VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES POST-GRADUATE STUDIES CHU THỊ KIM NGÂN USING TASK-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR THE FIRSTYEAR NON-MAJOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY ( Sử dụng hoạt động giao nhiệm vụ cho sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh tiết học nói trường Đại học Kinh Tế Quốc Dân) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 HANOI, 2009 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES POST-GRADUATE STUDIES CHU THỊ KIM NGÂN USING TASK-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR THE FIRSTYEAR NON-MAJOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY ( Sử dụng hoạt động giao nhiệm vụ cho sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh tiết học nói trường Đại học Kinh Tế Quốc Dân) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 SUPERVISOR: Nguyen Thi Vuong, M.A HANOI, 2009 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… 1.1 Rationale of the study……………………………………………………… 1.2 Aims of the study………………………………………………………… 1.3 Research questions………………………………………………………… 1.4 Scope of the study………………………………………………………… 1.5 Design of the study………………………………………………………… CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………… 2.1 Speaking skill……………………………………………………………… 2.1.1 What is speaking? 2.1.2 Approaches to speaking……………………………………………………….3 2.1.3 Aspects of teaching speaking in CLT classes……………………………….5 2.1.3.1 Introduction to CLT approach…………………………………………5 1.3.2 Teaching interactional skill in CLT classes…………………………6 2.1.3 Integrating pronunciation teaching………………………………….6 2.1.3.4 Accuracy and fluency………………………………………………… 2.2 Task-based language teaching (TBLT)…………………………………… 2.2.1 What is T BLT? 2.2.2 Tasks in TBLT……………………………………………………………… 2.2.2.1 Defining tasks………………………………………………………… 2.2.2.2 Classifying tasks……………………………………………………….10 2.2.3 Advantages of TBLT………………………………………………………….12 2.2.4 A framework for task-based learning……………………………… 14 2.3 Summary…………………………………………………………………… 16 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY…………………………………………………… 17 3.1 The context for the stud……………………………………………………17 3.1.1 Introduction to the English course for first-year non-major students at National Economics University……………………………………………………………17 3.1.2 The teaching materials and assessment………………………………… 17 3.1.3 Situational analysis……………………………………………………18 3.2 Design and methodology………………………………………………… 19 v 3.2.1 Participants………………………………………………………………………19 3.2.2 Instruments………………………………………………………………………19 3.2.3 Data collection procedures………………………………………………20 3.3 Data analysis…………………………………………………………… .20 3.3.1 Task-based project…………………………………………………………….20 3.3.2 The post-treatment test……………………………………………… 23 3.3.3 Interview …………………………………………………………………… 24 3.4 Findings and discussion…………………………………………………… 29 3.5 Summary………………………………………………………………………32 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………….34 4.1 Summary of the major findings…………………………………………… 34 4.2 Recommendations for the application of the TB approach……………… 35 REFERENCES APPENDIXES vi LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: The framework for task-based learning………………………………….14 Table 2:The levels of proficiency of the experimental class………………………23 Table 3: The levels of proficiency of the control class………………………… 24 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter aims to present the rationale of the study, aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study and design of the study 1.1 Rationale of the study Nowadays, teaching English has received increasing attention as English has become the language for global communication To meet the future job requirements, students in general and students of Economics at National Economics University in particular need to enhance their skills of English, especially the speaking skill However, there exists a critical problem in teaching and learning English at colleges and universities resulting from inappropriate teaching materials and instructional techniques The common teaching approach applied in English lesson at most of universities and colleges is teacher-centered and lecture-oriented, which normally results in learning passivity and non-involvement in language skills in general and in speaking activities in particular Therefore, it is the high time to make a change in the traditional learning process of English at universities in Vietnam in general and at the National Economics University in particular Among the modern teaching methods, the task-based one is considered a type of analytic learning and teaching method which owns numerous advantages According to Cadlin (1987), “Task-based learning continues with and develops recent attention to learner-centered approaches and in particular the ideas of differentiation and learner independence… Tasks serve as compelling and appropriate method for realizing certain characteristic principles of communicative language teaching and learning.” Besides, Nunan (2005) argues that “TBT does provide a flexible, functionally compatible and contextually sensitive approach for many teachers, as well as learners” For all the reasons mentioned, we believe that the implication of task-based approach will enable a change in students’ learning process, especially in terms of speaking skill and for the first-year non-major students at National Economics University 1.2 Aims of the study The study aims to investigate the benefits of integrating a task-based approach in teaching speaking to the first-year non-major of English at National Economics University The study aims to focus on students’ achievement in speaking skill and positive changes in their learning attitudes and motivation as well 1.3 Research questions There are two research questions for the study as follows: Question 1: Is the task-based method suitable for teaching speaking skill for the firstyear non-major students of English at NEU? Question 2: Does the task-based approach bring about any progress in learning process? 1.4 Scope of the study The focus of the study was on the benefits gained by the first-year non-major students at National Economics University when adopting a task-based approach in learning speaking The study was conducted under the scope of an experiment with a small number of the first-year students It was restricted to the second half of their first year 1.5 Design of the study The study consists of four chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter presents the rationale, the aim, the scope and the design of the study Chapter 2: Literature review: This chapter is concerned with the theoretical background of the study which includes an overview of speaking skill and Task-based Language Teaching Chapter 3: The study: This chapter refers to the real situation of learning English of the first-year non-major students Chapter 4: Conclusion: This chapter presents the summary of major findings and the suggestions for the implication of the task-based approach CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter is concerned with the theoretical background of the study which includes an overview of speaking skill and Task-based Language Teaching 2.1 Speaking skill 2.1.1 What is speaking? In this section, I will consider what we mean by “speaking” In language teaching, we often talk about four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in terms of their direction and modality Speaking, in particular, can be regarded as the productive, oral skill Speaking consists of producing systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning According to Florez (1999), speaking is “an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information” It is often spontaneous, open-ended, and evolving but it is not completely unpredictable Speaking plays an important part in communication as Ur (1996), Bailey and Savage( 1994) say “ for many people, speaking is seen as the central skill because of the desire to communicate with others, often face to face and in real time” It is really an impressive feat when we hear someone speaking effectively in a second or foreign language Ur (1996) considers speaking intuitively the most important of the four skills: people who know a language are referred to as “speaker” of that language as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing 2.1.2 Approaches to speaking For many years, language teaching was seen as helping learners develop linguistic competence –that is, helping students master the sounds, words and grammar patterns of English The idea was that by studying the bits and pieces of a language, students could eventually put them altogether and communicate In the1970s and 1980s, however, the understanding of language learning experienced a significant shift in focus This shift was influenced by international developments in linguistics, curricula, and pedagogy, as well as by sociolinguistic research (primary in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, The United Kingdom and The U.S) In addition, the numbers of refugees and immigrants resettling in English-speaking countries made linguists and language teachers realize that developing linguistic competence alone was not enough to be able to speak English well and get along in a society In the mid-1970s, the notion of linguistic competence came to be viewed as a component of the broader idea of communicative competence “the ability of language learners to interact with other speakers, to make meaning, as distinct from their ability to perform on discrete-point tests of grammatical knowledge”( Savignon, 1991) Being communicatively competent “requires an understanding of sociocultural contexts of language use” There are several important models of communicative competence, all of which include some form of sociolinguistic competence, or the ability to use language appropriately in various contexts Sociolinguistic competence involves register (degrees of formality and informality), appropriate word choice, style shifting, and politeness strategies Another important element of communicative competence is strategic competence In terms of speaking, this is the learners’ ability to use language strategies to compensate for gaps in skills and knowledge The fourth component of communicative competence is discourse competence, “how sentence elements are tied together”, which includes both cohesion and coherence (Lazaraton, 2001) Cohesion is “the grammatical and/ or lexical relationship between the different parts of a sentence” (Richards, Platt and Weber, 1985) Cohesion includes reference, repetition, synonyms and so on In contrast, coherence involves “how texts are constructed” (Lazaraton, 2001) Coherence also has to with “the relationships which link the meaning of utterance in a discourse” (Richards, Platt and Weber, 1985) However, coherence often involves the speakers’ background knowledge Since communicative competence is a multifaceted construct, it is important for teachers to understand the complexities that learners face when they are speaking English One of those complexities is balancing fluency and accuracy A proficient speaker is both fluent and accurate 2.1.3 Aspects of teaching speaking in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) classes 2.1.3.1 CLT approach: The communicative approach on language teaching starts from a theory of language as a means of communication The goal of language teaching in the light of CLT is to develop communicative competence Some of the characteristics of this approach include:  Language is a system for expression of meaning  The primary function of language is to allow interaction and communication  The structure of language reflects its functional and communicative uses  The primary units of language are not merely its grammar and structural features but categories of functional and communicative meaning as exemplified discourse While in traditional second language classroom, learners play passive roles in class, in CLT classroom, learners are encouraged to contribute as much as he gains, and learns in an independent way Suggested by Reen and Candlin in Richards, R.C.& Roger, T.S (2001), CLT teachers’ roles are to facilitate the communicative process in the classroom, act as an independent participant within the learning-teaching group, an analyst, a counselor and a group-process manager With regard to the procedure, in CLT class, new teaching points are introduced in dialogue form Pair and group work are suggested to encourage students to use and practice Richards, R.C.& Roger, T.S (2001) summarize principles of CLT as follows:  Learners learn a language through using it to communicate  Authentic and meaningful communication should be the goals of classroom activities  Fluency is an important dimension of communication  Communication involves the integration of different language skills  Learning is a process of creative constructions and involves trials and errors ... LESSONS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY ( Sử dụng hoạt động giao nhiệm vụ cho sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh tiết học nói trường Đại học Kinh Tế Quốc Dân) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH METHODOLOGY... Sociolinguistic competence involves register (degrees of formality and informality), appropriate word choice, style shifting, and politeness strategies Another important element of communicative competence... own ideas, feelings, preferences, and opinions as the activities allow students some degree of choice in what they say (iii) Building awareness of the social use of language: The activity helps