luận văn thạc sĩ ảnh hưởng của những hoạt động trước khi viết lên việc học viết đoạn văn của học sinh lớp 12 một nghiên cứu hành động tại trường THPT yên lạc, vĩnh phúc​

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ************************* NGUYỄN THỊ NHUNG THE EFFECTS OF PRE-WRITING ACTIVITIES ON THE 12th GRADERS’ LEARNING OF PARAGRAPH WRITING - AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT YEN LAC HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC Ảnh hưởng hoạt động trước viết lên việc học viết đoạn văn học sinh lớp 12 - Một nghiên cứu hành động trường THPT Yên Lạc, Vĩnh Phúc M.A.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ************************* NGUYỄN THỊ NHUNG THE EFFECTS OF PRE-WRITING ACTIVITIES ON THE 12th GRADERS’ LEARNING OF PARAGRAPH WRITING - AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT YEN LAC HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC Ảnh hưởng hoạt động trước viết lên việc học viết đoạn văn học sinh lớp 12 - Một nghiên cứu hành động trường THPT Yên Lạc, Vĩnh Phúc M.A.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Nguyễn Văn Trào HANOI – 2016 DECLARATION I, Nguyen Thi Nhung, hereby declare that the thesis entitled “The effects of pre-writing activities on the 12th graders’ learning of paragraph writing - An action research project at Yen Lac High School, Vinh Phuc” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Education at University of Foreign Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi I confirm that this thesis has not been submitted for any other degrees Hanoi, 2016 Nguyễn Th Nhung i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have given me great assistance in the completion of my research work First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Associate Professor Nguyen Van Trao for his enormous help, precious advice, his careful guidance, comments, enthusiasm, and especially sympathy throughout the whole research process Second, my gratitude goes to all my lecturers and staff of Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, Hanoi University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Without their precious lessons with invaluable knowledge of language teaching methodology and research methodology, I would not have enough knowledge and capacity to complete my thesis in time and in a proper manner Third, my sincere thanks are also extended to all librarians for their helping me with the reference materials Specially, I wish to express my special thanks to the students and teachers at Yen Lac High School for their full support and cooperation Last but not least, I would like to send my thankfulness to my family members who have encouraged me to overcome difficulties to pay attention to my studies and finish my thesis ii ABSTRACT This study aims at examining the effects of pre-writing activities on the 12 th graders‟ learning of paragraph writing To reach this aim, an action research was conducted with forty-five 12th grade students at Yen Lac High School in the second semester of the year 2015-2016 They were chosen from the same class to take part in pre-writing activities in writing lessons for eight weeks The data were gathered through qualitative and quantitative data The qualitative data were obtained from analyzing the class observation result and quantitative data were gained by students' pretest, posttest and questionnaires for students The result of this research indicated that there was an improvement in students' writing performance Moreover, from the result of questionnaires, it also showed that there was improvement of positive response in teaching-learning process of writing with pre-writing activities Besides, the result of observation showed that students were interested in the teachinglearning activities during the implementation of pre-writing activities The findings, suggestion, suitable and effective ways for teachers in applying pre-writing activities in class to make certain positive changes in their teaching methodology as well as to help students improve their writing performance iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF FIGURE, TABLES AND CHARTS vii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Aim of the study 3 Scope of the study Significance of the study Methods of the study .3 Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .5 1.1 Theory on writing 1.1.1 The concept of writing 1.1.2 The importance of writing in teaching a language 1.1.3 The process of writing 1.1.4 Approaches to teaching writing .8 1.2 The concept of writing performance and definition of attitudes 10 1.3 Factors in learning and teaching writing 11 1.3.1 Student factors 11 1.3.2 Teacher factors 13 1.3.3 External factors 15 1.4 Pre-writing activities 16 1.4.1 Definition of pre-writing activities 16 1.4.2 The importance of pre-writing activities 18 1.4.3 Types of pre-writing activities 19 iv 1.4.4 Factors affecting the choice of pre-writing activities 20 1.5 Summary 20 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 21 2.1 Action research 21 2.2 Research procedure 21 2.2.1 Identifying the problem 22 2.2.2 Finding causes of the problem 22 2.2.3 Designing strategies for improvement 23 2.2.4 Trying-out strategies and taking note of what happened in the class 24 2.2.5 Evaluating the try-out 25 2.3 Background to the study 27 2.3.1 Research context 27 2.3.2 Teaching materials 27 2.3.3 The participants 27 2.4 Data collection instruments 28 2.4.1 Questionnaires 28 2.4.2 Pretest and Posttest 29 2.4.3 Class observations 29 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 31 3.1 Answer to the first research question: What are students‟ attitudes towards pre-writing activities? 31 3.1.1 Findings from students‟ questionnaires 31 3.1.2 Findings from class observations 43 3.2 Answer to the second research question: To what extent does the use of prewriting activities affect the students‟ paragraph writing performance? .45 3.2.1 The students‟ paragraph writing performance before the implementation of the research 45 3.2.2 The students‟ paragraph writing performance after the implementation of the research 46 v 3.3 Summary 47 PART C: CONCLUSION 49 Summary of the findings 49 Pedagogical implications of the study 50 2.1 For teachers 50 2.1.1 Choosing appropriate pre-writing activities 50 2.1.2 Solving problem in employing pre-writing activities 51 2.2 For students 52 Limitations 52 Suggestions for further studies 52 REFERENCES 53 APPENDIXS I vi LIST OF FIGURE, TABLES AND CHARTS Table 1: Research schedule Figure 1: Students‟ attitudes towards writing skill before the implementation of the research Figure 2: Students‟ attitudes towards writing skill after the implementation of the research Figure 3: Students‟ attitudes towards pre-writing activities before the implementation of the research Figure 4: Students‟ attitudes towards pre-writing activities after the implementation of the research Chart 1: Students‟ reflections on their difficulties in pre-writing stage before the implementation of the research Chart 2: Students‟ reflections on their difficulties after the implementation of the research Chart 3: Students‟ reflections on the teachers‟ pre-writing activities in writing lessons before the implementation of the research Chart 4: Students‟ reflections on the teachers‟ pre-writing activities after the implementation of the research Figure 5: Students‟ reflections on their evaluation on pre-writing activities used in writing lessons before the implementation of the research Figure 6: Students‟ reflections on their evaluation on pre-writing activities used in writing lessons after the implementation of the research Table 2: Students‟ justifications of the benefits they gain from pre-writing activities (data from the pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire) Chart 5: Students‟ expectation of pre-writing activities before the implementation of the research Chart 6: Students‟ expectation of pre-writing activities after the implementation of the research Chart 7: Comparison between the pre-test and the post-test results Table 3: The scores for writing papers in pre-test Table 4: The scores for writing papers in post-test vii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study Nowadays it is undeniable that English has become the international medium of communication in commerce, science, transportation, medicine, culture, education, banking, tourism, aviation and so on Therefore, English has been prescribed recently as a compulsory subject in all state schools in Vietnam In order to keep up with the development of society, the need for good communication is placed in one of the top demands for English language which includes writing skill It is obvious that writing skill plays an important part in daily communication as well as in educational process In other words, writing is considered as a ticket for human beings both to enter everyday communication and to better college grades together with greater academic achievement Ironically, writing is the skill which a large majority of the students are least proficient in They find it difficult to complete any writing task, especially from the very first steps of writing Although students are given a sizable portion of time to develop writing skills but they are unable to create good pieces of paragraph writing This problem becomes worse as there is not any support on how to make preparations before getting into the full writing phase What‟s more, like in teaching other three skills, in teaching writing, the necessity of carrying out the pre-, while- and post-stages has been increasingly recognized nowadays The while-stage has been considered the most necessary and important According to some recent studies, pre-stage also plays a crucial role in the language classroom As a result, pre-writing stage or the preparation stage has been needed to supply students with necessary sub-skills to assist their writing What the researcher noticed in her students‟ paragraph writing is that ideas are left out or sometimes presented without being fully developed In addition, it is obvious that they lack cognitive strategies to generate and develop ideas in the writing topic Therefore, they have a lack of the skills to perfect the points they are writing According to White‟s and Arndt‟s suggestions (1991), questions will prompt to help encourage thinking, to draw on experiences as well as to develop and shape ideas APPENDIX G LESSON PLAN UNIT 9: DESERTS Period 58 * * * * WRITING Objectives: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to write a description about main features of a desert Teaching methods: Communicative approach, Reading, Writing, Speaking Teaching aids: textbook, blackboard, posters, handouts Procedure: Teacher’s activities and Content WARM-UP: (5mns) *Ask Ss to work in pairs and gives the instruction to them: “Point out the Sahara Desert on the map and talk about its natural features Check Ss‟ understanding Get Ss to the task in minutes Call on Ss to present their answers - Give feedback to Ss PRE-WRITING: (15mns) - Present the words and the language expressions used in describing a desert + to be located in + to lie largely in + to extend from + to stretch away to the horizon + dunes of san + tableland" - Check the words by asking one student to look at the board to read the English words/ Vietnamese meanings and the other student not to look at the Pair work board to give Vietnamese meanings/ the English words - Aske all the students to work in groups of to make sentences from the given information in the textbook by using the words and the language expressions the teacher provided Then, the teacher Group work called on the group leader of each group to write their sentences on the board The group which got XI more correct sentences would be the winner - Asks Ss to read the general information in the table on page 102 to understand it (5 minutes) - Asks Ss: “Any new words?” so that T can provide help if necessary - Check Ss‟ understanding about the general information in the table by asking comprehension questions (T must prepare the poster and the handouts of comprehension questions at home.) - Deliver handouts to Ss and sticks the poster on the board - Get Ss to answer the comprehension questions individually - Give feedback Comprehension questions: How is the Sahara Desert? Where is the Sahara Desert located in? Where does the Sahara Desert extend from? Where does the Sahara Desert lie? How large and long is the Sahara Desert? How is the total area of the Sahara Desert? What are the natural features of the Sahara Desert? What are the main trees in the Sahara Desert? What are the main animals in the Sahara Desert? *- Instructs Ss to make an outline about the writing: Introduction General information: a Location b Area c Natural features d Trees and animals Conclusion III WHILE-WRITING: (15mns) - Divide the class into groups of four students - Give the instruction to Ss: “Study the information in the table and write a paragraph about the Sahara Group work Desert.” - Assign each group to write a different paragraph about the Sahara Desert Ask Ss to this task in 10 minutes XII POST-WRITING: (8mns) - Ask the groups to exchange their writings and correct mistakes or errors each other - Get four groups that write four different paragraphs to stick the posters on the board Correct mistakes or errors with the whole class Give feedback HOMEWORK: (2mns) Ask Ss to write a complete composition about the Sahara Desert at home XIII APPENDIX H LESSON PLAN Period 63: UNIT 10: ENDANGERED SPECIES * Objectives: - By the end of the lesson, students are able to write a well-organized paragraph By the end of the lesson, students will be able to write about measures to protect some endangered species * Teaching methods : Speaking: Asking for and giving information; sharing ideas * Teaching aids: Textbook, handouts, posters, chalk and board, * Teaching procedures: WARM-UP * Ask ss to list several animals on the board beginning with letter D, E, P, R, and C within minutes - They are in danger How to protect them ? Today, we‟ll practice writing a paragraph suggesting ways to protect these animals Unit 10 Endangered Species Writing - The teacher asked students to work in groups of within minutes to find out as many measures as possible to protect these animals - The teacher called on some students to go to board and write down their measures - The teacher provided the students with some key words and structures related to the writing topic + ban, prohibit, forbid + To deal with the problem, XIV + To prevent/ stop somebody from doing something - The teacher asked ss to work in pairs in minutes and make outline for their writing * Suggested answer Topic sentence : There are three main measures to protect gazelles - Ask ss to write the sentences in the from extinction correct place in the outline Supporting idea 1: Humans must - Tell ss to compare answers with a stop poaching gazelles for their partner horns, meat and skin - Call on some to give answers and Supporting idea : They mustn‟t kill check with the class gazelles massively Ask ss to work in pairs again Supporting idea : Gazelles should - Tell ss to identify the topic and the be kept together in their natural controlling idea of the topic sentence of habitat so that they can breed the paragraph successfully - Tell ss to look at the picture and match Concluding sentence : Gazelles will them with the species listed be saved from extinction when these - Ask ss to compare answers with a measures are carried out effectively partner Go over the answers with the class * Expected : controlling idea There are three main measures Discussing and writing an outline -Tell ss to choose one among the four animals to write about - Ask ss who choose the same animal to form one group ( or more if too big ) - Tell ss, in groups, to identify the parts of the topic sentence topic to protect gazelles from extinction + Ss‟ answers : Feedback : A -c C-a B-d D-a - Then ask ss to discuss the ideas to + support the topic sentence, that is, the Expe main measures cted WHILE WRITING answ - Ask ss to wrote individually a paragraph er : to develop the topic sentence topic - Remind them to use transition signals There are several main measures to help with the coherence Move around to monitor and give controlling idea help to save ( flamingos / ) from POST-WRITING extinction When they have finished , tell ss to XV work in small group - Ask ss to exchange their writing with partners and answer the following questions + Does the graph include the topic sentence + Are the supporting ideas relevant to and about the topic + How well the ideas or examples support the thesis? - Give feedback and comment -* Consolidation : Summarize the format to develop a paragraph - Prep for LANGUAGE FOCUS * Comments and modification XVI APPENDIX I LESSON PLAN UNIT 11: BOOKS Period 68: WRITING * Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ss are able to write a description of a character in a novel By the end of the lesson, ss are more confident in writing English through expressing opinions * Skills : Writing : expressing opinions * Teaching aids: Textbook * Teaching procedure: Teacher‟s activities WARM-UP * Teacher raises a certain book and asks ss what it is! Then ask some questions : - What kinds of books you want to read? Why? - What skills you need to read novels? Go over ss‟ answers and lead to the new lesson Unit 11 BOOKS PRE-WRITING ACTIVITY 1: Read the sample Decide T/ F statements (task a.142) - Ask ss to read through the sample description and then read the statements and decide if they are T or F - Get ss correct the false information - Call on ss to give answers and explanations for their choices Invite class‟ opinions and comments - Go over the answers with the whole class ACTIVITY 2: Questions and answers : - Write the questions on the board and tell ss to scan the text again and find the answers XVII + List the adjectives, and noun phrases used to describe the man + What is his great deed? - Have ss work in pairs and compare answers - Call on ss to give answers to the questions and check with the whole class ACTIVITY 3: Writing an outline - Tell ss to think of a character in a story they have read - Get ss who choose the same character or story to work together in pairs or small groups - Ask sws to write an outline of the description of the character - Remind ss to include a topic sentence, supporting ideas and a concluding sentence - Remind ss a description should say : + What the story iss about and what the central problem is , and how it is solved + Which character you find most interesting/ and the reason why /how the character is described and how you feel about him/her + The most striking feature of the character and how it impresses you WHILE WRITING - When they have finished with an outline, get them work individually and write the description - Tell ss to refer to the guidelines for help and to use connectors to link ideas Go around to monitor and give help POST-WRITING Have ss work in small groups - Tell ss to take turns reading one another‟s description and check together - Ask ss if their essays include the questions : + How the character was described and his/her feeling about the character? + Ss‟ answers may vary… XVIII + Ss‟ checking in turn + Ss write again at home + Does it say the story is about? + Does it include the central problem and how it was solved? - Choose two good writings to write on the board Invite class‟ opinions Give feedback and comments Learning from peer - Tell ss to exchange their writings with a partner and read at home This way can help them to learn from each other * Consolidation : Summarize main points , format used to write SAMPLE WRITING The book that I recently read is 'The Fortunate Pilgrim' It is a novel by Mario Puzo which was first published in the year 1965 The writer Mario Puzo is well-known for his famous mafia book 'The Godfather' and was critically acclaimed for his book ‟The Fortunate Pilgrim" The writer had adopted the story of this novel based on his mother's immigration struggling for respectability in the United States Mario Puzo himself considered this novel to be his finest though Godfather earned him much more fame and earning.The novel tells the story of an immigrant family living in New York city The mother of the family, Lucia Santa is the protagonist It is her formidable will that steers the family members through the Great Depression and early years of World War The story, places and the characters became so real that the readers can't stop wondering about them The writer has been brilliantly able to tell a known story in a known tone that makes us feel them in our lives and that's why the characters and stories got the power keep a reader awake whole night Mario Puzo has shown literacy excellence in this story I liked the book very much and finished it within days I have always been a great admirer of Puzo's writing and this one was a really different book than his famous mafia books This is a book that touches the reader's mind The story and the storytelling ability were so attractive that I had a very hard time putting the book down Whenever I could I read the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it XIX APPENDIX J LESSON PLAN UNIT 12: WATER SPORT Period 73: WRITING * Objectives: - Educational aim: By the end of this lesson, students will know some ways of instructing when playing sports General knowledge: Students learn how to give instructions Language: Instructing New words: Words related to instructed words * Teaching method: Integrated, mainly communicative * Teaching aids: Student‟s book, notebook * Teaching Procedure: Teacher’s activities WARM-UPT may lead in the new lesson by asking some questions : - Do you like sports? So what kinds of sports you like? - Tell me some kinds of sports played in the water? * Today, we‟ll practice writing a set of instructions for a sport UNIT 12 WATER SPORTS WRITING PRE-WRITING ACTIVITY 1: Completing the instructions ( task a.151) - Ask ss to read the sample instructions for diving and fill in each blank with a suitable word - Tell ss to compare in pairs - Call on ss to give answers by reading out the completed instructions - Go over the answers with the whole class ACTIVITY 2: Ordering and making full sentences ( task b.152) - Ask ss to work in pairs and look at the pictures and the prompts given for the XX instructions for backstroke start techniques - Tell ss to put the pictures in correct order of the action, and then make full sentences form the prompts provided to complete the instruction Have ss compare answers in groups - Choose ss to write the complete the instructions on the board for the class to check together - Go over the answers with the whole class ACTIVITY 3: Writing instructions from cues ( task c 153) - Tell ss to look at the pictures and the cues given ; then make full sentences from the cues to finish the instructions for break stroke start techniques Get ss to compare answers with a partner Choose ss to write on the board Go over the answers with the whole class * Writing instructions for a water sport - Put ss to work in pairs - Tell ss to choose one topic provide and write a set of instructions - Remind ss of the verb form and the use of sentence sequence markers - Go around to monitor and give help if needed POST-WRITING * Peer correction Have ss work in small groups - Tell ss to take turns to read one another‟s instructions and check together Ask ss to answer these questions : 1/ Are there sequence markers used to show the order of things? 2/ Are the verbs in imperative or second person? 3/ Is it clear, simple, and easy to read ? - Choose ss to write on the board to check as a class Invite other‟s opinions and comments Give feedback and comments XXI APPENDIX K LESSON PLAN UNIT 13: SEA GAMES Period 78: WRITING * Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ss are able to WRITE an article about a sport By the end of the lesson, ss will know how to organize an article * Teaching method: writing an article; reading; organizing * Teaching aids : Textbook, handouts, posters, chalk and board, OHP, transparencies * Teaching procedure……… * T may use some items that are cut from a newspaper or a magazine and paste them on the board -Ask ss what these items are called in English Expected : Articles - What is meant by an article ? Lead to the new lesson : UNIT 13 SEA GAMES - WRITING AN ARTICAL PRE-WRITING ACTIVITY 1: Gap questions -Have ss read the text about Sepak takraw - Ask ss to complete the sentences with the missing information - Tell ss to compare answers with a partner - Call on some to give answers and check with the whole class ACTIVITY 2: Presenting vocabulary and structures - Provide ss with a sample to gain more vocabulary and structures for their writing Football is a very popular game Whenever I watch this game on television, XXII + Ss‟ answers may vary … + Ss discuss and give a possible outline ( may have different outlines ) I get overjoyed When I watch it from the stadium gallery I feel as if I am playing it with others on the field Although I had seen several football matches during my + Ss write in 15 minutes school days, I had not availed of the chance of witnessing a match held between two states This opportunity came in the month of July last year A match was played between Mumbai and West Bengal at Salt Lake Stadium I went there to + Ss exchange their writings to witness it I bought a ticket with much correct difficulty and occupied the seat in the gallery The match was to be played at P.M The Mohan Bagan of Calcutta had worn white uniform whereas the Mumbai had green uniform There was a vast gathering in the field The memory of that game is still afresh in my mind I found the game highly interesting At the appointed time, the Mohan Bagan team started kicking the ball from the center It marked the commencement of the match The players of the Mohan Bagan team were spirited from the beginning and attacked the Mumbai players Of course, the defense-strategy of the Mumbai was very intelligent But the spirit of co-operation among the Mohan Bagan players brought a chance of scoring an easy goal against the Mumbai The crowd cheered up the Mohan Bagans In fact, the Mohan Bagans were superior to the Mumbai players in all respects They won the match because of their presence of mind, the speed and position of players and above all due to the lack of intelligence in the rival team Mr Meheta, an old football player, conducted the match He assisted the referee Mr Kalu Kitholo of Keral The goal keeper of Mohan Bagan was a tall boy He was never nervous This virtue helped him a XXIII lot He prevented every stroke by the Mumbai players quite heroically The referee blew the whistle at the half time At that time the score was 1-0 with a lonely goal by Nirad Ganguly of Mohan Bagan The referee was a very strong headed person He enforced the laws while deciding the disputed points Sometimes, the linemen standing on the border of the ground helped the referee in giving decisions The Mohan Bagans dominated the match particularly in the second half The center forward with the help of the midfielder scored two more quick goals against Mumbai The spectators on the gallery stood up and jubilantly cheered up the Mohan Bagan players The referee blew the whistle The match ended The Mohan Bagan won by 4-0 goals ACTIVITY 3: Discussing and writing an outline - Tell ss to choose a sport /game they are interested in - Have ss with the same sport/game form one group ( or more if too big) - Tell ss, in groups, to discuss and write an outline for the artical - Move around to monitor and give help if necessary - Tell ss that they can ask suggestions from others if they are not sure of WHILE WRITING - Ask ss to work individually and make full sentences of the details to have a complete article - Remind them to use sentence connectors and different structures to create a coherent article Move around to monitor and give help POST-WRITING When they have finished, get them work XXIV in small groups - Ask ss to exchange their writings with their partners and answers the following questions : + Does it include an introduction, history ? + Are there words used to connect ideas ? - Then call two (or four ) students with different sports to write on the board - Ask ss to read these articals together and suggest corrections and improvements - Encourage ss to give options and comments Give feedback and comments XXV ... THE 12th GRADERS’ LEARNING OF PARAGRAPH WRITING - AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT YEN LAC HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC Ảnh hưởng hoạt động trước viết lên việc học viết đoạn văn học sinh lớp 12 - Một nghiên. .. lớp 12 - Một nghiên cứu hành động trường THPT Yên Lạc, Vĩnh Phúc M.A.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Nguyễn Văn Trào HANOI – 2016... effects of pre-writing activities on the 12 th graders‟ learning of paragraph writing To reach this aim, an action research was conducted with forty-five 12th grade students at Yen Lac High School