Motivating grade 11 students to learn english through examination taking strategy training at yen thanh 2

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PART A. INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Nowadays, in the era of the globalization and international exchange, English has become a
‘lingua franca’ which according to Jeremy Harmer (2001:1), can be defined as a language
widely adopted for communication between two speakers whose native languages are
different from each other’s and where one or both speakers are using it as a ‘second’
language. It has been used almost all over the world in many different areas such as
diplomacy, science, technology, business, culture, tourism, etc. There is no doubt that
English is one of the most important means of communication and access to information. In
this context, the teaching and learning of English is more and more necessary.
In Vietnam, in recent years, English as a foreign language has gained considerable attention.
It has become a compulsory subject in the syllabus of many schools, colleges and
universities. It has been taught and learnt throughout the country, both urban areas and rural
(or remote) ones. Even in the countryside, children now start learning English when they are
in grade 3 or 4. However, the fact is that the teaching and learning of English has not been
effective yet, especially that in rural areas. There are still many people who cannot use
English well after finishing English courses.
As a teacher of English at a rural upper secondary school, the researcher is concerned about
her students’ English learning. She has been teaching 4 classes of grade 11. Although her
students have learnt English since they were in grade 6 under the new syllabus and new
methods based on the communicative approach, their English is still not very good. Of
course, they can hardly use English to communicate. Also their marks in tests and
examinations are rather low. Additionally, many of the students seem not to be interested in
learning English. According to them, English is difficult and not very necessary for their
future, because after school most of them will be farmers or workers only. In other words,
they do not have much motivation for learning it. The practical goal for most of the students
is just to pass tests and examinations to graduate from the upper secondary school.
Moreover, the grade 11 students are the ones who are going to leave school in over one year,
so it is rather difficult to change their goal and motivation. The question is what teachers
should do to help their students learn English better in this environment, where the English
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language input is limited and non-conducive to learning the target language. The researcher
has thought a lot about this fact, about the students’ goal and motivation. Wondering if
examination-taking strategy training can help to motivate the students, she decided to
conduct the study on “Motivating grade 11 students to learn English through examination-
taking strategy training at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school” to find out the answer, and
further, to help improve the teaching and learning of English at her school.
2. Research hypothesis
This study was designed to test the following hypothesis:
Examination-taking strategy training can help to motivate grade 11 students to learn English.
3. Aims of the study
The purpose of the study is to investigate the possibility of using examination-taking strategy
training to motivate grade 11 students to learn English at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary
school. It aims specifically at:
- considering the student motivation and the reality of training and application of
examination-taking strategies in the context of grade 11 students at Yen Thanh 2 upper
secondary school.
- investigating changes in student motivation after applying examination-taking strategy
training in lessons.
- examining student attitude towards the examination-taking strategy training
- giving some recommendations for motivating students to learn English through
examination-taking strategy training
4. Significance of the study
The study is expected to make a better understanding of motivation to second language
learning. In addition, it offers the theoretical basis for language learning strategies,
examination-taking strategies, and the motivational roles of strategy training in general and
examination-taking strategy training in particular.
Practically and pedagogically, the findings of the study are believed to be useful for teachers
of English to be aware of the essential role of examination-taking strategy training to
students’ motivation in English learning. Besides, the recommendations for using
examination-taking strategy training to enhance students’ motivation, which are based on the
theoretical background and the current situation of learning English at Yen Thanh 2 upper
secondary school, hopefully can help the teachers motivate their students to learn English.
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5. Scope of the study
Although there are many different ways to motivate students to learn English, all these issues
cannot be fully covered in this paper. Due to the limited time and the length of a minor
thesis, the researcher only focuses on exploiting examination-taking strategy training as a
way of motivating grade 11 students at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school. Besides, the
target that the study investigates and serves is just 115 students from 3 classes of grade 11 at
this school.
6. Methods of the study
This study was intended to conduct as a piece of action research. According to Gina Wisker
(2001), action research is research that we carry out with our students in order to try out an
idea or innovation, test a hypothesis about their learning and see ‘what would happen if ’.
Michael J. Wallace (1998) also points out that action research involves the collection and
analysis of data related to some aspects of our professional practice. With this action
research, the researcher used some different methods based on both quantitative and
qualitative approaches: survey questionnaires for students, consisting of one pre-treatment
questionnaire and one post-treatment questionnaire; follow-up interviews; classroom
observations.
The steps of the study are as follows:
(1). Spend one month collecting baseline data through classroom observations. These were
carried out by the researchers herself and some of her colleagues. Besides, get the students to
answer the pre-questionnaire to find out the reality of student motivation and their
knowledge of examination-taking strategies.
(2). Form the hypothesis that examination-taking strategy training can help to motivate grade
11 students to learn English.
(3). Provide the students with the examination-taking strategy training whenever possible in
the regular lessons for one month and half a month. The classroom observations were also
carried out by the researcher and her colleagues in this period.
(4). After one month and half a month, the students were invited to answer the post-
questionnaire to find out the changes in their motivation as well as their attitude toward the
examination-taking strategy training. The follow-up interviews were also employed to gather
indepth information.
(5). Analyze the collected data and discuss the findings.
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(6). Disseminate the outcomes.
7. Design of the study
The study is divided into three parts: the introduction, the development, and the conclusion
Part A: Introduction – presents the basic information including rationale, research
hypothesis, aims, significance, research methods, scope, and design of the study.
Part B: Development – consists of three chapters
Chapter 1: Literature Review – provides the literature concerning motivation in
second language learning, learning strategy training, and examination-taking strategy
training as a motivating factor.
Chapter 2: The study – reports the setting, research hypothesis, participants,
instruments, data collection procedure and analysis. The detailed results of the surveys and a
critical comprehensive analysis on the data collected are presented.
Chapter 3: Major findings, discussions and recommendations for motivating
students to learn English through examination-taking strategy training – shows major
findings and discussions and offers recommendations for motivating students to learn
English through examination-taking strategy training.
Part C: Conclusion – is a summary of the study in which limitations of the study and
suggestions for further research are presented.
PART B. DEVLOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
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1.1. Overview of motivation in language learning
1.1.1. Definitions of motivation
Motivation is accepted for most fields of learning to be essential to success. Without
motivation we will almost certainly fail to make the necessary effort. Therefore, it makes
sense to try and develop our understanding of it.
Motivation is defined in different ways by different researchers. According to Marion
Williams and Richard Burden (1997:120), motivation is a ‘state of cognitive arouse’ which
provokes a ‘decision to act’ as a result of which there is ‘sustained intellectual and/or
physical effort’ so that the person can achieve some ‘previously set goal’. Sharing the same
view, Jeremy Harmer (2001:51) states that ‘at its most basic level, motivation is some kind
of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something.
Additionally, Woolfolk (2001:366) defines motivation as ‘an internal state that arouses,
directs and maintains behavior’.
Briefly, motivation is something involving the attitudes and affective states that influence the
degree of effort that one makes to achieve some certain goal. It is not only arousing interest
but also sustaining interest and investing time and energy into putting the effort to achieve
those goals.
1.1.2. Importance of motivation in language learning
Learner motivation has become more commonly recognized as perhaps the major
determining factor for successful learning in general, whether one is an adult learner taking
distance education courses, or an upper secondary school student pushing one’s way through
the battery of required courses needed to graduate. It has been found in various studies that
motivation is very strongly related to achievement in language learning. As William T.
Littlewood puts it (1984:53), ‘in second language learning as well as in every other field of
human learning, motivation is the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks
on a task at all, how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres’. Besides,
Tricia Hedge (2000:23) affirms: ‘motivation is of crucial importance in the classroom,
whether learners arrive with it or whether they acquire it through classroom experiences’.
About this issue, Oxford and Shearin (1996:121-122) also argue: ‘Motivation is important
because it directly influences how often students use L2 learning strategies, how much
students interact with native speakers, how much input they receive in the language being
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learned (the target language), how well they do on curriculum-related achievement tests,
how high their general proficiency level becomes, and how long they persevere and maintain
L2 skills after language study is over. Therefore, motivation is crucial for L2 learning, and it
is essential to understand what our students’ motivation are’. As a result, motivation should
be paid attention in teaching and learning second languages.
1.1.3. Common factors affecting learners’ motivation in language learning
There is a variety of factors affecting learners’ motivation such as parents, community,
learning context, teacher, subject, etc. However, in this paper, the researcher only focuses on
some common and important factors, namely, learner’s factors, teacher’s factors, learning
materials and learner’s success in second language learning.
1.1.3.1. Learner’ factors
Among these factors, the first and most important factor is their background knowledge.
Background knowledge refers to the existing information on a specific topic in each
language lesson. Therefore, if students lack background knowledge, it is difficult for them to
get involved in learning activities. They will be unable to comprehend new materials and
more importantly, they will lose their interest in learning lessons. Realizing the influence of
this factor, the teacher needs to provide the amount of background information available and
to see that they are able to use them.
Besides, language items such as vocabulary and grammatical structures can be considered to
have an impact on the students’ feelings. This causes difficulties in getting meaning as well
as practicing language skills.
The student’ aptitude is also an important factor that influences his motivation. If one finds
he is able to do something well, surely he feels self-confident and likes it very much. The
other factor is learners’ language learning strategies. Learners’ strategies can affect their
mood to participate actively in learning activities. Strategies are helpful to students because
they enable them to improve their learning proficiency as well as efficiency in learning.
Moreover importantly, strategies help learners to process the lessons actively and to connect
what they are learning to their own knowledge. However, learners must be flexible in
employing strategies; otherwise, their expectations to the learning are not met. In addition, it
is true that more highly motivated learners use a significantly greater range of appropriate
strategies than less ones. It is advisable for teachers to teach learners strategies in lessons and
let them practice frequently.
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1.1.3.2. Teacher’ factors
Teachers are considered to have very important responsibilities in making sure the learners
remain happy and interested in learning.
The first factor is the teacher’s attitudes and behaviors towards students. The way the teacher
feels, thinks and behaves while teaching can have a profound effect on learners’ motivation
and learning atmosphere. When the teacher has personal and interpersonal variables such as
good mood, warmth, respect, empathy, understanding, sensitivity, enthusiasm and good
sense of humor, the learning atmosphere is likely to be relaxing, enjoyable, and conducive to
language learning. It is suggested that when learners see an instructor who is excited about
his/ her subject or who simply loves teaching, inevitably they are affected by this energy and
will engage themselves actively in the learning process. Moreover, when teachers have
expectations in their students’ ability, the learners are likely to reach high level of
achievement and feel more confident. Learners tend to perform at a level that is consistent
with the teacher’s belief and expectations.
Besides, the teacher’s techniques and activities are of great impact on learners’ motivation.
Without good techniques and interesting activities, learners may be left in confusion and
boredom while dealing with learning tasks. Therefore, teacher should invest more effort and
thoughts in the materials, the ways, and the time to use techniques and activities carefully for
a specific stage of teaching and assessing the learning performance.
Lastly, the teacher should be aware of learners’ learning needs, consisting of their motivation
for learning and the purposes that language learning has in their lives. A good teacher should
be the person who can find ways to pull the students and the lesson together.
1.1.3.3. Learning materials
One of the most important factors which influence the learners’ motivation is learning
materials. The materials which are interesting and relevant to the learners will motivate them
to learn more. For example, when learners have to face a text or a task beyond their language
proficiency with many unknown words and complex sentences, they become overwhelmed,
frustrated and tired. Besides, if the topic or content of the text is not interesting, familiar and
relevant to their experience and interests, they may stop learning. What’s more, the lack of
variety in task types also makes learners reluctant to engage fully with the activity.
1.1.3.4. Learner’s success in language learning
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It is realized that motivation for language learning could be much enhanced with success.
According to Ur (1996:278), “learners who have succeeded in past tasks will be more
willing to engage with the next one, more confident in their chances of succeeding, and more
likely to preserve in their efforts”. Jeremy Harmer (2001:52) also affirms that ‘nothing
succeeds like success’ so ‘if the teacher can help students in the achievement of short-term
goal, this will have a significant effect on their motivation’. Obviously, it is better for the
teacher to appreciate students’ success.
1.2. Overview of examination-taking strategy training
1.2.1. Language learning strategy training
1.2.1.1. Definitions of language learning strategies
A lot of research into language learning strategies has been done since 1960s. Up to now the
term ‘language learning strategy’ has been defined by many researchers. In Wenden and
Rubin’s words (1987:19), language learning strategies are defined as “…any sets of
operations, steps, plans, routines used by the learner to facilitate the obtaining, storage,
retrieval, and use of information.” Stern (1992:261) states that “the concept of learning
strategy is dependent on the assumption that learners consciously engage in activities to
achieve certain goals and learning strategies can be regarded as broadly conceived
intentional directions and learning techniques.” According to Chamot (2004:14-26),
“learning strategies are the conscious thoughts and actions that learners take in order to
achieve a learning goal”. Oxford (1990:17) divides strategies into major types, direct and
indirect. She defines direct strategies as those requiring mental processing of the language.
However, the three groups that compose direct strategies do this processing differently and
for different purposes. For example, memory strategies, such as grouping or using imagery,
have a highly specific function, which is to help students store and retrieve new information.
Cognitive strategies, on the other hand, such as summarizing or reasoning deductively,
enable learners to understand and produce new language by many different means. Finally,
compensation strategies like guessing or using synonyms, allow learners to use the language
despite their often-large gaps in knowledge. The second group of strategies discussed by
Oxford is indirect strategies. These are called “indirect” because they support and manage
language learning without directly involving the target language. They are divided into
metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. Metacognitive strategies, like centering your
learning and evaluating and monitoring, are “actions which go beyond purely cognitive
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devices, and which provide a way for learners to coordinate their own learning process”
(1990:136). Affective strategies, however, such as lowering your anxiety, encouraging
yourself, and taking your emotional temperature, deal with emotion, attitudes, motivations,
and values. Finally, the third indirect strategy group defined by Oxford involves social
strategies, like asking questions, cooperating peers and proficient users of the target
language, and empathizing with others.
It is accepted that providing learners with learning strategies is very important. Language
learning strategies are good indicators of how learners approach tasks or problems
encountered during the process of language learning. Developing skills in these areas, such
as metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective can help the language learner build up
learner independence and autonomy whereby he can take control of his own learning.
1.2.1.2. Strategy training as a motivating factor
Since learning strategies in general and language learning strategies in particular are very
important, it makes sense to help learners know and use them well. In other words, providing
learners with learning strategies are necessary. Research indicates that language learners at
all levels use strategies, but that some or most learners are not fully aware of the strategies
they use or the strategies that might be most beneficial to employ. When learners become
aware of the range of strategies from which they can choose during language learning and
use, they will have many opportunities to succeed. Success will help enhance learners’
motivation. On the other hand, when learners know how to use strategies, they will become
more self-confident. One of the strategies to boost learners’ motivation suggested by
Woolfolk (2001:421) is building learners’ confidence and positive expectation. With
success, the confidence will certainly help improve students’ motivation. Therefore, it can be
said that learning strategy training is a motivating factor.
1.2.2. Examination-taking strategy training
1.2.2.1. Definitions of examination-taking strategies
Although the term “examination” and “test” are distinguished as different terms in many
cases, in this paper “examination-taking strategies” and “test-taking strategies” are
considered the same. They are used to refer to strategies exploited in test situations.
According to Andrew D. Cohen (1998:219), “test-taking strategies consist of both language
use strategies and test-wiseness strategies”. He points out that language use strategies are
steps or tasks that learners consciously select in order to accomplish language tasks, and
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include retrieval strategies, rehearsal strategies, cover strategies, and communication
strategies. All four types of strategies are used in test taking, since respondents need to
retrieve material for use on the test, may need to rehearse it before using it (such as in
speaking or writing tasks), are likely to use some cover strategies in order to look good, and
may well to engage in genuine communication if the tests or quizzes call for it. In Cohen’s
view, these various language use strategies constitute test-taking strategies when they are
used to help produce responses to testing tasks. The second group of test-taking strategies is
test-wiseness. These strategies are not necessarily determined by proficiency in the language
being assessed, but rather may be dependent on the respondents’ knowledge of how to take
tests. One such test-wiseness strategy consists of opting out of the language task at hand (e.g.
through a surface matching of some information in the passage with the identical
information in one of the response choices). A second strategy would be to make use of
material from a previous item when it ‘gives away’ the answer to a subsequent one. This is
also a form of matching, but across items rather than within them, and, as in the previous
case, the respondent may make the match without understanding the material very well or at
all. Another test-wiseness strategy consists of taking shortcuts to arrive at answers (e.g. not
reading the text as instructed but simply looking immediately for the answers to the given
reading comprehension questions).
In Mc Donough’s words (1995:105), these strategies are called test-wise, i.e. “having some
ingenuity, knowledge, or strategy to outwit the tester and find the right answer from the
clues in the test format rather than from actual knowledge of the language or skill in
language use.
In short, examination-taking strategies or test-taking strategies are the strategies the test-
taker uses to take the test, including language use strategies and test-wiseness ones.
Language use strategies are considered close to the learner’ competence while test-wiseness
ones are sometimes not. Despite this fact, in many cases test-wiseness can help test-takers a
lot. As Cohen (1998:218) puts it, the strategy of studying the questions carefully before
reading the text may be crucial for the particular respondents, especially the ones who do not
have good retentive memory when they read in that language. In the other words, in some
cases, test-wiseness strategies can well supplement language use strategies.
1.2.2.2. Examination-taking strategy training as a motivating factor
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There is no doubt that test-taking strategies are very important, especially for the students,
for whom tests are a fact of life. Thus, it is very essential for teachers to provide students
with test-taking strategy training. Knowing and using test-taking strategies well will help
them to become more confident and lower anxiety. Besides, well-equipped test-taking
strategy students surely get high marks in tests, that is, succeed in their learning. Moreover,
one of students’ certain goals is passing tests and examinations. Test-taking strategy training,
therefore, is their interest and meets their needs. As mentioned in the parts above, all of these
things such as confidence, success, interest, etc. will motivate them to actively engage in
learning process. Briefly, test-taking strategy training is really a motivating factor for
students’ learning.
1.2.3. Principles to provide students with examination-taking strategy training
Before conducting the test-taking or examination-taking strategy training, it is essential to be
well aware of its aims.
According to Cohen (2003), strategy training aims at providing learners with the tools to do
the following:
• Self-diagnose their strengths and weaknesses in language learning
• Become aware of what helps them to learn the target language most efficiently
• Develop a broad range of problem-solving skills
• Experiment with familiar and unfamiliar learning strategies
• Make decisions about how to approach a language task
• Monitor and self-evaluate their performance
• Transfer successful strategies to new learning contexts
He then presents three different instructional frameworks of conducting strategy training
proposed by Pearson and Dole (1987), Oxford et al. (1990), and Chamot and O’Malley
(1994). As he puts it, each of these three frameworks has been designed to raise student
awareness of the purpose and rationale of strategy use, give students opportunities to practice
the strategies they are being taught, and help them use the strategies in new learning context.
Oxford (1994) suggests some principles of language learning strategy training as follows:
• Language learning strategy training should be based clearly on students’ attitude,
beliefs, and stated needs.
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• Strategies should be chosen so that they mesh with and support each other and so
that they fit the requirements of the language task, the learners’ goals, and the
learners’ style of learning
• Training should, if possible, be integrated into regular language learning
activities over a long period of time rather than taught as a separate, short
intervention.
• Students should have plenty of opportunities for strategy training during
language classes
• Strategy training should include explanations, handouts, activities,
brainstorming, and materials for reference and home study
• Affective issues such as anxiety, motivation, beliefs, and interests-all of which
influence strategy choice-should be directly addressed by language learning
strategy training.
• Strategy training should not be solely tied to the class at hand; it should provide
strategies that are transferable to future language tasks beyond a given class.
• Strategy training should be somewhat individualized, as different students prefer
or need certain strategies for particular tasks.
• Strategy training should provide students with a mechanism to evaluate their
own progress and to evaluate the success of the training and the value of the
strategies in multiple tasks.
As a type of language learning strategies, test-taking strategies can be trained on the above
basis. In addition, in Matter’s view (1986:1), “Ideally, test preparation activities should not
be additional activities imposed upon teachers. Rather, they should be incorporated into the
regular, ongoing instructional activities whenever possible”.
To sum up, the teacher should take these issues in consideration before providing students
with test-taking strategy training.
The chapter has presented issues and aspects concerning the topic of the study. It has
discussed the concepts and ideas relating to motivation in general and in second language
learning in particular. What’s more, common factors affecting students’ motivation in
language learning have reviewed. Besides, given the purpose of the study, the author mainly
focuses on the discussion of strategy training, especially taking strategy training as a
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motivating factor. The following chapter will display the methodology of the research under
the light of the above discussed theories.

CHAPTER 2. THE STUDY
2.1. The setting of the study
2.1.1. The syllabus and assessment
This study was conducted at Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school, a rural school of Nghe
An province, where the environment for teaching and learning English was limited.
Although English has been taught and learnt as a compulsory subject here for 8 years, it has
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been rather new and difficult for the students. Like in many other schools in Vietnam, there
exists two kinds of syllabus here: the old one for the current grade 12 students and the new
one for the current grade 10 and 11 students. The school year 2007-2008 is the last one when
the old syllabus is taught and learnt, after that the new syllabus will be completely covered
the grades. The new syllabus with the communicative approach is considered interesting but
rather challenging for the teachers. It mainly focuses on equipping students with
communicative ability and competence to perform basic language functions receptively and
productively, using correct language forms and structures. In the new textbooks, the new
syllabus content is arranged according to themes. Most of the themes are considered to be
rather close to the contexts of the students’ daily life such as home, school, recreation,
community, and the natural and social world. Each unit in the new textbooks has 5 lessons: 4
for 4 skills – reading, speaking, listening, writing and 1 for language focus. In general, it is
agreed that the new syllabus has a lot of improvement as compared to the old one. However,
the current examinations, especially final ones, are almost in the format of multiple-choice
questions and mainly focus on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading comprehension
and some controlled writing, but not listening and speaking skills. This makes the English
lessons at class, especially listening and speaking lessons become boring and useless for
students while the teachers are wavering without knowing how they should teach to gain the
best results.
2.1.2. The teachers
In Yen Thanh 2 upper secondary school there are totally 9 teachers of English aged 23 to 45.
All of them have got the University Bachelor’s Degree but their time lengths of teaching
English are different. The oldest teacher has nearly 25 years of teaching experience, and the
youngest just has nearly one year. As rural teachers, they have few opportunities to upgrade
their teaching and do not have a lot of teaching aids and materials to help their work. Despite
all these disadvantages, they are always eager for knowledge and willing to adjust to new
thinking and apply better ways to improve their teaching quality. Especially, all of them took
part in the in-service training workshop of curricular innovation organized by Nghe An
Department of Education and Training.
2.1.3. The students
Most of the students at Yen Thanh 2 are from farmer families so their lives are rather poor.
They do not have enough good conditions to learn, especially to learn English. Apart from
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