The aims of the study are to investigate the factors affecting motivation in learning speaking English of the 10th grade students at Yendinh 1 high school

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I wish to send my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Pham Minh Hien, M.A for her valuable guidance, helpful suggestions and critical feedback throughout the research. Also, I would like to acknowledge my gratitude to all the lecturers in the Department of Postgraduate Studies, College of Foreign languages, VNU for their useful lessons from which I have benefited a lot for the accomplishment of this study. I am greatly indebted to my students from class 10A1 to class 10A5 and my colleagues at Yendinh 1 high school for their participation and assistance without which this study could not have been successful. Last but not least, I would like to express my special thanks to my loving parents, my husband, my daughter and my close friends who offered me their love, care, support and encouragement so that I could accomplish my study.  ABSTRACT This study is an attempt to investigate factors affecting motivation in speaking English of the 10th grade students at Yendinh 1 high school. The main purposes of the study are to find out: types of motivation possessed by grade 10 students at Yendinh 1 high school, factors affecting students’ motivation in speaking English, activities and techniques applied by teachers and students’ preference and then give some suggested solutions for teachers to stimulate students to speak and overcome the difficulties they face with in teaching speaking. The study consists of three parts. Part A, the introduction, states the rationale, aims, scope, design and methods of the research. Part B is divided into three chapters. Chapter 1 reviews theoretical background relating to motivation and speaking. Chapter 2 presents the instrumentation, data collection and data analysis. Chapter 3 summarizes some major findings and discussion, and then gives recommendations to the teachers of English. Part C, the conclusion, points out some limitations and give some suggestions for further study. TABLE OF CONTENTS LISTS OF TABLES AND CHARTS 1. List of tables Table 1. Types of motivations 27 Table 2. Factors making students reluctant to speak English in class 33 Table 3. Factors preventing students’ speaking process 34 Table 4. Factors encouraging students to speak 40 Table 5 . Activities applied by the teachers and student’s preference 42 Table 6. What teachers do to motivate students to take part in speaking activities. 44 Table 7. Teacher’s opinions on students’ motivation of the speaking stages 46 Table 8. Problems teachers facing in teaching speaking 46 Table 9. Activities applied by teachers by frequency 47 Table 10. Speaking activities applied by teachers 48 Table 11. Techniques applied by teachers 49 Table 12. Teacher’s evaluation on speaking skill of Tieng Anh 10 textbook 51 2. List of charts Chart 1. Students’ average marks in the first semester 26 Chart 2. Students’ perceived importance of English 29 Chart 3. Students’ attitude to learn English speaking 30 Chart 4. Students’ effort in learning speaking 30 Chart 5. Students’ desire to learn English speaking 31 Chart 6. Students’ interest in learning speaking 31 Chart 7. Students’ frequency of speaking English in class time 32 Chart 8. Students’ reluctance of speaking English 33 Chart 9. Students’ opinions on the topics of Tieng Anh 10 textbook 35 Chart 10. Students’ opinions on the speaking tasks of Tieng Anh 10 textbook 36 Chart 11 . Students’ results after the treatment 39 Chart 12. Activities enjoyed most by students 43 PART A- INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale In recent decades, English has been more and more important in Vietnam. The importance of English is not only in how many people speak it but also in what it is used for. Beside the native language is popularly used in all fields of the society, English is now widely known as the major language of intercommunication, international commerce and business, science and technology and so on. Thus, people with good English proficiency are extremely needed in any fields of society. As a result, there has been a positive trend of teaching and learning English across the country. People, from children to adults, learn English with different purposes. Children learn English because of the requirement of their parents and school. Students learn English to pass the exams, to study abroad or to find a good job in the future. Adults learn English in order to be able to communicate with foreigners or do business. In general, despite deriving from different purposes, every one wants to turn English to become their own instrument in their lives. In the process of teaching and learning English, there are many factors affecting the success of language learners such as aptitude, age, personality, motivation and so on, among which motivation plays an important role. Researchers on motivation have pointed out that learners who are highly motivated can learn a foreign language better than those who are not and vice versa. This is true for both children and adult learners. With 5 years of experience in teaching English at high school, I have realized that motivation is one of the key factors that determine students’ success or failure in language learning. For teaching and learning speaking skill, the great impact of motivation is not an exception. It is undeniable that if the students are motivated, especially from the warm- up stage, their speaking will be completed more successful and their difficulties in speaking will no longer exist. This is the reason why I choose studying on factors affecting motivation in speaking English of grade 10 students is the topic for my minor thesis. This study will examine types of motivation that students have in speaking and point out some factors affected their motivation to speak. It also investigates the activities and techniques applied by teachers, students’ preferences and demands, and some difficulties teachers faced in teaching speaking. The researcher hopes that this study will figure out a concrete picture of motivation in speaking English of grade 10 students at Yendinh 1 high school and it will be of help for teachers who want to increase students’ motivation in speaking English learning. 2. Aims of the study The aims of the study are to investigate the factors affecting motivation in learning speaking English of the 10th grade students at Yendinh 1 high school. Some main purposes covering the study are summarized as follows: (1) To identify types of motivation possessed by grade 10 students at Yendinh 1 high school. (2) To point out some factors affecting students’ motivation in speaking English. (3) To examine some activities and techniques applied by teachers and students’ preferences. (4) To give some suggestions for teachers to stimulate students in speaking English and overcome the difficulties they have to face with in teaching speaking English for grade 10 students. 3. Research Questions What are the types of motivation possessed by Grade 10 students in learning speaking English? What are the factors affecting Grade 10 students in learning speaking English? What are teachers and students’ attitudes towards speaking skill? What have teachers done to motivate students in learning speaking English? What are teachers and students’ opinions on Tieng Anh 10 textbook? 4. Methods of the study To carry out the study, quantitative method was mainly used. The data collected for the study come from two sources: the 10th grade students and all teachers of English at Yendinh 1 high school. Survey questionnaires, two for students (pre- and post-treatment questionnaire) and one for teachers, were used to gather information and evidence for the study. In addition, to make the data collected more reliable and authentic, qualitative method was applied with two instruments: a follow up interview and an informal observation. All the comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion provided in the study were based on the data analysis of the study. 5. Scope of the study Studying motivation and its effects on the second language have been paid attention by many researchers so far. This study only investigates factors affecting motivation in speaking English of grade 10 students at Yendinh 1 high school. Because of the limited time and within an M.A. minor thesis, the researcher intends to make a brief view of the current situation of teaching and learning English speaking skill of the 10th grade students at Yendinh 1 high school; identifies factors affecting their speaking stimulation; examines techniques and activities used by teachers and students’ preferences and demands; then suggests some recommendations for teachers to encourage students to speak English and overcome difficulties in teaching speaking. 6. Significance of the study First, the information about types of motivation possessed by grade 10 students in this minor thesis is believed to be useful for the teachers of English in general and teachers of English at Yendinh 1 high school in particular. Second, identifying some factors affecting students’ motivation in speaking English, pointing out students’ preferences and demands to activities and techniques applied by teachers are believed to be helpful for all teachers when teaching speaking. Third, giving some recommendations for teachers to motivate students to speak English and overcome obstacles and difficulties in teaching speaking is expected to be beneficial. 7. Design of the study The study is divided into three parts: the Introduction, the Development and the Conclusion. Part A: Introduction- deals with the rationale, aims, scope, methods, significance and design of the study. Part B: Development- consists of three chapters. Chapter 1- Literature Review- is intended to give some theoretical background related to motivation and speaking. Chapter 2- The Study- presents the situation analysis, participants, data collection instruments, data collection procedures and data analysis. The detailed results of the survey and a comprehensive analysis on the data collected are focused Chapter 3- Major findings, discussions and recommendations- shows major findings and discussions and offers some recommendations for teachers to motivate students to speak and overcome some difficulties teachers meet in teaching speaking. Part C: Conclusion- is a review of the study, suggestions for further research and limitations of the study. PART B. DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1. Theoretical background of motivation in L2 learning 1.1.1. Definition of motivation Motivation is an important affective variable in SLA, and it has a positive correlation with second language achievement and proficiency, that is to say, motivation of high levels often leads to high L2 achievement and proficiency. The motivated learners are usually more active in learning, while unmotivated learners are more likely to cause classroom disturbances. However, motivation is extremely difficult to define and measure. Atkinson (cited in Arnold, 2000:13) defined motivation as ‘a cluster of factors that ‘energize’ the behavior and give it ‘direction’’. Thus, in Atkinson’s point of view, motivation is a term used to describe what energizes a person and what directs his activity, energy and direction. While Dornyei and Otto regarded motivation as a function of a person’s thought and defined it as ‘the dynamically changing cumulative aroused in a person that initiates, directs, coordinates, amplifies, terminates and evaluates the cognitive and the motor processes whereby initial wishes and desires are selected, prioritized, operationalized and acted out’(cited in Dornyei, 2001: 9). In his word, Ellis stated that ‘motivation involves the attitudes and effective states that influence the degree of effort that learners make to learn an L2’ (Ellis, 1997: 75). Woolfolk (2001: 366) also defined motivation as ‘an internal state that arouses, directs and maintains behavior’. Similarly, Brown (2000: 160) indicated that ‘motivation is some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something’ It can be seen that different researchers approach motivation definition in different ways. However, they all share the same point of view that motivation combines effort and desire plus favorable and occurs as a result of a combination of internal and external influences. This research, therefore, will follow the definition of motivation proposed by Gardner (1982: 132- 147) that motivation is perceived to be composed of three elements. These include effort, desire and affect. Effort refers to the time spent studying the language and the drive of the learner. Desire indicates how much the learner wants to become proficient in the language, and affect illustrates the learner’s emotional reactions with regard to language study. 1.1.2. Types of motivation 1.1.2.1. Integrative and instrumental motivation Integrative motivation Integrative motivation occurs when the learner has ‘the desire to identify with and integrate into the target language culture’ (Ur, P.1996:276). Sharing the same point of view is Falk (1978) who states that students with integrative motivation are those who like the people that speak the target language, admire the culture and have a desire to become familiar with or even integrate into the society in which the target language is used. When someone becomes a resident in a new community that uses the target language in its social interactions, integrative motivation is a key component in assisting the learner to develop some levels of proficiency in the language. It becomes a necessity in order to operate socially in the community and become one of its members. It is also theorized that ‘integrative motivation typically underlines successful acquisition of a wide range of registers and a nativelike pronunciation’(Finegan, 1999:568) and an integrative orientation involves an interest in learning an L2 because of ‘a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented by the other language group’(Lambert 1974:98- cited in Ellis, 1997). Instrumental motivation Instrumental motivation, on the contrary, is something which concerns ‘the practical value and advantages of learning a new language’ (Lambert 1974: 98- cited in Ellis, 1997) and which is characterized by ‘the wish to learn the language for purposes of study or career promotion’ (Ur, 1996: 276) and the desire to obtain something practical or concrete from the study of a second language (Hudson, 2000). With instrumental motivation, the purpose of language acquisition is more utilitarian, such as meeting the requirements for school or university graduation, applying for a job, requesting higher pay based on language ability, reading technical material, translation work or achieving higher social status. Instrumental motivation is often characteristic of second language acquisition, where little or no social integration of the learner into a community using the target language takes place, or in some instances is even desired. Integrative vs. Instrumental Motivation While both integrative and instrumental motivation are essential elements of success, it is integrative motivation which has been found to sustain long- term success when learning a second language (Ellis 1997). Those who do support an integrative approach to language study are usually more highly motivated and overall more successful in language learning. However, it has been found that generally students select instrumental reasons more frequently than integrative reasons for the study of language. One area where instrumental motivation can prove to be successful is in the situation where the learner is provided with no opportunity to use the target language and therefore, no chance to interact with members of the target group. Lukmani (1972) found that an instrumental orientation was more important than an integrative orientation in non- westernized female learners of L2 English in Bombay (cited in Ellis, 1997). Therefore, ‘a learner with instrumental motivation is more interested in how the language can be a useful instrument towards furthering other goals, such as gaining a necessary qualification or improving employment prospects’. (Littlewood, W. 1998: 57) 1.1.2.2. Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation Motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation, generally, refers to the fact of doing an activity for itself, pleasure and satisfaction derived from participation (Deci and Ryan, 1985). Contrary to intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation pertains to a wide variety of behaviors that are engaged in as a means to an end and not for their own sake (Deci and Ryan, 1985). Schulz (1991:18) said that the concept of extrinsic motivation referred to the extent to which the learning environment (i.e. the teacher, materials, curriculum, learning tasks etc.) contributed to or detracted from intrinsic motivation of the learner to acquire a language. Intrinsic motivation is possessed by people having personal interest in doing something and helping to set their goals. People are intrinsically motivated not because accomplishing the activity they do to bring a reward, but because doing the activity itself is a reward. Some linguistics noted that a student with intrinsic motivation participated in his/ her learning for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provided, the learning it permitted, or the feelings of accomplishment it evoked. The feelings of competence and self- determination are significant factors of intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, derives from an anticipation of rewards such as praise, awards, prizes, evaluation and fear for punishment. An extrinsically motivated student does the activity in order to obtain some reward or avoid some punishment external to the activity itself, and this kind of motivation refers to learning situations where the reason for doing a task is something other than an interest in the task itself. In addition, undertaking the task may be something the person feels pressured to do rather than genuinely wants to do. Deci and Ryan state that learners will lose motivation and reason to do something when rewards are no longer available and that giving external rewards to them previously with intrinsic motivation can harm the good effect of it. However, some researchers show that extrinsic motivation is effective for those with no motivation, and when it is a positive feedback. In short, it becomes clear that intrinsic motivation produces more potential benefits than the extrinsic. Intrinsically motivated students tend to try harder and think more deeply than extrinsically motivated ones. 1.1.2.3. Resultative motivation In some cases, motivation is the result of learning. Hermann (1980) stated that ‘it is success that contributes to motivation rather than vice- versa’ (cited in Ellis, 1997). Ellis (1997) also concluded that ‘the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one. A high level of motivation does stimulate learning, but perceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new types. Conversely, a vicious circle of low motivation = low achievement= low motivation can develop’. 1.1.3. Factors affecting motivation in L2 learning 1.1.3.1. Dornyei’s extended motivational framework. Dornyei (2001:112- 113) analyzed L2 learning motivation within a framework of three levels, which offers a vast list of motivational components; Language level involves factors related to the L2 such as the culture, the community as well as practical values and benefits connected with learning L2. The learner level involves individual characteristics that the learner brings to the learning process. These characteristics include learners’ self- confidence, self- efficacy, need for achievements, causal attributio