The effect of consciousness raising activities on the 10th grade students grammatical competence at tran nhat duat upper secondary school002

vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION ………………………………………………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………… iii APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………… iv ABBREVIATION………………………………………………………………… v LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES……………………………………………… vi TABLES OF CONTENT…………………………………………………………… vii PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale………………………………………………………………………… Aims of the study………………………………………………………………… Research questions……………………………………………………………… Scopes of the study……………………………………………………………… Significance of the study………………………………………………………… Methodology…………………………………………………………………… Design of the study……………………………………………………………… PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW viii 1.1 Theoretical background of task based approach……………………………… 1.1.1 Definition of tasks…………………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Types of tasks within Task-based language teaching …………………………… 1.1.3 The principles of Task-based language teaching………………………………… 1.1.4 The role of teacher and learner in Task-based language teaching…………… 1.1.5 The performance of task…………………………………………………………… 10 1.2 Theoretical background of writing skills……………………………………… 12 1.2.1 Definitions and roles of writing…………………………………………………… 12 1.2.2 Types of writing……………………………………………………………………… 14 1.2.3 Approaches of teaching writing skills…………………………………………… 14 1.2.4 Marking scheme of test……………………………………………………………… 16 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Setting of the study…………………………………………………………… 21 2.2 Subjects………………………………………………………………………… 23 2.3 Data collection………………………………………………………………… 23 2.3.1 Questionnaire ………………………………………………………………………… 23 2.3.2 Pre test………………………………………………………………………………… 23 2.3.3 Post test……………………………………………………………………………… 24 2.3.4 Interview……………………………………………………………………………… 24 ix CHAPTER III: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Data analysis…………………………………………………………………… 25 3.1.1 Data analysis of students’ and teachers’ survey questionnaire……………… 25 3.1.1.1 Data analysis of students’ survey questionnaire……………………………… 25 3.1.1.2 Data analysis of teachers’ survey questionnaire……………………………… 30 3.1.2 Data analysis of students and teachers’ direct interview……………………… 34 3.1.2.1 Data analysis of the interview for the students……………………………… 34 3.1.2.2 Data analysis of the interview for the teachers……………………………… 35 3.1.3 Data analysis of pre and post tests……………………………………………… 36 3.2 Findings ……………………………………………………………………… 38 3.3 Suggested techniques for application of the task based approach to improve 8th 41 graders’ writing skills 3.3.1 3.3.1 Suggestions for the teachers………………………………………………………… 41 3.3.2 Suggested techniques to motivate students’ writing…………………………… 41 3.3.2.1 Extra tasks………………………………………………………………………… 41 3.3.2.2 Group work………………………………………………………………………… 42 3.3.2.3 Using games……………………………………………………………………… 42 PART III: CONCLUSION 4.1 Summary of the study………………………………………………………… 43 x 4.2 Limitation and suggestion(s) for further research……………………………… 44 4.2.1 Limitation of the research…………………………………………………………… 44 4.2.2 Suggestions for further research…………………………………………………… 44 REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX PART I INTRODUCTION Rationale The general goal of teaching a foreign language is to train students‟ communicative abilities English writing is one of the most communicative abilities among others such as listening, speaking and reading and it is also one of the most difficult skills that students get at school According to David Nunan (1979:35) “Writing can be a tough activity for students, even though the writing activity is in their first language Learning to write fluently and expressively is the most difficult of the four macro skills for all language users regardless of whether the language in question is a first, second or foreign language” There appear many reasons why students are encountering too much difficulty in writing something in English such as the inappropriate teaching methodology, students‟ low motivation on learning English, and limited time of teaching and learning process Among these factors, teaching methodology is considered as the most manageable one to be studied influencing directly students‟ writing difficulties since motivation is difficult to measure and time is a fixed factor The boring and repetitive teaching method can‟t arouse students‟ interest in writing English One of the other reasons I decided to study this thesis is the fact that students graded are considered as the first class to begin learning how to write long texts related to real contexts with a little control They are asked to write an invitation and replies, a process, an event happened in the past, a brief personal letter and so on These situations often happen in daily life However, due to lack of vocabulary and new structures, students make many mistakes in spelling, punctuation, grammar Generally their common errors focus on syntax and semantics Because lesson time is limited and class size is large, teachers can not cover all the students‟ mistakes Students are given much control before writing but less guide or help from teachers after their writing As a result, mistakes repeat again and again whenever students write Whereas many other students pay a little attention to writing, or even no interest in it Therefore their writing skill is hardly improved At present many approaches are being applied in teaching writing skill such as genre based approach, process based approach ect… At the secondary school, these approaches are combined However in this study I chose the task based approach as the best to improve writing to the 8th students at Quang Vinh secondary school which is recognized to be able to adapt this approach Task based approach has been widely used since the 1980s, emphasizing “learning while doing” and regards students themselves as the center of teaching Writing lessons in the textbook are mainly based on the tasks, but teaching methods doesn‟t bring effectiveness On contrary, it causes students tiredness, boredom and laziness when learning writing skill The author carried out an action research on the subjects of 8th students at Quang Vinh secondary school to find out how effective this approach can bring After a two- week period of practice, students‟ writing is significantly improved and they become more interested in writing class as well as have more confidence in writing something in English Aims of the study The study is expected to get the following aims: – - to find out the difficulties in the learning of writing skills that are facing 8th graded students and teachers at Quang Vinh secondary school after first writing lessons? – - to explore how the task based language teaching is implemented in classroom to improve the 8th graded students‟ writing Research questions To achieve the above aims, the following questions should be answered in the study: - What are the difficulties in teaching and learning the writing skills of teachers and 8th graded students at Quang Vinh secondary school after first writing lessons? - What is the current teaching method applied to teaching writing skills for the 8th grader after first lessons in Quang Vinh secondary school? - - What is the effectiveness of application of task based approach in teaching writing skills to 8th graders at Quang Vinh secondary school? These research questions served as a guide in the findings of the study Scopes of the study The study was conducted to investigate the application of the task based approach in teaching writing skill to 8th graded students at Quang Vinh secondary So, first of all the author tried to find out the difficulties of 8th students in studying writing skill as well as the current teaching methods implemented there However, the study can‟t cover all difficulties due to its diversity; it focuses on the students‟ difficulties in learning writing skill and the ones related to teachers‟ teaching methods The author doesn‟t also go into deeply all approaches being implemented in classroom to teaching the writing, instead she focuses on the task based language teaching and how it is performed to improve 8th graded students writing skill at Quang Vinh secondary school To cover the scopes of the study, a survey questionnaire was distributed to the number of 120 8th- graded students selected randomly from three classes and English teachers, aiming to collect their difficulties, opinion, attitude and suggestions on learning to write English Moreover, an interview is also conducted with the participation of students selected upon their result of post- test and one, those who helped to observe the class to investigate what the author has actually done during the program The practice of task based writing teaching was done on during two weeks Significance of the study Firstly, the study was conducted to investigate how the task based language teaching has effect on the 8th students‟ writing skills Through action research applying the task based approach, student‟s writing skills at the Quang Vinh secondary school improve after the program Secondly, the study matches the modern approaches to language learning with the application of the task based approach The study will be the first in finding out some activities to support the tasks in the English textbook at the Quang Vinh secondary school Methodology The study was designed to use an action reseach which the collection and analysis of data related to the author‟s teaching practice According to Michael J Wallace the aim of the action research is “not to turn the teacher into a researcher, but to help him or her to continue to develop as a teacher, using action research as a tool in this process” (p.18) Firstly, the author observed the class to see the problem during first three weeks Then, based on books, journals, newspapers and some sources on the internet she read, the author carried out the collection of the data and practicing her teaching Finally, she summerized some findings and gave suggestions to make full use of the task based approach in teaching writing skills to the 8th graders at Quang Vinh secondary school Two methods used to collect the data are qualitative and quantitative The qualitative method was used to get information about students‟ opinions, attitude to learning and teaching writing skills (before and after the task based language teaching was implemented) including: questionnaire and interview The data then was interpreted and analyzed The quantitative method was used to evaluate the students‟ level in writing English including pre and post tests Both are non-controlling writing that means; free writing which asked students to write a short composition about a given topic in limited time of 20 minutes Design of the study The study consists of three main parts: - The introduction gives the background, the limitation of thesis, the research method, and the significance of the study This part helps provide a general knowledge about the study - The development is divided into three chapters numbered from one to three Chapter one provides the theoretical background as well as the most general review of previous researches In other words, it gives the foundation for deeper and broader insight into the topic in consideration Chapter two provides the information of the study context It includes the reality of teaching and studying English writing skills in Quang Vinh secondary school, teachers and students and the writing lessons which were taught based on tasks Chapter three deals with some findings and gives some recommendations to make writing teaching better - The last part “conclusion” summarizes the main points studied in the thesis and emphasizes some suggestions for further research PART II DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of task based approach 1.1.1 Definition of tasks The term “task” appeared since the twentieth century Since its birth until now, there exist a lot of different definitions about “task” Brabhu, an Indian linguist, is the first person who raised the definition of “task” He defines a task as "an activity which required learners to arrive at an outcome from given information through some process of thought, and which allowed teachers to control and regulate that process" (p.24) In the other word, tasks are carried out as a result of processing and understanding language like a response in which teachers play role in introducing a variety of tasks, evaluating to what extent their students complete them Whereas Nunan (1989) defines a task as “a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form" (p.10) In his opinion tasks is the outcome of the process to understand, solve the problem and use language for communicative purpose It is the completeness with focusing on meaning rather than form It means that meaning is paid more attedtion to; however it cannot be separated from form In contrast, meaning always goes with form to express communicative ideas, thought and attitude According to Willis (1996) “tasks are always activities where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an outcome” (p.23) She gave her view that “the aim of tasks is to create a repurpose for language use and to provide a natural context for language study" (p.1) However, she didn‟t yet clarify that task can be any communicative activities, of any various kinds available in the textbook and practiced in the classroom Skehan (1998:95) highlighted four basic features of tasks He wrote that task is "an activity in which: meaning is primary; there is some communication problem to solve; there is some sort of relationship to comparable real world activities; task completion has some priority; and the assessment of task performance is in terms of task outcome" Another definition is that “a task is a device that guides learners to engage in certain types of information-processing that are believed to be important for effective language use and/or for language acquisition from some theoretical standpoint” (Ellis, 2000, p.197) It means that learners use the linguistic knowledge to communicate effectively through the information processing Like other language activities, a task can engage productive or receptive, and oral or written skills While the above definitions of the task are different in some way, they all emphasize that task in classrom is the use of second language in term of communicative view, in which focuses more on meaning than grammatical form In other words, learners are free to use whatever language they want to convey their intended meaning and maintain interaction It is applied in all skills for learning a target language with a variety of real world situations and in the end it brings about an outcome through the exchange of meanings presented or reported by learners … 1.1.2 Types of tasks within Task-based language teaching Ellis (2003) classified tasks into the following types: a Unfocused Tasks An unfocused task is one that encourages learners to use English freely without concentrating on just one or two specific forms (i.e., a replication activity) b Pedagogic (rehearsal, activation) Pedagogical tasks are the tasks which occur in classroom rather than outside the world Pedagogic tasks can be: Rehearsal tasks Example: You are an airline employee Use the information sheet (provided separately) to answer your partner's questions Activation tasks 41 understood their tasks Especially, unlike beforehand when the students completed their writing and then went home, the task based language learning required them to perform the outcome or product of writing at the end of the process This post stage motivated the students during the process of writing and it was really a good way Besides two interviews, the effectiveness of this new approach was seen through the comparison between the pre and post test The scores of the second test increased over the first test explicitly It proved that students were working effectively on the tasks given 3.3 Suggested techniques for application of the task based approach to improve 8th graders’ writing skills Through above findings and teaching practice, this part provides some suggestions for the application of the task based approach to improve 8th graders‟ writing skills 3.3.1 Suggestions for the teachers It is the fact that most of writing tasks in the English textbook are compiled based on the task based language learning However, students don‟t find any interest in writing lesson One of the clearest reasons for the problem is related to teacher‟s teaching method, which is repeatable and not creative, textbook-centered Through teaching practice of two writing lessons which brought certain effectiveness in classroom, the author supposes some techniques used during the stages of the tasks to improve students‟ writing skills - Explaining the requirement of task in both English and Vietnamese clearly - Introducing writing genres in the different ways: pictures, real materials, story, open questions…Through that, teacher should provide new word or grammar/structures possible to use for the purpose of writing at the beginning of the lesson It is a better way for students to remember new words /forms and genres of writing than doing all tasks in the order of the textbook all the time - Establish close relationship with the learners During the lesson, teachers shouldn‟t keep a far distance from them, instead stand by their sides and help them with new words….In other word; teachers should move around to assist the learners when necessary - Encourage students to work in pairs and groups 42 - Give enough time for each task - Give the learner opportunities to show their writing and give feedbacks, comments and correction available on them at the end of task 3.3.2 Suggested techniques to motivate students’ writing 3.3.2.1 Extra tasks According to the questionnaire result, 100% of the 8th graded students at Quang Vinh secondary school said that one of the factors causing them difficulty during writing lesson is the fact that there is no extra task supported by the teacher Teacher follows the order of textbook all the time, which makes class atmosphere boring and students are not motivated Some additional tasks can be done to give a support for students‟ writing such as: - Asking students to order pictures, tell stories, read letters, name real objects or follow instructions in the real world… to model the writing genres - Organizing contests of writing: Who is the fastest writer? / The least errors/ the most interesting content/…Which is the best presentation? Although these activities can take time, it deserves that since it brings effectiveness to teaching and learning writing of the 8th graded students Because learning to write through task is a process including pre, while and post stage, students need enough input of language to produce a written form As a result, teachers should spend time considering all supportive activities so that students can complete task most satisfactorily 3.3.2.2 Group work As the class size at Quang Vinh secondary is large around 40 students per class with a variety of levels, teachers should make use of group work so that students can similar task and help each other since 12, 3% of students can‟t think anything to write Moreover, It helps teachers to save time and control the whole class effectively when she/he walks around to assist students when necessary What is more, group work is the suitable way for extra tasks recommended above 3.3.2.3 Using games Games are always interesting to most of students Teachers should organize some popular games to help students remember new words, structures used to write tasks and raise students‟ interest avoiding their keeping silent or talking Games will catch 43 interest of the whole class PART III CONCLUSION 4.1 Summary of the study The task based language learning is a new approach in teaching and learning language like English In general, tasks in the English textbook are written according to this approach among the others However, teachers‟ understanding of nature of task, its role, stages and the way it is organized in classroom is not helpful in raising students‟ interest in learning writing skills This study found difficulties; current applied task based teaching method, teachers‟ and students‟ suggestions to improve writing skill of the 8th graders at Quang Vinh secondary school Since that, the author carried out a period of two- week practice there with the hope to try some support in learning and teaching tasks, that contributing to students‟ progress in writing skills From teaching realities, experience and knowledge, she gave some recommendations of techniques that teachers should use while teaching English writing based on task According to the research results, the 8th graders have many difficulties in writing English Besides the student-related factors, teacher- related ones negatively contribute to their writing problems Regarding teacher‟s teaching method, most of time, teachers prefer to follow the textbook Sometimes they change some parts by additing and/or omiting them because of some reasons such as: limited time, revewing new words and so on However, in reality, these don‟t attract students so much So writing classroom become less effective Based on the source of books, internet, journals and newspapers, the author practiced teaching writing through tasks in funnier ways to see how the task based approach work Through two units applied the task based approach, students‟ writing is becoming better They were more interested in writing English As a result, their writing scores improved through two tests From the action research, some implications can be also recognised as follows: 44 The English teacher should find out student‟s difficulties in writing skills during the process of teaching Each student is different in the problems they have in learning a language, especilally writing skills It is very important for the teacher to understand their srong and weak points Since that, she or he has applied suitable and creative teaching methods It is not simple that the teacher only needs to follow the order of the textbook More importantly, the teacher needs to adapt it on considering student‟s ability, time and class size It is the fact that most writing requirements of writing in the English were compiled based on the tasks So to avoid difficulties and boredness of students in learning writing skills, teacher should know how to organise them in the funny but effective ways Some suggestions are given such as: providing language input by visual objects, story telling; playing games in teams; doing tasks in groups vv…In conclude, there are many ways to make the textbook writing tasks easier for students If teaching through tasks is controlled and organised creatively, students will be more motivated and interested in learning writing skills 4.2 Limitation and suggestion(s) for further research 4.2.1 Limitation of the research The research has got some following drawbacks: Firstly, the study only carried out investigation on writing lessons in the period of weeks, in which the author practiced her teaching in the final two weeks It can‟t cover all writing tasks in the textbook As a result, the effectiveness of task based language learning for the rest writing tasks in the textbook were not experimented Secondly, the number of student interviewees and students who took the tests is still limited, so the findings may not be generalized to all learners Thirdly, the techniques used in the research are selected from reliable but limited sources 4.2.2 Suggestions for further research Some further research can be done based on some suggestions below: First of all, the other study can consider the effectiveness of applying the task based approach to teaching skills: listening, speaking and reading at Quang Vinh secondary school or other secondary schools around Vietnam Secondly, because the English textbook is compiled based on the different approaches, more study can be done on the effectiveness of these approaches in 45 teaching English skills Thirdly, further research can have a deeper look into the extra activities to motivate students‟ writing during pre and post task stages REFERENCES Ballator, N., Farnum, M., & Kaplan, B (1999) NAEP 1996 trends in writing: Fluency and writing conventions Bộ giáo dục đào tạo Sách giáo khoa tiếng anh lớp Nhà xuất giáo dục Việt Nam Byrne, D 1988 Teaching Writing Skills Longman Candlin, C.N & Hyland, K (Eds.) 1999 Writing: Texts, Processes and Practices London Addison Wesley Longman Ellis, R (2000) Task-based research and language pedagogy Language Teaching Research,4, 193-220 Ellis, R (2003) Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press Feez, S (1998) Text-Based Syllabus Design Sydney: National Center for English Teaching and Research Flower, L.S., & Hayes, J.R (1981) A cognitive process theory of writing College Composition and Communication, 365-387 Foster, P and Skehan, P (1996).The influence of planning on performance in task-based learning Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 299-324 10 Gail K Oura Authentic Task Based Materials: Bringing the Real World Into the Classroom http://www.jrc.sophia.ac.jp/kiyou/ki21/gaio.pdf 11 Nunan, D (1989) Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom New York: Cambridge University Press 12 Nunan, D (2004) Task-Based Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 13 Nunan, D (2006) Task-based language teaching in the Asia context: Defining „task‟ Asian EFL Journal, 12-18 46 14 Hillocks, G (1987) Synthesis of research on teaching writing Educational Leadership, 44(8), 71-82 15 Murray, D.H (1982) Learning by teaching Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook 16 Pincas, A 1982a Teaching English Writing London: Macmillan 17 Pincas, A 1982b Writing in English London: Macmillan 18 Prabhu, N S (1987) Second Language Pedagogy Oxford: Oxford University Press 19 Richards, J and Rodgers, T (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (2nd ed.) Cambridge Cambridge University Press 20 Shehadeh, A (2005) Task-based language learning and teaching: Theories and applications In Edwards, C and J Willis (Eds) Teachers Exploring Tasks in English Language Teaching Palgrave Macmillan 21 Lannon, J 1992 The writing process New York HarperCollins 22 Skehan, P (1998) A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning Oxford: Oxford University Press 23 Skehan, P and Foster, P (1997) The influence of planning and post-task activities on accuracy and complexity in task-based learning Language Teaching Research, 185-211 24 Tribble, C 1996 Writing Oxford: Oxford University Press 25 Willis, J (1996) A Framework for Task-Based Learning Harlow: Longman 26 Http://data.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/jspui/handle/123456789/568 27 Http://library.thinkquest.org/J001156/forms%20of%20writing/em_descriptive.htm 28 Http://www.examenglish.com/IELTS/IELTS_Writing_MarkSchemes.html 29 Http://www.booknutsreadingclub.com/descriptivewriting.html I APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into students’ opinion of English writing skill, their difficulties and suggestions to improve teaching and learning English writing skill Your assistance in completing the survey is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you for your cooperation! How old are you? … How long have you studied English? … Besides studying English at school, you take any English course in the foreign center or tutor class in other places? A Yes, I B No, I don’t According to you, writing skill is …? A Difficult B Easy C So-so D I have no idea If you selected A, to what extent is it difficult? A A Extremely difficult B B Very difficult C C Rather difficult D D A little difficult What you think about the first writing tasks in the English textbook 8? A A Suitable B B Unsuitable C C Realistic D D Unrealistic E E Other ideas …… Among three tasks, which of them you like? A A Writing a paragraph about your partner (Unit 1) B B Writing a telephone message (Unit 2) C C Writing a description of a room (Unit 3) II D D None of them If your choice is D, why don’t you like them? A A Because the topics are not familiar B B Because it requires a lot of new words and structures C C Because I can’t write anything on that tasks It is difficult to build the complete sentences or take notes D D The other idea ……………………………………………………………… What are your difficulties in learning writing skills? A My vocabulary and grammar are bad B I don’t know much about the writing topics C I am not motivated to write D I don’t have enough time to write E I can’t focus on writing because the class is noisy; many keep their own talks F The other idea ………………………………………………………………… Besides the factors above, which of the following teacher- related factors causes you the difficulties in the first writing tasks? A Teacher’s instruction is not clear and detailed B Teacher calls only good students to answer questions C Teacher speaks English all the time D Teacher doesn’t completely explain new words, structures and genres or gives little explanation E Teacher follows the tasks in the textbook without the extra tasks F The other idea …………………………………………………………… What are your suggestions for teacher’s method to improve writing skills? A Teacher should give instructions in both Vietnamese and English clearly B Teacher should have extra tasks/activities instead following the textbook repeatedly C Teacher should teach new words, grammar through visual aids or questions D Teacher should divide students into pairs or groups F The other idea …………………………………………………………… III PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA (CHO HỌC SINH) Câu hỏi điều tra thiết kế nhằm thu thập ý kiến bạn kỹ viết, khó khăn đề xuất nhằm cải thiện việc dạy học kỹ viết tiếng anh Tất thông tin mà bạn cung cấp sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu đề tài Xin chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ bạn Bạn tuổi? … Bạn học tiếng anh thời gian bao lâu? … Ngoài học tiếng anh lớp, bạn có tham gia khố học tiếng anh trung tâm ngoại ngữ hay lớp học thêm khơng? A Có B Khơng Theo bạn, kỹ viết ……? A Khó B Dễ C Bình thường D Khơng có ý kiến Nếu bạn trả lời câu khó, kỹ viết khó đến mức độ nào? A Khó kinh khủng B Rất khó C Hơi khó D Khá khó Bạn cảm thấy yêu cầu viết sách giáo khoa sau tuần học đầu tiên? A Khó B Dễ C Sát thực tế D Không thực tế Trong số dạng yêu cầu để viết Bạn thích dạng nhất? A Viết đoạn văn miêu tả người bạn (Unit 1) B Ghi lại tin nhắn điện thoại (Unit 2) C Miêu tả phịng nhà bạn (Unit 3) D Khơng thích Nếu bạn chọn đáp án D, Tại bạn lại khơng thích dạng tập viết này? A Vì chủ đề viết khơng quen thuộc B Có nhiều từ khó C Khơng hấp dẫn D Vi tơi khơng viết nên tơi khơng thích IV E Ý kiến khác ……………………………………………………………………… Những khó khăn bạn học kỹ viết là? A Vốn từ vựng ngữ pháp tồi B Tơi khơng có nhiều hiểu biết chủ đề viết C Tơi khơng có động lực để viết D Tơi khơng có đủ thời gian để viết E Tơi khơng thể tập trung viết lớp học ồn, bạn ngồi nói chuyện riêng F Ý kiến khác …………………………………………………………………… Ngoài yếu tố trên, yếu tố liên quan đến giáo viên mà làm bạn cảm thấy khó khăn viết đầu tiên? A Sự hướng dẫn giáo viên không rõ ràng, cụ thể B Giáo viên gọi bạn học trả lời câu hỏi C Giáo viên nói tồn tiếng anh D Giáo viên khơng giải thích từ, cấu trúc hay dạng viết Nếu giải thích sơ qua F Giáo viên dạy theo sách giáo khoa mà khơng có hình ảnh minh họa, hoạt động bổ trợ vv… E Ý kiến khác …………………………………………………………………… Bạn có đề nghị việc học viết tốt khơng? A Giáo viên nên hướng dẫn tiếng anh tiếng việt cách rõ ràng cụ thể B Giáo viên khơng nên theo cách máy móc sách giáo khoa mà nên có hoạt động trị chơi, kể chuyện, đóng vai… để hỗ trợ cho việc học viết C Các cấu trúc, từ vựng, ngữ pháp giới thiệu cách hấp dẫn thông qua tranh ảnh, vật mẫu, câu hỏi gợi ý vv… D Ngoài ra, giáo viên nên tổ chức hoạt động nhóm nhằm có trao đổi, giúp đỡ bạn lớp Xin cảm ơn! V APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into teachers’ difficulties and current methods applied to teach writing skill to 8th graders at Quang Vinh secondary school Your assistance in completing the survey is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data What following problems you face in teaching the writing skill after the three first weeks? A Students keep silent and nothing B Students make noise and keep their private talk C Students don’t work effectively on the activities/tasks you prepared D Others …………………………………………………………………… How you solve the problems? A Do nothing and move to the other parts B Stop the lesson and punish the students C Have a talk with the headmaster D Try to find other interesting ways to teach for the next lesson E Others ………………………………………………………………………… If you answer D, what are your suggestions to the ineffective writing activities/tasks? A Teachers should take notice to their students-related factors: motivation, topics, English ability B Teachers should well prepare at home: Leson plan, situation, visual aids … C Teachers should make sure that all students understand what she/ he said D Teachers should organise extra activities in groups E Other ideas ……………………………………………………………………… Do you follow the order of the textbook or make a change? …………………… VI If you change, what stages you make a change? A A Pre task B B Task cycle C C Post task What are the changes? A A Adding some parts B B Omiting some parts C C Replacing with the other activities/tasks D D Others …………………………………………… If you answer A, What are the extra activities? A A Listening activities B B Reading activities C C Speaking activities D D Writing a similar task after writing E E Others …………………………………………… If you answer B, Which stages you often omit? A A Pre task B B Task cycle C C Post task Why you omit it? A A It is not enough time to complete B B It is difficult for students C C It is too easy D D It is not interesting Do you some extra tasks after omiting tasks in the textbook? A Yes B No Thank you very much for your corporation! VII APPENDIX PRE TEST FOR STUDENTS Topic: Write a letter to your parents describing your new friend (150- 200 words) Dear … , ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Love you, ………… VIII APPENDIX POST TEST FOR STUDENTS Topic: Write a letter to your friend telling about your last summer vacation (150- 200 words) Dear …, ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Regards, …… IX APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR BOTH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS Bạn nghĩ phương pháp dạy học theo nhiệm vụ? Tại lại nghĩ thế? Ngoài nhiệm vụ yêu cầu sách giáo khoa Giáo viên tiến hành số hoạt động hỗ trợ Theo bạn có giúp việc phát huy tham gia học sinh học viết không? Bạn thấy học sinh có nhiệt tình tham gia vào hoạt động viết không? Sau quan sát lớp học chấm điểm số kiểm tra, bạn có thấy khả viết học sinh cải thiện không? Bạn có mong muốn áp dụng phương pháp thời gian tới khơng? Bạn nghĩ hoạt động mà giáo viên tiến hành để cải thiện kỹ viết bạn sau viết? (chán, hấp dẫn hay bình thường vv…) Bạn nghĩ kỹ viết bạn sau viết? (hài lòng với viết bạn, khơng hài lịng, tốt vvv…) Giáo viên có thay đổi/ hoạt động giúp bạn hiểu nhiệm vụ viết viết tốt hơn? Ngoài thay đổi giáo viên, yêu tố giúp bạn học viết tốt hơn? 10 Bạn có thay đổi việc tham gia hoat động viết? (Tham gia thường xuyên hay ngồi im lặng…) 11 Bạn đánh giá điều điểm mạnh cách học viết tiếng anh dựa nhiệm vụ? ... In the other words, they are familiar Some (12.5%) of them, on the contrary, responded that they are not suitable enough while no one found it unrealistic The data collected indicates that the. .. composition about a given topic in limited time of 20 minutes Design of the study The study consists of three main parts: - The introduction gives the background, the limitation of thesis, the research... skills at the Quang Vinh secondary school improve after the program Secondly, the study matches the modern approaches to language learning with the application of the task based approach The study