TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements iv List of abbreviations v Part 1: Introduction 1. Rationale of the study 1 2. Aims of the study 2 3. Methods of the study 2 4. Scope of the study 2 5. Design of the study 2 Part 2: Development Chapter 1: Literature Review 4 1.1. Introduction 4 1.2. An overview of techniques, methods and approaches 4 1.2.1. Definitions 4 1.2.2. History of methods / approaches 4 1.3. An overview of communicative language teaching 5 1.3.1. Definition 5 1.3.2. Principles 5 1.3.3. Techniques for language teaching 6 1.4. Summary 6 Chapter 2: An Investigation into the Current Performance of English Teaching and Learning in Junior High Schools in Quang Ngai Province 7 2.1. Introduction 7 2.2. The Junior High School Community in Quang Ngai Province 7 2.3. Students and learning requirements 7 2.4. Teachers and teaching methods 8 2.5. Materials and assessments 8 2.6. Data collection, findings and discussion 9 2.6.1. Data collection 9 2.6.1.1. The subjects 9 2.6.1.2. Instruments for data collection 9 2.6.2. Findings and discussion 9 2.6.2.1. Teachers’ Personal Information 9 ã Age of teachers 9 ã Teaching experience and training 9 ã Qualifications 10 2.6.2.2. Information about Schools 10 ã Access to resource at school 10 ã Conditions that facilitate teaching 10 ã Conditions that impede teaching 11 2.6.2.3. Students' Attitude 11 ã Students' need for English 11 ã Students' strengths and weaknesses 11 2.6.2.4. Teachers’ Performance and Perception 11 ã Teachers' workload 11 ã Professional support 11 ã Teachers' responses to the new Tieng Anh 6-9 textbook series 11 ã Teachers' perception of their own teaching 11 2.6.2.5. Remarks about class observations 13 ã Methods 13 ã Techniques 13 2.7. Summary 13 Chapter 3: Suggested Techniques to Improve the Teaching of Oral Skills for Junior High School Teachers in Quang Ngai Province 14 3.1. Techniques for teaching speaking 14 3.1.1. Introduction 14 3.1.2. Controlled speaking activities 15 3.1.3. Less controlled speaking activities 21 3.1.4. Summary 24 3.2. Techniques for teaching listening 24 3.2.1. Introduction 24 3.2.2. Pre-listening techniques 28 3.2.3. While-listening techniques 30 3.2.4. Post-listening techniques 31 3.2.5. Summary 32 3.3. Techniques for correcting students’spoken errors 32 3.3.1. Introduction 32 3.3.2. Correction Techniques 34 3.3.3. Summary 36 Part 3: Conclusion 1. Recapitulation 37 2. Limitations and suggestions for further study 38 References 39 Appendix 41
