iv

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 2.1: Students’ profiles
Table 3.1: The degrees of students’ participation before the experiment
Table 3.2: Students’ purposes of learning English
Table 3.3: Students’ learning styles in the two classes
Table 3.4: Students’ levels of participation before and after the experiment
Figure 3.1: Students’ levels of participation in group discussion in Class KT1A
Figure 3.2: Students’ level of participation in group discussion in Class KT1B
Figure 3.3: Students’ levels of participation in debating in Class KT1A
Figure 3.4: Students’ levels of participation in debating in Class KT1B
Figure 3.5: Students’ levels of participation before the experiment
Figure 3.6: Students’ levels at the end of the experiment v


is debate technique. Debate is the process of inquiry and advocacy, a new way of arriving at a
reasoned judgment on a proposition (Freeley, 2000: 4). An individual may use debate to reach
a decision in his own mind; alternatively, individuals or groups may use it to bring others
around to their way of thinking. In this case, the writer would like to use debate technique to

2
increase students’ involvement in the research entitled USING DEBATE TOPICS TO
INCREASE STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN SPEAKING CLASSES AT NATIONAL
ECONOMIC TECHNICAL COLLEGE (NETC).
2. Aims of the study
This study is aimed at:
 Investigating the current situation of teaching and learning speaking English at NETC
to see how actively the second year Accounting students involved in oral activities and
what accounts for the degree of their involvement.
 Investigating the effectiveness of using debate topics in increasing students’
participation in speaking English classes at NETC.
 Proposing some suggestions to use debate topics effectively to intensify students’
participation in speaking lessons.
3. Research questions
To reach the aims of the study, the two research questions are addressed:
(1) How actively are the second year Accounting students at NETC involved in oral
activities in the class, and what accounts for the degree of their involvement?
(2) How effective is the use of debate topics in increasing students’ participation in
English speaking lessons?
4. Scope of the study
This research has a broader scope and it is impossible for the writer to handle all problems.
Therefore, the writer limits the scope of the research. There are many ways to intensify
students’ participation in speaking activities. However, in this study, the researcher only
focuses on debate technique that is used for teaching English speaking to the second year
students. The subject of the research is limited to English teachers and the second year

findings of using debate topics in teaching English speaking to the second year Accounting
students at NETC.
Chapter 4 suggests what both teachers of English and students at NETC should and
shouldn’t do in order to get the most benefit from using debate technique to increase the
students’ participation in speaking lessons.
Part 3 is the conclusion of the study. It gives the limitations of the study and some suggestions
for further researches.
5
PART 2: THE STUDY
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter consists of three sections. Section one deals with the issue of teaching speaking.
Section two concerns some concepts of increasing students’ participation. Section three
focuses on the debate technique.
1. 1. Notion of speaking skill
1.1.1. Definitions of speaking

knowing what topics can be talked about in different types of speech event, knowing
which address, forms should be used with different people and in different situations.
 Knowing how to use and respond to different types of speech acts such as requests,
apologies, thanks and invitations.
 Knowing how to use language appropriately. (quoted from Nunan 1999: 226)
1.1.3. Methods and techniques of teaching speaking
In teaching speaking, speaking lessons can follow the usual pattern of preparation,
presentation, practice, evaluation, and extension. The teacher can use the preparation step to
establish a context for the speaking task (where, when , why, and with whom it will occur) and
to initiate awareness of the speaking skill to be target (asking for clarification, stressing key
words, using reduced forms of words). In presentation, the teacher can provide learners with a
preproduction model that furthers learners’ comprehension and helps them become more
attentive observers of language use. Practice involves learners in reproducing the targeted
structure, usually in a controlled or highly supported manner. Evaluation involves directing
attention to the skill being examined and asking learners to monitor and assess their own
progress. Finally, extension consists of activities that ask learners to use the strategy or skill in

7
a different context of authentic communicative situation, or to integrate use of the new skill or
strategy with previously acquired ones (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997; Carter &
McCarthy, 1995).
Various ways have been used as the method of teaching and learning speaking English. There
are traditional ways of teaching by using traditional tools (book, chalks, blackboard or
whiteboard) and the newer and modern method by using the modern tools such as realia, real
object, pictures, music, etc.
In term of teaching technique, Fauziati (2002:6) describes that technique is classroom practice
done by the teacher when presenting a language program. This is the way the classroom
activities are integrated into lessons and used as the basis for teaching learning. Some
techniques often used in speaking class are discussions, information gap, storytelling, games,
interviews, dialogues, story completion, reporting, and debate technique.

into four types:
 Concrete learners: they preferred learning by games, pictures, films and
videos, talking in pairs and learning through the use of cassettes.
 Analytical learners: these learners liked studying grammar, studying English
books, finding their own mistakes, and learning through reading newspapers.
 Communicative learners: they liked to learn by observing and listening to
native speakers, talking to friends in English and learning English wherever
possible.
 Authority-oriented learners: they liked the teacher to explain everything,
writing everything in their notebooks, having their own textbooks, learning to
read, studying grammar, and learning English words by seeing them.
 Students’ motivations

9
It is all known that motivation is strongly related to achievement in language learning
in the way it decides learners’ success or failure. Motivation, according to Brown (1987), is an
inner drive, impulse, emotion, or desire that encourages one to do a particular action.
Teachers, therefore, should know and realize the source of students’ motivation, both
instrumental and integrative to meet specific needs as well as to “actively push learners to
realize their full potential and make maximum progress.” (Ur, 1996:273)
 Teaching techniques
It is obvious that different teaching techniques create different degrees of students’
participation in the lesson. Techniques which focus on grammatical and phonological accuracy
like choral repetition, drilling substitution, content explanation will result in learners’
passiveness and limit their participation in learning. In contrast, techniques that involve
students in communicative activities such as role-play, problem-solving, debating, etc can
encourage students to participate in the lesson.
 Teachers’ personal qualities and characteristics
In order to involve students in the lesson, Barry (1993) points out some characteristics a
teacher should have as follows:

a. The teacher grows controversial question which is related with material.
b. The teacher divides the class into some groups PRO and CONTRA.
c. The teacher asks the students to develop argument each position and choose one of
them become speaker.
d. The speaker of each group goes forward to present their argument.
e. After listening argument of each group, the students prepare opposition argument from
their opposition group and choose the new speaker.

11
f. The speaker mutual gives opposition argument.
g. The debate finishes without determining who won the debate.
h. The whole class discusses what is learned from that experience.
i. The teacher asks the students to identify the best argument.
1.3.3. Advantages and disadvantages of using debate topics in teaching speaking
 Advantages
According to one educator (Lybbert, 1985), the debate discipline has three goals: (1) the
enhancement of critical thinking and reasoning abilities; (2) academic advancement or
development; and (3) the promotion of communication skills.
Nisbett (2003) declares: "Debate is an important educational tool for learning analytic thinking
skills and for forcing self-conscious reflection on the validity of one's ideas (210)." Sodikaw
(1985) believes that debate helps students develop the emotional maturity to win and lose
graciously; acquire the necessary social skills to work with a colleague and compete against
other students; and use spoken English in an increasingly sophisticated way.
Debating is also a teaching strategy that provides a framework for students to explore and
develop a range of views over an issue. Debating encourages students to
 Improve the quality of their responses as they are provided with thinking time and they
can build upon their own ideas.
 Stay on task as they have to present their ideas and listen to their peer.
 Present their views to an authentic audience
 Develop co-operative learning skills.

 The implementation of debate needs long time.

13
 Debate can make the students emotional in defending their argument. Sometimes, the
students are very emotion in expressing their argument, moreover, if they must defend
their stand or opinion which is in contradiction with theirs.
 Teacher gets difficulties in controlling the debate implementation. 14
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
This chapter gives a thorough description of how the research was carried out, including six
steps: 1) Reviewing the research questions; 2) Determining on the study design; 3) Describing
the setting of the study; 4) Selecting subjects; 5) Describing the experiment; 6) Data collecting
and procedures. The details are going to be presented as follows.

experiment would be carried out properly. The researcher was the observer who met and
discussed with the two teachers before the experiment to overcome the difficulties they might
face during the experiment. After the experiment, the degrees of participation in each class
before and at the end of the experiment were compared and then some conclusions were
drawn out about the relationship between the use of the technique and the level of the
participation in the classroom speaking activities of the second year Accounting students at
NETC. So as to gain more validity, the researcher asked another teacher of English for help
during the classroom observations before and at the end of the experiment. For each stage, the
researcher took the average amount of the students’ ‘time-on-task’ and ‘time-off-task’. The
researcher also asked this teacher to note down necessary information accounting for students’
levels of participation that could be used in the data analysis.
In this way, possible representativeness and generalizability may be argued on a logical basis
and the findings may be more valid and reliable.
2.3. The current situation of English learning and teaching at NETC.
NETC is a quite new college, which trains business administrators, electronic
engineers and accountants. The faculty of English just has 4 teachers all of whom are quite
young. Two of them graduated from Hanoi University of Education 2 years ago and are
following an MA course at Post-graduate Department of Hanoi University of Foreign
Languages and International Studies. They have just had two-year experience of teaching
English. The others have Master Degrees and have taught English for about 7 years.

16
At NETC, English is one of compulsory subjects for all students; however, it is not a major
one. The English class often ranges from 40 to 50 students. Students have to study English as
a means of communication during 4 semesters with 75 periods for basic English and 75
periods for English specific purposes. By the end of the course, students are expected to be
able to communicate in English at pre-intermediate level. Therefore, English is taught
according to CLT, in which all four language skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
are focused.
The textbooks used during the course are the New Headway series (elementary to pre-

Table 2.1: Students’ profiles (Total number of students: 90)

17
Along with the students are 4 teachers: Two were directly responsible for carrying out the
experiment as they were the teachers of the two classes; the others were the researcher and
another teacher of English who observed the two classes before and at the end of the
experiment.
2.5. The experiment
Subjects in the experiment were at 2 classes named KT1A and KT1B. In order to gain the
validity, the experiment was conducted separately on the two classes. The procedures of the
experiment can be described as follows:
 First, the researcher and another teacher in turn observed the two classes in four
lessons to be aware of the degrees of the students’ participation before the experiment,
using the observation sheets suggested by Wajnryb (1992). The degrees of
participation were measured in terms of their ‘time-on-task’ and ‘time-off-task’.
 Second, a survey questionnaire was distributed among the students of the two classes
to find out more about the factors that might affect their participation in classroom
speaking activities.
 Then five students in each class were randomly chosen and interviewed to know more
about the related factors.
 After that, the researcher met and discussed with the teachers of the two classes to
know about their evaluations of the students’ participation, their techniques and
activities they often used to increase the students’ participation.
Then with the help of the two teachers, the researcher began to carry out the experiment on the
two classes which lasted in 4 weeks from 2/4/2011-2/5/2011 (4 periods/a week).
After 4 weeks of the experiment:
 The researcher and another teacher in turn attended and observed the two classes in 4
lessons, using the observation sheets by Wajnryb (1992), noting down the students’
participation in terms of their ‘time-on-task’ and ‘time-off-task’.


experiment concerning the factors affecting their participation in speaking activities. All the
questions aim to investigate the factors originating from the teachers’ side and the students’
side.
2.6.3. Follow-up interviews
2.6.3.1. Before the experiment
 The teacher interview (appendix 3)
The researcher interviewed the two teachers about the factors affecting the students’
participation, their evaluations on the students’ participation, the techniques and activities they
often used to encourage more students’ involvement.
 The student interview (appendix 4)
Ten students from the two classes were chosen and interviewed randomly, which helped to
clarify the data obtained from the classroom observations and questionnaire.
2.6.3.2. After the experiment
 The teacher interview (appendix 5)
The two teachers responsible for teaching the two classes during the experiment were
interviewed to give their comments, evaluations, and their attitudes towards the application of
debate technique to increase the students’ participation.
 The student interview (appendix 6)
Ten students were randomly chosen from the two classes and interviewed to give their
evaluation on their level of participation, attitudes towards the technique they were taught in
the last four weeks.
20
2.7. Analyzing and processing the data
After having been collected, the data of the study were divided in groups based on certain
categories serving the purposes of the analysis. The data of the study were analyzed both
quantitatively and qualitatively. As for the quantitative analysis, the statistics on amount of
‘time-on-task’ and ‘time-off-task’ observed will be presented in form of figures. As regards

task’ and ‘time-off-task’ used for the data analysis. In all four lessons, the two teachers
followed their traditional routines. The following is the description of one lesson in both
classes:
 Class: KT1A and KT1B
 Number of students in each class: 45
 Time: 45 minutes in which 20 minutes for speaking activities.
 Lesson content: Planning for economic development
 Speaking activity: Discuss threats and opportunities for economic development in
Vietnam
The procedure used by the teachers can be summarized as follows:
After a reading part about Striving for historic city’s dream, the teachers spent 20 minutes for
speaking. First, they announced the topic and asked the students to discuss it in groups of four
or five. The teacher went round the class to help the students with vocabulary. Then after

22
about 10 minutes, the teachers invited some students to stand up and present their group’s
ideas. Finally, the teachers gave comments on each production. The results of the observations
before the experiment can be illustrated as follows:
KT1A
KT1B
On-task
Off-task
On-task
Off-task
Times
%
Times
%
Times
%

3.1.2. Factors affecting students’ participation
It is necessary to discuss some factors that affect students’ motivation in participation. The
factors affecting students’ participation in the process of learning will be discussed in terms of:
1) Students’ motivations and learning styles; 2) The teachers’ techniques and activities
3.1.2.1. Students’ motivations and learning styles
Students’ motivations play an important role in deciding the level of their participation in class
activities. Therefore, by identifying the students’ motivations of learning English and their
learning styles, the researcher will find out the degree of students’ willingness to take part in
classroom activities as well as the reasons why there is little participation in these classes.
Purposes
Number
Percentage (%)
a. To pass the final exam
83
92
b. To get good marks
37
41
c. To get a good job in the future
33
37
d. To enjoy music and stories
17
19
e. To read English books
12
13
f. To communicate with foreign people
22
24