Investigating how to improve oral presentation
skills for the second - year english majors of the
department of foreign languages at hung yen
university of technology and education Nguyễn Thị Bích Vân

Trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ
Luận văn ThS. Chuyên ngành: English Methodology; Mã số: 601410
Người hướng dẫn: Trần Hiền Lan
Năm bảo vệ: 2009

Abstract:In an attempt to investigate how to improve oral presentation skills for the second-
year English majors of the Department of Foreign Languages at Hung Yen University of
Technology and Education, the research was aimed at finding out: (1) the students’ as well as
teachers’ perceptions of what a good oral presentation is, (2) students’ and teachers’ difficulties
in their learning and teaching of oral presentations, (3) current methods the teachers use to teach
presentation skills, and (4) suggestions for both the teachers and the students on how to deal with
their difficulties in their teaching and learning of oral presentations. Specifically, the study has
been conducted in the form of survey research, with the informants of the study being the fifty
six students randomly chosen from four classes and the eight teachers teaching major English at
the Department of Foreign Languages, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education. The
two survey questionnaires completed by both the teachers and the students was the main
instrument employed for the collection of data. The research reveals that the students’ low
language proficiency including the inability to express themselves in English, the bad habit of
using mother tongue at a point of difficulty, lack of confidence all made it difficult for them to be
understood. Besides, the data from the study confirm the fact that the unsuitable methods applied
by the teachers, the teachers’ critical ways of correcting the students’ mistakes, the infrequent
and inadequate feedback and assessment from both the teachers and peers, and the institution’s
lack of conductive facilities also contributed to these students’ poor presentation performance.

1.1. Oral Communication…………………………………………………………………… 5
1.2. Oral Presentation…………………………………………………………………………6
1.2.1. Definitions and Characteristics……………………………………………………… 6
1.2.2. Oral Presentation Organization…………………………………………….……… 7
1.2.3. Teaching Oral Presentation Skills………………………………….………………….8
1.3. Prior Studies Related to Oral Presentations………………………………………… 10
CHAPTER II: PRACTICAL RESEARCH………………………………….12
2.1. Background of the study……………………………………………………………… 12
2.1.1. Description of the English course and its objectives in the department of foreign
languages, HYUTE………………………………………………………………………… 12
2.1.2. The informants…………………………… 13

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2.2. The Study……………………………………………………………………………… 14
2.2.1. The Research Questions………………………………………………………………14
2.2.2. Measurement Instruments……………………………………………………………14
2.2.3. Data Analysis ………………………………………………………………………….15
2.3. Presentation of Statistical Results……………………………………………… 15
2.3.1. Questionnaire for the Students……………………………………………………….15
2.3.1.1. Methodology…………………………………………………………………………15
2.3.1.2. Statistical results ……………………………………………………………………15
2.3.1.2.1. The students’ perceptions of the necessity of oral presentation skills……………15
2.3.1.2.2. The second- year students’ difficulties in learning presentation skills…… 17
2.3.1.2.3. Current methods used in teaching oral presentation skills to the second- year
English majors……………………………………………………………………………… 21
2.3.1.2.4. The students’ evaluation of the teachers’ current methods………………………24
2.3.1.2.5. The students’ suggested solutions to improve the situations……………………… 24
2.3.2. Questionnaire for the teachers……………………………………………………… 28
2.3.2.1. Methodology…………………………………………………………………………28
2.3.2.2. Statistical results ……………………………………………………………………28

Appendix 5: Oral presentations- Student evaluation sheet
Appendix 6: Model language for oral presentations
Appendix 7: Sample of model presentations 1
PART1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale:
English has played an important role in dealing with international relations and in such fields
as science and technology, business, commerce, and diplomacy. This is the reason why there
has always been a big need for learning English in Vietnam. And these learners of English
have various purposes of learning: some learn English for their future jobs; some learn it just
for entertainment. The English major learners also have serious attitudes towards learning
English for their communications as well as oral presentations at work. In reality, most
students leaving college today lack the basic skills necessary for presenting information to a
group. Additionally, many college classes require presentations, but the students are often told
to do it without being shown how to do it. A history professor does not feel it is their job to
show their students the basic skills of presenting a subject. Furthermore, the students aren’t
given the right feedback to improve. As a matter of fact, learning how to make presentations
effective becomes one of the key institutional parts.

In Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, there are not any separate subjects on
which the English majors’ presenting skills are trained. It is the teachers of English who teach
them oral presentations skills. For the teachers in the foreign language department there are
some certain advantages of asking students to give presentations on the subject of their
concern. Firstly, it gives students a good opportunity to practice their speaking skill. It also
increases the students’ confidence in using English. Furthermore, it can be a good practice for

- identify students’ and teachers’ difficulties in their learning and teaching of oral
presentations.
- investigate current methods the teachers use to teach presentation skills.
- give suggestions for both the teachers and the students on how to deal with their
difficulties in their teaching and learning of oral presentations.
3. Scope of the study:
Speaking activities are various. However, this study only focuses on oral presentation skills
for the second- year English majors at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education.
This study is said to be an overview of current situations of the second- year English majors

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when making oral presentations and an identification of the teachers’ methods currently used
for the second- year English majors in the foreign language department, and a suggestion for
techniques for both the students and the teachers to improve their learning and teaching of
speaking skills in general and presentation skills in particular.
4. Methods of the study:
The study will be conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods with questionnaires for
informants of 56 second- year majors of English randomly chosen from four classes and 8
teachers at the University of Technology and education in Hung Yen and informal interviews
with the informants and their teachers and personal observation will also be employed.
5. Design of the study:
The study consists of three parts:
Part 1, introduction, presents the rationale, the aims, the scope, the methods and the design
of the study.
Part 2, development, consists of 3 chapters.

+ Chapter I - Literature Review – deals with the concepts relevant to the study: oral
communication, presentation skills and prior studies related to presentation skills.

+ Chapter II - Practical Research – provides an analysis on the current situation of
REFERENCES

Brown, H.D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, New
Jersey: Prentice Hall
Brown, H.D. (1994). Teaching Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy.
New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Regents.
Brown, g& Yule, G. (1983). Teaching the Spoken Language. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Brown, P. (2005). “ Students Presentations”. Modern English Teachers.
Bygate, M. (1987). Speaking. Oxford: Oxford University Press.