The effects of the genre based approach on the learning of formal letter writing at

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE THE EFFECTS OF THE GENRE-BASED APPROACH ON THE LEARNING OF FORMAL-LETTER WRITING AT BRANCH 11 OF HCMC UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirement of the Master’s degree in TESOL By XUAN THI TRUONG DAO – TESOL 2009 Supervised by Assoc Prof Dr TUNG THANH NGUYEN HO CHI MINH CITY, FEBRUARY 2014 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: THE EFFECTS OF THE GENRE-BASED APPROACH ON THE LEARNING OF FORMAL-LETTER WRITING AT BRANCH 11 OF HCMC UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION in terms of the statement of Requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution Ho Chi Minh City, February 16th, 2014 XUAN THI TRUONG DAO i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, XUAN DAO THI TRUONG, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, February 16th, 2014 XUAN THI TRUONG DAO ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following people who have made a great contribution to the completion of my master’s thesis First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Tùng Thanh Nguyễn for his invaluable guidance, constant encouragement and infinite patience throughout my research It was very lucky for me that I was able to work with him Without his persistent support, this thesis would not have been possible Next, I take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to my English teachers, Mr Bảy Sỉ Trương and Ms Thoa Nguyễn, who inspired me to become an English teacher and gave me extra help after school I would also like to send my special thanks to all my teachers for the memorable school years and unforgettable moments Their lessons have carried me a long way in the journey of life on which I am embarking Lastly, I owe a great debt of gratitude to my brothers for their selfless devotion to my school years iii ABSTRACT Recently the genre-based approach has been widely adopted or adapted in a number of educational contexts This study was carried out to examine the effects of this approach on the learning of writing formal letters at Branch 11 of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education adapting the framework of “Guidelines for Analyzing Genres” by Devitt, Reiff and Barwarshi (2004), which was originally developed from Christine Tardy’s (2004) genre knowledge model The data were collected from two intermediate classes, one of which was the control group and the other the experimental group Twenty one learners of the control group learned writing with the usual approach and 20 learners of the experimental group were taught the genre-based approach during a two-month course (from 17 September to November 2012 for the control group and from 15 October to December 2012 for the experimental group) To find out the answers to the research questions about learners’ writing ability and their attitudes towards the application of the genre-based approach, the researcher employed two research tools for data collection: pre- and post-tests before and after the treatment and a questionnaire The data were analyzed using a t-test for the former and frequency and percentage for the latter The results revealed that the experimental group made a much more impressive performance and its learners had a very positive attitude towards this approach, which means that the genre-based approach has a positive effect on the learning of formal-letter writing and that its application to teaching writing is highly recommended iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Statement of authorship i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents .v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study .1 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions .5 1.4 Significance of the study .6 1.5 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Approaches to teaching writing 2.1.1 Product approach 2.1.2 Process approach .8 2.1.3 Genre-based approach .8 2.2 Concept of genre 2.2.1 Definitions of genre 2.2.2 Genre nature 10 2.2.2.1 Dynamic of genre 10 2.2.2.2 Flexibility of genre 11 2.2.3 Genre theories 12 2.2.4 Key concepts in genre studies .14 2.2.4.1 Networks of genres: Genre set and genre system 14 2.2.4.1.1 Genre set 14 2.2.4.1.2 Genre system 15 2.2.4.2 Uptake 16 2.2.4.3 Situated Learning Theory .16 v 2.3 Why to use the genre-based approach .17 2.3.1 Helping learners have confident in writing 17 2.3.2 Providing learners with cultural and linguistic resources for writing 18 2.3.3 Helping learners perform a critical analysis of writing situation .19 2.3.4 Providing learners with background knowledge .20 2.3.5 Leading learners to a better understanding of discourse community 20 2.3.6 Expanding process-based notions of invention in writing 21 2.4 Limitations of the genre-based approach 22 2.5 When to use the genre-based approach 22 2.6 Which genre to be taught 23 2.7 Previous research on the application genre to teaching writing 23 2.8 How to use the genre-based approach to writing teaching practices 24 2.9 Summary 27 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 29 3.1 Research site .29 3.2 Participants 29 3.3 Methodology 31 3.3.1 Teaching process 32 3.3.1.1 Control group .32 3.3.1.2 Experimental group .33 3.3.2 Tests 35 3.3.2.1 Pre-test 35 3.3.2.2 Post-test 36 3.3.3 Questionnaire 36 3.4 Analytical framework 38 3.4.1 Quantitative analysis of pre-test and post-test 38 3.4.2 Quantitative analysis of questionnaire .40 3.5 Summary 41 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 42 4.1 Results from the pre-test and the post-test 42 vi 4.1.1 Pre-test results .42 4.1.2 Post-test results 46 4.2 Results of the questionnaire .49 4.2.1 Consistency and reliability of the questionnaire 49 4.2.2 Analysis of the questionnaire 51 4.2.2.1 Learners’ attitudes towards the reception of genre-knowledge .51 4.2.2.2 Learners’ attitudes towards the drawbacks of the genre-based approach 54 4.2.2.3 The approach learners had previously been taught .56 4.2.2.4 The approach learners prefer and the reasons for their preference .56 4.2.2.5 Learners’ opinion about their improvement 58 4.3 Discussion of the findings 60 4.3.1 Learners’ performance before and after the treatment 60 4.3.2 Learners’ attitude towards the application of the genre-based approach in teaching formal letters 61 4.3.2.1 Positive implication .61 4.3.2.2 Negative implication 63 4.4 Summary 63 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 64 5.1 Conclusions 64 5.2 Evaluation of the research methodology 65 5.2.1 Strengths 65 5.2.2 Weaknesses 66 5.3 Recommendations 67 5.3.1 For teachers 67 5.3.2 For learners 69 5.3.3 Suggestions for further research 69 5.3 Summary 70 vii REFERENCES 71 APPENDICES 77 Appendix A: Guidelines for analyzing genres 77 Appendix B: Personal Information 80 Appendix C: Lesson plan for control group 81 Appendix D: Lesson plan for control group 85 Appendix E: Lesson plan for control group 89 Appendix F: Lesson plan for control group 93 Appendix G: Lesson plan for experimental group .97 Appendix H: Lesson plan for experimental group .113 Appendix I: Lesson plan for experimental group 123 Appendix J: Assignment for experimental group 133 Appendix K: Assignment 143 Appendix L: Assignment 144 Appendix M: Assignment 145 Appendix N: Assignment 146 Appendix O: Pre-test .148 Appendix P: Post-test 149 Appendix Q: Formal-letter rubric 150 Appendix R: Questionnaire (English version) 151 Appendix S: Questionnaire (Vietnamese version) 154 Appendix T: Pre-test result of control group 157 Appendix U: Pre-test result of experimental group 158 Appendix V: Post-test result of control group 159 Appendix W: Post-test result of control group .160 Appendix X: Questionnaire data 161 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Personal information 30 Table 4.1 Grouping of pre-test scores .43 Table 4.2 Group statistics for pre-test results 45 Table 4.3 Independent samples test for pre-test results 45 Table 4.4 Grouping of post-test scores 47 Table 4.5 Group statistics for post-test results .47 Table 4.6 Independent samples test for post-test results .48 Table 4.7 Reliability statistics 49 Table 4.8 Item-total statistics 50 Table 4.9 Means and modes of learners’ attitudes towards the reception of genre knowledge .51 Table 4.10 Frequency and percentage of learners’ attitudes towards the reception of genre knowledge 53 Table 4.11 Means and modes of learners’ attitudes towards the drawbacks of the genre-based approach 54 Table 4.12 Frequency and percentage of learners’ attitudes towards the drawbacks of the genre-based approach 55 Table 4.13 The approach learners preferred 57 Table 4.14 Reasons for preference 57 Table 4.15 Mean and mode of learners’ opinion about improvement 58 ix Appendix O Pre-test Write a letter to Mrs Jody Coling to ask her to act as consultant for the programme Food and Drink in France Mrs Jody Coling is President of Lockwood Health Association which is located at 95 Gloucester Place, London W1A 5SP Describe briefly the aim and content of the program Suggest a meeting to discuss the matter in more detail (Adapted from: International Express, Intermediate by Keith Harding and Liz Taylor) 148 Appendix P Post-test Situation: You are the manager of a company called Komplett Trade Your address is 23 Wood Square, London with postcode NE2 6AG You offer training to young economists interested in working in global markets Your company is organizing a conference entitled New Markets for the New Economy The conference will take place at The Michelangelo Hall, 35 Regent’s Park, London Task: Write a letter to Mike Knowitall to ask him to speak at your conference for an hour He is the President of Business Solutions His address is 34 Devas Street, Manchester with postcode M15 6EX Enclose information and brochures about your company and also the conference programme (Adapted from: International Express, Intermediate by Keith Harding and Liz Taylor) 149 Appendix Q Formal-letter rubric points - WOW Accurately uses correct business letter format (heading, greeting, introduction, body, closure, signature, enclosure, and copy) points - Almost there All components are present but a few are written improperly points - On the way Some components are missing and/or written improperly 0-1 point - Not yet Most components are missing and/or written improperly Appearance The writing is neat, easy to read All parts of the letter are correctly spaced The writing is legible and neat Most of the letter has correct spacing The writing is not easy to read or the writer has not used correct spacing Transitions The writing transitions well between paragraphs It flows well throughout Transitions are used and there is flow between paragraphs Word choice The writer uses varied, descriptive and appropriate words to create meaningful pictures The writer uses descriptive words appropriately Usually uses appropriate language Grammar Accurate use of punctuation, capitalization and grammar One or two mistakes with punctuation, capitalization and grammar No spelling errors One or two spelling errors Transitions between paragraphs are fuzzy and the flow is choppy at times The writer uses a few descriptive words Sometimes uses, inappropriate words, slang, jargon or contraction More than two mistakes in punctuation, capitalization and grammar but the meaning is clear More than two spelling errors The handwriting is unreadable and messy The writer has not used correct spacing No clear transitions and flow is very choppy Formal knowledge x 1.5 Organization Spelling Rhetorical knowledge x Length Audience Demonstrates a clear understanding of the reader Demonstrates a general understanding of the reader however drifts away at times Demonstrates some understanding of the reader Writer Clear and concise information to show the available writer’s position on the topic Specific information to show the writer’s available position on the topic General information to show the writer’s available position on the topic 10 Purpose Engaging introduction that identifies the purpose Adequate introduction that identifies the purpose Attempts to identify purpose in introduction 11 Contact information Subject-matter knowledge x 1.5 The paper meets the criterion for length 12 On topic Complete, clear contact information The writer stays on topic from start to finish 13 Points The writing has a clear main idea in each paragraph 14 Details 15 Tone 16 Voice (Emotion & Personal style) Date: Topic: ………… Complete contact information The writer focused on the topic for most of the writing but wandered a little The paper has a main idea in most paragraphs The writer uses many interesting details that support the main idea The writer has some details that supports the main idea Consistently uses formal and polite tone The writing comes to life and keeps the reader interested by using tactics (question, description, statement, definition, etc ) The writer makes writing her/his own Subtotal Score SCORE Total score Usually uses formal and polite tone The writing is interesting throughout by using some engaging tactics throughout the paper to keep reader’s attention Formal knowledge:/40 Incomplete contact information The writing does not focus on the topic or the direction is not clear The main idea is not very clear in some paragraphs The writer has very few interesting details or the details not support the main idea Sometimes uses formal and polite tone The writing has some interesting parts with few tactics to engage the reader Rhetorical knowledge:/24 /100 The vocabulary is inappropriate, simple and limited Overuses slang, jargon or contraction Frequent mistakes or grammar interferes with the meaning of the writing Frequent spelling errors The paper does not meet the criterion for length It is not clear who the writer is writing for Incomplete/No information to show the writer’s available position on the topic Does not correctly identify purpose in introduction No contact information The writing does not follow or is missing its topic The writing has no stated main idea in any of the paragraphs The writing has no interesting or related details Seldom or never uses formal and polite tone The writing is boring without engaging tactics to get or keep reader’s attention Subject-matter knowledge: /36 Adapted from: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/3434656/Business-Letter-Writing-Rubric56 12 150 Appendix R Questionnaire (English version) Please respond to the following questions by ticking () in the box  you choose Your responses will make a great contribution to the success of the thesis entitled “The effect of the genre-based approach on the learning of formal-letter writing at Branch 11 of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education” Thank you for your support Your opinion about the approach applied to teach writing formal letters in this course: SD: strongly disagree D: disagree U: uncertain A: agree SA: strongly agree SD D U A SA      1.1.2 be aware of the role of the reader in the writing activity      1.1.3 be aware of what the writing topic is      1.1.4 be aware of the communicative purpose of writing      1.2.1 determine possible formats a formal letter      1.2.2 understand how parts of a formal letter are structured      1.2.3 widen lexical knowledge through sample analysis      1.2.4 identify typical grammatical features of formal letters                          This approach helps you 1.1 Rhetorical knowledge 1.1.1 be aware of the role of the writer in the writing activity 1.2 Formal knowledge 1.3 Subject-matter knowledge 1.3.1 recognize the writer’s attitude in a letter 1.3.2 become aware of the actions possibly performed through a letter’s language patterns 1.3.3 know who are involved in a letter 1.3.4 understand which content is most important and which is least 151 Your opinion about the drawbacks of this approach after it was applied: SD: strongly disagree D: disagree U: uncertain A: agree SA: strongly agree 2.1 neglects learner’s self-sufficiency SD D   2.2 makes learners feel passive      2.3 does not teach the necessary skills in content          This approach U  A  SA  production 2.4  limits learners’ creativity Your preference: A) This approach B)Other this class, your Teacher elicited questions on approaches previous situations, handed out samples of a teachers had text-type and asked class to analyze often instructed the situation, content, organization, writing by grammatical-lexical features, tone, using: action performed etc After that the 3.1 Before teacher gave feedback and summarized before setting class the writing task Teacher elicited questions to generate ideas, supplied new vocabulary and structures and/or gave a model text and learners imitate to write etc 3.2 Which you If you prefer A, continue with the If you prefer B, skip prefer? next question the next question The reasons for your preference are that this approach: 3.2.1 makes learners feel confident when writing  3.2.2 provides linguistic resources (vocabuary, and grammar…)  3.2.3 accrues socio-cultural knowledge  3.2.4 provides background knowledge  3.2.5 build better understanding of the community using that genre  3.2.6 develops the ability to think of new and clever ideas  3.2.7 promotes the competence in working in groups  152 Your opinion about your improvement after this approach was applied to teach writing formal letters at the pre-writing stage: E: excellent 4.1 G: good A: average P: poor EP: extremely poor E G A P EP How you evaluate your improvement of          formal-letter performance after this approach was applied? 4.2 How you feel about the improvement of  your self-confidence when this approach is applied? 153 Appendix S BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT (Vietnamese version) Vui lòng trả lời câu hỏi sau cách đánh dấu () vào ô bạn chọn Câu trả lời bạn đóng góp đáng kể cho thành cơng đề tài luận văn thạc sĩ “Hiệu phương pháp thể loại việc học viết thư trang trọng chi nhánh 11, trường Đại học sư phạm thành phố Hồ Chí Minh” Cảm ơn trợ giúp bạn Ý kiến bạn phương pháp dạy viết thư khóa học Đánh dấu vào  SD: không đồng ý D: không đồng ý U: không A: đồng ý SA: đồng ý SD D U A SA                                              1.3.2 dự biết hành động xảy dựa vào  ngơn ngữ thư     1.3.3 biết có liên quan thư      1.3.4 hiểu nội dung quan trọng nội dung  quan trọng     Phương pháp giúp bạn: 1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.2.4 1.3.1 1.1 nhận thức vai trò người viết hoạt dộng viết nhận thức vai trò người đọc hoạt dộng viết nhận biết chủ đề viết nhận thức mục đích giao tiếp hoạt động viết 1.2 xác định thư trang trọng trình bày dạng thức hiểu phần thư xếp mở rộng vốn từ thông qua việc phân tích mẫu thư ví dụ xác định rõ tính ngữ pháp điển hình 1.3 nhận thái độ người viết người đọc 154 Ý kiến bạn mặt hạn chế phương pháp này: SD: không đồng ý D: không đồng ý U: không A: đồng ý SA: đồng ý SD D U A SA 2.1 Làm người học thiếu độc lập viết      2.2 Làm người học cảm thấy bị động học      2.3 Không dạy kĩ cần thiết để triển khai nội dung      2.4 Giới hạn sáng tạo người học      Phương pháp bạn ưa chuộng 3.1 3.2 Trước học  A) Phương pháp  B) Phương pháp khóa học này, khác Giáo viên hỏi số câu giáo viên hỏi tình Sau phát trước viết ví dụ mẫu loại câu hỏi bạn trả bạn thường văn yêu cầu bạn phân lời để lấy ý dạy tích tình huống, nội dung, bố cục, trước viết, phương pháp: tính ngữ pháp, từ vựng, lối giáo viên đưa diễn đạt, hành động thực mẫu, phân tích bố Sau đó, giáo viên cho lớp cục, dạy từ vựng, ngữ phản hồi tóm tắt lại trước pháp bạn bắt cho lớp viết chước theo viết Bạn thích Nếu bạn thích A, tiếp tục với Nếu bạn thích B, phương pháp câu hỏi 3.3 Giáo viên nêu bỏ qua câu hỏi Lý mà bạn thích phương pháp là: 3.3.1 3.3.2 3.3.3 3.3.4 3.3.5 3.3.6 3.3.7 Làm người học thấy tự tin viết Cung cấp vốn kiến thức ngơn ngữ (từ vựng, ngữ pháp ) Tích lũy vốn kiến thức văn hóa-xã hội Cung cấp kiến thức Hiểu cộng đồng dùng loại thư Phát huy tính sáng tạo Phát huy khả làm việc nhóm 155        Ý kiến bạn tiến E: Xuất sắc 4.1 G: Tốt A: Average P: Poor EP: Extremely Poor E G A P EP Bạn đánh giá tiến khả          viết thư mình? 4.2 Bạn cảm thấy tự tin việc  viết thư cải thiện mức độ phương pháp ứng dụng? 156 Appendix T Pre-test result of control group RHETORICAL SUBJECT-MATTER FORMAL KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE SCORE KNOWLEDGE St1 2 2 1 2 2 1 42 St2 3 2 4 3 3 70 St3 2 2 2 3 3 62.5 St4 2 2 2 2 2 47.5 St5 2 3 3 2 2 60 St6 3 2 2 4 3 65.5 St7 3 3 3 3 1 64.5 St8 2 1 2 2 46 St9 2 2 1 2 2 49 St10 2 2 2 4 2 1 54 St11 2 3 3 2 52 St12 2 3 2 49 St13 2 2 45 St14 1 2 2 2 2 2 48.5 St15 1 2 2 2 1 2 1 41 St16 2 2 1 1 3 2 47.5 St17 2 2 2 1 1 38.5 St18 2 3 4 2 52 St19 2 1 3 2 46.5 St20 2 2 2 2 2 1 46 St21 2 2 45 157 Appendix U Pre-test result of experimental group RHETORICAL SUBJECT-MATTER FORMAL KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE SCORE KNOWLEDGE St1 2 2 2 2 4 1 2 2 54 St2 1 2 2 2 2 1 44 St3 2 2 2 2 46 St4 2 2 2 1 1 48.5 St5 2 2 2 2 2 54 St6 2 1 1 47 St7 2 3 4 3 3 63 St8 2 2 3 1 41 St9 2 3 3 2 52 St10 2 3 3 3 3 64 St11 2 2 2 2 44.5 St12 1 2 2 4 1 1 39 St13 2 2 2 4 2 2 52 St14 2 2 2 2 54 St15 3 3 3 3 4 2 2 2 70.5 St16 1 2 2 3 1 42.5 St17 2 2 2 2 2 52 St18 2 2 3 3 62.5 St19 1 2 2 3 1 42.5 St20 2 2 2 3 47.5 158 Appendix V Post-test result of control group RHETORICAL SUBJECT-MATTER FORMAL KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE SCORE KNOWLEDGE St1 2 2 2 2 52 St2 3 3 4 4 3 3 82 St3 2 2 4 3 3 3 70.5 St4 2 2 2 4 2 61.5 St5 2 3 3 4 3 3 75.5 St6 3 3 2 4 3 2 68 St7 2 3 3 68 St8 2 3 2 4 2 2 61 St9 2 3 2 2 2 2 58.5 St10 2 3 2 4 2 2 61.5 St11 3 3 2 2 60 St12 2 3 4 2 2 66 St13 2 2 2 3 2 60 St14 2 3 2 2 2 60 St15 2 3 2 2 58.5 St16 2 3 2 3 58.5 St17 1 2 2 2 47 St18 2 2 2 63.5 St19 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 60 St20 2 2 2 2 2 60 St21 2 2 2 2 2 55 159 Appendix W Post-test result of experimental group RHETORICAL SUBJECT-MATTER FORMAL KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE SCORE KNOWLEDGE St1 3 3 3 4 3 3 74.5 St2 3 3 2 2 2 65.5 St3 3 3 3 3 2 2 69 St4 3 3 3 3 2 3 73.5 St5 3 2 2 3 3 64.5 St6 3 3 2 3 2 69 St7 4 3 3 3 2 77.5 St8 2 2 2 2 2 59 St9 3 2 4 3 73.5 St10 4 3 3 4 3 3 85.5 St11 3 3 3 3 2 2 69 St12 2 3 3 4 3 2 70.5 St13 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 77 St14 2 2 3 3 66 St15 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 90 St16 2 3 2 2 2 1 54.5 St17 3 2 3 4 2 2 67.5 St18 3 3 3 4 3 3 76 St19 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 54.5 St20 3 3 3 3 3 3 78 160 Appendix X Questionnaire data 1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.2.4 1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.3.4 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.2.3 3.2.4 3.2.5 3.2.6 3.2.7 4.1 4.2 St 4 5 5 4 4 5 1 1 2 4 St 4 4 4 3 4 1 1 2 4 St 5 5 5 5 4 4 1 1 1 1 4 St 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 1 1 2 St 4 4 5 4 5 4 1 2 St 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 4 St 4 4 4 3 4 4 5 2 1 2 St 4 5 3 3 1 2 2 St 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 1 1 1 1 4 St 10 4 5 5 4 5 4 5 1 1 1 4 St 11 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 1 1 St 12 4 5 4 4 5 3 2 1 2 4 St 13 4 4 5 4 4 4 1 1 2 3 St 14 4 5 4 4 4 1 1 2 St 15 5 5 5 3 4 4 1 1 2 4 St 16 5 5 5 5 5 4 1 1 1 1 4 St 17 5 5 5 5 5 3 1 1 2 St 18 4 5 5 4 5 4 5 1 1 1 4 St 19 5 5 5 5 5 4 1 1 1 1 4 St 20 5 5 5 5 4 4 1 1 1 1 4 161 162 ... investigate learners’ attitudes towards the application of this approach 1.3 Research questions With the aim of certifying the effects of the genre- based approach on the learning of writing formal letters...CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: THE EFFECTS OF THE GENRE- BASED APPROACH ON THE LEARNING OF FORMAL- LETTER WRITING AT BRANCH 11 OF HCMC... does the application of the genre- based approach improve EFL learners’ performance in writing formal letters? 2) What are EFL learners’ attitudes towards the application of the genrebased approach