Effects of group work on writing skills for ethnic minority high school students in lam dong

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY MASTER’S THESIS OF TESOL EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK ON WRITING SKILLS FOR ETHNIC MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAM DONG Student’s name Lê Th[.]

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY MASTER’S THESIS OF TESOL EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK ON WRITING SKILLS FOR ETHNIC MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAM DONG Student’s name: Lê Thị Bích Đào Student’ code: 18110083 Class: MTESOL18K3 Supervisor’s name: Assoc Prof Dr.Pham Vu Phi Ho DALAT, 2022 i TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY vii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ix ABSTRACT x APPENDICES xii LIST OF TABLES xiii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2 Aims and Objectives of the Study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Organization of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of the Terms 2.2 Writing 2.3 Writing process 2.3.1 Planning 2.3.2 Drafting 2.3.3 Editing 2.3.4 The final draft 2.4 Group work 2.4.1 Definition of group work 2.4.2 Advantages of working in groups ii 2.4.3 Disadvantages of working in groups 11 2.4.4 Group work in language learning 14 2.4.5 Group work in EFL writing classrooms 15 2.5 Vygotskian Perspective underlying cooperative learning 17 2.6 Previous studies on group work 17 2.7 Theoretical framework: 23 2.8 Summary 25 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 26 3.1 Research design 26 3.2 Research site 27 3.3 Research participants 29 3.4 Research instruments 30 3.4.1 Pre-tests and Post-tests 31 3.4.2 Semi-structured interview 32 3.4.3 The questionnaire: 32 3.5 Data collection procedures 33 3.6 Data analysis procedure 35 3.7 Summary 36 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 38 4.1 The impact of group work on students' writing performance 38 4.2 Students' attitude towards collaborative learning in writing classes 41 4.3 Discussion 48 4.4 Summary 51 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 53 5.1 Summary of the main findings of the thesis 53 5.2 Pedagogical implications 53 5.3 Limitations 54 iii 5.4 Recommendations for further research 55 REFERENCES 56 APPENDICES 59 iv The thesis entitled EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK ON WRITING SKILLS FOR ETHNIC MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAM DONG was successfully defended and approved on at Ba Ria Vung Tau University Academic Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Pham Vu Phi Ho Examination Committee 1Assoc.Prof Nguyen Huu Duc Chair Ph.D Bui Thi Kim Loan Reader Ph.D Nguyen Xuan Hong Reader Ph.D Nguyen Huu The Member 5.Ph.D Dinh Lu Giang Secretary Member On behalf of the Examination Committee Chair (full name, title, signature) v BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE BRVT, April 10, 2022 MASTER’S THESIS REPORT Student name: LE THI BICH DAO Sex: Female Date of birth: 29/ 10/ 1977 Place of birth: Lam Dong Province Major: English Language Student code: 18110083 I- Thesis title: EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK ON WRITING SKILLS FOR ETHNIC MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAM DONG II-Objectives and contents: This study investigates the effect of group work on EFL learners in writing performance at Lam Dong Minority Boarding school, and it examines students’ attitudes towards the use of group work The research objectives are as follows: • To determine the effects of group work on learners’ writing skill at Lam Dong Ethnic Minority Boarding; • To learn about students' perspectives toward group work at Lam Dong Ethnic Minority Boarding's writing classes; • To find out if there is any relationship between the writing scores and the attitude towards group work vi This study was conducted at Lam Dong Minority Boarding school in Dalat, Lam Dong Province The participants were 61 EFL high school students who were in grade 11 In the hope to gain the results, I employed the mixed-method: quantitative and qualitative, three instruments were put in use: a quasi-experiment, a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview to obtain the data, both of which were exercised for the students III- Starting date: IV- Completing date: V- Supervisor: Assoc Prof Pham Vu Dr Phi Ho ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR FACULTY DEAN ((full name, signature) ((full name, signature) vii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY This is to confirm that the material of this thesis is my own work, to the best of my knowledge This thesis is not for a degree or for any other reason I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the result of my own efforts, and that I have acknowledged all sources and aid received in the preparation of this thesis I certify that I am the author of the Master's Thesis entitled: EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK ON WRITING SKILLS FOR ETHNIC MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAM DONG Dalat, April 2022 LÊ THỊ BÍCH ĐÀO viii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I, LE THI BICH DAO, a candidate for the degree of Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, hereby declare that I, as a candidate for the degree of Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, accept the University's requirements for the retention and use of Master's Theses deposited in the Library In accordance with these terms, I agree that the original of my Master's Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for study and research purposes, subject to the Librarian's customary rules for the care, lending, and reproduction of theses Ba Ria Vung Tau, April 20, 2022 Signature …………………………… LE THI BICH DAO ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to take this time to thank a number of amazing individuals who helped me complete this thesis by providing advice, support, and encouragement First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr Pham Vu Phi Ho, my academic supervisor, who has been a tremendous help to me, who spent a significant amount of time advising and aiding me during my research His patience, as well as his vast knowledge of academic prowess and performance, are qualities I admire I admire his constant generosity in motivating and assisting me in completing this project His insightful comments and encouragement aided me in overcoming obstacles in completing this thesis I owe a debt of appreciation to Mrs Pham Thi Hong, the Principal of Lam Dong Minority Boarding School, for allowing me to complete my studies alongside the school's students In addition, I will never forget each and every one of the students who took part in this research Without their assistance, I would not have been able to complete my thesis Finally, I want to thank my family I owe a debt of gratitude to my parents for their efforts in raising me and providing me with the opportunity to pursue a career in academia I am also grateful to my husband, my siblings for their patience and unwavering love They have been my biggest supporters throughout the long, and at times tough, academic road I've taken LÊ THỊ BÍCH ĐÀO ... SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAM DONG II-Objectives and contents: This study investigates the effect of group work on EFL learners in writing performance at Lam Dong Minority Boarding school, and it examines... using group work in writing classes The study was managed at Lam Dong Ethnic Minority Boarding school Only activities involved in the writing skill of 61 students who were learning English in. .. Thi Hong, the Principal of Lam Dong Minority Boarding School, for allowing me to complete my studies alongside the school'' s students In addition, I will never forget each and every one of the students