VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOIUNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONALSTUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES wlles NGUYEN THI THANH HONG USING CREATIVE ACTIVITIES IN TEACHING ENGL
INTRODUCTION - - ng, 1 1.1 Rationale for the Study - c3 1E 21011311 3 11 E911 19111 1 ng ng re 1 1.2 Aims and objectives of the Study . - S1 +13 vn ren 2 1.3 Research QuestiOns cece cesescscesecssecsecseeesecseecsscesecsecseesseseseseseseaeeneee 2 1.4 Scope Of the SEUỦY G11 HH HH tư 2 1.5 Method of the study Ăn nh ng ng tr 3 1.6 Significance of the StUdY 1
LITERATURE REVIEẨW HH HH hệ, 5 2.1 €rùv 0v 2
Definitions Of grammMal s5 + 1 E811 E93 E911 11 E91 vn ng rry 5 2.1.2 Definition Of COImD€f€TCC - 5G E119 E91 vn ng ng nưy 5 2.1.3 Grammatical cOmp€f€IC€ ¿- ô1x TH nh ng tư rưệt 6 2.1.4 Assessing grammatical COMpeteNCe ¿5 + + s*vsseceeeesee 6 2.2 Brief overview of grammar teaching approaches ôô+-sô++s 7 2.2.1 The traditional method: Grammar-translation method - 7 2.2.2 The role of grammar in language teaching . -sô ô++sô<ss++s+2 9 2.3 Review of the previous Studies - - G11 HH ng rưy 15 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ng ngư, 18
Defining the term "grammar" is actually a challenge as it has been defined in various ways by different linguists According to Penny Ur (1988: 4), grammar may be roughly defined as the way a language manipulates and combines words to form longer units of meaning Grammar is a field of linguistics that involves all the various things that make up the rules of language David Nunan (1998) in his work once defined grammar as "a set of rules specifying the correct ordering words at the sentence level" Richards, Platt and Platt (1992: 161, Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Linguistics) define grammar as "the description of the structure of a language and how linguistic units as the words and phrases are combined to produce sentences in the language It usually takes into account the meanings and functions these sentences have in the overall of the language It may or may not include the description of the sounds of a language." The definition shows that grammar implies both meanings and functions and includes both its linguistic and social nature This can be considered as the most appropriate concept of grammar to teaching in the current era of language teaching.
Competence is an ability acquired by someone to do great results in his work. However, several experts define the term competence in different ways.
Mulyasa (2004) states that competence is the combination of knowledge,skills, values, and behavior reflected in habits of thinking and action It also includes the elements of understanding, attitude, and interest (Gordon, 2009).Similarly, Sinamo (2010) claims that competence is the process of getting knowledge and skills to do a certain job in great ways Although there are many views about competence, it should be admitted that someone cannot have competence in any field without getting knowledge, skills, understanding, values, interests, and experience through a learning process Therefore, competence is the ability that consists of knowledge, skills, understanding, values, interests, and attitudes acquired through education.
Linguistic scholars claim that grammatical competence is necessary for language learners to achieve communicative competence In several models of communicative competence, it is included as the prominent element Due to the importance of grammatical competence, grammar lesson remains an important issue in language learning and prominent in foreign language coursebooks and classroom practices (Ur, 2011) However, scholars have different views about the concept of grammatical competence Skehan (1998) defines grammatical competence as the language users' knowledge about the structure of the language On the other hand, grammatical competence is defined as the knowledge about the structure of a language including phonology, lexicon, syntax, semantics, and the ability to practice that knowledge for communicative purposes (Bachman, 1990; Canale & Swain, 1980; Celce- Murcia et al, 1995; Larsen-Freeman, 2003; Richards, 2006; Sauvignon, 1997).
Assessing grammatical competence is done to measure the improvement of students’ grammatical competence.
Assessing grammar is different from testing grammar although testing is a part of assessment (Brown, 2004) Assessing grammar can be done by observing the students" language when they get involved in asking and giving questions,discussions, dialogues and other kinds of communication In addition, it also can be done although the students do not realize it Meanwhile, in testing, the students know that they are going to be assessed so they will prepare themselves well for the test In preparing the test, teachers need to consider several aspects such as practicality, duration, validity, and reliability (Brown, 2004) In measuring students’ grammatical competence in communication processes, particularly in spoken language, teachers do not need to do it in a grammar testing form since it does not look natural since students will prepare themselves only for the test However, assessing students" grammatical competence is not a simple activity Teachers also need to have a guidance or rubric One of the rubrics that can be used to measure students grammatical competence is the spoken grammar test rubric proposed by Thornbury (1999) which involves the aspects of fluency, complexity and accuracy. The aspect of complexity is divided into two types namely: syntactic complexity and vocabulary range The aspect of accuracy is also divided into two types namely: pronunciation and grammar Each aspect has a range score from 1-5 (1 is described as very poor, 2 is described as poor, 3 is described as average, 4 is described as high, and 5 is described as very high) The rubric of the spoken grammar test proposed by Thornbury (1999) is more sufficient for assessing spoken grammar than other rubrics since its elements focus on the structure of the language. Meanwhile, the other kinds of rubrics mostly focus on the aspects of speaking skills. Therefore, grammatical competence does not get the main priority.
2.2 Brief overview of grammar teaching approaches
In the last over one hundred years, language teaching methodology has changed a lot with the development of many different methods and approaches to grammar teaching.
2.2.1 The traditional method: Grammar-translation method
This method is commonly referred to as the traditional method of foreign language teaching It has been applied in teaching foreign languages all over the world for a long time and it is still widely used in teaching English by Vietnamese teachers at schools English centers even in colleges and universities The goal of this method is to help students be able to read literature written in the target language To do this, students need to learn the grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language. a Characteristics of grammar-translation methodAlthough it has some variations, this method has the following characteristics:Classes are taught in the mother tongue with little active use of the target language;
Much vocabulary is taught in the form of a list of isolated words with equivalents in the mother tongue; Teachers explain grammar rules with examples; Grammar provides the rules for putting words together and instruction often on the form and inflection of words; Reading of difficult texts is begun early; Little attention is paid to the content of texts which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis; Often the only drills are exercises in translating disconnected sentences from the target language into the mother tongue; Little or no attention is given to pronunciation. (Prator and Celce-Murcia, 1979:3) b The grammar-translation method and English grammar teaching at a lower secondary school in Hai Phong
Although the grammar-translation method is not popularly used anymore in many countries in the world, it is still very popular in Vietnam, especially in teaching grammar At the researcher’ school, most teachers have used this method in many grammar lessons There are some reasons to support this choice: Students are not majoring in English, so they can not understand the lesson if the teacher uses English all the time There are very few students at this proficiency level who can understand but this leads to most students" difficulty in catching up and the teacher has to repeat the explanation many times As a result, the pace of teaching is slowed down and the teacher cannot cover the materials as planned Moreover, the conditions of learning at my secondary school are very poor while the number of students is usually great, so the grammar-translation method seems to be a good method However, it is not a good and effective method because it does not satisfy the students’ purpose of English learning, which is to use English for communication Of course, the grammar-translation method can help students understand and memorize a lot of grammar rules but knowing a lot of vocabulary and grammar rules does not mean that the learners can automatically use the target language for communication.
To be able to use the learned grammar rules for communication, students must be offered opportunities to practice them and the first suitable place for this practice is the classroom itself Another point is the classroom atmosphere The atmosphere of a traditional method class is too passive and boring for the students As a teacher of English, the researcher always thinks of another suitable method to teach grammar to the students.
2.2.2 The role of grammar in language teaching
“Grammar is the body of empirical rules which explain and regulates the structures of the sentences.” (Gordon) This is an approach aiming at providing learners with grammatical competence Direct instruction and modeling of grammar is part of a balanced literacy framework Students need multiple and various exposures to correct grammar in order to achieve at high levels in every classroom. a, Characteristics of grammar teaching
Grammar is the theory underlying a language and the study of how words are arranged into sentences according to predetermined guidelines Latin grammar served as the foundation for the development and writing of English grammar. There are grammatical norms specific to each grammar One important aspect of language that determines how words relate to one another is grammar Grammar is the way that a language's facts and rules are presented They are categorized and expressed as broad guidelines Grammar is similar to manners and table manners in speaking and writing a language; it does not have set norms A language's peculiarities and characteristics are found in its grammar It was created to lay out the guidelines and standards that writers and presenters must adhere to Semantics, syntax, morphology, and phonology make up the grammar system Grammar is the means by which we communicate our thoughts and emotions to one another It's the language conventions or etiquette that are applied during a conversation It is the area of linguistic science that deals with language analysis The formal structure used to arrange words in a language is known as grammar. b The role of the teacher and students in a grammar classTeacher are just guides because grammar deals with the memorization of rules, manipulation of rules, manipulation of the morphology, and syntax of the foreign language It requires few specialized skills on the part of teachers because test of grammar rules and translation are easy to construct and be objectively scrod. The facilitator main function is that of observation rather than corrective intervention in regards to the learners Students are expected to memories endless list of grammar rules and vocabulary, and produce almost perfect exercises This method means a tedious experience and often creates frustration for students Main activities and controls are started by the students, he or she is the one who provides the course of the learning process and the status of knowledge as well The teacher should allow students to be independent in their activities.
In short, the teacher's role is that of a helper, a facilitator and an organizer, not a dictator. c The Implementation of CLT Method in Teaching Grammar The learning process occurs through memorization drilling exercises When students want to use in real life conversation, it is found that they are not able to speak in the target language, so the learning becomes purpose less to a large extent.
On the other hand, using creative techniques and providing plenty of opportunity to practice in real situations, which encourage them communicate their heeds, ideas and opinions, will enable them to operate grammar effectively in the real world, so the importance of communicative and creative activities is essential for learning grammar These types of activities show some features with Communicative Language Teaching Method In Diane Larsen Fremum (2004:121) Widow Son's theory of communicative performance referred to aspect of communicative performance: the ability to produce correct sentences and the ability to use the knowledge of the rules for effective communication That is to be able to communicate requires more than mastering linguistic structures Again Haliday had talked about seven functions of language (instrumental, personal, interactional, regulatory representational, heuristic and imaginative) which are effective for learning grammatical forms, because grammar is learned through the activities in a communicative and interesting way Students can learn to communicate meaningfully in a target language through different creative activities.
10 d The CLA and teaching English grammar at a lower secondary school
Communicative grammar teaching is based on the principles of the communicative language teaching approach, CLT, to second foreign language teaching It focuses on the structures which should be taught in an integrated way with the four skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing Atkins, Ailon, and Nura ( 1995: 86) state that communicative grammar teaching seems to supply a reasonable, authentic and vivid contexts and situations in which new language can be presented and application of rules can be established through motivating exercise, tasks that will help learners to expand knowledge of use inductively; certain clear explanation regarding how the elements of the regarding system work; leading in where necessary to assist students recognize that rules are not inflexible, but may be true most of the time, a due attention on that change in grammatical structures create meaning changes, and chances for the learners to use language for actual communication purposes such as well Dickins and Woods (1988) and Ellis (2002) state that the teaching of grammar should not be at the sentence level only, but should also presented at the discourse level The objective of the development of communicative grammatical competence is to use a structure of a language in a variety of situation spontaneously The communicative approach goes beyond the presentation and development of linguistic studies as the only means of developing communicative ability.
However, at a lower secondary school, almost all the teachers apply the traditional method when teaching grammar, although they know that it is no longer an appropriate method because of the following difficulties: The first is the condition of learning To make use of the different kinds of activities required by CLA, we need proper classes: the classrooms are large enough and easy to move around when carrying out activities and the number of students should not be too large, teaching aids are available and so on At the researcher’s school, the number of students is often 45 or 46 students Another problem is the overloaded syllabus at a secondary school The 9"" grade English textbooks are designed for 105 periods according to the
I1 regulations of the 2018 general education program Actual teaching design: 12 units x
7 periods = 84; in addition, there are 4 reviews and | test in each period) As a result, teachers do not have enough time to have students do different communicative activities using the grammar points they have learned for communication as well as bring their own experiences and feelings to the learning context. e Some of the creative activities in the research Several activities were planned and the purpose was to introduce students to CLT methods supported by theory The exercises were created to let students write with focus and direction, to develop their ideas and descriptions, and to apply grammar rules in a fun way.
1, Activity 1: Remembering English Grammar and Structures
Participant 7
The study's participants constituted a critical aspect of the research's fabric.
These participants include 45 students in ọn grade at a lower secondary school in
Hai Phong The students came from diverse family backgrounds within the city As gathered from preliminary data, the majority of these students were engaging with the English language primarily as part of their academic curriculum, with limited exposure to English outside of their school environment Furthermore, it was observed that the students' English proficiency was relatively similar due to their similar exposure to English learning environment Even though they all have studied English for a long time, they all seemed bored with this subject, especially their grammar lectures Students always think it is a mandatory subject, however, they also want an interesting and attractive learning method to stimulate their learning motivation, especially to improve their English level to prepare for the upcoming important exam.
To explore how creative activities affect the grammar competence of 9" graders in a lower secondary school, the researcher utilized specific data collection tools-namely, pre-test, post-test, and a questionnaire These instruments were carefully selected to align with the research goals and offer a thorough understanding of grammar competence improvement through creative activities.
3.6.1 Pre-test and post-test
To comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of the action research intervention, the study employed pre-test and post-test assessments tailored to the students' specific developmental stages These assessments were carefully crafted to quantitatively measure their grammatical competence both before and following the conclusion of the action research cycles This section analyzed deep into the structural aspects of these assessments, including their content, format, and methods
29 of administration By presenting a holistic view of these evaluation instruments, the research methodology was further highlighted for its reliability and rigor.
The purpose of both the pre-test and post-test was to quantitatively evaluate the grammatical competence of ọn grade students before and after the action research intervention with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of the intervention.
Regarding the content of the tests, the pre-test and post-test had the same level but different contents (See in the Appendix 2) Employing different content in the pre-test and post-test was crucial to ensure the validity and reliability of assessments in an educational context This approach helped circumvent issues such as practice effects and test-retest biases, ensuring that the post-test genuinely reflected participants’ learning or skill development By introducing novel content in the post-test, the risk of participants recalling specific items from the pre-test was minimized, promoting a more accurate evaluation of their knowledge or abilities. Moreover, varying content encouraged a broader understanding of the subject matter, facilitated the generalization of learned concepts, and provided a more comprehensive view of participants’ overall performance Additionally, this strategy minimized boredom, and fatigue, and enhanced the learning experience, making the assessment process both rigorous and educational.
To derive meaningful insights, the predetermined scoring rubric was employed to assess and score each student's performance on both the pre-test and post-test.
Questionnaires have proven to be invaluable tools in second language research, and their role in this study was paramount for assessing the attitudes of 9th grade students towards the application of creative activities to enhance their grammatical competence.
According to Dửrnyei (2003), questionnaires were widely recognized as reliable and valid research instruments Questionnaires were defined as text-based instruments that provided participants with a structured set of questions and statements to respond to. This could be achieved by indicating their response through various means, such as marking on paper or online, writing a number, or checking a box (Brown, 2001).
In the context of this research, questionnaires emerged as the instrument of choice for several compelling reasons First and foremost, questionnaires enabled the structured and standardized collection of data from the study's focal group, which, in this case, consisted of 9th grade students This structured approach ensured that the attitudes of these young participants towards the creative activities were accurately captured.
The questionnaire designed for this research is structured to elicit insights into two primary aspects: the students’ perceived enhancements in grammar teaching and their attitudes regarding the effectiveness of the creative activities, including pre- questionnaire and post-questionnaire The pre-questionnaire was designed with 8 questions to get information about the students’ beliefs and attitudes toward the traditional grammatical teaching The results of this questionnaire are provided to the researcher the problems encountered by 9” grade students at the lower secondary school in learning English grammar The post-questionnaire was expected to explore the changes in student's attitudes towards the new approach to grammar teaching, comprising 12 questions, and students were asked to indicate their responses using a Likert scale that ranged from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."
In the context of working, the teacher and researcher verbally explained each question to the students in simple and age-appropriate language They ensured that the students comprehended the concepts before moving forward Once the students indicated their answers, the teacher and researcher double-checked with the students to confirm their choices, making sure the responses were correctly recorded In this process, personal interaction and encouragement were key The teacher and researcher provided positive reinforcement, praised the students for their participation, and created an enjoyable experience.
The administration and data collection for the questionnaires were undertaken by the researcher herself This direct involvement ensured consistency and control in the data collection process The researcher imparted clear instructions and guidelines to the participants to ensure uniformity in their responses The data gathered through these questionnaires served as a pivotal element in addressing the research objective.
The research procedure is organized in chronological order The data collection was conducted for 8 weeks.
Step 1: The researcher sought permission to conduct research on teaching grammar through creative activities with the principal and school board Data was collected from a questionnaire and pre-test, with ninth-grade students in Hai Phong taking a 30-minute grammar test.
Step 2: Utilizing the creative activities, practice teaching grammar in English To be more precise, the author based her grammatical lessons on the Tieng Anh Thi Diem 9 textbook Units 8, 9, 10, and 11 She also included games and other CLA activities that required students to work in groups or pairs One student may, for instance, supply a sentence, and the other would have to quickly create a conditional sentence that matched the given sentence To aid in data analysis, the implementation process was constantly monitored, and thorough documentation was kept The main focus of this study was the effect of the creative activities on improving the students’ grammar proficiency.
Step 3: Upon the completion of the eight-week intervention, post-test data were collected The contents of post-tests are different from those of pre-tests, but they have the same number of items Similar to the pre-test, the students were scored.
Step 4: Collecting data from post-questionnaires During the grammar lessons with the application of CLA, the researcher and her colleagues delivered the questionnaire to choose the options provided to 9A1 students When delivering the questionnaire to students, the researcher explained the purpose of the study and then instructed them to answer the items Students had at least 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire They were also informed that their answers were kept secret and did not affect their marks in the test so that they could feel comfortable completing the questionnaire To ensure comprehension, the questionnaire items were deliberately read aloud in English at a slow pace Subsequently, each item was carefully translated into Vietnamese This methodology was employed to enable the students to
32 comfortably respond to the test by either ticking or providing answers The aim of the questionnaire is to identify the students’ feedback and comments on CLA.
Data collection pFOC€(UTCS - 6 6 11119 9 11v ng ng ng cưy 32 3.8 Data analysis methods: data analysis quantitative methods
This chapter presented the findings and discussion of the study The collected results from tests and questionnaires are provided and discussed The analysis of the data collected from the different instruments above were presented, described and tabulated so that the researcher answers clearly the research questions.
4.1.1 Data analysis of pre-questionnaire
As aforementioned, a set of questions was conducted to know the problems faced by students when learning English grammar Their responses help the researcher affirm the findings of this research.
Question I: What role do you think grammar plays in your English learning?
To explore the goals for grammar learning, the questionnaire provided the most popular options of most EFL learners in their purposes to learn English.
50% | better ằ for being confident in 40% | communicating in
Figure 1: Student's goals for learning grammar The figures reveal that the students are fully aware of the roles of grammar in their language learning 85% of participants believe that grammar helps them to get a good result in English writing exams, meanwhile more than half of them
(52%) think that grammar can be useful for them in their speaking and listening skills and better communication in English In addition, a large number of the students (78%) indicate that grammar is also necessary for reading
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
DISCUSSIOTI Q9 HT HH nh Ti 55 1 The effectiveness of adopting CLA in grammar teaching for 9" students
The analysis of different data proved that the implementation of CLA in learning English grammar had a considerably positive effect on students grammatical competence of 9" students at the lower secondary school Besides,
CLA had a positive impact on students’ attitudes on learning English grammar after learning English grammar with CLA.
4.2.1 The effectiveness of adopting CLA in grammar teaching for 9" students at a lower secondary school in Hai Phong
Based on the collected data from the tests conducted in this study, the effectiveness of adopting creative activities in grammar teaching for 9° grade students at a lower secondary school can be assessed The average mean scores of the post-tests indicate an improvement in students’ grammatical competence after implementing the creative activities In cycle 1, the overall mean score of the post- test was 7.17, while in cycle 2, it significantly increased to 7.98 This difference of 0.81 points between the two cycles demonstrates the positive impact of the creative activities on students' grammar performance The implementation of the creative activities resulted in a notable improvement in the students’ ability to understand and use grammar structures effectively.
These findings align with previous studies conducted internationally and in Vietnam Research by scholars such as Larsen-Freeman (2000) and Ellis (2003) has highlighted the benefits of communicative language teaching methods, emphasizing the importance of integrating meaningful creative activities into grammar instruction Vietnamese studies, such as the research conducted by
Nguyen (2017) and Tran (2019), have also supported the effectiveness of the creative activities in enhancing students' grammatical competence.
By adopting creative activities in grammar teaching, students were able to engage in interactive and authentic language use, which enhanced their comprehension and application of grammar structures The creative activities provided opportunities for students to practice grammar in real-life contexts, enabling them to develop their communicative competence alongside their grammatical competence The positive results observed in this study support the effectiveness of the creative activities in improving 9" grade students' grammatical competence The findings highlight the significance of integrating creative activities and promoting meaningful communication in grammar instruction By focusing on communicative competence, students not only improved their grammar skills but also developed the ability to use English effectively in various real-world situations.
In conclusion, the adoption of creative activities in grammar teaching for 9° grade students at lower secondary school has proven to be effective in enhancing their grammatical competence The findings from this study align with previous international and Vietnamese research, confirming the positive impact of the creative activities By promoting meaningful communication and integrating authentic language use, the creative activities serve the aims and objectives of this thesis, addressing the problems encountered by students, improving their grammatical competence and fostering positive attitudes towards learning English grammar.
4.2.2 The attitude of students while learning English grammar throughCLA
From the students’ responses to the twelve questions, we can conclude that students have positive attitudes and better results in learning English grammar with CLA.
More specifically, 100% percent want to learn English grammar with CLA in the future and I think that I can learn English grammar better 96% verified that they can improve my grammatical competence after implementing CLA Besides, 96% of students also agree and strongly agree that they learn grammar faster and
56 are able to use grammar structures accurately Among 45 students, 76% confirmed that they can even learn grammar when they read and hear it spoken in the grammar class although their teachers show them the grammar structures As of result, 74% of the students believe that they can understand well the grammar structures Interestingly, up to 94% of students are interested in learning English grammar with CLA in terms of learning grammar structures and 80% feel more motivated to learn English Grammar after implementing CLA.
In summary, the post-questionnaires help to research to reconfirm again the tests taken by the students Students love to learn English grammar with CLA and their grammatical competence improved respectively.
It can be seen that data from three data collection instruments (pre-test, post-test, and questionnaires) were analyzed carefully in this chapter Data from questionnaire responses were analyzed quantitatively and frequencies and percentages were calculated straight away for all questionnaire items Besides, the information collected from student interviews was also analyzed qualitatively to support the ideas of the research Moreover, the researcher took advantage of the software Microsoft Excel to calculate the mean scores, and p-values in the two pre- tests and post-test The results of data analysis help the researcher answer the research questions As perceived by students and teachers, applying CLA in teaching English grammar improved considerably the 9" graders’ grammar competence and enabled students to possess more positive attitudes toward learning English grammar As of result, they want to have the CLA more and more in learning English grammar in future on their grammar lessons.
CONCLUSION - Q LH, 58 bỡ SN vỡ 0ù on ae 58 5.2 Concluding remarks - - ô+ + St E9 911 11 91 vn ng 59
Chapter 5 provides a comprehensive overview of the study, including a recapitulation of the main points, concluding remarks, pedagogical implications, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future studies This chapter brings together the findings and discussions from earlier chapters and presents a final analysis and interpretation of the research It aims to summarize the key findings, highlight their significance, and offer practical implications for educators, administrators, researchers, and students Additionally, this chapter acknowledges the limitations of the study and suggests areas for further investigation By examining the research in its entirety, the conclusion provides a comprehensive understanding of the study's outcomes and their broader implications.
This paper is under investigation as to whether the CLA could enhance grammar or not 45 students in 9" grade participated in the research for 8 weeks in a class chosen by the researcher First, 45 students were invited to participate in answering pre-question order to clarify their difficulties in learning English grammar with the traditional teaching method Next, all the participants were required to take the pre-test to investigate their input of grammar ability at the beginning before implementing CLA in the research.
The students were guided and taught to learn grammar skills through applying CLA for 8 weeks All assignments were completed by the second term's sections from the English textbooks for ninth graders After the treatment, 45 participants were instructed to take the post-test, post-test and the grammar ability of the students was compared with the result of the pre-test to examine changes as output. Furthermore, the questionnaire was delivered to investigate more about the improvement of grammar skills and the attitude of the students toward using CLA in grammar lessons Data collected from tests, questionnaires, and interview responses of the students were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed to draw findings offering the answers to the questions and meeting the aims of the study.
The results of the study show that most students’ grammatical competence was improved considerably and students had positive attitudes towards using CLA in learning grammar.
This study was conducted with the 9" graders at lower secondary schools to find out whether CLA can help students improve their grammatical competence or not and their attitudes toward it Based on the collected and analyzed data, some important conclusions could be drawn as follows.
Regarding the first research question, the results from the pre-test and post-test indicate that the 9" graders at this secondary showed higher scores in the post-test than the pre-test Therefore, the result showed that CLA enhanced students’ grammar ability In addition, the results from students’ questionnaires and interviews also proved that students enhanced grammatical competence such as increasing confidence, motivation, reducing anxiety, communicative ability, and creation Besides, learners emphasized that they improved all elements of grammatical competence including vocabulary, speaking, fluency, comprehension, and pronunciation.
Regarding the second research question, the results from the students’ questionnaire showed learners’ positive attitudes toward using CLA in grammar lessons First and foremost, most learners were interested in participating in project activities and they also felt excited when using CLA in grammar lessons As a result, students were very enjoyable in learning grammar, so they usually took part in CLA enthusiastically Moreover, all students expressed strongly their desire to have more CLA in the future Besides, from the result of the interview, learners showed they liked project activities involving working in groups, presentations, and gathering information Finally, learners had positive attitudes toward teachers" roles in CLA They thought a teacher was an important factor in their successful projects, thereby learners needed their teachers as guides, facilitators, and consultants.
This small study hopes to raise its voice by saying that teachers should be creative and flexible, based on the different content of each lesson, the student's level, the student's learning needs, and particular grammatical items to choose the best and most effective teaching method to best motivate students in their learning.
Improving teacher's knowledge and opinion of CLA
To be successful in integrating approaches, teachers of course must have good knowledge of all or almost all approaches, not only the traditional approach First of all, there must be a change in teacher's beliefs and opinions on the teaching approach. The idea suggests that teachers should not be afraid of trying new things, because the things that we would not think to work would turn out to be successful if we tried to adapt them creatively Moreover, a teacher should not try to sweep away the old thing, according to her, and pursue something new that is hardly adaptable to her teaching context.
Enhancing and varying teacher's roles in teaching
Teacher's roles are related ultimately to assumptions about language and language learning at the level of approach Some methods are dependent on the teacher as a source of knowledge and direction; others see the teacher's role as a catalyst, consultant, guide, and model for learning, still, others try to "teacher-proof" the instructional system by limiting teacher initiative and by building instructional content and directions into text and lesson plans.
The role of the teacher will ultimately reflect both the objective of the method and the learning theory on which the method is predicated, since the success of a method may depend on the degree to which the teacher can provide the content or create the conditions for successful language learning Therefore, to get the best learning and teaching effectiveness, as well as better interaction between teacher and learners, the teacher should master many different roles in teaching and play suitable roles for the applied method.
Despite achieving the research aims, this study is not without limitations.
Firstly, the sample of this study was limited to 9” grade students in only one class (45 students) at a secondary school in Hai Phong The generality is limited. Therefore, generalization of the results should be made with caution.
Secondly, the study specifically focused on the effectiveness of Creative activities in enhancing the grammatical competence of students, other skills such as listening, reading and writing were not mentioned.
Even though this study showed a beneficial effect on lower secondary school students’ grammatical proficiency, more research is required to fully understand this topic.
To begin with, this study only involved 9° grade students in a class, so investigating the effects of Creative activities on students at other classes and at different levels would be beneficial.
Furthermore, this study focused solely on the effects of Creative activities on grammatical competence, but it would be worthwhile to explore its effects on other language skills such as listening, reading, and writing.
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