HA NOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH -o0o CODE: 28 GRADUATION THESIS B.A DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDY HOW TO BREAK THE ICE IN SPEAKING ENGLISH FOR THE FRESHMEN AT FACULTY OF ENGLISH, HOU Supervisor : Pham To Hoa, M.A Student : Nguyen Thi Hang Date of birth : 19/10/1994 Course : 1271A04 (2012-1016) Ha Noi – 2016 DECLARATION TITLE: HOW TO BREAK THE ICE IN SPEAKING ENGLISH FOR THE FRESHMEN AT FACULTY OF ENGLISH, HOU (Graduation Paper submitted in Partial Fulfillment of B.A Degree in English) I certify that no part of the above report has been copied from any other person’s work without acknowledgements and that the report is originally written by me under instruction of my supervisor Hanoi, 15th April, 2016 Student Nguyen Thi Hang Supervisor Pham To Hoa, M.A ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This graduation paper could not have been completed without the timely incentive and whole-hearted support and help of the teachers, friends and relatives Therefore, talking the opportunity, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to them First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs Pham To Hoa, M.A, for her enthusiasm, kindness and precious instructions contributed greatly to completion of the thesis Special thanks also go to all teachers, who have been teaching for many years at the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University, always try to impart their knowledge and experience to the students and that cannot be expressed in words Thirdly, I would like to know sincere thanks to the President of Hanoi Open University as well as the Dean and Leading Board of English Faculty for giving me an opportunity to the thesis Finally and most importantly, I would like to express my whole-hearted gratitude to my family and relatives who always encourage, support and take care of me so much during years of studying Hanoi, April, 2016 Nguyen Thi Hang TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Research questions Methods of the study Design of the study PART B: THE DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definition of communication 1.1.1 Functions 1.1.2 Characteristics 1.2 Definition of speaking skills 1.3 The importance of speaking skills 10 1.3.1 Speaking is in daily communicative functions 10 1.3.2 Speaking is in integrating skills 11 1.4 Summary 13 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 14 2.1 Methodology 14 2.1.1 Survey questionnaire 14 2.1.1.1 Aims of the survey 14 2.1.1.2 Method of the survey 14 2.1.2 Objects of the survey 15 2.1.3 Data collection 15 2.2 Data collection and analysis 16 2.2.1 Students’ interest in speaking English 16 2.2.2 Students’ attitude towards speaking skills 16 2.2.3 Students’ English self-study skills 18 2.2.4 Students’ difficulties in speaking English 20 2.2.5 Summary 22 2.3 Findings 22 2.3.1 Lack of confidence 22 2.3.2 Poor vocabulary 23 2.3.3 Having negative attitudes towards English speaking 24 2.3.4 Lack of practicing 24 2.3.5 The mispronunciation and misunderstanding in using grammar 24 2.3.6 Difficulties in getting the people’s attention 26 2.3.7 The lack of background knowledge and culture 27 2.3.8 Fear of making mistakes 28 2.3.9 Others 28 2.3.9.1 Memory loss while speaking English 28 2.3.9.2 Fear of people’s laugh 28 2.3.9.3 Unfamiliar partner 28 2.3.9.4 The lack of motivation and flexibility in speaking English 28 2.4 Summary 29 CHAPTER 3: SOME POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION TO OVERCOME DRAWBACKS 30 3.1 Improve English speaking skills 30 3.1.1 Stress 30 3.1.2 Intonation 31 3.1.3 Individual sounds 32 3.2 Enrich vocabulary 32 3.3 Grammar practice 34 3.4 Enrich knowledge 34 3.5 Build self-confidence 36 3.5.1 Overcome fear of making mistakes 36 3.5.2 Make the conversation with others and native speakers 37 3.5.3 Watch the English videos, films, ect 38 3.6 Join activities outside class 39 3.6.1 Taking part in English clubs or communicative groups regularly 39 3.6.2 Participate in some English competition 39 3.7 Improve English self-study skills 40 3.8 Pair work and group work 41 3.9 Others 42 3.9.1 Good personal appearance 42 3.9.2 Reading and listening regular 42 3.9.3 Prepare the topic carefully 42 3.9.4 Learn deeply 43 3.9.5 Playing games 43 3.9.6 Telling stories 44 3.9.7 Making eyed-contact 44 3.10 Summary 44 PART C: CONCLUSION 45 REFERENCES 46 APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 48 APPENDIX 2: SOME USEFUL WEBSITES 51 Graduation Paper PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale In today’s global world, no one can deny and ignore the importance of English It is the massive means of communication and the most common language spoken internationally With the help of advanced technology, English has been playing a major role in many sectors including medicine, engineering, education and so on It is the official language of 54 different countries and is spoken by over a billion and a half of people worldwide, while another 1,000,000,000 still learning English Speaking English properly opens up many opportunities In fact, speaking English can help learners enhance interaction in the target language for communicating with people around the world Besides, English will help people push their career forward such as gaining technical knowledge learning computer, science, ect Moreover, when people know English, they can learn and enhance their knowledge about culture and society of nations in the world by reading the printed English materials Simply English lets them feel various cultures and customs in the world easily Also, they can watch films, read famous books or listen music, ect Therefore, it is highly essential to know that English plays a vital role in our life, and English is the best way to help us get a better life in the future There are four basic skills in English: speaking, listening, writing, and reading Among those skills, speaking is used as the major means of communication It seems to be the easiest and quickest However, to improve their speaking skill, students have to face a lot of difficulties The topic of this study resulted from a fact that the freshmen in Faculty of English, HOU often gets troubles in speaking English Therefore, the writer decide to write about the topic to point out some difficulties in speaking of Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) Graduation Paper students at HOU and suggest some solutions that can help them improve their English speaking skill better and more effectively Aims of the study The purpose of this research is to improve the speaking skill for the freshmen at HOU The study is to attempt to: - Give basic knowledge about speaking skill - Rise and point out some difficulties of students in learning speaking skill - Provide some solutions to help students improve their English speaking skills Scope of the study This study concentrates on speaking skills, factors that affect speaking skill such as some common errors, some difficulties of student when speaking English at HOU Then, the writer makes some suggestions to improve English speaking skill The data will be collected and analyzed from the result of the research Research questions Some research questions as follow: What are the difficulties of students in speaking skills? What are the possible ways to improve English speaking skills for the freshmen at HOU? Methods of the study - Survey questionnaire + Object: the freshmen in English Faculty, HOU + Questionnaire: data collection and analysis - Observation Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) Graduation Paper Design of the study The graduation paper is divided into three parts and three chapters • Part A: Introduction This part includes rationale, aims, scope, research questions, methods and design of the study • Part B: Development This part contains three main parts: Chapter 1: Literature Review Chapter 2: The study Chapter 3: Some possible recommendations to overcome drawbacks • Part C: Conclusion and recommendation Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) Graduation Paper PART B: THE DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definition of communication Communication is a slippery concept, and while we may casually use the word with some frequency, it is difficult to arrive at a precise definition that is agreeable to most of those who consider themselves communication scholars Communication is so deeply rooted in human behavior and the structures of society that it is difficult to think of social or behavioral events that are absent communication The word “communication” may be understood in many ways depending on different goals So the definition of communication ranges widely There are some point of view “communication” is defined as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system os symbols, signs, or behavior According to Nancy Ellen, “communication” is transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence but the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver” Another dictionary- Oxford dictionary, declares that communication is giving or exchanging information, signals, messages by talk or gestures or writing Yet another definition says that communication is social intercourse Communication is all this and much more Communication is giving, receiving, or exchanging ideas, information, signals or messages through appreciate media, enabling individuals groups to persuade, to seek information or to express emotion Communication is the articulation of sending a message, whether it is verbal or nonverbal, so long as to produce understanding Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) Graduation Paper be able to think clearly without any level of hesitation and being capable of performing well and speaking English naturally Another aspect that you have to admit that you have fear of speaking and then try to get rid of it is just a matter of time Learners should also seek and engage every opportunity to speak English In addition, not hesitate if they get an invitation to speak English Create the most comfortable situation and talk with each other every day Before engaging in a conversation, take a deep breath, control emotions and fear It is the best way to help students control their nervous and anxious easily There are some basic ways to help students build self-confidence before getting into a real conservation: - Keep yourself motivated day by day The motivation and effort are both strong foundation that help you put the fear down and as the goes by, the fear of speaking English will disappear completely - Make a vision board and fill it out describing the person you want to be, like It helps learners to build their self-esteem and confidence - Put away fears and try to practice speaking as much as possible Keep recording their voice or making videos, speaking in front of the mirror or even taking a shower Using English on a daily basis makes the language a habit, the confidence comes with practice - Find a suitable topic to think about, make an outline before speaking 3.5.2 Make the conversation with others and native speakers It is undeniable that speaking to the native speakers are one of the fastest ways to help students improve intonation, stress, pronunciation, vocabulary, and also their confidence Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 37 Graduation Paper It fact, not everyone can travel to the country where target language is spoken Thus, grasp all the chances to communicate with foreigners when you meet them by chance in the street or history places, ect Be polite and talent to make friends with people who only speak English You are forced to speak with them in English instead of relying on your mother tongue All they need is to meet new people and understand better about your local area, they will not judge you and your English skills an any way In addition, learners should be more active to take part in professional networking organization, or team that host international events Many of these will have a mixture of native speakers You can offer language exchange sessions You can teach them your mother tongue and they will happy to help you practice English Interestingly, thanks to technological advancements, learners nowadays can join online conversation clubs There are hundreds of language conversation club online These websites are great option for you to converse with native speakers right in the comfort of your own home In the conversation, students and foreigners interchange their life experience and information, by that way, students can understand more about the natives’ culture or get the consultancies if their way of expression is suitable in the foreigners’ way of speaking 3.5.3 Watch the English videos, films, ect TV and video enable you to exploit the visual element that is essential in face to face communication One way to use the visual dimension of conservation is to watch TV programs involving a group of people in discussion Looking out for things such as the ways in which the speakers indicates that they want to speak nest, or are about to finish what they are saying Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 38 Graduation Paper Recognizing these “turn-taking” signals will help you to participate in English conservation 3.6 Join activities outside class 3.6.1 Taking part in English clubs or communicative groups regularly In the time when the need for English is bigger and bigger now, more and more English clubs are opened to learners who are interested I English and wish to well perform in the language When students join these clubs, they have opportunities to make new friends, to talk free about topics which are given by masters of English in the clubs Students should try to find more opportunity to practice speaking not only in the class but also outside class, such as join clubs or groups The more students practice speaking, the more student’s speaking increases as well In the English clubs, they can express their ideas about the topics freely It is English environment that can force everybody use English all the time In English clubs, people are divided into small group, chat and discuss about the given topic They are not fear of making mistakes because everyone will help them correct the mistakes and control their nervous These ways helps students more self-confident They can also study a lot of vocabulary and new structures as well as the way to speak well in public through taking part in games or singing 3.6.2 Participate in some English competition Many students feel it is difficult to express their talents in school Exams and group assignments not always capture students’ unique skills or accurately measure the ability to apply skills to real-world problems In contrast, many student competitions are based on solving “real” cases and problems Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 39 Graduation Paper By participating in a competition organized by their university or other organization, students have a new opportunity to show their talent and apply their skills In turn, the rewards of student competitions, whether tangible or otherwise, can help them achieve their educational and professional goals Students might win an internship that leads to the job of their dreams, some money that would help them buy course books, or even help to start their own business Obviously, not everyone who enters the competition will win However, even if students don’t receive any of the big prizes, they can still benefit from the opportunity to challenge themselves They will learn new things and develop new skills – and even if they don’t win, they can still show what they gained from the experience, and talk about this in job applications and interviews Finally, student competitions allow them to test their ideas to see how viable they are, in a risk-free environment where they are able to collect and incorporate feedback from peers and professionals 3.7 Improve English self-study skills A very useful tip for students to speak English naturally is that they have to create a reasonable timetable and make every effort to reach the success Set goals, put them into practice and make a commitment To speak English naturally requires a lot of motivation Make sure you are ready to begin studying, start off slowly, but regularly After you have carried out for a week, adjust your schedule accordingly For instance, learners can try to speak only English or not use their mother tongue in the speaking class as well as avoid interrupting when the partner is speaking or laughing at the partner’s mistakes Keep talking to yourself when you are doing daily things This will help you to think in English Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 40 Graduation Paper Nowadays the internet has been seen as a helpful learning environment for learners to access the internet anytime Make full use of internet and modern facilities to serve for your study Use social network to find groups or native speakers interested in online conversation to experience much more information There would be a balanced exchanged in the learning process In addition, there are a lot of available websites providing instructions on how to speak English naturally with native teachers or consultants in many aspects of English learning from building grammar structures, vocabulary and pronunciation to raise motivation and inspire positive attitudes towards speaking the language 3.8 Pair work and group work Pair work and group work are common in language learning They are very useful in learning, especially in practicing speaking English Pair work seems to be a good idea because it immediately increases the amount of students practice Pair work allows the students to use language and also encourage students cooperate which is itself important for the atmosphere of the class and for the motivation it gives to learning with others Since the teacher as controller is no longer oppressively present, students can help each other to use and learn language With pair work, then, the students can practice language use and joint learning Group work also brings many advantages Groups can range in size from very small to very large Small group usually consists of three to seven members, occasionally more The communication that occurs in small group is different from the communication that occurs in the other contexts, such as in public communication and interpersonal communication Groups usually have a much large number of possible Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 41 Graduation Paper solutions from which to choose Group member can help each other think critically by correcting one another’s misinformation When all the students in a group are working together to produce an advertisement, for example, they will be communicating with each other and more importantly cooperating among themselves 3.9 Others 3.9.1 Good personal appearance Good-looking appearance creates self-confidence for speakers so it is very important to keep a good appearance every time Good appearance shows how self-confident and careful you are because when you try to make a good appearance means that your respect to other one You can make a good impression by paying attention to grooming, clothing, accessories, and style that form the appearance 3.9.2 Reading and listening regular Reading is very useful way to improve speaking skill When students read the text loudly in English, they can not only practice English but also check and correct their pronunciation, stress, intonation Additionally, reading brings more background knowledge and ideas to give the students’ opinions about some topic Listening is a skill that certainly shares many similarities with reading in helping improve speaking skill Through listening, students can imitate structure, intonation, learn vocabulary, get associated with different accents from native speakers, and so on 3.9.3 Prepare the topic carefully Take advantage of the powerful method of “narrow-reading”, which means that you will read and study all about the subject you have to speak is one of the best ways to speak English naturally Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 42 Graduation Paper Once learners can prepare a careful informative speech that presents accurate, thorough information about the topic and provides the listeners with the kind of information they want and need, it will be a good start to gain success in speaking Good preparation, therefore, gives the freshmen a foundation to present their ideas and interest to others 3.9.4 Learn deeply Deep learning basically means repeating what have been learnt many times This is very different from the way learners did at school The key is that students should slow down and repeat everything which have been learnt many times If you have an audio article, a podcast or something you are listening to and you like it, not just listen one time, one time is not enough You should listen to that, you should listen to it 30 times, 50 times, 100 times or more Even after you know the vocabulary, continue listening to the same thing because knowing the vocabulary just means you can take a test and say the meaning However, when you hear it, you instantly understand it? if the answer is “no” you need to repeat more This is one of the key secrets to speaking faster and to really learning grammar correctly and using it correctly Learners need more repetition Focus on the most common verbs, vocabulary and the most common English, through listening and then repeat them which is the way to develop speaking skill 3.9.5 Playing games Clearly, speaking activities based on games are a useful way of giving students a valuable practice which involves practice of oral strategies such as describing, predicting, simplifying, asking for feedback or guessing unknown information Students feel free to talk and share their own ideas through some games popular in the UK Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 43 Graduation Paper 3.9.6 Telling stories Story telling is a learning tool that encourages students to explore their unique expensiveness and develop their competence to communicate thoughts and feelings in an articulate and lucid manner By telling stories, the freshmen experience the moment that they concentrate their mind, thinking on telling the class a story in an impressive and attractive way Others students pay attention to listening to the tale so that they can understand the content and have witty comments to their friend’s story The story may be a short funny one to make the class merry and attract students to speaking lessons In other ways, the first half of the story is told, after that students will have their own imagination for the end of the story This aim is to develop the creativity of students and their concentration on the lesson 3.9.7 Making eyed-contact This can be hard, but by forcing themselves to make eye contact, students will not only gain self-confidence by practicing this, they will gain other’s confidence as well 3.10 Summary There are several methods for the freshmen of FOE, at HOU to improve speaking skill Based on the data, the writer’s experience and the writer’s observation, these suggestions is given to help students limit their mistake and improve their speaking skill The writer hopes that all recommendations will be useful and effective not only for the freshmen at Faculty of English, HOU but also for others who are in trouble in developing speaking skill in communication However, no method is perfect for all students, they should be wise and how to know link effectively to choose the most suitable and favorite ways for applying and bring it into the play Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 44 Graduation Paper PART C: CONCLUSION In the thesis, the writer tried to deal with speaking as one of four basic skills and highlight its importance in everyday situations She pointed out that speaking plays a crucial role in our lives and without it we would not be able to exchange the information and share our knowledge It is not denied that speaking is very important in the language system However, it often causes embarrassment to students of English, even advanced learners For this reason, the thesis has focused on how to break the ice and give some recommendation to help students, especially freshmen overcome drawbacks in Faculty of English, HOU Taking this point into consideration, the thesis gives a complete and understandable picture of speaking Everything related to speaking such as some factors mentioned above affects speaking English Due to the limitation of time and comprehensive knowledge, the shortcomings are unavoidable in the study Therefore, suggestions would be highly appreciated to a better research paper for further study Besides, some useful methods also have been mentioned The writer hopes that students will have a full look at speaking English Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 45 Graduation Paper REFERENCES Brandom Hariss (2000) Effective Techniques for English Conversation groups Boston: Newbury House Publishers Brown, G & Yule, G (1983) Teaching the Spoken language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Burn and joyce (1997) Focus on speaking, North Ryde, N.S.W.: National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research Chaney (1998) Accent America Essentials California: The Linguistic Publisher Cook (1996) The interactional function of conservation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Davis and Pearse (2000) How to teach English London: Addison Wesley Longman Dennis (2011) Real English conversation practices Boston: Language teaching publications F.A Cartier and F.A Harwood (1953) On definition of communication, Journal of Communication 3: 71-75, p.73 Flynn, James Robert (2008) Where have all the liberals gone? : race, class, and ideas in America Cambridge University Press 10 Harmer (1996) Understanding Foreign Language teaching methodology Cambridge: Cambridge Language Education 11 John B.Hoben, English Communication at Colgate Re- Examined.,Journal of Communication 4: 76-86, p77 12 Lai (1993) Communicative competence: theory and classroom practice New York: Addison- Wesley Publishing Company Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 46 Graduation Paper 13 Littlewood, N (1981) Communicative language teaching Cambridge University Press 14 Mariance Celce Murcia (2001) Teaching English as a Second Language, in 1886 15 Martin, H (2002) Pronunciation Plus Student’s Book: Practice through interaction Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 16 Martin Andersen (1959) What is communication? Journal of Communication 9:5, p.115 17 Nancy Ellen, Z (1996) Conversation Inspirations Pro Lingua Associates 18 Nunan, D (2003) Task for language teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 19 Philip M Brudden (1995) Effective English teaching (Second Edition) (New York: The Bob Merri Company, 1995), p85) 20 S Schacter (1956) Deviation, Rejection, and Communication, Journal of Communication 6: 147-53, p.148 Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 47 Graduation Paper APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE This questionnaire is designed to identify the current situation of the freshmen in Faculty of English, HOU in learning English speaking skills Your will answers be invaluable for the writer towards problems and suggestions developing speaking skills Your assistance is highly appreciated You can be sure that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Ì you have any question, free contact me via email: gakonbn94@gmail.com Thank you very much for your help! Please, answer the following questions and circle the answer you think is/are appreciate Question 1: Do you like speaking English? A Yes, very much B Yes, pretty much C Yes, a little bit D No Question 2: Do you think English speaking skills are important to you? A Yes, very important B Yes, rather important C Yes, little important D Not important at all Question 3: Are you confident to speak English in class? A Yes, very much B Yes, pretty much C Yes, a little bit D No Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 48 Graduation Paper Question 4: Do you take part in any English clubs? A Often B Sometimes C Rarely D Never Question Do you communicate with English native speakers? A Often B Sometimes C Rarely Never Question 6: How long you practice speaking English each day? A More than hour B 30 minutes C 10 minutes D None Question 7: What kind of materials you use for self-study speaking skills? A Printed materials ( books, newspapers, magazines) B Online sources ( English learning websites, English groups) C Media sources( video, TV programs, movies, ect) Question 8: Which factor in English speaking skills is difficult for you? ( more than one answer is acceptable) A Vocabulary B Fluency C Listening D Pronunciation Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 49 Graduation Paper Question 9: How does grammar affect you when speaking English? A Very much B Quite much C Not very much D Not at all Question 10: Which difficulties you have to face when selfstudying English speaking skill? (more than one answer is acceptable) A Lack of motivation B Lack of interaction (with teachers, native speakers ) C Lack of self-study materials (books, newspaper, magazine ) D Inappropriate attitude E Inappropriate learning strategies Thank you for your co- operation! Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 50 Graduation Paper APPENDIX 2: SOME USEFUL WEBSITES To learn vocabulary: http://www.visualthesaurus.com/vocabgrabber/ http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/vocabulary-games http://www.esl-lab.com/vocab/index.htm To learn grammar: http://learningenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar https://elt.oup.com/learningresources/subjects/grammar/view=standard&cc To learn pronunciation: http://www.readingbear.org/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/ To learn listening skill: www.esl-lab.com http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/category/skills/listeningviewing/comprehension/reading-identify-sewuence http://wwwquadrivialquandary.com/ To learn writing skill: http://www.tienganhonline.net/writingskill.htm http://www.englishclub.com/writing/ http://www.really-learn-english.com/learn-to-write-in-english.html To learn speaking skill: http://www.talkenglish.com/ http://www.nnc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/webcast/betterspeakin g-achieve.html http://wwwyoutobe.com/playlist/list-=PL2F706a85FD1A87CA Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 51 [...]... superior in the family, society, or organization, often initiate communication either for the purpose of informing their subordinates or for the purpose of telling them, what to do, how to do when to do, etc The command and instructive functions of communication are more observable in formal organizations than in informal organizations - Influent or persuasive function: The sole purpose of communication... Functions Communication serves four vital functions in society - Information function: the basic requirement of adapting and adjusting oneself to the environment is information There must be some information about what is going on in the environment which concerns the people The receiving or giving of information underlines all communication functions, either directly or indirectly - Commanding or Instructive... Paper of intelligible speech” The other shows that speaking is delivering an address to public audience.” Chaney (1998, p13) indicates that speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning using verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of context The definition of speaking is much diversified In Cambridge dictionary, speaking is defined quieted simply to say words, to use voice, to have... characteristics, the definition of speaking and the importance of speaking in society This information in this chapter serves a purpose of helping students to understand more about speaking skill and from that, they will understand the strategies of how to improve speaking skill during the learning process, which is shown in the next chapter Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 13 Graduation Paper CHAPTER 2: THE. .. The table indicates the kind of materials that students use to practice English speaking skill It can be seen from the table that a great number of students tend to use online materials to serve for their English speaking study (47%) 33% of students are keen on watching English programs or listening records on radio and just 20% of them choose to learn this skill through printed materials Furthermore,... the individual word but still not the meaning That is the reason why they complain that they do not know what to say in their speaking Therefore, the students’ failures of English speaking always are happened Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 23 Graduation Paper 2.3.3 Having negative attitudes towards English speaking Most students have negative attitudes towards English learning especially speaking. .. reading and writing, speaking is a receptive skill In the learning of speaking, one can enrich his vocabulary and improve the fluency as well as accuracy in spelling, intonation for speaking When reading aloud, the response to English words and the skill of guessing new words are better Then students can apply new words in their speaking Similarity, when listening, we hear sounds, pay attention to them,... studying the language for a long time They still find it hard to speak Nguyen Thi Hang - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 22 Graduation Paper confidently in front of their classmate This is a result of the fact that students pay attention to learning English to pass examinations, when in reality, they need to be able to communicate Besides, they are afraid of standing up in front of the audience, at that time, their... is to influence people Persuasive function of communication i.e to induce people is extremely important for extension in changing their behavior in desirable direction - Integrative function: A major function of communication is integration or of continuously offsetting any disintegration at the interpersonal or at the organizational level This helps in maintaining individual, societal or organizational... Paper The table 10 present the difficulties the freshmen have to face The percentage of the respondents claim their interaction deficiencies in learning to speak the language is surprisingly high, which is up to 305 while only 5% of them assert that hardly can they find self-learning materials to enrich their English speaking proficiency Furthermore, a noticeable number of the students avow that they