THE IMPACT OF STORYTELLING ON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ORAL PERFORMANCE

This paper examines the impact of storytelling on high school students’ oral performance and their attitudes towards this instruction. Using an experimental mixed methods design, pretests, posttests, and interviews were undertaken with thirty six students in the pilot class of academic years 2017-2018. The findings of the study indicate that these participating students were in favor of learning with storytelling rather than other ways. The quantitative analysis reveals that students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group, suggesting that storytelling instruction was useful to high school students using the pilot textbooks. Pedagogical implications are also presented

EFL TEACHERS’ USE OF MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES IN TEACHING VSTEP SPEAKING TO STUDENTS LEARNING TO REACH LEVEL 3 OF VSTEP (B1) AND FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR PRACTICES

Motivation plays a vital role in English language teaching and learning, especially in the development of speaking skills. This study, therefore, aims to examine teachers' use of motivational strategies (MS) in teaching VSTEP speaking to students learning to reach level 3 of VSTEP (B1) and the factors influencing their practices. Data were collected through observations and questionnaires with two and 54 teachers respectively. The findings reveal that teachers in the private sector demonstrated a range of motivational strategies in teaching VSTEP speaking to students who aspired to reach Level 3 (B1) in VSTEP. This study also reports five factors influencing the use of MS including teacher-related, student-related, school-related, MS-related and testing factors. This study contributes to the understanding of EFL teachers' use of motivational strategies in teaching speaking skills within the context of VSTEP Level 3 (B1). The findings offer insightful views for teachers and administrators, informing the development of effective teaching practices that foster motivation and enhance English language proficiency.  Article visualizations

TASK-BASED VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION AT A VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOL: STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS

Task-based vocabulary instruction has been increasingly popular in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) at tertiary institutions in Asia, includingVietnam. However, this type of instruction at high schools is mainly focused on traditional way and, this approach is widely held to prevent students from having opportunities to learn, communicate, and interact with other peers in English. This paper therefore reports on students’ perceptions of task-based vocabulary instruction within a high school context. Data through tests and questionnaire were administered to two groups of seventy tenth graders at a high school in a Mekong Delta region. The findings indicate that students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group, suggesting that task-based vocabulary instruction was useful to tenth graders using the new textbook. The findings also reveal participants’ perceived need for the inclusion of task-based vocabulary in their learning process. Implications for language teaching and administration are also presented.  Article visualizations

TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES IN INCORPORATING HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS IN READING CLASSES

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) have been mentioned in education including teaching and learning English as a foreign language in Vietnam. However, how to integrate HOTS into teaching, particularly reading skill, has been one of the greatest concerns of EFL high school teachers in the current context. Therefore, the study was carried out to explore teachers’ strategies for incorporating HOTS in reading classes. Questionnaires, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data from eighty high school teachers. The findings of the research indicate that the strategies for applying HOTS in reading were playing games, making predictions, modeling, structuring the classroom, asking questions and giving feedback. Pedagogical implications for teachers and school administrations are presented.  Article visualizations

SUMMARIZING STRATEGY: POTENTIAL TOOL TO PROMOTE ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL) STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION AT A VOCATIONAL SCHOOL, VIETNAM

This paper reports a study which examines how students perceived the effects of the implementation of the summarizing strategy on English as a foreign language (EFL) reading comprehension at a Vietnamese university. Using a descriptive design, a survey and interviews were undertaken with students who were learning English at a vocational school of law at a province in the Mekong Delta,Vietnam. The findings indicated how students recognized the role of the summarizing strategy although there were some problems they had to encounter while reading, namely vocabulary and grammar. The findings of this study give rise to pedagogical implications for teachers with regard to designing timely and effective techniques for optimizing students’ text comprehension ability over time.  Article visualizations

THE EFFECTS OF MIND MAPPING AT WHILE-READING STAGE ON EFL STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION AT A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL IN KIEN GIANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM

There is an increased attention to research into the use of mind mapping as a useful tool for enhancing students’ reading comprehension. However, few studies have been conducted to examine the effects of mind mapping at the reading stage on students’ reading comprehension within the Vietnamese context. This paper therefore investigates the effects of mind mapping on 11th graders’ reading comprehension and their attitudes towards this strategy. Participants in this study include 60 students at a local school in Kien Giang province. The data discussed in this paper include tests and interviews. The findings reveal that using mind mapping in the teaching process of reading texts had a moderate impact. Pedagogical implications for teachers and school administrators are presented.  Article visualizations

EDMODO USE IN ESP WRITING: STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS

A growing body of literature has examined the nature of blended learning and its effects on language teaching and learning, including the use of Edmodo to promote student writing. However, this type of integration of face-to-face instruction and online learning remains relatively new for EFL contexts. Also, teaching writing at the Vietnamese contexts, particularly in the ESP tertiary education, is still largely dependent on conventional way. This paper therefore reports students’ perceptions about Edmodo use in writing classes at a Vietnamese university. This paper draws on data collected as part of a larger mixed methods project including tests and interviews over a fifteen-week semester of an ESP writing class. In this paper, the focus is the data from interviews, which explored how students perceived the effects of Edmodo use in their writing learning process. The findings indicate students’ positive perceptions about this supportive learning delivery method in writing classes. Implications for teachers and school administrators with regard to practical applications of Edmodo as a potential tool are also discussed.  Article visualizations

THE EFFECTS OF QUESTIONING AS PRE-READING ACTIVITY ON EFL GRADE 12 STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING IN READING CLASSES IN KIEN GIANG, VIETNAM

Research has indicated that questioning is used as an interactive way to engage students in learning English as a foreign or second language. In particular, rooted in Socratic philosophy, this strategy involves students in thinking and communicating ideas and knowledge to others for effective learning. However, teacher questioning in English classroom context in higher education in Viet Nam has not received much attention. Moreover, classroom questioning and teachers’ perceptions of this instructional practice facilitating students’ critical thinking in English major classes remained scarce. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of questioning as pre-reading activity on students’ critical thinking in EFL reading classes. The participants in this study were 80 grade 12 students of the two classes at a high school, in Kien Giang province. Data collection in this study includes pre-tests, post-tests, questionnaires, and interviews. The findings from this study indicate that the implementation of questioning as a pre-reading activity by students in the experimental group yielded positive effects on students’ critical thinking in reading classes. Pedagogical implications for teachers and school administrators are made.   Article visualizations

THE EFFECTS OF QUESTION-ANSWER RELATIONSHIP STRATEGY ON EFL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

This paper reports the effects of the question-answer relationship strategy (QARS) on English as a foreign language (EFL) high school students’ reading comprehension and their perceptions of implementing this reading strategy. An experimental study was conducted with 50 tenth-grade students in a district high school in Can Tho City. The data were collected from the pretest and posttest, questionnaire, and interviews. The findings show that the QARS had positive effects on students’ reading comprehension and that students had positive perceptions of implementing this reading strategy. The findings of this research add to the contemporary literature the value of using the QARS to promote student learning reading.  Article visualizations

IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING ON LEARNER MOTIVATION IN SPEAKING AT A VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOL

Cooperative learning has been increasingly recognized as an effective instructional strategy in English language teaching and learning. However, traditional lecturing still dominates in education in Vietnam, thereby hindering learners from participating in speaking activities or sharing responsibility for their learning. Also, research into cooperative learning in relation to learner motivation in speaking at high school is scant in the Mekong Delta. This paper therefore reports on a study examining the impact of cooperative learning on learner motivation to speak English and investigating their attitudes towards this type of interactive learning. Data collected for this study include a one-group pre-test and post-test design, questionnaires, and interviews with grade ten learners at a high school in Vinh Long province. The findings indicate that learners were motivated and improved in speaking through cooperative learning after the study. Implications for this interactive speaking practice are also presented.  Article visualizations