Research topic:

The effect of activity-based language teaching on teenage EFL

learners’ motivation

Research questions

1. To what extent does Activity- based Language Teaching affect

teenage EFL learners’ motivation?

2. What are the differences between male and female learners’

motivation toward the use of Activity based language teaching?
Methodology
This chapter presents the research design of the study, which is followed
by a description of participants, research instruments and the procedure of data
collection.

1.1 Research design

The five steps of Learning through Action (LtA) (Laws et al, 2013) were
applied in the current research.

Step 1: Identifying issue

With nearly four-year experiences in teaching English, the teacher

researcher notices that students are excited with warm up and doing activity
and they are quickly bored with the lessons, especially when teachers lecture
and try to explain grammar rules. The question whether turning all learning
contents into activities so that students can be more active to involve in
learning process and gain knowledge by themselves can regain learners’
motivation promote the teacher to do research. Teenagers under observation
are extremely active and love doing actions, therefore, the teachers want to
choose them to be participants for the study.

Step 2: Gathering data

The teacher researcher started the process by delivering the questionnaire

for the first time to get primary data about the degree of motivation students

1
before the intervention. Next, the researcher followed the lesson plans and
teach learners in the experimental group with ABLT and control group with
traditional teaching methods. During the period, classroom is observed in
terms of students’ attention and confidence (which are determined by the
number students volunteer to answer questions and take part in activities; the
number of students look outside or talk somethings else outside learning
English). After 6 weeks, participants were asked to do the questionnaire for
the second time. To optimize the preciseness of the results, the researcher
combines many different strategies simultaneously: take notes the good and
bad points after each lesson, record the interview, video the lesson and write
reflections, take pictures to provide illustrations about students’ works.

Step 3: Interpreting data

Data collected from both qualitative and quantitative methods. The

quantifiable data from the questionnaire was processed by the help of SPSS
and the one from qualitative was analyzed manually. All information selected
from Step 3 would be triangulated to give conclusions.

Step 4:

Step 5: Evaluating results

The researcher evaluates the results and writes the report.

1.2 Research instruments

Table 3.1: Research instruments
Research questions Research instruments Research
methods
1. To what extent does Activity- Questionnaire of 34 items Mixed method
based Language Teaching effect designed with level of
teenage EFL learners’ Agreement scale.
motivation? The teacher researcher’s
observation
2. What are the differences The same questionnaire Mixed method
between male and female combining with observation
learners’ motivation toward the and interview
use of Activity based language

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teaching?

1.2.1 Questionnaire

According to Brown (2001), there are two kinds of questionnaire namely,

open response and closed response. The former infers such surveys that allow
participants to speak or write answers by using their own words in accordance
with the questions while the latter refers to a list of questions with offered
choices (J. D. Brown, 2001); participants, therefore, are asked to tick into their
appropriate selection. The researcher decided to follow both kinds of
questionnaire to collect data. Using questionnaire can bring benefits to the
researchers in many aspects. Regarding closed response questionnaire, in
terms of participants, they can answer the questions with ease and the
researcher can also get data easily. It helps to generate many specific questions
into the research topic as well. Toward the researcher, data collected would be
coded and processed quickly and scientifically. Open response questionnaire
helps the researcher clarifies information that they cannot do in closed
response.

To address the two questions posed in the study, the researcher delivers a
questionnaire two times (before and after the intervention) to compare
learners’ motivation.  An adaptation of Motivational Scale created by John
Keller, namely ARCS model - Course Interest Survey, had been used as the
questionnaire for this study. Participants are asked to read 34 statements
distributed into four clusters: Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction
and give their ideas by putting an X to the most appropriate among five
options of Likert’s scale (those are completely disagree, disagree, neutral,
agree and completely agree). They are also required to give their personal
information at the beginning of the paper including their names, ages, and sex.
Those requirements are necessary since they serve the purposes of the current
study. The researcher wants students to write down their name since teenagers
tend to put their names on received papers. The teacher experienced that when

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most of teenagers (participating in piloting the questionnaire) wrote down their
names without being required.

The first time of delivery felt into the first week when students have just
begun studying the new course and data was selected for the second time
when students were at the sixth week, after 10 sessions they learnt actively
with ABLT. The last three weeks was spent for acting on evidences and
evaluating the results.  It took learners from 10 to 15 minutes to finish the
questionnaire. All items are translated into Vietnamese to help learners answer
them confidentially.

Table 3.2 below provides its information in detail:

Table 3.2: Piloted questionnaire (34 items)
Questionnaire - 34 items

Cluster 1: Attention Items: 1, 4, 10, 15, 21, 24, 26, 29

Cluster 2: Relevance Items: 2, 5, 8, 13, 20, 22, 23, 25, 28

Cluster 3: Confidence Items: 3, 6, 9, 11, 17, 27, 30, 34

Cluster 4: Satisfaction Items: 7, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 31, 32, 33

1.2.2 Interview

Six students (three boys and three girls) were randomly selected to
answer questions, which were composed according to motivation of learners
toward the intervention. Their answers had been recorded and used to
synthesize the findings obtained. Each interview lasted from 5 to 10 minutes.

1.2.3 Observation

The researcher observed learners in the classroom and wrote reflections

after each to prove the changes occurred within 6 weeks (12 sessions)

1.3 Participants

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 Figure 3.2: The number of male and female participants in the Control group and
Experimental group
This chart provides information about participants in the study. There are
29 male and 45 female learners joining in the research. They are teenagers
learning English at the center in the two classes at the same level. Participants
are divided into two groups: The Control Group with 12 schoolboys and 26
schoolgirls; The Experimental Group comprises 17 boys with 19 girls, whose
ages ranged from 10 to 15. The researcher chooses the Experimental Group
intentionally since it has a quite equivalence in the numbers of male and
female students, which help to provide data for the second research question.

Informants were invited to complete a questionnaire with 4 clusters of

totally 34 questions, which was designed to investigate learners’ motivation in
learning English. Six students (3 boys and 3 girls) were randomly chosen to
answer the questions in follow-up and in-depth interview about their attitude
toward the practice of ABLT in class. All of the answers were recorded and
transcribed for the process of data analysis and giving findings. Each interview
lasted from 10 to 15 minutes.

1.4 Validity

The original version of the questionnaire is validated through decades,

and in this study, it is also done as a process. First of all, the researcher
checked the content of all items and translated them into Vietnamese before
sending to the supervisor. After receiving feedback, the researcher adjusted

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some words in Vietnamese version as suggestions to help teenagers
understand easily. Next, the questionnaire was piloted in a group of 20
students, who are also teenagers coming from another class. With the results
obtained, the researcher check the validity of all items.

1.5 Reliability

The scale test was conducted to check the reliability of the instrument.
The results showed that the Cronbach alpha (α=0.81) was high enough so that
the questionnaire could be used to collect data during the process.

1.6 Research procedure

6
Figure 3.2: The procedure of the Experimental period

7
 Questionnaire
Control Experimental
for Pre-
Group Group
Wee
Unit 1 Unit 1
k1
Help Students get
Teaching with traditional teaching method

acquaintance with ABLT

Wee
Unit 2 Unit 2
k2

Observe
Unit 3 Week Unit 3 differences
3
between teaching
with and without
Week ABLT
Unit 4 Unit 4
4

Observe, take notes

Wee student’s motivation in
Unit 5 Unit 5 terms of Attention,
k5
Relevance, Confidence,
and Satisfaction
Week Unit 6
Unit 6
6

Questionnaire
for Post-
Figure 3.3: The process of the Experimental period

APPENDIX

Questionnaire (English Version)

AN INVESTIGATION TO TEENAGE EFL LEARNERS’ MOTIVATION

8
 This questionnaire aims at investigating the effect of Activity-based language
teaching on teenage EFL learners, at a foreign language center in Can Tho city.

I guarantee that this questionnaire serves the research purpose only. All data
collected would be secured and would not be used in wrong purposes.

Thank you!

Section 1: Personal Information

1. Name: …………………………………..
2. Class: …………………………………..
3. Age: …………………………………..
4. Gender: …………………………………..

Section 2: The content

Please, put an X to the most appropriate place for each statement below:
Completely

Completely
Disagree
disagree

Neutral

Agree

agree
Contents

1. The instructor knows how to make us feel

enthusiastic about the subject matter of this
course
2. The things I am learning in this course will be
useful to me.
3. I feel confident that I will do well in this
course.
4. This class has very little in it that captures my
attention.
5. The instructor makes the subject matter of this
course seem important.
6. You have to be lucky to get good grades in
this course.

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 Completely

Completely
Disagree
disagree

Neutral

Agree

agree
Contents

7. I have to work too hard to succeed in this

course.
8. I do NOT see how the content of this course
relates to anything I already know.
9. Whether or not I succeed in this course is up
to me.
10. The instructor creates suspense when
building up to a point.
11. The subject matter of this course is just too
difficult for me.
12. I feel that this course gives me a lot of
satisfaction.
13. In this class, I try to set and achieve high
standards of excellence.
14. I feel that the grades or other recognition I
receive are fair compared to other students.
15. The students in this class seem curious about
the subject matter.
16. I enjoy working for this course.
17. It is difficult to predict what grade the
instructor will give my assignments.
18. I am pleased with the instructor's evaluations
of my work compared to how well I think I have
done.
19. I feel satisfied with what I am getting from
this course.
20. The content of this course relates to my
expectations and goals.
21. The instructor does unusual or surprising
things that are interesting.
22. The students actively participate in this

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 Completely

Completely
Disagree
disagree

Neutral

Agree

agree
Contents

class.
23. To accomplish my goals, it is important that
I do well in this course.
24. The instructor uses an interesting variety of
teaching techniques.
25. I do NOT think I will benefit much from this
course.
26. I often daydream while in this class.
27. As I am taking this class, I believe that I can
succeed if I try hard enough.
28. The personal benefits of this course are clear
to me.
29. My curiosity is often stimulated by the
questions asked or the problems given on the
subject matter in this class.
30. I find the challenge level in this course to be
about right: neither too easy not too hard.
31. I feel rather disappointed with this course.
32. I feel that I get enough recognition of my
work in this course by means of grades,
comments, or other feedback.
33. The amount of work I have to do is
appropriate for this type of course.
34. I get enough feedback to know how well I
am doing.

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 Questionnaire (Vietnamese Version)

Bảng câu hỏi

KHẢO SÁT ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA NGƯỜI HỌC

Bảng câu hỏi nhằm mục đích khảo sát sự thay đổi về động lực học tập tiếng
Anh của thanh thiếu niên là học viên của trung tâm đối với phương pháp dạy học
dựa vào hoạt động.

Tôi xin cam đoan, bảng câu hỏi này phục vụ mục tiêu nghiên cứu. Toàn bộ
thông tin thu thập được sẽ được bảo mật và không sử dụng sai mục đích.

Chân thành cảm ơn sự hợp tác của các em.

Phần 1: Thông tin cá nhân

1. Tên: ………………………………………………….
2. Lớp: ……………….
3. Tuổi: ……………….
4. Giới tính: ……………

Phần 2: Nội dung khảo sát

Em vui lòng đánh dấu (X) vào ô phản ánh đúng nhất ý kiến của mình cho
từng phát biểu dưới đây:

Không
Hoàn đồng ý
Hoàn
toàn Không cũng
Nội dung khảo sát Đồng ý toàn
không đồng ý không
đồng ý
đồng ý phản
đối
1. Thông qua hoạt động, giáo
viên biết cách làm cho em hứng
thú về chủ đề bài học.
2. Những điều được học từ
khóa học thì có ích với em.

12
 Không
Hoàn đồng ý
Hoàn
toàn Không cũng
Nội dung khảo sát Đồng ý toàn
không đồng ý không
đồng ý
đồng ý phản
đối
3. Em cảm thấy tự tin là em đã
học tốt khóa này.
4. Hoạt động giáo viên đề xuất
ít khi lôi cuốn được sự chú ý
của em
5. Thông qua hoạt động, giáo
viên cho thấy tầm quan trọng
của nội dung bài học.
6. Em phải thật sự may mắn
mới có được điểm cao
7. Em đã học tập chăm chỉ để
thành công trong khóa học này
8. Em thấy không có sự liên
quan nào giữa nội dung bài học
và những gì em đã biết.
9. Việc có thành công trong
khóa học này hay không thì
hoàn toàn phụ thuộc vào bản
thân em.
10. Giáo viên thường tạo bất
ngờ khi dạy một vấn đề mới
thông qua việc cho học sinh làm
hoạt động.
11. Các chủ đề được học trong
chương trình thì quá khó đối
với em.
12. Em rất hài lòng về khóa học
này.
13. Trong lớp học em cố gắng
đặt mục tiêu phấn đấu cao để

13
 Không
Hoàn đồng ý
Hoàn
toàn Không cũng
Nội dung khảo sát Đồng ý toàn
không đồng ý không
đồng ý
đồng ý phản
đối
đạt thành tích tốt.
14. Điểm số em nhận được thì
công bằng so với các bạn
15. Thông qua các hoạt động,
học sinh có vẻ tò mò về bài
đang học.
16. Em thích tham gia các hoạt
động học tập trong lớp
17. Em thấy khó để dự đoán
điểm số mà giáo viên sẽ cho ở
các bài tập.
18. Em thấy hài lòng với đánh
giá của giáo viên về các hoạt
động học tập so với những gì
em nghĩ là em đã làm được.
19. Em thấy hài lòng với những
gì em học được.
20. Nội dung chương trình liên
quan tới mục tiêu những gì em
mong muốn.
21. Hoạt động giáo viên đưa ra
thường không tạo bất ngờ, thú
vị trong các buổi học.
22. Học sinh tích cực tham gia
vào các hoạt động được đưa ra
bởi giáo viên.
23. Để đạt được mục tiêu đề ra,
việc tham gia tốt các hoạt động
học tập thì rất quan trọng.
24. Giáo viên sử dụng nhiều

14
 Không
Hoàn đồng ý
Hoàn
toàn Không cũng
Nội dung khảo sát Đồng ý toàn
không đồng ý không
đồng ý
đồng ý phản
đối
cách dạy học đa dạng và thú vị
25. Em không nghĩ là em sẽ đạt
được nhiều lợi ích từ khóa học.
26. Em thường không tập trung
học.
27. Em tin tưởng là em sẽ thành
công nếu em có cố gắng.
28. Em thấy rõ những lợi ích cá
nhân có thể có được từ khóa
học này.
29. Em thường hiếu kì, mong
muốn được hiểu biết về những
gì sắp được học thông qua các
hoạt động giáo viên đề ra.
30. Em thấy mức độ thách thức
của khóa học là vừa phải:
không quá dễ cũng không quá
khó.
31. Em khá thất vọng với khóa
học này.
32. Em thấy nội dung học tập
được đánh giá đầy đủ qua điểm
số, nhận xét của giáo viên và
các hình thức đánh giá khác.
33. Số lượng hoạt động phù hợp
với nội dung bài học.
34. Phản hồi của giáo viên đủ
để em biết là mình đang học tập
như thế nào.

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