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Nhu cầu thực tiễn
English has become the dominant global language in education, business, science, and technology. However, despite increasing access to English education worldwide, oral proficiency remains a significant obstacle for learners. As emphasized by Hoang (2010), English teaching in Vietnam continues to be heavily exam-oriented, with a predominant focus on grammar, translation, and memorization. This traditional, textbook-driven approach often fails to cultivate practical communication skills, especially in speaking, which are critical for academic and professional success. In the context of the school where this study was conducted, the traditional English teaching approach is primarily rooted in the national curriculum provided by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The English textbook “English 10 – Global Success”, a standard resource in many Vietnamese high schools, plays a central role in shaping classroom activities and student outcomes. This textbook focuses heavily on grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, aligning with the national graduation exams that assess students’ reading and writing skills more than their speaking abilities. The methodology in these classrooms follows a teacher-centered approach, where lectures, exercises, and rote memorization are commonly used. Speaking tasks are often limited to controlled practice, where students are expected to repeat dialogues or complete scripted exercises rather than engage in spontaneous or meaningful communication. This is particularly true in high school settings, where students are primarily trained to pass exams rather than develop real-life communication skills. As Larsen-Freeman and Anderson (2011) argue, such traditional methods hinder students’ abilities to develop critical thinking and confidence. Without the opportunity to engage in interactive, real-world tasks, students’ speaking skills stagnate. Nguyen (2023) highlights the consequences of these limitations: despite years of formal English education, many Vietnamese students struggle to express themselves effectively in speech, especially in academic or professional settings. One of the key issues in the Vietnamese context is the lack of interactive opportunities in traditional English lessons. This is particularly true in classrooms where the focus is on textbook exercises, vocabulary memorization, and grammar drills, leaving little room for spontaneous spoken interaction. Le and Nguyen (2021) emphasize that student motivation and speaking proficiency significantly improve when project-based or task-based speaking activities are used, rather than traditional textbook-based exercises. Such interactive approaches not only provide students with authentic communication opportunities but also encourage active participation and peer support. Furthermore, speaking anxiety plays a crucial role in limiting students’ oral participation. Asysyifa, Handayani, and Rizkiani (2019) identified fear of making mistakes and peer judgment as common contributors to this anxiety, which often discourages students from speaking in class. This emotional barrier is particularly pronounced in teacher-centered classrooms, where students may feel reluctant to engage in speaking tasks due to fear of correction or embarrassment. In response to these challenges, this study explores the potential of interactive activities (IA) – including group discussions, role-plays, problem-solving tasks, and collaborative speaking exercises – to enhance students’ speaking proficiency and reduce anxiety. By shifting the focus from controlled textbook exercises to meaningful, real-time communication, IA aims to provide students with the confidence, motivation, and skills needed to improve their spoken English in authentic contexts. This study, conducted at a highschool in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, seeks to investigate the effects of these interactive methods on 10th-grade students’ speaking performance. By examining how IA can be implemented in a real classroom context, the research aims to contribute empirical evidence and pedagogical recommendations for improving speaking instruction in Vietnamese secondary education.
Tổng quan tài liệu công trình nghiên cứu liên quan
The present study was informed by three well-established theories in the field of second language acquisition: Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, Swain’s Output Hypothesis, and Gardner’s Socio-Educational Model. These frameworks supported both the design and implementation of the speaking-focused intervention and the interpretation of its effects on learners’ performance and attitudes. Specifically, they provided insight into how collaborative interaction, meaningful language output, and affective factors like motivation and anxiety influence students’ oral language development. By integrating these perspectives, the study aimed to foster a supportive, output-rich, and motivationally engaging learning environment for Vietnamese high school students learning to speak English. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory informed the creation of a collaborative learning environment in which students worked together to complete meaningful speaking tasks. These tasks were situated within students’ ZPD and were scaffolded by both peers and the teacher, promoting interaction, negotiation of meaning, and shared responsibility for language development (Lantolf & Poehner, 2008). The use of group discussion, peer correction, and open-ended activities encouraged learners to extend their abilities beyond individual effort. Swain’s Output Hypothesis was applied by ensuring that the instructional activities focused on language production, not just comprehension. The interactive activities designed for this study required students to engage in sustained spoken interaction, including presenting ideas, responding to questions, and co-constructing conversations with their peers. According to Swain (2000), such tasks trigger internal learning mechanisms that foster grammatical development and lexical expansion. The pre- and post-tests served as quantitative tools to measure the impact of output-intensive activities on students’ speaking proficiency. Gardner’s Socio-Educational Model underpinned the affective dimension of the study. The assumption was that if students found the classroom tasks relevant, engaging, and low-anxiety, they would be more motivated to participate and speak. Thus, learners’ attitudes toward the use of interactive speaking activities were treated not just as background variables, but as important indicators of the intervention’s success. The use of attitudinal surveys and interviews allowed the researcher to assess changes in motivation, confidence, and anxiety – factors that Gardner (1985) emphasized as closely tied to language achievement. In summary, the integration of Vygotsky’s sociocultural principles, Swain’s emphasis on output, and Gardner’s affective model provided a theoretically coherent and pedagogically informed foundation for the study. These theories shaped the classroom intervention, justified the mixed-methods research design, and provided interpretive tools for understanding how interactive activities influenced both student performance and learner perceptions in the Vietnamese EFL context.
Ý nghĩa khoa học
Theoretically, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on communicative language teaching by providing empirical evidence on the use of IA as an instructional approach for developing speaking skills in EFL contexts. It reinforces the theoretical claims of student-centered learning and task-based instruction, particularly within the framework of socio-constructivist learning theories that emphasize interaction, collaboration, and meaningful communication as key components of language acquisition. The findings add to existing research by highlighting how IA can be effectively adapted to the Vietnamese high school context to address common challenges in teaching speaking, such as low learner motivation and speaking anxiety. Practically, the study offers pedagogical implications for English teachers, curriculum designers, and educational administrators in Vietnam and other similar EFL settings. By demonstrating how interactive activities can improve learners’ fluency, accuracy, and vocabulary use, as well as enhance their confidence and engagement in speaking lessons, the research provides a model for integrating communicative, real-world tasks into classroom instruction. Teachers may draw upon the study’s findings to diversify their teaching strategies, promote more interactive classroom environments, and address the current limitations of traditional, exam-oriented instruction. Furthermore, the study serves as a foundation for future professional development programs that aim to equip teachers with the skills and resources to implement interactive speaking activities more effectively in their own classrooms.