Luận văn a study on using group writing to improve writing skills for 10th form non english major at phan boi chau specializing high school

DANG THI KIM OANH A study on using group writing to improve wriling skills for 10“ form non - English majors at Phan Boi Chau specializing high schoo!. DANG THI KIM OANH A study on using

DANG THI KIM OANH

A study on using group writing to improve wriling skills for 10“ form non -

English majors at Phan Boi Chau specializing high schoo!

( Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng hoạt động viết theo nhóm nhằm

phát triển kỹ năng viết cho học sinh lớp 10 không chuyên

Tiếng Anh tại trường THPT chuyên Phan Bội Châu- Nghệ An)

MLA MLNOR PROGRAMME THESLS

Field: English Methodology

Code: 60.14.10

DANG THI KIM OANH

A study on using group writing to improve writing skills for 10 form non -

English majors at Phan Boi Chau specializing high school

( Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng hoạt động viết theo nhóm nhằm

phát triển kỹ năng viết chơ học sinh lớp 10 không chuyên

Tiếng Anh tại trường THPT chuyên Phan Bội Ghâu- Nghệ An)

M.A MINGR PROGRAMME TIEESIS

Field: English Methodology

Code: 60.14.10

Supervisor: Pham Minh Tién, M.A

1 Rationales of the gtuđy sọ HH eareioirereisl

II Aiims of the shuđy 2 IIL Research questions 2

TV Scope of the study 2

V Methods of the study 3

VI Significance of the study 3 VIL Design of the study 3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5 CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

LL, Communicative language teaching (CL1)

11.1 An overview of conmnnieative languags teaching (CLT) 5 L1.2 Communieative activities coieereirirreeee 7 L1.3 Group work in communicative language teaching 8

1.3.1 What is Group writing? 14

132, Advantages of using group writing inmproving waiting skill or high school students 15

1.3.3, Disadvantages of using group writing in improving writing skill for high

school shudents 16 13.4 How lo organize group work 1

1.3.4.1 The formation 1⁄?

Group size -.18 L3.5 Using group writing in the classroom co 18

1.3.5.1 Pre- triting stage ì ceeeeeeoeoeeeee.TB L3.5.2 While- writing stage 19 1.3.5.3, Post- writing stage cesisussssissienieieeenstesmsn nee ED

CHAPTER TI: DESIGN AND ANAL YSIS OF THE STUDY

LI.1.Setting of the study -2

1.1.1 Desœiption ofthe toaching and lcarming English at Phan Boi Chau specializing high

E0 ẽ.a 11.1.2 Deseription of writing program in English 10 texlbook 2

11.2, Design and methodology

1L.2.1 The participants 22 11.2.2 Research instruments - 23 1L2.3 Data analysis 14

1.2.3.1 Data analysis of students” survey questionnaire 14 11.2.3.2 Dafa analysis of teachers' survey quastiontwdire 31

CHAPTER IL: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USING GROUP WRITING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILLS 38

TIT 1 Findings 38 TIL, 2, Reconmendaiios ii tử nung nerriririiroruroae dD ITI.3 Some suitable activities for group writing 41

PART C: CONCLUSION

2, Limitations of the study and suggestions for fiuther research 4 REFERENCIS

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Questionnaire for shuderis

Appendix 2: Queslionmairs for teachers

Appendix 3: Particular samples of group writing, activities used in Tieng, Anh 10

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CLT: Conumonicative Language Teaching

PBC: Phan Boi Chau

ELT: English Language Teaching

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Approaches to teaching writirgs sills

Lable 2: Checklist of writing tasks in English textbook 10

Table 3: Suidents’ attitude taward English learning

Table 4: Benefits of using sroup wriling in writing classes

Table 5: Stidents’ expectations of teachers’ using group writing

Table 6: Benefits of using group wark in writing lessons

Table 7: How to group students

Table 8: Activities at which group writing is used o.ceececee eee

table 9: Teachers’ solution ta overcame their difficulties

figure 1 Students’ perspectives towards writing class

Figure 2, Students’ view on writing lessons

Figure 3 Suadents’ opinions about the way they like to do writing in class

Figure 4 The frequency of using group work in writing lessons

Figure 5: The snidents’ attitude towards group writing

Figure 6: Difficulties students have experienced when writing in groups

Figure 7: Students’ opinions on the stages of group writing 0.0

Figure 8: Teachers’ attitude towards teaching writing

I1

wi

10

Figure % the frequency of using group Writing eserves

Figure 10: The students’ response to g7O0U0 NIHHg,

Figure II: Teachers’ preparation for implementing graup writing

Figure 12: Teachers’ difficulties in implementing group writing

wi BD

34 36

teaching,

In fact, in the Iate 20" century linguists, teachers and learners have witnessed the

“pirlh” of a popular way in teaching foreign language, the su-called “Communicative Language Teaching" The approach focuses most on improving four basic skills for

learners: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing Equally important to others, writing

skill has beon cuvanlly paid much attention to because writing is regarded as highly significant in civilized societies Through writing human beings transmit their needs, desires, problems, and thoughts as well as histories, cultures, social evolutions,

advancement in technologies, etc Writing is a means of connecting the past, the present

and the future It can transcend spacz and lime giving il the qualities of being cformal and international

Realizing that fact, teachers should do more researches to improve writing skill for learners, especially the high school students Traditionally, teachers often Ict students work individually or in pairs This led to both good and bad consequences ‘he good one is that the student is more independent to express his ideas and knowledge Towever, it is no doubt that his writing contains a lot of errors, thus the result is unpleasing,

‘To meet the demand of leamers of English, teachers of English in Vietnam have been trying to find out the most suitable and effective method of teaching English ‘They always try to catch up with tha world’s lalest frameworks of English Language Toaching Therefore, as in other countries, teachers of English in Vietnam are now using Communicative Language ‘Teaching Approach to teach Linglish to leamers of all levels They hope thal by using this caching method, they can help thair learners improve their English and use it effectively and fluently m communication

‘The effort of this thesis is trying to encourage teachers in creating new methods in teaching writing skill for Icamers and to help students to lear writing subject more

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effectively Having students work in groups not only makes them more involved in learning but also give them opportunities to practise foreign lmguage There are many reasons for choosing the study but the above reasons are the main ones that encourage us to

choose the thesis: “1 study on using group writing to improve writing skills for 10" form non - English majors at Phan Boi Chau specializing high school"

TT Aims of the study

‘The study is aimed at

- Investigating the situation of teaching and learning writing to the 10" form non-

English majors at Phan Boi Chau high school

- Investigating the efictiveness and difficulties of using group work in teaching writing to the 10° form non- English majors at Phan Bai Chau high school

- Providing some suggestions and implications for the improvement of writing teaching at Phan Boi Chau specializing high school by using group writing

UL Research questions

This study is implemented to find answers to the following research questions:

1 How group work is used in the writing class of the 10" form non- English majors

at Phan Boi Chau high school?

2 What fheilila

os and hinders the teachers in using group work in the writing class

of the 10 form non- English majors at Phan Boi Chau high school?

3, What recommendations for improvement are needed to make proup work successfil

in the wring class of the the 10" forma none English majors al Phan Boi Chau high school?

TV Scope of the study

Because of the limitation of a minor study, the author only carries out research on teachers and sindents at Phan Boi Chau high school The study also mainly focuses on the effectivenass and difficulties in using group write and the activities used in helping students work well in writing lessons

Y Methodology

In order to realize the aims of the study, quantitative method was used, Two survey questionnaires were used to collect information and evidence for the study,

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- 'the Brsi survey questionnaire was for 70 tenth form non- English majors from two classes of Phan Boi Chau specializing high school: ong specializes in Literature and the other specializes in Biology

- ‘The second one was for 8 English language teachers at Phan Boi Chau speciatizing high schoo!

All comments, remarks and recommendations given in the study were based on the data analysis

VL Significance of the study

Theoretical significance of the study: The study supplics the English language teachers with the understanding of group work in teaching writing, advantages and disadvantages when employing them The study also suggests same ways to exploit group writing technique successfully ducing all stages in teaching writing,

Practical significance of the study: ‘Ihe research provides the language teachers and learners with a variety of group writing activilies used in all stages ant wriling classes based onnew “Tieng Anh” 10 textbook

VIL Design of the study

‘The study consists of the following three mam parts:

Part, A, introduction, rationale, aims, rescarch questions, scope, methods and design

of the study

Part B, development, is organized into three chapters

Chapter I presents the basic theoretical background from the literalare on CTL, writing skill, group work and using group work in teaching writing

Chapter II presents ths design and analysis of the research, provides an overview of the current situation of teaching and learning wriling skills al Phan Boi Chau specializing, high school through the analysis of collected data

Chapter ILI are some findings and recommendations, discusses the finding of the roscarch and suggests practical recommendations for improvernent of using group work in the writing class of the 10” form non- English majors at Phan Boi Chau high school

Part C is the conchision which includes the summary of the study, limitations of the study and snggestions for further studies are also included in this part

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‘The thesis has been done firstly in order to make a contribution to the improvement

of leaching writing The other aim of the thesis is thal i suggests some suitable group writing activities to improve wziting skills of high school students, The thesis also gives us more opportunities to study and research

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER T: LITERATURE REVIEW L1 Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

L1.L An overview of communicative language teaching (CLT)

In its history, language teaching has witnessed many changes in teaching methodology In his book Understanding Foreign Language Teaching Methodology, Le Van Canh (2004) claims that the changes in the second language teaching in general and the changes in English tinguage teaching in particular arc not the changes in the way we teach These are the changes in the aims of language teaching and learning,

In the past, foreign language teaching was aimed at enabling learners fo read and write Learners who had good reading andl writing abililics wore considered good learners That's the reason why for a very long time, grammar translation method, which makes

learners become structure competent and communicative incompetent, was widely used

Nowadays, the aim of foreign language teaching has changed from structure

competence into conmmuicative competenec, At the moment, the ability to cxpress one's

self freely and confidently in communication is the desire of any foreign language learners

As mentioned above, the changes in the aim of language leaching will Izad to the changes

in teaching, methodology To meet the dammands of learners, many methodologists have tried their best to find the most appropriate and effective way to teach English As a result, many leaching methods have come into being These mothods are: Granmar-transtation method, Dircet method, Audio-tingual method, Audio-visual method and Communicative language teaching - currently the most widely-used one

Although among these methods, many have not been in vogue for quite a long time, they still exist in one fora or another simply because cach method has its own strong points and weak points, As each language skill, component, item, etc has its own characteristics and different groups of leamers learn things differently, there does not exist

a onc-fit-all method - a method that is suitable to teach all kinds of Icamers, all kinds of

grammatical items, contents, skills, ete

“CLT views language as a system for the expressions of meaning, Activities involve oral communication, carrying out meaning tasks and using language, which is meaningful to the learners Objectives retlect the needs of the learner including functional skills as well

as linguistic objectives “ Numan also asserts that in communication process, leamers are negotiators and integrators whereas teachers arc facilitators

Language is not simply @ system of rules, It is now generally seen "as a dynamic resource for the creation of meaning” (Nunan, 1989) This point of view really supporls CLT

In general, CLT has the following charactetistics

- Communicative Language Teaching is aimed at

(a) making communicative competence the goal of language of language teaching (8) developing procedures for the teaching of the four language skills thal acknowledge the interdependence of language and communication (Le Van Canb, 2004)

- ‘The goal of CL ‘I is to create a realistic context for language acquisition in the

classroom to develop Hyines' uolion of communicative competence:

- CLT is also associated with leamer-centered and experienced based tasks

= The focus of CLT is on functional language usage and learner's ability to express thenselves In other words, for CLT, developmg leamers' skills is more important than the content of the teaching and Jearning (Johnson, 1982),

‘There are 3 major principles of CLT’

- Communication principle: smphasizes activitias thal involve real eoramunicalion

promote learning

- Yask principla: purports that activities in which language is used for carrying out mmeaning al tasks promote learning,

- Afeaningfiduess principle: claims that language that is meaningful to the leamers supports the learning process

(Le Van Canh, 2004)

- In commmmnicative classes, leamers commmnicate with each other and learning

lãi are somnplolod by moans of imoragion botween lowmners ïL is clear thai learmera' completing a task is fore-grounded and comummnicating with each other is backgrounded,

‘This may lead to considerable use of pair work, group werk and mingling activities

+ In ESL classes, teachers are facilitators and monitors, usually, without interruption and then to provide feedback on the success

However, CLT is not a perfact method There still exist critical remarks on CLT like: its inappropriateness to focal contexts and cultures; its negation of rote-learning, memorization, displaying, questions, teacher's talk, oct

In spite of its limitations and shortcomings, no one can negate that Communicative

Language Tesclung allows leachers ta incorporale motivating and purposeful communicative activities and principles into their teaching, which later results in the improvement of their learners’ proficiency

For the reasons mentioned above, CLI has served as the dominant approach to language teaching since the demise of the Audio-lingnal Method

L1.2 Communicative activities

Communicative activities, defined by Litilewood (1981), are those that provide whole task practice, improve students’ motivation, allow nalural leaning and create &

context supporting learning as well "In communicative activities the teacher creates a

situation and sets an activity in notion, but it is the learners themselves who are responsible for conducling the interaction to ils conclusion” (Littlewood, T981: I8)

Harmer (1991) divides communicative activities into oral and written ones Oral and activities include such categories as conmmnication games, problem-solving, reaching

a Ue consorsus, discussion, replaying inslruetiơns, role-play, cle, Written communicative

activities consist of writing reports and advertisements; co-operative wiiting, exchanging

letters, writing journals and so on

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In addition, according to Littlewood (1981), there are two main types of communicative activities which he calls: “functional communication activities and social interaction activities" The main purpose of the former is that learners should use the

language they know in order to get meanings across as effeolivcly as possible, Functional

communication avtivilics inchide such activitics as identifying pictures, discovering identical pairs, discovering missing information, discovering differences, following directions and so on The later activities are those that emphasize on social as well as functional aspects of communication Leamers, therefore, not only convey meanings cfitctively, but also, pay greater attention to the social context in whieh the intcraction takes place, Simulation and role-playing are important techniques for creating a variety of social relationships and sitmations

1.1.3 Group work in communicative Language teaching

One of the dominant ways in which the teacher can hekp students to practice and

According to Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied linguistics (1993),

group work is defined as: “A Icarning activity which involves a strall group of leamers working together The group may work on a single task or on different parts of'a large task

‘Tasks for group members are often selected by the members of the group”

Harner (1996) stalcs (hat group work is a goneri¢ lonm covering a madtiplieily of techniques in which two or more students are assigned a task that involves collaboration and self: initiated language

Adrian Doll ( 1988:137) defines group work as a pracess thal : the teacher divides the class into small groups to work together ( usually four or five students in each proup), all the group work at the same time

Group work - vollaborative learning bolwoon sinall groups of pupils - cneouragos students to be more responsible for their own learning by taking attention away fiom the teacher and focusing it instead on a task in which they must take some direct responsibility

In groups, students can wrile # group story, role-play a situation, prepare a presentation,

negotiate, to listen to different opinions and points of view ‘They participate more equally

and in most vases, they feel free lo experimen! and use the language

L2 Overview of writing

12.1 Definitions of writing

Writing is a significant and essential area of development in a native language and

in a sccond language; therefore, there have been numerous definitions of writing, According to Donn Byrne (1998: 1), writing can be regarded as the “act of forming graphic symbals" or the "making marks on Ihe flal surface of some kinds" Whereas Tran, Knight and Neverow -Turk (1982:2) pointed out that * writing is a creative art, not as an assembly line operation of locking wards together into sentences and bolting sentences together into paragraphs in accordance wilh a predefined plan" Byrne doas nol soem to share the same view with Brannon, Knight, Neverow-Turk in slating Ul “writing is a sequence of sentences arranged in a particular order and link together in a certain way"

Llowever, writing, in language teacher’ opinions, is “a language skill which is difficull to acquire” (Tribble, 1996:3) Il is “a process thal occurs over a period of time, particulatly if we take into account the sometimes extended periods of thinking that

precede creating an initial drait* (Ilarris, 1993:10)

2.2 Writing skills in fareign language teaching

Writing emerges with its own fimctions and brings along communicative code of the writers, When making a piece of writing, the writer implies a message or a certain plwpose Tn ths modam world, writing (wrillen language) serves a range of fanetions in everyday life incleding

a Primarily for action: public signs, e.g on roads and stations; product labels and instructions, ¢.g an fond, lools or loy purchased; recipes; maps, television and radio guides, bitls, menus; telephone directories, ete,

For social contact: personal correspondence; letters, postcards; greeting cards

b Primarily for information newspapers and magavines, non-fiction books including textbooks, public notices, advertisement, guidebooks and travel literature, etc,

© Primarily for entertainment: light magazines, comic strips; fiction books; poetry

and drama; film subtitles; games inchiding computer games

Nunan, 1991 84)

In classroom, the teaching and learning of writing also plays an important role Through writing we are able to share ideas, arouse feelings, persuade and convince other people, We arc able to discover and aticudate idcas in the ways that only writing makes possible, Therefore, writing has always occupied a place in the language syllabus,

Discussing aboul (his issue, While poinls ont a rmber of reasons why writing merits a place in the language syllabus:

- Writing remains the commonest way of examining student performance in English (all public examinations include a composition) Consequently ability to write rormins a kzy to axaminalion success

- In the eyes of both parents and students, ability to write may be associated with evidence of having learnt the language Writing is tangible- parents and students can see whut has been dong and what has beon achieved, So ithas high “Lace validity”

- In the classrooms, writing may be used as one of a number of techniques to help add variety and interest to lesson

= The leacher may use writing as a lesling device lo provide (eadback on what the students have leamt, Student writing ean provide usetul evidence of successes or thilures in learning, of confusions, and errars

+ Writing requires thought, discipline and concentration Tis rdlatively a pormament form and readers judge us by our style, content and logic, So writing demands care and thought

(White, 1981: 1)

In CLI, the teaching of writing also aims at commumcation However, beside used

to communicate, wriling helps our students learn, According to Raimes’ opinion, “first writing reinforces the grammatical structures, idioms and vocabulary that we have been teaching our students Second, when our students write, they also have a chance to be adventurous with the men ta go beyond what thoy har

ust lonrnl 1o say, to take tisk

Third, when they write, they necessauily become very involved in the new language, the effort to express ideas and the constant use of eyes, hand and brain is a unique way to

reinforce learning” (1983:3)

With all the roles mentioned above, writing really becomes an integral part in

almost every language syllabus tiom elementary to tertiary level

1.2.3 Approaches to teaching writing skills in foreign language teaching

There arc various ways to teach writing but the two most common arc the product

approach and the process approach Nunan (1991) introduced the twe approaches in leaching writing and the differences between Ihem clearly as follows

The product approach The process appraach

~ In favour of classroom activitics in which

the leamers individually imitate copy and

transform model of orzel language,

usually at sentence level,

- Organization of ideas is more important

than ideas themselves

- Emphasize grammar exercises and

correctness

- Koons on the end result of the writing

pro

s: the writing paper of Ihe learners

- Learners only produce one final draft

- Favour of collaborative group work and conferencing to enhance motivation and

positive altitude loward writing Model texts

are only for comparison

- Ideas are important + The learners are encouraged ta get their ideas on paper without worrying too nmeh

- The final draft is the result of a long and

painful process of writing successive drafts

Table !: Approaches to teaching writing skills

a The product approach

“The product approach to writing usually involves the presentation of a model text,

Model text > Comprehension / analysis / manipulation > New input —>Parallel text

(Robinson, 199] cited in Tivans and St John, 1998)

This approach can be used successfully in teaching writing for begimers All learners cannot write well as soon as they begin the course but can take progress step by step with imitation and repetition from the lextbooks or the (eacher Additionally im teaching writmg, the important role of using the models for text analysis and as a basis for thinking about the purposes and readership of a text cannot be denied especially when teaching wriling is inlograled with the teaching of reading So il is a watural process in writing when the writer bases himself on a model or an example of a text that she! he intends to write and then adapts it for their specific purpose

However, the shoreoming of this approach is exposed in ils own nature Using this approach oficn Icads tơ a rather simplistic copying of the model text by only changing certain words ifom the original text to produce a new text, It is a purely mechanical task, which prevents learners’ creativity and motivation from writing and involves no real thought about the purpesc of the writing, the readership or the expectation of discourse

b The Process Approach

Unlike the product approach, the process approach focuses on thinking and wriling processes The product approach sees the language learners as creators of language, decision makers of the message and content (Brown 1994: 320) It is argued by Nunan (1991 = 87) that while the producLoricnted approach aims at davcloping the Icamer's

writing skill mainly at sentznez-level, the process-oriented approach aims at language at discourse-level

In the view of Hedge (1990), the process contams a lot of stages which can be illustrated as follows: "being motivated to write - getting ideas together - planning and outlining — making notes - making a first dra - revising repharming redrafling - sdiling and getting ready for publication, ", Meanwhile, according to Oshima and Hogue (1991), the writing process embraces essentially three steps: pre-writing, planning (outlining), writing, and revising dralls

Each step involves certain kinds of task that the writers have to fulfill in order to construct a good piece of work,

* Pre-writing

Pre-wtiting is any classroom activity that encourages the Icamers to write It stimulates thoughts for getting started It may include understanding the purpose of writing, discovering the topic, thinking about the audience, gathering information or invenling possible content Once the possible content for writing has been explored, the writers will feel more confident to move forward to the next stage

* Planning

In this stage, the learners organize the ideas they have generated The most efficient way to do this is to make an outline - a plan in which the learners write down the main points and subpoints in the inlended order

* Drafting

Once sufficient ideas have been gathered and plan already drawn, the first attempt

at writing - drafting can proceed quickly At this stage, the writers are focqsed on the fluency of writing and are not preoccupied with grammatical accuracy or the ncatness of the draft

* Responding

Responding to student writing has a central role to play in the successful

implementation of process writing if is a kind of oral or wriften intervention by teachers or

peers or olher possible raaders aflor the writers have Gnishod drafting This activily is intended to provide the students usefill information to improve their writing,

* Revising

Revising is done on the basis of Ihe feedback given in the responding stage The students reexamine what was written to see how effectively they have communicated their meanings to the readers Revising is not just checking for language errors, it is done to

* Evaluating

In evaluating the student writing, teachers normally assign scores which may be analytical (based on specific aspects of writing ability), or holistic (based on a global interpretation of the effectiveness of that writing) Ii order to be effective, the criteria for evaluation need to be made known to the students in advance

L 3 Group writing in foreign languages teaching

13.1 Definition of Group writing

In 1991, Numan states that group writing is a term referring to the way the teacher divides the students into groups to accomplish a writing task together

Greenall (1984) suggesls that group w2iting mewns a kind of evoperalion among members of the class, who are divided into convenient sized groups for the purpose of completing a writing task

13.2 Advantages of using group writing in improving wriling skills for high school students

There are several good reasons for gelling students to work in groups thal were presented by Fries (1945:49)

* Students are more involved

In a whole-class activity, some students often take part in the activity much and they work really hard while olhers pay less or no attention fo the writing fask, The teacher

cannot monitor all the students at the sarne tìme To solve tÌus problem, it is necessary for the leacher to divide class into sinall groups Working in groups encourages students to be more invelved and to concentrate on the task Since all members have to make equal contribution to the work of groups, there is no time and no chance for lazy students to

relax Group writing also cables the students to inves much on the task Generally, group

writing promotes students’ responsibility and autonomy

* Students help cach other

When the students work individually or in pairs, many problems will arise They may make mistakes because of using wrong grammatical structures, spelling or unsuitable word choices, However, they can not realize by themselves, Writing skill requires much accuracy in these factors One of the most approptiats solutions to these problems is nsing group writing, The rcason for this is that members of the group can show mistakes and provide each other with corrective feedbacks, ‘therefore, all students will Learn from each oller’s mistakes Anolher reason is thai idga and knowledge using lo do cach wriling task seems to flow best when they are exchanged, Students in small groups have more opportunities to share or fulfill their opinions of the given writing topics o tasks

* The teacher has more time to satisfy students’ requirements

In classroom the teacher often acts as an instructor controller amd corrector However, while al members are working in their groups, it tiees the teacher trom her usual roles and she now ftecly goes around the class, observing the performance of individual students, giving help when aceded, Whal’s more, Ibe lcacher can also become @ member in any group to help activity go smoothly in cases it gets into difficulty

3.3 Disadvantages of using group writing in improving writing skills for high school

students

Besides advantages of group writing, Fries also stated three problems arising, when students work in groups as follows

* Students tend io use their mother Longue

It is due to the fact that while all students are writing in simall groups, some students often have difficulty expressing their ideas; they are unable or unwilling to do

activities in English or their groups get stuck Others are not under the observation of the teacher As a resull, Ihey will lapse into their nalive kmguage easily

The teachar should quickly realize this problem and try to find solutions as soon as possible Students have to be explained and clearly understood that group writing time ctubles them Lo practi

c using the targel language effectively,

* Students are easy Lo make naise

It is unavoidable that students in groups will make noise easily because they have chance to express their opinions for the writing task fieely In addition, when students are not under teacher's eyes, they may chat togcther and not concentrate on the task, This causes lost of noise, Good noise only appears in circumstances when some students try to talk more loudly than others to show their abitity and knowledge or to draw the teacher's notive,

* The teacher is difficult to control all groups at once

Warking in groups requires all members to pay altention to the task Nevertheless, when the teacher is explaining tor some groups ot devoting a liftie more time to slower students, the teacher can not know exactly what other groups are doing, Some students will

be out of order What should the teacher do with a group that finishes the task early or with students who will not take part in vetivities in English? These o:

much ftom controlling the whole class Monitoring the class to work in groups successfully

is nat easy for the teacher

Random groups can be sol up by sealing arrangement, serial manibels given by the school, counting off, using playing cards, giving out numbered pieces of paper, distributing cards with different categories on them and letting students group themselves according to

that do not

the category Random grouping is suitable for competitive review acti

take a long time It can help narrow the gap between the fast and slow students in the class

b Student - selected grouping

Stndeni-selected grouping is probably the most preferred option by learners Students often cluster with good finds Students are more likely to participate in activities

if they feel they are among ftiends When engaging in group work, learners feel more comfortable laking risks, making mistakes, and enjoying themselves, However, this mms the risk that groups will socialize too much and creates a situation where an "outsider" who joins this group may feel left out, Also, if is possible that stronger learners would assume the share of work for weaker anes

¢ Teacher - formed grouping

'Teaohor- formed grouping is acknowledged by most teachers as requiring the most amount of careful planning When forming groups teachers lake into account stuns! prior achicvemenls, level of preparation, work habits, Icaming preferences and so forth

Teacher- selected groups usually aim to achieve a heterogeneous mix Such a mix promotes peer tutoring, helps to break down barriers among different type's of students, and cneourages on- task behavior

If time is short, smaller groups ean usually do an activity more quickly, Smaller groups also require (ew group management skills Thus, when starting wilh cooperative learning, groups of two or three may be best On the other hand, the smaller the groups, the more groups there are, so the teacher has more monitoring to do, and the less practical it is

lo have groups reporting back £0 the class

Four-member group is suggested by Honeyfield (1991), I-lung, (2004), Ngob (1991) Vour members in a group might lead to more interesting and challenging tasks,

with a wids range of opinions being sxpressed, and more negotiation required far the group members to reach agreement Six should be the maximum number of participants in most small groups (Honeyfield, 1991; L-lung, 2004)

L3.5 Using group writing tn the classraom

Writing is scen as a process that comprises 3 stages: pre - writing, while - writing

and post - writing

1.3.5.1 Group work in Pre - writing stage

Prewriting activities are necessary for students because it helps students prepare ideas, materials and helps them explore many things om the given topic In this stage students ara often asked Lo brainstorm, oullins, debate and interview, it requires students take part in either oral or written activities By doing this, students can develop linguistic skills Group work in this stage is an effective way to assist students in generating, sharing and focusing ideas, planning the content and organizing the text

1.3.5.2 Group work in While - writing stage

It is common that students offen perform this stage individually However, group work can be usefitl in which each member is responsible for a certain part in the writing pieces

1.3.5.3.Group work in Post - writing stage

This stage involves the procedures af giving feedbacks for the written version Fodbacks may be given by peors which ean be donc im groups or by tsachor Poor correction is very important because it could help students develop their critical ability and understand how other readers respond to their writing

CIIAPTER I: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF TITE STUDY

LL.1.Setting of the study

1.11 Deseription af the teaching and learning English at Phan Boi Chau specialiging high school

Phan Boi Chan specializing high school is sitnated al 48 Le Hong Phong si

Vinh eity, Nghe An provinec, After 35 years of development and tirelessly striving, Phan Boi Chau school has gained appreciable results which take important part in the cause of education and training of Nghe An province in particular and of the wation in generat According to Department of Upper School Education Regulations for Specialized Schools, each province in the country has the right to establish a specialized school in order to

altracl and train the talents for the nation To mec! MORT’s regulations, Phan Boi Chau

specialized school was founded in and has a long-term plan of teaching and learning that are suitable for the conditions of the province Every year we are responsible for forming

33 specialized classes, which ara divided ilo 10, specialized gronps malhermties, informatics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, literature, English, French and

Russian Among these subjects, English, a compulsory ons, is considered to be important

at Phan Boi Chau specialized school Thus, English has a good condition to develop Besides being cquipped with an independent leaming center which consists of radios, computers and some reference books

Regarding learners most of the students have heen sludying Finglish for at least five years (ftom grade 6 to grade 10) Some of them have been learning English since they attended primary schools, Pupils attend three classes (135 minutes) each week according to the English program of Ministry of Education Although, English is a compulsory subject

at Secondary Schools, many pupils are not interested in learning English, they are only interested in learning subjects which they are supposed to perform in the entrance

university examinations ‘The primary concern of the pupils is to get good marks at written

achievement lests Besides, they are gilled pupils, so they only want to major in thơ specializing subjects, A small number of pupils make efforts to learn English well to apply for a job more sasily in the futtwe Only pupils specializing in English are motivated to

11.1.2, Description of English textbook 10 and writing lessons

The textbook 10 was compiled following she commumicative approach in which communicative competence is cmphasizcd The formation and development of communicative skills are the most important objectives in teaching and learning ‘herefore, the structure of eactr unit, focuses on [our skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing Language knowledge such as phonetios, vocabulary and grammar are considered the means and condition to form and improve communicative ability

In conibination with the communicative approach, the learner-centered approach is also adapted in order to promote students’ activeness and ercativeness The tcacher is the organizer and facilitator in the class

‘To achieve the teaching objectives under the two approaches mentioned above, taskbased teaching is the major wethod applied in the book In cach lesson, tasks arc slated clearly with different activities which provide students with opportunities to interact and

achicvemnent.

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Writing is the last and the most challenging skill in each unit It is put after three

other skills because il is a productive skill and bases on other skills inpul The required

competences and objectives of writing lesson in each unit are shown in the following table

- Filling ina form

- Writing about paople’s background

7 The tass media

> Writing 4 sel of instructions + Writing a confirmation letter

- Writing abont sđvanlages and

disadvantages of the mass media

13 Films and cinema

14 The world cup

16 Historical places - Describing a chart

Table 2: Checklist of writing tasks in English texthook 10 11.2, Design and methodology

11.2.1 The parttctpants

The rescarch was camied out ul Phan Boi Chau specializing high school with the

participation of seventy 10" form students whose majors are Literature and Biology To

those students, English was not their majors but a compulsory subject in the courses All of

the surveyed students have Icarnt English for at lcast four tears at sccondary schools,

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especially some of them have learnt English for nine tears, Most of them can do grammar very well bul have difficulties in mastering four skills, especially wriling skills which students find inost challenging and boring

In order to get information to fulfill the aims of the study, the 8 teachers teaching students of grade 10 wore asked to take part in the survey quasliormaire for teachars Phase teachers are all female, aged fom 26 to 35 They graduated fiom College of Foreign

Langnages- Vietnam National University, Uanoi and Vinh University ‘They are all well -

trained and quite experienced in teaching English In recent years, all of them have taken part in some English teaching methods workshops organized by Nghe An department of Education and Training and British Couneil

TT.2.2 The research instruments

The main instrument for data collection in this study was survey questionnaires, Survey questionnaires were chosen because they allowed collecting a large amount data in arelatively short lime

Two sets of survey questionnaires were designed to investigate the teachers’ and students’ opinions on the use of group werk in the writing class of the 10" form non- English majors at Phan Boi Chau high school Clear instructions were given when the questionnaire was administered

The questionnaire for students, with 12 questions written in English, was administered to 70 chosen students ‘T'he questionnaire was divided into 5 main parts as follow

Part 1: Students’ attitude towards English learning ( question 1, 2)

Part 2: Students’ opinions on learning writing skill in groups ( question 3,4,5,6)

Parl 3: Students’ evaluations of using of group work in their waiting class ( question 7,8) Part 4 Difficulties students have encountered when working in groups ( question 9,10)

Part 5: Students’ preferences and expectations in learning writing through group work (question 11,12.)

The survey questionnaires given to 8 teachers of English who teach the 10° form non: English majors at Phan Boi Chau specializing high school inchided 10 questions These questions concer $ main parls as follows: