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Using problem-solving tasks to improve grade 12 students’ English-speaking skills (Ứng dụng các bài tập giải quyết vấn đề nhằm giúp nâng cao kỹ năng nói cho học sinh lớp 12) WORD VERSION | 2021 EDITION ORDER NOW / CHUYỂN GIAO QUA EMAIL TAILIEUCHUANTHAMKHAO@GMAIL.COM

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

NGUYEN TUYET ANH

USING PROBLEM SOLVING TASKS TO IMPROVE GRADE 12 STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS (Ứng dụng các bài tập giải quyết vấn đề nhằm giúp nâng cao kỹ năng nói cho học sinh lớp 12)

M.A THESIS

Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2019 i

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

NGUYEN TUYET ANH

USING PROBLEM SOLVING TASKS TO IMPROVE GRADE 12 STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS (Ứng dụng các bài tập giải quyết vấn đề nhằm giúp nâng cao kỹ năng nói cho học sinh lớp 12)

M.A THESIS

M.A. THESIS (APPLICATION ORIENTATION) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long

THAI NGUYEN – 2019 i

DECLARATION ----------------*****---------------I certify that the thesis entitled “Using problem-solving tasks to improve grade 12 students’ English-speaking skills” is my own study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at Foreign Language Faculty, Thai Nguyen University.

Thai Nguyen, July 15, 2019

Nguyen Tuyet Anh

Approved by SUPERVISOR

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have implemented if I did not have a great support and assistance of many people. Therefore, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of them.

First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks and gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long for his patience, kindly support and useful advices during the time I conducted my research. But for his precious comments and instructions, the thesis could not have done effectively.

Secondly, I received tremendous support from my school – Hon Gai High School. I would like to give many thanks to the students who directly engaged in the lessons throughout the process of data collection. Their enthusiasm and serious contribution made the process of data collection effective and reliable. I also acknowledge my thankfulness to my headmaster who helped facilitate my research conducted smoothly. I would also like to state my thanks to the colleagues for their engagement in the interviews.

Another special thank goes to teachers of English Department, School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University. Without their advices and encouragement, I would not have been able to pursuit my research.

My endless thanks approve to my parents, especially my mother, for their time, encouragement and support me on my way of study. My mother did not only helped me to take care of my baby and me but she also worried about each step of my completion of the study. Another gratitude sends to my little daughter who was born at time of my Master study. Despite the difficulty, her appearance motivates me a lot.

Finally, I am grateful to my classmates for their spiritual support and encouragement. They encouraged me through my rough time. Without their support, my thesis could not have been completed.

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ABSTRACT English speaking skills have received more and more concern as these skills make a great contribution to students’ communication skills. The study aims at measuring the effectiveness of using problem-solving tasks to help students of grade 12 improve their speaking skills. The study was carried out using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. 44 students of grade 12 from Hon Gai High School were the participants of the study. Students were taught speaking skills with a practice session using problem-solving tasks. The researchers used Pre-Test, Post-Test, Observation Sheet, Interviews as the tools to find out the answers. The results of the thesis showed that problem-solving tasks influenced positively on students’ speaking ability, made them feel more confident to speak and can speak more fluently. At the same time, the problem-solving tasks motivated students to speak as well as overcome their fear of speaking in front of the class. In the light of the results, it is recommended that teachers should use problem-solving tasks to improve students’ speaking skills.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ................................................................................................. ii PART A: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1 1. Research topic area ................................................................................. 1 2. The study context .................................................................................... 1 3. Focus of the study .................................................................................... 2 4. Rationale of the study ............................................................................. 2 5. Structure of the thesis ............................................................................. 3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................... 4 1.1. Problem-solving tasks .......................................................................... 4 1.1.1 Problem-solving ................................................................................. 4 1.1.2 Problem – solving tasks .................................................................... 5 1.2. Speaking skills ...................................................................................... 6 1.3. Language Learning Motivation .......................................................... 7 1.4. Problem-solving tasks in teaching speaking skills ............................ 8 1.3.1 The relationship between problem-solving tasks and speaking skills ............................................................................................................. 8 1.3.2 The steps to apply Problem – Solving Tasks into teaching English-speaking process ........................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 11 2.1. Field site and participants .................................................................... 12 2.2. Data collection methods ....................................................................... 12 2.2.1. Classroom observation .................................................................. 13 2.2.2. Interviews ........................................................................................ 15 2.2.3. Speaking Tests ................................................................................ 16 2.3. Data analysis methods .......................................................................... 17 2.4. Ethical considerations and data reliability ......................................... 18 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................. 19 3.1 Students’ motivation on learning English by engaging in problemsolving speaking tasks.................................................................................. 19 3.1.1. Learner’s motivation and autonomy ............................................ 19 3.1.2. Learner’s motivation and confidence........................................... 20 3.1.3. Learner’s motivation and positive peer interaction ................... 21

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3.2. The positive effects of problem-solving tasks on student’s speaking skills ............................................................................................................... 22 PART C: CONCLUSION ................................................................................. 29 1. Summary of the key findings................................................................ 29 2. Pedagogical implications of the study ................................................. 30 3. Limitations of the study ........................................................................ 31 4. Recommendations ................................................................................. 31 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 33 APPENDICES .................................................................................................. 36 The test results ........................................................................................... 38

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Abbreviations PST: CEFR:

Problem-solving tasks The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

EFL: s: L2:

English as Foreign Language seconds Language learning

SDT:

Self-determination theory

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LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Observation details Table 2: Problem-solving tasks Table 3: Classroom Observation sheet Table 4: Interviews Table 5: Criteria for assessing students’ speaking skills Table 6: The longest pausing time Table 7: Result of the Students’ Speaking Pre-test and Post-test Scores Table 8: Paired Samples Statistics Table 9: Paired Samples Correlations Table 10: Paired Samples Test Table 11: The longest time of the participants’ speaking Table 12: Students’ using Vietnamese

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PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Research topic area English is obviously the most popular language learned by people in the world.

Teaching English as a foreign language in many countries becomes an important goal of many Departments of Education and Training. In learning English, learners focus on developing skills, including reading, speaking, listening and writing. Recently, speaking has been regarded as the most important skills. One issue in this area is to make language learners become better with different proficiency. Speaking skills play the significant role in real life. In speaking, the ability to communicate in different situations is a need. However, improving students’ speaking skills is not easy at all. Speaking English in classes is different from speaking English in real life. Teaching students to speak needs to activate students’ background knowledge and then produce a message. Language teachers have tried out many ways to improve students’ speaking skills. One of the techniques that can be helpful is problem-solving tasks. Because life is full of problems. Problems are a central part of life. Every day, people are facing tremendous problem-solving and decisionmaking situations. Fortunately, a problem is a stimulus situation which requires an organism response without ignoring it (Shulman, 1975). Language teachers can take advantage of problems in real life as a stimulus to motivate learners to speak.

However, the difficulty in speaking English fluently and effectively is faced by many students because of the limitation of vocabulary, reluctance to participate in the conversation, lack of confidence, fear of committing errors, slow reaction of the real-life situations and so on. This research aims at finding out whether teaching English attaching to real life problem solving can help students become better in speaking skills or not and figuring out if students are interested in applying problem-solving activities into their English studying.

2. The study context The present study was conducted in a Vietnam EFL teaching context. With the aim to totally change the ways of foreign language teaching and learning in the educational system to make foreign languages become Vietnamese’s strength. (Prime Minister, 2008), the government of Vietnam launched a national foreign language

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project policy known as “Teaching and learning foreign languages in the national education system from 2008 to 2020” (Government of Vietnam, 2008).Learners of the project are expected to improve their capacity in using the language. One of the significant focus of the innovation is to apply communicative approach in teaching.

The focus on teaching four skills is considered more important than teaching grammar traditionally. Learners’ proficiency is assessed through CEFR scale, Common European Framework of Reference. Hon Gai High School located in the center of Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province always tries to fulfill the objectives by innovating the teaching methods and equipping students with all four skills. Speaking skills is the crucial part. The research aims at measuring one of the methods that contributes to the improvement of students’ language capacity.

3. Focus of the study This study aims to examine how problem-solving tasks help students of grade 12 improve their English-speaking skills.

In order to achieve the goal, this study needs to fulfil the specific objectives as followings: First, to determine the effectiveness of problem-solving tasks in improving students’ speaking skills in grade 12 at Hon Gai High School And second, to examine the grade 12 students’ motivation in speaking activities using problem-solving tasks In order to achieve the above objectives, this study aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the effects of problem-solving tasks on students’ speaking skill in grade 12 at Hon Gai high school?

(2) What elements motivate students to speak in problem-solving task?

4. Rationale of the study I conducted the present study for the following reasons: Firstly, I started this study based on my own interest of problem-solving tasks, which I accidentally knew through the material of teaching methodology. I wondered how the tasks could help my students in their language acquisition. This was the initial driving force that led me to commit to conducting the study. The study helped to enrich my knowledge of teaching methods.

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Secondly, my school where I conducted my research paid much attention on improving students’ integrated skills as the main approach of each lesson plan. The need to innovate language teaching methodology and motivate students to engage in the communicative activities encourage me to conduct this study. The findings of the study could help not only me but my colleagues in our profession.

Finally, conducting the research was an experiment on my students to change the way of learning to improve the quality of language teaching and learning at my school, 5. Structure of the thesis The study composed of three parts. Part A introduces the topic area, the study context, the study focus, and rationale of the study. Part B includes Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Chapter 1 describes the general background of the study, deals with some concepts relating to the study. This chapter also review some related studies. Chapter 2 describes the research methodology. It justified the choice of the mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative approaches. In this chapter, it also explained three instruments applied to conduct the study, including interviews, observations, and speaking tests. Chapter 3 addresses the findings and discussion of the study. And Part C consists of the summary of the study, pedagogical implications, the limitations of the study and recommendations.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This study examines the effects of using PST to improve grade 12 students’ English-speaking skills and how they motivate in the tasks. In order to provide the basic theoretical framework for the study, this chapter begins with a review of the conceptualization of problem-solving tasks. Then, I will discuss the concept of speaking skills. Then, the chapter also discusses prior studies, which focus on the findings on the relationship between PST and speaking skills. The chapter ends with the steps to apply PST in speaking activities.

1.1. Problem-solving tasks 1.1.1 Problem-solving Problem-solving is generally defined as the process of mental operations to find the solution to the problem given. Specifically, problem-solving, according to Oxford dictionary, is defined as a cognitive process to find out a solution to a question or situation. According to J.R. Anderson, problem-solving can be defined as the cognitive operations to achieve the goal. Or the meeting of challenges is also can be recognized as a signal of problem-solving. A problem-solver “is challenged to accomplish a specific result, often under prescribed conditions” (Fowler & Fowler, 1978, p. 883). Problem-solving is the discovery of the answer to complex question basing on physical need rather than intellectual curiosity. (Mithaug, 1993, p. 26). E. Paul Torrance defined problem solving as “the process of sensing problems or gaps in information, forming ideas or hypotheses, testing and modifying these hypotheses, and communicating the results (Torrance, 1994).

A problem is “a question or situation that presents doubt, perplexity, or difficulty or a question offered for consideration, discussion or solutions” (Webster, 1995). J.E. Ormrod defined “problem-solving is using existing knowledge and skills to address an unanswered question or troubling situation, while problem-based learning is an approach to instruction in which students acquire new knowledge and skills while working on a complex problem similar to those in the outside world (Ormrod, 2006, p. 111-112). Mayer and Wittrock (2006, p. 287) defined “problem-solving as a cognitive process directed at achieving a goal when no solution method is obvious to the problem solvers.”

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1.1.2 Problem – solving tasks The term “task” has been defined in a variety of ways. When leaners engage themselves in a communicative task, it means they need to comprehend, manipulate, produce or interact in the target language. The principal focus of the learners’ attention is on meaning rather than form. The task should also have a sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right”. (Nunan, 1989).

Problem-solving tasks especially contribute to communicative goals in real-world contexts. The learners focus on completing the tasks by interacting with other people, identifying the problem, representing the problem mentally, developing a solution strategy, selecting a solution and finally implementing the solution. (Brandford & Stein, 1993).

Problem-solving tasks provide learners with a reason to communicate. Learners are encouraged to interact with other people to offer advice or recommendations on the problem given. The problem-solving tasks proposed by teachers around the world to stimulate learners to use their existing knowledge and skills to suggest the answers for the need-to-be-solved situations. (Ormond, 2006). Achieving the goal in the problem-solving tasks is a cognitive process directed when there is no given solution to the problem solvers. Mayer and Wittrock (2006, p. 287).

For the problem-solving tasks to be successful, students can follow many different steps suggested by the scholars. However, most of them agree on some the problemsolving circles. Firstly, problem-solvers need to recognize the problem. At this stage, learners can use tools such as brainstorming, interviewing to gather information. Mostly, the problems are identified by the teacher when she gives the task to the students. Secondly, define the problem mentally. In this stage, learners after gather the information need to measure whether the information is suitable and good to be chosen. Reorganizing the information is a need. Thirdly, learners will develop a solution strategy. Each member of the group suggests a solution, explains why he/she chooses that solution, then the whole group generate the solutions and consider which one is the best. Next, this stage is to choose a solution which is the best and receive agreement of the whole group. Finally, when students finish discussing, they will report the result. Newell & Simon (1972) in Artificial Intelligence, DZurilla & Goldried (1971) in Behavior Modification, Valett (1986). The process of working to find out the solution may be difficult if the learners do not

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have suitable knowledge. If this happens, there may be many useful websites that give useful information. To make the tasks effectively, the teachers should, therefore, explain the nature of the problem, elicit if necessary, or do relevant priming phrase in the previous lesson. Obviously, students will arrive at a deep understanding of the topic area and construct new knowledge and understanding on which they are able to make decisions.

In general, the core component of problem-solving tasks lies in using cognition to solve problem. Problem-solving tasks are generally referred to tasks in which what is meant to be learned will be presented in form of question rather than explanation, description of a report (Hmelo-silver, 2004). Problem-solving tasks involve collecting data to solve the problem in the best possible manner. This involves a huge amount of reading by the students from every possible resource such as reading up books in the library and assessing databases. They may also interview experts in the field, and this would mean bringing the student closer to the real world.

1.2. Speaking skills Speaking is an activity of delivering massage, it occurs between speaker and listener orally. In other words, the main point of speaking activity is that speakers communicate their massage to the listeners. In this case, the speaker and listener should be able to understand each other. The speaker can produce the sounds that involved the massages and the listener can receive, process, and response the massages.

According to Byrne (1984) speaking is oral communication. It is a two ways process between speaker and listener and involve productive and receptive skill of understanding, while Huebner (1969) states that speaking is the main skill in communication. Based on this idea it is understood that through speaking, someone can communicate or express what she or he wants in order to understand one another.

Rivers (1978) says through speaking someone can express her or his ideas, emotions and reactions to another person or situation and influence other person. Furthermore, someone can communicate or express what he or she wants from other and response to another speaker. It means that in order to express someone’s ideas, speaker must also attend the aspect of speaking, in order that the massage is understandable to the listener.

According to Brown (1987) in all communication or conversation two people are exchanging information or they have a communication or conversation need. It means that the reason for the people to communicate with other is in order to tell

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people something, which they do not know, or to find something out from other people.

Johnson (1983) refers to speaking as the ability to produce articulation, sounds or words to express, to say, to show and to think about ideas, taught and feeling. Murica (1978) says speaking is the primary element of language and it can be developed from the beginning when someone was born, from the first contact with the language.

Furthermore, in speaking, there are some aspects that should be concerned. They are fluency, accuracy (grammar and pronunciation) and comprehensibility. Fluency is the smoothness or flow with which sounds, syllable, words and phrases are joined together when speaking. Besides fluency and accuracy, comprehensibility is also needed in speaking since it reflects how much the speaker understands what he is talking about. If someone says something beyond the topic discussed, it can be said that he has no comprehensibility towards the topic. In other words, comprehensibility determines how well the speaker interprets and responds the massage received.

Comprehensibility is defined as measurement of how much interpretation is required to understand the others’ responses.

From the theories above it can be concluded that speaking is an ability to express ideas, feelings and emotions to other person. The language is used to express oneself to be understood by others. Therefore, speaking is a skill of transferring the idea to others in spoken language. It concerns with the use of language in daily activity in which people need to communicate with others to fulfill the need of socialization 1.3. Language Learning Motivation Motivation plays a vital role in language learning. It explains the failure as well as the success in language learning contexts (Dörnyei, 2001; Dörnyei & Csizér, 1998).

Motivation decides how much students’ language achievement, success and improvement. In fact, affective variables, such as attitude, orientations, anxiety, and motivation, have been shown to be at least as important as language aptitude for predicting language learning achievement (Gardner, 1985). Motivation, according to many researchers, is responsible for determining human behavior by energizing it and giving it direction. Based on its crucial role in language learning, much research has been conducted to determine the elements of motivation. However, selfdetermination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) was popular in language education. According to SDT, one needs the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs.

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These needs are autonomy (a personal endorsement of one’s activities deriving from self), competence (self-confidence in the ability to complete activities) and relatedness (positive interpersonal relationships with others).

1.4. Problem-solving tasks in teaching speaking skills 1.3.1 The relationship between problem-solving tasks and speaking skills The benefits of problem-solving tasks (PST) in language learning are various. A considerable number of studies have investigated the relationship between PST and speaking skills. Many researchers have claimed that utilizing problem solving activity promotes construction of useful knowledge, develop reasoning strategies and effective self-directed learningstrategies, increase motivation for learning, and become effective collaborators (Hmelo and Evensen, 2000).

Natela and Gulnara (2008) believe that problem solving in teaching a foreign language can avoid students giving ready-made answers, help students overcome the language problems arising in the process of communication independently, and solve the problems in real life. It is necessary to arouse problems that can use students background knowledge to solve to help students improve in their learning.

Yousef & Banafshed (2017) made an attempt to investigate the effect of utilizing problem-solving tasks as an approach to teaching and learning the second language on the improvement of speaking skill. They carried out the research on two intact groups of 21 intermediate EFL learners in an English language institute in Iran.

Two groups were assigned to the control and experimental groups. The data analysis collected after conducting an independent-samples t-test. The results showed that problem-solving tasks effectively improved Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ speaking proficiency. These tasks also helped students improve their problemsolving skills in a range of learning context as well as in real life. The tasks utilized in the research encouraged students use their content knowledge in innovative and creative ways and promoted deep understanding. They also found that problemsolving tasks made the classroom cheerful and dynamic, which increases students’ motivation in learning a lot.

Reza F., Hery Y. & Rosita S. conducted a research on increasing students’ speaking ability through problem solving also claimed that students improved their speaking ability dynamically after being taught through problem solving. They also found out that students performed better on the familiar topics. It can be included that problem-solving tasks help a lot to improve students’ speaking ability. However, the

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students’ motivation can depend on their background knowledge on the topics given and the skills they are taught to solve the problems effectively.

Particularly in language classroom, PST promotes meaningful interaction in the classroom. The interactions that occur while students were dealing with real-world issues and problems are more meaningful and authentic than interactions produced during activities such as assigned role plays or repetition of dialogues. Since PST shifts the emphasis on learning activity from teachers to students, it can also help students become more autonomous learners who will transfer the skills learned in the classroom to their lives outside of the classroom (James, 2006). As to activate learners to interact with each other in listening speaking class, PST can be powerful.

To the writer assumption, while students are focusing on the problem to be solved, they will try to overcome the linguistic hindrance, retrieve prior knowledge of the language to be used, and finally, become skillful language users.

In the preview’s explanation one of features of PST is skills to communicate orally, in line with this statement, communication is an essential need for human being.

One of the ways in communication is through speaking. It is very important to master speaking skill. In order to do it, students must be trained to use English in communication orally. The frequency in using the language will determine the students’ speaking ability, and without implementing the experience of learning the language in the real life; it is difficult for the students to master speaking ability. Hence, speaking competence can be accomplished by practicing it orally.

Through problem-solving tasks, the students speaking ability will be improved from the weakness students to the stronger one and speaking ability can be activated, because, the activities in problem based-learning engage the students to communicate and explore the ideas in English to solve the problem. Automatically it has the significant effect on students speaking ability.

1.3.2 The steps to apply Problem – Solving Tasks into teaching Englishspeaking process Copland (2001) stated that the most important thing to make problem-solving tasks successful is the amount of time and energy spent creating the project. Generally, many researchers agreed on the similar steps of solving problems.In this research, the application of PST into teaching English-speaking process included 5 steps as followings: Step 1: Orienting students to the problem. In this step, the teacher explains the pur-

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pose of the activity, motivates students, shows the problematic situation and asks students some questions to check their background knowledge about the topic.

Step 2: Organizing the students to the study. Teacher uses aids such as pictures, cards, slide shows to organize students to the problem. As Hill (1990) pointed out the standard classroom is usually not a suitable language learning environment.

Teacher organizes the class, presents the problems in form of slides, handouts, or flashcards, explains the materials and gives some grammar structures, vocabularies, or does some drilling to help them carry out the activity in the right way.

Step 3: Guiding the exploration in individual or group. The group brainstorms the ideas, collects the information. Brainstorming helps students apply their background knowledge in using English. After that, each student of the group suggests a solution based on their own findings. The group may need to ask for further information. At this time, the teacher can do some help.

Step 4: Developing and presenting a solution. The whole group discuss to jump to the best solution. Groupwork at this step gives students many opportunities. It creates learning communities in which students feel comfortable to share their ideas, raise questions (Allen, Duch, & Groh, 1996). Groupwork also encourages students to communicate, become actively involved in the work (Cohen, 1994). Then, teacher gives students chance to present their ideas on the solution for the problem.

Step 5: Reflecting problem-solving process. At this stage, students after presenting the solution can have some time to reflect their work with the help of the teacher.

May be the group finds it possible to produce more than one solution. Or the other solution is better. After the activity, the teacher helps students to reflect on what they have learned, and how they functioned as a group.

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY The study aimed to explore the extent to which using problem-solving tasks can help improve grade 12 students’ English-speaking skills. It also aimed to explore students’ attitudes towards problem-solving tasks. The research was conducted in an Action Research frame. Action Research according to Burn (2010) is related to the ideas of “reflective practice” and the teacher as researcher”. Burns states that classroom action research can be a valuable way to improve teachers’ teaching skills and get more understanding of their own classrooms and students. Action Research involves taking a self-reflective, critical, and systematic approach to explore the teaching contexts. In Action Research, a teacher becomes an investigator or explorer to identify the problematic situation or issue that needs looking into deeply in order to bring about changes and improvements. The central idea of the action part of Action Research is to intervene in a deliberate way in the problematic situation in order to bring about changes and improvements in practice In the first step, the researcher identifies the problem or issue and develops a plan of action in order to bring about improvements in a specific area of the research context. The problem is the need to improve students’ speaking skills. I wondered how problem-solving tasks can help in improving students’ speaking skills. The second step is Action. In this step, the researcher considers the plan which involves some deliberate interventions into the teaching situation that is put into action over an agreed period of time carefully. In this step, I carried out 8 lessons having 10 - minute problem-solving tasks. The third step involves the researcher in observing systematically the effects of the actions and documenting the context, actions and opinions of those involved. This is the stage to collect information about what is happening. The last step is when the researcher reflects on, evaluates and describes the effects of the action in order to make sense of what has happened and to understand the issue more clearly. I used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to collect data. In terms of qualitative approach, observations and interviews were implemented among participants. Observation is the systematic description of the events, behaviors, and artifacts of a social setting. Observations can help me to know about how the participants interacted and how the lessons carried out in the setting. The observations provide the observer with the deep understanding of their interest in the tasks. Interviews are useful to obtain detailed information about students’ feel-

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ings, perceptions and opinions. They allow more detailed questions to be asked.

They usually achieve a high response rate. The teacher can understand students’ feelings and their own ideas toward the tasks. In terms of quantitative approach, speaking tests are used to assess students’ speaking skills. The tests give clear figure showing the improvement of students’ skills after the research.

2.1. Field site and participants The study was conducted in a High School in the North of Vietnam during the second semester of the school year 2018-2019. The reason why I chose this school for my research is that this is a public high school equipped with modern facilities with the total number of over 1.000 students. Students were placed into different classes based on their abilities and strengths. There were 13 grade-12 classes. There were 39 to 45 students in each class. Another reason was that this school is where I am teaching, so it was a familiar research site for me. This familiar site could support me to a certain extent during the time of data collection. After a personal meeting, the headmaster allowed me to carry out the research with the students of my class which I was teaching.

This study involved 44 grade 12 students of class 12A1 of the school. They were at the age of 18, with 21 girls and 23 boys. The students were chosen randomly. This class is the class which I am teaching as an English teacher. The number of the participants fit the number of students in the class. Students were free to join the research. They could choose not to join the observations and interviews at any time.

In this research, I conducted classroom observation, provided a pre-test and a posttest on these 44 students. After that, I also interviewed 8 students at the end of the semester to investigate their opinions and beliefs towards the tasks and to see if the tasks could help them in any ways. The interviews were followed the form of a semi-structured one. Students were asked in Vietnamese or English according to their choice in view to making them feel comfortable to share and to get the most reliable information.

2.2. Data collection methods The data of the research were collected from three main sources: classroom observation, interviews and Pre and Post Tests results. These data collection methods are described in details as below.

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2.2.1. Classroom observation The first data collection I used in this study was classroom observation. Classroom observation is an important tool to help teachers improve their teaching. It is the process of studying and analyzing classroom activities to scrutinize teaching strategies adopted by the teachers and students’ participation with active responsiveness in classroom activities. According to The Glossary of Education Reform (2013), classroom observation refers to all occasions when learning and teaching activities are observed for a specific purpose.

Driven by the research questions, my observation focused on the students only.

In this research, I directly taught the class while taking the role of the observer.

Students’ work was observed to know whether the students were involved and interested in the problem-solving tasks. Before the observations, I had met and talked with the class about the purpose of my research and the details of my observations. Classroom observation was conducted containing 44 students in all.

The class was divided into 8 groups of 5 to 6 students. Each group had both strong and weak students. Before starting to observe, I aksed students’ permission to record their performances during the tasks to make sure there was no missing information and for accurate figures. The observation process took place during a period of the 10-minute tasks, four times per semester. The table below shows the information of the tasks. The table below provides information about the observations.

Table 1: Observation Details Observations Date

Topics

Unit

Duration

1

8/1/2019

Endangered Species

Unit 10

10 minutes

2

18/1/2019

Books

Unit 11

10 minutes

3

20/2/2019

International tions

Organiza- Unit 14

10 minutes

4

6/3/2019

Women in Society

Unit 15

10 minutes

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Table 2: Problem-solving tasks Observations Topics

Tasks

1

Problem: Illegal wildlife trade The number of people consuming wildlife

Endangered Species

products increases rapidly. Many countries are trying many ways to stop illegal wildlife trade, but many have failed.

Discuss in your group to find the solutions for the problem.

2

Books

Problem: Reading habit It is estimated in your school that teens are reading less and less. Discuss in your group to decide the reasons, and solutions to the problem.

3

International

Problem: Choosing an International Organ-

Organizations ization Some international organizations are calling for volunteers. You wish to work for one of them to earn more experience. You don’t know which organization is suitable for your qualifications and your qualities.

Discuss in your group to find out which international Organization is the most suitable one to you, then report to the whole class the result.

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Women Society

in Problem: Women going to work after giving birth Imagine you had just given a birth to a baby.

He wanted you to stay at home to take care of the baby and the family, but you didn’t. Discuss in your group and find the solutions to this problem. Report your results to the class.

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Accordingly, I took observations, making notes about students’ participation into the tasks. The observation sheet is displayed the table below. The left column describes the contents to observe. The second column is my reflections. The table below provides information about the contents that the observer focused on in each task.

Table 3: Classroom Observation Sheet Observation: _____

Observer’s reflections

Observation Contents

G1

The number of participants

2.2.

2.

Discussion time

In-

The longest time of the participant’s speaking

ter vie

Students’ confidence in us-

ws I con duc ted a

ing language Students’ using Vietnamese Pausing times Students’ involved in the tasks enthusiastically Using complex sentences Using simple sentences

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

G7

G8

series

of interviews with the participations of 8 students. This is because interview is the most common format of data collection in qualitative research. According to Oakley, qualitative interview is a type of framework in which the practices and standards not only are recorded, but also achieved, challenged and as well as reinforced.

In this research, I chose semi-structured interviews, because semi-structured interviews can provide more flexibility for the interviewees to share their ideas, opinions on the specific questions. Therefore, the results of the study can be more reliable (Kumar 1996; Maxwell 1996). Semi-structured interviews also allowed me to ask supplementary questions for further information if the participants’ answers were still not clear to me. Also, semi-structured interview allowed me, as an interviewer, to re-order the questions, paraphrase the questions in order to avoid misunderstandings. Based on the research objectives, I chose 8 students randomly to interview.

They were free to choose to join the interview or not. The interviews were recorded

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using a digital voice recorder with the permission of the participants. Students were interviewed individually in a separated room without any presence of other people.

Each interview lasted from 6 to 10 minutes. English or Vietnamese was chosen due to the participants’ choice in order to let them feel more comfortable and easier to express their ideas. During the interviews, the students were encouraged to actively share more ideas concerning the problem-solving tasks. The interviews focused on finding out students’ attitudes about the problem-solving tasks. In order to achieve this goal, I asked students 4 questions about (1) their feelings about problem-solving tasks, (2) the factors that motivated them, (3) the effectiveness of problem-solving tasks on their speaking skills, and (4) the factors that made the tasks effective (see Appendix 1). The table below provides information about the interviews.

Table 4: Interviews Participant pseudonym

Venue

Time length (in minutes)

Thành

Teachers’ room

5:18

Giang

Teacher’s room

5:32

Anh

Teacher’s room

5:00

Hung

Teacher’s room

5:20

Linh

Teacher’s room

5:22

Manh

Teacher’s room

5:40

Son

Teacher’s room

5:00

Trung

Teacher’s room

5:52

Total

41:84

2.2.3. Speaking Tests I also used Pre-Test and Post-Test to measure the students’ speaking ability to analyze before and after the intervention phase of problem- solving tasks. There were 1 Pre-Test and 1 Post-Test. In each test, there were 4 topics. Students spoke in pairs on the topic they picked to measure their speaking skills. The scores of the test were recorded for later analysis with the aid of SPSS software, the world leading statistical software for analyzing data and running statistical test. The table below shows the criteria to assess students’ speaking skills. Students’ names were coded from St1 to St44.

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Table 5: Criteria for assessing students’ speaking skills Student’s Name

Speaking Assessment Pronunciation Fluency

Vocabulary

Grammar

St1 St2 ----The topics of the speaking tests were the same before and after applying the problem-solving tasks.

Topics of the speaking tests Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3 Topic 4

Talk about the measures to protect endangered species.

E-books and paper books, which do you prefer? Explain your answer.

Talk about an international organization that you wish to work for.

Women should not go to work after marriage. Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

2.3. Data analysis methods The data collected from the data collection process were protected for the confidentiality of the participants’ information.

For the quantitative data, which were collected from the results of the students’ speaking tests, I made a table to compare the scores that the students got between the first and the later test. Birley and Moreland (1998) identify three dimensions of data analysis namely coding, presentation and analysis. Coding refers to the rearranging of data into a more analyzable form. The objective is to arrange the data in a way that will make it possible to depict and evaluate data. The third aspect is the analysis of data that involves, according to Birley and Moreland (1998, p.59), arranging data into “broader themes and outcomes that relate to the research questions, literature survey outcomes, theories and models that have been projected”.

With the interview data, the students’ names were coded using pseudonym. Burn (2010) suggests some main tools such as categorising or analysing talk. I followed categorising data tools to analyze the data from the interviews. Firstly, after collecting data, I transcribed the interviews’ recordings. After transcribing, I had them

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checked by the interviewers for the accuracy issue. Then, I read the data several times. While reading, I highlighted the similar answers and labeled them and then made a list of categories.

In term of analyzing the data collected from observation. I transcribed all the recordings and then had them checked with the students. After that, I studied the observation sheets over and over and compared to the objectives of the research. The observation sheets were supplemented by other details from my memory after I had left the classroom.

2.4. Ethical considerations and data reliability The study was conducted in the fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MA in English at Thai Nguyen University and did not involve any conflicts of interests.

The participants of the study were selected randomly with their willingness to devote to the study. The participants were given the right to choose whether they wish to stay or withdraw from the research at any time during the process. The participants were also informed of the purpose of the study, the ways they related to the study and how they could help. I explained the participants of the procedure of the whole study, the instruments to collect data for the study, and the benefits they could have.

In terms of speaking tests, the participants were informed of the purpose of the test.

The topics were not revealed for the reliability of the results. Participants had to strictly follow the rules of the tests.

In terms of interviews, the participants were given the right to choose the venue and time of their comfort. The procedure of the interviews and the content of the interviews were kept secret due to the reason of confidentiality.

In terms of observations, the students were informed of the lessons and time they were observed and what elements were observed during the learning process.

The participants played the vital role in providing information and data for analysis.

All the data collected were then informed the students to check the accuracy. In terms of protection the participants, I coded the participants’ names. The data then were stored securely in the computer with the password set.

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CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION This study aimed to investigate the effects of utilizing problem-solving tasks to improve speaking skills and to investigate the elements affect students’ motivation in the tasks. Thus, this chapter presents and discusses the findings of the research. The findings are presented in forms of themes and sub-themes as they emerged from the data using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The chapter starts with the findings and discussion of how students were motivated in learning English using problem-solving tasks. It continues with a section that presents the findings and discussion of the benefits they had with the help of problem-solving tasks in their speaking skills.

3.1 Students’ motivation on learning English by engaging in problem-solving speaking tasks Data collected from interviews and observations provided rich source of information showing that students were highly motivated to participate in the speaking activities. Leaners’ motivation can be measured through their three basic learners’ psychological needs, including autonomy, competence and relatedness. Language learning motivation plays a significant role in explaining failure and success in language learning contexts (Dörnyei, 2001; Dörnyei &Csizér, 1998). When the needs are satisfied, the individual becomes more motivated and shows greater positive outcomes in educational setting (Deci &Ryan, 1985, 2002). Masgoret and Gardner (2003) mentioned that the more motivated a learner is, the more responsible, goaloriented and committed he or she becomes in the learning process.

3.1.1. Learner’s motivation and autonomy The results from the interviews show that leaners enjoyed the feeling of completing the tasks on their owns. Their motivation went over the continuum ranging from non-self-determined to the self-determined. When given the tasks, students followed the teacher’ instructions. The problem-solving tasks give them the reason to speak.

Each task required students to work together, brainstorm based on the given information, express their point of view, and discuss to come to the final solution which they believed to be the best to solve the problem. While students had a reason to speak it means they behaved in an intrinsically motivated way, they would get more

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interests, enjoyment and satisfaction of completing the tasks. The following extracts from interviews with the participants illustrate this point.

(Ext #1) English was learned in a very authentic and enthusiastic way. The tasks required students to activate their background knowledge and utilize it to come up with the most sensible solution. I was motivated because the tasks gave us the autonomy. We could make our own decision on the given problem. Each of us could choose a solution and explained the reason of that choice. Then, we together agreed on the final one without any strict (Interview 5 with Linh; English translation) 3.1.2. Learner’s motivation and confidence Interviewees expressed their self-confidence in the ability to complete the tasks.

The participants expressed that the tasks were presented in the authentic and interesting way that could avoid rigidly imposing tasks in their textbooks. Most participants said that the familiar and updated topics motivated them a lot and they wanted to talk. After being taught on a specific topic, the teacher gave the problem-solving tasks in which students can practice their knowledge and apply it in a real-like situation. Some said the tasks helped them to improve their confidence which they didn’t have before. The extracts below show the interviewee’s ideas.

(Ext #2): Problem-solving tasks were very new and had various interesting contents. The most important thing that motivated students was the topics. The topics were new and updated. They were not the boring topics in the students’ textbooks. We felt confident in completing the tasks without any help from the teacher. (Interview 4 with Hung; English translation) (Ext #3): Problem-solving tasks were interesting. They motivated us a lot because they were an open question for students to find out the answer. We had to work together to discuss to agree on the same choice of solution. The tasks were not difficult because we had been taught vocabulary and enriched background knowledge on the topic of the Unit. (Interview 3 with Anh; English translation) The results collected from the observation sheets and field notes, recordings of students’ speaking voice showed students’ positive attitude towards problem-solving tasks. All eight groups worked enthusiastically, and effectively in the given time

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without calling for help from the teacher. Almost all the groups did not stop before the limited time. During the observations, I noticed the pausing times that students made. The pausing time is the time when students do not speak or stop speaking temporarily. If the pausing time is short, it means students do not waste their time of speaking. If the pausing time is long or repeated, it means students face difficulty in their speaking. After analyzing the date, I can see that almost all eight groups engaged in the tasks and did not stop frequently. The table below shows the results of the observations based on the pausing time recorded.

Table 6: The longest pausing time Observer’s reflections Group

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

G7

G8

Average

Observation: 1

24s

15s 26s

13s

18s

15s

24s

17s

19s

Observation: 2

13s

16s 15s

7s

16s

14s

6s

14s

13s

Observation: 3

22s

28s 12s

5s

21s

16s

8s

22s

17s

Observation: 4

14s

17s 10s

4s

12s

18s

5s

12s

12s

Average

18s

19s 16s

7s

17s

16s

11s

16s

As can be seen from the table above, the longest pausing time changes over four observations. Accordingly, students left the longest time without speaking. 26 seconds of Group 3 accounts for this statement. The average pausing time changes. In the second and fourth observations, the average pausing time is shorter than that of the first and the third ones. Group 4 had the shortest pausing time of 7 seconds in average. Matching with the interviews results, this can be explained that the topics of the tasks affected students’ motivation and speaking a lot. With the topics they like, they were excited to discuss and debate. With the less interesting topics or more difficult topics, they tent to spend more time thinking.

3.1.3. Learner’s motivation and positive peer interaction The results from the interview enjoyed themselves in positive interpersonal relationships with others when working on the problem-solving tasks. The tasks put students in groups. Peer interaction could reduce the fear of losing face, and feel guilty in front of the teacher. The teacher in these tasks played the role of the instructor, observer and supporter. The students expressed that working together on the interesting topics brought them many benefits. They did not feel shy, worried.

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They could learn new vocabulary from their friends and improved their speaking skills.

(Ext #2): Problem-solving tasks were useful and exciting. The communicative pattern of the tasks was really motivating. When I could not speak, my friends could help me. When I didn’t understand the instruction of the teacher, my friends could explain. I sometimes could not express my ideas in English, my friends taught me the way.

I love working with my friends a lot. (Interview 6 with Manh) 3.2. The positive effects of problem-solving tasks on student’s speaking skills The data collected from the study show that problem-solving tasks can improve students’ speaking skills. This can be evidenced through the following information, collected from different data instruments.

The first is from the test result. The results from the tests revealed students’ speaking skills improvement. The scores of the test collected and analyzed with the aid of SPSS software. The standard probability of p<.05 was used to determine the difference before and after the intervention of problem-solving tasks in students’ speaking skills. For the purpose of the study, 44 learners were selected to take 2 different tests, pre-test and post-test. The criteria to assess students’ speaking ability are their pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary and grammar. The results of the students’ speaking pre-test and post-test scores as follow in Table 4.2: Table 7. Result of Students’ Speaking Pre-test and Post -Test Scores Test

N

The lowest score

The highest score

Mean

Pre-Test

44

5.0

8.5

6.93

Post-Test

44

5.0

9.0

7.51

As can be seen from the table, there was increase in students’ speaking ability in terms of pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary and grammar scores after using problem solving technique. This hypothesis was statically analyzed by comparing the mean score both pre-test and post-test manually using excels. From the figure above, it can be seen that there is an increase in the average score of mean score in pre-test of 6.93 and post-test of 7.51. The mean score increases about 0.58 point.

Relatingtothehypothesis, it can be said that problem solving tasks can increase the

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students speaking ability. Moreover, to answer the first research question , I did not only calculate the mean score of post-test but also used repeated measures T-Test which is also called as Paired Sample test of SPSS, in which significant increase was determined by p<0,05.

Table 8. Paired Samples Statistics Mean

N

Std. Deviation

Std. Error Mean

6.9364

44

1.10118

.16601

Post-Test 7.5114

44

1.07015

.16133

Pair 1 Pre-Test

Table 9. Paired Samples Correlations Pair 1 Pre-test & Post-test

N

Correlation

Sig.

44

.887

.000

Table 10. Paired Samples Test

Paired Differences

Mean

Std. Std. Devi- Error ation Mean

t

Sig. (2df tailed)

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper

Pair 1 Pretest & .5176 .07804 -7.368 43 .000 Post.57500 5 .73238 .41762 test

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As it is shown in tables 9 and 10, the p-value is smaller than 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05) the results indicate that there was statistically significant difference between Pre-test and Post-test regarding their speaking skills. In other words, the results revealed that utilizing problem-solving tasks can really promote learners’ ability in English speaking.

The second is from the interviews. The results of the interviews also revealed that students’ speaking skills improved a lot by utilizing problem-solving tasks in their speaking activities. Their vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation and their ability to express their ideas in the target language were better than learning in the traditional ways.

The participants agreed that by means of the problem-solving tasks encounter, they could communicate better in the target language, with less hesitation and in the better speed production. The students interviewed explained that the characteristics of problem-solving tasks focused on meaning, not the form of language. They could ignore grammar at the time and focus on trying to express themselves effectively so that the other members of the group could understand them. This can be evidenced through the following information, collected from the interviews.

(Ext #5) To complete the tasks, we needed to gather a lot of information. Each of us had to work hard for it and found the reasons to explain for our solution. When I had difficulty finding suitable words, my friends could help me or we could together search on the Internet and learned the words at that time. I learned many things through the tasks. It was really fun working together. (Interview 1 with Thanh) (Ext #6) When we worked together, I learned a lot from my friends. They were really good at English. They helped me to express my ideas in English. Some of my friends had a rich source of vocabulary. Working in groups for the same purpose was to find out the solution enriched my vocabulary a lot. My friends were not my teacher, so I didn’t worry of making mistakes. My speaking, hence, became more fluently and clearly. (Interview 8 with Trung) (Ext #7) Working to find out the most sensible solution was the most interesting part in the activity because we had to persuade other members of the group to agree with our ideas. Therefore, the speaker needed to express the ideas clearly, fluently, and accurately. Whenev-

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er I used new words or less common ones to express my ideas, I received much respect from my friends. The tasks helped us to improve our pronunciation, our fluency, and even our intonation of using the language. The members of my group were interested in using new words. We tried to express our ideas in the more academic ways. We learned from each other. (Interview 3 with Anh) There are many elements causing the failure in developing speaking skills such as learner’s anxiety of making mistakes, being criticized due to the errors they make when speaking, low motivation, poor vocabulary and so on. Based on the interview notes, most students said that problem-solving tasks helped them a lot to break the barriers which prevented them from speaking thanks to having a reason to talk, talking with friends, learning from friends’ ways of language expressions. Students who were interviewed shared the same view point that they were driven to speak more than usual, discovered more and ignored their shyness to express their ideas to achieve the goal of the tasks. Simultaneously, when they raised up their voice, and were listened by other people, they discovered that their pronunciation could be improved a lot. Practice the language more frequently in a meaningful, authentic interaction helped students become more autonomous learners, activated learners to interact, focused on the problem to be solved and therefore helped learners become skillful language users. The extracts below show the participants on the advantages of problem-solving tasks on their speaking skills.

(Ext #8) In order for the tasks to be successful, the learners needed to be well-prepared of the topics. We needed time to find information, background knowledge to discuss, and vocabulary source.

Problem-solving tasks created the atmosphere of learning the language with an interesting purpose. During the time of discussion for the solution, we argued, debated, persuaded and agreed on the same solution. Each member of the group brainstormed the ideas, the vocabulary and the way to express the ideas clearly. As the result of the learning process, our pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary improved a lot. We felt more confident to speak. Our speaking skills could be improved then. (Interview 4 with Hung)

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(Ext #9) When finding the solution for the tasks, I gained the advantage of problem-solving tasks from my friends’ ideas, ways of using language, ways of speaking. Because the tasks were used in speaking activities, our speaking skills could be improved a lot. (Interview 7 with Son) The third is from the observation sheets. The observation sheets show that students could use their language fluently to communicate effortlessly. The observations also indicate the progress of the students after the intervention of the tasks. I can see that students engaged well in the problem-solving tasks. They fully participated in the tasks and enjoyed themselves in the interpersonal interactions with their friends.

According to the observation sheets, there are a number of factors that indicate the improvement of students’ speaking skills after the experiment of problem-solving technique, including the period of time students use English to complete the tasks, the usage of their mother tongue (Vietnamese) while dealing with the problems, their ways of choosing the language and sentences to express their ideas through the measurement of complex sentences and simple sentences. The table below shows the findings: Table 11: The longest time of the participants’ speaking Observer’s reflections Group

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

G7

G8

Average time

Observation: 1

30s

45s 42s

55s

46s

72s

58s

46s

49s

Observation: 2

45s

33s 38s

48s

46s

44s

34s

33s

40s

Observation: 3

35s

28s 36s

32s

22s

41s

35s

29s

32s

Observation: 4

48s

55s 79s

68s

49s

92s

73s

82s

63s

As can be seen from the table above, the time of speaking changed a lot through 4 observations. The average time of speaking reached the longest (63 seconds) in the fourth observation on the topic of Women in Society (Unit 15). 32 seconds accounted for the shortest average time of speaking. This figure belongs to the third observation on the topic of International Organizations. Almost eight groups went through the same pattern of longer speaking time on topic 1 and 4, and shorter speaking time on topic 2 and 3. This matched with the results of the interview that the students felt more motivated with the topics they like, hence could speak better and longer. The average time of the fourth observation is the highest. This indicates

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that students could use the language to express their ideas the best in this topic. In conclusion, the topics and the background knowledge affect the ability of students’ speaking skills.

The finding from the observation is that students gradually use less Vietnamese in their speaking. There were still time when students used Vietnamese during their discussions. The reasons for using Vietnamese were significantly due to their lack of vocabulary to express their ideas or did not understand what their friends said.

The table below shows the details of how students use Vietnamese when speaking.

Table 12: Students’ Using Vietnamese Observer’s reflections Group

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

G7

G8

Average time

Observation: 1

28s

50s 20s

10s

28s

35s

12s

60s

34s

Observation: 2

15s

25s 3s

0s

0s

13s

20s

22s

12s

Observation: 3

10s

57s 35s

40s

10s

36s

15s

22s

28s

Observation: 4

15s

5s

0s

0s

13s

10s

12s

7s

3s

The table shows the time students used Vietnamese during their discussion time.

Many language learners face the problems of thinking in their mother tongue instead of in the target language. This prevents learners from improving their language acquisition. Almost all eight groups did not use much Vietnamese on topic 2 and 4 (Books and Women in Society). This can be explained that students had enough vocabulary to express in English. Some groups seemed not to use any Vietnamese at all (Group 4 and 5).

Finally, the data collected through the number of complex sentences and simple sentences show that after the experiment of problem-solving technique, students can use more complex sentences in a more fluent way. The number of simple sentences is still high but they made fewer grammatical errors.

In summary, regarding the research questions, both qualitative and quantitative methods were appeared to be effective in measuring the effectiveness of problemsolving tasks in improving students’ speaking skills. The findings of the research are consistent to the prior studies. The findings indicate that students were motivated by means of problem-solving tasks. The tasks help them overcome their fear of shame, lack of vocabulary, lack of confidence, and lack of speaking skills. Relating to the improvement of speaking skills, it might be concluded that most of the partic-

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ipants expressed they could overcome the barriers that prevented them from speaking. The participants gained a great deal of positive experience with English through a wealth positive peer interaction in the supportive and non-threatening learning environment. The experience of using English as a communicative tool, instead of studying not only improves students’ speaking skills in the real context, but also motivates them to speak and try out the language. The study shared the similar findings as Reza F., Hery Y. & Rosita S. that students perform better on the familiar topics. The findings show that students are motivated when they are satisfied. They achieve their satisfaction of autonomy, competence of relatedness. Besides, this study agrees on the finding of Yousef & Banafshed (2017) that problemsolving tasks encouraged students in innovative and creative ways. The tasks also motivate students in the cheerful and dynamic way. Natela and Gulnara (2008) shared the finding that the tasks help students overcome their difficulties and help them communicative independently.

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PART C: CONCLUSION The part of the study is to summarize the key findings, discuss the pedagogical implications for teachers of English and the limitations of the study. Recommendations for further research is followed to enhance the value of problem-solving tasks to improve students’ speaking skills.

1.

Summary of the key findings The study aims at two main objectives, which were to explore the effects of problem-solving tasks on students’ speaking skills and to indicate the elements motivating students to learn through problem-solving tasks. The study was conducted on 44 students of grade 12 at a High School with the intervention of problem-solving tasks in their speaking activities. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative approach was carried out to obtain the study’ objectives through interviews, observations and paired samples t-test. It can be clear that the utilizing problem-solving tasks in improving learners’ speaking skills proved to be effective. The main findings of the study are summarized as follows.

Firstly, participants of the study showed that they were more motivated to speak in the problem-solving tasks rather than in the traditional textbook-based tasks. The findings indicate that students are more interested in the tasks because the tasks were beneficial to them. The results showed that they engaged in the tasks because of their intrinsic motivation. They felt satisfied with themselves and with the tasks.

Problem-solving tasks invite learners to offer advice and recommendation on problems on their own way. To be able to solve the problem, learners need to understand the situation, have knowledge about it and can perform the solution. Participants of the tasks do not need to depend on the teacher or the provided materials for their own solution of the problem.

Secondly, the results of the data collection process indicated that students’ speaking skills could be improved through the tasks. Requiring learners to engage in the authentic tasks encourages them to practice the language they learn and therefore learn from that. Most of the participants reported that they gained a lot through the tasks, including their confidence, vocabulary, ability to use the target language in different situations and the ability to speak fluently. The results of the data analysis illustrate that the more motivated a learner is, the better he or she can perform in the target language. This can be explained that learners of the tasks showed their high interest

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in the peer interaction. This positive communication pattern encourages them to speak without the fear of shame. Learners have to communicate in the limited time to complete the tasks. The participants reported that they were comfortable to speak. They could learn from their friends the language functions to speak more fluently. The vocabulary they got from the authentic tasks could be kept in their long-term memory better. The use of target language in the creative and high motivating contexts helped them learn the language better.

2.

Pedagogical implications of the study The results of the study have confirmed the importance in educational technology in foreign language learning which mentioned here is problem-solving tasks as an approach to improve learners’ speaking skills and have some implications in aiming for better language teaching planning.

As already argued, it is essential for language teachers to be aware of the advantages of utilizing problem-solving tasks in teaching a language. Learning a language through problems is considered effective not in speaking skills but in other skills, too.

It is advisable that language teachers free themselves from their dependence on their textbooks and the textbook-based tasks to think and design the tasks which invite students to learn to solve the problems. This requires language teacher to be creative, independent and devoted. To make the tasks effective, according to the participants, the topics need to be authentic, current, and familiar to students. Therefore, the topic needs to be carefully chosen. Students showed their more interest in the updated, current events. They could perform better on the familiar topics.

When designing the tasks, teachers also need to notice the background knowledge of the students which as reported plays an important role in the success of the tasks.

Teachers should provide learners with the necessary information of the topics before the lesson or give the instruction or requirement of searching for information as homework before carrying out the task. Importantly, students need to be wellprepared of what they are going to learn. Participants of the study reported that if they did not know much about the topic, it consumed a lot of time finding information and vocabulary for the solutions of the tasks.

Next, it is advisable for the teacher to identify the purpose of the tasks, the aspects of the language, the skills which the teacher wants their students to improve. Fully understanding the objectives of the tasks, the teacher can design the tasks effective-

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ly. When designing the tasks, the teacher should notice some main factors as follow.

The problem is explained clearly. The possible solutions are given. The task is designed scientifically. The size of the groups is also a necessary factor that the teacher needs to consider. Too big group can prevent all learners from having enough time to speak. Too small group can encounter the difficulty of gathering ideas and discussion. The task’s instruction needs to be clear enough.

Another pedagogical implement is for language teacher educators. In preparing teachers to teach, teachers should be educated and trained properly. The language teacher educators should raise awareness of the importance of using this technique in teaching speaking skills. It is necessary for the teachers to be introduce new language teaching methods. Teachers also should be trained the ability to teach, and the ability to develop appropriate teaching materials.

3.

Limitations of the study Despite of effectiveness of the research methodology, several limitations of the research may affect the generalizability of the results. First, the study was not a fully randomized trial. Since the participants of the study was subjectively chosen by the researcher. It was class 12A1, at a High School in the North of Vietnam. The results and findings of the study may have been different if the participants were changed.

Second, the study was constrained in the very short time of a semester. The results of the speaking tests may have been different, too. Moreover, the results from qualitative approach were quite subjective.

Besides, I was the researcher, observer and interviewer at the same time. The results may have been different if the other teacher taught the class and the participants were interviewed by another teacher. During the data collection from observations, I was responsible for carrying out the tasks as well as observing the students’ work.

Therefore, there is a limitation in observing all the students’ performance.

Finally, the number of participants for the study was small, just 44 students. This figure affected the final outcome of the study because it did not collect all opinions of all students of grade 12.

4.

Recommendations In addition to addressing the above limitations, in future empirical studies, I provide some recommendations to promote the effects of problem-solving tasks in teaching speaking skills.

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Firstly, I only conducted the research in the period of a semester, future studies should be conducted in the longer and with a large number of participants for more objective results.

Secondly, the speaking tests should be based on the international grading rubrics, not the self-designed rubrics. The teachers who score the tests should not be the researcher. It is recommended that the raters should be two. Then the scores of the two raters could be compared for more accuracy.

Thirdly, Because I was at the same time the observer and the teacher in the data collection from observations, in order to achieve reliable observation data, the researcher needs to fully observe the students’ performance.

Finally, to promote students to answer the interview questions frankly, the teacher should also be encouraged to create a positive and favorable environment for students to receive feedback which reflects true about students’ opinions.

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APPENDICES Appendix 1: Interview guide Date of interview:

Time of interview:

Participant name: Main questions

Possible probes

Q1: How do you feel about using prob- Are you interested in the tasks? lem-solving tasks in speaking activities?

Are they useful in improving your English speaking skills?

Q2: What motivated you in problem- Which encouraged you to speak, familiar solving tasks?

topic, working in group, no shyness or else?

Q3: What can problem-solving tasks Can you speak better after the tasks? help you in your speaking skills?

Can you come up with ideas easier when using the tasks?

Can you speak more fluently?

Can your vocabulary be improved?

Q4: What make problem-solving tasks What should the teacher do to make the effective when applying in speaking ac- task effective? tivities?

What should students do during the tasks?

What are the requirements for the students?

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Appendix 2: Observation sheet Observation Sheet 1. School: 2. Teacher: 3. Class: 4. Number of students:

Boys:

Girls:

5. Age of students: 6. Topic of the lesson 7. Name of the task to observe 8. Criteria to observe: Observation: _____

Observer’s reflections

Observation Contents

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

G7

G8

The number of participants Discussion time The longest time of the participant’s speaking Students’ confidence in using language Students’ using Vietnamese Pausing times Students’ involved in the tasks enthusiastically Using complex sentences Using simple sentences

37

Appendix 3: Speaking Test Results The test results Pre-Test Scores No. Name

Score

No. Name

Score

1

Hoàng Minh Anh

8

23

Đỗ Khánh Linh

7.5

2

Đỗ Phương Anh

5.6

24

Nguyễn Khánh Ly

7

3

Hoàng Thị Lan Anh

7.6

25

Trần Đức Mạnh

8

4

Nguyễn Lê Đức Anh

8

26

Nguyễn Hiếu Minh

7

5

Lê Đức Bình

8

27

Trần Đức Minh

6.5

6

Nguyễn Tuấn Cường

8

28

Trần Thảo My

6

7

Bùi Đức Duy

7

29

Đinh Phương Nam

8

8

Đỗ Tiến Đạt

8.5

30

Quách Đình Nam

8

9

Đỗ Hương Giang

6

31

Vũ Bích Ngọc

8

10

Hoàng Ngân Giang

8

32

Nguyễn Tuyết Ngọc

5

11

Phạm Thùy Hương

6.5

33

Lê Trang Nhung

5

12

Phạm Việt Hà

7.5

34

Vũ Thị Hồng Quỳnh

7.5

13

Nguyễn Thu Hà

7

35

Đặng Thanh Sơn

8

14

Nguyễn Minh Hiền

6

36

Mai Văn Thành

8

15

Phạm Quốc Hưng

8.5

37

Vũ Thị Xuân Thủy

6

16

Nguyễn Sỹ Hoàng

8

38

Lê Thanh Thủy

5.5

17

Vũ Minh Hoàng

7

39

Vũ Thu Trang

7

18

Phạm Việt Hoàng

5

40

Phan Hữu Trường

7

19

Vũ Phương Huyền

5.5

41

Đàm Quang Trung

8

20

Hoàng Trung Kiên

7.5

42

Trần Quang Vũ

7

21

Nguyễn Trung Kiên

7

43

Nguyễn Nam Long

5

22

Lê Thị Thúy Linh

5.5

44

Hoang Hai Yen

5

38

Post-Test Scores No. Name

Score No. Name

Score

1

Hoàng Minh Anh

8.5

23

Đỗ Khánh Linh

7.5

2

Đỗ Phương Anh

6

24

Nguyễn Khánh Ly

7

3

Hoàng Thị Lan Anh

8

25

Trần Đức Mạnh

8

4

Nguyễn Lê Đức Anh

8

26

Nguyễn Hiếu Minh

7

5

Lê Đức Bình

8.5

27

Trần Đức Minh

8

6

Nguyễn Tuấn Cường

8.5

28

Trần Thảo My

6

7

Bùi Đức Duy

7.5

29

Đinh Phương Nam

8.5

8

Đỗ Tiến Đạt

8.5

30

Quách Đình Nam

9

9

Đỗ Hương Giang

6.5

31

Vũ Bích Ngọc

8.5

10

Hoàng Ngân Giang

9

32

Nguyễn Tuyết Ngọc

5

11

Phạm Thùy Hương

7

33

Lê Trang Nhung

6

12

Phạm Việt Hà

7.5

34

Vũ Thị Hồng Quỳnh

7.5

13

Nguyễn Thu Hà

7

35

Đặng Thanh Sơn

8.5

14

Nguyễn Minh Hiền

7

36

Mai Văn Thành

8

15

Phạm Quốc Hưng

9

37

Vũ Thị Xuân Thủy

6

16

Nguyễn Sỹ Hoàng

8.5

38

Lê Thanh Thủy

6

17

Vũ Minh Hoàng

7.5

39

Vũ Thu Trang

8

18

Phạm Việt Hoàng

5

40

Phan Hữu Trường

8

19

Vũ Phương Huyền

7

41

Đàm Quang Trung

9

20

Hoàng Trung Kiên

8

42

Trần Quang Vũ

8.5

21

Nguyễn Trung Kiên

8

43

Nguyễn Nam Long

7

22

Lê Thị Thúy Linh

7

44

Hoang Hai Yen

6

39