Some suggested solutions for ineffective teaching and learning English at Ha Van Mao highschool

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rational 
In Vietnam, English has become a compulsory subject from Primary Three in Vietnam since 2010 and is gradually being introduced even earlier into the curriculum in many schools. This highlights the official importance of English in both education and society. Nevertheless, students who are generally weak in English language learning were found in many parts of the countries especially in the mountainous areas. 
Ha Van Mao high school is one of the highschools locating in Ba Thuoc district that is in the poor religion with special difficulties in Thanh Hoa Province. It is home of two ethnic groups: the Muong and the Thai. According to a survey of result of English in the National Examination, I have conducted in this school for many years, students score very low in English .The average mark they get is only under mark 2. In additionally, the most frequently asked question I hear is why many high-school graduates cannot use English in even the most simple daily conversations. Students can not remember any English word although they have learnt it for a long time.What are the reasons of this, what can improve their learning process is my question during teaching English at Ha Van Mao high school. 
Hence, I have chosen the topic for my thesis namely “Some suggested solutions for ineffective teaching and learning English at Ha Van Mao highschool”. I hope that this research can give a few benefits to teachers, students and related others. 	
1.2. Objectives of the study
The main objectives of this study are as follows: 
To identify the causes of teaching and learning English ineffectively at Ha Van Mao highschool 
To suggest some solutions which could be useful to raise the result of teaching and learning English at Ha Van Mao highschool
1.3. Scope of the study
For the limitation of time, conditions, and materials, this study only focuses on finding the causes of teaching and learning English ineffectively. From that, some solutions are suggested to improve it. This thesis is also carried out on some English teachers and 176 students of 4 classes which I was in charge for English in school year 2015-2016
1. Class 11A4 (44 students)
2. Class 11A5 (45 students)
3. Class 12A5 (43 students)
4. Class 12A6 (44 students)
1.4. Methods of the study
Carrying out this research, the following methods have been used:
Theoretical study
Survey (questionaire)
Interview
Class observation
1.5. New aspect of the study
This study finds out the real causes of ineffective English teaching and learning at Ha Van Mao highschool that has not been caried out before. 
The suggested solutions linking real situation have been applied and have shown its effectiveness
2. CONTENT
2.1. Theoretical background
 “Many of us believe that learners have certain characteristics which lead to more or less successful language learning”, (Lightbown, P.M & Spada, N. 1999). There are many factors affecting language learning of the learners.
Weiner, B. (qtd. in Williams, M. & Burden, R.L. 1997: 105) suggested that, on the whole, people tend to refer to four main sets of attributions for their perceived success and failures in life: ability, effort, luck, the perceived difficulty of the task with which they are faced.
In other field, Spolsky, B. (1998) shows us many other factors: attitude, intelligence, aptitude, learning strategies, personality, material, motivation, memory, training strategies, social context. Many other researchers agree that they can be divided into two groups: internal factors and external factors. Weiner, B. (qtd. in Williams, M. & Burden, R.L. 1997) saw that internal factors arise from inside and external ones are from the outside the learners. 
2.1.1.Internal factors
Internal factors are those that the individual language learner brings with him or her to the particular learning situation.
2.1.1.1.Age
Second language acquisition is influenced by the age of the learner. Children, who already have solid literacy skills in their own language, seem to be in the best position to acquire a new language efficiently. Motivated, older learners can be very successful too, but usually struggle to achieve native-speaker-equivalent pronunciation and intonation.
2.1.1.2.Personality
 Introverted or anxious learners usually make slower progress, particularly in the development of oral skills. They are less likely to take advantage of opportunities to speak, or to seek out such opportunities. More outgoing students will not worry about the inevitability of making mistakes. They will take risks, and thus will give themselves much more practice.
2.1.1.3.Motivation (intrinsic)
Intrinsic motivation has been found to correlate strongly with educational achievement. Clearly, students who enjoy language learning and take pride in their progress will do better than those who don't.
2.1.1.4.Experiences
 Learners who have acquired general knowledge and experience are in a stronger position to develop a new language than those who haven't. The student, for example, who has already lived in 3 different countries and been exposed to various languages and cultures has a stronger base for learning a further language than the student who hasn't had such experiences.
2.1.1.5.Cognition
In general, it seems that students with greater cognitive abilities (intelligence) will make the faster progress. Some linguists believe that there is a specific, innate language learning ability that is stronger in some students than in others.
2.1.1.6.Native language
Students who are learning a second language which is from the same language family as their first language have, in general, a much easier task than those who aren't. For example, a Dutch child will learn English more quickly than a Japanese child.
2.1.2.External factors
External factors are those that characterize the particular language learning situation.
2.1.2.1.Curriculum
For students in particular it is important that the totality of their educational experience is appropriate for their needs. Language learning is less likely to place if students are fully submersed into the mainstream program without any extra assistance or, conversely, not allowed to be part of the mainstream until they have reached a certain level of language proficiency.
2.1.2.2.Instruction
Clearly, some language teachers are better than others at providing appropriate and effective learning experiences for the students in their classrooms. These students will make faster progress.
The same applies to mainstream teachers in second language situations. The science teacher, for example, who is aware that she too is responsible for the students' English language development, and makes certain accommodations, will contribute to their linguistic development.
2.1.2.3.Culture and status
There is some evidence that students in situations where their own culture has a lower status than that of the culture in which they are learning the language make slower progress.
2.1.2.4.Motivation (extrinsic)
 Students who are given continuing, appropriate encouragment to learn by their teachers and parents will generally fare better than those who aren't. For example, students from families that place little importance on language learning are likely to progress less quickly.
2.1.2.5.Access to native speakers
The opportunity to interact with native speakers both within and outside of the classroom is a significant advantage. Native speakers are linguistic models and can provide appropriate feedback. Clearly, second-language learners who have no extensive access to native speakers are likely to make slower progress, particularly in the oral/aural aspects of language acquisition.
 2.2.Practical background
According to a survey of the result of English in school year 2014-2015 I conducted in Ha Van Mao high school, English is the subject that sudent performed the worst. The data used were the English result at the end of school year matched with information on students’ achievement in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (schoolyear 2014-2015) 
Firstly, according to English level resust of school year 2014-2015. The rate of students got average result is 54% and 26% out of them got bad result, too bad one was 8%. None of them got excellent and only 6% of students got good grade
 Secondly, none of students gets excellent or good mark in the General Certificate of Secondary Education. 267 students (76%) got the mark (from 2 point to 3.5 point). There were only 2 students getting mark 7. The others got below 2point. Basing on the data, one can see that the English learning quality among the students in Ha Van Mao highschool was low
Thirdly, there has been none of students getting the prize in the excellent student contest for many years. Specialy, the only studen chosen to take exam got only 6.4/20 point 
Only 7 students in comparison wih 120 students who took the University entrance examination chose English as special subject to win a place at university in school year 2014-2015. 
Although students have been learning English since secondary, many students can not eventually read or write any word in English
English is considered as one of the core subjects in curiculumn and in the National Examination. However, most students do not like learning English ,even dislike. They often find challenges in learning this subject
The given data show the insufficient awareness of the important role of English and ineffective teaching and learning English at Ha Van Mao highschol
2.3. Causes of the problem
2.3.1.Social context
2.3.1.1 The prevention of their mother tongue 
Social context reveals to be another main hindrance to ethnic minority students’ English learning. Minority students mainly used their mother tongue to communicate inside their families and communities while at school they have to learn Vietnamese to study and communicate with other people. In the English lessons, they comprehended by listening and reading, switching into their native language and then translating or changing into Vietnamese and then English again. In addition, the pronunciation of their native language is much different from that of English and Vietnamese. Therefore, studying English via Vietnamese is very challenging. 
There are 1027 students divided into 25 classes at Ha Van Mao higschool. The number of minority students accounts for 87%. They mainly use Thai and Muong in conversation. Some of them even speak Vietnamese unclearly. This causes difficulty for teaching and learning English
2.3.1.2.School facilities	
The following important affecting factor has been found out is learning condition and school facilities. It is a fact that Ha Van Mao high school in the study is poorly facilitated. 
Class size is quite crowded (about 40 to 47 students). 
All the teaching facilities the English teachers have is textbook, chalk,board and 3 cassette tapes. 
There are not many books, stories, pictures, CDs in school library. The only book students can get is text book. 
In a poor learning condition, the ethnic students cannot acquire a foreign language as well as those who enjoy much better learning conditions.
2.3.1.3. Condiion of living
Though most of the students have parental support to go to school (that is more advantageous than those in some other mountainous areas), their poor living conditions and low economic status still prevent them from spending enough time and concentration on learning all subjects in general and English in particular. What is more, English is considered as “luxury” subject which is not familiar with learners living in mountainous area. Community attitudes towards the language being learnt can have a profound impact on learners where the community has a broadly negative view of the target language and its speakers, or a negative view of its relation to them, learning is typically difficult.
It is evident that ethnic students fundamentally lack an environment to practice English. Almost the students have no English learning equipment, such as records, CDs, or short stories, internet at home. Even in the class, where they are taught English, they do not have many chances to communicate in English either. Hence, it is difficult for the ethnic students get success in English.
Students can not have other sources to improve their Engish. Even do they want to get reference books, they can not find them anywhere. Only textbook is often sold at book shop in Ba Thuoc
2.3.1.4. Shortage of teacher
Most English teachers come from the plain areas to the mountain areas to work. Therefore, it happens instability in quantity of teacher. 
According to Truong Thi Thanh, a student of class 11A5 said that she had begun to learn English at 6th grade. However, learning English prosses was interrupted by shortage of English teacher in school year 2010- 2011. At her school – Điền Thượng lower secondary school, there was only one English teacher for 12 classes. When the teacher tranferred her work, or she was ill led to discontinualty of students’ English learning. Therefore, the qualiy of learning English has been affected since secondary lower school
In real situation, only one teacher out of 6 teachers is native in English group at Ha Van Mao highschool. Gradually, it happens the tranferring among the teachers causing lack of concentration on teaching
2.3.2.The textbook 
The textbook makes disadvantages for both teachers and students. As a result, most of the students and the teachers in the study are not in favored of their textbook. All of them find it too difficult for students to learn and for teachers to design and adapt the tasks. They state that the content of the book is remote from the students’ daily lives. Furthermore, the students are overwhelmed by a large amount of vocabulary. They wish to have a textbook which is somehow easier and less communicative ability required so that both the teachers and the students can accomplish their tasks.	
2.3.3.For the teachers
 2.3.3.1 Teaching strategies
Teaching strategies must be taken into account. All the data shown in the study prove that the teachers’ teaching strategies are not interesting enough to draw their students’ attention and interest. The techniques and activities employed in their lessons seem to be monotonous. For example, the teachers keep delivering the new language items orally and by writing on the board most of the time in Vietnamese or little English while students just look at the board and take notes. Also, students are frequently asked to work individually. Pair work and group work are rarely used. The interaction among teachers and students is only realized by the teachers’ few questions and students’ answers. It may be concluded that the teachers simply follow the framework of the textbook and teach what is required in syllabus. Hence, the teaching strategies used by the teachers in certain circumstance are not in relevance and effectiveness.
Despite all the talk online and among innovative language teachers, the truth is that the grammar syllabus and approach still rules in this world. The evaluation to be successful in this kind of examination, only a good grasp of vocabulary, some grammatical points, and reading comprehension are sufficient. Therefore, teacher only focuses on teaching grammar
2.3.3.2. Teacher quality
The collected information proves that the Engish teachers of Ha Van Mao highschool are mainly young and not very experienced in their teaching. They often have 5- 10 year experience. More than a half of English teachers quantity is women who are looking after children. Due to that limitation, the teachers may not have enough time to try out on many ways of teaching; they need time to find out the most suitable and effective methods and techniques to apply in their teaching for ethnic minority students.
2.3.3.3. Living condition
These teachers showed that although they loved the job as a teacher, they had not really kept their minds on their work because of their hard lives and poor working and living conditions. Almost teachers there lived in the tenement house with a lot of shortage.Those daily disadvantages sometimes made them have not much enthusiasm for their work.
2.3.4.For students
2.3.4.1. Study method
In general, it is evident that the students surveyed have the traditional way of learning English. Because of their low living standard together with poor learning condition at school, the students do not have many choices of what strategies they should follow to improve their English. They just passively acquire it like the way they use with other subjects. 
They just passively acquire English from what they learn in the class then practice by doing homework, and they have not found or applied any active strategies to improve their target language.
2.3.4.2. Motivation
 For most learners, learning English is a duty — something that they have to, but they don’t want to do. They don’t see pleasure in learning English. These students have low motivation to participate in class, and they simply try to get a passing mark to get rid of the course.
Another demotivating factor is that English is considered as a general subject compared to special subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology . Only few students attend the classes to learn some special points to be successful in examination such as grammar and vocabulary. However ,the number of these is not much. 
2. 4. Some suggested solutions
From these findings the researcher would like to give some suggestions, to some extent, may help the teachers and learners in their teaching and learning process.
2.4.1.For social context
2.4.1.1.Improving learning and teaching conditions
Improving learning conditions such as school buildings, classroom facilities and learning equipments plays an important role in raising the quality of teaching and learning English. In fact, projectors have been equipped for all classes since school year 2015-2016. The English teachers have enough materials such as cassetles, radio, projector to make lesson easier
 Morever, a classroom with 20 computers connected internet has been spent for students to search information. More fund is used to buy more book ,which helps students to get various sources in school library. Both of them bring effective result in learning English
2.4.1.2 Having ethnic minority teachers to teach English for students in their communities
As shown in the survey, 87% students in the study are all ethnic minority students. They all use their native language to communicate in their families and communities. In a triangular language environment, students face difficulties in both learning English and Vietnamese. If the minority teachers of English are available, these ones can teach minority children more effectively as they can understand students’ strengths and weaknesses in learning a foreign language. Furthermore, it is easier for both teachers and learners to exchange ideas. The teaching and learning process will be more successful when the teachers and learners can make themselves fully understood. Morever, the minority teachers often have no intention of tranferring work location, therefore it may keep stability in teacher staffs
2.4.1.3 Raising the awareness of the importance of English
 It is suggested that raising the awareness of the importance of English through parents society meeting or class meeting, linking school-based with family- and society-based education and creating an effective English education environment at Ha Va Mao high school should be done
 Creating vocational activities by inviting old students who have got achivements or students of higher eduction. They will share their knowledge of importance of English in choosing career and applying for good job
The suggestion that English shoud be one of the core subjects in National e