VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** KHỔNG THỊ THU HẰNG Bản tóm tắt luận văn THE SITUATION OF TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO THE STUDENTS OF PRE-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY AT PEOPLE’S POLICE COLLEGE I: PROBLEMS AND SOME SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES AND ACTIVITIES (THỰC TRẠNG DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC VIÊN Ở TRÌNH ĐỘ TIỀN TRUNG CẤP TẠI TRƯỜNG TRUNG CẤP CẢNH SÁT NHÂN DÂN I: KHÓ KHĂN VÀ ĐỀ XUẤT MỘT SỐ CÁC THỦ THUẬT VÀ HOẠT ĐỘNG DẠY HỌC PHÙ HỢP) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 COURSE: 18 HANOI - 2011 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………….ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… ……… iii TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………… ……………….iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS…………………………………………… …… vii LIST OF ABREVIATIONS………………………………………… ……………… viii PART ONE: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… …….….1 Rationale of the study………………………………………………………… …… Aims of the study……………………………………… ………………………………2 Significance of the study………………………………………………… ……………2 Scope of the study…………………………………………………… ……… …….…3 Method of the study………………………………………………………… ……… Design of the study……………………………………………….……………… … PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT…………………………………………… ….…… CHAPTER ONE - LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………… …5 1.1 Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)………………………………… …5 1.1.1 Concept of CLT……………………………………… … …………… 1.1.2 Characteristics of CLT……………………………………… ………… 1.1.3 Using CLT in Teaching Speaking Skill………………………… ……… 1.2 Nature of language skills and oral communication……………………… …….8 1.2.1 Nature of language skills…………………………………………… …….8 1.2.2 Oral communication……………………………………… … ………… 1.3 Speaking skill……………………….……………………… ………………… 10 1.3.1 Concepts of speaking……………………………………… …………….10 1.3.2 Characteristics of speaking………………………………………… … 11 1.3.3 The development approach of speaking skill……………………….…… 12 1.4 Problems with speaking and speaking activities……………………… ………14 1.4.1 Problems with speaking………………………………………… ……….14 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………….ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… ……… iii TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………… ……………….iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS…………………………………………… …… vii LIST OF ABREVIATIONS………………………………………… ……………… viii PART ONE: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… …….….1 Rationale of the study………………………………………………………… …… Aims of the study……………………………………… ………………………………2 Significance of the study………………………………………………… ……………2 Scope of the study…………………………………………………… ……… …….…3 Method of the study………………………………………………………… ……… Design of the study……………………………………………….……………… … PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT…………………………………………… ….…… CHAPTER ONE - LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………… …5 1.1 Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)………………………………… …5 1.1.1 Concept of CLT……………………………………… … …………… 1.1.2 Characteristics of CLT……………………………………… ………… 1.1.3 Using CLT in Teaching Speaking Skill………………………… ……… 1.2 Nature of language skills and oral communication……………………… …….8 1.2.1 Nature of language skills…………………………………………… …….8 1.2.2 Oral communication……………………………………… … ………… 1.3 Speaking skill……………………….……………………… ………………… 10 1.3.1 Concepts of speaking……………………………………… …………….10 1.3.2 Characteristics of speaking………………………………………… … 11 1.3.3 The development approach of speaking skill……………………….…… 12 1.4 Problems with speaking and speaking activities……………………… ………14 1.4.1 Problems with speaking………………………………………… ……….14 v 1.4.2 Problems with speaking activities…………………………………… … 15 1.5 Summary……………………………………………………………… …… .15 CHAPTER TWO - METHODOLOGY …………………………………… … .17 2.1 The research context………………………………………….……………… 17 2.1.1 Course and its objectives at People’s Police College I…………………… 17 2.1.2 The students at the PPCI…………………………………………… …… 18 2.1.3 The teachers at the PPCI…………………………………………….…… 18 2.1.4 Physical setting…………………………………………………………… 19 2.2 Research questions………………………………… …………… … ……….20 2.3 Participants…………………………………………………………………….…20 2.4 Data collection instruments……………………………………………… … 20 2.4.1 Questionnaire……………………………………………….………… 21 2.4.2 Interview……………………………………………………………… … 22 2.5 Data collection procedures……… …………………………………………… 22 2.6 Data analysis……………………………….…………………………………… 22 2.7 Summary………………………………………………………………………….23 CHAPTER THREE: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS………………………… 24 3.1 Findings………………………………………………………………………… 24 3.1.1 Questionnaire and interview for teachers………………………….…… 24 3.1.2 Questionnaire and interview for students…………………………… … 30 3.2 Discussions………………………………………………………………… ……37 3.2.1 Teachers’ and students’ perception of speaking and speaking activities….38 3.2.2 Teachers’ and students’ problems in teaching and learning to speak English……… 38 3.2.2.1.Teachers’ problems in teaching 1st year English students…… 38 3.2.2.2 Students’ problems in learning to speak English…………… 40 3.2.3 Inappropriate current techniques in teaching speaking skill ………… 41 3.2.4 Problems from objective factors……………………………………… 42 3.3 Summary…………………………………………………………………………43 PART THREE: SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION………………… ……….…44 Overview………………………………………………………………….……… 44 Recommendations ……………………………………………………………… 44 vi 2.1 Some coping strategies for teachers…………… ……………………… 44 2.2 Some suggested classroom techniques and activities for teachers to motivate students of English …………………………………………………………………… 46 2.2.1 Some suggested techniques in teaching speaking…………………… 46 2.2.1.1 Teaching speaking strategies………………………………… 46 2.2.1.2 Base the activities on easy language………………………… 47 2.2.1.3 Use language in authentic ways……………………………… 47 2.2.1.4 Design activities with a purpose……………………………… 48 2.2.1.5 Use pair work and group work………………………………….48 2.2.1.6 Adjust feedback/ Error correction………………………………49 2.2.2 Some suggested activities in teaching speaking………………………49 3.4.2.1 Drill activities………………………………………………… 49 3.4.2.2 Structured output activities/ Guided activities…………………50 3.4.2.3 Communicative output activities……………………………….52 Limitations of the study ……………………………………………………… 53 Suggestions for further study………………………………………….……….54 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………… ……….55 APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………….…….I Appendix 1…………………………………………………………………………… … I Appendix 2…………………………………………………………………………….….III Appendix 3……………………………………………………………………………… V vii LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Teachers’ perception of CLT Chart 2: Teachers’ current method in teaching speaking skill Chart 3: Teachers’ reaction when students keep making mistakes and frequency of correcting mistakes while students are performing their tasks Chart 3.1: Teachers’ reaction when students keep making mistakes Chart 3.2: frequency of correcting mistakes while students are performing their tasks Chart 4: The students’ reasons for learning English Chart 5: Students’ opinions on the speaking topics Chart 6: Teachers’ reactions to students’ mistakes LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching and learning speaking skill at PPCI Table 2: Teachers’ difficulties in teaching speaking skill to the students at PPCI Table 3: Techniques to minimize the difficulties encounter in teaching speaking at PPCI Table 4: Students’ attitudes towards speaking skills Table 5: Factors that make the student reluctant to speak Table 6: Teachers’ current techniques to encourage students to speak viii LIST OF ABREVIATIONS PPCI : People’s Police College I Ss : Students Ts : Teachers CLT : Communicative Language Teaching GE : General English ESP : English for Specific Purposes No of teachers : Number of teachers No of students : Number of students FLD : Foreign Languages Department PART ONE : INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Undeniably, English is a global language crossing many international boundaries In fact, the English language is so popular, it is spoken in more than a hundred countries and has more than a million words English is considered as the medium of communication in the fields of science, technology, diplomacy, and business, and so on English has an inherent simplicity and flexibility allowing it to be learnt quickly, cementing English as a global language In addition, the political and economic changes have great positive impact on the teaching methods of teachers of English in Vietnam They have realized that students can only improve their language competence through communication It is the need for oral competence in English that has turned the teachers‟ emphasis from teaching grammar into teaching communication Therefore, speaking skills nowadays play a much more important role in modern English than ever before In every English class, teachers would like to develop students‟ speaking skills by applying the communicative language teaching method known as one of the most effective approaches that help students speak However, in some places in Vietnam English teaching has been strongly influenced by the traditional methods Teachers as well as students pay much attention to the grammatical items In these classes, teachers mainly focus on explaining the grammatical rules and structures to students who are considered as passive recipients As a result, those students might be structurally competent but communicative incompetent That causes a lot of difficulties in using English in real-life communication To meet the demand of learners of English, teachers of English in general and teachers of English at People's Police College I (hereafter PPCI) in particular have been trying to find out the most suitable and effective method of teaching English Speaking Therefore, the Communicative Language Teaching Approach (hereafter CLT) is applied to teach English to learners of all levels They hope that by using this teaching method, they can help their learners improve their English and use it effectively and fluently in communication That is also the idea suggested by many linguists and methodologists such as Nunan (1991) and Das (1985) Nevertheless, there still exist many difficulties facing English Language teachers in Vietnam in general and English Language teachers at the PPCI in particular Many Vietnamese learners can write and read English quite well but they cannot speak fluently and correctly in communication Certainly there are many reasons for this As one teacher of English I realized that although both teachers and learners try their best to reach their goals to teach and study English speaking skills effectively, up to now the results have been still far from satisfaction This has given me the desire to conduct this research to examine the teaching and learning English speaking skill as well as to find techniques and activities to improve the quality of the teaching of speaking skill at the People's Police College I where I am working full time Aims of the study The main purpose of this study is to investigate the reality of teaching and learning speaking skills to the students at Pre-Intermediate level of proficiency at PPCI in order to find out problems preventing the students from willingly taking part in speaking activities in the English class The writer also makes some recommendations for the English teachers as reference in their teaching speaking skills with a view to help the students improve their speaking competence The specific objectives of the study are:  To investigate the current situation of teaching English speaking skill at PPCI  To identify the problems that the teachers and students face in teaching and learning speaking skills  To suggest some techniques and activities to improve the quality of the teaching of speaking skill at PPCI Significance of the study The study is significant for the following reasons Firstly, it finds out how teachers and students perceive the concept of speaking and speaking activities Secondly, it find out the problems that teachers and students face Furthermore, it gives some suggestions for the teachers to adapt the textbook and provides some techniques to help motivate learners Scope of the study The study focuses on the difficulties that the English language teachers meet when teaching speaking skill to students of Pre-Intermediate level of English Proficiency at the PPCI and some suggested techniques and activities which help them improve the quality of their teaching The study of difficulties, recommendations of other language skills such as reading, writing and listening to ameliorate the quality of learning English skills would be beyond the scope of this study In addition, due to the time constraints and the narrow-scale study, the study only involves in the number of the 1st year students of Reconnaissance Investigation Police at People‟s Police College I Method of the study This study is designed to use both quantitative and qualitative In order to gain the most successful results, the quantitative data has been collected through survey questionnaires One survey questionnaire is for students of pre-intermediate level of English language proficiency at the PPCI and the other is for English language teachers of Division of Foreign Languages and Informatics – The PPCI Collected data, then, will be processed and analyzed to yield conclusions about the study Together with the quantitative method, the qualitative data has been obtained by informal interviews with some students and teachers to gather in-depth information about the real situations of teaching and learning speaking skills at PPCI All comments, remarks and recommendations assumptions and conclusion provided in the study based on the data analysis Design of the study This minor thesis is composed of three parts: PART ONE, INTRODUCTION, presents the rationale, the aims, significance, scope, methods and design of the study PART TWO, DEVELOPMENT, consists of three following chapters 47 scripts, the relationship between a speakers‟ turn and the one that follows it can often be anticipated Teachers can help students develop speaking ability by making them aware of the scripts for different situations so that they can predict what they will hear and what they will need to say in response Through interactive activities, teachers can give students practice in managing and changing the language that different scripts contain  Using language to talk about language Language learners are often too embarrassed or shy to say anything when they not understand another speaker or when they realize that a conversation partner has not understood them Teachers can help students overcome this reticence by assuring them that misunderstanding and the need for clarification can occur in any types of interaction, whatever the participants‟ language skill levels Teachers can also give students strategies and phrases to use for clarification and comprehension check By encouraging students to use clarification phrases in class when misunderstanding occurs and by responding positively when they do, teachers can create an authentic practice environment within the classroom itself As they develop control of various clarification strategies, students will gain confidence in their ability to manage the various communication situations that they may encounter outside the classroom 2.2.1.2 Base the activities on easy language Generally, the level of language needed for a discussion should be lower than that used in intensive-learning activities in the same class The language required for a discussion should be easily recalled and produced by students so that they can speak fluently In some cases, preteaching or reviewing essential vocabulary and grammatical structures before the activity starts is a good idea 2.2.1.3 Use language in authentic ways In learning speaking, it is the best if students have frequent chances to hear and read the language as native speakers use it Teachers can give students these chances through teachers‟ talk and materials 48 As for teachers, they should try to use the language as naturally as possible It is advisable that teachers should: speak at normal rate; use vocabulary and structures that students are familiar with; state the same idea in different ways to aid comprehension Authentic materials can be found in magazines, newspapers, TV and radio broadcastings, etc Besides proving students with the chances to see how communication is carried out in real life, authentic materials also help introduce social and cultural aspects of language use to students 2.2.1.4 Design activities with a purpose Normally, every real-life communication has a purpose-to convey information Activities in the language classroom simulate communication outside the classroom when they are structures with such a purpose In other words, the clearer the purpose of the discussion is, the more motivated students will be In such classroom activities, students use the language to fill an information gap by getting answers or expanding a partial understanding 2.2.1.5 Use pair work and group work The use of pair and group work can help teachers in dealing not only with large classes, but also with mixed ability classes By using pair and group work a teacher can maximize student talking time and minimize teacher talking time going on in a limited period of classroom time This helps to change classes from being more teacher-centered to being more studentcentered In so doing, teachers can use students to teach other students; this will make learning less intimidating to students who may be shy and unwilling to express and exchange their own ideas with their classmates when working in pairs and groups Moreover, this kind of activities gives students an opportunities to rehearse their responses in pairs or small groups before being asked to speak in front of the whole class Pair work and group work benefits not only students but also teachers because, as mentioned, it minimizes teacher talking time in the class This means that organizing pair work and group work in class helped teachers escape from the hard and boring work of knowledge transmitters who spend their whole talking time in explaining everything and then calling students to answer questions or exercises At that time, during pair work and group work activity, teachers play the new roles as organizers and facilitators 49 Teachers must select appropriate pair and group work activities and monitor them carefully For example, effective pair and group activities have the following characteristics: (1) communication gap: each student has relevant information that the other don‟t; (2) task orientation: an activity has a defined outcome such as solving a problem; (3) time limit: students have a preset amount of time to complete the task In case the task is based on group discussion, the teachers should include instructions about participation when introducing it On the other hand, pair work and group work has its disadvantages, too Using pair and group work, it may be more difficult for teachers to manage and control the class at the beginning of the course It may also take time and the class may be noisy Moreover, some students may use Vietnamese instead of English during discussion or even chat with each other and the best way to prevent students from speaking Vietnamese during discussion or even chat with each other and the best way to prevent students from speaking Vietnamese is that the teachers should try their best to put an eye on all groups, remind students and model them the language use However, students will gradually get used to this method and will be interested in it as they themselves can realize the benefits which pair and group work brings about to them 2.2.1.6 Adjust feedback/ Error correction Teachers should use different ways of giving feedback or correcting errors for different lessons For lessons that focus on form like grammar lessons, direct and immediate feedback and error correction are needed and expected However, in communicative lessons like speaking, the flow of talk should not be interrupted by the teachers‟ corrections Teachers should only give feedback and correction errors after students already finish their task When giving feedback, teachers should give feedback on both form and content It is advisable that teachers should encourage students to self-correct Giving feedback and correcting errors is also a good way to motivate students as it is a useful comprehension for students and it shows that he teachers really listen to what they say 2.2.2 Some suggested activities in teaching speaking 2.2.2.1 Drill activities When students first begin to speak in another language, their speaking will need to be bases on some form-focused learning An effective way to begin is to base speaking on some useful, 50 simple memorized phrases and sentences These may be greetings, and simple personal descriptions, and simple questions and answers This is quite a simple kind of activities as students only repeat or imitate These activities may be: repetition practice of set of sentence prompted by pictures or word cues, asking and answering questions with only one predictable, correct answer In traditional classrooms, these activities were used frequently In many modern classrooms, this kind of activities no longer exists In my opinion, these activities are still very helpful for students with low level of proficiency like those at the PPCI They help students improve the accurate use of words, structures, pronunciations, build up a stock of minimal responses and foster confidence 2.2.2.2 Structured output activities/ Guided activities Structured output activities consist of tasks that students carry out using language items recently introduced, sometimes in combination with previously learned items In these activities students can change to talk about themselves and to communicate their own needs and ideas These activities have one feature in common with real communication-that is obtaining missing information by completing a task However this kind of activities helps practise specific language items In this respect, it is more like drill that communication Two common kinds of structured output activities are information gap activities and jigsaw activities  Information gap activities: These activities are often carried out in form of pair work and group work - Completing the picture Example 1: Two students have similar pictures with different missing details They have to cooperate to find the missing details without looking at the partner‟s picture Example 2: Two students have similar pictures but similar items are different in appearance Students have to cooperate to figure out the differences without looking at the partner‟s picture This kind of activities helps practice numerous language items The practiced grammar and vocabulary are determined by the content of the pictures and the missing or different items 51 - Filling the gaps in a schedule or timetable Example 3: Student A holds an airline timetable or schedule with some of the arrival and departure times and places missing Student B has the same timetable or schedule but with different blank spaces The two students are not permitted to see each other‟s timetables or schedules and must fill in the blanks by asking each other appropriate questions The features of language that are practices would include questions beginning with “when” or “at what time” and “which flight” Answers would be limited mostly to time expressions like “at 9:30” or “at ten past ten in the morning” Student A: Airline Departures: To Columbus New York Portland Arrivals From Boston Miami Schedule Time 8:30 am 9: 30 am Time 9:25 am 10:15 am Student B: Airline Departures: To New York Portland Arrivals From Dallas Miami Schedule Time 9:30 am 10:10 am Time 9:45 am 10:25 am 11:35 am  Jigsaw activities Jigsaw activities are more complicated than information gap activities that can be done with several partners In such activities, each partner has one piece or a few pieces of „the puzzle‟ and they have to work together to fit all the pieces into a whole picture There are several forms of puzzle piece: a panel from a comic strip, a photo from a set that tells a story, a sentence from a written narrative, etc Example 4: Students work in group of 6; each has a picture card of a funny story They must work together to put the pictures in the correct order of the story One thing that teachers need to bear in mind when organizing information gap and jigsaw activities is their consciousness of the language demands they place on their students If the activities require the language that students have not practiced, teachers can brainstorm with them when setting up the activity to preview the language they will need, elicit what they already know and supplementing what they are able to produce themselves 52 2.2.2.3 Communicative output activities Communicative output activities are activities resembling real settings which allow students to practise using all the language they know The most common types of communicative activities are role-plays and discussion  Role-plays In role-plays, students are assigned and put into situations that may eventually encounter outside the classroom Because role plays imitating life, the range of language functions that may be used expands considerable These activities also help students practice and develop their sociolinguistic competence as they have to use the appropriate language to the situations and characters Students usually find role playing enjoyable, but students who lack self-confidence or have lower proficiency level may find them intimidating at first There are certain tips teachers should bear in mind when applying role-play successful into teaching speaking skill: + Prepare carefully: introduce the activity by describing the situation and making sure that all of the students understand it + Set a goal or outcome: be sure the students understand what the product of the role-play should be, whether a plan, a schedule, a group opinion, or some other product + Use role cards: Give students a card described the role to be played For students with low level of proficiency, the card may include words, structures that the character may use + Brainstorm: Ask students to brainstorm to predict what language (including vocabulary, grammar, and idiomatic expression) they might use + Use small groups: This ensures that less confident students will fell more able to participate if they not have to compete with many voices + Students‟ preparation: be sure to give students enough time to work individually to outline the ideas and the language they will need to express them + Be present as a resource, not a monitor: always ready to answer students‟ questions without correcting their grammar and pronunciation unless they ask teachers to so 53 + Allow students to work at their own levels: the levels of students are not the same, so don‟t expect them to contribute equally to the role-play, or to use every grammar point you have taught + Do the topical follow-up: require students to report to the class on the outcome of their roleplays + Do the linguistic follow-up: after the role play is over, give feedback on grammar and pronunciation problems teachers have heard This can wait until another class period when you plan to review grammar or pronunciation anyway  Discussion Discussions give students chances to practice in negotiating meaning and to express themselves in the target language Like role-plays, before using discussions, teachers should prepare the students carefully, otherwise they will have counter-effects The tips which help apply discussions successfully are almost the same as those of role-plays In addition, teachers may let students suggest the topics or choose from several given topics for discussion Discussion does not always have to be about serious issues Students are likely to be more motivated and more interested in participating if they like the topics such as television programs, sports, student lifestyle, plans for a vacation, or news about mutual friends To sum up, communicative output activities give students the opportunities to experiment, to see how far they can communicate in situations where they themselves are the people who choose the language and to practise using the language they know fluently These activities also create a supportive atmosphere that allows students to make mistakes without making fear of embarrassment These activities also motivate students and make they fell more confident to speak Limitations of the study Though the researcher has made effort toward carrying out this study, due to the limitation of time, lack of resources and the researcher‟s ability, drawbacks are unavoidable First and foremost, not all the students at PPCI are involved in the survey questionnaires and interview, to some extent, the results may not be generalized for all students Next although the researcher utilized both survey questionnaire and semi-structure interviews as the research 54 instruments for data collection, the researcher should combine different tools for data collection like observation in order to make the obtained result more reliable and valid In spite of the unavoidable limitation, the researcher believes that this study will be beneficial to the teaching of speaking skill to students at PPCI and this may lead to students‟ speaking Suggestions for further study This study has only focused on the teaching of English speaking skill to students of preintermediate level at the PPCI The study has only mentioned a very small part of the issues related to the teaching and learning of speaking skills There are some suggestions for further researches: - A study on the ways of introducing students to current ways of learning speaking skill - An action research on the effectiveness of the suggested techniques and activities mentioned in the study - A study on techniques and activities which help them speaking skill improve their learning 55 REFERENCES Bailey, K.M and Savage, L (1994) New ways in teaching Speaking Teachers of English to speakers of other languages, Inc Bailey, K.M & Nunan, D (eds.) (2005) Practical English Language Teaching McGrawHill ESL/ELT Brown, H.D (1994) Teaching by principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents Brown, G and Yule, G (1983) Teaching the spoken Language Cambridge University Press Brumfit, C (1984) Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching – The role of fluency and accuracy Cambridge University Press Burkart, G.S (1998) Spoken Language: What is it and how to teach it Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics, 1998 Retrieved from www.nclrc.org Burns, A (1990) Quantitative and Qualitative Collaborate Action Research for English language Teachers Cambridge University Press Byrn, D (1988) Focus on the classroom Hong Kong: Modern English Publications Bygate, M (1987) Speaking Oxford: Oxford University Press Bygate, M (1991) Speaking Oxford: Oxford University Press Canale, M and Swain M (1980) Approaches to communicative Competence Singapore: RELC Dalle, T., Ph.D., & Thrush, E., Ph.D (2003) “Practicing Oral Skills in Large Classes” Teacher’s Edition, Issue 13, pp 4-9 Das, B K (1985) Communicative Language Teaching SEAMEO Regional Language Centre Doff, A (1988) Teaching: A training course for Teachers Cambridge University Press Freeman, D.L (1986) Techniques and Principles in language teaching Oxford University Press Harmer, J (1991) The practice of English Language Teaching Longman 56 Johnson, K (1982) Communicative Syllabus Design and Methodology Oxford: Pergamon Institute of English Larsen-Freeman, D (1986) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching Oxford University Press Le Van Canh (2004) Understanding Foreign Language Teaching Methodology National University Publishing House Littlewood, W (1981) Communicative Language Teaching Cambridge University Press Mathews-Aydinli, J & Van Horn, R.V (2006) Promoting the Success of Multilevel ESL Classes: What teachers and Administrators Can Do Center for Adult English language Acquisition (CAELA) Retrieved from www.cal.org/caela/esl_resourses Nunan, D (1989) Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom Cambridge University Press Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Methodology UK: Prentice-Hall International Pattison, P (1987) Developing Communicative skills Cambridge University Press Richards, J.C (1983) Communicative Needs in Foreign Language Learning ELT Journal V37 1983 Rivers, W M (1981) Teaching Foreign Language Skills University of Chicago Press Rivers, W M (1987) Interactive Language Teaching Cambridge University Press Sagvinon, S.J (1983) Communicative Competence: Theory and classroom Practice Addison-Wesley Publishing Company I APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE FOR TEACHERS The survey questionnaire is designed for my thesis “The situation of teaching speaking skill to the students of Pre-Intermediate level of proficiency at People’s Police college I: Problems and some suggested techniques and activities” This questionnaire is conducted with a view to finding out difficulties from teachers when teaching English speaking skill to students at PPCI It is highly appreciated if you could spend your little time completing truthfully the question All the information provided by you is sorely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Please respond to each question and statement and complete all of them as frankly and accurately as you can You may circle your opinion Male Female Age _ How long have you been teaching English?……………………………………….years Have you ever been trained in CLT? A No, I have never been trained in CLT B Yes, in English Teaching-Training course C Yes, in English Language Teaching workshops D Others:……………………………………………………………… Thank you for your cooperation! As for you, CLT: (You may tick more than one option) A always emphasizes fluency over accuracy B is student-centered C „s final goal is students‟ communicative competence D does not teach grammar E is used only for teaching speaking skill, not for other skills F focuses on meaningful tasks rather on language itself G gives students opportunities to communicate with each other What teaching methods you often use teaching speaking skill? A Communicative Language Teaching B Grammar-Translation method C Direct method D Others:……………………………………………………………… What is your idea about teaching and learning English speaking to the students at Pre-Intermediate level of Proficiency at your College? A Very essential B Essential C Not very essential D Not essential at all What is your reaction to the students keep making mistakes? A Keep quiet until they finish their task, smile and encourage them to go on their task B Keep quiet, but not smile supportively or encourage them to go on C Stop them and correct their mistakes II D Get angry when students keep making mistakes How often you correct student’s mistakes while they are performing their tasks? A Never B Seldom C Sometimes D Frequently What are your difficulties in teaching speaking skill to students of preintermediate level of English proficiency at PPCI? (You can circle more than one opinion) A Students‟ low motivation B Students‟ low level of English proficiency C Lack of time D Large class and heterogeneous class E Unsuitable textbook F Students‟ passive way of learning G Students‟ lack of background knowledge What you when your students show low motivation in speaking lesson? A Suggest interesting topics for discussion B Let them choose topics to discuss C Carry out on-going assessments D Use authentic materials E Do nothing What you to deal with students’ low level of spoken English? A Give instruction in Vietnamese B Give students chance to prepare and allotted time to prepare C Criticize them for their level D Select and organize simple communicative activities E Neglect them For large and multi-class, you often: A Organize activities for the general level and move around to help less able students B Organize different tasks for different levels C Use pair work and group work D Ask students to work at different aspects of the same task 10 Can you give some suggestions to have a better way of teaching English speaking skills to the students at PPCI? …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you for taking time to complete this questionnaire III APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into the problems in teaching English speaking skill to the students at people‟s Police College I Your completion of this questionnaire is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Male Female Age _ Class  Did you learn English before College? A Yes B No If yes: How long did you learn English before? ……………………years Thank you very much for your cooperation! Why you want to learn English? A To pass examination B To be a compulsory subject in curriculum C To get a good job in the future D To listen to songs, read books, magazines in English E To speak English to foreigners F Others: How important is the speaking skill to you? A Very important B A little important C Rather important D Not important at all Why you like learning English speaking? A To improve the knowledge of grammar, and phonology B To communicate with foreigners C To get a chance to have a work place in a foreign company D To get a good mark E Speaking skill is very interesting How you feel about speaking English? A Easy B Normal C Difficult D Very difficult How you find speaking topics introduced in class based on “Lifelines – Preintermediate” A Interesting B All right C Boring D Too boring Are you willing to speak English in class? A Yes, I like speaking very much IV B Sometimes C Rarely D Never except when asked by the teacher What is (are) the reason(s) for your unwillingness? A Being afraid of losing face B Not getting used to speaking English C Not paying much attention to speaking skill D Boring teaching E Others:………………………………………………… The difficulties you encounter during your speaking process? A Unable to find words and structures B Unable to find ideas C Not enough time for preparation D Too much teachers‟ talking time E Others:………………………………………………………… If you make mistakes while performing your tasks, your teacher often… A Get angry and interrupt you to correct B Remain self-control but interrupt you to correct C Wait until you finish your task, point out your mistakes then correct them for you D Wait until you finish your task, point out your mistakes then encourage you and your classmates to correct 10 After giving speaking topics, what your teachers often do? A Provide new words and structures relating to the topics B Provide main ideas of the topics C Elicit ideas from students D Give some tasks E Ask you to discuss the topics immediately 11 What your teachers usually to encourage you to speak? A Use group work and pair work B Suggest interesting topics for discussion C Give you some suggested questions D Create some interesting games and activities E Others:…………………………………………………………………… 12 In order to improve your speaking skills, what should your teachers do? …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… Thank you for taking time to complete this questionnaire V APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Question for students What is your goal of learning English? When would you prefer to get feedback from your teacher? What is your opinion about the teachers‟ correction? How important is your teachers‟ feedback to your learning speaking skills? What you think about the importance of teacher‟s praise and encouragement to your speaking? Questions for teachers How often you speak English in your speaking lesson? What are the reasons for these? What are the reasons for ineffective CLT application? ... time Aims of the study The main purpose of this study is to investigate the reality of teaching and learning speaking skills to the students at Pre- Intermediate level of proficiency at PPCI in order... Pre- Intermediate level of English Proficiency at the PPCI and some suggested techniques and activities which help them improve the quality of their teaching The study of difficulties, recommendations of. .. Findings and Discussion, the study and the presentations of the statistical results and presents and discusses findings of the difficulties in teaching speaking skill to students of English at