Students attitudes towards group work activities in english speaking lesson in class 10a4 at chan mong high school

HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY FACULITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DUONG THI NHUNG STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSON IN CLASS 10A4 AT CHAN MONG HIGH SCHOOL B.A GRADUATION PAPER Field: English Teaching Methodology Phu Tho, 2018 HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY FACULITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DUONG THI NHUNG STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSON IN CLASS 10A4 AT CHAN MONG HIGH SCHOOL Thái độ học sinh hoạt động nhóm học Nói tiếng Anh lớp 10A4 Trường THPT Chân Mộng B.A GRADUATION PAPER Field: English Teaching Methodology Supervisor: Dao Thi Thuy Huong, M.A Phu Tho, 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is a great pleasure to thank everyone who helped me write this graduation paper successfully First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor Ms Dao Thi Thuy Huong for her dedication, professional support and guidance as well as valuable comments during the research Having granted her advices, I could successfully overcome all the difficulties encountered when doing the research Without her assistance and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process, this graduation paper would have never been accomplished In addition, I am grateful to all the lecturers who have been teaching in Foreign Language Department, Hung Vuong University, contributed to the success of the course I also would like to thank all the teachers at Chan Mong high school, who willingly guided and provided me with basic knowledge as well as specialized knowledge Therefore, I could carry out this research with great confidence Besides, I want to use this opportunity to express my deepest thanks to all 45 members of class 10A4 at Chan Mong High School for having cooperated in providing valuable information in completing the questionnaires, answering the questions and sharing their classrooms with me If it had not been for their help, I would not have finished my graduation paper with great success Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my love ones and my friends for their support and encouragement during the completion of this paper Duong Thi Nhung i ABSTRACT Using group work activities has been approved as one of the most effective ways in teaching and learning English speaking by many researchers However, these activities have not been implemented and effectively for class 10A4 students at Chan Mong high school, and it is still an open question for many teachers there This study was carried out to investigate students‟ attitudes towards group work activities in English speaking lesson In addition, the study also gives some recommendations to improve the group work activities in English speaking class 10A4 at Chan Mong high school Thus, one set of survey questionnaires and class observation are used to find out the students‟ attitudes, perspectives toward speaking skills and group work activities adapted during speaking lesson The study is composed of three main parts: introduction, contents and conclusion Part deals with the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the significance of the study, the scope as well as the design of the study Part consists of three chapters Chapter reviews the theoretical background of speaking skill and group work activities in speaking lesson Chapter presents the methodology which gives detail description about the setting, the subject, the collection and data analysis Chapter focuses on analyzing the results of questionnaires and classroom observation Chapter presents some major findings drawn from the data analysis and some suggestions on using group work activities effectively Part summarizes the major findings of the study It is hoped that the thesis will make a small contribution to the improvement of learning and teaching speaking skill ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that the minor thesis entitled “Students' attitudes towards group work activities in English Speaking Lesson in class 10A4 at Chan Mong high school” submitted in partial fullfillment of the requirements for the graduation paper is the result of my own work, except otherwise acknowledge and this minor thesis or any part of the same has not been submitted for higher degree to any other university or institution iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English Foreign Language CLT: Communicative Language Teaching CA: Communicative Approach ELT: English Language Teaching TNU- CT: Thai Nguyen University- College Technology WTO: World Trade Organization ELLs: English language learners CEFR: Common European Framework of References ESL: English as a Second Language L2: Level two iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS TABLES PAGES Table 2.1 Steps of organizing group work 30 Table 3.1 Students‟ attitude towards speaking 54 Table 3.2 Students' perception about group work activities…… 58 Table 3.3 Reasons why students not like taking part in group work activities……………………………………………………………………… 59 Table 3.4 Factors can cause the difficulties when working in groups…………61 Table 3.5 Frequency of joining group work activities in speaking lesson 62 Table 3.6 Students‟ expectations for using group speaking more effectively 63 Table 3.7 Observed speaking lessons and speaking tasks 64 CHARTS Chart 3.1 The ways students like to work in speaking lesson 55 Chart 3.2 Factors can cause the difficulties when working in groups………………………………………………………………………… 62 Chart 3.3 Students‟ feeling when working in groups in English speaking lessons 61 Chart 3.4 The activities that students want to work in a group in English speaking lessons 62 v TABLE OF CONTENTS PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 The significance of the study 1.5 The scope of the study 1.6 Outline of the thesis PART 2: CONTENT CHAPTER 1: THEORITICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Speaking 1.1.1 Definition of speaking 1.1.2 Roles of speaking 1.1.3 Principles to teach speaking English 1.1.4 Approaches of teaching speaking English 12 1.1.5 Problems with speaking activities 16 1.2 Group work 18 1.2.1 Definitions of group work 18 1.2.2 Types of group work 19 1.2.3 Advantages of using group work 21 1.2.4 Disadvantages of using group work 23 1.2.5 Principles for organizing group work 24 1.2.6 Steps of organizing group work 27 2.3 Activities for group work in English speaking lesson 30 1.3.1 Games 30 1.3.2 Role- play 31 1.3.3 Projects 31 1.3.4 Interview 32 1.3.5 Brainstorming 32 vi 1.3.6 Problem solving and decision making 32 1.3.7 Discussion 32 1.4 Attitude 33 1.4.1 Definition of attitude 33 1.4.2 The importance of attitude 33 1.4.3 Attitude towards language learning 35 1.4.4 Components of language attitude 36 1.4.5 Factors affecting attitude towards language learning 38 1.5 Previous studies 40 1.5.1 In the world 40 1.5.2 In Vietnam 43 1.5.3 Existing problems 44 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 45 2.1 Setting of study 45 2.1.1 Chan Mong high school 45 2.1.2 Description of English textbook and speaking lessons 45 2.1.3 Participants of the study 46 2.2 Data collection instruments 48 2.2.1 Survey questionnaires 48 2.2.2 Class observation 50 2.3 Data collection procedure 52 2.3.1 Data collection from questionnaires 52 2.3.2 Data collection from classroom observation 52 2.3.3 Data analysis 53 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS 54 3.1 Data analysis from students’ survey questionnaires 54 3.1.1 The cognitive aspect of students‟ attitude towards group work activities 54 3.1.2 The emotional aspect of attitude towards group work activities 60 3.1.3 The behavior aspect of students‟ attitudes toward group work activities in English speaking lessons 63 vii 3.2 Data analysis from classroom observation 64 CHAPTER 4: MAJOR FINDINGS AND SOME PROPOSED SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES AT CHAN MONG HIGH SCHOOL 68 4.1 Major findings of the research 68 4.1.1 The cognitive aspect of students‟ attitude towards group work activities in English speaking lessons 68 4.1.2 The emotional aspect of students‟ attitude toward group work activities in English speaking lessons 69 4.1.3 The behavior aspect of students‟ attitude toward group work activities in English speaking lessons 69 4.2 Some prosed suggestions to improve group work activities in English speaking lessons for class 10A4 at Chan Mong high school 70 4.2.1 Suggestions for teachers 71 4.2.2 Suggestions for students 76 PART 3: CONCLUSION 78 Summary 78 Implications 79 2.1 For school administrators 79 2.2 For teachers 79 2.3 For students 80 Limitations of the study 80 Suggestions for further researches 81 REFERENCES APPENDICES viii Implications 2.1 For school administrators The administrators take an important role in the education of the school The group work activities should be encouraged to be applied regularly in the languages classes It is necessary to provide suitable facilities or special classrooms for group work in order to create the appropriate atmosphere for the teacher‟s group arrangement and save time for both teachers and students Moreover, seminars or experience- sharing meetings should be held regularly during the year and even the years later for teachers to enhance and renovate their teaching methodology, especially in their classroom management 2.2 For teachers Awareness plays an indispensable role in boosting students‟ learning Consequently, teachers should build up students‟ awareness of the benefits of group work and the importance of participation in in-class group work Teachers may start a speaking lesson by using group work As we know, teachers‟ responsibility is to devise their own techniques and implementation of group work activities to suit the needs of different groups of students, especially the students with negative attitudes towards learning speaking skill Specious planning and careful management virtually can minimize the negative effects influencing or students‟ participation and maximize those of positive ones Therefore, conducting group work procedures carefully is highly recommended for the teachers at the research site Assisting students with group work skills is strongly recommended When it comes to the ELT context of Chan Mong high school, it becomes more significant In fact, orientations about group work have been conducted at the middle of the semester at Chan Mong high school but its real effectiveness remains question As a result, those activities should be re- organized in a more efficient and systematic way 79 Successful group work requires not only careful preparation and facilitation but also regular reflection After a class of small group work activities reflect on the group work process and refer back to the notes you made before class Add comments about what worked especially well and what you would change in the future to make exercise run more smoothly Also discuss your experiences in using group work with other instructors, and ask them for more suggestions 2.3 For students Speaking is a difficult skill for students so before speaking, students should establish and to make use of words and structures needed for the speaking tasks English students should be eager to learn the language and be willing to expend effort on the learning speaking skill During the learning speaking process the students are expected to sustain the learning speaking activities and actively participate in the tasks that the teachers given Moreover, students should be competitive themselves and others, independent, ready to interest, show excitement during lessons, and concentrate on the lesson in class Limitations of the study In spite of a great effort to complete this researcher, the researcher still could not avoid several limitations Firstly, because of time constraints, the author only studies the students‟ attitudes towards group work activities in English speaking lesson of the class 10A4 students Besides, the population of the research is small, only 45 students, so it might not represent the majority of students at Chan Mong high school Secondly, the researcher has no experiences in research as well as in designing questionnaires and analysis Therefore, the methodology of the study, the questionnaires, analysis and the content of the study still contains some unexpected mistakes 80 Nevertheless, with all efforts of the researchers, it is hopeful that the study will become a beneficial reflection to help both teachers and students have a deeper look at group work activities for speaking lesson and set a light in the process of exploring its functions Suggestions for further researches I hope that the further studies will be carried out on other aspects to find out some interesting and useful methods which can be used to improve speaking skill of the other types of students in different levels Finally, successful group work requires not only careful preparation and facilitation but also regular reflection and reassessment afterward Both teachers and students should add comments about what worked especially well and what they would like to change in the future to make exercise run more smoothly 81 REFERENCES In Vietnam Tong, N.T.T (2010) Investigating oral participation in in-class group work by first-year EFL students at English Department, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University Tuan, B.C (2007) Investing group planning in preparation for oral presentation: Hanoi University of foreign studies Tuan, N.T (2012) The Factors Affecting Learners’ Motivation in English Language Education: Hanoi University Vo, T.N.M (2004) An action research on the application of cooperative learning to teaching speaking to the second year students at the department of English, Gia Lai teachers’ training college The graduation paper Vietnam National University Ha Noi Yen, P.T.T (2003) Teachers’ and in- service adult learners’ attitudes towards the use of pair work and group work in developing speaking skills at Hanoi university of foreign studies (Unpublished MA Dissertation), Hanoi University of foreign studies In the world Abu Sharbain, I (2009) "Difficulties Encountering UNRWA Ninth-Grade Teachers in Performing their Roles in Light of the Communicative Approach to Teaching Speaking in the Gaza Strip" MA Thesis, Faculty of Education: The Islamic University Gaza: Palestine Al-Twairish, B.(2009) "The Effect of the Communicative Approach on the Listening and Speaking Skills of Saudi Secondary School Students: An Experimental Study" MA thesis in Applied Linguistics Department of English Language and Literature King Saud University: Saudia Brown, A (2001) Group work London: Heinemann Byrne, D (2003) Teaching Oral English Longman Group Limited London Chaney, A.L & Burk T.L (1998) Teaching Oral Communication in Grades K-8: Pearson Davis, B.G (1999) Cooperative learning Students working in small group Speaking of Teaching 10 Dewi, P A (2010) Teaching Speaking by Using Retelling Story to the Second Year Students of SMP Negeri 1Banyudono Retrieved May 21.2010 from http: //etd.eprints.ums.ac.id/eprints/ Doff (2001) Implementing Group work in the classroom London: Longman Frans, S (1989) Criteria for learning attitudes Doctoral Thesis University of Southampton: Faculty of Humanities 10 Gardner, W.E (1972) Attitudes and motivation in second- language learning (6th ed): Newbury House Publishers 11 Harmer, J (2007) How to teach English Longman London 12 Hedge, T (2000) Teaching and learning in the language classroom New York Oxford University Press 13 Hiriyappa, J (2008) Managing Individual Differences & Behavior Essay J Hiriyappa Publications 14 Howarth, P (2001) Process Speaking Preparing to Repeat Yourself MET Pp: 39-44 15 Kayi, H (2006) Teaching speaking Activities to promote speaking in a second language The Internet TESL Journal XII 16 Luoma, S (2004) Assessing Speaking Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 17 Ngoh S G (2003) Small Group Work in the Classroom Guidelines Vol.14 no.3, 22-27 18 Nunan, D (1991), Language Teaching Methodology: a textbook for Teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 19 Nunan, David.(2003), Practical English Language Teaching Singapore McGraw-Hill 20 Porter, P (2000) Group Work, International language Talk and Second Language Acquisition TESOL Quarterly 19 207-212 21 Raja (2012) The effectiveness of group work and pair work for students of English at undergraduate level in public and private sector colleges A Preliminary Survey 22 Richards, J.C (2008) Group work discussion activity New York Macquarie University 23 Skrzynski, H (2001) Advantages and Disadvantages of Pair Work and Group work in the class 24 Spolsky, B (2002) Language motivation revisited: Anniversary article, Applied linguistics, 20(2) 157- 169 25 Thornbury, B (2005) Instructed second language acquisition: A literature review Ministry of Education New Zealand 26 Thornbury, B (2006), How speaking is taught- an overview of approaching to teaching speaking Ministry of Education New Zealand 27 Tieng Anh 10 textbook (2010), Ministry of Education and Training 28 Ur, Penny (2000) A course in language: Practice and theory (6th ed) Cambridge University press 29 Valette, R.M (2003) Modern language testing Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 30 Visser, M (2008) Learning under conditions of hierarchy and discipline: The case of the German army 1930-1940 Learning Inquiry 127-137 31 Walker, A, Shafer, J and Iiams, M (2004) “Not in my classroom” Teacher attitudes towards English language learners in the mainstream classroom Journal of Research and Practices 32 Wenden, A (2006) Learner strategies for learner autonomy London: Prentice Hall APPENDICES (Adapted from Kouros and Abrani (2006)) Appendix 1: Questionnaire for students This questionnaire is a part of a graduation paper conducted by Duong Thi Nhung, a student at the Hung Vuong University, Phu Tho It is designed for the study entitled “Students’ attitudes towards group work activities English Speaking Lesson in class 10A4 at Chan Mong high school.” Please give your answer by circling A, B, C or D or specify it if you have different idea Your answers and the information you provide in the questionnaire will sever the research purpose only Your responses contribute to the success of the study Thank you very much for your cooperation! Section 1: Demographic information Female  Gender: Male  How long have you been learning English? A: Under year B: 1-3 years C: 3-5 years D: Over years E: Others (Please specify): ………………………………………………… Section 2: Survey questionnaires How necessary is speaking skill in the school courses? A: Very necessary B: Necessary C: Normal D: Unnecessary How you find speaking topics and activities introduced in “English 10” text book? A: Very interesting B: Interesting C: Normal D: Boring Which way you like to work in speaking lesson? A: Individually B: With a partner in pairs C: In a small group (more than two) D: With the whole class Reasons why you like using group work activities in speaking lesson Reasons Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly agree disagree a Communicating with friends b More time to practice speaking c Learning from friends d Being more comfortable when expressing ideas to your friends in English e Classroom atmosphere is more dynamic and relaxing Other: ……………… (Please state) 5.Reasons why you not like using group work activities in English speaking lesson Reasons Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree agree a Be used to working individually b Discussing in group causes a lot of noise disagree c Moving the seats d The teacher cannot reach and help everyone e Some members not know to express their ideas Other: ……………………………… (Please state) What factor can cause the difficulties for students when working in groups? A: The number of members in a group B: Lack of the help from the teacher C: Students‟ inequality of splitting the responsibilities D: Others…………… How you feel when you work in groups in English speaking lesson? A: Very interested B: Interested C: Not very interested D: Bored How often you join in group work activities in English speaking lesson? A: Very often B: Often C: Not very often D: Never In what activities you want to work in a group in English speaking lesson? A: Game B: Role-play C: Interview D: Brainstorming E: Others (Please specify): ……………………………… 10.What are your expectations for using group speaking more effectively? A: To provide clear instructions for group work B: To design group activities suitable to students C: To organize groups suitably D: To create a competitive atmosphere E: Others………………………… Thank you for your cooperation! Appendix 2: Observation sheet (Adapted from Gardner (1972)) Class: …………………………… Teacher: …………………… Date: …………………………… Lesson: …………… Part/ Section: …………………… Time: ………………………… Number of students: …………………… Observation focus: Levels of students' attitudes; is average mark for any one item Instructions: a This sheet is for observing the class as a whole, not individual student b Complete this sheet when the lesson is drawing to a close c Circle ONE number of each statement below d Add final comments after the lesson at the bottom of the sheet if you wish The frequency of joining group work activities in the English speaking lesson Not usually Very usually Time for group work activities in English speaking lesson minutes 6minutes 7minutes 8minutes Others Mark how involved in the group work activities the students are Not very involved very involved Mark the levels of students‟ concentration on group work activities in English speaking lessons Low high The students are enjoying the group work activities in English speaking lessons Not really very much The students are paying persistent attention to group work activities in the English speaking lessons Not really very much Mark the students‟ group work activities level (effort/ intensity of application) Low high Mark how teacher organizes group work activities in each speaking lesson Not really very much Mark the levels of students‟ self-confidence when expressing ideas Not really very much 10.Mark the cooperation‟s level of the partner Not really very much 11 The atmosphere in each lesson are active Not really very much 12 The learning content and speaking tasks are appropriate and suitable Not really very much Comments: …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you for your cooperation! Appendix 3: Checklist of speaking tasks in Textbook “English 10” Units Required task A day in the life of… Talking about daily activities Making School talks questions and giving responses in small talks People‟s background Asking and answering questions about people‟s background Special education Making an interview Making an interview and reporting on results Technology and you Talking about the uses of modern inventions An excursion Expressing agreements and disagreements Giving opinion The mass media Talking about different types of media The story of my village Talking about plans and their possible results Undersea world Talking about causes and consequences 10 Conservation Talking about the new kind of zoos 11 National park Talking about an excursion 12 Music Talking about favorite kinds of music 13 Films and cinema Talking about a film 14 The world cup Talking about the World cup winners 15 Cities Comparing two cities Stating preferences and giving reasons 16 Historical places Talking about historical places from given information ... activities in English speaking lesson in class 10A4 at Chan Mong high school? ?? was conducted as an attempt to examine the class 10A4 students? ?? attitudes and pinpoint teachers‟ monitoring strategies... toward group work activities in English speaking lessons 69 4.2 Some prosed suggestions to improve group work activities in English speaking lessons for class 10A4 at Chan Mong high school. .. THI NHUNG STUDENTS? ?? ATTITUDES TOWARDS GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSON IN CLASS 10A4 AT CHAN MONG HIGH SCHOOL Thái độ học sinh hoạt động nhóm học Nói tiếng Anh lớp 10A4 Trường