VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** NGÔ THỊ HUỆ PARENTS’ ROLES IN MOTIVATING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO LEARN ENGLISH VAI TRÒ CỦA PHỤ HUYNH TRONG VIỆC TẠO ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.01.11 Hanoi - 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** NGÔ THỊ HUỆ PARENTS’ ROLES IN MOTIVATING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO LEARN ENGLISH VAI TRÒ CỦA PHỤ HUYNH TRONG VIỆC TẠO ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.01.11 Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, Ph.D Hanoi - 2014 DECLARATION I hereby state that I, Ngô Thị Huệ, being a candidate for the Degree of Master of Arts, accept the requirement of the University relating to the retention and use of M.A Thesis deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper Signature: Date: July 21st, 2014 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa for her valuable advice, constructive comments, patient support and encouragement in the completion of this M.A Thesis I would like to send my sincere thanks to my informants in this study, who have provided useful and valuable information for this research Without their enthusiastic contribution and cooperation, this research would certainly not have been completed In the thesis, it is inevitable that the ideas of many other writers in this field are reflected and developed Their ideas have stimulated my thinking on doing this paper My debt to the authors listed in the references is equally great To all these scholars, I offer my sincere thanks Finally, I am greatly thankful to my family and friends, who are forever a great source of support and encouragement ii ABSTRACT This study attempted to find out the roles of parents towards their children in learning English at home Specifically, it sought the anwers to the following questions: 1.What are parents‟ attitude about their children‟s English learning at primary school? 2.What parents often to encourage their children to learn English? 3.What are parents‟ role in motivating primary students in learning English at home? 4.What are the common barriers for parents to get involved in children‟s learning English at home? The participants of this study were all parents of third graders in Ngoc Xuyen Primary School, Do Son District The data was collected from the questionnaires and interviews The analysis of the data showed that parents not only had positive attitude towards their children‟s English learning but also expressed strong willingness to be involved in children‟s English learning process Results from the study show that besides school instruction, parents reported various strategies and activities that they used at home to encourage their children to learn English It was revealed that there were four types of roles that parents played in motivating their children to learn English : an advocate, a supervisor, a facilitator and a guider The parents involved in the study also reported that they faced some difficulties when helping their children in English learning, the most significant of which are the lack of English knowledge and financial condition iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv PART A : INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the research 3 Significance of the research Scope of the research Methodology Design of the research PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVEW 1.1.Definition of terms 1.2 An overview of motivation in language learning 1.2.1 Definition of language learning motivation 1.2.2 Classification of motivation in language learning 1.2.3 The importance of motivation in language learning 10 1.2.4 Parental factor and language learning motivation 11 1.2.5 Characteristics of motivated children 13 1.3 An overview of primary school students 13 1.3.1 Physiological characteristics 14 1.3.2 Cognitive ability 14 1.3.3 Faculty of memory 14 1.3.4 Study ability 15 1.3.5 Self- consciousness 15 1.4 Home learning 15 1.4.1 The importance of home learning 15 iv 1.4.2 Barriers for parents‟ involvement 16 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 18 2.1 The context of the study 18 2.2 Research questions 19 2.3 Participants 19 2.4 The data collection instruments 21 2.5 Data Collection Procedures 22 2.6 Data Analysis 23 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND MAJOR FINDINGS 24 3.1 Parents‟ attitudes towards their children‟s English learning at primary school 24 3.2 Parents‟ behaviors 26 3.2.1 Parents‟ interests in involvement in the children‟ English learning 26 3.2.2 Ways and types of parental behaviors 27 3.3 Parents‟ roles 33 3.4 Barriers for parents‟ involvement 34 PART C: CONCLUSION 37 Major findings and conclusions 37 Some implications 37 REFERENCES 39 APPENDIX I APPENDIX IX APPENDIX X APPENDIX XI v PART A : INTRODUCTION This part states the rationale of the study, together with the aims, the significance and the scope of the research Above all, it is this part that the research questions are formulated to work as clear guideline for the whole research Rationale Because of the globalization, English has become an international language In many countries, English is the primary language or official language; whereas in non- speaking countries, it is often taught as a foreign language and has referred to as an international language Hence, it is widely taught at all stages of education system in Vietnam According to the Decision No 1400-QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, English is introduced into the primary education curriculum starting from grade in Vietnam As English education is largely promoted in recent years, it has encouraged and influenced many Vietnamese parents‟ decision to place English as an educational priority for their children They are beginning their children‟s English learning at the earlier age than were common in the past and send them to English language learning center In Do Son, a small district of Haiphong city, there are no such centers English is taught in a classroom context where teachers follow the syllabus and learners have a few hours of English instruction a week In this type of environment, students have little opportunity to articulate English structure that are presented to them When complicated grammatical structures are taught without the opportunity to learn by trial and errors, learners may lose interest in learning English, particularly if their cognition is not mature enough to make sense of these grammatical structure According to my observation, there are too many students in one class, nearly about 40 students Moreover, the number of English periods per week is only periods In such condition, it is difficult for third grade students to be able acquire English well immediately at school They must learn and practise their English a lot at home with the support from parents Different practices of families in motivating children‟s language learning might exist On the other hand, children with good attitudes may be more likely to be persistent in the learning of English if they can develop strategies based on their individual characteristics and aptitudes, supported by family, school and other environments Motivation is very important to the learning process If children are not motivated, they will not learn Children must see and feel the need for learning Unless they see a need for and have an interest in learning, there is little incentive for them to learn There are internal and external factors or psychological factors that affect language learning Ellis (1990) states that internal factors are related to individual themselves The other category is the influence from outside or external factors Two of the important external factors are the parents‟ attitude towards second language learning and parent involvement in that process A lot of parents believe that education is the mere responsibility of school Because of this wrong perception, they tend to ignore the needs of their children‟s education at home Good quality home learning contributes more to children‟s learning than parental occupation, education and income Many researchers have been asserted the influence that parents can have on individual‟s motivation to learn a second language Furthermore, many recent research projects on language learning motivation have included this factor in their studies (Atay and Kurt (2010), Henkel (2009), Ryan (2009)) They have indicated that parents play an important role in maintaining their children ability as well as in participating for the success of learning The influence the parents on the child can be active supporters of their children‟s foreign language learning without themselves having skill in the foreign language Although parents play an active role in children‟s learning, there is little research on parents‟ roles in education in general and in language learning in particular in Vietnam However, despite growing documents of factors instrumental to children‟s English learning motivation and achievement, empirical attention focuses on individual characteristics of students, language learning strategies and teachers‟ contributions while neglecting the role of parents that can be shown through their attitudes towards English learning and the way they involve in the learning process All of these reasons did give an account for the researcher‟s wish of carrying out the study “parents‟ roles in motivating primary students to learn English at home” to investigate parents attitudes towards English learning and the way they act to promote their children to learn English Aims of the research This study aims to find out parents‟ role in motivating primary students to learn English To be more specific, the objectives of this study are: - To find out parents‟ attitudes towards their children‟s learning English at primary schools - To find out what parents to encourage their children to learn English - To find out parents‟ roles in motivating children to learn English - To find out the common barriers for parents to get involved in children‟s learning English at home? These aims are formulated into four following research questions: What are parents‟ attitudes towards their children‟s English learning at primary school? What parents often to encourage their children to learn English? What are parents‟ roles in motivating primary students in learning English at home? What are the common barriers for parents to get involved in children‟s learning English at home? Significance of the research 3.1 Theoretical significance Through this study, theories of motivation are revisited Main definition together with the classification of motivation and the importance of motivation in language learning are represented Besides, an overview of primary students‟ characteristics and their English learning are provided Moreover, the common barriers affecting parents‟ participation in children‟s learning English at home are covered 3.2 Practical significance This study is expected to find out the parents‟ roles in motivating their children in learning English Through the result, it is expected that it can give benefit for REFERENCES Baker, C (1992) Attitude and Language Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters Bartram, B.(2006) An Examination of Perceptions of Parental Influence On Attitudes to Language Learning Educational Research Brown, H D (2000) Principles of language learning and teaching: Fourth edition New York: Pearson Education Company Brown, H D (2001) Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to Language pedagogy (2nd ed.) New York: Longman Cameron, L (2001) Teaching Languages to Young Learners Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Cameron, L.2001 Teaching Language to Young Learners Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Deci, E L., & Ryan, R M (1985) Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior New York: Plenum Dornyei, R (2001) Teaching and Researching Motivation Longman Language Journal Dornyei, Z (1994) Motivation and motivating in the foreign classroom Modern Dornyei, Z (1998) Motivation in second and foreign language learning Language Teaching Dornyei, Z (2001) Motivational strategies in the Language Classroom Cambridge University Press Ellis, R (1997) Second Language Acquisition Oxford: Oxford University Press Second language Acquisition London OUP Ely, C M (1986) Language Learning Motivation: A Descriptive and Causal Analysis The Modern Language Journal Feestra, H (1969) Parent and Teacher Attitudes Their Role in Second Language Acquisition Canadian Modern Language Review Finegan, Edward 1994 (1989) Language Its Structure and Use Orlando: Harcourt 39 Brace Gardner, R C & Lambert, W.E (1959) Motivational variables in second-language acquisition Canadian Journal of Psychology Gardner, R C & Lambert, W.E (1972) Attitudes and Motivation in Second language Learning Roley: Mass-Newsbury House Gardner, R C., & Tremblay, P F (1994) On Motivation, Research agendas, and Theoretical Frameworks Modern Language Journal Gardner, RC (1985) Social Psychology and Second language Learning: The Roles of Attitudes and Motivation London: Edward Arnold Gottfried, A.E (1988) Academic Intrinsic motivation in Young Elementary School Children Journal Educational Psychology Hargreaves, M.B (1991) Learning under Stress Children of Single Parents and the school USA: the Scarecrow Press Jean Piaget, The Construction of Reality in the Child, translated by Margaret Cook London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1955 Malcolm Knowles et al., Andragogy in Action: Applying Modern Principles of Adult Education San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1984 Rosenbush, Marcia H (1987) Foreign Language Learning and Children The parental Role ( ED 289366) Stephen Krashen, Principles and Practices in Second language Acquisition Oxford: UK, Pergamon Press, 1982 Vaezi, Z (2008) Language Learning Motivation among Iranian Undergraduate Students World Applied Sciences Journal Wilder Penfield and Lamar Roberts, Speech and Brain Mechanisms Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1959 Williams, J., S & Burden, R., (1986) What is the motivation in education British Psychologist Williams, M., & Burden, R L (1997) Psychology for Language Teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 40 A toolkit for family involvement in education- Oregon Department of Education (www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/fitoolkitpdf) [ Accessed on December 12th 2013] Parents‟ view on Improving Parental involvement in Children‟s Education ( http: www.Scotland.gov.Uk Publication/2005/03/20759/53620 [ Accessed on December 2nd 2013] Characteristics of Young Learners (www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/0205535488.pdf) [ Accessed on December 21st 2013] Benefits of Parental Involvement ( http:www/ajmse.leena-luna.co.jp) [ Accessed on March 10th 2014] Definition of Role (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/role.html) [ Accessed on April 6th 2014] Definition of Homework (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/homework) [ Accessed on April 6th 2014] 41 APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES (English version) This questionnaire is designed for the research “ Parents‟ role in motivating primary students in English learning” It is used for research purpose only; so please respond to each statement or question thoroughly and as frankly and accurately as you can A Personal information: Please put a tick in the or write the answers briefly for the following information 1.Gender: Male Female Age: What is your educational background? a Less than high school b High school graduate c Some college or associate degree d Bachelors‟ degree or as much as higher How good are you at English? a Really good b Quite good c Not good enough d I don‟t know English B Survey questionnaires: Please put a tick in the for the following questions: 1.How you feel about English nowadays? a Very important b Rather important c Little important d Not important at all How necessary is it for your child to learn English? I a Very necessary b Rather necessary c Little necessary d Not necessary at all Children should learn English at primary school a Strongly agree b Agree c Disagree d Strongly disagree 4.I have stressed the importance of English to my child in the future a Agree b Disagree c Unsure Do you ever get involved in your child‟s homework? a Yes b No If you choose “ yes” to question 5, say how often you get involved in your child‟s homework? a Almost all the time b Frequently c Sometimes d Once in a while e Almost never If you choose “ yes” to question 5, say how you often get involved in your child‟s homework? a Reminding b Checking c Accompanying d Giving instructions I set goals to guide my child in English learning II a Agree b Disagree c Unsure I keep an eye on my child‟s achievement a Agree b Disagree c Unsure 10 I appreciate the child when he/she has good grades a Agree b Disagree c Unsure 11 I often buy English audio and visual materials for my child to practice at home a Agree b Disagree c Unsure 12 I hire a tutor to assist my child to learn English a Agree b Disagree c Unsure 13 I send my child to foreign language center a Agree b Disagree c Unsure 14 I enroll the child into English examination on Internet a Agree b Disagree c Unsure 15 How confident are you in your ability of English to help your children in English learning? a Extremely confident III b Quite confident c Slightly confident d Not confident at all 16 How you feel about the amount of time you have available to have with your children in English learning? a Too much time b About the right of time c Not quite enough time d No time 17 How you feel about the capability of finance you have to facilitate your children in English learning? a Much financial capability b Enough financial capability c A little financial capability d No financial capability Thanks for your cooperation! IV CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT (Phiên tiếng Việt) Bản câu hỏi khảo sát thiết kế cho nghiên cứu “Vai trò phụ huynh học sinh tiểu học việc tạo động lực học Tiếng Anh cho học sinh tiểu học” Tác giả cảm kích giúp đỡ bậc phụ huynh việc trả lời câu hỏi sau Tất thông tin cung cấp sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu; mong bậc phụ huynh trả lời câu hỏi cách xác trung thực A Thông tin cá nhân: Hãy đánh dấu  vào Giới tính: trả lời ngắn gọn thông tin sau Nam Nữ  Tuổi:  Trình độ a Duới phổ thơng b Tốt nghiệp THPT c Tốt nghiệp cao đẳng/ đại học d Có thạc sỹ cao Trình độ Tiếng Anh a Rất tốt b Khá tốt c Không tốt d Không biết Tiếng Anh B Câu hỏi khảo sát: Hãy đánh dấu  vào ô để trả lời câu hỏi sau: 1.Anh/ chị nghĩ Tiếng Anh xã hội nay? a Rất quan trọng b Khá quan trọng c Một chút d Không quan trọng V 2.Con anh/chi có cần học Tiếng Anh không? a Rất cần b Khá cần c Một chút d Không cần 3.Trẻ nên học Tiếng Anh từ bậc tiểu học a Rất đồng ý b Đồng ý c Khơng đồng ý d Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý Anh/ chị nhắc nhở quan trọng Tiếng Anh với tương lai a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý c Không rõ ràng 5.Anh/ chị tham gia vào việc làm tập con? a Có b Khơng Nếu Anh/ chị chọn “ Có” câu hỏi số 5, xin cho biết anh/chị có thường xuyên giúp làm tập nhà không? a Luôn b Thường xuyên c Thỉnh thoảng d Đôi e Hầu không Nếu anh/ chị chọn “ Có” câu hỏi số 5, xin cho biết anh/chị giúp làm tập nhà nào? a Nhắc nhở b Kiểm tra c Kèm VI d Hướng dẫn Anh/chi đặt mục tiêu cho việc học Tiếng Anh a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý c Không rõ ràng Anh/ chi quan tâm đến kết học tập a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý c Không rõ 10 Anh/ chị khen ngợi điểm cao a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý c Không rõ ràng 11 Anh/ chị thường xuyên mua đĩa tài liệu cho luyện thêm Tiếng Anh nhà? a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý c Không rõ 12 Anh/ chị thuê gia sư kèm học thêm cho nhà a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý 13 Anh / chị cho học thêm trung tâm Anh ngữ quốc tế a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý 14 Anh/ chị cho tham gia kỳ thi Tiiéng Anh mạng a Đồng ý b Không đồng ý 15 Anh/ chị tự tin mức độ trình độ Tiếng Anh giúp học ? a Rất tự tin b Khá tự tin VII c Hơi tự tin b Không tự tin 16 Lượng thời gian mà anh/ chị dành cho việc học Tiếng Anh mức độ nào? a Rất nhiều b Đủ thời gian c Khơng có nhiều thời gian b Khơng có thời gian 17 Khả tài mà anh/ chị có để trang bị điều kiện học Tiếng Anh cho mức độ nào? a Nhiều khả b Đủ khả c It khả b Khơng có khả Cảm ơn hợp tác bậc phụ huynh! VIII APPENDIX QUESTIONS FOR INTERVIEW (English version) How you feel about English nowadays? How necessary is it for your child to learn English? What and how you often to support your children‟s in learning English at home? What are the barriers for you to get involed in your children‟s English learning? IX APPENDIX CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN (Phiên tiếng Việt) Anh/ chị nghĩ vai trò Tiếng Anh thời đại ngày nay? Việc học Tiếng Anh anh/chị cần thiết nào? Anh/ chị làm làm để tạo động lực cho học Tiếng Anh nhà? Trong trình giúp học Tiếng Anh nhà, anh/ chị gặp phải trở ngại gì? X APPENDIX INTERVIEWERS’ CODES Participants Age English knowledge Participant 1- P1 33 Quite good A university lecturer Participant 2- P2 37 Quite good A high school teacher Participant 3- P3 45 Really good A hotel general manager Participant 4- P4 35 Quite good A hospital accountant Participant 5- P5 48 Quite good A doctor Participant 6- P6 41 Not know English A worker XI Jobs Participant 7- P7 48 Not know English A farmer Participant 8- P8 34 Not know English A fish seller Participant 9- P9 36 Not good enough A hairdresser XII ... AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** NGÔ THỊ HUỆ PARENTS’ ROLES IN MOTIVATING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO LEARN ENGLISH VAI TRÒ CỦA PHỤ HUYNH TRONG VIỆC... children‟s English learning at primary school? 2.What parents often to encourage their children to learn English? 3.What are parents‟ role in motivating primary students in learning English at... in motivating primary students to learn English To be more specific, the objectives of this study are: - To find out parents‟ attitudes towards their children‟s learning English at primary schools