VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
NGUYỄN HOÀNG HUYỀN
ABSTRACT

INCREASING GRADE 10 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING
ENGLISH BY USING ORAL PRESENTATION: AN ACTION RESEARCH
AT DOAN THI DIEM PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL
(Sử dụng hoạt động thuyết trình nhằm nâng cao động lực học tiếng Anh của học
sinh lớp 10: Nghiên cứu hành động tại trường THPT Dân lập Đoàn Thị Điểm)
M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10
HANOI – 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Acknowledgement
ii
Abstract
iii
List of tables and figures
vii
List of abbreviation
viii
PART A: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale of the study
1
2. Aims of the study
2
3. Scope of the study
3
4. Methods of the study
3
5. Significance of the study
4
6. Design of the study
4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1. An overview of motivation
5
1.1.1 Definition of motivation
5

2.1.1. The school context
19
2.1.2. Current learning and teaching of English at DTD PHS
19
2.1.3. Identification of the problem
20
2.2. Participants
21
2.3. Instruments of data collection
21
2.3.1. Description of the pre and post-treatment questionnaires
21
2.3.2. Semi-structured interview
22
2.4. Implementation of the action research
23
2.4.1. Rationale for the use of an action research
23
2.4.2. The action procedures
24
2.5. Data collection procedures
26
2.6. Data analysis procedures
27
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1. Research question 1: The students’ motivational state
28
3.1.1. Attitudes toward learning English
28

40
REFERENCES
41
APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: Components of foreign language learning motivation
I
APPENDIX 2: English & Vietnamese version of pre-treatment questionnaire
II
APPENDIX 3:Results from the pre-treatment questionnaire
VIII
APPENDIX 4: English & Vietnamese version of post-treatment questionnaire
XI
APPENDIX 5:Results from the post-treatment questionnaire
XV
APPENDIX 6: Questions and the results of the interviews
XVIII
APPENDIX 7: A lesson plan for the oral training program introduction
XX
APPENDIX 8: Handouts for the lesson
XXIII
APPENDIX 9: A sample of student presentations after the program.
XXXI

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Tables
Page
Table 1: Interpretation of score results in terms of motivation level
27
Table 2: Overall descriptive statistics of the 8 items on ALE

31
Figure 5: OPA improves student self-confidence
32
Figure 6: English as a favorite subject
34
Figure 7: Regular voluntary participation
36

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL
English as a Foreign Language
DTD PHS
Doan Thi Diem Private High School
8
L2/ FL
Second or Foreign Language
OPA
Oral Presentation Activity
SD
Standard Deviation PART A: INTRODUCTION

result, many of them have a lot of difficulties in communicating with native speakers of
English even though they have learned English for five or six years or even ten years. As a
teacher of English, when experiencing the situation in her own classrooms, the author
understands that "effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher's ability to
maintain the interest that brings students to the course" (Ericksen, 1978: 3)
On the other hand, the new sets of English textbook that have been applied at high
schools in the whole country for a few years have brought about a new approach to
teaching and learning the language in Vietnam. The theme-based textbooks provide a wide
range of practical topics and require students to practice all the four essential skills:
reading, speaking, listening and writing. However, as a matter of fact, it has been found out
that merely following the syllabus with the textbook is not interesting enough to students
of the high-tech world today. There, consequently appears a need to experiment something
new and different from what the students are experiencing.
Furthermore, presentation activities have recently been cast light on in English as a
Foreign Language (EFL) classroom as an innovative means of developing students‟ skills
in public speaking and hence promoting their motivation in English. Presentation activity
is a great way to have students practice all language systems areas (vocabulary, grammar,
discourse and phonology) and skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening) (Hayton,
2005). They also build confidence, and presenting is a skill that most people will need in
the world of work. The students who are good presenters are better communicators, since
they are able to structure and express their ideas clearly.
Therefore, after having considered some basic data from the preliminary
investigation, the writer decided to choose oral presentation among many methods to
motivate students to get more involved in learning English and then to improve their
communication skills in English. The decision was inspired from the required presentations
that the author had conducted when she was a student at her university and the oral
presentation activity that she had applied to some of her previous classes.
8. Aims of the study
The study was an attempt to find a way of making the act of learning English more
inspiring and interesting to a group of grade 10 students at Doan Thi Diem Private High

only referred to applying group oral presentation activity to reduce student anxiety when
using English within a foreign language classroom context.
10. Methods of the study
The research approach employed in this study is action research, whose procedures
were guided by steps in the action research cycle by David Nunan (1992: 17), with the use
of two data collection instruments, namely student questionnaires and semi-structured
interview. The action that the study actually took was an oral presentation skill training
11
program designed for the duration of ten weeks. Instead of seven steps of the action
proposed by Nunan (1992), four were developed and implemented as follows:
Step 1: Problem identification: The researcher recognized the problem that in her
class 10A1 at DTD PHS, during English lessons, the atmosphere was hardly ebullient and
it was easy to see passiveness in the students‟ classroom behaviors.
Step 2: Preliminary investigation: Pre-treatment questionnaire was distributed to
measure the students‟ English learning motivational state and ask for students‟ preference
for classroom activities. Then, the survey‟s data was analyzed to work out a remedy plan
for improving the situation. From the result, it was supposed that the students‟ low level of
motivation was resulted from impractical and uninteresting classroom language activities.
It was then supposed that applying some new kind of classroom activity like oral
presentation could stimulus their better engagement and motivation.
Step 3: Intervention: The researcher applied the oral presentation training program
in her class, following Dörnyei (2001b) framework of motivational strategies.
Step 4: Evaluation: After the project, post-treatment questionnaire was conducted
to evaluate the impact of the applied activity on students‟ English learning motivation.
Besides, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather more in-depth data for the
survey. The analysis of the data brought about findings on the use of oral presentation
activity as a motivational strategy in this particular context.

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter offers a review of the literature related to motivation in learning
English and oral presentation activity. In each section, the definition or explanation of the
key terms is presented together with the studies worldwide.
1.1. An overview of motivation
Most teachers feel that motivation is a key factor in successful language learning,
but what is motivation? According to many researchers, there are so many definitions of
what motivation is and what is not (William and Burden, 1997; Lambert, 1963; Gardner &
Lambert, 1972; Gardner, 1985a; Dörnyei, 1998; Krause, et al, 2003; etc). In the field of
second and foreign language acquisition, the concept of motivation came from social
psychology. Therefore, the first purpose of this literature review is to find the motivation
definition and discover the types of motivation in this paper.
1.1.1. Definition of motivation
Motivation is one of the most important concepts in psychology. Theories
concerning motivation attempt to explain nothing less than why humans behave and think
as they do. In the literature on motivation, very rarely is one single, integrated definition of
motivation included. Instead, the focus is what specific factors work together to create
motivation William and Burden (1997: 112) define motivation as “a state of cognitive and
emotional arousal which leads to a conscious decision to act, and which gives rise to a
period of sustained intellectual and/or physical effort in order to attain a previously set goal
(or goals)”. According to these researchers, the concept of motivation is composed of
many different and overlapping factors such as: interest, curiosity or a desire to achieve.
The notion is also of great importance in language education. It has been widely accepted
by both teachers and researchers as one of the key factors that influence the rate and
success of second/foreign language (L2/ FL) learning.
Another pioneer in this field, Gardner (1985a), defines L2 motivation as “the extent
to which an individual works or strives to learn the language because of a desire to do so
and the satisfaction experienced in this activity” (p.10). According to this definition,
motivation consists of three components: (1) effort expanded to achieve a goal, (2) a desire
to learn the language, and (3) satisfaction with the task of learning the language (Gardner,

components of motivation: (1) the conscious decision directed to the goal of learning a
language, (2) the effort expanded to achieve that goal, and (3) the sustenance of that
goal/effort.
1.1.2. Classifications of motivation
Gardner (1985; Gardner & Lambert, 1972) proposes that motivation is influenced
by two orientations to language learning. An integrative orientation is typical of someone
who identifies with and values the target language and community, and who approaches
15
language study with the intention of entering that community. Such an individual is
thought to have an internal, more enduring motivation for language study. However,
Gardner (1985a) claims, “an integrative motive is not the only predictor” (p.83) of
achievement in L2 but simply those who are integratively motivated will be more
successful in language learning than those who are not so motivated (Gardner, 1985a).
Instrumentally motivated learners, on the other hand, are more likely to see language
learning as enabling them to do other useful things, but as having no special significance in
itself. Such learners will be motivated if they see language learning as having beneficial
career prospects or something that will enable them to use transactional language with
speakers of the foreign language.
Gardner and his colleagues found that integrative motivation, which refers to “a
sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented by the other language
group” (Lambert, 1974: 98), was a more powerful predictor of linguistic achievement as it
was consistently correlated with L2 linguistic achievement. Meanwhile, one area where
instrumental motivation can prove to be successful is in the situation where the learner is
provided with no opportunity to use the target language and therefore, no chance to interact
with members of the target group. These integrative and instrumental orientations are very
famous in the field of motivation; however, Ely (1986) argues that it is not always easy to
distinguish between integrative and instrumental motivation. Personally, the researcher

motivation is divided into four subtypes, namely external regulation, introjected regulation,
identified regulation, and integrated regulation.
Of the two motivation types, extrinsic motivation has traditionally been viewed as
something that can undermine intrinsic motivation (Dörnyei, 2001a). Some studies have
confirmed that students will lose their natural intrinsic motivation in an activity if they
have to do it to meet some extrinsic requirement. However, as Deci and Ryan (1985)
argued, external rewards can be combined with or can even lead to intrinsic motivation if
they can enhance the feeling of competence.
In conclusion, either integrative and instrumental orientations or intrinsic and
extrinsic motivations contribute to the learning of an L2/ FL. Nevertheless, as to which one
is more important varies from context to context. Likewise, students in different contexts
may be motivated to learn an L2/ FL by different orientations. This is why the issue is still
worth further exploration in situations with different groups of learners.
1.1.3 A model of components of foreign language learning motivation
In one attempt to make sense of the different components involved in L2/FL
motivation, Dörnyei (1994) proposes a three-level categorization. In his model, the
language level encompasses various orientations and motives related to aspects of the
second language, such as the culture and the community, and the usefulness of the
language. These will influence the goals learner set and the choices they make. Dörnyei‟s
17
learner‟s level involves individual characteristics that the learners bring to the learning
task. Key features of this level are in need for achievement and self-confidence. Finally,
the situation level includes components related to the course, the teacher and the group
dynamics. (See appendix 1)
Studying this model, William and Burden (1997: 118) affirm that this formulation
is helpful as it highlight a point that motivation is a multifaceted construct which will be
affected by situational factors.

help in the proper manner (e.g., raising hand); being in the proper geographical location
(e.g., in seat when seat work is required)” (p.85)
Consequently, to provide appropriate data, this study investigated levels of
students‟ motivation by asking the students about their classroom behaviors. Classroom
attention and task participation including on-task and off-task behaviors in their English
classroom were observable indicators that were selected to be criteria for the questionnaire
design process.
1.1.5 Factors demotivating foreign language learning
There have been some studies on the factors affecting students‟ motivation in
learning a foreign language so far. Among those are two L2 motivation frameworks that
refer to some factors such as language level, learner level, learning situation level
(Dörnyei, 2001a) and internal and external factors (Williams and Burnden, 1997).
Regarding Dörnyei‟s model, the Language Level addresses the social side of L2
motivation, subsuming Gardner's Integrative and Instrumental concepts. The Learner Level
represents individual characteristics of the learner, and concerns internal desire for
achievement and issues related to self confidence. The Learning Situation Level is
associated with classroom specific motivational factors: Course-specific, Teacher-specific,
and Group-specific motivational components. Although researchers have had some
different views in this issue, they all have come to an agreement with a list of common
factors affecting students‟ motivation. These factors can be divided into three groups:
teacher‟s factors, students‟ factors and learning condition factors.
However, a feature shared in most FL classrooms where the language in question is
a required subject, is the problem of demotivation. The following behaviors described by
Chambers (1993: 13) will be familiar to many foreign language teachers, including the
author of this study: “poor concentration; lack of belief in own capabilities; no effort made
to learn; “What‟s the use?” syndrome; negative or nil respond to praise‟ lethargy; lack of
cooperation; disruptive; distracted; distracts other students; produces little or no home
work; fail to bring material lessons; claims to have lost materials”
In fact, the weakness of English language learners in general has been attributed to
various factors such as teaching methodology, lack of the target language environment, and

teachers; c) Reduced self-confidence – experience of failure or lack of success; d) Negative
attitude towards the L2; e) compulsory nature of L2 study; f) Interference of another
foreign language being studied; g) negative attitude towards L2 community; h) attitude of
groups members; i) Course book.
Generally, most studies conducted in the field of motivation and demotivation as its
flip side found out that the personality of the teacher, teaching methods, learning context in
addition to the learners‟ attitude towards the language could play a vital role in the
20
students‟ motivation or demotivation toward learning languages. As a part of this research,
the factors negatively affecting students‟ motivation, whose criterion were based on the
above-mentioned studies, would be investigated through a multiple choice item in the pre-
treatment questionnaire.
1.2. Dornyei’s framework for motivational strategies
Motivational strategies refer to (a) instructional interventions applied by the teacher
to elicit and stimulate student motivation and (b) self-regulating strategies that are used
purposefully by individual students to manage the level of their own motivation; the
motivational strategies discussed in this article belong to type (a). The central question in
designing a framework of motivational strategies is to decide how to organize them into
separate phases. The most systematic attempt to date to produce such taxonomy was made
by Dörnyei (2001b), who proposed a parsimonious system of four main dimensions: The
key units of the taxonomy are as follows:
 Creating basic motivational conditions by establishing a good teacher student rapport,
creating a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere, and generating a cohesive
learner group with appropriate group norms.
 Generating initial motivation, that is, “whetting the students‟ appetite” by using
strategies designed to (a) increase the learners‟ expectancy of success and (b) develop
positive attitudes toward the language course and language learning in general.

1.3.1 Definitions of oral presentation
Oral presentation skills are important in nearly every career. Scientists and
engineers present at conferences, to students, to their peers, etc. Administrators and
managers may give talks to committees about their work, or to groups of people in
training. As for students, presentation skills can lead to new opportunities in
employment and in education.
Generally, presentation is defined in the 7
th
edition of Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary (2005:1190) as “an act of showing something or of giving something to
somebody” or “a meeting at which something, especially a new product or idea, or piece of
work is shown to a group of people”. Therefore, oral presentations or speeches are not
limited to the stage, or for large audiences, but are also the means by which one can
communicate daily in a workplace, teach in the classroom, give opinions and express
oneself in a situation that requires explanations in clear and precise speech.
However, the concept has far narrower sense, which this research would like to
refer to. By presentation, this study means: “a short talk by one person to a group of people
introducing and describing a particular subject” (Essberger, 1998). In some few studies on
oral presentation, this kind of activity is associated with expressing some ideas. According
to Jing (2009: iii), “Oral presentation is an important skill to convey one‟s ideas in
communication.” Kaul (2005: 41) also asserts, “Presentations are ideas, concepts or issues
22
that are talked about or shared with a group of people or an audience”.
Generally, a presentation is a formal talk to one or more people that "presents"
ideas or information in a clear, structured way. Oral presentation is a means to show
knowledge, give a lecture, be tested in a classroom, and build confidence to speak to an
audience. A presentation consists of four basic elements: the presenter, the audience, the

Foreign Language.
23
Teaching oral presentation skills is usually based on conventionally accepted
criteria. First, students must obviously have command of their content material (field
knowledge), and be able to organize their ideas in an appropriately logical sequence (text
structure). They also need an adequate level of grammatical competence, and the ability to
deliver their talk in a presentation style appropriate for English (paying attention to eye
contact, voice quality, body language and so on).
Presentation skills are extremely useful both in and outside the classroom. After
completing a project, a presentation is a channel for students to share with others what they
have learned. It is also a chance to challenge and expand on their understanding of the
topic by having others ask questions. And in the world of work, a confident presenter is
able to inform and persuade colleagues effectively. Presentations can also form a natural
part of task based learning. By focusing on a particular language point or skill, the
presentation is a very practical way to revise and extend book, pair and group work. The
audience can also be set a task, for example, making a set of questions to answer on the
presentation, or filling in a peer evaluation sheet, which is a way of getting students to
listen to each other (Hayton, 2005).
However, it is obvious that some students may dislike the activity, especially when
they have to prepare for their presentations. This is caused by consumption of time,
problems with using a PowerPoint software, and deprivation of leisure. In contrast, after
the presentations, haft of students have positive feelings of success, and the two thirds of
relief, satisfaction and pleasure. Moreover, good practice in teaching presentations includes
three key points; dealing with anxiety and fear of speaking, guiding learners in preparation
and performance stages, and delivering feedback after performance.
Even for native speakers, the delivery of an oral presentation can be a source of
extreme anxiety. As King (2002) notes, particularly in the Japanese/Asian EFL context,

). Particularly, oral presentation activity brings about a number of
benefits to language learning students as can be found in
Marmienė (2006)
:
 Increased motivation - learners become personally involved in the presentation.
 All four skills, i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing are integrated:
Speaking: presenting information, describing graphs, pictures in slides,
responding to feedback; Listening: critical listening for details, asking for
clarification; Reading: skimming and scanning for information, reading for
detail; Writing: reformulating texts, making and taking notes, writing reviews.
 Autonomous learning is promoted as learners become more responsible for their
own learning.
 There are learning outcomes – learners have an end product.
 Tasks are authentic and therefore the language input is more authentic.
 Interpersonal relations are developed through working as a group.
 Content and methodology can be decided between the learners and the teacher
and within the group, so the task is more learner-centered.
 A break from routine and the chance to do something different.
 A context is established which balances the need for fluency and accuracy.
25
 The learners‟ awareness of non-verbal communication is raised and their use of
natural language is improved.
However, every coin has two sides. Marmienė (2006) outlines some
disadvantages of presentations. The first difficulty is “the choice of the material”.
Nowadays, there are many sources where information can be taken. However, not all
of them are accurate and authentic. Therefore, one of the most important skills to
develop is that of effective searching. Second, students often overuse PowerPoint or
might need. The teacher would then sit down with each group for ten minutes to discuss
their proposals. At this point the evaluation and assessment procedures would also be
explained.
The stage of material collection and arrangements is the point at which students
search the web for information, select it, generate ideas, discuss them in groups, and make
short personal notes and appropriate slides. Once they have made their notes, they begin to
sort them into must, should, and could refer back to the objective to help at this stage.
Learners are asked to contact the teacher via e-mail, negotiate the choice of the material
and prepare Power Point variant for making a presentation in front of the audience.
Introducing and reviewing structures such as imperatives, conditionals and passive voice,
conversion of written language into spoken is needed at this stage.
Rehearsal stage: Once students have prepared presentations, they must rehearse
them. They need to structure the activity in advance, to prepare an outline of it and practise
the whole presentation at home. They can also be asked to practise by first giving a three
minute presentation.
Delivery stage: The students present information to the audience and they need to
use not only their speaking skills but their communicative skills as well.
Follow-up stage: The students ask questions and share information about the
problems they had during the performance, and discuss the problems they might have had
and what needs to be improved. Later students produce short written reviews of the
presentations. In that way, oral presentations can be successfully transformed into written
assignments.
The stage of evaluation and assessment Self- and peer- evaluation of the
performance has a great impact on the learning process and it can be a part of the
assessment of the entire presentation. This enables students to note what they have learned
about the presentations, i.e. to revise the topic they have heard and to review lexis. As with
any piece of work a presentation needs to be acknowledged and evaluated. It is not enough
to just say „that is great‟ after all the work learners have put in.