Trang 1 HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES --- LÊ THỊ THU A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTION TO IMPROVE ENGLISH WRITING SKILL FOR FIRST YEAR E
HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - LÊ THỊ THU A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTION TO IMPROVE ENGLISH WRITING SKILL FOR FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN VÀ GIẢI PHÁP ĐỂ HỌC KỸ NĂNG VIẾT CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT KHOA NGÔN NGỮ TẠI ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN) Major: English language Code: Hung Yen –6/ 2021 HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - LÊ THỊ THU A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTION TO IMPROVE ENGLISH WRITING SKILL FOR FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN VÀ GIẢI PHÁP ĐỂ HỌC KỸ NĂNG VIẾT CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT KHOA NGÔN NGỮ TẠI ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN) Major: English language Code: Supervisor : Pham Ngoc Son Hung Yen – 6/2021 i DECLARATION I certify my authorship of the study report entitled “A study on the difficulties and solutions to improve English writing skill for first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education.” This graduation paper is the result of my research and the substance of this graduation paper has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution and that if this declaration is found to be false, disciplinary measures and penalties can be taken and imposed following university policies and rules Signature Le Thi Thu ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS During the process of doing this graduation paper, I have received much necessary assistance, precious ideas, and timely encouragement from my lecturers, family, and friends This paper could not have been completed without the help, encouragement, and support from several people who all deserve my sincerest gratitude and appreciation First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor – Mr Pham Ngoc Son, the English teacher of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, who has always been willing to give me valuable advice and suggestions so that I can complete successfully this study I also would like to take this opportunity to show my sincere thanks to all my lecturers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, who have handed me basic knowledge to complete this study I am so thankful to students of K18 at the Faculty of Foreign Languages for their wholeheart participation in the study I would like to acknowledge my thanks to all the authors of the books, magazines, and the other materials listed in the reference part for their ideas that have been reflected and developed in the study I am equally indebted to my classmates for their suggestions and encouragement in the process of my study Last but not least, my particular thanks are given to my parents for their encouragement and support which played an important role in my graduation paper iii ABSTRACT Research aims to find out the difficulties that students face in writing skills Quantitative methods are used to analyze and find solutions to problems The study was conducted at UTEHY and the subjects of this study were first-year English majors at FFL This study involved 83 students and lecturers Data were collected using questionnaires for lecturers and students The results of the analysis of difficulties to students' writing skills show that writing is a very difficult skill for students to learn a foreign language To solve these difficulties and wish to improve the current situation, the researcher proposes a number of solutions so that both lecturers and students can teach and learn better for first-year English majors are learning writing skills at UTEHY more effectively in the near future iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1.Rationale for the study 1.2.Aim and objectives of the study 1.3.Research questions 1.4.Subjects of the study 1.5.The scope of the study 1.6.Significance of the study 1.7.Structure of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1.An overview of writing 2.1.1.Definitions of writing 2.1.2.Stages of writing 2.1.3.The importance of writing 2.2.The difficulties of writing 2.2.1.The difficulties faced by the students in learning writing skills 2.2.2.The difficulties faced by the lecturers in learning writing skills 2.3.The solutions to improve of writing 10 v 2.3.1.The solutions to improve by the students in learning writing skills 10 2.3.2.The solutions to improve by the lecturers in learning writing skills 10 2.3.3.Conclusion: 11 2.4.Summary: 12 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY 13 3.1 Methodology 13 3.2.Survey questionnaires: 13 3.3.Data collection: 13 3.3.1.Data collection from students: 13 3.3.2.Data collection from lecturers: 14 3.4.Data analysis and discussion: 14 3.4.1.Attitude towards of writing skills 14 3.4.2.Some difficulties for students and lecturers 18 3.4.3.Some suggested solutions for lecturers and students 22 3.5.Main findings and discussions 27 3.5.1.The attitudes of students towards writing skills 28 3.5.2.The difficulties in learning writing skills 28 3.5.3.Difficult in the students' strategies 28 3.5.4.Suggestions for the solution 29 3.5.4.1.Create and maintain a positive atmosphere for learning 29 3.5.4.2.Take advantage of the 'out-of-book' lessons 29 3.5.4.3.Give students ownership and publishing 30 3.5.4.4.Engage students in writing regularly 30 vi 3.5.4.5.Provide students with constructive response and guide them how to offer response to other writes……………………………………………………………………………………31 3.5.4.6.Provide opportunities for students to collaborate as writers 31 3.6.Recommendations 32 3.6.1.For students 32 3.6.2.For lecturers 33 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 34 4.1 The summary of study 34 4.2.Limitations of research 34 4.3.Recommended for more research 35 REFERENCE 36 APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS I APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LECTURERS VI vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages UTEHY: Hung Yen University of Technology and Education M.A: Master of Arts PhD: Doctor of Philosophy viii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Chart 3.1 Student’s opinion about the importance of writing skills………………… 14 Chart 3.2 Lecturer’s opinion about the importance of writing skills ……… …….…… 15 Chart 3.3 The student's attitude towards learning English writing skills……………… … 16 Chart 3.4 The student's attitude towards learning English writing skills………… …… 17 Chart 3.5 The difficulties often affecting student's writing skills….………….….…… … 18 Chart 3.6 the difficulties often affecting lecturer’s writing skills …………….……….….…19 Chart 3.7 The difficulties in pre- writing stage………………………….…… .………….20 Chart 3.8 The difficulties in pre-teaching of writing…………………………………….… 21 Chart 3.9 The difficulties in post- writing stage…………………………………… … … 21 Chart 3.10 The difficulties in post-teaching of writing……………………………………….22 Chart 3.11 Some suggested solutions related to writing to improve your students' English writing skills………………………………….……… ……23 Chart 3.12 Some suggested solutions related to writing to improve lecturer’s English writing skills……………………………………………………………………… …….………… 23 Chart 3.13 Some suggested solutions related to doing students face in the Pre-writing stage……………………………………………… ……………… ……… …………… 24 Chart 3.14 Some suggested solutions related to teaching face in the Pre-teaching of writing skills…………………………………………….…………………………………….……….25 Chart 3.15 Some suggested solutions related to doing students face in the post writing stage………….……………………………………………………………….…….……… 26 Chart 3.16 Some suggested solutions related to teaching face in the post-teaching of writing skills……………………………… ….………………………………… ………….27 33 on their errors and make improvements to their writing It also shows lecturers what students can and what remains difficult Lecturers have to check the corrections and give students feedback on anything that is still wrong or students have been unable to improve Peer correction also uses after finish the writing paper Students work in pairs or small groups They exchange their papers and attempt to correct each other's work Lecturers have to build in an extra checking stage, as students will often not be able to provide appropriate corrections 3.6.2 For lecturers Equally important, lecturers' feedback is very necessary for all students in writing Once students have corrected as much as they can, then lecturers concentrate on the remaining problems Rather than just correction, students need to understand why they have made errors and how to put them in right At this stage, students need feedback from lecturers - some kind of explanation of the particular language point and perhaps one or two examples to show them how the language should work Feedback can take the form of written notes at the end of the students' work Besides, advice from lecturers is very useful to motivate students' effort from learning Lecturers should play an active role as a facilitator to encourage students to sustain long-term in learning this subject Constructive criticism will help students recognize their weaknesses in the writing process Moreover, most students need a place to find books or materials, so the researcher hopes that our school will build a library and invest in many modern facilities to serve all students at UTEHY 34 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION This chapter will deal with a summary of the major findings, limitations of the study, and some suggestions for further studies 4.1 The summary of study Writing is one of the four basic skills that are indispensable in learning and using English Writing is often considered the most difficult and boring skill, but it is still an important skill that students need to master The research results show that the writing skills of high-quality training system students are still limited and have not met expectations Students themselves not have a sense of self-discipline and initiative in the subject In the process of learning to write, students encounter many difficulties in vocabulary, grammar, and syntax and cannot apply flexible writing strategies effectively The cause of these difficulties comes from the subjective side of students themselves and objectively due to factors of learning content, teaching methods, requirements of lecturers, and influence of mother tongue Being the student who carries out a study on difficulties and solutions to improve writing skills for the first-year English majors at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education To reach what the author aims at in this study; the study is divided into four chapters with their purpose The first chapter, general introduction about the items related to the search such as the reason for choosing the topic, the target of the topic, the content of the thesis, the object, and the research method The second chapter provides a theoretical background related to specific research is the theory of Theoretical background of writing Students' difficulties in learning writing skills Techniques to improve after writing The third chapter, presents the research methodology, findings, and recommended methods for the study through questionnaires and interviews These mentioned techniques have also been presented with the hope to give some contributions to improve the current in writing English at FFL, UTEHY 4.2 Limitations of research In the process of concluding the study, although the research has made a great effort, the mistake and shortcomings are inevitable 35 First of all, because of the limited time and the period time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the questionnaires were just done with 83 students, lecturers This also affects the validity and reliability of the study Secondly, due to the limitation of the scope of the study and the sampling population, the researcher only focuses on first-year English major students which account for a small number of students at FFL, UTEHY So, the result of the study cannot be generalized Although the mentioned limitation, the researcher hopes that this research will contribute to a better situation of teaching and learning listening skills at FFL, UTEHY 4.3 Recommended for more research In this study, research has provided quality solutions to help students overcome difficulties and improve their writing skills based on personal teaching experience and practical teaching for these classes Although the preparatory English program for classes has many differences from the general English program for standard classes, the nature of the teaching and learning methods of writing skills of the two programs is quite similar It is therefore proposed that advanced studies can expand the scope of research to improve the quality of foreign language teaching throughout the university At the same time, studies can focus on analyzing and clarifying the effectiveness of applying groups of solutions proposed from this study to improve the English writing skills curriculum for students and applying to achieve efficiency highest efficiency 36 REFERENCE Abrar, M (2016) Teaching English problems: An analysis of EFL primary school lecturers in Kuala Tungkal Birmingham, UK: The 16th Indonesian Scholars International Convention Afrin, S (2016) Writing Problems of Non-English Major Undergraduate Students in Bangladesh: An Observation Open Journal of Social Sciences, 4, 104-115 https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2016.43016 Anyiendah, M S (2017) Challenges Faced by Lecturers When Teaching English in Public Primary Schools in Kenya https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2017.00013 [Paper reference 1] Asep, S (2014) The Challenges in Teaching Writing Skill at Junior High School: Problems and Solutions (3) Fareed, M., Ashraf, A., & Bilal, M (2016) ESL Learners’ Writing Skills: Problems, Factors and Suggestions Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 4, 81-92 https://doi.org/10.20547/ jess0421604201 [Paper reference 2] Fareed, M., Ashraf, A., & Bilal, M (2016) ESL Learners’ Writing Skills: Problems, Factors and Suggestions Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 4, 81-92 https://doi.org/10.20547/jess0421604201 [Paper reference 2] Foster, B (2015) Teaching Children with Reading and Writing Difficulties in Regular Schools [Paper reference 4] Gbollie, C., & Keamu, H P (2017) Student Academic Performance: The Role of Motivation, Strategies, and Perceived Factors Hindering Liberian Junior and Senior High School Students Learning Education Research International, 2017, Article ID: 1789084 https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1789084 [Paper reference 1] Graham, S., & Perin, D (2007) Writing next-effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools The Elementary School Journal, 94 (2), 169– 181 10 Gündoğmuş, H D (2018) The difficulties experienced by lecturers in the process of primary reading and writing instruction and their solution offers for eliminating these difficulties Universal Journal of https://doi.org/10.13189/ ujer.2018.060216 Educational Research, 6, 333-339 37 11 Harmer, J (1998) How to teach English: An introduction to the practice of English language teaching Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, England: Addison Wesley Longman 12 Harmer, Jeremy (2007) “The Practice of English Language Teaching”, Pearson Longman 13 Heaton, J.B (1979) Writing English Language Tests: A Practical Guide for Lecturers of English 5th Edition, Longman, London, pp 138 14 Hedge, T (2005) "Writing" Oxford: Oxford University Press 15 Hedge,T (1999) Writing 11th Edition Oxford: O.U.P 16 Kelly L.G (1969), Centuries of Language Teaching, 500B.C, Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House Publishers 17 Marianne C Murcia (1991) Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language Boston: Heinle Publishers) 18 Nunan, David (2003) Practical English language Teaching (1st Ed.) New York: Longman 19 Nyang’au Benard, N (2014) Challenges Students Face in Learning Essay Writing Skills in English Language in Secondary Schools in Manga District, Nyamira County, Kenya [Paper reference 2] 20 O’Malley, J M., & Chamot, A U (1990) Learning strategies in second language acquisition Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom I APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Hello! My name is Le Thi Thu, I am from class TAK15.1, Faculty of Foreign Language at Hung Yen University Technology and Education This survey questionnaire is designed for my study entitled “A study on difficulties and solutions to improve English writing skills for first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” Your answers will be a precious contribution to the success of this research All the information provided by you is for learning purposes only and you can be confident that your identity will not be disclosed in any discussion of data Your answer will help me a lot in the research process Thanks you so much for your help! PART I PERSONAL INFORMATION Fill in the information where appropriate What is your gender? A Male B Female What is your class? …………… What is your age? ………………… How long have you been studying English? …… years PART II STUDENT'S ATTITUDE TOWARD LEARNING ENGLISH WRITING SKILL AT UTEHY How important is English writing? a Very important b Important c Slightly important d Not important The following statements regarding attitudes to learning English writing skill? Iterm Strongly agree Agree No opinion disagree Strongly disagree II Writing is the most difficult subject Writing help me develop easy Writing help me revise some more Writing expands vocabulary Writing brushes up my grammar I can learn how to organize a paragraph PART III: THE DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING WRITING ENGLISH SKILL AT UTEHY What are the difficulties often affecting your writing skills? Items Lack of ideas Lack of vocabulary Lack of grammar knowledge Lack of motivation Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree III The influence of mother tongue Inappropriate teaching method What difficulties you face in Pre-writing stage? Items Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree Uninteresting and ambiguous topics Lack of words Lack of background knowledge Difficulty in generating ideas What difficulties you face in Post-writing stage? Items Correcting your writing on your own Getting feedback and assessment from your lecturers Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree IV Doing homework without lecturers' and classmates' support Time pressure PART IV: SOME SUGGESSTED SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE LEARNING ENGLISH WRITING SKILL 10 What are some suggested solutions related to writing to improve your students' English writing skills? Strongly Items agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree Enhance vocabulary and void spelling mistakes Improve grammar and structures Outline your writing Read carefully Spend time on analyzing the writing you admire Practice in the classroom 11 What are some suggested solutions related to doing you face in the Pre-writing stage? Items Strongly agree Practice reading more Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree V Define the purpose of the article See sample articles Use the phrase idioms Focus on ideas Others 12 What are some suggestions for improvement post- writing stage? Items After my teacher gives the writing back to me with the grade, I see unexpected new mistakes I check the content and organization of my writing and revise them accordingly Proofread for spelling, vocabulary, grammar (checklist) Edit your paper (peerediting, post-teacher editing) Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree VI APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LECTURERS Hello! My name is Le Thi Thu, I am from class TAK15.1, Faculty of Foreign Language at Hung Yen University Technology and Education This survey questionnaire is designed for my study entitled “A study on difficulties and solutions to improve English writing skill for first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” Your answers will be a precious contribution to the success of this research All the information provided by you is for learning purposes only and you can be confident that your identity will not be disclosed in any discussion of data Your answer will help me a lot in the research process Thanks you so much for your help! PART I PERSONAL INFORMATION Fill in the information where appropriate What is your gender? A Male B Female What is your age? ………………… How long have you been studying English? …… years PART II THE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE: How important is English writing? a Very important b Important c Slightly important d Not important The following statements regarding attitudes to teaching English writing skill? Item Writing is the most difficult subject Strongly agree Agree No opinion disagree Strongly disagree VII Writing help me develop esay Writing help me revise some more Writing expands vocabulary Writing brushes up my grammar I can learn how to organize a paragraph What are the difficulties often you affecting your students learning writing skills? Items Strongly agree Agree No opinion Lack of ideas Lack of vocabulary Lack of grammar knowledge Lack of motivation The influence of mother tongue Inappropriate teaching method What difficulties you face teaching in Pre-writing stage? Disagree Strongly disagree VIII Items Strongly Agree agree No Disagree opinion Strongly disagree Build sub-skills ( topic, vocabulary, grammar, discourse.ect) Associograms/brainstorming prompts (Images, music, realia) Analytical skills What difficulties you face teaching in Post-writing stage? Items Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree Correct errors for students Review and evaluation Assign homework to students Sharing and comparing What are some suggested solutions related to writing to improve your lecturers English writing skills? IX Items Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree Enhance vocabulary and void spelling mistakes Improve grammar and structures Outline your writing Read carefully Spend time on analyzing the writing you admire Practice in the classroom 10 What are some suggested solutions related to doing lecturers face in the Pre-writing stage? Items Strongly agree Take advantage of the useful information learnt in previous lessons Organize students into pairs or groups to discuss and generate words and ideas Give out a model and ask students to imitate the structure and language Help students outline and plan their writing Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree X Others 11 What are some suggested solutions related to doing lecturers face in the Post-writing stage? Items Strongly agree Ask students to peer correction Check the writing of one or two students with the whole class and comment on common mistakes Take students' writing notebooks home to correct individual's Others Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree