The Role of Content-based Instruction in Promoting English Speaking Skills for Vietnamese Students

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(1)College of Language Arts I-Shou University. Master Thesis. The Role of Content-based Instruction in Promoting English Speaking Skills for Vietnamese Students. Advisor: Dr. Guey, Ching-Chung Graduate Student: Nguyen Minh Yen July 2016.

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(4) Acknowledgement Two years in Taiwan, I have had many precious experiences both in academic achievements and life. I am truly grateful to all people who have supported me until now. Obviously, I cannot go this far without the support from many people. They have been great motivation and inspiration for me to keep going in this journey. First of all, I would like to thank all professors who have given me precious knowledge for my future career. Particularly, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Guey Ching Chung for his supervision. Without his important support, I will not be able to complete my thesis. I would like to thank Dr. Lin Hui Wui and Dr. Wu Chia Pei for their precious opinions and contribution as my committee members. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to all staff at I-Shou University for their help for the last two years. The scholarship granted by this school is an important financial support for me to finish the master program. Besides, the school also enriches my life with many interesting and meaningful activities. Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family in Vietnam. Without their motivation and silent support, I may never have this wonderful opportunity in my life. There is no word enough to express the love and sacrifice they have made for me. From the bottom of my heart, I am very grateful to them.. i.

(5) Abstract Nowadays, the application of English has been seen widely in different aspects of life such as education, business or entertainment. In the other words, English plays a very important role in modern life it is a key to success. As students become increasingly familiar with English teaching methods such as grammatical approach, translation approach, or aural approach, a new educational approach in teaching and learning English called Content-based Instruction (CBI) was introduced to satisfy the need of learning English at schools. While this topic has been widely studied and applied in developed countries such as the North America and Western Countries, only limited studies have been carried out in developing countries. Thus, the aim of this thesis is to investigate the students’ attitude and opinion toward Content-based instruction and the idea of using Content-based instruction in the Higher Education in Vietnam. Whether this approach can help Vietnamese students improve their English speaking or not. The thesis also explores the relationship between time of learning English and three components of Content-based Instruction. The study showed the differences toward Content-based instruction between male and female students. Keywords: Content-based instruction, English speaking skill, time of learning, components of CBI, Vietnamese students.. . . ii.

(6) Table of Content Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................................... i Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables .............................................................................................................................v List of Charts............................................................................................................................ vi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................1 1.1. Background of the Study ................................................................................................. 2 1.2. Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 10 1.3. Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................11 2.1. Rationale of CBI............................................................................................................ 11 2.2. Models of CBI ............................................................................................................... 14 2.2.1. Theme-based model ................................................................................................ 15 2.2.2. Sheltered model ...................................................................................................... 15 2.2.3. Adjunct model ........................................................................................................ 16 2.3. Language learning/teaching theoreticians and Key findings on CBI ............................ 17 2.3.1. Language learning/teaching theoreticians .............................................................. 17 2.3.2. Key findings on Content-based .............................................................................. 20 Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................22 3.1. Research Design ............................................................................................................ 22 3.2. Sampling Design ........................................................................................................... 24 3.3. Data Collection .............................................................................................................. 24 3.4. Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 25 Chapter 4 RESULTS................................................................................................................26 4.1. Respondent demographic .............................................................................................. 26 4.2. Reliability analysis ........................................................................................................ 27 4.3.2. Affective component .............................................................................................. 30 iii.

(7) 4.3.3. Behavioral component ............................................................................................ 32 4.4. Correlation Analysis ...................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS...................................................................39 5.1 Research Summary ......................................................................................................... 39 5.2 Research Implications .................................................................................................... 40 5.3 Research Limitations ...................................................................................................... 42 5.4 Future studies .....................................................................................................................43 5.5 Closing Remarks ............................................................................................................ 43 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................45 Appendix A English Questionnaire .........................................................................................51 Appendix B Vietnamese Questionnaire ...................................................................................55. iv.

(8) List of Tables Table 4. 1: Respondent Profile................................................................................................. 26 Table 4. 2: Significant differences in cognitive component toward CBI between two genders .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Table 4. 3: Significant differences in affective component toward CBI between two genders .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Table 4. 4: Significant differences in behavioral factors toward CBI between two genders... 34 Table 4. 5: Correlation between three components ................................................................. 36 Table 4. 6: Correlation between the Average Using Time and Cognitive component toward Content-based Instruction of Vietnamese Students ................................................................. 37 Table 4. 7: Correlation between the Average Using Time and Affective component toward Content-based Instruction of Vietnamese Students ................................................................. 37 Table 4. 8: Correlation between the Average Using Time and Behavioral component toward Content-based Instruction of Vietnamese Students ................................................................. 38 . v.

(9) List of Charts Chart 1: Relationship between Cognitive factor and gender ........................................................ 28 Chart 2: Relationship between Affective factor and gender ......................................................... 31 Chart 3: Relationship between Behavioral factors and gender ..................................................... 32 . vi.

(10) Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION In the field of language, the methodology of learning and teaching has been an important concern; the following study was the inspiration of a doubt on how to learn English differently. The approach explored in this study was a Content-based instruction which is a teaching method where English is taught through specific content or topics related to learners’ interests and needs, in order to motivate and allow students to interact about real life issues in the target language.. In chapter one of this study, it provided an overview of current situation toward teaching and learning English in Vietnam and significance of the past studies in the related field about Content-based instruction. Chapter 1 also explained the reasons why the study was conducted, the purpose what the study investigate for in order to provide understanding on why Content-based instruction is useful for learning the language, specifically in the Vietnam context. Finally, three research questions are presented in order to describe the objectives of the procedure.. In chapter two, it is provided the different definitions about Content-Based Instruction (CBI), presented the literature review about CBI, as well as the three models proposed by CBI. Additionally, chapter 2 also provided a theoretical background of learning motivation and Content-based instruction. Finally, this chapter also shows current and similar projects that support the idea of this study. 1.

(11) Next, chapter three covered the research methodology which mentions the research design, sampling design such as the participants, their characteristics in terms of age, grade, time of using English; the data collection methods, the different tools are used in order to analyze data, two methods were interviews and questionnaires.. In chapter four of this study, the findings that found in the study are explained, these findings aim to answer three research questions presented in the study. The results were provided and discussed in Chapter 4.. To finish, Chapter 5 gave the conclusion and recommendations for the future study of Content-based instruction in Vietnam.. 1.1. Background of the Study Nowadays, the number of people using English is increasing more and more. In this modern life, English became an effective way to enhance knowledge, expand opportunities for exchange in over the world, increased the quality of employees not only in Vietnam but also in many other countries. So, the way to learning English well play a very great role in the development of each country. However, there are many problems in the quality of learning and teaching English in Vietnam generally. In the study " How to improve spoken English skills for students," Ho Minh Thu (2006) pointed out the results about the status of English proficiency of students in University of Danang as follows: "The language. 2.

(12) skills of students are very limited, especially in speaking and listening skill; the majority of students (67 %) do not have the habit or cannot communicate with each other in English ". Therefore, the universities of Vietnam currently have highly focused on applying new teaching methods in order to improve English skills for students because English ability of Vietnamese students after graduation is not really good yet. Management Journal (03/26/2006) says only 40% of students having a positive attitude towards learning a foreign language, the rest learned only to learn but really did not invest in them. One of the most reasons leading to this situation is the study motivation of students not really high. In the field of teaching English, Kieu Van Thinh (2000) says that "teaching methods matter how sophisticated the way people learn staidly, all will not change. The school is not bound ourselves to learn the teaching methods have continually improved toy is just gaudy, expensive, useless." This is similar to improved methods that do not rely on the laws of collective psychology of learners surely fail. Slavin (2008) stated that "one of the key ingredients that have the most in learning is learning motivation." The countries have developed education very interested in how to increase learners’ learning motivation. Because learners’ motivation creates a power source, a powerful energy source which can start and maintain their actions to achieve results. Many scientists have noted that students learn or not related so much to the collective dynamics. If learners were motivated, the. 3.

(13) quality of learning will excellent. According to Slavin (2008), one of the main factors that effectively increase learners’ motivation is teaching methods of teachers. In the field of learning foreign language, teaching methods have a special important impact on the quality of education, especially for Vietnamese students’ characteristics "has the qualities hinder language learning as shy, passive, does not like to collaborate with friends, learning and self-awareness is not high dynamic” (Nguyen Thi Thuy Hong, 2009). Nguyen Thi Thuy Hong (2009) recommended English teaching methods have to change direction for students to practice in groups, in pairs, exercises designed towards creating computer creative initiative, decrease students’ worries, enhance their attraction to help students overcome the obstacles on class. Thus, a teaching method in generally and method of teaching English in particularly playing a big role in promoting academic motivation, which alters the efficiency of learning English learners. In Vietnam, English is learned compulsorily since primary school till university level. Awareness of the need to increase the quality of English language education has been widespread in Vietnam since the economic reform known as Doi Moi in 1986. Learners have been looking forward to new teaching methods that aim to equip students with a good command of English to satisfy various communicative needs in their future work. Indeed, attempts have been made for a shift from a methodology and curriculum focusing on teaching reading, grammar, vocabulary and linguistics to the ones focusing on communicative skills. 4.

(14) (Le, 2000; Pham, 2005). However, the shift to the communicative approach does not seem to be difficult to apply in Vietnam context. Although a great number of teachers have been trained and encouraged to use communicative language teaching, it is widely reported that they continue to use old methods such as grammar translation once they leave their training courses (Le, 2000; Nguyen, 2001; Thuy, 2001).. In recent years, attention to the teaching and improving speaking in foreign language acquisition in Vietnam is increased. In the world, numerous approaches to teaching speaking and to examine the effectiveness of these approaches have appeared. According to Brinton, Snow, & Wesche, relative effectiveness is found between the use of content-based instruction (CBI) and language skills improvement (Brinton, Snow, & Wesche, 1989; Zuengler & Brinton, 1997). These authors all agree that when language is taught in the context of acquiring information, four language skills are most effectively developed. Many other authors agree that CBI results in not only providing content but also improving students’ language acquisition (Daryl, 2006), as well as students’ speaking performance through the content chosen grounded academic discipline-based (Kasper, 1997a) and the systematic use of content-based instructional strategies (Kasper, 1995b).. Taking into account the importance of integration between language and content in foreign language teaching, National Foreign Languages 2020 Project issued by The Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam (2009) underlines the importance of improving 5.

(15) language skills for youth in 2020, allowing Vietnamese students to develop their foreign language speaking skills for communicating confidently; and puts emphasis on changing foreign language teaching method comprehensively.. However, there is a bitter case between the objective and the present situation in English classes in many universities in Vietnam. The English speaking ability of Vietnamese students is still low, having left much to be desired and far below the general expectations. Many Vietnamese students face a common problem that even when they spent years learning English in school, they are still not able to communicate fluently and confidently. Many young students only learn English to pass their examinations in school. According to an academic magazine in Vietnam “Education and Times, Sunday Issues” (08/04/2012) from the interview with students and teachers, results indicated that most of the difficulties in communicating English that Vietnamese students encounter are due to several reasons as the follows:. The first, textbooks are chosen for English speaking skill were long stories without providing any communicative or meaningful activities to encourage the students' speaking ability. In addition, the content is also far away from the practical English skills, which made learners feel it was useless or meaningless to attend the speaking class.. 6.

(16) The second, teacher is the center who did most of her/ his talking in classroom settings. The teachers often conveyed the contents of the textbook to the students without giving them opportunities to practice.. The third, the learners feel difficult to speak English in class. One of the reason that complained why students have that feeling is they didn't know how to develop about the given topic in English. They were also afraid of being humiliated by their classmates as they couldn't produce correct pronunciation and speak English fluently.. The forth, there are many differences between English grammar structures and those of Vietnamese, Vietnamese students are not easy to think and speak it out fluently. Therefore, the students need a long time to express or explain their ideas or thoughts.. From those difficulties, it is very important and necessary to change some of these situations into positive ones. Previously, Content-based Instruction (CBI) is found as an appropriate and effective approach that is especially suitable for the students who want to improve the English speaking skills. Content-based instruction (CBI) is a new method in the language teaching field, “since the early 1980s content-based instruction has been growing in research and in interest as a language teaching approach” (Met, 1999). According to Stoller & Grabe, CBI is considered the approach as a useful tool for teachers and learners, in order to develop language skills and content skills in schools and universities (Stoller & Grabe 1997).. 7.

(17) The use of the relatively new approach, content-based instruction has become more popular because of its double function of language learning and content learning. This method has proposed a different issue that language teachers and other methods had never taken into account, the use of subject matter for foreign language teaching purposes (Snow 2004).. Both language and content are provided instruction for foreign language learners through using CBI. Content can be any subject matter or any topic that learners interested in or communicate through language rather than the language used to convey it (Richard, 2006). On the other hand, content is interpreted as the use of subject matter as a vehicle for second or foreign language teaching/ learning. To support the above mentioned, Tucker (1975) cited in “Approaches and methods for language teachers” (2001) “Language learning is also believed to be more motivating when students are focusing on something other than languages, such as ideas, issues, and opinions. The student can most effectively acquire language when the task of language learning becomes incidental to the task of communicating with someone about some topics which is inherently interesting to the student”.. In the language teaching field, meaningful content could provide better input to students so that they were able to use the language and communicate productively. Krashen (1984) cited “second language acquisition occurs when the learner receives comprehensible input, not when the learner is memorizing vocabulary or completing grammar exercises”. 8.

(18) Swan (1985) cited a complementation towards Krashen’s proposal “in order to develop communicative competence, learners must have extended opportunities to use foreign language productively”. According to Genesee (1994), “content need not be academic; it can include any topic, theme or not- language issue of interest or importance to the learners”. Meanwhile, Crandall & Tucker (1990) suggest that “CBI should integrate the topics or tasks from subject matter classes (e.g., math, social studies, geography) within the context of teaching a second/foreign language”. The authors agree that to have meaningful output learners needed productive input, contextualized scenarios and interesting topics in learning the process.. Teachers can provide a more comfortable and flexible environment for learning, and a more interesting and communicative relation between teachers and students to motivate students’ needs and interests. According to a theory about the zone of proximal development of Vigotstky’s (1968) “learners are assisted by the teachers or more capable peers in their development and inner speech. They have a cooperative and meaningful work where they also have an active role in their language development, as proposed by CBI learners are the center of learning”.. However, CBI may have been new for most of the learners, hence some participants may have found it interesting and some others may have found it boring or confusing. According to Stryker and Leaver (1993) cited 9. “students need to be prepared both.

(19) psychologically and cognitively for CBI and if they are not adequately primed, students need to be kept from enrolling until they are ready”.. 1.2. Purpose of the Study The present study aims to investigate the opinion of Vietnamese students toward learning English speaking and using content-based instruction in University Education. The study also provides insights of the effects of CBI on promoting Vietnamese students’ speaking skills, point out the difficulties that Vietnamese students face in learning English speaking, and then suggests possible speaking techniques and activities to help students improve their speaking skills. Furthermore, the study can also help educators understand better the attitude of Vietnamese students toward content-based instruction so that they can apply content-based instruction at universities more effectively.. 1.3. Research Questions This study is guided by three following questions:. - What are the reasons for using CBI to learn a foreign language?. - Can the application of CBI improve Vietnamese students English speaking skills?. - What are the attitudes toward using CBI of Vietnamese students?. 10.

(20) Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Rationale of CBI Content-based instruction is a relatively new approach in the language teaching field, Tim Murphey (1996) states that throughout time, researchers have been interested in the topic because of its double function in language learning, “Meaningful language” and “Meaningful content”. According to Curtain (1995) and Met (1991), “second language acquisition increases with content-based language instruction, because students learn language best when there is an emphasis on relevant, meaningful content rather than on the language itself”.. Howatt (1984) notes that there are two versions of the Communicative Approach: a strong version and a weak version. The weak version could be described as learning to use English; the strong version entails using English to learn it (Howatt, 1984). Snow (1991) characterizes CBI as a “method with many faces”- both to make the case for CBI as a method of language teaching and to portray the great variety of forms and settings in which it takes place.. There are diversified definitions on CBI because language learners and teachers have been working on with other approaches and methodologies rather than the term CBI per se. It is only acknowledged when a key step in designing an effective curriculum that meets the needs of students, the instructors, and specific programs in order to identify and agree on a. 11.

(21) working definition of these terms. It is very important to classify the concept of ‘content’ in CBI. Crandall & Tucker (1990) describe content as “academic subject matter” while Curtain & Pesola (1994) express CBI as “curriculum concepts being taught through the foreign language”. These discrete views represent a contrasting aspect of CBI in which ‘content’ itself is emphasized in a language learning context.. The term of CBI refers to an approach to integrate content and language learning (Brinton, Snow, & Weschen, 1989). The special contribution of CBI is that it is not exclusively a language program, but instead, it integrates the learning of language with the learning of some other contents. Often, content is academic subject matter (Brinton, Snow, and Wesche, 1989). It has been observed that academic subjects provide natural content for language study.. According to Snow (1997), “Content, in this interpretation, is the use of subject matter for second foreign language purposes. Subject matter may consist of topics or themes based on students interest or needs in an adult EFL setting, or it may be very specific, such as the subjects that students are currently studying in their elementary classes”.. Drawn from Met (1999), “the term content-based instruction is commonly used to describe approaches to integrating language and content instruction”, but it is not always used in the same way. Crandall & Tucker (1990) define content as “an approach to language. 12.

(22) instruction that integrates the presentation of topics or tasks from subject matter classes (e.g., math, social studies) within the context of teaching a second or foreign language”.. In term of content, there are many definitions of “content” forward this approach. For example from Crandall and Tucker’s definition, “content is clearly academic subject matter” while Genesee (1994) suggests that content “need not be academic; it can include any topic, theme or non-language issue of interest or importance to the learners”. Chaput (1993) defines content as “any topic of intellectual substance which contributes to the students’ understanding of language in general and the target language in particular”. Met (1999) has proposed that “content in content-based programs represents material that is cognitively engaging and demanding for the learner, and is material that extends beyond the target language or target culture”. Richards & Rogers (2005) have supported that “people learn a second language more successfully when they use the language as a means of acquiring information, rather than as an end in itself”. According to Met (1991) “natural language acquisition occurs in context, which is never learned divorced from meaning, and CBI provides a context for meaningful communication to occur”.. CBI has been used in a variety of language learning contexts for the last 25 years in the Western world but, in Vietnam, its popularity and wider applicability have attracted no long yet. CBI is geared to stimulate students to think and learn through the use of the target language. Such an approach lends itself quite naturally to the integrated teaching of the four 13.

(23) traditional language skills. In this approach, Brinton (1989) states that students are exposed to study skills and learn a variety of language skills which prepare them for the range of academic tasks they will encounter. Also, researchers in second language acquisition offer additional support for CBI.. Dupuy (2000) points out a lot of evidence in which CBI has its advantages than the others approaches in language learning and teaching. He claims that “a second language is most successfully acquired when the conditions mirror those present in first language acquisition that is, when the focus of instruction is on meaning rather than on form; when the language input is at or just above the competence of the student, and when there is sufficient opportunity for students to engage in meaningful use of that language in a relatively anxietyfree environment” (Dupuy, 2000).. To understand more about the essential characteristics and instructional implications of CBI, three models of CBI including the theme-based model, the sheltered model, and the adjunct model, as well as its effect on reading enhancement, are discussed below.. 2.2. Models of CBI Depending on a multiplicity of factors such as educational setting, level, and the nature of instruction, The CBI models are either implemented in foreign language settings or are more typically applied in second language contexts. For each kind of the models,. 14.

(24) programs and approaches, students are engaged in different ways with content using a foreign language. Brinton, Snow, and Wesche (1989) describe three basic approaches to language and content integration: theme-based, sheltered, and adjunct courses.. 2.2.1. Theme-based model Theme-based courses are the most common model in CBI thanks to its relative lack of complexity for implementation, as language instructors operate autonomously from the rest of the faculty and there is no demand for organizational or administrative adjustments. The theme-based language course is structured around topics or themes. Major principles underlying theme-based model contain automaticity, meaningful learning, intrinsic motivation, and communicative competence (Brown, 2001). Its primary purpose is to help students develop second/ foreign language competence within specific topic areas. The topics chosen can be several unrelated topics or one major topic. Language instructors are responsible for language and content instruction (Brinton et al., 1989). The theme-based model is mainly employed in adult schools, language institutions, and all other language programs. It is suitable for low to advanced learners.. 2.2.2. Sheltered model Sheltered instruction is an approach to use second language acquisition strategies while teaching content area instruction. In the sheltered model, an academic subject matter is taught by content teachers in content areas, such as science, mathematics, history, or 15.

(25) literature via using language and context to make the information comprehensible. Brinton, Snow & Wesche (1989) state that “A sheltered content-based course is taught in a second language by a content specialist to a group of learners who have been segregated or ‘sheltered’ from native speakers”. The term ‘sheltered’ derives from the model’s deliberate separation of second language students from native speakers of the target language for the purpose. of. content. instruction.. Characteristics. of. sheltered. instruction. include. comprehensible inputs, warm and effective environment, high levels of student interaction, student-centered, hands-on tasks, and comprehensive planning (Echevarria & Graves, 2003). In the sheltered model, content courses are taught in the second language by a content area specialist to a group of ESL learners having been grouped together (Richards & Rogers, 2005).. 2.2.3. Adjunct model Adjunct model constitutes a more sophisticated pattern for the integration of language and content. It aims at connecting a specially designed language course with a regular academic course. In the adjunct model, students enroll in two linked courses simultaneously—a content course and a language course. The content instructor focuses on academic concepts while the language instructor emphasizes language skills using the content-area subject as a background for contextualizing the language learning process (Brinton et al., 1989). The rationale of this model is that the linked courses can assist students. 16.

(26) developing academic coping strategies and cognitive skills which can be transferred to other disciplines. The adjunct model is suitable for high-intermediate to advanced levels (Brinton et al., 1989). In summary, these three models of CBI share a number of common features. First, authentic tasks and materials are used in the three models. Second, they all share the principle that helps students deal with the content materials. They also differ in several ways, including the course aim and learning objectives, instructor’s roles, students’ proficiency levels, and evaluation approaches.. 2.3. Language learning/teaching theoreticians and Key findings on CBI 2.3.1. Language learning/teaching theoreticians From theories in language acquisition, content-based instruction fulfills the necessary conditions for a successful language teaching and learning. According to Krashen (1984), “second language acquisition occurs when the learner receives comprehensible input, not when the learner is memorizing vocabulary or completing language exercises”. Because the study of a subject matter makes the input more comprehensible and meaningful for learners, so, content-based instruction accomplishes that assumption, as Krashen highlights, “what rather than how”. Swain (1985) also suggests that “in order to develop communicative competence, learners must have extended opportunities to use second/foreign language. 17.

(27) productively”. It means that learners must have meaningful input in order to inquire they to produce meaningful output.. Moreover, the theory from Krashen (1984) and the theory from Swain (1985) complement each other. These theories were important in my study because the scope was to motivate learners to talk about their issues in a foreign language. Following my learning experiences I have always wondered why Vietnamese students cannot speak English well. Most of them said that they feel so difficult to show what they want in using the target language. One of the reasons causes this situation may happen because the information given is not as meaningful as language teachers think it is. Therefore, it is necessary to provide meaningful input to have productively output.. Going depth to social and philologists issues surrounding content-based instruction, Vigotsky’s (1968) notions of “(1) zone of proximal development, (2) private speech “internally directed speech as strategies for problem-solving a rehearsing”. There are plenty of possibilities to interact and negotiate with the content for CBI students in order to communicate with a peer and practice comfortably the knowledge acquired. In the general educational field, another assumption comes from Ausubel (1983) that is important in teaching a foreign language, the concept of “Meaningful learning” is where teachers use students’ prior knowledge in order to create a new one. Ausubel (1983) states that “teachers should not take for granted students’ minds, their minds are not in Zero”. Information from 18.

(28) students can be elicited by teachers in order to contribute new knowledge and let students participate in their own process of learning.. In addition, the assumption stated by Novak (1994) is “learners choose consciously to integrate new knowledge to knowledge they already possess”. This statement means meaningful knowledge is made by learners when they are related to knowledge learners already own. Moreover, Cummins (1980-1981) points that “there is a paradigm in which language tasks may be characterized as context reduced or context embedded and in which the tasks addressed through language may be cognitively demanding or undemanding”.. Additionally, it is important to clarify that CBI aided language development in terms of effectiveness in the learning process; it means that the four skills were fully developed during the implementation of CBI. As said by Brinton.et al (2003) the content development makes the best use of skills in the target language in order to aid learners to use the content and understand the language significantly. Therefore, language and content were balanced developed and worked.. The autonomous learning is another issue which is important to mention. The role of the learners in CBI class is centered. Stryker and Leaver (1997) stated “One goal of CBI is for learners to become autonomous so that they come to understand their own learning process and take charge of their own learning from the very start”. Therefore, the role of the. 19.

(29) learners is to change being active, in their own process and with their own rhythm of learning they become involved.. After all others, Stryker & Leaver (1997) pointed that “teaching approaches which combine the development of language and content knowledge practice, using this knowledge and strategy training to promote independent learning”. In Vietnam context it is not easy to change learners’ habit, since students are used to learn with passive ways and not to have an autonomous thought of their own process of learning. Thus, I gave a special attention to a new teaching method and found that this approach can improve students’ autonomous learning.. 2.3.2. Key findings on Content-based One finding was found by one researcher in the qualitative study conducted by Tim Murphy (1996) with EFL learners from a state university in Japan. This research found that Japanese students showed a great amount of development in language and content in the experience of learning with CBI program. It is good results experimenting with them even though they still had many difficulties with the administrative part. This finding is relevant to my research because it is the way in which the teachers implement it no matter the context in which CBI is being addressed.. 20.

(30) Another research is the project conducted by Corrales & Maloof (2009) where CBI was addressed with medicine students in Universidad Del Norte; they found out that when the language classes were focused on their academic interests and more useful for learners, they were more motivated. This project is relevant for my study because it means that in Vietnam context it is possible to address CBI classes, it depends on the learner's special interests.. The last one relevant CBI program is a project conducted at Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira by Ortiz and Cruz (2010) in which content-based was conducted to EFL beginners through Colombian culture, and they found out that students felt more motivated when the target language was being united with the native culture and interests, it means that students can also expand knowledge of their culture. This research is relevant to the study because it is directly related to the context being worked and the model how they conducted the project could be a significant guide for the study.. 21.

(31) Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY This chapter provides an overview of the research design, data collection and statistical methods applied to carry out analysis. The research questions were also described in this chapter. Next, the chapter showed the process of sampling design, data collection, and analysis used in this study.. 3.1. Research Design The research design holds a significant role in the success of every study as it addresses the way data is collected and analyzed. Generally, two common approaches usually chosen by researchers in their studies are qualitative and quantitative methods. Each of these methods has its own pros and cons. As the aim of this thesis is to investigate what difficulties Vietnamese students have in learning speaking skills, how CBI can help to improve students’ speaking learning, and then suggest possible speaking techniques and activities to help students improve their speaking skill, the quantitative research approach is chosen because it helps the researcher to collect data quickly and better describe findings of the study with numerical data.. The questionnaire used in this study was designed by the researcher based on the purpose of this study. To be sure that this questionnaire is suitable for my study, the reliability test is also analyzed. From the result of reliability, the Cronbach’s α coefficient. 22.

(32) ranged from .871 to .848. Thus, as recommended by Nunnally (1978), it means that all factors were accepted and reliable.. The questionnaire is divided into four parts A, B, C, D (see Appendix A). In part A, respondents were asked to give their demographic information including age, gender, years of study and time of using English. At the end of the first part, they were also asked whether they used CBI in university or not. The second part of the questionnaire includes 10 multiple choice questions. In this part, participants would give their cognition about CBI based on their real experiences. There are five appropriate numbers, were built on a 5-point Likert scales ranging from (1) strong disagree, (2) disagree, (3) neutral, (4) agree and (5) strong agree. In part C, participants were asked to show their appreciation about CBI affective component. There are also 10 questions with a 5-point Likert scales ranging from (1) strong disagree, (2) disagree, (3) neutral, (4) agree and (5) strong agree. In part D, respondents were also asked about the frequency of their behaviors forward CBI. The frequency was built on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from (1) never, (2) rarely, (3) sometimes, (4) often, (5) regularly. Besides, participants were also required to give their opinions on 5 interview questions at the end of the questionnaire. The complete questionnaire can be found in Appendix A of the thesis.. The study is guided by three research questions. 23.

(33) 1. What are the reasons for using CBI to learn a foreign language?. 2. Can the application of CBI enhance students’ general English speaking skills?. 3. What are the attitudes toward using CBI of Vietnamese students?. 3.2. Sampling Design A total of 70 Vietnamese students participated in the current study. All of them are voluntary participants with different ages, gender, subjects and years of study. The universities chosen as the places to conduct the study are I-Shou University and National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences in Taiwan. Participants come from different departments so that the data would reflect the general perception of students instead of students in any particular department. Via email, some interviewees voluntarily and individually answered the questions relied on participants’ own knowledge and experiences, the survey was distributed. To be sure that their cooperation, I had asked them for your help before I sent them the questionnaire. I also met individually and got their feedback one by one. Before administering the questionnaire, I show participants a video clip following this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68S4M5JuoXE. This video helps participants to have clear pictures about what CBI is.. 3.3. Data Collection. 24.

(34) Although the study is executed in a small group of Vietnamese students in Taiwan, the surveys were still made available through both direct hand-out and an online questionnaire. The language used for the questionnaire is available in English and Vietnamese. Participants are free to choose the preferred way to give their answers based on their practical experiences. Before collecting data, the pre-test was also done by administering the questionnaire to 10 Vietnamese students in I-Shou University. Getting the feedback from them is a basis for my re-wording that helps the researcher to complete the questionnaire.. 3.4. Data Analysis After coding and data cleaning, the collected data are encoded into the computer database for analysis. Collected data are to be analyzed by using SPSS (17.0). The primary statistical data analysis for the study included Descriptive Analysis and Reliability Test of Cronbach’s Alpha (α), means comparison among elements and One-way ANOVA. The Reliability Test was used to make sure whether the result of this study is reliable or not. The means comparison was used to explore the different motivations, feelings, and attitudes of students as well as their speaking ability when they used CBI in class. The One-way ANOVA aimed to investigate the relationship between different factors such as between genders and cognitive component, affective component or behavioral component toward Content-based instruction.. 25.

(35) Chapter 4 RESULTS 4.1. Respondent demographic The questionnaire was contributed to most of the feedbacks via email (using Google.doc software), interviewees voluntarily and individually answered the questions. As many samples were collected, there is a total of 70 questionnaires distributed. After harshly rejecting the invalid ones, 70 valid attempts have been processed for analysis by using SPSS software, representing 100% of response rate. In term of demographic profiles, based on the survey, respondents who fulfilled valid questionnaires consisted of females (60%), and males (40%). See Table 4.1 below. Table 4. 1: Respondent Profile. N=70. Demographic. Gender. Age. Year of study. Time of using English (per day). Using CBI. Frequency. Percent (%). Male. 28. 40.0. Female. 42. 60.0. 20-22. 37. 52.8. 23-25 >25. 24 9. 34.2 13.0. sophomore. 35. 50.0. junior senior. 14 21. 20.0 30.0. <1 hour. 3. 4.3. 1-3 hours 3-5 hours 5-7 hours >7 hours yes no. 14 19 24 10 63 7. 20.0 27.1 34.3 14.3 90.0 10.0. 26.

(36) Of 70 participants, there were 63 people who claimed that they are CBI students and 7 people said they do not use CBI in their university program. The gender distribution of CBI students is unequal with 27 male CBI students and 34 CBI students. By contrast, there was only 1 out of 28 male participants said that he does not learn with CBI while there were 6 out of 42 female participants claimed that they are non-CBI students. Thus, it can be said that the percentage of students who learn with CBI is much higher than that of non-CBI students. Results from the study also show that Vietnamese students spend more time on learning by using English than without using English with 67 out of 70 students said that they spend more than 1 hour per day on using English while there were 3 out of 70 students said that they almost do not use English (less than 1 hour per day). The average time of using English of Vietnamese students is 4.68 hours a day. Regarding the level of study in university, there were 35 sophomores, 14 juniors, 21 seniors and no freshmen participating in the survey.. 4.2. Reliability analysis From the result of reliability analysis, the Cronbach’s α coefficient ranged from .871 to .848. As recommended by Nunnally (1978), it means that all factors were accepted and reliable.. 4.3. Descriptive analysis 4.3.1. Cognitive component. 27.

(37) In order to understand the relationship between students’ cognitive component and gender, a questionnaire composed of 10 items was distributed. Chart 1 shows the mean comparison in the cognitive component of students. Chart 1: Relationship between Cognitive component and gender 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.0 3.9 3.8. Male Female Total. useful method. remember word. improve speaking. enhance E&content. As shown in chart 1, four highest ranking cognitive components are useful (mean = 4.6), remember more English words (mean = 4.4), improve speaking skill (mean = 4.5), enhances understanding of both English and content (mean = 4.4). Especially, being a useful study method and improving speaking skill are two most important cognitive components to respondents. This result indicates that Vietnamese students seem to consider CBI as an effective method to help them improve English speaking skill. The gender difference is also shown in chart 1. The results showed that male respondents generally displayed higher cognition about CBI than their female counterparts, there were seven significant differences between two genders in term of cognitive factor were found using One-way ANOVA analysis are “know the pros of CBI” (F[1,68] = 26.656, p < 0.05), “CBI is provided in. 28.

(38) university” (F[1,68] = 40.800, p < 0.05), “improve speaking skill” (F[1,68] = 6.939, p < 0.05), “enhance both English and content” (F[1,68] = 15.498, p < 0.05), “ know how to learn with CBI” (F[1,68] = 15.498, p < 0.05), “ CBI help learn grammar and writing” (F[1,68] = 40.800, p < 0.05) and “ CBI arouses curiosity” (F[1,68] = 11.657, p < 0.05), This result suggested that the gap in the cognitive component about CBI between two genders is clear in comparison to the previous study of Tim Murphy (1996). The researcher did not mention about the differences between two genders in term of CBI cognition. The above result showed that male respondents generally displayed higher cognition than their female counterparts.. The significant differences values were shown in Table 4.2: Table 4. 2: Significant differences in cognitive component toward CBI between two genders F. Sig.. know pros of CBI. 26.656. .000*. CBI is provided in university. 40.800. .000*. improve English speaking. 6.939. .010*. enhance English & content. 15.498. .000*. know how to learn with CBI. 15.498. .000*. help learn grammar &. 40.800. .000*. 11.657. .001*. writing CBI arouses curiosity. *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).. 29.

(39) Regarding factors stimulating students to keep learning with CBI when the difficulty of using CBI is a challenge for them, the reasons given by Vietnamese students generally fell into three categories: (1) challenging themselves; (2) having chance to learn both language and content and (3) promoting English speaking and listening skill. Some of the comments are listed below:. -. “I want to challenge myself and overcome that challenge.”. -. “This method gave me more opportunities to talk.”. -. “I can improve my speaking and listening skill.”. 4.3.2. Affective component All participants were also asked for their attitudes toward CBI by answering whether they agree with 10 statements. Generally, Vietnamese respondents expressed positive attitudes toward CBI while they seem to disagree that learning with CBI is easy to apply in classes. Specifically, respondents found CBI as an interesting and meaningful method as well as a chance to enhance their learning motivation.. 30.

(40) Chart 2: Relationship between Affective component and gender 5 4.5 4 3.5 3 Male. 2.5. Female. 2. Total. 1.5 1 0.5 0 enthusiastic. meaningful. enhance motivation. challenge. confidence. interested feeling. The claim is supported by the result from chart 2 where four highest ranking attitudes are (1) interesting, (2) meaningful, (3) confident and (4) useful for enhancing learning motivation. This result seems to be consistent with results from the previous study by Corrales & Maloof (2009). According to these two researchers, the results indicated that when the language classes focused on learners’ academic interests, and when these topics were more useful for students, they were more motivated. Using One-way ANOVA analysis, significant differences in affective factors between two genders were found at 5 items: “enthusiastic about using CBI” (F[1,68] = 5.829, p ≤ 0.05), “feeling used to CBI activities” (F[1,68] = 26.6 , p ≤ 0.05), “enhance learning motivation” (F[1,68] = 14.68, p ≤ 0.05), “feeling interesting” ( F[1,68] = 19.32, p ≤ 0.05) and “easy to apply” (F[1,,68] = 7.376, p ≤ 0.05). This result indicated that there is a significant difference between two genders toward 5. 31.

(41) items mentioned above. Male respondents displayed more positive attitudes toward how they feel when using CBI than female respondents on every attribute (see Chart 2).. The significant differences values were shown in Table 4.3: Table 4. 3: Significant differences in affective component toward CBI between two genders F. Sig.. enthusiastic about using CBI. 5.829. .018*. feeling used to CBI activities. 26.656. .000*. enhance learning motivation. 14.688. .000*. feeling interesting. 19.326. .000*. easy to apply. 7.367. .008*. *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).. 4.3.3. Behavioral component Both CBI students and non-CBI students were asked to respond their appropriation of ten different behavioral components toward frequency of using CBI. Chart 3 showed the six highest ranked behavioral components given by Vietnamese students. Chart 3: Relationship between Behavioral factors and gender. 32.

(42) 6 5 4 Male. 3. Female 2. Total. 1 0 preview material. join discussion less mother tongue. ferform well. concentrate practice more. The top 6 behavioral factors are specifically produced on preview material (mean = 4.2), joint discussion (mean = 4.5), less use of mother tongue (mean = 4.5), performance (mean = 4.1), concentration (mean = 4.2) and more speaking practice (mean = 4.4). It seems that the main behaviors for Vietnamese students to learn with CBI in Higher Education are to prepare well material, practice more speaking in class and to use less mother tongue are three highest ranked behaviors. Using One-way ANOVA analysis, male and female respondents display very different opinions toward the frequency of behaviors toward CBI in higher education. Significant differences between genders were found in all the items with the exception of “do self-correction” (F[1,68] = 0.938) and “concentrate more” ( F[1,68] = 0.716). This result indicates that male respondents tend to value behavioral components higher than female respondents.. The significant differences values were shown in Table 4.4:. 33.

(43) Table 4. 4: Significant differences in behavioral factors toward CBI between two genders F. Sig.. read English text. 46.906. .000*. preview material. 4.533. .037*. join discussion. 6.939. .010*. do exercise based on CBI. 17.895. .000*. use less mother tongue. 23.448. .000*. perform well through CBI. 13.600. .000*. fulfill CBI activities. 11.657. .001*. practice speaking more. 20.400. .000*. *. Correlation is significant at the 0. 05 Level (2-tailed).. In response to the question “Do you believe CBI can be used popularly in a Higher Education environment?”, the respondents generally displayed their support to this idea with 53 students answering “Yes” in contrast to 17 students who expressed their objection toward the idea of using CBI popularly in Higher Education. For the students supporting the idea, the reasons they gave generally fall into three categories: (1) it is interesting to use a new method; (2); CBI can make learning more effective and (3) CBI offers to learn benefits. Some of the reasons are listed below:. -. “CBI lets me practice speaking more so I can improve my English speaking”. -. “I think CBI is a useful tool to learn foreign language”. 34.

(44) -. “It makes language and knowledge become more realistic”. For those who do not support the idea, their reasons could be put into three general categories including: (1) CBI is a difficult method; (2) applying CBI at school is a waste of time; (3) CBI is not suitable in Vietnam context and brings learning problems instead of benefit to learners. Below are some of their reasons:. -. “I don’t think CBI is a suitable method for most of Vietnamese students”. -. “It is too difficult to learn both language and content at the same time”. -. “I think students will have troubles with speaking, listening skill”. Furthermore, when being asked to name the language learning method that they had used in the higher education environment before, Vietnamese students named either traditional methods such as grammatical translation method or direct method that has long been applied in Vietnam or nothing else. Thus, it can be said that most Vietnamese students have been familiar with a few traditional methods instead of new method as CBI.. 4.4. Correlation Analysis As to the relationship among cognitive factors, affective factor and behavioral factor toward CBI, the result showed that the correlation was found between two factors: cognitive component and affective component.. 35.

(45) Table 4. 5: Correlation between three components cognitive cognitive. affective .498**. -.192. .000. .111. 70. 70. 70. **. 1. .034. Pearson Correlation. 1. Sig. (2-tailed) N affective. Pearson Correlation. .498. Sig. (2-tailed). .000. N behavioral. behavioral. Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed). .783. 70. 70. 70. -.192. .034. 1. .111. .783. 70. 70. N. 70. **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).. In response the question “What types of skills do you think can be improved by using CBI that would be relevant to learning a foreign language?” The Vietnamese students gave the highest ranking to two skills including speaking and listening skills. Finally, when responding to the question “Do you think mother tongue should be never used in classed?”, the respondents generally displayed their support to this idea. Some reasons are listed as the following: -. “Use of mother tongue may become a habit for student and teacher”. -. “Learning without mother tongue lets student have to brainstorm”. -. “Students will learn more effectively by using only English in class” The result of the bivariate correlation analysis also found a correlation between the. amount of using time and cognition toward learning with CBI, and the correlation was found one item: “CBI helps me remember more English words”.. 36.

(46) Table 4. 6: Correlation between the Average Using Time and Cognitive component toward Content-based Instruction of Vietnamese Students time. remember word .442** .000 70. Pearson Correlation 1 Sig. (2-tailed) N 70 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). time. Next is a correlation between the amount of using time and affective component toward learning with CBI, the correlation was found at three items: “confident in speaking English”, “feeling interested in using CBI” and “entertaining in performing CBI activity”. Table 4. 7: Correlation between the Average Using Time and Affective component toward Content-based Instruction of Vietnamese Students. Time Pearson Correlation. time. confidence. interested feeling. entertaining. 1. .320**. .453**. .426**. .007. .000. .000. 70. 70. 70. Sig. (2-tailed) N. 70. **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). The last one is a correlation between the amount of using time and behavioral component toward learning with CBI, the correlation was found in most of the items. Three out of ten items were not found correlative: “preview materials used in CBI context”, “useless mother tongue in CBI context” and “perform well on subjects taught through CBI”.. 37.

(47) Table 4. 8: Correlation between the Average Using Time and Behavioral component toward Content-based Instruction of Vietnamese Students. Pearson Correlation time Sig. (2-tailed) N. time. read text. Join discussion. selfcorrection. do exercise. 1. .341**. .316**. -.808**. .474**. -.331**. .530**. .277*. .004. .008. .000. .000. .005. .000. .020. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. fullfill practice concentrate activities more. **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). According to the results above, the three research questions are specifically answered based on the data analyses. To answer the first question “What are the reasons for using CBI to learn a foreign language?” top of four reasons are a useful method, help remember more English words, improve English speaking skill and enhance understanding of both English and content. In response to the second question “Can the application of CBI enhance Vietnamese students’ general English speaking skills?” Vietnamese students almost answer that CBI can help them improve their four English skills especial in speaking and listening. They also expressed a positive attitude toward using CBI because they more agreed with the positive options toward using CBI such as “ I am enthusiastic about using CBI in my learning process”, “I feel it meaningful in using CBI” or “I enjoy using CBI brings me an interested feeling”. This is a clear answer to the third research question “What are the attitudes toward using CBI of Vietnamese students?”. 38.

(48) Chapter 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 5.1 Research Summary This study provided insights relative to the learning method Content-based instruction, how it helps Vietnamese students improve their English speaking skill and Vietnamese students’ attitude toward learning English with CBI. One of the most interesting findings of this thesis is that it showed an amazing perception of young male students toward CBI cognition and CBI behavior in comparison to their female counterparts. While previous findings of Tim Murphy (1996) and Corrales & Maloof (2009) did not mention about the significant gender difference in cognitive factors and behavioral factors toward CBI. Here, the result suggested that males tend to have more cognition and display more positive behaviors toward learning with CBI than females. It can be said that the perception of young males toward CBI is changing in the way that they understand better about CBI and more willing to engage in CBI activity. A proper explanation for this phenomenon is that males, especially young ones, are enjoying better challenged a new learning method such as CBI.. Regarding the potential effects of CBI in a higher education environment perceived by students, the results of the study showed that Vietnamese students generally had good results experimenting with CBI, because participants showed a great amount of development in language and content; even though they had plenty of problems with the administrative. 39.

(49) part. In other words, when CBI is used in higher education, students seem to expect a learning method can provide them with some challenges but also a useful learning method where they can use English to socialize with other students and improve their language skills. Besides, the results indicated that a large percentage of respondents expressed their support to the idea of applying CBI in Higher Education environment. In response to the question “Do you believe CBI can be used popularly in a Higher Education environment?” 53 out of 70 Vietnamese students showed their agreement to the idea.. The analysis results also indicated that Vietnamese students are more motivated to engage in learning with CBI. Two genders shared the similar option that they feel it meaningful in using CBI and CBI helps enhance their learning motivation. According to the data, the average time of using English of Vietnamese students is 4.68 hours a day. This data are useful to explain the results of learning motivations and attitude toward CBI of Vietnamese students who are studying in Taiwan.. 5.2 Research Implications The insights generated by this thesis may contribute to the CBI theoretically and practically. On a theoretical point of view, the results obtained in this study supported the findings of previous studies that learners can remember more vocabulary and enhance their language skills. Krashen (1984), “second language acquisition occurs when the learner receives comprehensible input, not when the learner is memorizing vocabulary or completing 40.

(50) language exercises”. Therefore, this assumption is accomplished by content-based instruction, as Krashen highlights, “what rather than how”, the study of a subject matter makes the input more comprehensible and meaningful for learners. In addition, there is also a study in Canadian immersion programs to the comprehensible input proposed by Krashen, Swain (1985) suggests that “in order to develop communicative competence, learners must have extended opportunities to use second/foreign language productively”, this means that learners must have meaningful input in order to inquire them to produce meaningful output.. In the learning process, it is important to clarify that CBI facilitates language development in terms of effectiveness, which means that during the implementation of CBI the four skills were fully developed. As indicates by Brinton.et al (2003) “the content development makes the best use of skills in the target language in order to aid learners to use the content and understand the language significantly”. Therefore, language and content were thus balanced, developed and worked.. On the practical side, the learning behavior and attitude of Vietnamese students forward CBI can serve as a reference for educators and English teachers who plan to bring an educational program to classes in Vietnam. For example, by understanding factors such as motivation, discussion and challenges are expected to be at the optimal level for students in an educational program where educators and English teachers can design a better educational program to fit the need of the learners. 41.

(51) 5.3 Research Limitations First of all, the researcher only used the quantitative methodology for the study and undoubtedly the use of another qualitative research such as an in-depth interview or focus group with professional educators or experts in the game industry may provide a much more complete picture of the potential effects of CBI in Vietnam.. Secondly, the survey was conducted with the participation of 70 Vietnamese students and in two universities only. For a quantitative research method, the larger the number of participants in the study, the more accurate and reliable data could be achieved. However, the results shown in this thesis can still be a helpful reference and stepping stone for further studies on the same topic on a wider scale in Vietnam.. Thirdly, because the researcher did not have access to any CBI class in Vietnam during the time this study was conducted, the researcher was not able to run a specific test on the effectiveness of CBI on promoting English speaking skill of Vietnamese students in Vietnam. Certainly, a test on the study results of students before and after learning a CBI class would provide very convincing and helpful data and academic contribution for the present and future researchs.. 42.

(52) 5.4 Future studies Results from this study showed a generally positive attitude toward CBI and the role of CBI in promoting English speaking skill for Vietnamese students. However, the fact that whether or not Content-based instruction can be popularly applied in universities in Vietnam depends not only on the agreement of students but also on the willingness to contribute to this approach from other groups such as educators, policy makers or teachers’ competence. Thus, further studies should be conducted on these groups to explore how they respond to the idea of using CBI for learning a foreign language.. 5.5 Closing Remarks Content-based Instruction has become increasingly popular in the education field. With the rapid development and application of new teaching/ learning method in various aspects of the educational system, it will not be surprising if CBI becomes a common tool for teaching and learning at schools in the near future. However, CBI can only be effectively used in classes if it can attract and motivate learners to accept and use it frequently for learning purpose. Thus, it is important for educators and teachers to understand the role of CBI in promoting English speaking skill for Vietnamese students. Through this thesis, the researcher aims to provide insights of CBI’s effect on enhancing speaking skill for Vietnamese students toward the idea of applying CBI in a higher education environment and learning a foreign language in general. While various researchers have realized the potential. 43.

(53) effect of CBI and conducted studies on it, Vietnamese scholars seem to pay little attention to this topic for the time being. Thus, the researcher hopes that the findings on Vietnamese students will provide a background for future researchs on this topic in Vietnam.. 44.

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