Learners use of vietnamese in pairwork and groupwork in efl classes at long an college

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES  LEARNERS’ USE OF VIETNAMESE IN PAIRWORK AND GROUPWORK IN EFL CLASSES AT LONG AN COLLEGE The thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL) Submitted by NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG THANH Supervisor NGUYỄN HOÀNG LINH, M.A Ho Chi Minh City, February 2010 i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: LEARNERS’ USE OF VIETNAMESE IN PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK IN EFL CLASSES AT LONG AN COLLEGE in terms of the statement of Requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee Ho Chi Minh City, February 2010 NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG THANH i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG THANH, being the candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL), accept the requirements of the university relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the University Library I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the University Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan and reproduction for theses Ho Chi Minh City, February 2010 NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG THANH ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Mr Nguyễn Hoàng Linh for his carefully reading of the manuscript, guidance, comments, support, and constant encouragement Without his enthusiastic guidance and encouragement, I would not have fulfilled this thesis I am also grateful to all lecturers at HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities-Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature-Postgraduate Program, for their beneficial lectures without which I would hardly have written this thesis I owe special thanks to all of my colleagues at Long An College for their provision of material, Mr Nguyễn Văn Võ for his observation and comments and my students for their help to collect data for the thesis Finally, I wish to thank Long An College administration staff, who offered me lots of opportunities to the thesis iii ABSTRACT This thesis investigates learners’ use of Vietnamese during pair work and group work activities at Long An College Its study is based on the questionnaire delivered to 130 second-year non-English majors, the class observation and the interviews with students who used L1 The purpose of this study is to search for (1) the extent to which L1 is used in groups and pairs, (2) why the learners use Vietnamese in these activities and in which contexts or situations L1 is often used to give some recommendations of how to limit the use of L1 in English classes(3) The results found from the data analysis of the thesis show that all of the second-year non-English majors at Long An College use Vietnamese during pair work and group work activities and the amount of L1 usage found is more than necessary This is due to their low motivation of learning English, low proficiency in the L2, low frequency of practicing speaking English, habit of using L1 and habit of translation from their mother tongue Based on the findings, the thesis writer makes some recommendations to the teachers, the learners and the administrative staff in the hope that some changes should be made to limit L1 usage in this school iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Certificate of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents v List of tables x List of figures xi Abbreviations and symbols xii Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 RATIONALES 1.2 PRACTICAL BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.2.1 Description of physical conditions at Long An College 1.2.2 The learning and teaching situation 1.2.3 Description of the coursebooks and tests 1.2.4 Summary 1.3 THE PURPOSES OF THE STUDY 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1.5 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY 1.6 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS 1.7 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS Chapter LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 THE USE OF L1 IN PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK 2.1.1 Pair work and group work 2.1.1.1 Definition 2.1.1.2 Advantages and disadvantages of pair work and group work v 2.1.1.2.1 Advantages of pair work and group work 10 2.1.1.2.2 Disadvantages of pair work and group work 13 2.1.1.3 How to organize pair work and group work effectively? 14 2.1.2 The use of L1 in pair work and group work 15 2.1.2.1 The use of L1 15 2.1.2 The role of first language in pair work and group work 16 2.2 REASONS FOR USING FIRST LANGUAGE IN PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK 17 2.2.1 Reasons concerning student motivation 17 2.2.1.1 Definitions, the importance and relationship between motivation and learning 17 2.2.1.2 Factors affecting student motivation 18 2.2.1.2.1 Factors affecting intrinsic motivation 18 2.2.1.2.2 Factors affecting extrinsic motivation 20 2.2.2 Other reasons for using first language in pair work and group work 20 2.3 HOW TO LIMIT THE USE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK? 22 Chapter METHODOLOGY 25 3.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 25 3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN 25 3.2.1 Subjects 26 3.2.2 Instruments 27 3.2.2.1 The questionnaire 28 3.2.2.2 The class observation 30 3.2.2.3 Interviews 31 3.2.3 Data collection procedures 33 SUMMARY 35 vi Chapter FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 36 4.1 STUDENTS’ BACKGROUND INFORMATION 36 4.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS FOR THE FIRST RESEARCH QUESTION: HOW OFTEN THE STUDENTS USE VIETNAMESE IN GROUPS OR PAIRS 38 4.2.1 Results of the students’ questionnaire 38 4.2.2 Results of the class observation 40 4.2.2.1 Results of the first part of the class observation 40 4.2.2.2 Results of the second part of the class observation 41 4.2.3 Results of the interviews with students 45 4.3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS FOR THE SECOND RESEARCH QUESTION: WHY THE STUDENTS USE VIETNAMESE IN GROUPS OR PAIRS 46 4.3.1 Results of the questionnaire 46 4.3.1.1 Reasons concerning the motivation 46 4.3.1.1.1 The reasons for students’ learning English 46 4.3.1.1.2 The importance of English to the students 47 4.3.1.1.3 The necessity of speaking English to the students 48 4.3.1.1.4 Students’ attitude towards speaking English 49 4.3.1.1.5 Factors affecting students’ speaking English 50 4.3.1.2 Reasons concerning the pair/group activities 51 4.3.1.2.1 Students’ attitude towards pair work/group work 51 4.3.1.2.2 Values of pair work/group work to students’ speaking English 51 4.3.1.2.3 Students’ experience of pair work/group work 52 4.3.1.2.4 Factors affecting students’ interest when working in pairs/groups 52 a Th e fa cto r s tha t stud en ts like be st wh en th ey wo r k in pa irs /g roup s 52 b The factors that make students dissatisfied with group work 53 c Group formation 54 vii d The level of the group members 55 4.3.1.2.5 The topics discussed in pairs/groups 55 4.3.1.3 Reasons concerning the abilities and the interests 56 4.3.1.4 Reasons concerning the habits 57 4.3.2 Results of the observation 57 4.3.2.1 Reasons concerning the students’knowledge of English 57 4.3.2.2 Reasons concerning the students’habits 58 4.3.2.2.1 Habit of using L1 and translation 58 4.3.2.2.2 Habit of using Vietnamese to check and plan what they are going to 60 4.3.2.3 Reasons concerning their private use of language 61 4.3.3 Results of the interviews with students 61 4.3.3.1 Results of the first part of the interviews 61 4.3.3.2 Results of the second part of the interviews 63 4.4 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 68 4.4.1 Reasons concerning the general motivation 69 4.4.2 Reasons concerning the pair/group activities 69 4.4.3 Reasons concerning the abilities and the private use 70 4.4.4 Reasons concerning the habits 70 4.4.5 Reasons concerning the teachers 71 Chapter CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 72 5.1 CONCLUSION 72 5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS 73 5.2.1 To the teachers 74 5.2.2 To the students 76 5.2.3 To the administrative staff 76 viii CONCLUSION 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY 80 APPENDICES Appendix A Questionnaire for students 85 Appendix B Observation sheet 94 Appendix C Observation transcripts 95 Appendix C1 The transcript of the group work activity 96 Appendix C2 The transcript of the group work activity 99 Appendix C3 The transcript of the pair work activity 102 Appendix C4 The transcript of the pair work activity 104 Appendix D The interview form 106 ix 11 What kind of group you want to work in? A Group of the same level B Group of different level C Both Why? _ 12 What makes you like best when you learn in group? A You feel comfortable B You can avoid pressure C You can learn from other members D You have more opportunities to practice English 13 What makes you dissatisfied with group work? A Good members control the activities of the group B There are too many different ideas C The seats are not comfortable D Some members are not active 14 You prefer group to be formed by A the teacher B the students 15 What you think about the topics discussed? A Very interesting B Interesting C Not interesting D Boring 16 The language used in pairs/groups? A Vietnamese B English C Both If you use Vietnamese in groups, please answer the following questions 17 How much Vietnamese you use in groups? A 100% B Over 50% C 50% D Under 50% 92 18 Why you use Vietnamese in pairs/groups? (You can choose as many options as you wish.) A You not like using English B You not have experience of working in pairs/groups C Your vocabulary is limited D You are not familiar with speaking English E You are afraid of making mistakes F You are afraid of being laughed at G You not feel comfortable working with friends of different sex H You not feel comfortable working with friends who are better and more active I You not like working with friends who are worse than you are K You not feel comfortable working with strangers Others : _ THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR VALUABLE RESPONSES 93 APPENDIX B OBSERVATION SHEET Institute: Long An College Date: Class: Group/ Pair: Focus point: the students’ use of Vietnamese during pair work/group work 1) Vietnamese: 2) English: Conclusion:  always use Vietnamese  use more Vietnamese than English  use Vietnamese as much as English  use more English than Vietnamese  never use Vietnamese 94 APPENDIX C Observation Transcripts Keys to Transcription T: Teacher S: student ( ) gives extra information about the situation ( ) silence for about second 95 APPENDIX C1 The transcript of the group work activity S1: At the weekend đi, S2: …at the weekend, S3: Cuối tuần thì… we have a big party with our group S4: Có cần ghi khơng? S1: Ghi S2: At the weekend…at the weekend we have a big party with our group S1: We were going to… S3: Tên ngơi nhà người đó… S4: Đến nhà người đó… S2: Đến nhà Hoa hén…ghi đại S3: To the… S4: tơi cịn nữa, tơi S1: My house… gì? S2: our group was going to my house S3: gì? S2: đám bạn đến nhà tơi và… S1: was going… group was…, when they came … S4: nhưng… mà nhà lộn xộn,… bừa bãi S3: my house is very…khơng có ngăn nắp đó, khơng có ngăn nắp ta? S2: teacher, khơng ngăn nắp teacher? S1: Khơng ngăn nắp á…, lộn xộn, bừa bãi T: Untidy S1: But my house is very untidy,… S3: Nhà bừa bãi, … S1: when they came, I… 96 S2: Tôi vội vã, thu… S1: Tôi vội vã thu xếp chuyện S3: Tôi vội vã thu xếp đồ đạc lại S2: I hurry arrange something and I put my… (laugh) S1: my gì? S2: and I put my…my bra on my hat S1: để S2: and put it in… tủ mậy… S4: the roof of… S2: tủ đó, tủ buồng… S1: tủ ta…cái tủ ta…thơi tủ chén S2: thơi bậy S1: tủ quần áo cái…nhiều quên rồi, tủ quần áo ta…cái tủ teacher? T: The wardrobe S2: Put it in the wardrobe S1: After,…after… my friend…my friend went out, S2: để mua đồ S3: Went out to buy something S4: To buy something cần nón S2: He needed a hat S1: Unfortunately, … S3: vớ lấy nón S2: Chộp đi,… he grab đó,… grab… chộp S4: He grab my hat, ủa, khứ S1: He grabbed my hat and… wear it S3: Không may mắn 97 S2: Không may mắn , the bra… S1: Fell off rơi rớt S2: Fell off on the head, S1: on his head S3: Rơi xuống đầu… S4: Rơi đầu, lấy nón đội lên cái…Đội vầy nè…cái rơi…đúng S2: He grabbed my hat and when he wear it my bra fell off, fell off … S1: Rơi khỏi nón đi… fell out of and (laugh)…I don’t know S3: Our group laughed a lot S2: …a lot? S3: cười…I was shy, I was very embarrassed 98 APPENDIX C2 The transcript of the group work activity S1: Lí sao? S2: đặt biệt nè you, S3: gây ấn tượng S1: adjective nè… S2: Gây ấn tượng nè, S3: S4: thu hút S1: attractive S4: muốn thu hút nữa, thu hút… S2: because they want more dramatic S3: muốn gây ấn tượng and… S1: ừa, họ thích làm đẹp S4: the woman like… more attractive S2: ủa, làm đẹp mậy? S1: make đó, S2: sợ xấu gì, S3: lo lắng S4: lo lắng hả… S1: worry… S2: ugly S3: ugly xấu S4: ừa chữ ugly tao biết U-G-L-Y, lo lắng S1: ấn tượng nè, S2: thu hút nè, S1: hấp dẫn nè, đặt biệt nè… 99 S4: làm ta…! S1: Tại họ thích làm đẹp, làm đẹp gì? S2: Because they… S1: Thì hỏi sao… họ thích dùng mà, nói họ thích làm đẹp S3: Vì họ thích mỹ phẩm S1: Mỹ phẩm hả? S3: Because they want more attractive and… S4: thơi S1: ừa mà làm đẹp vậy? S2: nè… S4: mỹ phẩm mà S3: ủa, make up làm đẹp S1: nè S2: bậy,… phấn trang điểm mà S3: Tại họ lại dùng phấn trang điểm cho mắt, họ thích làm đẹp S4: Muốn gây ấn tượng S1: Họ muốn người đặt biệt, họ muốn họ xinh xắn hơn, more beautiful…gì ta S4: The women want, want ta…họ muốn đặt biệt, S2: họ muốn xinh xắn hơn, S4: đặt biệt…more the beautiful S3: ừa, xinh đẹp hơn, more the beautiful S2: xinh hả? Cái tinh xảo xinh xắn S4: because they want more… S1: xinh đẹp more beautiful S2: làm có câu hả? S4: ừa 100 S3: because they want they more beautiful S4: because they want more attractive, delicate, dramatic and beautiful S2: lấy beautiful đi, bỏ delicate đi, S1: attractive S3: Ê, họ có nhiều thời gian rảnh S2: nữa, rảnh làm không rảnh làm S4: thời gian ghi ta S1: thời gian ghi time đó,… time,… freetime Rồi 101 APPENDIX C3 The transcript of the pair work activity S1: Rồi,… nói trước đi… S2: Hạnh is the từ vậy… S2: từ Trúc S2: Hạnh is the… shortest person in our class S1: Ủa, so sánh hay so sánh nhất? S2: So sánh S1: So sánh hả? Vậy thì…hơn hay nhất? S2: Hơn có hai đứa chớ… S1: Vậy là…Hạnh is… Hạnh is… older….Hạnh is older than Trúc… S2: Tiếp tục… S1: Hạnh is shorter than Trúc… S2: Rồi S1: Hạnh is… slimmer… than Trúc S1: Hạnh intel… S2: Trúc is intelligent S1: Truc more…more intelligent than Hạnh S1: Hạnh um…stronger than Trúc S1: Trúc more successful than Hạnh…(laugh) S2: Um… Câu đây? S1: Trúc…um… Trúc…adjective ta? S2: Trúc is better S1: Trúc… S2: Trúc’s better than Hạnh S1: Xạo quá,… tiếp tục há… S2: Hạnh… 102 S1: Trúc…Trúc is more attractive than Hạnh… S2: Hạnh… S1: Hạnh’s more intelligent than Trúc…Sao hoài vậy? Nữa đi…Hết phải khơng? S2: Dừng S1: Thơi ca (laugh) 103 APPENDIX C4 The transcript of the pair work activity S1: Tâm với Yến S2: Ừ …um…Tam … S1: Tâm …mập Yến… Nói giờ? S2: Sao ghi? S1: Tâm is… bigger than Yến S2: Viết hôn? S1: Hông viết câu không hà S2: Tâm is… bigger … S1: Tâm is bigger than Yến S2: Tâm is bigger than Yến S1: Có nói tóc dài Yến không? S2: Tâm mập Yến, Tâm lùn Yến S1: Tâm is shorter than Yến Có nói Tâm già Yến hơn? S2: Yến ốm Tâm S1: ốm slim hả? S2: slim S1: Yến is slimmer than Tâm S2: Gì ta! Ai mạnh ta! S1: Tâm S2: Tâm há Tâm is S1: stronger S2: Tâm is stronger than Yến S1: …Mấy câu rồi? S2: câu rồi…một, hai, ba, bốn S1: câu hả? 104 S2: Tóc Tâm với tóc Yến dài S1: Hair Tam is as long as S2: …long as… S1: Tóc S2: Hair Tâm… S1: Cái gì? S2: Hair Tâm is as long as hair Yến S1: …long as…gì? S2: Hair Tâm is as long as hair Yến S1: Thân thiện S2: Tâm dễ thương Yến S1: Tâm is as lovely as Yến S2: chăm nè, chăm hơn? S1: chăm ln S2: Tâm is… S1: Tâm is as hard as Yến, S2: vất vả phải không? S1: Ừ, rồi, câu chưa? Tới đâu rồi? S2: Hết S1: Trông mặt Tâm bự mặt Yến S2: Gì ta ! Rồi câu rồi, làm câu S1: đứa thông minh S2: Tâm is as intelligent as Yến, thông minh S1: hả, S2: cho Tâm Yến handsome… S1: đẹp trai hả, đẹp trai mà.( laugh) S2: Rồi xong 105 APPENDIX D THE INTERVIEW FORM Interviewee: The language used in pairs/groups: The extent to which L1 is used: General reasons for using L1: Reasons for using L1 in the recorded activity Utterances in Vietnamese 106 Reasons ... the use of Vietnamese in the activities of pair work and group work of learners in EFL classes at Long An College without 25 applying any teaching technique to interfering with the process of. ..CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: LEARNERS? ?? USE OF VIETNAMESE IN PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK IN EFL CLASSES AT LONG AN COLLEGE in terms of. .. ? ?An individual’s native tongue” (Nunan, 1999: 307), in this thesis it is Vietnamese Long An College: It is ? ?Long An Teacher Training College? ?? located in Tan An City, Long An Province Monitor: “Teacher