AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY = Nghiên cứu thực trạng sử dụng các hoạt động theo cặp và

ABSTRACT This thesis was carried out to investigate the use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills for the first year English major students at the Faculty of

FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

LANGUAGES, THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

(NGHIÊN CỨU THỰC TRẠNG SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG THEO CẶP

VÀ THEO NHÓM ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KĨ NĂNG NÓI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TẠI KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ,

ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology

Code: 60.14.10

HANOI – 2013

FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

LANGUAGES, THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

(NGHIÊN CỨU THỰC TRẠNG SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG THEO CẶP

VÀ THEO NHÓM ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KĨ NĂNG NÓI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TẠI KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ,

ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology

Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Ms Trần Hiền Lan, M.A

HANOI – 2013

DECLARATION

To the best of my knowledge and belief, this minor thesis contains no material which has previously been submitted and accepted for any other degree in any university The thesis is my own work and based on my own research It involves no material previously published or written by any other person, except where due reference is acknowledged in the paper

Signature: _

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge and thank my supervisor, Ms Tran Hien Lan for her valuable guidance, critical feedback and enormous encouragement, without which my thesis would be far from completion

I am also grateful to all the lecturers of the Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their guidance and enthusiasm during my course

My sincere thanks go to all my colleagues and my students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University

Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my friends who were willing to help

me during the course In particular, I find myself indebted to my family especially my husband and my son for their love, care and tolerance when I was in the process of writing this thesis

ABSTRACT

This thesis was carried out to investigate the use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills for the first year English major students at the Faculty

of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University

Survey questionnaires for teachers and students were employed to find answers to these three questions The findings of the research revealed that pair work and group work were frequently applied in English speaking class with two main activities that students have to master are discussion and role-play The use of pair work and group work activities are also beneficial for both teachers and learners However, there were some problems such as students low proficiency and their passive way of learning styles, which prevent them from taking part in pair work and group work activities Teachers lack time and have to deal with large and multi-level classes in unqualified conditions hindering them a lot in implementing pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking By analyzing and comparing the results of students’ and teachers’ response to questionnaire about pair work and group work activities, the author attempts to shed some light on the effectiveness

of these activities and how to best implement them

TABLE OF CONTENT PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Scope of the study 2

4 Research questions 2

5 Methods of the study 3

6 Design of the study 3

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT

1.1 Communicative Language Teaching 4 1.1.1 Traditional methods of second language teaching 4 1.1.2 Communicative language teaching methods 5 1.2 The communicative learning process 8 1.3 Pair work and group work 9 1.3.1 Definition and description 9 1.3.2 Common pair work and group work oral activities 11 1.3.2.1 Role – play 11 1.3.2.2 Information gap activity 12 1.3.2.3 Problem solving 12 1.3.2.4 Communication games 13 1.3.2.5 Discussion 13 1.3.3 Advantages and disadvantages of using pair work and group work

activities

13

1.3.3.1 Advantages of using pair work and group work activities 13 1.3.3.2 Disadvantages of using pair work and group work activities 15

CHAPTER 2: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY

2.1 Design and Methodology 17 2.1.1 The setting of the study 17 2.1.2 Data collection instrument 18 2.1.3 The Participants 19

2.1.3.1 The students 19 2.1.3.2 The teachers 19 2.2 Presentation and discussion of the results 19 2.2.1 Students’ survey 19 2.2.1.1 Students’ opinions about speaking skills 19 2.2.1.2 Students’ judgments about the use of pair work and group work activities

in English speaking class at FFL – TNU

21

2.2.1.3 Students’ difficulties when working in pairs/ groups 24 2.2.1.4 Students’ desires to learn English speaking skills 25 2.2.2.Teachers’ survey 27 2.2.2.1 Teachers’ opinions on teaching English speaking skills 27 2.2.2.2 Teachers’ opinions about the use of pair work and group work activities

to teach English speaking skills

28

2.2.2.3 Teachers’ current teaching methods of using pair work and group work

activity in using pair work and group work activities in English speaking class

31

2.2.2.4 Teachers’ difficulties in using pair work and group work activities to

teach English speaking skills

34

2.2.2.5 Teachers’ solutions to overcome difficulties in using pair work and

group work activities

36

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 Findings 37 3.1.1 How pair work and group work activities are used at FFL, TNU 37 3.1.2 Difficulties in applying pair work and group work activities 39 3.1.2.1 Students’ difficulties 39 3.1.2.2 Teachers’ difficulties 40 3.1.2.3 Classroom conditions’ difficulties 40 3.2 Recommendations 41

PART 3: CONCLUSION

1 Summary of the study 43

2 Limitations of the study 44

3 Recommendations for further research 44

REFERENCES 45

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

FFL, TNU: Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University

CLT: Communicative Language Teaching

TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

TEFL: Teaching English as Foreign Language

TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1:Students’opinions about speaking skills

Table 2: Students’ judgments about how they like to practise speaking in English speaking class at FFL – TNU

Table 3: Students’ judgments about the frequency of their teachers to organize pair work and group work activities in an English speaking class

Table 4: Students’ judgments about their participation in pair and group work activities in

an English speaking class

Table 5: Students’ judgments about the benefits of pair work and group work activities to their speaking skills

Table 6: Students’ difficulties when working in pairs/ groups

Table 7: Students’ desires to learn English speaking skills via pair work and group work

Table 8: Teachers’ opinions about English speaking skills

Table 9: Teachers’ opinions about the use of pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking skills

Table 10: Teachers’ current teaching methods of using pair work and group work activities

in English speaking class

Table 11: Teachers’ difficulties in using pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking skills

Table 12: Teachers’ solutions to overcome difficulties in using pair work and group work activities

PART I: INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the rationale, aims, scope, research questions, research methods and design of the study

1 Rationale of the study

“Better English, more opportunities” has become a target of most university students in recent years English is a useful means they need for their future career since it equips them with linguistic, social and cultural knowledge and provides them with access

to the modern world in the era of informatics and technology It is used as the official language in many powerful and developed countries Additionally, it is also considered as the means of communication in a number of aspects such as business, education, science, and so on Therefore, English teaching and learning play an important role in social developing policies in a large number of countries throughout the world

In Vietnam, English has been used widely, and becomes the most popular language

in the country Because of our country’s regional and global participation in every aspect, the demand for English speaking people has increased English is also a compulsory subject to be taught and learned at schools and universities With a strategic view to the future, teaching and learning English in recent years are changing There have been several international organizations and projects and teachers who attended TESOL, TEFL, or TESL courses with efforts to introduce and apply new approaches, methodology and techniques to their teaching of English nationwide Methodologically, the methods of English teaching have shifted from traditional grammar translation approach to communicative approach New syllabi, new textbooks which focus on communicative-oriented and learner-centered have been designed Therefore, according to the National Foreign Language Project 2020, teachers of English have to improve their capability of communicating successfully in English Not to be the exception to the trend, teaching English at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University (FFL, TNU) is also the strategic duty of all teachers and students Although communicative language teaching

is the aim to approach, the process to achieve is quite difficult

As a teacher of English at the FFL, TNU, I would like to help my students to master the language and have an ability to communicate confidently in English However,

there still remain some questions that how can we cooperate new approaches with the previous one and how to implement them in class One of the effective ways that I often work with students in our speaking class is pair work and group work From what I have experienced, this kind of activities has created chances for students to talk and communicate with each other in English naturally

For the above reasons, the researcher chose the topic “An investigation into the use

of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skill of the 1st year English major students at FFL, TNU.”

2 Aims of the study

This study aims to:

- Investigate the current situation of using pair work and group work activities in teaching and learning speaking skill at FFL, TNU

- Identify the difficulties for the teachers to apply pair work and group work in the speaking class of 1st year English major students at FFL, TNU

- Give practical recommendations for the use of pair and group work to develop speaking skill for 1st year English major students at FFL, TNU

3 Scope of the study

Teachers can employ a variety of techniques and methods to improve speaking skill

of 1st year students at FFL, TNU However, the researcher only intends to examine the current situation of using pair work and group work in speaking class of 1st year students at FFL, TNU and making some suggestions for improvement Additionally, the study is only limited to the 1st year students at FFL, TNU, therefore, their opinions about pair work and group work may not be representative of all students at FFL, TNU in particular and all students learning English throughout the country in common

4 Research questions

Three research questions are used to find out answers for the use of pair work and group work activities in teaching and learning English speaking skills at FFL, TNU

1 How pair work and group work activities are used to teach the 1st year English major students at FFL, TNU?

2 What difficulties do the teachers cope with in using pair work and group work activities

in the speaking class of the 1st year English major students at FFL, TNU?

3 What suggestions are needed to make pair work and group work activities effective and successful in developing speaking skill for 1st year English major students at FFL, TNU?

5 Methods of the study

To investigate the situation of the study, the researcher conducts survey on the use

of pair work and group work in teaching and studying speaking skills at the FFL, TNU

6 Design of the study

The study consists of three main parts:

Part 1 provides an introduction which includes the rationale, aims, scope, research

questions, methods and design of the study

Part 2 provides a development which is divided into three chapters

- Chapter 1 is attempt to review some key theories related to the study such as

communicative language teaching, communication learning process, definitions of pair work and group work along with some common pair work and group work oral activities The chapter also mentions advantages and disadvantages of using pair work and group work

- Chapter 2 presents a design and analysis of the research

- Chapter 3 provides the findings and recommendations

Part 3 is the conclusion of the study Some explanations, interpretations of the findings of

the study and some pedagogical implications are given in this chapter In addition, some possible suggestions for further research are also discussed

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter aims to explore the theoretical background for the thesis, focusing on the following points: an overview of Communicative Language Teaching, the communicative learning process, and pair work and group work

1.1 Communicative Language Teaching

1.1.1 Traditional methods of second language teaching

How to teach foreign languages always stay at the core of any discussion about method innovation Changes in language teaching methods throughout history have reflected recognition of changes in the kind of proficiency learners need In the past, there are two methods applied to teach language, which consists of the Grammar-Translation method and the Audio-Lingual method

 The Grammar-Translation method: By the late nineteenth century and the

twentieth, the Grammar-Translation method was the primary used to teach language This approach based on the study of Latin became the standard way of studying foreign languages in schools A typical textbook in the mid-nineteenth century therefore consisted of chapters or lessons organized around grammar points The Grammar-Translation method embraced a wide range of approach, but, generally speaking, it viewed foreign language study as a “mental discipline and intellectual development” (Richards and Rodgers, 1986) This kind of approach focused on grammatical analysis and translation According to Richards and Rodgers (1986:5), “it hence view language learning as consisting of little more than memorizing rules and facts in order to understand and manipulate the morphology and syntax of the foreign language.” In this method, reading and writing are major focus and little or no attention is paid to speaking or listening Students who are taught in this way do not have chance to practise their speaking and listening

 The Audio- lingual method: The theory of language underlying Audio-lingualism

was known as Structural Linguistics, resulted from the World War II and viewed

language as “a system of structurally related elements for the encoding of meaning, the elements being phonemes, morphemes, words, structures, and sentence types.” The overall goal of the Audio-Lingual method was to create linguistic competence

in learners Through tapes, visual aids, the students listened and then repeated several times to memorize the pronunciation as well as vocabulary Therefore, just listening and speaking skills of students could be drilled in a mechanical way However, the above two methods only focus on grammar, linguistic competence and individual learning Grammar-translation method was based on language study (grammar, literature) and written exercises (translation) rather than real life communication and speech As a result, after several years of studying, students might have a fairly good knowledge of grammar and translating skills, but could hardly communicate The overall goal of the Audio-lingual method was to create communicative competence in learners However, it was thought that the most effective way to do this was for students to

“overlearn” the language being studied through extensive repetition and a variety of elaborate drills These old methods fell out of fashion because in recent years, people tend

to learn language by communicating and keep on searching for a new method which is the combination of the old ones

1.1.2 Communicative language teaching method

The origins of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) are to be found in the changes in the British language teaching transition dating from the late 1960s According

to Richards and Rodgers (1986), the work of the Council of Europe, the writings of Wilkins (1972), Widdowson, Candlin, Christopher Brumfit, Keith Johnson, and other British applied linguists on the theoretical basis for a communicative or functional approach to language teaching Later on, the rapid application of these ideas by textbook writers, the equally rapid acceptance of these new principles by British language teaching specialists, curriculum development centers, and even governments gave prominence nationally and internationally to what came to be referred to as the Communicative Approach, or Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

The communicative approach could be said to be the product of educators and linguists who had been dissatisfied with the audio-lingual and grammar-translation methods of foreign language teaching It starts from a theory of language as

communication The goal of language teaching is to develop what Hymes (1972) referred

to as “communicative competence.” Another theorist frequently studied on the communicative nature of language is Henry Widdowson He presented a view of the relationship between linguistic systems and their communicative values in text and discourse in his book Teaching Language as Communication (1978) Widdowson focused

on the communicative acts underlying the ability to use language for different purposes Authentic language use and classroom exchanges where students were engaged in real communication with one another became popular

Today, language is considered as a dynamic resource for the creation of meaning

In terms of learning, it is obviously accepted that we need to distinguish between “learning what” and “knowing how” To say by other words, it is necessary for us to distinguish between knowing a variety of grammatical rules and having capability of using these rules effectively and suitably in communication No longer being considered as passive, learners are seen as active participants in the negotiation of meaning Communicative language teaching makes use of real life situations that need communication It provides students with a number of opportunities to use communicative purposes The teacher builds up a situation that students may encounter in real life; therefore, it is familiar and useful for them to learn purposefully Unlike the audio-lingual method of language teaching, which depends much on repetition and drills, the communicative approach can make students react and response to the various class exercises The real life simulations change from day

to day, so students’ motivation to learn comes from their desire to communicate in meaningful ways about meaningful topics

In this book Communicative Language Teaching Today (2006), Richards points out

that in recent years, language learning has been viewed from a different perspective It is seen as resulting from processes such as:

 Interaction between the learner and users of the language

 Collaborative creation of meaning

 Creating meaningful and purposeful interaction through language

 Negotiation of meaning as the learner and his or her interlocutor arrive at understanding

 Learning through attending to the feedback learners get when they use the language

 Paying attention to the language one hears (the input) and trying to incorporate new forms into one’s developing communicative competence

 Trying out and experimenting with different ways of saying things

According to Littlewood, there are four domains of skill which makes up a person’s communicative competence, which must be recognized in foreign language teaching:

 The learner must attain as high a degree as possible of linguistic competence That

is, he must develop skill in manipulating the linguistic system, to the point where

he can use it spontaneously and flexibly in order to express his intended message

 The learner must distinguish between the forms he has mastered as part of his linguistic competence and the communicative functions, which they perform In other words, items mastered as part of a linguistic system must also be understood

as part of a communicative system

 The learner must develop skills and strategies for using language to communicative meaning as effectively as possible in concrete situations He must learn to use feedback to judge his success and if necessary, remedy failure by using different language

 The learner must become aware of the social meaning of language forms For many learners, this may not entail the ability to vary their own speed to vary their own speed to suit different social circumstances but rather the ability to use general acceptable forms and avoid potential offensive ones

(Littlewood, 1981:6)

When discussing communicative language teaching, Nunan (1991:279) offers five features to characterize communicative language teaching:

 An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

 The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation

 The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on languages but also

on the learning process itself

 An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning

 An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom

Due to these outstanding characteristics, communicative language teaching has been widely applied for language teaching and learning Today it has become a priority in the determination of method of teaching and learning foreign language

1.2 The communicative learning process

The learning process in general and the communicative learning process in particular are made through activities

According to Littlewood (1981: 86) reflects a sequence of activities represented as follow:

Pre-communicative activities are “learner was not engaged in activities where his main purpose was to communicate meanings effectively to a partner Rather, his main purpose was to produce certain language forms in an acceptable way.” (Littlewood, 1981:16) In this kind of activities, the teachers isolate specific elements of knowledge on skill, which compose communicative ability and provide learners with opportunities to practise them separately The learners; therefore, are being trained in the part-skills of communication rather than practicing the total skill to be acquired They are subdivided

Pre-communicative activities

Social interaction activities

Quasi – communicative activities

Functional communicative activities Structural activities

Communicative activities

into structural activities and quasi-communicative activities The first sub-division focuses

on the grammatical system and on the ways in which linguistic items can be combined On the other hand, the second sub-division is made to help learner relate forms and structures

to communicative functions, specific meanings and social context Littlewood also points out that the aim of Pre-communicative activities is providing learners with a fluent command of the linguistic system, without requiring them to use this system for communicative purpose Accordingly, the main purpose of learners is to produce language which is acceptable, which means sufficiently accurate or appropriate rather than to communicate meanings effectively

Unlikely, communicative activities are those in which “the learner has to activate and integrate his pre-communicative knowledge and skills in order to use them for the communication of meanings” (Littlewood, 1981:86) In this kind of activities, the learners engage in practising the total skills of communication Their attention is focusing on meanings to be communicated rather than on language items to be learned Here again, it is subdivided into functional communicative activities and social interaction activities In what to be called “functional communicative activities”, the learner is placed in a situation where he must perform a task by communicating as best as he can, with whatever resources he had available Contrary to this is “social interaction activities”, the learner is also encouraged to take account of the social context in which communication takes place This kind of activities involves exploiting simulation and role-plays may consist of exactly the same tasks as functional communicative activities with added clearly defined social contexts

To say in short, the final goal of the communicative learning process is to make learners communicate meanings effectively in different social contexts

1.3 Pair work and group work

1.3.1 Definition and description

In recent years, it is popular for a lot of teachers to teach language as a means of communication The target is to divide the class into pairs and groups where the number of students in each group is small enough to encourage them to interact with each other to perform the task given

 Pair work:

The definitions of pair work have been developed over the years with the contributions of a great number of linguistics and are brought together by Adrian

Doff (1988: 137): “In pair work, the teacher divides the whole class into pairs

Every student works with his or her partner in pairs, and all the pairs work at the same time (it is sometimes called “simultaneous pair work”) This is not the same

as “public” or “open” pair work, with pairs of students speaking in turn in front of the class.”

The definition of pair work in this case is an activity that gives students a chance to talk to each other practice language together, study a text, research language or take part in information-gap activities They can write dialogues, predict the content of reading texts, or compare notes on what they have listened or seen

In general, there are two main types of pair work, fixed pairs and flexible pairs,

suggested by Byrne (1983) The first type is when the students work with the same partner in order to complete task In this kind of pairs, they will deeply understand each other and know the other’s ability Meanwhile, the second one is when students keep changing the partners They can lift their chairs freely to talk to any partners they like Therefore, this will make the activity more interesting

 Group work

Adrian Doff (1988: 37) also defines group work as a process that “the teacher

divides the class into small groups to work together (usually four or five students in each group), as in pair work, all the groups work at the same time.”

Another definition of group work provided by Brumfit (1984: 72) is “group is often

defined as a number of people who interact with one another, who are psychologically aware of one another and who perceive themselves to be a group”

Shaw (1971: 7) and Mill (1967: 2) have a definition about a small group as “units

composed of two or more persons who come into contact for purpose and who consider the contact meaningful.” In other words, group is seen as a task-oriented

group in which members have a clear perception of the purpose and goal of the activity Group is made up of four or five students under the control of a group leader, whose functions are as the group organizer and as a mini-teacher Group

work depends much on the size of group, the types of activity, types of lesson and types of desks and chairs in the classroom

In groups, students can write a group story, role-play a situation, prepare a presentation, discuss an issue or come to a group decision They can also watch, write or perform a video sequence Obviously, group work is a co-operative activity, during which students share aims and responsibilities, they have chances for greater independence as they take some of their own learning decisions, without the teacher controlling every move, and they can work without the pressure of the whole class listening to that they are doing They learn to negotiate, to listen to different opinions and points of view Students participate more equally and in most cases, they feel free to experiment and use the target language

1.3.2 Common pair work and group work oral activities

There are a variety of pair work and group work activities used in communicative language teaching However, this study only discusses some common pair work and group work to develop oral skills of students as follow:

1.3.2.1 Role-play

Role-play is an activity that the class is usually divided into pairs or groups These pairs or groups are given situations and roles to act out This acting is done for the sake of the language and imaginative activity, not for exhibition

According to Richards (2005: 20), role-play is an activity in which students are assigned roles and improvise a scene or exchanged based on given information or clues

Role-play brings some usefulness to students Firstly, it helps students master fields

of language like vocabulary, structure, pronunciation and intonation more easily It also gives students opportunities to practise language in various situations not only in class but also outside classroom Additionally, through role-play, students are trained to deal with the unpredictable nature of language because they act imaginary roles in a lot of situations Moreover, role-play promotes interaction in the classroom as well as increase motivation Role-play is simple to prepare, easy to play, and along with games and other communicative activities are recommended to be used in the English speaking class

1.3.2.2 Information gap activity

An important aspect of communication in CLT is the notion of information gap This refers to the fact that in real communication, people normally communicate in order

to get information they do not possess This is known as an information gap According to Underhill (1987), an information gap is an activity where one student is provided information that is kept from a partner A lot of communication involves bridging information gap: you know things I don not know, and I know things you do not know Often this is hard for students to do naturally in class, either because they might not know enough facts or because everyone knows the same facts We can simulate the information gap by giving two participant different information, which they have to share

Information gap may take three forms:

o One student has some information and the other has to find it by asking questions

o One student has some information and tells it to the other students

o Both students have different information and they tell each other

1.3.2.3 Problem solving

Byrne (1990) suggests an oral activity for pair work and group work Problem solving has been used to group together a wide range of activities that require students to find “solution” to problems of different kinds Puzzles, problems, and brain-teasers can also stimulate meaningful communication if students work together to solve them

“Although it may be quicker to do this alone, without distractions, students have to do it

with a partner and discuss how to solve the problems Students are focused on solving the problems and coming up with the correct solutions, but the purpose of the activity is to make them talk in English It doesn’t matter if they cannot get the answers- what matters is that they speak English.” (Jones, 2007: 36)

Many of these problems involve possesses that we commonly use in real life:

 We frequently hypothesize links between two things (events, actions, people, etc.)

 We detect difference (real or imaginary)

 We grade things according to criteria (subjective or objective)

Problem solving is believed to be necessary and suited to students of all levels Because students are put in some situations that are similar to the real life, they actively

join in the activities because of the feeling that they are doing with their language, taking the risks of experimenting what they have learned Additionally, the lesson can become more practical and attractive to them

1.3.2.4 Communication games

A game is an activity with rules, a goal and fun Games help and motivate students

to sustain their interest and work In the games, learners are free to express in the target As

a result, they have opportunity to improve their capacity of speaking, creativity and memory Their grammatical knowledge and speaking fluency and accuracy enhance a lot Also, games often require a great deal of collaboration among the members of the groups

1.3.2.5 Discussion

According to Penny Ur (1996), discussion is the most natural and effective way for students to talk freely in English by thinking out some problems or situations together through verbal interchange of ideas The word “discussion” here includes anything from the simplest questions to the most political and philosophical debates

Discussion works best in pairs or small groups because then more people can give their views In lager groups or in a whole class, once one person has given his or her view, everyone else can only agree or disagree (Jones, 2007: 30)

From discussion, students learn something from what is being said or discussed Besides, it provides students with interest in learning in a cooperative atmosphere When discussion are carried out in groups, students have chance to exchange their ideas or opinions They not only speak out their feelings and attitudes but also listen to what others say Additionally, the motivation of participants also improves when they discuss in small group

1.3.3 Advantages and disadvantages of using pair work and group work activities

1.3.3.1 Advantages of using pair work and group work activities

Brumfit says that pair work and group work are the most effective techniques of classroom organization which combine aspects of communication learning and natural

interaction in a stress free environment (Brumfit, 1984:78)

Pair work and group work give students more opportunities to speak English in classroom Students participate in the lesson much more actively because they are involved

in talking to their friends exchange opinions, practising new structures more than listening

to their teacher talking By dividing the class into groups, students get more chances to talk than in full class organization, thus each student can say something Penny Ur recommends that teachers working with larger classes should divide them into five groups which is the most effective organization for practising speaking (Ur, 1996: 232)

Students may feel less anxious when they are working in a group with a small number of people Particularly, timid students find it hard to speak in front of the class and teacher in their eyes seems to be a fear They become silent and cannot open their mouth with an empty mind However, when participating in pairs or groups, they maybe find easier to share their opinions naturally “It is generally easier to show that you do not know, or do not understand something, in a smaller group than in a large one.” (Norman, Levihn and Hedenquist, 1986: 6)

In the long run group work develops student’s independence At first, preparing a group or a pair may be time-consuming and requires more effort from the students However, sing this technique regularly, students will become more efficient and skilled at practising the language They become more confident, their motivation also increases and they can manage without regular teacher’s supervision Students learn how to learn and gradually take responsibility for their own learning

Beside practising and consolidating the language, pair work and group work help to integrate the class Students learn how to cooperate with one another, make compromise, negotiate, and respect individual with different abilities and views, which is important for the class atmosphere and relationship with the teacher Instead of sitting alone trying to understand something difficult, they can help each other “There is a greater chance that at least one member of the group will be able to solve a problem when it arises.” (Harmer, 1992: 245) In such a class the teacher is no longer a supervisor but becomes a resource center and advisor for the students “Most people learn a foreign language better with others than on their own.” (Norman, 1986: 11)

To introduce pair work and group work, teacher brings variety into the classroom

It enables him to individualize work by preparing different tasks taking into accounts students’ abilities and potentials It is advantageous to use group work with mixed ability

classes; when both able and less able students may feel a sense of achievement while completing the task

1.3.3.2 Disadvantages of using pair work and group work activities

Gorgon, A (2008) also points out clearly disadvantages of using pair work and group work activities as follow:

Some teachers are reluctant to use pair work and group work being afraid of noise

or discipline problems which might occur particularly Indeed students make noise while working on the task; they discuss things, check words and communicate with one another However, this is so-called “positive noise” and it does not disturb the students They are concentrated on the task and they do not hear it If an activity goes on for too long; students, especially the poor ones make noise because they become bored, they want to get the teacher’s attention and they become disruptive

Another disadvantage of using pair work and group work activities is the use of mother tongue When students get excited working in pairs or groups they sometimes use their mother tongue to express something they are not able to express in a foreign language Such a situation is normal because they want to communicate

One of the disadvantages of using pair work and group work activities is making mistakes Some teachers neglect to use pair work and group work saying that students make mistakes trying to express their own ideas Indeed incorrectness is a problem yet in real life, it is communicative fluency that matters not accuracy, so we should not be concerned too much with accuracy if we want to practise oral skills According to Doff (1988: 141), when learners work in pairs or groups it is impossible for the teachers to listen and correct all the mistakes they make and it is not the purpose of this activity However, she/he can reduce the number of mistakes before the students start working by demonstrating the activity to the class first and by asking pairs or groups to perform in front of the class afterwards and discussing what they said and pointing out the most common mistakes

Putting the students into group may be a problem There is a challenge that if the teacher divides the class into mixed ability groups, the best students in the group will have

to do the task while the weakest ones switch off and become disruptive Teacher therefore should put the students into groups according to their abilities and each group is given a

task right for their level of difficulty Then the teacher may monitor the whole class, devote more time to the students who need assistance or even work with individual students

CHAPTER 2: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY

This chapter elaborates the design and methodology of the study, the informants involved

in the study and different methods of data collection The data collected from the survey questionnaires for both teachers and students at FFL, TNU

2.1 Design and methodology

2.1.1 The setting of the study

The Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University (FFL- TNU) established on December, 31st 2007, based on the purpose of reorganization of the Faculty

of Foreign Languages in Thai Nguyen Pedagogical University In spite of being a established one but the Faculty has a long and stable history of development, connected closely with the economic, social and education-training development of the provinces in Northwest and Northeast of Vietnam At the moment FFL has five departments: English Department, French Department, Russian Department, Chinese Department and Basic Science Department

newly-Because of its special characteristics, English is compulsory and students always show their deep passion in English for it is their major and closely related to their future jobs Each year, the Faculty welcomes nearly 400 students Similar to other universities nationwide, the English proficiency of students are not the same Additionally, there are normal 40 to 45 students in each class because of the lack of study facilities Besides, most

of teachers are young and various in English proficiency There are also 4 English and American voluntary teachers working together with local teachers

First year students have to learn two semesters a year and the English proficiency is also divided into Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 At the end of the first year, they are supposed to achieve Intermediate 2 in English proficiency, which is equivalent to B1 in CEFR The textbooks that used for first year students are compiled by teachers of the Faculty They also cover four skills, which are listening, speaking, reading and writing and some theoretical linguistics as well as applied linguistics Speaking is taught as a separate subject, and the primary focus is on oral communication skills, working in pairs and groups, participating discussion, and self-studying online

The activities that students usually take part in are rope-play, discuss and debate to encourage real communication In the first semester, students work mostly in pairs, they have right to choose their partners or be chosen random by the teacher, play various characters in communicative situations In the second semester, students work mostly in small group of five to discuss about one topic At the end of each semester, they have to take oral examination in pairs and in groups respectively

2.1.2 Data collection instrument

The survey questionnaire is one of the most effective instruments for collecting data in social science According to Gillham (2000), questionnaire is less pressure on respondents, not under pressure of interview bias, and analysis of answers is straightforward Therefore, this study used the survey questionnaire as the official mean to fulfill the aims Two kinds of survey questionnaire were designed to examine the teacher’s and students’ opinions on the use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills The questionnaire for students with 14 questions written in English, were administered to 100 randomly chosen students The questionnaire was divided into 4 main parts as follows:

Part 1: Students’ opinions about speaking skills (Question 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Part 2: Students’ judgments about the use of pair work and group work activities in

English speaking class at FFL- TNU (Question 6, 7, 8, 9)

Part 3: Student’s difficulties when working in pairs or in groups (Question 10, 11)

Part 4: Students’ desires to learn English via pair work and group work activities

(Question 12, 13, 14)

The second questionnaire which included 14 questions, were given to 10 teachers

of English at the FFL- TNU The questionnaire was also written in English and divided into 5 main parts as follow:

Part 1: Teachers’ opinion about teaching English speaking skills (Question 1, 2)

Part 2: Teachers’ opinions about the use of pair work and group work activities to teach

speaking skills (Question 3, 4, 5)

Part 3: Teachers’ current teaching methods of using pair work and group work activities in

speaking class (Question 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

Part 4: Teachers’ difficulties in using pair work and group work activities to teach English

speaking skills (Question 12, 13)

Part 5: Teachers’ solutions to overcome difficulties in using pair work and group work

2.1.3.2 The teachers

10 teachers of English at FFL – TNU teaching the first year English major students took part in answering the second survey questionnaire There are two male and eight female teachers Their ages range from 24 to 36 with at least 2 years of teaching English They were mostly trained as teachers of English at Thai Nguyen Education University They are all well-trained with high qualified in BA Degree Half of them got MA Degree and one third of them is taking Ph.D course in EFL

2.2 Presentation and discussion of the results

The data collected has been summarized and presented in the form of table The researcher discusses the data from students’ questionnaire first, and later on, the data from teachers’ questionnaire will be discussed

2.2.1 Students’ survey

2.2.1.1 Students’ opinions about speaking skills

Table 1:Students’opinions about speaking skills (by percentage)

C I like speaking English

D I want to master communicative English

E I will be able to talk with English people when I have chance

4 A very difficult C easy

B difficult D very easy

In general, it can be concluded that English speaking skills is very important and interesting for most of the first year English major students at FFL- TNU

2.2.1.2 Students’ judgments about the use of pair work and group work activities in English speaking class at FFL - TNU

Table 2: Students’ judgments about how they like to practise speaking in English speaking class at FFL – TNU (Question 6)(by percentage)

Not at all Little Rather Much Very much

It is amazing that nearly half of them (49%) like speaking in pairs Only 13% of them chose “little” as they preference in working in Additionally, 18% of students like working in a small group very much and the other 45% of them like much Only 3% of them do not like to work in pairs and in a small group at all

It can be said from the table that, students today are gradually aware of the important role of pair work and group work activities to English speaking skills Moreover, they are freshmen at the university; they have got a big change in learning styles from high school to university, and they welcome the new teaching and learning method in such an interesting way

In conclusion, the analysis of the data in Table 2 reveals that most of the students like to learn English speaking skills in pairs and in groups

Table 3: Students’ judgments about the frequency of their teachers to organize pair work and group work activities in an English speaking class (Question 7)(by percentage)