Part A: Introduction
I. Rationale
The economic open- door policy pursued by the government of Vietnam has
increased a demand for studying English. Many people are expected to be competent to
communicate verbally with the outside world and to access technology. In correspondence
to this trend, in almost all of schools, colleges, universities, English is a compulsory
subject. HGMSS, where I have been working for 7 years, is not an exception.
Besides the aim of passing their exams and getting some further studies for their
future life, all students have a desire to be integrated into the culture, the civilization, and
the people of English speaking countries. They expect to have a good knowledge of
English to read books and magazines, to see films or to sing English songs, etc. As a result,
learning English now is not only an interest but also a practical need for many people.
Together with the growing demand for learning English, there has been an
innovation in English teaching and learning methods everywhere in Vietnam. For a long
time, language teaching in Vietnam was strongly influenced by the structuralist tradition.
Emphasis was placed on mastery of language structures. Students have been taught how to
form correct utterances and to understand the structures of the language without any
consideration of language use. Students have been asked to learn every single word by
heart, and translate or analyze grammatically every sentence in the text. The teacher has
often taken up almost all the time in class explaining the form of language to students who
were passive recipients. As a result, this kind teaching and learning, of course, has been the
“production” of students who were structurally competent but communicatively
incompetent.
However, as the result of psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic research, language
teaching has moved from the traditional to a more communicative approach. In this current
approach, language is considered as a form of social behavior. The objective of language
teaching is teaching learners to communicate fluently, appropriately and spontaneously in
the cultural context of the target language. Communicative competence, according to
Canale and Swain (1980), is made up of grammatical competence, sociolinguistic
competence, discourse competence, and strategic competence.
1

CLT at my school successful and effective.
II.4. Methods of the study
2
In order to do the research, a lot of references have been selected, read and filtered
for information. Furthermore, a survey has been done by providing a questionnaire for 5
teachers of English and another for 215 ethnic minority students at HGMSS.
Questionnaires are delivered to the teachers to investigate difficulties in teaching grammar
communicatively that they face and solutions that should be implemented. Questionnaires
are delivered to the students to find out the students’ attitudes to learning English grammar,
their difficulties confronted and solutions suggested by them.
All the collected information and data have been analyzed and discussed. In
addition to these, the research paper will not be completed without the supervisor’s help.
II.5. Design of the study
This thesis consists of three parts:
Part A: is the Introduction, which presents the rationale, the scope, the objectives,
the significance, the methods and the design of the study.
Part B: consists of three chapters.
Chapter I: deals with a theoretical background. It starts with grammar and its status
in language teaching, then an overview of some language teaching methods- their
advantages and disadvantages in applying in the classroom. The next is about the CLT
which includes the definition, characteristics, and stages in the teaching grammar
commutatively. The final is some factors to be considered of CLT application.
Chapter II: presents the survey. Firstly, there is a description about the present
situation of English teaching and learning at HGMSS. Secondly, the methodology is
performed in the study. It provides participants, instruments and data analysis.
Chapter III: presents the findings and suggestion. Firstly, the findings of the study
are analyzed and discussed. Secondly, some suggestions for overcoming the difficulties in
teaching grammar commutatively to ethnic minority students at HGMSS are proposed.
Some communicative activities for a grammar lesson are also recommended.
Part C: is about the conclusion and suggestions for a further study.

can not master a language without the knowledge of its grammar. Thanks to grammar,
language partly can function as a means of communication, especially in written language.
One can not write well if he/ she lacks the knowledge of grammar. In speaking, though
4
grammatical mistakes are sometimes acceptable, grammar makes one’s speech better and
more attractive, especially in formal situations. Learners can not use words if they do not
know how to put these words together. Grammar exists to enable us to “mean” and without
grammar, it is impossible to communicate beyond a very rudimentary level because
“speech is no more than sounds, writing is no more than hieroglyphics” (Peck, 1988: 127).
For this reason, the teaching of grammar is very important in ELT.
I.2. An overview on language teaching methods in teaching grammar
There are many influential methods widely used by language teachers in the world
in general and in Vietnam in particular. The methods are now discussed in this paper as
follows: GTM; DM and AM.
I.2.1. The Grammar- Translation method (GTM)
Traditional method or GTM was rooted in the formal teaching of Latin and Greek
and become popular in the late 19
th
century. According to Larsen- Freeman (1986:4), the
GTM was used for the purpose of helping students read and appreciate foreign language
literature. Through studying the grammar of the target language, students would become
more familiar with the grammar of their native language and this helps them use their
language more grammatically.
I.2.1.1. Advantages of the Grammar- Translation method
The strength of GTM is that it requires few resources so it is easy to apply and
cheap to administer. Thus, the method is still used in many places where the class is large
(more than 30 students), and there is a great shortage of teaching - learning facilities and
equipment, the teachers with inadequate speaking skill are accustomed to setting teaching
procedures.
I.2.1.2. Disadvantages of the Grammar- Translation method

is the result if their trying to express themselves in the target language with insufficient
knowledge about the language. Because all statements they learn relate to the classroom.
The teacher did not generally think of the students using of the language beyond the
classroom. Any connection with real life was expected to come later and was not the
business of the school. The graduation and sequences of materials is not based on realistic
spoken speech but artificial connected sentences. The weakness of the method is also states
in River (1983:34): “In the pure form of the DM, insufficiency is made for systematic
practice and requesting- practice of structures in a coherent sequence. As a result,
students often lack a clear idea of what they are trying to do, and they make haphazard
progress”.
I.2.3. The Audio-Lingual method (AM)
The AM derived from America during the World War II where there was a need for
people to learn foreign languages quickly for military purposes. It led to the development
6
of the AM which then has had a considerable influence on English language teaching all
over the world. This English teaching method puts listening and speaking in the first place.
It uses sentence pattern as the base of teaching and try to avoid mother tongue in class.
Attention is paid to the need for practice rather than explanation about the language
because the ability to use the language as a means of communication is the ultimate aim.
I.2.3.1. Advantages of the Audio-Lingual method
The first and most successful point of this method is to develop students' listening
comprehension and fluency in speaking in the target language. Students are encouraged by
the sense of being able to use what they have learned in the very early days of their study.
In addition, the study is reinforced by repetition, so the students have good repetition and
this is suitable for learners of different abilities. Another point is that, this method provides
a good systematic progression of the materials.
I.2.3.2. Disadvantages of the Audio-Lingual method
However, there still remain some problems. The success or failure of this method
depends largely on the qualities of the teachers and the availability of resources. That is
why Brumfit (1983:8) comments “the objective is generally the mastery of sentence

oral communication, carrying out meaning task and using language, which is meaningful to
the learners. Objectives reflect the needs of the learners; they include functional skills as
well as linguistic objectives. The learners’ role is as a negotiator and integrator. The
teacher’s role is as facilitator of the communication process. Materials promote
communicative language use; they are task- based and authentic.
According to Brinley (1986: 12), “Language is not a static system. It is created
through interaction; language learning does not consist merely of internalizing a list of
structural items. It is a process of learning how to negotiate meaning in a particular socio-
cultural context. Consideration of meaning rather than form will therefore determine
program content; language learning will be more effective if they are centered around the
needs and interests of the learners; language learning materials should, similarly, be
related to learners’ needs and interests and present learners with the opportunity for
genuine communication; effective communication is more than structures accuracy,
particularly at the beginning stages of language learning. Errors are a manifestation of
the fact that learning is taking place.”
I.3.3. Characteristics of CLT
In CLT, meaning is paramount. Wilkins (1972) classifies meaning into notional and
functional categories and views learning a second language as acquiring the linguistic
means to perform different kinds of functions. According to Larsen- Freeman (1986:132),
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the most obvious characteristic of CLT is that “Almost everything that is done with
communicative intent”. Students use the language through communicative activities (e.g.
games, role- plays and problem-solving tasks).
From Morrow’s point of view (in Johnson and Morrow, 1981), activities that are
truly communicative have three features: information gap, choice, and feedback. An
information gap occurs when one person exchanges the information he has with the one
who does not.
Another characteristic of CLT is the introduction of authentic material. In CLT, it is
considered desirable to give learners the opportunity to genuine communicative needs in
realistic second language situations so that they develop strategies for understanding

Doff (1981).
1. The teacher uses visual aids to present the grammar structure to be taught.
2. Students deduce the meaning, the form and the use of it.
3. The teacher gets students understanding by asking yes/ no questions focusing on
form, meaning and use.
4. The teacher gets students to practice the structure through Repetition and
Substitution Drills, Word Prompts, and Picture Prompts. The teacher tries to provide
maximum practice within controlled, but realistic and contextualized frameworks and to
build students’ confidence in using the new language.
5. The teacher provides students with opportunities to use new language in a freer,
more creative way. The teacher creates activities in which students can integrate new
language with the previous learnt language and apply what they have learnt to talk about
their real life activities
What makes this kind of lesson different from the traditional is that the teacher tries to
make the language used in the lesson real and true. The teacher creates real or like- real
situations in which the language can be used. This will enable students to communicate in
English outside the classroom. During the CLT lesson, the teacher often plays the
important role of facilitator who facilitates activities to work with the target language.
I.4. Factors to be considered of CLT application
I.4.1. Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes
Freeman (1998) claims that “teachers’ beliefs are the strongest guiding influence
on teachers’ instruction”. Teachers’ beliefs are founded on the goals, values teachers hold
10
in relation to the content, process of teaching and their understanding of the systems in
which they work and their roles within it. Richards and Lockhart (1996) consider that
teachers may believe in the effectiveness of a particular approach or method of teaching
and consistently try to implement it in the classroom. It is also commonly known that if
teachers do not believe that the approach can be implemented in their teaching context or if
they do not have positive attitudes towards the approach, this approach will not be carried
out to its full potential.

According to Keefe (1979:4), learning style can be seen as cognitive, affective and
physiological features that are relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact
with and respond to the learning environment. Major factors conditioning the ways
learners think and study are the educational system, the socio- cultural background and
personality variables.
I.4.6. Learners’ anxiety and confidence
Many studies have suggested that language anxiety has a negative relationship with
learning success and vice versa, self- confidence has a positive relationship. One of the
factors that may cause anxiety or bring back inconfidence is learners’ learning experience.
Experience of failure may cause them to become anxious quickly in classroom situations.
On the contrary, experience of success may facilitate their desire to learn, to participate in
class activities as well as to take risks communicating with other classmates. Harmer
(1991) claims that “success … plays a vital part in the motivational drive of a learner”.
The source of anxiety and lack of confidence may have a relationship with learners’
background.
I.4.7. Classroom conditions
Classroom conditions can affect motivation. Harmer (1991) states that physical
conditions have a great effect on learning and can alter a learners’ motivation either
positively or negatively. In the light of large classes or over-crowded classes, Woodward
(2001: 218) conveys the implication that whether a class is large or not depends on the
ways teachers feel and on the locality values. However, teachers should bear in mind
problems associated with “large” classes. They include noise, too many people and fixed
objects in a restricted space, not enough materials for everyone, not being able to respond
to different needs the difficulty of maintaining the class, etc.
I.4.8. Language environment
In EFL environment, English is rarely heard outside school, thus practicing English
outside is very rare. Without the reinforcement of an English- speaking environment,
motivation becomes a product of the teachers’ initiative on the one hand and the learners’
12
will to succeed or fear of failure- on the other (Ellis, 1996). EFL is often a part of the

13
Chapter II: The survey questionnaire design and analysis
II. 1. The English teaching and learning situations at HGMSS
II.1.1. Institutional factors
HGMSS was re-founded in 1998. As its name suggests, the aim of the school is to
train future nurses, midwives and nursing staffs for the needs on health care for people in
Hagiang province, in which they are equipped with specialized knowledge. English is
considered as an important and compulsory subject in the training program because it
enables to the students to communicate in English in daily life, especially to read medical
documents in English.
In HGMSS, instructions, learning and teaching activities are mostly carried out in
the classroom. Most of the lessons are developed in such a fixed condition that the teachers
find it difficult to make a change in applying new ideas in language teaching.
- The class size: There are more than 50 students in each class. Thus, it is difficult
to carry out a communicative task in a mixed- ability and large class. The focus on creating
a communicative environment also means that there is a lot of unavoidable noise in the
classroom; it influences the learning of next- door class.
- The school has no cassette- player, but one LCD projector, one overhead
projector, one laptop for 5 teachers, but teachers hardly use them as teaching aids because
of two reasons: firstly, these teaching aids are not enough if many classes are in need;
secondly, they teach English for non- English students so they ignore listening skill since
there are not listening- tests at the end of the semester.
- Materials: Materials for reference and self- study are not available. There is also a
library in HGMSS but there are few English references. Most of books here are specialized
for medicine.
- All of the classrooms are designed for lecture lessons. It means that the seating is
arranged orderly in front of the teacher and classroom equipment is just a chalkboard.
II.1.2. Teachers’ factors
Teachers are the most important factors in the process of teaching. In order to carry
out this process properly, teachers need to have good experience of teaching and

strategies or have the habit to learn independently or creatively. As a result, they never
prepare the lesson at home or review the lesson regularly.
15
However, the students at HGMSS are rather highly motivated by some practical
reasons. If they do not learn English carefully, they will fail the exams and can not
graduate from the school. As a result, they may miss the chance to get a job.
II.1.4. Material factors
The teaching material is currently used for the non- English major learners is the
Elementary Headway (1993) by John and Liz Soars. This textbook treats the four skills of
listening, speaking, reading and writing thoroughly and combines traditional methods of
language teaching and more recent communicative ones. The 15-unit textbook is
programmed to be taught in 2 semesters and in 120 periods as presented below in Table 1.
Semester Time (45- minute lesson period/ week) Units Textbook
1 60 lesson periods per 15 weeks 1-7 Headway-
2 60 lesson periods per 15 weeks 8-15
Table 1: Distribution of time and units in 2 semesters
After 15 lesson periods or 1 credit, students are to participate in a test that
concentrates on grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing. During a period of one
semester, students are required to do 5 tests in order to be given marks to be qualified to
participate in the end- of- semester exam that does not test students’ skills of listening and
speaking.
II.2. Research methodology
II.2.1. The subjects of the study
II.2.1.1. The teacher subjects
The five teacher subjects of this research were all trained in Universities in
Vietnam (College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University- Hanoi and
Training Teacher University of Thai Nguyen). They are teaching to non- English major
students at the school. They are from 25 to 36 years of age with at least 2 years of teaching
experience.
Besides, it seems that in the area of teaching foreign languages, the number of

answering the questions, all of them were written in Vietnamese. Their answers were also
written in Vietnamese, which enabled them to express their ideas fully and with ease. It
took 4 weeks to deliver the questionnaire and collect 215 copies of the questionnaire.
The questions focus on the following categories:
- The students’ background of foreign languages before entering HGMSS (Question 1)
- The students’ attitudes and motivations towards learning English in general and learning
grammar in particular (Question 2-5)
- The students’ evaluation of their English grammar lessons (Question 6)
- The students’ preference in the way of teaching grammar structures (Question 7)
17
- The students’ way of learning grammar structures (Question 8)
- The students’ difficulties in learning grammar (Question 9)
- The students’ recommendations for improving English learning in general and grammar
learning in particular (Question 10)
II.2.3.2. Questionnaire for the teachers
The second questionnaire was designed for 5 teachers of English at HGMSS (see
Appendix B). It contains 11 closed and open ended questions in English. The questionnaire
was delivered to the teachers and collected within 4 weeks.
The questionnaire emphasizes on:
- The teachers’ age and their teaching experience (Question 1)
- The teachers’ understandings of mastering grammar (Question 4)
- The teachers’ aim in teaching grammar (Question 5)
- The teachers’ ways of teaching grammar (Question 6)
- The teachers’ opinions about grammar mistake correction (Question 7)
- The teachers’ opinions on CLT (Question 2,3,8)
- The teachers’ problems when applying CLT in teaching grammar to non- English major
students at the school (Question 9)
- The teachers’ recommendations for the difficult situations they met (Question 10)
- The teachers’ suggestions for grammar lessons (Question 11)
II.2.4. Data analysis

compared to 21.9%). The students’ background is quite different. 57.2% come from the
2
nd
- 3
rd
area communes – especially difficult communes of Hagiang, 14.4% from the 1
st
area commune- difficult ones of Hagiang whereas the number of students from towns and
townlets are 28.4%. Moreover, their mixed English level is certainly a problem for the
teachers. The students having learned English for 7 years account for 34.9%, 43.2% for 3
years and 21.9% for the students who have never learned English before entering the
school.
b. The students’ attitudes and motivations towards learning English in general and
learning grammar in particular (Question 2- 5)
Question 2, 3, 4, 5 deal with the students’ attitudes and motivations towards learning
English in general and learning grammar in particular.
Presented diagrammatically, students’ responses to Question 2 can be illustrated as
follows:
Figure 1: Students’ attitudes towards learning English at the school
The findings shown in the table indicated the students’ attitudes towards learning
English at the school. The result from Figure 1 showed that 61% of them showed their
positive attitudes in learning English. 33% thought English is a must. Only 6% of those
responded negatively did not find English interesting at all.
Question 3 focuses on students’ reasons for learning English.

Reasons for learning English Number (N
0
) Percentage (%)
Interest in English 67 31.2%
Communicate in English 45 20.9%

Table 4: Students’ motivations to learning English in general and grammar in particular
As can be seen in the above, the students are all motivated to learn English in one
way or another and their motivations are more extrinsic than intrinsic. The highest
motivation is getting good marks in the exam, accounting for 73%. Although English is a
non- major subject, but a must in the curriculum at school, good marks may enable the
students to gain the good over- all mark and scholarship at the end of the term. Further
more, the way their knowledge is tested in written form also have much influence on the
students’ aim of learning. 62.3% want to broaden their knowledge of the world around
through English. Although the students are strongly motivated in getting jobs after
graduation (58%), they seem not to be highly motivated to use English to communicate in
their medical field (25%) and with foreigners (16.7%). They regard English as a condition
for their future job, but not as a means of communication with foreigners. 31.2% of the
students wish that learning English helps them to read books, newspapers … and listen to
music in English. In addition, 29.3% of the students find English unprofitable and a
compulsory subject at school only. These students, of course, have negative motivation
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towards learning English. Only 1.4% of them are trying to learn English to have
opportunities to go abroad for further study. It is the students’ background in both physical
and mental that influences to this motivation.
Question 5 aims at exploring the students’ attitudes to mastering grammar.
With regard to the importance of grammar, it is interesting to find out that all
participants agreed that in order to master English, it is necessary to master its grammar.
The reasons for the necessity of mastering English grammar were varied but the following
are common among the participants:
- Mastery of English helps students to do grammar exercises. “Only by knowing
grammar can a student do the grammar exercises given by the teacher.” (a male student of
class Y9D).
- Good understanding of grammar enables students a lot to read books, magazines
and listen to music in English.
- Mastery of English grammar is a key to successful communication. “Mastery of

Table 5: Students’ preference in the way of teaching grammar structures
Table 5 above illustrates the students’ preference in the way of teaching grammar
structures. Obviously, the students like being taught in English first then in Vietnamese
most, accounting for 48.8%. Presenting the situation, analyzing the structure, giving
examples and then let students practice using substitution drills is the students’ second
preference (47.4%). Only 1.4% wishes structures are taught in English. It is the students’
limitation on background knowledge in English that have influence on their preference in
the way of teaching grammar structures. Furthermore, they are also affected by the
traditional way of teaching in which language is considered as a system of structures, not
as a means of communication.
e. The students’ way of learning grammar structures
Question 8 discovers the students’ way of learning grammar structures.
Students’ ways of learning grammar
structures
Level of effectiveness
Most effective Least effective Not effective at all
(N
0
) (%) (N
0
) (%) (N
0
) (%)
A. Learning grammar through substitution drills 78 36.2 90 41.9 47 21.9
B. Learning grammar through dialogues or text 95 44.2 114 53 6 2.8
C. Learning grammar by listening to the
teacher’s explanation of rule and use of a new
structure then doing exercises given in the
textbooks
185 86 30 14 0 0

structures when having chances as the most respondents accounting for 86%, 62.8%,
58.1%, 61% and 59% respectively. Among them, the students found learning grammar by
listening to the teacher’s explanation of rule and use of a new structure then doing
exercises given in the textbooks most favored (86%). Contrary to this, learning grammar
through substitution drills; through dialogues or text; and through playing games, doing
quizzes, working in pairs, singing songs …. were regarded to be the least effective by
respectively 53%, 41.9% and 39.1% of the participants. Especially, understanding the
function of the new structure, then practicing it to talk to classmates about certain topic,
without understanding its grammatical rules was considered as not effective way at all
accounting for 68.8%. It is worth noting that while 86% of the students viewed listening to
the teacher’s explanation of rule and use of a new structure then doing exercises given in
the textbooks positively as the most effective way to learn grammar, the number of
participants looking this way as the least effective were only 14%. Further more, nobody
considered this way to be not effective at all. According to the statistics of Table 6, most of
the students seem to feel more secure when the teacher explains rule and tells how to use a
new structure before they do exercises given in the textbooks. Obviously, the students get
used to the traditional model of grammar teaching namely the PPP (Presentation- Practice-
Production).
f. The students’ difficulties in learning grammar
Question 9 is about the students’ difficulties in learning grammar.
Students’ difficulties in learning grammar Number (N
0
) Percentage (%)
23
Over crowded class 136 63.5
The way of expressing ideas in English is different from in Vietnamese. 178 82.8
English words change their forms as not the same as Vietnamese 198 92.1
Lack of time for learning grammar in class. 47 21.9
English structures are more complex than Vietnamese ones 101 47
Having few chances to apply the learnt structures to communicate 195 90.7

them to take part in
203 94.4
Teachers should use pictures, visual teaching aids to make the lesson more interesting and lively 155 72.1
Students should join in communicative activities actively and positively 168 78.1
Teachers should give various kinds of grammar excises to students 209 97.2
Table 8: Students’ recommendations for improving English learning in general and grammar learning in
particular
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The statistics show that both teachers and students play important roles in
improving and encouraging the students to learn English in general and grammar in
particular. 97.2% of the students recommend that teachers should give various kinds of
grammar excises to them. 94.4% expect their teachers to supply more communicative
opportunities to students in the class and encourage them to take part in. Also, the students
believe that using pictures, visual teaching aids will make the lesson more interesting and
lively accounting for 72.1%. In addition, 78.1% think that they should join in
communicative activities actively and positively whenever they have a chance. 34.9% said
teaching materials should be reasonable and suitable to students’ level, 23.3% for
improving teaching facilities. Only 3.3% suggest that curriculum arrangement should be
more reasonable.
II.2.4.2. Questionnaire for the teachers
a. The teachers’ age and their teaching experience
Question 1 is about the teachers’ age and their teaching experience.
Teachers’ age and their teaching experience Number (N
0
) Percentage (%)
25-30 years old 3 60
31-36 years old 2 40
2-8 years of teaching 3 60
9- 12 years of teaching 2 40
Table 9: Teachers’ age and their teaching experience