Applying theme based instruction in teaching academic writing to preintermediate teenagers at vietnam us society english center (vus)

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - NGUYEN TRONG NHAN APPLYING THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING TO PREINTERMEDIATE TEENAGERS AT VIETNAM US SOCIETY ENGLISH CENTER (VUS) Major: English Language Course code: 60220201 HO CHI MINH, OCTOCBER 2020 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - APPLYING THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING TO PREINTERMEDIATE TEENAGERS AT VIETNAM US SOCIETY ENGLISH CENTER (VUS) Submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics In partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in English Linguistics Course code: 60220201 By NGUYEN TRONG NHAN Supervised by NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, Ph.D HO CHI MINH, OCTOCBER 2020 The thesis entitled APPLYING THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING TO PRE-INTERMEDIATE TEENAGERS AT VIETNAM US SOCIETY ENGLISH CENTER (VUS) was successfully defended and approved on 22nd December, 2020 at Hochiminh City University of Technology (HUTECH) Academic supervisor : Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D Examination Committee Nguyen Tien Hung, Ph.D Chair Tran Quoc Thao, Ph.D Reader Nguyen Dang Nguyen, Ph.D Reader Le Thi Thuy Nhung, Ph.D Member Le Van Tuyen, Ph.D Secretary Member On behalf of the Examination Committee Chair Nguyen Tien Hung, Ph.D HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE HCMC, 22nd December, 2020 MASTER’S THESIS REPORT Student name: Nguyen Trong Nhan Sex: Male Date of birth: 07/07/1994 Place of birth: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Major: English Language Student code: 1841900034 I- Thesis title: APPLYING THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING TO PRE-INTERMEDIATE TEENAGERS AT VIETNAM US SOCIETY ENGLISH CENTER (VUS) II- Objectives and contents: The study aims to investigate the implementation of CBI with theme-based model on teenage learners’ academic writing performance at VUS English Center, Ba Hom Campus, Ho Chi Minh City The research objectives are as follows:  To examine the effects of Theme-based Instruction on teenage learners’ academic writing performance at VUS English Center  To explore learners’ attitudes in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of THBI at VUS English Center This research aimed to explore the effectiveness of this approach as a means of honing academic writing proficiency for forty-four pre-intermediate EFL young learners at Vietnam US Society English Center (VUS English Center) Twentythree participants from VUS Young Leaders Class took part in a twelve-week experimental course using a wide range of Theme-based activities A pre-test and a post-test in form of English writing test were administrated before and after the course to measure progress in the Controlled Group and Experimental Group for any noticeable difference Besides, a questionnaire and an in-depth interview were also conducted after the experimental course to collect students’ attitude in terms of advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of ThBI on writing performance With Mean= 13.48 in comparison with 11.43 of the pre-tests in Experimental Group and that of 10.81 in Controlled Group, data analysis showed significant effectiveness of ThBI in teaching academic writing to pre-intermediate EFL learners Data collection from questionnaires also proved similar improvement in students’ attitude in learning Theme-based Writing course with regards to its advantages in learners’ motivation (Mean = 3.60), learners’ attitude towards the implementation of this approach in writing class (Mean= 3.63) and the effectiveness on their academic writing performance (Mean= 3.52) In addition, results from indepth interview also indicated good responses concerning learners’ motivation and attitude towards ThBI Disadvantages concerning the implementation of this approach in Writing classroom were also noted in interviewees’ opinions in terms of low-level learners and cognitive imbalance Some valuable opinions as well as limitations and recommendations for future courses were also recorded III- Starting date: 30/03/2020 IV- Completing date: 30/09/2020 V- Academic supervisor: Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR FACULTY DEAN Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today, entitled: APPLYING THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING TO PRE-INTERMEDIATE TEENAGERS AT VIETNAM US SOCIETY ENGLISH CENTER (VUS) In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher degree Committee of Faculty of English Linguistics, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology Ho Chi Minh, October 2020 NGUYEN TRONG NHAN i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, NGUYEN TRONG NHAN, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (English Linguistics) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and uses of Master’s Theses deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan and reproduction for theses Ho Chi Minh, October 2020 Signature NGUYEN TRONG NHAN ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many individuals have left their imprints in my path of exploring knowledge and in the course of doing this thesis I would like to acknowledgement their assistance, cooperation and encouragement without which this study would not have been completed First and foremost, I would like to express my whole-hearted appreciation to my supervisor, Ms Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D - Dean of English Language Faculty of the University of Technology in Ho Chi Minh City for her dedicated assistance and valuable advice without which this paper cannot come into life She also shed light on the field of Research Methodology and reminded me of the contribution of us, English teachers and educators to the development of national Education and for the generations of elite learners who are fluent English users and confidently ready for the new era of global citizens and international integration Secondly, I also would like to send my deep gratitude to Ms Ho Thi My Linh, VUS Training Quality Manager who gave me the permission to conduct this study at VUS classes and her constant encouragement and timely support as well as all the Teacher Care staffs for their kind support in arranging classes and schedules, lending my all the facilities and resources I needed in order to complete this thesis Many truthful thanks also extended to all the TESOL lecturers and teaching staffs at HUTECH for their dedication and great support during my Master course here In addition, this thesis cannot be completed without 44 students in my class and my colleagues who enthusiastically took part in the pre-test, post-test, the questionnaires and the experimental class which brought out the significant results and pedagogical implications of this research Finally, my special thanks would like to go to my family and friends for their support and encouragement within my research doing time iii ABSTRACT Theme-Based Instruction under the broad term of Content-Based Instruction has been proved to be an effective approach in Language Teaching on valuing learnercenteredness, autonomy and creativity based on the firm foundation of Communicative Approach and Collaborative Learning This research aimed to explore the effectiveness of this approach as a means of honing academic writing proficiency for forty-four pre-intermediate EFL young learners at a private Vietnamese English center in Ho Chi Minh City Twenty-three participants from VUS Young Leaders Class took part in a twelve-week experimental course using a wide range of Theme-based activities A pre-test and a post-test in form of English writing test were administrated before and after the course to measure progress in the Controlled Group and Experimental Group for any noticeable difference Besides, a questionnaire and an in-depth indirect semi- structured interview via internet-based applications were also conducted after the experimental course to collect students’ attitude in terms of advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of ThBI on writing performance After being analyzed with SPSS software, with Mean= 13.48 in comparison with 11.43 of the pre-tests in Experimental Group and that of 10.81 in Controlled Group, data analysis showed significant effectiveness of ThBI in teaching academic writing to pre-intermediate EFL learners Data collection from questionnaires also proved similar improvement in students’ attitude in learning Theme-based Writing course with regards to its advantages in learners’ motivation (Mean = 3.60), learners’ attitude towards the implementation of this approach in writing class (Mean= 3.63) and the effectiveness on their academic writing performance (Mean= 3.52) In addition, qualitative results from in-depth interview also indicated good responses concerning learners’ motivation and attitude towards ThBI Disadvantages concerning the implementation of this approach in Writing classroom were also noted in interviewees’ opinions in terms of low-level learners and cognitive imbalance iv Geiser, S., & Studley, w R (2002) Uc and the sat: Predictive validity and differential impact of the SAT I and SAT II at the University of California Educational Assessment, 8(1), 1-26 Harmer, J (2007) The practice of English language teaching (4th ed.) 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Cambridge: Cambridge http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667305 87 University Press Rico, L J A (2014) Identifying factors causing difficulties to productive skills among foreign languages learners Opening Writing Doors Journal, 11(1), 65-86 Rodgers, D.M (2006), Developing Content and Form: Encouraging Evidence From Italian Content‐Based Instruction The Modern Language Journal, 90: 373-386 doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2006.00430.x Savignon, S J (2002) Communicative language teaching: Linguistic theory and classroom practice In Interpreting communicative language teaching: Contexts and concerns in teacher education New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press Slavin, R.E 1995 Cooperative Learning: Theory, Research and Practice NJ: Prentice Hall Snow, Marguerite A., Myriam Met, and Fred Genesee (2002) A Conceptual Frame - work for the Integration of Language and Content-Based Language Instruction TESOL Quarterly, 23.2: 201–17 Stern, H H (1983) Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching Oxford, England Oxford University Press Stoller, F L And W Grabe 1997 “A six T‟s approach to content-based instruction” In Content based Classroom perspectives on integrating language and content (Eds.) M A Snow & D M Brinton New York: Longman Ur, P (2012) A course in language teaching: practice and theory (2nd ed.) Cambridge: CUP 88 APPENDICES APPENDIX A PRE-TEST You will have 40 minutes to write a 150-200-word paragraph responding to the following situation: Your school will organize a science fair for young students next month Write a post on your Facebook to introduce the event to your friends, including all the information below: - Where and when will the event take place? - What will be at the event? - Who will attend the event? Give your personal opinion and try to convince your friends to join the event POST-TEST You will have 40 minutes to write a 250-word paragraph responding to the following question, your essay should include four paragraphs (an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion) Watching a live performance such as a play, concert, or sporting event is more enjoyable than watching the same event on television To what extent you agree or disagree with this statement? 89 APPENDIX B ENGLISH WRITING TEST RATING RUBRIC (Revised from IELTS task band descriptor and VUS writing marking sheet) Writing Indicator Band Rank 16-20 Task Achievement Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource The content addresses the task fully and naturally Well-organized with a range of cohesive devices, errors are minor Wide range of vocabulary use, errors are minor Very good attempt 11-15 Most of content relevant to task Adequate attempt 6-10 Inadequate attempt 1-5 Poor attempt the Some basic use Some errors is of cohesive in the devices but vocabulary not make a and word smooth and choice but logical not transition detract from within the text the meaning, some new words are attempted to use Some major Largely Noticeable points are not coherent but errors in relevant to the still lacks of vocabulary task cohesion and word choice, only highfrequent words Very few relevant Very poor Extremely points to the task control, limited difficult to range of understand vocabulary, incorrect use of words, 90 Grammatica l Range and Accuracy Correct use of grammar and punctuation, some given phrases/expr essions are attempted, errors are minor Some errors in grammar and punctuation but not detract from the meaning Noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation that may distort the meaning Extremely limited use of sentence forms, only some memorized patterns Achieves nothing Totally irrelevant to the task 91 frequent misspellings Fail to Can only Cannot use communication use a few any sentence any message isolated form at all words APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE QUESTIONNAIRE ON LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME-BASED APPROACH IN TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING Dear all participants, This survey into learners’ attitude towards the implementation of Theme-based Approach in English Writing class is part of my M.A Thesis “Applying Theme-based Approach in teaching academic writing to pre-intermediate teenagers at VUS English Center” which aims to provide profound insights into the new implementation of this new approach in our writing class Your precious opinions will surely contribute a valuable part in meeting the course’s ultimate goal to help enhance Writing proficiency for EFL learners All of your personal information recorded in this survey will be used for educational purpose of this study only and hence concealed and kept confidential ( Các bạn thân mến, Khảo sát tìm hiểu thái độ người học viêc ứng dụng Phương pháp Dạy học theo chủ đề môn Viết học thuật phần Luận Án Thạc sĩ “ Ứng dụng phương pháp Dạy học theo chủ đề môn Viết học thuật cho đối tượng thiếu niên trình độ Tiền Trung cấp Anh Văn Hội Việt Mỹ) nhằm hiểu biết sâu hiệu phương pháp việc dạy môn Viết Ý kiến q báu bạn đóng góp hữu ích vào mục tiêu cuối khóa học giúp nâng cao kỹ Viết cho người học tiếng Anh Tất thông tin cá nhân ghi nhận khảo sát dùng cho mục đích nghiên cứu giáo dục hoàn toàn giữ kín.) A PERSONAL INFORMATION (THƠNG TIN CÁ NHÂN) Name (Tên): Age (Tuổi): Gender (Giới tính):  Male (Nam) Female(Nữ) Years of studying English (Số năm học tiếng Anh): School of study (Trường học khóa)  Public school (trường công) Private school (trường tư) International school (trường quốc tế) Choose what best describes your English proficiency on the scale below for each skill (Chọn mô tả phù hợp với trình độ tiếng Anh bạn): (Please tick on of the followingVui lòng đánh dấu vào lựa chọn sau đây): Needs to be OK Good Very good Advanced improved (Tạm (Tốt) (Rất tốt) Cao cấp (Cần cải thiện) được)      Speaking (Nói)      Listening (Nghe)      Reading (Đọc) 92      Writing (Viết) B LEARNERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARD THE THEME-BASED WRITING COURSE (THÁI ĐỘ NGƯỜI HỌC ĐỐI VỚI KHÓA HỌC VIẾT THEO PHƯƠNG PHÁP CHỦ ĐỀ) Statement (Phát biểu) How you agree to the following statement? Bạn đồng ý với phát biểu sau mức nào? (Please tick the scale that best suits your opinion) Vui lòng chọn thang phù hợp Strongly Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Agree (Hoàn toàn Khơng (Bình (Đồng (Hồn khơng đồng đồng ý thường) ý) toàn đồng ý) (2) (3) (4) ý) (1) (5) I really enjoyed this writing class Tơi thích lớp học Viết I would like to attend similar writing class in the future Tôi mong muốn tham gia lớp giống tương lai The used material and teaching method were interesting enough Tài liệu phương pháp giảng dạy thú vị I found all topics and tasks relevant and engaging enough Tôi thấy chủ đề tập hợp lý hay I participated in all class activities Tôi tham gia vào tất hoạt động lớp I was able to accomplish tasks with little/no help from the teacher I hồn thành nhiệm vụ mà khơng cần/rất giúp đỡ từ giáo viên I felt more confident in using English Tôi cảm thấy tự tin sử dụng tiếng Anh The time allotted was enough for all class activities Thời gian phân bổ đủ cho hoạt động lớp I was able to finish my tasks/projects on time Tơi hồn thành nhiệm vụ/dự án thời hạn 10.I received adequate instruction and support from the teacher Tôi nhận đầy đủ hướng dẫn hỗ trợ từ giáo viên 11 I found the teacher’s instruction and 93 support timely and helpful Tôi nhận thấy hướng dẫn hỗ trợ giáo viên hữu ích kịp thời 12 I always fulfilled my part in pair/group work Tơi ln hồn thành phần cơng việc nhóm 13.I worked well with my classmates in pairs/groups Tơi làm việc với bạn theo cặp/nhóm tốt 14 I found my academic writing improved obviously Tôi nhận thấy khả Viết học thuật có tiến 15 I developed a lot of new ideas in my writing tasks Tơi phát triển nhiều ý Viết 16 I learnt new vocabulary essential to the writing tasks Tôi học nhiều từ vựng liên quan tới đề Viết 17 I tended to think logically and critically Tôi suy nghĩ logic tư phản biện nhạy bén 18 I could write more coherent and organized, grammatically and lexically Tơi viết mạch lạc chặt chẽ mặt ngữ pháp từ vựng 19 I developed deeper cultural and background knowledge related to the learned topics and tasks Tôi hiểu kiến thức văn hóa-xã hội liên quan tới chủ đề nhiệm vụ học THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME! 94 APPENDIX D PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SCORE OF STUDENTS IN CONTROLLED GROUP PRE-TEST CODE Task Achievement Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammar and Accuracy TOTAL S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 2 4 3 3 3 2 4 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 10 13 11 12 16 15 10 11 9 10 12 11 12 11 15 95 POST-TEST No CODE 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 Task Achievement Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammar and Accuracy TOTAL 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 4 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 2 10 12 13 10 16 13 12 11 11 13 13 10 11 14 96 APPENDIX E PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SCORE OF STUDENTS IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRE-TEST No Code 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43 S44 Task Coherence Lexical Achievement and Cohesion Resource 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 97 Grammar and Accuracy 3 2 3 3 3 3 TOTAL 10 14 12 13 10 16 12 10 11 11 12 13 15 14 12 14 12 POST-TEST Task No 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 CODE S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43 S44 Achievement 5 4 4 3 5 5 Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammar and Accuracy TOTAL 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 3 2 2 4 13 15 10 15 14 11 18 12 11 10 12 13 14 12 11 10 13 16 18 17 17 16 12 98 APPENDIX F DETAILED SAMPLE LESSON PLAN Class: Date: Theme: Leisure Time Sub-Topic: - Hobbies around the world (Day 1) - My hobbies: weird and strange (Day 2) Lesson Objectives: By the end of this lesson students are able to:  Use appropriate vocabulary to talk about hobbies  Know some cultural facts concerning countries, hobbies and celebrities  Listen for specific information  Reading for gist  Take note while listening  Write a paragraph to express opinions  Develop critical thinking  Use Google Form to create a survey Duration Procedure Task Activity Materials Skill involved Individual -Students exhibiting - Student-prepare Listening, their prepared-at- mind maps Reading, Speaking home mind map -Clip “Top most about Hobbies popular hobbies (Minutes) -Introduce the 20 topic “Hobbies around the world” -Vocabulary 25 around the world” Groupwork - Watch and take input -Explanation of new words 25 -YouTube clip Listening for note about different “Celebrity specific celebrity’ hobbies hobbies” information -Mingled group- -Worksheets Note-taking Information sharing Speaking Individual -Role play a -Reporter’s Speaking Role-Play celebrity expressing handouts Writing -Patterns to opinion about express opinions another celeb’s hobby, using the provided patterns 99 - Other students as reporters 20 20 Writing practice 15 Introduce the function of 20 Individual - Writing a report Pair work -Peer correction Whole -Brainstorming class -Individual answer Pair work -Discuss in pairs to Short clips about -Listening express opinions controversial -Speaking about a given issues -Note-taking Giving Opinions -Writing -Students’ writing -Writing -Speaking situation 20 Introduce Whole Homework: Young people today are more and more addicted Google Form group to smart phones and hi-tech devices, is it good or bad? Design a and how to survey by Google Form, send to at least 10 people and report an online survey the result The lesson plan is excluded of 15-minute-break 100