Rationale of the study
It is undeniable that English has been an essential means of communication and more and more Vietnamese students are aware of the importance of English to their study and their future The ability to communicate in English clearly and efficiently contributes to the success of the learners at school and success later in every phase of life Speaking plays an important role because without it, communication cannot take place directly between people However, speaking is generally considered the most difficult to learn among the four skills in English language learning
In order to teach students English speaking so that they become more interested in and maintain their interest in speaking learning English teachers should provide a rich environment where meaningful communication can take place Communication occurs when there is a lack of information between or among a group of people They have to exchange to share the information they have with other people One efficient technique to motivate students in speaking is Jigsaw Technique which makes students more active in learning process and at the same time makes their learning more meaningful and interesting The benefits of this technique to my students have aroused my interest and encouraged me to carry out this research “A study on using Jigsaw Technique to enhance the Students’
Interaction in Group work- An action research at the 10 th English majored-class in Son Tay gifted high school, Hanoi”.
Aims of the study
The study is aimed at using Jigsaw Technique to motivate students in speaking lessons for the 10 th English majored-students at Son Tay Gifted High school, Hanoi Hopefully, this study will make a small contribution to the implementation of Jigsaw Technique in improving speaking skills for students at Son Tay high school The study tries to investigate the following research questions:
1.What are some causes of the students‟ weak interaction in English speaking activities?
2 To what extent can Jigsaw Technique enhance Students‟ Interaction in speaking lessons?
3.What suggestions are given for teachers to apply Jigsaw Technique at Son Tay high school?
Scope of the study
Due to the limit of the thesis, the study focuses on using Jigsaw Technique to enhance the students‟ interaction among groups in speaking lessons The study was conducted on the 10 English-majored students at Son Tay gifted high school, Hanoi.
Method of the study
The method employed in this study is an action research, with the uses of two instruments: survey questionnaires and classroom observations All comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion are based on the data analysis
The combination of different instruments used in this research would help to gain reliable data and a close investigation into the problems that the students were having
Research hypothesis
Students‟ lack of motivation in speaking English in real communicating situations is one of the main reasons for the students‟ inability to make a meaningful conversation One solution is using Jigsaw technique to motivate students The questions to be dealt with are:
1.What are some causes of the students‟ weak interaction in English speaking activities?
2 To what extent can Jigsaw Technique enhance Students‟ Interaction in speaking lessons?
3 What suggestions are given for teachers to apply Jigsaw Technique at Son Tay high school?
Design of the study
The study consists of three parts as follows:
Part one is the introduction which gives reasons for choosing the thesis, aims and objects and scope of the study as well as the methodology and research hypothesis of the study
Part two is the development which is divided into three chapters:
- Chapter I (LITERATURE REVIEW) provides the concept of Teaching Speaking as well as the concepts of Group work and Jigsaw Technique
- Chapter II (METHODOLOGY) provides the readers with the definitions of the action research, the data collection instruments Detailed information about the research procedure and the participants of the study is also presented
- Chapter III (DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS) analyzes the data collected from the preliminary investigation stage to form the hypothesis of the study An intervention plan is worked out and implemented The data from the intervention stage are collected and analyzed to make an evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention
Part three is the Conclusion which reviews the study, presents the suggestions for the teacher, the limitations of the study and suggestions for further study.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Concepts of speaking and interaction
Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information (Brown, 1994b; Burns &
Joyce, 1997) Chaney and Burk (1998, p.13) also argues that speaking is "the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts" Referring to speaking or communication in language teaching and learning, Brown (1994b) affirms that interaction is the heart of communication; it is what communication is all about, for example in the cases of sending messages; receiving them; interpreting them in a context; negotiating meanings; and collaborating to accomplish certain purposes And interaction is a collaborative exchange of thoughts, feelings, or ideas between two or more people resulting in a reciprocal effect on each other Bygate (1997, p.115) emphasizes that
“interaction is the use of language for maintaining communication between participants and interaction skills are skills of deciding what to say, when to say it and how to say it clearly” Therefore, in speaking process, learners are required to know not only how to use specific points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary (linguistic competence), but also when, why and in what ways language is produced (sociolinguistic competence).
Teaching speaking skills under CLT Approach
Now many linguists and ESL teachers agree on that students learn to speak in the L2 by interacting Communicative language teaching (CLT) and collaborative learning serve best for this aim CLT is based on real-life situations that require communication By using this method in ESL classes, students will have the opportunity of communicating with each other in the target language (Kayi, 2006)
CLT has been an influential approach for the last decades with the aim of “learn to communicate by communicating” (Larsen-Freeman, 1986, p.131) According to Canale (1983, p.5), communicative competence - the final target of CLT - refers to
“the underlying systems of knowledge and skill required for communication”
Moreover, “communicative competence is the aspect of our competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts” (Brown, 1994a, p.227) The concept of communicative competence is also described in terms of four dimensions which are grammatical competence (grammatical and lexical capacity), sociolinguistic competence (the ability to understand and produce appropriate language in the social context which the communication happens) and discourse competence (the ability to employ communicative strategies to initiate and redirect communication)
Besides, three key pedagogical principles that developed around CLT were the presentation of language forms in context, the importance of genuine communication and the need for learner-centered teaching Hadfield (1990) suggests that a meaningful use of language over its form means that accuracy and acquisition of the formal features of L2 are less a measure of successful language learning than are fluency and ability to get something across comprehensibly to a native speaker In order to encourage meaningful language use, many communicative activities involve elements of puzzle-solving or simulation.
Problems with speaking activities
Classroom activities that develop learners‟ ability to express themselves through speech are an important component of a language course where CLT is applied However, it is more difficult to design and administer such activities than to do so for listening, reading or writing According to Ur (1996, p.121), teachers often come across the following problems:
* The first is “inhibition” It is explained that unlike reading, writing and listening activities, speaking skills require some degree of real-time exposure to an audience Learners are often inhibited about trying to say something in a foreign language in the classroom because they are worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism or losing face, or simply shy of the attention that their speech attracts
* Nothing to say is the second problem Teachers often hear learners complain that they can not think of anything to say They may have no motivation to express themselves The problem is also mentioned by Lawtie (2004) and it is necessary to be tackled
* Last but not least, uneven or low participation of the students is among the teachers‟ obstacles Only one participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be heard In a large group, this means that each one has only very little time for talking This problem is compounded by the tendency of some learners to dominate the group, while the others speak very little or not at all
To deal with the problems, Lawtie (2004) believes that a teacher needs to take a closer look at the type of speaking activities in order to make the activities interesting enough to capture students‟ interest and create a real need for communication
In a word, overcoming these obstacles in speaking class to create successful speaking activities where learners talk a lot, participation is even and motivation is high certainly requires a lot of teachers‟ efforts in designing and carrying out speaking activities.
Group work
The EFL literature indicates that to improve our students' speaking skills, we must reduce learners‟ anxiety and ensure meaningful communicative exchanges in the classroom And group work is one of the valuable techniques can help achieve the above goals for the purpose of fostering speaking ability Group work can create a comfortable atmosphere and the intimate community necessary for learners to take risks in speaking
Rod Killen (2004) indicates that “Group work occurs when you ask two or more students to work together” Davis (1993) sorts out three types of group work which are called: informal learning groups, formal learning groups, and study teams
Informal learning groups are ad hoc temporary clustering of students within a single class session Informal learning groups can be initiated, for example, by asking students to turn to a neighbor and spend two minutes discussing a question you have posed You can also form groups of three to five to solve a problem or pose a question You can organize informal groups at any time in a class of any size to check on students' understanding of the material, to give students an opportunity to apply what they are learning, or to provide a change of pace
Formal learning groups are teams established to complete a specific task, such as perform a lab experiment, write a report, carry out a project, or prepare a position paper These groups may complete their work in a single class session or over several weeks Typically, students work together until the task is finished, and their project is graded
Study teams are long-term groups (usually existing over the course of a semester) with stable membership whose primary responsibility is to provide members with support, encouragement, and assistance in completing course requirements and assignments Study teams also inform their members about lectures and assignments when someone has missed a session The larger the class and the more complex the subject matter, the more valuable study teams can be
2.2 Group size and Group work activities
It seems prudent to keep groups as small as possible to promote positive interdependence, yet as large as necessary to provide sufficient diversity of opinions and backgrounds as well as resources to get the job done The size of groups formed is directly dependent on the activity to be pursued and the length of time the group will stay together Typically, for in-lecture informal activities, group size is often kept small (in the range of two to four students) since larger groups have insufficient time to become cohesive In contrast, a complex semester long project may require the resources of a larger group (four to six students) and there is enough time for the group to become effective
There are some activities for group work activities: Games, Question construction, Guided practice, Dictation, Role play, Guess ahead, Speculative question, Discussion, Project, Information gap, Jigsaw, Problem solving, Discussion making, Opinion exchange
2.3 The advantages of group work
The literature argues that group work creates and comfortable atmosphere and the initiate community necessary for learners to take risk in speaking So, how can group work reduce anxiety, increase communication, and thus, foster greater speaking atmosphere? Koichi (2003) points out that group work allows students to take the initiative in controlling their communicative activities, thus, reducing anxiety, facilitating responsibility, creating communitive, and smoothing progress of fluency as a result Above all, group work with fewer students than a whole class as one large group, create an intimate atmosphere
A second, related, benefit is that group work creates a sense of security As discussed, students are afraid of looking silly in front of the other students though they have a desire to improve their English However, once they are in a small group, where they realize their peers feel the same, Doyon (2000) believes that there is a tendency for students to use more of their target language Nimmannit
(1998) offers another analysis of why students feel secure in group work: „they [individual students] will not be the only ones to shoulder the blame or to lose face if they answer incorrectly‟
The third advantage of group work is that it allows students to participate more and to do so more actively Tsui (2001) and Lee (1999) find that „group work provides more opportunities for learners to initiate and control the interaction, to produce a much larger variety of speech acts and to engage in the negotiation to meaning‟ and that „being responsible for their peers‟ learning in a group makes students more active‟
To sum up, it is clear from the literature that group work offers potential advantages which the teacher-centered class lacks: a friendly community, a relaxed atmosphere with a sense of security ; and a more active and responsible attitude with more opportunities to speak out
The Jigsaw Technique is a research-based cooperative learning technique invented and developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas Since 1971, thousands of classrooms have used Jigsaw with great success The Jigsaw classroom reduces racial conflicts among school children, promotes better learning, improves students‟ motivation and increases enjoyment of the learning experience Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece-each student's part-is essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product If each student's part is essential, then each student is essential; and that is precisely what makes this strategy so effective A jigsaw classroom is not a loose, “anything goes” in situation It is highly structured Interdependence is required It is the element of
"required" interdependence among students which makes this a unique learning method, and it is this interdependence that encourages the students to take an active part in their learning, each student becomes a valuable resource for the others
Learning from each other gradually diminishes the need to try to out-perform each other because one student's learning enhances the performance of the other students instead of inhibiting it, as is usually the case in most competitive classrooms Within this cooperative paradigm, the teacher learns to be a facilitating resource person, and shares in the learning and teacher process with the students instead of being the sole resource Rather than lecturing to the students, the teacher facilitates their mutual learning, in that each student is required to be an active participant and to be responsible for what he learns
3.1 The History of Jigsaw Technique
Jigsaw technique
3.5 Reasons to choose the Jigsaw Technique
In this research, the writer chooses Jigsaw technique in the topic because:
1 Jigsaw technique is an interesting technique of English learning to activate the students in learning process
2 Jigsaw technique can improve the students' responsibility in the teaching learning process
3.Jigsaw technique gives the opportunity for the students in cooperating with the other students
4 Jigsaw technique gives a chance to contribute meaningfully to a discussion for the students, something that is difficult to achieve in large-group discussion Each student develops their skill and has something important to contribute
5 Jigsaw technique can create the class atmosphere in such a way that the students cooperate with each other
For the above reasons, Jigsaw is chosen as an effective technique to enhance the students‟ interaction among groups The study seems to be practically and potentially carried out at the 10 English- majored class, Son-Tay gifted high school where students are good at grammar and reading skills but they are weak at speaking skills and especially week at participating into discussion with their peers
It is hoped that the study will have strong impact on the real teaching and learning ESL speaking skills in high school.
THE STUDY
An action research
Action research was used as the research method for this study The study uses survey questionnaires and classroom observation to work out the importance of using Jigsaw Technique in motivating students in speaking lessons Action research was used in this study for some reasons Firstly, the researcher can combine two duties at the same time - teaching and researching, because there are positive effects on both our knowledge and our practice Secondly, it is beneficial to both teachers and learners since it is concerned with improving the immediate learning environment (Wallace, 2001) Thirdly, it is a fancy way of studying what is happening and deciding how to make it a better place, and it is manageable.
The informants
The study was conducted with the participation of 36 students in the 10 th English-gifted class, Son Tay gifted high school They are English-majored students, whose grammar is quite advanced but speaking skill is weak They are all at the age of fifteen They have learned English for four years at different secondary schools in Son Tay Most of them are good at English, because they had to take a difficult examination to be admitted into the school In that examination, there is only English written test The problem here is that all of them are good at reading and writing English but not all of them are good at speaking since there is not any oral test for them
The textbook used in their course is English 10 (advanced level) The class has six 45-minute periods a week These conditions seem to be favorable to the success of the research.
The action research procedure
There are several ways in which the steps of action research have been analyzed Kemmis&Mc Taggart (1988) suggests that action research has four steps which progress as a spiraling and evolving process: planning, action, observation and reflection Susman (1983) distinguishes five phases to be conducted within each research cycle: (1) Diagnosing: identifying or defining a problem, (2) Action planning: considering alternative courses of action, (3) Taking action: selecting a course of action, (4) Evaluating: studying the consequences of an action, and (5) Specifying learning: identifying general findings Burn (1999) considered the action research process as a sequence of cycles which consists of eleven phases: exploring, identifying, planning, collecting data, analyzing/reflecting, hypothesizing, intervening, observing, reporting, writing and presenting
In this study, Nunan‟s action research model (1992) was applied as it is easy to carry out in the teacher's own classroom in limited time and the steps are clear cut to follow This model includes six small steps: initiation, preliminary investigation, hypothesis, intervention, evaluation, and dissemination, which were presented in the table below
Initiation The teacher notices a problem in class
The teacher spends time observing the class and taking notes of their behavior
Hypothesis After observation, the teacher forms a question or hypothesis as to the cause of the problem Intervention The teacher tries several solution to solve the problem
After some weeks, the teacher consciously observes or measures the class again to see if there has been any improvement
Dissemination The teacher shares his findings with others
This research was implemented during 12 weeks starting from week 1 of the course Based on the selected model, the following steps were done one after the other The description of the six step procedure is presented as follows:
* Step 1: Initiation (week 1 to week 2)
Observing the first three speaking lessons, the researcher realized that the students‟ learning motivation and their participation in speaking activities were low
Therefore, she decided to identify factors affecting the students‟ interaction in speaking lessons and the first research question formed was: What are some causes of the students’ weak interaction in English speaking activities?
* Step 2: Preliminary investigation (From week 3 to week 4)
Data about the learners which may be factors affecting students‟ participation in English speaking activities were collected in week 4 in order to confirm the problem stated in step 1 and find out the causes of the students‟ weak interaction (using questionnaire 1, see Appendix 1)
The analysis and discussion of the initial data led to the following hypothesis:
To what extent can Jigsaw Technique enhance Students’ Interaction in speaking lessons?
* Step 4: Intervention (from week 5 to week 12)
Based on the analysis of the data collected from questionnaire, the writer wrote lesson plans and prepared for plan implementation Speaking lesson plans for units 3,4,5 and 6 were designed In these speaking lessons, Jigsaw Technique was used a main technique to motivate the students to speak
In speaking lessons of units 3, 4, 5 and 6, the newly designed lesson plans were applied with the same group of students During the 8 weeks of the intervention, the speaking lessons were handled in a different way, using Jigsaw tasks The lessons were observed using Observation sheet (See more at Appendix 3) right after every lesson to measure students‟ interest, enthusiasm, persistence with learning tasks After the planned implementation finished, Questionnaire 2 (Appendix 2) was conducted to gather information about the students‟ attitude towards using Jigsaw tasks in speaking lessons
* Step 5: Evaluation: Questionnaire 2 was also analyzed to gather information about the students‟ attitude towards using Jigsaw tasks in speaking lessons Through the students‟ responses, the researcher could evaluate the effectiveness of the Jigsaw technique exactly
The action research procedure and its results were reorganized and presented in form of a thesis, which was shared with the researchers‟ colleagues and some other teachers, especially younger ones.
Description of Data Collection Instruments
In order to collect the data, the researcher used a combination of 2 instruments: Survey Questionnaires and Classroom Observations to guarantee the objectiveness of the data
Questionnaires are used to tap into the opinions and ideas of our learners and we do this by asking questions The answers are usually recorded in some ways so that they become available for subsequent reflection and analysis (Wallace, 2001)
In this study, two questionnaires were designed because they provided the researcher with responses which could be easily quantified and analyzed
Questionnaire 1 contains 4 questions designed to gather information about the students‟ reasons for learning English speaking, their attitudes towards learning English speaking, their frequency of unwillingness to speak English in class and the factors leading to their low participation in English speaking activities
Questionnaire 2 contains 4 questions designed to gather information about the students‟ attitude towards using Jigsaw technique in teaching speaking after the eight weeks of plan implementation
To make sure that the students understood the questions, the researcher spent about 30 minutes guiding them to answer and explaining difficult terms when she delivered the questionnaires to the students
Observation sheet (Adapted from Peacock (1997) was to explore the overall level of students‟ participation including the following components: learners‟ interest, concentration, enjoyment, enthusiasm, persistence with the Jigsaw tasks
Each item in this sheet was scored on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) The maximum possible mark by Observation sheet 1 was 40.
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS
Data collected from preliminary investigation stage – Questionnaire 1
3.1.1 Students’ attitude towards the speaking skill
How important is English speaking skill to you?
How often do you feel unwilling to speak English in class?
D I speak whenever I am told to 7/36
E I always seek for chances to speak in class 4/36
Table 1: Students’ attitude towards speaking skills
Table one presents the information about students‟ attitude towards speaking skill As can be seen 58.3 % of the students claim that speaking skill is very important to them and 30.5 % suppose speaking skill is rather important while 11,2
% consider it is little important None of the students think that speaking English is not important or do not care about it It can be seen that the students have high attitude towards speaking skills
However, most of them feel unwilling to speak English in class 25 students corresponding to 69.4 % always and usually feel unwilling to speak English in feel unwilling and 5 students sometimes feel unwilling Only seven of them said that they spoke whenever they are told and four students answered that they always seek for chances to speak in class These figures prove that the frequency of the students‟ unwillingness in speaking was high
It can be concluded that the majority of the students agree that English speaking skill is really significant However, the number of students who feel willing to speak in class is small So what are the reasons for this situation? The answer can be found through question 3 and question 4 in Questionnaire 1
A English speaking is necessary for their future job
B They want to be able to communicate in English
C They are interested in English speaking skill
D English speaking is compulsory at their school
Chart 1: Students’ reasons for learning English
In response to question 3, 10 students stated that they were interested in English speaking skill, 25 students wanted to be able to communicate in English, 20 students believed that English speaking is necessary for their future job while only 4 students claimed that they learned English speaking because it is compulsory at school Three of them gave another reason that s/he wanted to go abroad after graduating In short, most students are aware of the necessity of English for their future job Besides, the number of students admitted that they want to be able to communicate in English is the highest
3.1.2 Factors causing students’ low participation in English speaking activities
A Being not interested in English speaking
B Being afraid of making mistakes and being laughed at by my classmates
D Learning goal is not to communicate in English
E My teacher‟s lack of enthusiasm in English speaking classes
F Lack of vocabulary and expressions
G Lack of English speaking environment in class
Chart 2: Factors causing students’ low participation in speaking activities
In an attempt to find out factors leading to the students' low participation, the researcher gave out the question “What factors make you unwilling to speak English in class?” A large number of students (28 students) expressed that one of the factors was that they had nothing to say and 20 of them were afraid of making mistakes then being laughed at by other classmates, 25 students felt unpleasant with the atmosphere in the classroom Other factors raised by 17 and 19 students were that they lack vocabulary and expressions and speaking activities were monotonous
Only 6 students supposed that learning goal is not to communicate in English , 3 referred to being not interested in English speaking and 3 students to the teacher‟s being unenthusiastic in English speaking classes
In summary, the findings in Questionnaire 1 revealed many useful facts related to the students‟ motivation Firstly, most of the students learned English speaking because they were aware of the importance of English speaking to their future and they desire to be able to communicate in English However, the frequency of the students‟ unwillingness in English speaking was high The main causes were: They have nothing to say, the students were afraid of making mistakes and being laughed at by other classmates and the classroom atmosphere was not really relaxed These findings were really important because it would help the researcher form the hypothesis of using Jigsaw technique to motivate students in speaking lessons and decide on the intervention later.
Intervention
The intervention was planned with the aim to test the hypothesis mentioned above, then to come to an answer to the question: To what extent can Jigsaw Technique enhance Students‟ Interaction in speaking lessons?
3.2.2 The intervention of Jigsaw tasks
Based on the information from Questionnaire 1, the researcher found that the students had difficulty in speaking English They felt the way to teach English speaking was monotonous or not interesting There should be learning activities which create a need for them to speak English
To overcome the problems, the researcher used Jigsaw task as a solution to support the speaking lessons The lessons plans and teaching materials were prepared carefully, so that the students got used to such tasks as Strip story, Information search, Messenger, Jigsaw guessing, Weekend trip and others
There are a lot of Jigsaw activities which can be applied to motivate students to speak English However in this study, the researcher only aroused some implemented activities The researcher observed these activities based on observation sheets
Before introducing these activities, the teacher had to spent time providing her students explicit knowledge about speaking and about the ways to implement the Jigsaw activities She encouraged them to try their best to speak as much as possible, sometimes regardless of accuracy in vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation
Language: Making suggestion, expressing one‟s opinion, asking for confirmation
Preparation Each group is given a story (of a famous person, an excursion, a film, a football team…) with as many sentences as there are students Each sentence is written on a separate strip of paper
Procedure * Step 1: Each student receives a strip of paper with one sentence on it He is asked not to show his sentence to anybody else but to memorise it within two minutes.After two minutes all the strips of paper are collected in again
* Step 2: The teacher briefly explains the task: “All the sentences you have learnt make up a story Work out the correct sequence of the story without writing anything down”
* Step 3: Students discuss in group to work out the sequence of the story Then students present the sequence they have arrived at to other groups
Variations Instead of a prose text a dialogue is used
The task in this case involves the solution of a puzzle for which each student holds a vital piece of information
Aims Skills: Speaking, listening comprehension, cooperation
Language: Asking for and giving information, making conjectures, saying that something is right or wrong, agreeing and disagreeing
Preparation Information cards which contain different pieces of information, one card per student, and one question card per group
Procedure * Step 1: Each group receives a set of card (as many information cards as there are students, and one question card)
* Step 2: The teacher tells the students that their task is to find out the answer of the question on the question-card by sharing information, but some of the information they have been given is false One person in the group reads out the question from the question card Then they share the piece of information on their cards without looking at the cards
* Step 3: By comparing the statements on the card, they try to pick out the pieces of false information Then they discuss possible solutions
Remarks If the teacher prepares different sets of material, group can exchange tasks after completing the first one
Aims Skills: Speaking, listening comprehension, cooperation
Language: Describing something exactly Level Intermediate
Preparation Lego bricks (one set of material for the teacher and one for each group) Time 15- 20 minutes
Procedure * Step 1: Before the class starts, the teacher builds something
(such as: a digital camera, a laptop, a washing machine…) from Lego bricks and covers it with a cloth When groups have been formed and building materials have been distributed, each group sends a student as a messenger to look at the “thing” the teacher has built
* Step 2: Each messenger reports back to his group and tells them how to go building the same thing The messenger is not allowed to touch the Lego bricks
* Step 3: By asking the messenger and discussing together, the groups try to build the same thing When the copy is finished, it is compared with the original
Variations Instead of Lego bricks, arrangements of tangram pieces or other objects and drawings can be used
Level Intermediate Organisation Groups Preparation One puzzle for each group, the solution to which make a word
Procedure * Step 1: Each group receives a piece of paper with questions on it The solution to each question is a word
* Step 2: All the students in the group try to make a new word out of the first letters of the individual words they have found
* Step 3: As soon as the group words have been formed, they are written on the black board The first letters of all the group words give the solution to the whole puzzle
Remarks The puzzle should be designed with the new words of each lesson in the textbook
Language: Making suggestion, asking for and giving information, agreeing and disagreeing, expressing likes and dislikes
Level Intermediate / Advanced Organisation Groups
Preparation Each group is given a map and a set of information cards about the beautiful places Each student receive a card about one place
Procedure * Step 1: The first task of each group is to collect all the information and mark it on the map Either member of each group report on individual points mentioned on their information cards, or they are questioned in turn
* Step 2: The group discuss to work out a timetable and itinerary for a weekend trip into the area shown by the map as well as the acommodation, means of transport, prices, essential equipment…
* Step 3: Each group presents its plan for the weeken trip
Variations The task can be modified into different language activities like deciding on the location of a holiday camp, making a tourist brochure , planning a volunteer campaign…
Data collected from the intervention stage
* Pre-teaching vocabulary and structures: When students are working in group, they should be allowed to get on with task in hand without unnecessary interruption
If the teacher is aware that some of the vocabulary needed for the activity is likely to be unfamiliar to all or some of the students, then it should be taught beforehand
This ensures that the flow of activities is not interrupted
* Clear instructions: Instructions need to be crystal clear to ensure that all students know what to do; they should not look at the others‟ handouts Sometimes the instructions might be given in mother tongue
*Demonstration: It is wise especially with a class that is unfamiliar with this type of activity, to demonstrate a part of it to the whole class This should provide a clear model for all other students before they set to work in group
3.3 Data from the intervention stage
The use of the Jigsaw tasks was observed with Observation sheet (Appendix
3) to assess the overall motivation and the students‟ participation The students‟ opinions about the implementation of using Jigsaw tasks were collected through Questionnaire 2
3.3.1 Data collected from Observation sheet
Observation sheet looks at overall class motivation The data can be seen in Chart 3 and Appendix 3 and Appendix 4
This result revealed that the students were highly involved in the lessons
They were much enjoying the lessons and found the tasks interesting The results also show that the students paid more attention to the speaking activities and the level of their concentration on the task was high The most important is the teacher‟s organization of the speaking activities was appropriate for them
From the data collected above, it can be concluded that the students were much more involved and motivated when the teacher implemented Jigsaw tasks
After observing the implementation of using Jigsaw tasks, the researcher gave survey questionnaire 2 for 36 students with questions about their attitudes toward the Jigsaw tasks and the effectiveness of the tasks when being experimented in class
Question 1: Are the Jigsaw tasks easy to implement?
It is undeniable that students need to understand how to implement the tasks, especially the teachers‟ instructions well to take part in the activities effectively The statistics in this table once again affirm the possibility of the designed Jigsaw tasks
The information from the handouts has good effects on students and working in groups so that students can cooperate to do the tasks
Question 2: Are the Jigsaw tasks suitable with students’ level?
It is revealed from the figures in Table 2 show that there is 94.4 % of the respondents agree that the Jigsaw tasks are suitable in comparison with the students‟ level This made students motivated to speak English
Question3: Do the Jigsaw tasks motivate you to speak English?
No, not at all 0 0% in the speaking lessons All the students agreed that the tasks are useful for them
When learners are confident, they will have motivations to take part in activities positively This figure indicates that they are active and confident when they learn English speaking classes
Question 4: Are you willing to participate in other tasks of this type? If yes, how often?
It is so surprising that all the investigated students are willing to participate in these types of task enthusiastically This exceeded the researcher‟s expectation when introducing Jigsaw tasks into the speaking lessons The number of students who supposed the tasks are suitable is remarkable Many of them want to have the Jigsaw activities frequently so that they can practice their speaking skills
PART THREE: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
Summary of the study
No one can negate the importance of English to our daily life in the process of integration into the world Therefore, English has been widely taught in Vietnam so that learners can use English as an effective means of communication for various goals In the hope of motivating the students at Son Tay high school to speak English by using Jigsaw Technique, the researcher carried out this study
The first chapter (Literature Review) briefly covers the theories related to the study: Teaching speaking, Groupwork and Jigsaw Technique
The second chapter (The Study) sets two purposes: to find the causes of students‟ low participation in English speaking activities, and to use Jigsaw technique as a solution to stimulate students to speak English at Son Tay high school The action research was carried out in twelve weeks During the two first weeks, the researcher wanted to find out the causes of students‟ low participation in speaking lessons Then the preliminary investigation stage was carried out to confirm the problem and explore the causes in the next two weeks using questionnaire 1 Through questionnaire 1, the teacher found out that their low participation for having nothing to say, their fear of making mistakes and the monotonous speaking activities as well as the lack of English speaking environment in class are the main factors causing the students‟ low participation in English speaking activities
The last chapter is Data Analysis and Discussions Based on the results of Questionnaire 1, it was hypothesized that the teacher can motivate the students by using Jigsaw tasks Lesson plans and materials are prepared to implement Jigsaw tasks in speaking lessons The data were collected again through observation sheet and questionnaire 2 The evaluation showed that the intervention was successful in generating students' participation And in the scope of this research, the use of Jigsaw activities to create a need for students to speak English in class makes the students to become more purposeful in learning speaking, more interested, more concentrate on the lessons, thus leading to positive attitude as well as high participation in speaking lessons Moreover, the Jigsaw activities can create joyful learning atmosphere, which provides the students with more opportunities to obtain knowledge, co-operare with others and help the students like speaking lessons more.
Suggestions for the teachers
The teachers should learn and be creative to find the suitable ways to teach speaking effectively In order to help students motivate in speaking lessons, the teachers should be aware of the advantages of using Jigsaw technique in teaching speaking They can use various Jigsaw activities in speaking lessons and organize to implement them effectively
When using Jigsaw technique in teaching speaking, the teachers had better prepare carefully The tasks need to be very carefully structured, especially at lower levels so that the students can do the activities smoothly It is very difficult for students to come up with ideas at the same time as having to cope with the language They need something to speak about, such as a picture or a purpose language Therefore, the handouts need to be available with photocopies The teachers have to make sure that each student in group gets a different part of the exercise and stop students looking at the other‟s information The teachers have to find the suitable ways of adapting the activities for use in a large class
In order to stimulate students to speak English while using Jigsaw activities, the teacher should take care of some other factors as follows:
* Creating a friendly classroom atmosphere: Along with the teacher‟s behaviors and enthusiasm, classroom atmosphere is an important factor contributing much to the students‟ motivation in learning speaking To make the classroom less stressful, teachers should establish a good relationship with students; especially take much care of anxious and less able students to encourage them to communicate
Furthermore, the teacher should create supportive and non-threatening environment so that students feel more relaxed, free and flexible about expressing their opinions among their own group
*Promoting cooperative learning: Cooperative learning improves communication, lower students' anxiety, raises their self- esteem, and improves classroom climate Learning English through cooperative group work allows students to learn from one another, and the teacher in a supportive environment
They become more proficient in language as a result of group work because they have more comprehensible input peer interactions, have better listening skill as a result of responding to what has been said, have longer conversational turns than in whole-class teaching situation, and focus on meaning rather than on accuracy (Kessler, 1992)
*Giving clear explanation: Some recent research shows that many students do poorly on assignments or in participation because they do not understand what to do or why they should do it Teachers should spend more time explaining why they teach what they are doing, and why the topic or approach or activity is important and interesting and worthwhile In the process, some of the teacher‟s enthusiasm will be transmitted to the students, who will be more likely to become interested
Similarly, teachers should spend more time explaining exactly what is expected on activities Students who are uncertain about what to do will seldom perform well.
Limitations and suggestions for further research
The study has been collected from a small number of students (with 36 participants only) at the 10 th English-majored class, Son Tay gifted high school so the findings can hold true just for the teaching and learning at Son Tay high school
Therefore, other research can be conducted with a bigger sample with the same background to minimize this shortcoming
The observation sheet and questionnaires which were used to investigate the learners' motivation were rather subjective Other data collection tools such as: video recorder, interview should be exploited in further research
Also, within the scope of the study, it cannot cover all the uses of Jigsaw activities in four language skills and language elements Therefore, further study can focus on the use of Jigsaw activities to motivate students in reading, listening and writing classes
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This questionnaire is designed for my research into speaking activities in the classroom Your answer is used for research purposes only Thank you for your cooperation!
1 How important is English speaking skill to you?
2 How often do you feel unwilling to speak English in class?
D I speak whenever I am told to
E I always seek for chances to speak in class
3 Why do you learn English speaking?
(You can tick more than one answer.)
A English speaking is necessary for my future job
B I want to be able to communicate in English
C I am interested in English speaking skill
D English speaking is compulsory at our school
4 What factors make you unwilling to speak English in class? (You can tick more than one answer.)
A Being not interested in English speaking
B Being afraid of making mistakes and being laughed at by my classmates
D Learning goal is not to communicate in English
E My teacher‟s lack of enthusiasm in English speaking classes
F Lack of vocabulary and expressions
G Lack of English speaking environment in class
This survey is designed for my research into the use of Jigsaw tasks to improve speaking skill for the 10 th English majored-students at Sontay gifted high school All the data collected in this questionnaire are ONLY for the purpose of the survey The researcher assures that all the information collected will be confidential, with the hope that you will answer these questions accurately and honestly Please read the questions and give your opinion about the activities you have just joined by putting a tick () in the boxes you want to choose
Thank you for your co-operation!
1 Are the Jigsaw tasks easy to implement?
Easy Not very easy Difficult
2 Are the Jigsaw tasks suitable in comparison with your level?
3 Do the Jigsaw tasks make you feel motivated to speak English?
Yes, greatly Yes, a little No, not at all
4 Are you willing to participate in other tasks of this type? If yes, how often?
Yes, always Yes, sometimes Never
OBSERVATION SHEET - OVERALL CLASS PARTICIPATION
(Adapted from Peacock, 1997) Observer: Date:
No of students present: Time: 45 minutes Material: English 10 ( Advanced ) Unit:
Observation focus: Levels of students' participation in the tasks 3 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
1 Mark how involved in the activities the students are
Not very involved 1 2 3 4 5 very involved
2 The students are enjoying the activities
3 The students are paying persistent attention to the activities
4 Mark the levels of students‟ concentration on the activities
5 Mark the students‟ activity level (effort/ intensity of application)
6 The speaking activities are challenging for the students
7 The speaking activities are appropriate for the students
8 The students find the speaking activities interesting
THE DATA ON OVERALL CLASS PARTICIPATION
1 Level of students‟ participation in the speaking activities was observed in terms of 8 items
2 3 is average mark for any item
3 For example: in Lesson 4, mark 2 is given to students‟ involvement in the speaking activities This means that the students were not very involved in the speaking activities
Table 1: The data on the overall class motivation collected during the lessons
1 Students‟ involvement in the speaking activities 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 4
2.Students‟ enjoyment of the activities 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5
3 Students‟ persistent attention to the activities 3 2 4 4 5 5 5 5
4 Students‟ concentration on the speaking activities 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 4
6 Degree of challenge of the activities 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4
7 Degree of appropriateness of the activities 3 2 3 3 3 4 4 4