials and
authentic tasks were conducted. Hương (2008), Hương (2009), Hạnh (2010), Nga
(2010) and Hào (2010) investigated into using authentic materials with a variety of
learners from major students (Hương (2008), Hương (2009), Hạnh (2010)) to high
school ones. The findings indicated the effectiveness of authentic materials in
reading, listening and speaking skill.
In terms of authentic tasks, Phương (2007) and Hoa (2011) are among the most
noticeable ones. Phương (2007) studied the techniques to create authentic tasks in the
material development of Secretarial English at Bac Ninh Teachers Training College. In
detail, the study went deeper into the analysis of the attitudes of teachers and graduates
of English towards the use of pair/group work, role-play and simulation and six types
of task-based learning in teaching and learning English as well as students‟ preferences
for techniques used to make learning tasks more authentic in classroom settings. Many
techniques and activities are also suggested by the author.
With an investigation into the reality of exploiting authentic tasks in speaking
classes at Hanoi University of Industry, Hoa (2011) placed the attention at the teachers‟
perceptions of authentic tasks, the extent to which tasks are exploited in the actual
speaking classes and difficulties as perceived by teachers when they exploit authentic
tasks in English classes. Some significant findings of the study were revealed. Firstly,

15

many teachers had favourable perceptions of tasks, TBLT as well as the exploitation
of authentic tasks. Secondly, almost no authentic tasks were exploited by the
teachers. Lastly, most of the teachers followed basically the three phases (pre-task,
task-cycle and language focus) when assigning tasks to students. However,
collecting information solely from teachers is listed as not only one of the
limitations of the study but also a suggestion for further study.
Hence, there seems to have a gap which needs to be filled in terms of using
authentic tasks for high school students to improve speaking skills due to its
population and nature in communication.
1.6. Summary of the chapter
In summary, the chapter has briefly reviewed the necessary theoretical
literatures related to the subjects, from the logical and credible explanation of key
terms (Task-based Language Teaching, Supplementation, Speaking and Authentic
Tasks in Speaking) to the comprehensive overview of related studies. The research
methodology employed in the present study will be presented in the next chapter.

16


CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, participants, data collection instruments and procedures of
data collection would be clearly expounded, along with the researcher‟s analysis
and reasons for choosing them.
2.1. Participants
2.1.1. Overview of Doan Thuong Upper-secondary School
Located in Gia Loc District, DTUS is known as a school of more than 30
years existing and developing. In 2012, the school has more than 1,000 students
divided into 21 classes of three grades (Grade 10, grade 11 and grade 12) and 53
teachers of all subjects. Most of the students come from ordinary families whose

fathers or mothers or both are farmers. At school, the students have chance to be
taught by experienced teachers and have good conditions to nurture their talents
totally in both natural sciences and social sciences including English. They can also
compete with others and approach new teaching methods. However, their
difficulties in attending the class due to long distances, their limited knowledge of
outside world as well as their large class size (from 45-50 students per class) bring
about obstacles for teachers, especially teachers of English, to apply new teaching
methods effectively.
2.1.2. The context of teaching and learning English speaking skill in DTUS
Since 2007, with the new English textbook, teachers and learners at DTUS
have familiarized with the new teaching and learning methods: learner-centered and
four skills are taught separately. Students gradually make acquaintance with a
speaking period in which they are encouraged to practise speaking in the target
language comfortably and naturally.
However, it does not mean that learners always actively participate in the
speaking lessons. Affected by the psychology that they are not good learners, students
are afraid of making mistakes. The anxiety of making mistakes, even minor ones,
prevents them from talking confidently, thus, they choose to reduce their

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English talking times. Seeking for perfection in every words or sentences they
produce, students lose the pace and the nature in communication.
Moreover, it is said that teachers, whose traditional teaching methods, for
instance Grammar translation method, are habitual, find it hard to change and apply
new ones. Some of them think that new teaching and learning methods or
techniques as well as information technology are really difficult to master.
Another factor that affects the teaching and learning English‟s speaking skill
of DTUS teachers and learners is the testing and assessment. Normally, students are

given six official marks per semester; four of them are taken from written tests.
Therefore, they will pay much attention to learn grammar, reading and writing skill
because of its possible existence in the tests.
2.1.3. The teacher informants
The title of the study claims the important role of English teachers in the
result of the study. There are six English teachers in DTUS and the study includes
the participation of all these six teachers. Their ages, years of teaching experiences
and their graduating place vary in a wide range. Their brief profile, taken from
questionnaires, could be summarized in the below table:
Teacher
Teacher 1
Teacher 2
Teacher 3
Teacher 4
Teacher 5
Teacher 6
Table 3: Basic profiles of six teacher informants

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