Applying cooperative learning principles to the teaching of English speaking skills in large classes = Ứng dụng các nguyên lý học hợp tác vào việc dạy kỹ năng n

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES --- NGUYỄN THỊ XUÂN HƯƠNG APPLYING COOPERATIVE LEARNING PRINCI

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

-

NGUYỄN THỊ XUÂN HƯƠNG

APPLYING COOPERATIVE LEARNING PRINCIPLES TO THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS

IN LARGE CLASSES

ỨNG DỤNG CÁC NGUYÊN LÝ HỌC HỢP TÁC VÀO VIỆC DẠY

KỸ NĂNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH CHO CÁC LỚP ĐÔNG

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10

Hanoi - 2012

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

-

NGUYỄN THỊ XUÂN HƯƠNG

APPLYING COOPERATIVE LEARNING PRINCIPLES TO THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS

IN LARGE CLASSES

ỨNG DỤNG CÁC NGUYÊN LÝ HỌC HỢP TÁC VÀO VIỆC DẠY

KỸ NĂNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH CHO CÁC LỚP ĐÔNG

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10

Supervisor: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, M.A

Hanoi - 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION………

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……… ………

ABSTRACT………

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………

LIST OF TABLES………

i ii iii iv v PART A: INTRODUCTION……… 1

1 Rationale for the study……… 1

2 Objectives of the study……… 2

3 Scopes of the study……… 2

4 Research questions……… 2

5 Method of the study……… 2

6 Organization of the study……… 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT……… 4

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND……… 4

1.1 Speaking skills……… 4

1.2 Large classes……… 5

1.2.1 Definitions……… 5

1.2.2 Advantages of large classes……… 5

1.2.3 Disadvantages of large classes……… 6

1.2.4 Teaching speaking skills to large classes……… 7

1.2.5 Key aspects effective for large class management……… 7

1.3 Cooperative learning (CL)……… ………… 10

1.3.1 Definitions of CL……… 10

1.3.2 Principles of CL……… 11

1.3.3 Benefits of CL……… 13

1.4 Cooperative Language Learning……… 14

1.4.1 Goals of CLL……… 15

1.4.2 Advantages of CLL……… 15

1.4.3 Disadvantages of CLL……… 16

1.4.4 Main differences between CLL and traditional method……… 16

1.5 Application of CL principles in teaching English speaking skills to large classes………

18 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY……… 22

2.1 Current situation of teaching and learning speaking skills at VIMARU………

22 2.2 Research questions……… 22

2.3 Research methods……… 22

2.4 Subjects of the study……… 25

2.5 Data collection instruments……… 25

2.5.1 Classroom observation……… 25

2.5.2 Students’ journals……… 26

2.5.3 Informal interviews……… 26

2.5.4 Questionnaires……… 26

2.5.5 Speaking tests……… 27

2.6 Data analysis procedure……… 27

CHAPTER 3: DATA FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION……… 28

3.1 Difficulties affecting teaching of English speaking skills to large classes at VIMARU……….………

28 3.1.1 Insufficient time for giving instructions and checking……… 28

3.1.2 Challenges in maintaining the class’ discipline……… 28

3.2 The benefits of the application of CL principles in teaching English speaking skills to large classes at VIMARU……… ………

3.2.1 Enhancing students’ participation………

3.2.2 Changes in nature of participation………

3.2.3 Improvement in speaking skills………

3.2.4 Improvement in social skills………

3.2.5 Improving collaborative skills………

3.2.6 A solution to the problem of mixed-ability students………

3.2.7 Less time-consuming………

3.2.8 Improving independent working………

29

29

29

30

32

34

35

35

36

36

36

36

3.2.9 Preventing social loafing phenomena ………

3.2.10 Reducing the teacher from hard workload ………

CHAPTER 4: IMPLICATIONS……… 37

4.1 CL implementation plan……… 37

4.1.1 CL group structuring……… 37

4.1.2 Classroom arrangment……… 37

4.1.3 CL atmosphere……… 38

4.2 Difficulties in CL application……… 38

4.3 The teacher’s role in a CL speaking lesson……… 38

PART C: CONCLUSION……… 39

1 Conclusion……… 39

2 Recommendation……… 39

3 Limitations of the study……… 39

4 Suggestions for furtherstudy……… ……… 40

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

The current English language teaching and learning context in Vietnam shows that the demand for English learning is very great As a result, English classes at schools and universities are large in number of students However, the teaching of speaking skill encounters many difficulties due to large class size as well as lacks

of appropriate methods, teaching aids, insufficient time, unmotivated students,… The choice of this study was made in an attempt to solve the problems the researcher faced after three years of working as a teacher of English at VIMARU She finds herself unable to manage large classes effectively especially during speaking lessons because of the following reasons First, most of students of VIMARU had learned English in difficult conditions before they entered the university, so their motivation was low Secondly, their levels of proficiency are low especially in speaking skills This made them unwilling to speak English in the classroom To make matter worse, the number of students in each class is usually over 60 and even 90 which is too difficult for the teacher to keep the class

in good discipline

One of the teachers’ concern is, therefore, how to help the students to speak English better by participating more actively in speaking activities In order to address this concern, the researcher found the suggestion on using cooperative learning seemingly effective After studying the CL principles which are heterogeneous grouping, collaborative skills, group autonomy, simultaneous interaction, equal participation, individual accountability and positive interdependence, the researcher found these applicable to her teaching context as she had long been searching an effective method in teaching speaking skills to large classes Therefore, the researcher decided to carry out a study in order to find out how well students can cooperate with each other to improve their speaking skills and build up confidence On the other hand, it helps overcome the disadvantages while improving the advantages of a large class Most importantly,

it may encourage students to get involved in the speaking lessons and thus, improve their participation in a more conscious way

Many CL programmes have been carried out worldwide and in Vietnam However, few have been done particularly for large classes while this is one of the difficulties the researcher and her colleagues have encountered at VIMARU Accordingly, the researcher of this study would like to conduct an action research project to find out how CL works in her teaching context

Once the study proves the CL works well, it is hoped to be widely recommended and implemented to enhance the students’ participation in speaking lessons and serves as effective way to improve the traditional ways of teaching and at the same time to make the teacher’s job in a large class less hard

2 Objectives of the study

The overall objective of this study is to examines how CL works in a university context where students are studying English as a curriculum subject Particularly, the study was conducted to experiment CL principles in a large class where students’ oral competence was really low to see if CL could help to improve the situation

3 Scope of the study

In this individual research, the researcher will only focus on the effectiveness of applying CL principles in teaching speaking skills to two large classes of first-year Informatics students at VIMARU, 76 of whom were male (57.57%) and 56 female (42.43%) Most of the participants were between 19 and 21 years old who were in their second semester of general English course The speaking activities are selected and adapted the course book New Headway Elementary 3rd edition (Oxford University Press), basing on Spencer Kagan’s CL structures The data collected from classroom observation, informal interviews and questionnaires are then analyzed by the researcher herself

4 Research questions: The study aims at answering the two following questions:

- What are the difficulties of teaching English speaking skills in large

classes at VIMARU?

- To what extend did the application of cooperative learning principles improve English speaking skills of students in large classes at VIMARU?

5 Method of the study: The action research employs both quantitative method

and qualitative method to analyze the collected data During speaking lessons on the basis of CL principles, classroom observation is made to note down the students’ attitude, participation and cooperation in groups, discussion and even conflicts,…The students are also interviewed to clarify their answers in the questionnaires previously done by themselves The collected information, thus, is more reliable and straightforward

6 Organization of the study: The study is divided into three main parts The contents covered in each part are as follows:

- Part A is the introduction which gives the rationale of the study, the objectives, the research questions, the scope, methods and organization of the study

- Part B is the development of the study which comprises 3 chapters Chapter 1 presents the literature reviews of the study Chapter 2 describes the process of implementation of the study such as data collecting and analyzing, findings and research discussing questions Chapter 3 is devoted to pedagogical implications and suggestions for further study

- Part C is the conclusion of the study

PART II CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.1 Speaking skills………

1.2 Large classes………

1.2.1 Definitions………

1.2.2 Advantages of large classes………

1.2.3 Disadvantages of large classes………

1.2.4 Teaching speaking skills to large classes………

1.2.5 Key aspects effective for large class management………

1.3 Cooperative learning (CL)……… …………

1.3.1 Definitions of CL………

1.3.2 Principles of CL………

1.3.3 Benefits of CL………

1.4 Cooperative Language Learning………

1.4.1 Goals of CLL………

1.4.2 Advantages of CLL………

1.4.3 Disadvantages of CLL………

1.4.4 Main differences between CLL and traditional method………

1.5 Application of CL principles in teaching English speaking skills to large classes………

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLODY 2.1 Current situation of teaching and learning speaking skills at VIMARU

The teaching and learning of English speaking skills at VIMARU face common problems that most universities with large classes of students do Within a limited time and a large size of students in each class which ranges from 65-80, most teachers find themselves unable to implement efficiently their tasks Besides, it it impossible to carry out individual checks which is essential for evaluating and adjusting their teaching methods and materials To make matter worse, the levels

of proficiency of the students are mixed while it is extremely difficult for the teacher to carry so many teaching plans simultaneously Most students enrolled VIMARU with relatively poor knowledge of English since it is neither their major nor a requirement for university entrance exam This made them more demotivated and disinterested in English in general and in improving their speaking skills in particular

2.2 Reseach questions: the reseacher would like to have an action research

aiming at finding answers to two following questions:

- What are difficulties of teaching English speaking skills to large classes at

VIMARU?

- To what extend did the application of cooperative learning principles improve English speaking skills of students in large classes at VIMARU?

2.3 Reseach methods: Both quantitative method and qualitative method are

employed to analyze the data collected through classroom observation sheets,

students’ journals, questionnaires and informal interviews Procedures this action

research is implemented basing on the 7 steps proposed by Nunan (1992) as follows:

Step 1 Problem identification: From her own experience as a teacher of English

at VIMARU for 3 years, the researcher has found a common problem of all large classes in speaking lessons It is impossible to teach speaking skills to a great number of students at the same time and that group work does not always help to

solve the problem as only one or two better students in a group works and the rest

do nothing Therefore, the assessment is not correct and can not motivate both the

active and the passive ones

Step 2 Preliminary Investigation: The researcher had some informal talks in

class with students to give preliminary insight into perceptions of group work, the activities they wish to perform, the topics to talk about in their speaking lessons to find out what teaching method is most likely to suit them After defining the difficulties encountered when working in groups, which are low, uneven participation among group members and poor cooperation, she then introduced the

CL principles to solve these problems

Step 3 Hypothesis: The researcher conducted classroom observation and had

some discussion with students about the reasons for ineffective learning of speaking skills and group working in order to form the hypothesis of the study basing on the initial data collected: applying CL principles to the teaching of English speaking skills in large classes The research questions then were set up,

followed by the theoretical background for the study

Step 4 Intervention: The intervention was implemented basing on the 7 principles of CL as follows:

a Group structuring: The decision of member grouping was made by the teacher

basing on heterogeneous principle which means a group will consist of both boys and girls of different levels of proficiency and ages There were some students coming from rural areas and others from big cities whose abilities were different, too The group members discussed the allocation of each role: a speaker, a leader,

a moderator, a note taker whose tasks are relatively equal as it is believed that the

ideal number of students in each group is four

b CL introduction: The students were then made known of the CL definitions,

its 7 principles, how it has been applied in different countries especially in language learning and teaching; and most importantly, how it was going to apply

in their own classes There was a demonstration on how this works, the students