Motivating grade 11 students to learn English through examination-Taking strategy training at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school

PART A. INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Nowadays, in the era of the globalization and international exchange, English has become a ‘lingua franca’ which according to Jeremy Harmer (2001:1), can be defined as a language widely adopted for communication between two speakers whose native languages are different from each other’s and where one or both speakers are using it as a ‘second’ language. It has been used almost all over the world in many different areas such as diplomacy, science, technology, business, culture, tourism, etc. There is no doubt that English is one of the most important means of communication and access to information. In this context, the teaching and learning of English is more and more necessary. In Vietnam, in recent years, English as a foreign language has gained considerable attention. It has become a compulsory subject in the syllabus of many schools, colleges and universities. It has been taught and learnt throughout the country, both urban areas and rural (or remote) ones. Even in the countryside, children now start learning English when they are in grade 3 or 4. However, the fact is that the teaching and learning of English has not been effective yet, especially that in rural areas. There are still many people who cannot use English well after finishing English courses. As a teacher of English at a rural upper secondary school, the researcher is concerned about her students’ English learning. She has been teaching 4 classes of grade 11. Although her students have learnt English since they were in grade 6 under the new syllabus and new methods based on the communicative approach, their English is still not very good. Of course, they can hardly use English to communicate. Also their marks in tests and examinations are rather low. Additionally, many of the students seem not to be interested in learning English. According to them, English is difficult and not very necessary for their future, because after school most of them will be farmers or workers only. In other words, they do not have much motivation for learning it. The practical goal for most of the students is just to pass tests and examinations to graduate from the upper secondary school. Moreover, the grade 11 students are the ones who are going to leave school in over one year, so it is rather difficult to change their goal and motivation. The question is what teachers should do to help their students learn English better in this environment, where the English language input is limited and non-conducive to learning the target language. The researcher has thought a lot about this fact, about the students’ goal and motivation. Wondering if examination-taking strategy training can help to motivate the students, she decided to conduct the study on “Motivating grade 11 students to learn English through examination-taking strategy training at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school” to find out the answer, and further, to help improve the teaching and learning of English at her school. 2. Research hypothesis This study was designed to test the following hypothesis: Examination-taking strategy training can help to motivate grade 11 students to learn English. 3. Aims of the study The purpose of the study is to investigate the possibility of using examination-taking strategy training to motivate grade 11 students to learn English at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school. It aims specifically at: - considering the student motivation and the reality of training and application of examination-taking strategies in the context of grade 11 students at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school. - investigating changes in student motivation after applying examination-taking strategy training in lessons. - examining student attitude towards the examination-taking strategy training - giving some recommendations for motivating students to learn English through examination-taking strategy training 4. Significance of the study The study is expected to make a better understanding of motivation to second language learning. In addition, it offers the theoretical basis for language learning strategies, examination-taking strategies, and the motivational roles of strategy training in general and examination-taking strategy training in particular. Practically and pedagogically, the findings of the study are believed to be useful for teachers of English to be aware of the essential role of examination-taking strategy training to students’ motivation in English learning. Besides, the recommendations for using examination-taking strategy training to enhance students’ motivation, which are based on the theoretical background and the current situation of learning English at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school, hopefully can help the teachers motivate their students to learn English. 5. Scope of the study Although there are many different ways to motivate students to learn English, all these issues cannot be fully covered in this paper. Due to the limited time and the length of a minor thesis, the researcher only focuses on exploiting examination-taking strategy training as a way of motivating grade 11 students at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school. Besides, the target that the study investigates and serves is just 115 students from 3 classes of grade 11 at this school. 6. Methods of the study This study was intended to conduct as a piece of action research. According to Gina Wisker (2001), action research is research that we carry out with our students in order to try out an idea or innovation, test a hypothesis about their learning and see ‘what would happen if...’. Michael J. Wallace (1998) also points out that action research involves the collection and analysis of data related to some aspects of our professional practice. With this action research, the researcher used some different methods based on both quantitative and qualitative approaches: survey questionnaires for students, consisting of one pre-treatment questionnaire and one post-treatment questionnaire; follow-up interviews; classroom observations. The steps of the study are as follows: (1). Spend one month collecting baseline data through classroom observations. These were carried out by the researchers herself and some of her colleagues. Besides, get the students to answer the pre-questionnaire to find out the reality of student motivation and their knowledge of examination-taking strategies. (2). Form the hypothesis that examination-taking strategy training can help to motivate grade 11 students to learn English. (3). Provide the students with the examination-taking strategy training whenever possible in the regular lessons for one month and half a month. The classroom observations were also carried out by the researcher and her colleagues in this period. (4). After one month and half a month, the students were invited to answer the post-questionnaire to find out the changes in their motivation as well as their attitude toward the examination-taking strategy training. The follow-up interviews were also employed to gather indepth information. (5). Analyze the collected data and discuss the findings. (6). Disseminate the outcomes. 7. Design of the study The study is divided into three parts: the introduction, the development, and the conclusion Part A: Introduction – presents the basic information including rationale, research hypothesis, aims, significance, research methods, scope, and design of the study. Part B: Development – consists of three chapters Chapter 1: Literature Review – provides the literature concerning motivation in second language learning, learning strategy training, and examination-taking strategy training as a motivating factor. Chapter 2: The study – reports the setting, research hypothesis, participants, instruments, data collection procedure and analysis. The detailed results of the surveys and a critical comprehensive analysis on the data collected are presented. Chapter 3: Major findings, discussions and recommendations for motivating students to learn English through examination-taking strategy training – shows major findings and discussions and offers recommendations for motivating students to learn English through examination-taking strategy training. Part C: Conclusion – is a summary of the study in which limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are presented. PART B. DEVLOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1. Overview of motivation in language learning 1.1.1. Definitions of motivation Motivation is accepted for most fields of learning to be essential to success. Without motivation we will almost certainly fail to make the necessary effort. Therefore, it makes sense to try and develop our understanding of it. Motivation is defined in different ways by different researchers. According to Marion Williams and Richard Burden (1997:120), motivation is a ‘state of cognitive arouse’ which provokes a ‘decision to act’ as a result of which there is ‘sustained intellectual and/or physical effort’ so that the person can achieve some ‘previously set goal’. Sharing the same view, Jeremy Harmer (2001:51) states that ‘at its most basic level, motivation is some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something. Additionally, Woolfolk (2001:366) defines motivation as ‘an internal state that arouses, directs and maintains behavior’. Briefly, motivation is something involving the attitudes and affective states that influence the degree of effort that one makes to achieve some certain goal. It is not only arousing interest but also sustaining interest and investing time and energy into putting the effort to achieve those goals. 1.1.2. Importance of motivation in language learning Learner motivation has become more commonly recognized as perhaps the major determining factor for successful learning in general, whether one is an adult learner taking distance education courses, or an upper secondary school student pushing one’s way through the battery of required courses needed to graduate. It has been found in various studies that motivation is very strongly related to achievement in language learning. As William T. Littlewood puts it (1984:53), ‘in second language learning as well as in every other field of human learning, motivation is the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres’. Besides, Tricia Hedge (2000:23) affirms: ‘motivation is of crucial importance in the classroom, whether learners arrive with it or whether they acquire it through classroom experiences’. About this issue, Oxford and Shearin (1996:121-122) also argue: ‘Motivation is important because it directly influences how often students use L2 learning strategies, how much students interact with native speakers, how much input they receive in the language being learned (the target language), how well they do on curriculum-related achievement tests, how high their general proficiency level becomes, and how long they persevere and maintain L2 skills after language study is over. Therefore, motivation is crucial for L2 learning, and it is essential to understand what our students’ motivation are’. As a result, motivation should be paid attention in teaching and learning second languages. 1.1.3. Common factors affecting learners’ motivation in language learning There is a variety of factors affecting learners’ motivation such as parents, community, learning context, teacher, subject, etc. However, in this paper, the researcher only focuses on some common and important factors, namely, learner’s factors, teacher’s factors, learning materials and learner’s success in second language learning. 1.1.3.1. Learner’ factors Among these factors, the first and most important factor is their background knowledge. Background knowledge refers to the existing information on a specific topic in each language lesson. Therefore, if students lack background knowledge, it is difficult for them to get involved in learning activities. They will be unable to comprehend new materials and more importantly, they will lose their interest in learning lessons. Realizing the influence of this factor, the teacher needs to provide the amount of background information available and to see that they are able to use them. Besides, language items such as vocabulary and grammatical structures can be considered to have an impact on the students’ feelings. This causes difficulties in getting meaning as well as practicing language skills. The student’ aptitude is also an important factor that influences his motivation. If one finds he is able to do something well, surely he feels self-confident and likes it very much. The other factor is learners’ language learning strategies. Learners’ strategies can affect their mood to participate actively in learning activities. Strategies are helpful to students because they enable them to improve their learning proficiency as well as efficiency in learning. Moreover importantly, strategies help learners to process the lessons actively and to connect what they are learning to their own knowledge. However, learners must be flexible in employing strategies; otherwise, their expectations to the learning are not met. In addition, it is true that more highly motivated learners use a significantly greater range of appropriate strategies than less ones. It is advisable for teachers to teach learners strategies in lessons and let them practice frequently. 1.1.3.2. Teacher’ factors Teachers are considered to have very important responsibilities in making sure the learners remain happy and interested in learning. The first factor is the teacher’s attitudes and behaviors towards students. The way the teacher feels, thinks and behaves while teaching can have a profound effect on learners’ motivation and learning atmosphere. When the teacher has personal and interpersonal variables such as good mood, warmth, respect, empathy, understanding, sensitivity, enthusiasm and good sense of humor, the learning atmosphere is likely to be relaxing, enjoyable, and conducive to language learning. It is suggested that when learners see an instructor who is excited about his/ her subject or who simply loves teaching, inevitably they are affected by this energy and will engage themselves actively in the learning process. Moreover, when teachers have expectations in their students’ ability, the learners are likely to reach high level of achievement and feel more confident. Learners tend to perform at a level that is consistent with the teacher’s belief and expectations. Besides, the teacher’s techniques and activities are of great impact on learners’ motivation. Without good techniques and interesting activities, learners may be left in confusion and boredom while dealing with learning tasks. Therefore, teacher should invest more effort and thoughts in the materials, the ways, and the time to use techniques and activities carefully for a specific stage of teaching and assessing the learning performance. Lastly, the teacher should be aware of learners’ learning needs, consisting of their motivation for learning and the purposes that language learning has in their lives. A good teacher should be the person who can find ways to pull the students and the lesson together. 1.1.3.3. Learning materials One of the most important factors which influence the learners’ motivation is learning materials. The materials which are interesting and relevant to the learners will motivate them to learn more. For example, when learners have to face a text or a task beyond their language proficiency with many unknown words and complex sentences, they become overwhelmed, frustrated and tired. Besides, if the topic or content of the text is not interesting, familiar and relevant to their experience and interests, they may stop learning. What’s more, the lack of variety in task types also makes learners reluctant to engage fully with the activity. 1.1.3.4. Learner’s success in language learning It is realized that motivation for language learning could be much enhanced with success. According to Ur (1996:278), “learners who have succeeded in past tasks will be more willing to engage with the next one, more confident in their chances of succeeding, and more likely to preserve in their efforts”. Jeremy Harmer (2001:52) also affirms that ‘nothing succeeds like success’ so ‘if the teacher can help students in the achievement of short-term goal, this will have a significant effect on their motivation’. Obviously, it is better for the teacher to appreciate students’ success. 1.2. Overview of examination-taking strategy training 1.2.1. Language learning strategy training 1.2.1.1. Definitions of language learning strategies A lot of research into language learning strategies has been done since 1960s. Up to now the term ‘language learning strategy’ has been defined by many researchers. In Wenden and Rubin’s words (1987:19), language learning strategies are defined as “…any sets of operations, steps, plans, routines used by the learner to facilitate the obtaining, storage, retrieval, and use of information.” Stern (1992:261) states that “the concept of learning strategy is dependent on the assumption that learners consciously engage in activities to achieve certain goals and learning strategies can be regarded as broadly conceived intentional directions and learning techniques.” According to Chamot (2004:14-26), “learning strategies are the conscious thoughts and actions that learners take in order to achieve a learning goal”. Oxford (1990:17) divides strategies into major types, direct and indirect. She defines direct strategies as those requiring mental processing of the language. However, the three groups that compose direct strategies do this processing differently and for different purposes. For example, memory strategies, such as grouping or using imagery, have a highly specific function, which is to help students store and retrieve new information. Cognitive strategies, on the other hand, such as summarizing or reasoning deductively, enable learners to understand and produce new language by many different means. Finally, compensation strategies like guessing or using synonyms, allow learners to use the language despite their often-large gaps in knowledge. The second group of strategies discussed by Oxford is indirect strategies. These are called “indirect” because they support and manage language learning without directly involving the target language. They are divided into metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. Metacognitive strategies, like centering your learning and evaluating and monitoring, are “actions which go beyond purely cognitive devices, and which provide a way for learners to coordinate their own learning process” (1990:136). Affective strategies, however, such as lowering your anxiety, encouraging yourself, and taking your emotional temperature, deal with emotion, attitudes, motivations, and values. Finally, the third indirect strategy group defined by Oxford involves social strategies, like asking questions, cooperating peers and proficient users of the target language, and empathizing with others. It is accepted that providing learners with learning strategies is very important. Language learning strategies are good indicators of how learners approach tasks or problems encountered during the process of language learning. Developing skills in these areas, such as metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective can help the language learner build up learner independence and autonomy whereby he can take control of his own learning. 1.2.1.2. Strategy training as a motivating factor Since learning strategies in general and language learning strategies in particular are very important, it makes sense to help learners know and use them well. In other words