An investigation into EFL learner's speaking problems and speaking strategies at college of foreign economic relations (COFER) in Ho Chi Minh city

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

-------------------

PHAN THỊ MIÊN THẢO

AN INVESTIGATION INTO EFL LEARNERS’ SPEAKING PROBLEMS

AND SPEAKING STRATEGIES AT COLLEGE OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC

RELATIONS (COFER) IN HO CHI MINH CITY

ATHESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Ho Chi Minh City, Year 2018

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

-------------------

PHAN THỊ MIÊN THẢO

AN INVESTIGATION INTO EFL LEARNERS’ SPEAKING PROBLEMS

AND SPEAKING STRATEGIES AT COLLEGE OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC

RELATIONS (COFER) IN HO CHI MINH CITY

ATHESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Ho Chi Minh City, Year 2018

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “AN INVESTIGATION INTO EFL

LEARNERS’ SPEAKING PROBLEMS AND SPEAKING STRATEGIES AT

COLLEGE OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS (COFER) IN HO CHI

MINH CITY” is my own work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain

material published elsewhere or extracted from a thesis by which I have qualified for

or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgment in the main text

of the thesis. This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or

diploma in any other tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, 2018

PHAN THI MIEN THAO

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to people who have

constantly supported and helped me to accomplish this thesis.

My first debt of gratitude must go to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thu

for his whole-hearted instructions, for invaluable experience he has shared with me,

his tremendous patience in giving me substantial feedback, and for all stimulating

conversations he has made with me at the very early stage of the development of

this work.

Next, I am thankful for all the participants for their enthusiastic cooperation

in the research.

Specially, I would like to extend my heart-felt gratitude to my loving family.

My two lovely daughters have been always besides me and given me their

unconditional love which has been my greatest inspiration and driving force during

my work.

Briefly, I am grateful to all the people without them my thesis would

certainly not have existed.

ABSTRACT

The increasing demand for good communicative skill in a globalized society

activates English speaking learning around the world. Specific to the Vietnamese

context, after many years of being much exposed to English, most of the students still

find it difficult to communicate effectively in real-life situations since they have not

yet possessed effective learning strategies in their speaking learning and they have

almost always encountered with a plenty of problems. Purposely, this study aimed at

discovering speaking learning strategies employed by the EFL third-year students at

College of Foreign Economic Relations (COFER) as well as their certain speaking

problems.

Theoretically, Oxford’s (1990) and Dörnyei and Scott’s (1995) were used as a basic

framework to carry out the study.

Methodologically, the study was carried out at the Faculty of Foreign Languages at

COFER with the participation of 82 students. Mixed-methods design was used for

collecting data, involving the two research instruments of the questionnaire and the

interview. While quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed by

SPSS 20.0, interview results were thematically analyzed.

The findings of the study indicated that an overwhelming majority of the participants

frequently encountered with some negative factors and speaking problems in

association with linguistic problems, affective problems, or even insufficient time.

Pertinent to the used speaking learning strategies, the findings implied that a majority

of the EFL third-year students usually utilized both direct and indirect strategies. The

most frequently used strategies consisted of structuring or planning of ideas and

language input, [2] using dictionary for vocabulary learning, [3] compensating for

linguistic limitations by code-switching, nonverbal forms, synonyms, [4] paying

attention, [5] deeply breathing, and [6] asking for clarification. However, activating

prior knowledge, self-training language input (e.g. listening comprehension,

pronunciation), self-evaluating speaking performance were less frequently used

among many students.

Based on the research findings, the paper wrapped up with some pedagogical

implications for teachers and learners, and a recommendation for further study in the

line of research on speaking learning strategies and oral development.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................. 4

Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background to the study.................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Statement of the problem ................................................................................................ 2

1.3 Objectives of the study..................................................................................................... 4

1.4 Research questions........................................................................................................... 4

1.5 Significance of the study .................................................................................................. 4

1.6 Organization of the thesis chapters................................................................................ 5

Chapter 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................... 5

2.1 Speaking skill.................................................................................................................... 6

2.1.1 Definition of speaking skill ...................................................................................... 6

2.1.2 Importance of Speaking Skill.................................................................................. 6

2.1.3 Aspect of speaking skill............................................................................................ 7

2.1.3.1 Fluency ...................................................................................................................... 7

2.1.3.2 Accuracy ................................................................................................................... 8

2.1.3.3 Appropriacy.............................................................................................................. 8

2.2 Problem and factors affecting speaking performance .................................................. 9

2.3 Speaking strategies......................................................................................................... 10

2.3.1 Definition............................................................................................................................ 11

2.3.2. Classifications................................................................................................................... 12

2.3.3. Conceptual framework.................................................................................................... 17

2.4 Previous studies.............................................................................................................. 19

2.4.1. Overview of some previous studies................................................................................. 19

2.4.2. Research gaps from the previous studies....................................................................... 23

2.5 Summary......................................................................................................................... 24

Chapter 3 : METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................... 24

3.1 Research setting.............................................................................................................. 24

3.2 Research design.............................................................................................................. 25

3.3 Overall research approach............................................................................................ 26

3.3.1 Research design...................................................................................................... 26

3.3.2 Research instruments............................................................................................. 27

3.3.2.1. Student questionnaire ................................................................................................... 28

3.4 Analytical framework.................................................................................................... 31

3.5 Summary......................................................................................................................... 33

Chapter 4 : DATA ANALYSIS..................................................................................................... 33

4.1 Questionnaire reliability analysis ................................................................................. 34

4.2 Thematic analysis........................................................................................................... 35

4.3 Chapter summary .......................................................................................................... 63

Chapter 5 : DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS.................................................................................. 63

5.1 The speaking problems faced the EFL third-year students at COFER.................... 64

5.2 The speaking strategies used by the EFL third-year students at COFER................ 66

5.3 Chapter summary .......................................................................................................... 72

Chapter 6 : CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ............................................................... 74

6.1 Summary of key findings............................................................................................... 74

6.2 Justification of research methodology.......................................................................... 75

6.2.1. Strengths....................................................................................................................... 75

6.2.2. Limitations.................................................................................................................... 75

6.3 Recommendations.......................................................................................................... 76

6.3.1. For students.................................................................................................................. 76

6.3.2. For teachers.................................................................................................................. 77

6.3.3. For further study.......................................................................................................... 77

6.4. Chapter summary ............................................................................................................... 78

REFERENCES............................................................................................................................... 78

APPENDIX A.1 .............................................................................................................................. 83

APPENDIX A.2 .............................................................................................................................. 86

APPENDIX B.1 .............................................................................................................................. 89

APPENDIX B.2 .............................................................................................................................. 90

APPENDIX C................................................................................................................................. 90

APPENDIX D................................................................................................................................. 91

1

Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Life today is extremely different from what it used to be. The increasing

demand for good communicative skill in a globalized society activates English

speaking learning around the world. English is spoken all over the world, that is, one

can communicate easily with both native speakers of English and non-native ones if

she/he is proficient in English. By virtue of this, being competent in oral

communication is a strong desire of all English learners. And speaking is a

fundamental skill that learners need to master in order to communicate effectively.

Phan (2014) shows that English is considered a “passport” to integrate with the world.

So, the EFL learners in general and the students at College of Foreign Economic

Relations (COFER) in particular are also aware of the importance of English speaking

learning. According to Brown and Yule (1983), in process of language learning,

speaking is highly evaluated to be important, yet the most difficult of the four skills.

However, many language learners, even after several years of studying English, still

find it very difficult to speak effectively. Brown (2001) believes that colloquial

language, reduced forms, performance variables, redundancy clusters, rate of

delivery, stress, rhythm and intonation are among the characteristics of speaking that

contribute to the difficulty of this skill. Moreover, in order for language learners to

manage oral communication, they need to produce connected speech, have

interaction ability, speak in different contexts, develop a balance between accuracy

and fluency, and talk about unfamiliar issues based on their knowledge (Lindsay &

Knight, 2006). Especially, one of possible reasons for speaking incompetency among

EFL learners is that students have not yet handled their speaking learning strategies

effectively. It is also inferred that learners can improve communicative proficiency

by developing an ability to use specific speaking strategies that enable them to

compensate for their target language deficiency (e.g. Richards & Renandya, 2002;

Mahripah, 2014).

2

Language learning strategies have been the heart of foreign language

education, attracting an ample of language theorists in the last few decades. The

aspects of learning strategies have been extensively concerned to get deep insight.

More recently, the focus of the research studies has been specified to each language

skill, and speaking as an illustration. In this domain of speaking skill, many studies

have been conducted on the theoretical bases of Oxford’s (1990) Strategy Inventory

for Language Learning (SILL). O’Malley and Chamot (1990) assert that speaking

strategies benefit language learners “in negotiating meaning where either linguistic

structures or sociolinguistic rules are not shared between a second language learner

and a speaker of the target language” (p. 43). The primary goal for any language

learners is that they are able to use the target language for their oral communication,

and finally become a competent speaker. Accordingly, Hedge (2000) convinces that

a competent speaker is the person who can use speaking strategies effectively to

compensate for speaking problems and to maintain his stream of verbal messages.

Alternatively stating, knowing and utilizing speaking learning strategies is of utmost

importance to the students for their oral language development.

In brief, speaking strategies are essential because they sufficiently provide

foreign language learners with valuable tools to communicate in the target language

in diverse contextual situations and help them to survive from a multiplicity of

speaking problems. Put it different, speaking learning strategies become vital to

develop the students’ language ability in order for them to be more self-sufficient and

active their own learning process.

1.2 Statement of the problem

In reality, there have been more and more communication courses in Vietnam

held to respond to leaners’ need of improving English communicative competence.

However, many Vietnamese learners have still found it difficult to speak English

fluently and accurately. After many years of being exposed to English in secondary

and high schools, and even at tertiary level (e.g., college), many of them still cannot