A study on motivations of 10th grade students in learning english writing skills at son tay high school hanoi

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** CAO THỊ MINH A STUDY ON MOTIVATIONS OF 10TH GRADE

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*****************

CAO THỊ MINH

A STUDY ON MOTIVATIONS OF 10TH GRADE STUDENTS

IN LEARNING ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS

AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI

(NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁC ĐỘNG CƠ HỌC VIẾT TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG

SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Hanoi – 2014

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*****************

CAO THỊ MINH

A STUDY ON MOTIVATIONS OF 10TH GRADE STUDENTS

IN LEARNING ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS

AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI

(NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁC ĐỘNG CƠ HỌC VIẾT TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG

SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Supervisor: PHẠM THỊ THANH THÙY, PH.D

Hanoi – 2014

of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University The material

in this research has not been submitted to any other university or institution wholly and partially

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Phạm Thị Thanh Thùy, for the insightful comments, criticism, wholehearted guidance and kind support she gave me while I was carrying out this research

My special thanks go to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their valuable knowledge and guidance and help during my two years of study at the Faculty

I am also grateful to my colleagues as well as my students at Son Tay High School, who have helped me a lot in my data collection to fulfill this paper

Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to my family for their support and strong encouragement to me throughout the study

ABSTRACT

The study reported in this paper investigates the motivation in writing

School

lessons

of English at Son Tay High School, Son Tay town, Hanoi In this study, the researcher used survey questionnaires and classroom observation sheets to collect data

The results obtained from the analysis of responses to the questionnaires and classroom observation sheet revealed the types of motivation of 10 graders, factors affecting students’ motivation and motivational strategies preferred by students in writing lessons This study provided some recommendations for effective application

of motivational strategies in enhancing students’ writing skills as well It is expected that the results from the study could be of benefit to the teaching and learning of English writing at Son Tay High School

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii

PART A INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aim of the study .1

3 Objectives of the study .1

4 Research questions 2

5 Scope of the study 2

6 Methods of the study 2

7 Significance of the study 3

8 Design of the study 3

PART B DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .4

1.1 Writing skills .4

1.1.1 Definitions and features of writing skills .4

1.1.2 Approaches to teaching writing 5

1.2 Motivation 7

1.2.1 Definition of motivation .7

1.2.2 Types of motivation in foreign language learning 8

1.2.3 The roles of motivation in foreign language learning 10

1.2.4 Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning 11

1.3 Previous researches 14

1.4 Summary 15

CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY .16

2.1 The setting of the study 16

2.1.1 An overview of the research site 16

2.1.2 English teachers in Son Tay high school 16

2.1.3 10th grade students in Son Tay high school .17

2.1.4 English teaching and learning situation at Son Tay High School 17

2.2 Methods of the study 18

2.2.1 The subjects of the study 18

2.2.2 Data collection instruments 19

2.2.3 Data collection procedures 19

2.2.4 Methods of data analysis 20

2.3 Summary 20

CHAPTER 3 DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 21

3.1 Students’ motivation 21

3.1.1 Students’ interest in writing lessons 21

3.1.2 Types of motivation possessed by students 22

3.1.3 Students’ participation in writing activities 23

3.1.4 Factors affecting students’ motivation 25

3.1.5 Problems faced by students in learning writing skills 26

3.2 Attitudes of teachers to motivation in teaching writing skills for students 27

3.2.1 Teachers’ time to motivate students in writing lessons 27

3.2.2 Teachers’ assistance during writing lessons 28

3.2.3 Teachers’ responses to unwilling writers 29

3.2.4 Problems faced by teachers in teaching writing skills 29

3.3 Strategies and activities to motivate students in learning writing skills 30

3.4 Findings ……… 33

3.5 Summary 34

PART C CONCLUSION .36

1 Summary of the main ideas 36

2 Implications and Recommendations 37

3 Limitations 39

4 Recommendations for further study 39 REFERENCES 41 APPENDIX ……….I

TABLES Page

activities employed by teachers

31 CHARTS

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

L2: Second language

M.A: Master of Art

PART A INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Motivation has been considered a crucial factor determining the success of language learning in general and English learning in particular According to Dornyei, motivation “has an important role in determining success or failure in any

language situation” (Dornyei, 2001:2) He also stated that “learners with sufficient

motivation can achieve a working knowledge of an L2”, while “even the brightest learners” without sufficient motivation “are unlikely to persist long enough to attain

any really useful language” (Dornyei, 2001:5) Therefore, most language teachers

have been trying to find out different ways to motivate their students in language lessons with a view to making their lessons most effective However, most of them have not been successful The situation is not an exception at Son Tay High school, where the researcher has been teaching English for eight years Some English teachers at Son Tay High School complained about their students’ indifference to

claimed that they felt stressed and reluctant in these lessons and did not want to write In fact, it may be the lack of motivation in writing lessons that prevents students from participating actively into writing lessons and producing good pieces

of writing For the mentioned reasons, the researcher found it necessary to carry out

factors affecting their motivation in learning English writing skills, and motivational strategies employed by teachers in writing lessons, then base on which to suggest some motivational strategies to improve the problem

2 Aim of the study

students at Son Tay high school learn better and improve their English writing skills

3 Objectives of the study

The objectives of the study are summarized as follows:

- to investigate types of motivation possessed by 10th grade students at Son Tay high school in learning writing skills

- to examine factors affecting students’ motivation in learning writing skills

- to explore some motivational strategies preferred by students in writing lessons

4 Research questions

To achieve the aim and objectives mentioned above, the following research questions are addressed:

2 What are some main factors affecting students’ motivation in learning writing skills?

3 What motivational strategies are highly evaluated by students in writing lessons ?

5 Scope of the study

This study examines types of motivation in learning English writing skills in classroom possessed by 80 students of 10th grade at Son Tay high school Such factors affecting students’ motivation in learning writing skills as the ones relating

to learners, teachers and learning and teaching environment are also investigated in this minor research The results of the study and suggested motivational strategies

at Son Tay high school, Hanoi

6 Methods of the study

In this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed The data were collected from:

motivation, activities enjoyed most by students and factors affecting their motivation; (2) A questionnaire for eight teachers of English at Son Tay high school: to find out activities and techniques used in writing lessons; some factors that can motivate students in learning writing skills and some suggestions to motive students in learning writing skills; (3) Classroom observation checklists were also used: to take note data for the research

7 Significance of the study

students will give teachers of English at Son Tay high school a better understanding about their students, which helps them find the most suitable teaching methods to apply in writing lessons

Secondly, some factors affecting students’ motivation will provide teachers with some suggestions in choosing the right techniques and activities to the students

Thirdly, the recommended motivational strategies will be applied to raise students’ motivation in writing lessons as well as their writing results

In short, when finished, the research is expected to enhance both the teaching and learning English in general and the teaching and learning English writing skills in particular at Son Tay high school

8 Design of the study

The study consists of three main parts named:

Part A The Introduction

Part B The Development

Chapter 1: Literature Review Chapter 2: The Methods of the study Chapter 3: Data Analysis and Findings Part C: Conclusion

PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.1 Writing skills

1.1.1 Definitions and features of writing skills

Writing is one of the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) that a language learner expects to master According to Tribble, writing is

“a language skill which is difficult to acquire” (Tribble, 1996:3) He also added that writing “normally requires some forms of instruction” and that “it is not a skill that

is readily picked up by exposure” (Tribble, 1996:11) The function of writing is

“recording things, completing tasks, developing arguments and assembling ideas” (Tribble, 1996:9) From his point of view, writing is a complex skill that should be taught carefully Ur supported Tribble when he said that “most people acquire the spoken language (at least their own mother tongue) intuitively, whereas the written form is in most cases deliberately taught and learned” (Ur, 1996:161) Harris considered writing “a process that occurs over a period of time, particularly if we take into account the sometimes extended period of thinking that precedes creating

an initial draft” (Harris, 1993:10) In his saying, Harris also wanted to focus on the complexity of writing Boughey referred to the requirements of writing in social communication when stating that “writing is a process requiring writers to explore, oppose, and make connections between propositions for themselves” (Boughey, 1997:127) According to Byrne, writing is “the act of forming” “graphic symbols: that is, letters or combinations of letters”, then putting them into “a sequence of sentences arranged in a particular order and linked together in certain ways” (Byrne, 1988:1) It is Byrne’s definition of writing that the researcher wished to apply in this minor thesis

In brief, writing is a complex but productive skill providing students with chances to expose their language proficiency and practice communicative skills at the same time Through the act of writing students may realize what they are already good at and what they still need to learn to become better

1.1.2 Approaches to teaching writing skills

Attempts to teach writing effectively has been made for ages Popular scholars had different ways to classify approaches to teach writing skills Tribble referred to three approaches to the teaching of writing: product approaches, process approaches and genre approaches (Tribble, 1996:37) Meanwhile, Byrne examined four approaches namely accuracy- approach, fluency- approach, text- approach and purpose – approach (Byrne, 1988) Raimes claimed that there were six main approaches in the teaching of writing: Controlled-to-Free approach, Free-writing approach, Paragraph- pattern approach, Grammar- syntax- organization approach, Communicative approach and Process approach (Raimes, 1983:6) In this minor thesis, the six approaches classified by Raimes will be discussed

Controlled-to-free Approach

Applying this approach means that teachers at first make students write controlled compositions in the form of such exercises as sentences building, word reordering, and sentence reordering When students reach “advanced level of proficiency”, they can write a composition of their own words and ideas It is easy for students to write these controlled compositions with the least opportunity to make mistakes This approach focuses on the elimination of grammatical, syntactical and mechanical mistakes learners made in their written work by teachers’ control Fluency or originality is not emphasized in this approach

Free- writing Approach

When teacher use this approach, they want students to write as much and quickly as they can without paying much attention to errors In fact, students’ actions of putting their ideas down on a paper fluently are the purpose of this approach However, this approach without any obligation for students may make them write with many grammatical and structural errors and mistakes This approach seems to be most suitable to intermediate-level students It might be useful when writing about something that interests students or a journal or a diary

Paragraph- pattern Approach

This approach teaches students to the way to build and organize paragraphs basing on a sample one This approach focused on the importance of paragraph as a basic unit of written expression rather than the accuracy and fluency The use of the approach helps students express themselves effectively at a level beyond the sentence as well as realize the difference in communication organization in different cultures

Grammar-syntax-organization Approach

Using this approach, teachers need to develop writing tasks that make students at the same time pay attention to not only organization but also grammar and syntax, which means that teachers do not separate writing skills from other skills This approach helps students be aware of the connection between the purpose

of their writing and the forms that are needed to convey the message

Communicative Approach

This communicative approach stresses that students can communicate through their writings There should be a reason as well as an addressee for students’ writing This approach both helps to increase students’ motivation in writing and shows the communicative roles of writings

Process Approach

This approach concerns the process how ideas are developed and formulated

in writing This approach includes following stages, namely: Pre-writing (specifying the task, choosing the topic and planning what to write), composing or writing (putting a draft version on paper), revising (making such changes to improve the writing as reorganizing, shifting styles and so on) and editing (checking grammar/ lexis features) In this approach, students are given considerable freedom within the task, which means they explore a topic through writing in an unrestricted time After finishing the first draft, students can show them to their teacher or classmates

to get comments basing on which they can improve their writings The writing process becomes a process of discovery (of new ideas and new language forms to

express those ideas) However, this approach seems to be very time-consuming and difficult to apply to a large-size class

In conclusion, no approach has been considered the best way to teach writing Each approach has its own strength and weakness Therefore, when teaching writing, teachers should choose the one that suits their setting best Sometimes, the combination of different approaches can bring better results than using one approach alone

1.2.1 Definition of motivation

No one can deny essential roles of motivation in the success or failure of foreign language teaching and learning However, motivation is an abstract concept that has been defined in different ways so far because each researcher sees motivation from different angles

According to Gardner, motivation is "the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes towards learning the language" (Gardner, 1985:10) Brown also states that “motivation is the extent

to which you make choices about (a) goals to pursue and (b) the effort you will devote to that pursuit.” (Brown, 2001:72) In these two definitions of motivation, Gardner and Brown share their view when concerning such two interrelated components as “goals” and “efforts made to achieve the goals” Similarly, in his study, Ur points out that a motivated learner is a person “who is willing or even eager to invest effort in learning activities and to progress” (Ur, 1996: 274)

Dornyei states in his book that “motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard they are going to pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the activity”(Dornyei, 2001:7) In this definition, he focuses on the reason, the manner as well as the attitude of language learners in learning a foreign language

Other researchers define motivation as an internal state or condition that serves to activate or energize behavior Skehan (cited in Ellis, 1994: 509) claims

that “motivation derives from an inherent interest in the learning tasks the learner is asked to perform” In addition, Harmer defined motivation as “some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something” (Harmer, 2001:51)

According to Crookes and Schmidt (1991) motivation is defined in terms of students' interest in, enthusiasm for and engagement in the materials and activities used inside classroom, their persistence with the learning task as indicated by levels

of concentration and enjoyment The learners’ studying results are only good if students feel interested in and eager to participate in activities and work hard

In this minor research, the researcher exploited Crookes and Schmidt’s definition because it is students' interest in, attitudes towards the materials and activities used in class that the researchers will examine Moreover, students’ concentration and participation will also be assessed

1.2.2 Types of motivation in foreign language learning

Motivation in foreign language learning is classified in different ways by different theorists In some pieces of research, motivation is classified into intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation In some others, it is divided into integrative motivation and instrumental motivation The resultative motivation is another type that has caused debated so far

Intrinsic motivation

According to Ellis, intrinsic motivation "involves the arousal and maintenance of curiosity and can ebb and flow as a result of such factors as learners' particular interests and the extent to which they fell personality involved in learning activities" (Ellis, 1994:76) In fact, intrinsic motivation is the learners’ interest in the culture, the target language group or in learning tasks It also means the stimulation arouses from the learners themselves It is their own inner desire as well

as anxiety to learn that brings about success

Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation “is caused by any number of outside factors such as: the need to pass an exam, the hope of financial reward or possibility of future travel” Harmer (2001:51) Spaulding also stated that “When individuals are extrinsically motivated, they hold some desired outcome as a goal (e.g., getting a good grade or avoiding punishment), they recognize that a certain way of behaving is an expedient means to that goal, and they make plans to modify their behavior in such a manner that they are likely to experience the desired outcome” (Spaulding, 1992:5) In short, extrinsic motivation can be understood as the opposite of intrinsic motivation This type of motivation originates from the influence of some kinds of external stimuli, including the teachers’ influence, the learner's wish to make some other people pleased or to become successful in an exam, other than their wish to learn for their own sake or interest in learning tasks or activities

Integrative motivation

According to Falk (1978), “It is thought that students who are most successful when learning a target language are those who are like the people that speak the language, admire the culture and have a desire to become familiar with or even integrate into the society in which the language is used” (Falk 1978) In addition, Gardner and Lambert stated that “An integrative orientation involves an interest in learning an L2 because of a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented by the other language group” (Gardner and Lambert (1972: 98) In short, integrative motivation is the desire to learn a language in order use it successfully in social interactions in the target language community

Instrumental motivation

According to Ellis, instrumental motivation refers to “some functional reasons such as to pass an examination, to get a better job, or to get a place at university These reasons motivate learners to learn an L2 because it opens up educational and economic opportunities for them” Ellis (1994:75) Gardner and Lambert (1972) assume “A learner with instrumental motivation is more interested

in how the second language can be a useful instrument towards furthering other goals, such as gaining a necessary qualification or improving employment prospects” (cited in Littlewood 1998:57) In short, learners’ instrumental motivation arouses when they find a need to use the target language as an instrument to obtain

a particular goal

Resultative motivation

The question whether motivation is the cause or the result of the success in second language learning has not been fully answered Savignon (1972) claimed that students’ desire to learn a language increased with gains in that language proficiency (Savignon, 1972, cited in Ellis, 1994:515) Hermann (1980) also shared his view with Savigon when he said that "learners who do well are more likely to develop motivational intensity and to be active in the classroom" (cited in Ellis, 1994:515) From this point of view a learner’s motivation may originate from his/ her achievement or the achievement may affect a learner’s motivation Ellis concluded that “the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one A high level of motivation does stimulate learning, but perceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new types Conversely a vicious circle of low motivation = low achievement

= lower motivation can develop” (Ellis, 1994: 515)

In conclusion, there are several types of motivation in L2 learning The concentration of this study, however, mainly focuses on the following: integrative, instrumental, resultative, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

1.2.3 The roles of motivation in foreign language learning

Motivation in second language learning as well as in foreign language learning has been paid much attention in so far Most researchers agree that motivation plays a very essential role in deciding the success or failure of a language learner Gardner points out that “positive attitudes and motivation are related to success in second language teaching” (Gardner, 1985) Nunan shares his view with Gardner when regarding motivation as a key factor which determines

“the amount of effort a learner is ready to put into language learning” (Nunan, 1991: 131) Caron states that “ The more motivation a learner has, the more time he or she will spend learning an aspect of a second language” (Carol, 1962), which means he

or she will be more successful in learning the language

1.2.4 Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning

A lot of studies have shown that students’ motivation in foreign language learning can be affected by many factors In this minor thesis, they are discussed in three types: one relate to learners themselves, another to teachers and the other to teaching and learning conditions

1.2.4.1 Learners’ factors

Learners’ Age

It has been believed that the young study language better than the old This theory seems to be most applicable to learners who study pronunciation This means that children can produce native-like sounds more easily than adults can When entering a target language, children seem to acquire the target language more perfectly adults However, according to Krashen, Long and Scarcella adult learners are better at grammar than children (Krashen, Long and Scarcella, 1979, cited in Ellis, 1994:485) Although, younger learners have a greater chance of attaining native-like proficiency in the L2 and older learners may show faster progress at the beginning, but are probably surpassed by the young ones in the end (Long and Larsen-Freeman, 1991)

Learners’ beliefs

Different learners have different beliefs about how languages are learnt, how their instruction should be believed “These beliefs are usually based on previous learning experience and the assumption (right or wrong) that a particular type of instruction is the best way for them to learn” (Lightbown, 1999:59) Ellis concluded that “different views about language learning result in different kinds of success”

Language Aptitude

Language aptitude is “capability of a task” (Carroll, 1981 cited in Ellis, 1994) According to Lightbown and Spada (1999:53) aptitude composes of four factors: (1) the ability to identify and memorize new sounds, (2) the ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences, (3) the ability to figure out grammatical rules from language samples, and (4) the ability to memorize new words Knowing the learners’ language aptitude helps teachers prepare appropriate activities to apply

to particular groups of learners

Intelligence

Learners’ intelligence is considered “performance on certain kinds of tests”

by Lightbown & Spada (1999:52) The results of these tests can help teachers decide the successfulness of their students’ performance in the class Although intelligence (measured by IQ tests) is reported to have a connection with second language learning, many students perform well in L2 learning while having bad academic results

Confidence, Anxiety

Dornyei claimed that confidence and anxiety make “a central component in the personal dimension of motivation” Krashen (1981, cited in Ellis, 1994) concluded that “the students who feel at ease in the classroom” may “seek out more intake by volunteering”

Personality

According to Lightbown & Spada, learners’ personality includes such characteristics as extroversion, inhibition, self-esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness and responsiveness These researchers also stated that the success of second language learners may be greatly affected by their personalities

1.2.4.2 Teachers’ factors

Dornyei (2001) mentioned some factors and appropriate behaviors relating to teachers’ as follows: Enthusiasm, Commitment to and expectations for the students’ academic progress, and teachers’ methods of teaching

Enthusiasm

It cannot be denied that the enthusiastic teacher would be more likely

successful in her teaching than the ones without that characteristic “To a very large

degree, students expect to learn if their teachers expect them to learn” (Stippek,

1988)

Commitment to the students’ progress

Teachers can express commitment towards the students by offering them concrete assistance, responding immediately when help is requested, correcting tests and paper promptly or showing concern when things are not going on

Besides, if their students are treated, teachers “as if they already are eager learners, they are more likely to become eager learners” (Brophy, 1998: 170)

Teachers’ expectations

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) stated in their study that the higher expectations teachers had about how well students could study, the higher level of achievement their students would probably be able to reach

Teachers’ teaching methods

Teachers’ teaching methods can be understood as a set of techniques or activities used to get students involved in learning to achieve a goal If they were interesting, they can increase students’ motivation and vice versa

1.2.4.3 Teaching and learning conditions

Physical conditions

Physical conditions in the classroom refer to both teaching equipments (chairs, desks, tables, lights, boards) and the classroom size According to Harmer (2001) it was students' learning as well as their attitude towards the subject matter that affected by these physical conditions As a result, the conditions positively or negatively had great effects on students’ motivation Dornyei stated “Personalizing the classroom can be seen as students exercising increasing control over their environment” (Dornyei, 2001:42) This means that such decoration as posters,

flowers, funny objects can influence the classroom atmosphere The ownership of the class among students should also be created by teachers

The atmosphere in the classroom

A pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere can do great help in motivating students to learn and participate into learning activities As stated by MacIntyre (1999) and Young (1999) students’ anxiety derived from a tense classroom climate was one of the most potent factors that undermined learning effectiveness and L2 motivation (cited in Dornyei, 2001:121) Moreover, in order

to make the students become motivated, “the learning environment needs to be free from anxiety; students should not feel threatened or intimidated.”

An ideal classroom climate can be created by teachers’ humor, the good relationship between teachers and students as well as that among students themselves

1.3 Previous Researches

Motivation plays an essential role in foreign language learning in general and

in writing skills in particular As a result, many studies have been carried out to investigate the definition of motivation, types of motivation as well as effects of motivation in foreign language learning

In the first place, concepts of motivation, its types, benefits and strategies were discussed by many popular linguists such as Gardner (1985), Brown (1994)

or Dorneyi (2001), (Harmer, 2001), ( Ur, 1996) and Crookes and Schmidt (1991) Basing on the background knowledge given by these researchers, many other studies were carried out in the related topic like “Influencing Motivation In The Foreign Language Classroom” by Nicholson (2013) and “ Learners’ motivation and the implications for Classroom Teaching” by Aiming and Aimin (2006)

In Vietnam, there have also been some studies discussing motivation in language learning First of all, it is “Learners’ motivation and identity in the Vietnamese EFL writing classroom” by Tran (2007) The study focused on students’ intrinsic motivation related to institutional needs, their linguistic needs and

social need “Improving 11th Grade students’ Motivation in Speaking Lessons at Viet Nam- Poland High School by Using Communicative Activities” by Dinh Thuy Linh (2011) is another study as minor thesis about motivation in language learning It is a

students of English at Viet Nam- Poland High School

Another study is the one specialized in motivation conducted by Hoang Thi

Ha (2011) “A Study on Students’ Motivation in Reading Skills at Quang Dinh lower secondary school” The study focuses on 4 main issues students’ types of motivation, factors affecting their motivation, motivational strategies employed by teachers and suggested motivational strategies to help students improve their reading skills

At Son Tay high school, the site of this minor thesis, there was a study on 10 graders’ types and levels of motivation in speaking activities named “The study of 10th Graders’ motivation in speaking activities at Son Tay High School, Hanoi” by Nguyen Thanh Thuy (2013) In the study, the researcher discussed types and levels

In conclusion, the matter motivation in language learning has received great concern in many studies Although, there has never been one about students’ motivation in learning writing skills at Son Tay High School with the subjects of grade- ten students As a result, the study was carried out in the hope that it can bring benefit to the teaching and learning English writing at the school

1.4 Summary

In summary, the researcher has discussed different views on definitions, types of motivation and major factors affecting it Overview of writing including its nature and approaches to teaching writing is presented in this chapter Literature review of some previous studies of the same topic is also discussed in the chapter

CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY

2.1 The setting of the study

2.1.1 An overview of the research site

Son Tay High School, where the study was conducted, was founded in 1959

It has been considered one of the oldest as well as most famous schools in the area The school has 123 teachers of twelve compulsory subjects including English Many of them graduated from prestigious universities in Vietnam like Hanoi National University, Hanoi University of Education and Training and Hanoi University, so they are really well-trained While over two thirds of the teachers are young, dynamic and creative, the others have much experience in teaching In the school year 2014-2015, the school has over 2000 students of all three different

students It means that each class has around 40 students The school has had a large number of students who pass the Graduation Examinations and the university entrance examinations with flying colors in recent years

2.1.2 English teachers in Son Tay high school

In the school year 2014-2015, there are fourteen teachers of English in the school Their ages range from 24 to 53 Nearly half of the teachers were trained in official courses at English Department, College of foreign Languages, National University, Hanoi Two were former teachers of Russian and French graduated from the same above mentioned university The others got their degrees from in-service training programs of the University Among fourteen teachers of English, two had their MA degrees and two are going to receive their M.A degree next year The facts about the teachers at Son Tay high school may show that not all of them have reasonable access to effective teaching methods On average, one teacher gives fifteen to seventeen lectures per week along with a great deal of such work as preparing and marking tests as well as family workload Although, most teachers are so enthusiastic and experienced

2.1.3 10th grade students in Son Tay high school

males and females, have learnt English for at least 6 or 7 years Nevertheless, they have different levels of proficiency in English Those in English- gifted classes are really interested in learning English, wishing to be proficient in this subject Meanwhile, many students in non-gifted classes are still passive in their learning In

of the importance of the subject, which may affect their attitudes towards learning the subject

2.1.4 English teaching and learning situation in Son Tay High School

2.1.4.1 The syllabus of teaching and learning English

Like other high schools in the country, English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum at Son Tay High School “Tieng Anh 10”, “Tieng Anh 11” and “Tieng Anh 12” prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training are the textbooks for English for English non-gifted students For those in English gifted classes, the syllabi are “Tieng Anh 10 Nang Cao”, “Tieng Anh 11 Nang Cao” and “Tieng Anh

12 Nang Cao” also prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training

“Tieng Anh 10” includes sixteen units which are divided into 105 forty-five minute periods during 35 weeks of a school year, which means that students have three periods of English per week Sixteen units deal with different themes such as daily life, social issues, sports, music and so on, which may interest students more

in the subject Each unit consists of five sections namely reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus The content of most five sections are presented through task-based exercises which are used as the major means to help students not only master English language but also widen their knowledge about the cultures of some English speaking countries After every three lessons, there is a consolidation to check students’ achievement in the previous lessons

In short, the new textbook “Tieng Anh 10” brings a new way of teaching and learning English at Son Tay High School comparing to the old curriculum If this

new textbook is made used of, it can help students increase their English proficiency at some levels

2.1.4.2 Teaching and learning situations of English writing skills

English subject has been paid more and more attention at Son Tay High School in recent years However, teaching writing skills encounters a great deal of challenges Although writing is an essential skill in both the first language and second language, apart from those in the English- gifted classes, few students have real interest or motivation in English writing lessons A number of the students claim that they can do grammar exercises perfectly but cannot get good grades in their writings They also say that writing is “too difficult and time-consuming”; and “why

we have to learn writing skills when we often take only tests on grammar and vocabulary” This fact may result from students’ lack of vocabulary, grammar structures or ideas, and motivation in learning the skills Besides, lack of training in teaching methods may also contribute to the limited results of writing lessons

2.2 Methods of the study

2.2.1 The subjects of the study

The participants of the study include 8 teachers of English and 80 students from 2 classes 10A1 and 10A2 at Son Tay high school

Among eight English teachers, ranging from 24 to 53 years of age with 1 to

27 years’ teaching experience, two are taking an M.A course at College of foreign Languages, National University, Hanoi and two are going to retire in next two years The other four teachers finished their in-service training programs at College

of foreign Languages, National University, Hanoi They have had chances to attend some extra courses on teaching methods in the light of The National Foreign Language Project 2020 Although, it cannot deny that using traditional teaching methods in language teaching has become these teachers’ habit

Eighty students from two classes 10A1 and 10A2 in Son Tay High School were chosen to participate in the research All of them were at the age of fifteen and have been learning English for 7 years Unlike gifted students, they did not have to

take a placement test of English at the beginning of the school year, so they have different levels of English proficiency

2.2.2 Data collection instruments

Survey questionnaires are the major instruments to collect information for the research for the following reasons Firstly, they take little time and money Secondly, they make it easy to get information from a large number of respondents

in a short period of time Thirdly, respondents can complete them whenever they feel convenient Finally, the respondents do not have to sign their name in the questionnaires, so they may express their ideas truthfully, which makes the results

of the questionnaires confidential

In the research, two sets of questionnaires were used to collect information: one for students including 7 questions and the other for teachers with 6 questions The questionnaires for students were translated into Vietnamese before distributing

so that students can understand the contents

Class observation sheets were also used to collect more information about students’ involvement, writing attitudes, writing time and classroom atmosphere 2.2.3 Data collection procedure

The questionnaires were distributed and gathered from those teachers and students of Son Tay High School who agreed to take part in the research during the third week of the first semester of the school year 2014-2015 After one week, figures from the questionnaires were collected and presented in tables for analysis

The observation was carried out in two different classes (10A1, 10A2) at the same week The lesson chosen to observe was Unit 3 In each class, the researcher observed for 45 minutes Students’ attitudes towards writing activities techniques used, students’ writing time and involvement in different activities were noted down

to see how motivated students were