The effects of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in 2nd year speaking classes in honours program

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER THE EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK ORGANIZAT

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATION PAPER

THE EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK ORGANIZATION

ON ENHANCING STUDENT INTERACTION IN 2ND

YEAR SPEAKING CLASSES IN HONOURS

PROGRAM

Supervisor: Lục Đình Quang, M.A

Student: Nguyễn Mai Quỳnh Trang Course: QH2013.F1.E2

HÀ NỘI – 2017

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VIỆC TỔ CHỨC NHÓM LÊN SỰ TƯƠNG TÁC GIỮA SINH VIÊN TRONG LỚP HỌC

KỸ NĂNG NÓI NĂM HAI HỆ CHẤT LƯỢNG CAO

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Lục Đình Quang, M.A Sinh viên: Nguyễn Mai Quỳnh Trang

Khóa: QH2013.F1.E2

HÀ NỘI – 2017

ACCEPTANCE

I hereby state that I: Nguyen Mai Quynh Trang, QH2013.E2, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (programme) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

Signature

Date

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Mr Luc Dinh Quang for his uncountable support, guidance, and patience Without your help and knowledge, it would be extremely difficult for me to come this far

I would like to express special thanks to fifty-two students and three teachers who participated in this research Without them, this study cannot be completed

I would like to express many thanks to my family and friends You always

support and encourage me to continue until the end

ABSTRACT

Communicative language teaching and cooperative learning have been widely applied for better teaching and learning results Group work, in the framework of CLT and cooperative learning, provides numerous benefits Therefore, it is important for teachers to perform a well-organized group work activity Group work organization

is undeniably a crucial part in every group activity It affects the application of group activities, group interaction, student engagement as well as speaking performances Acknowledging its impact, this study aims to investigate both teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards group work organization on enhancing student interaction as well as teachers’ perceptions of its difficulties and effectiveness

Fifty-two students and three teachers in three speaking classes from Honors Program in ULIS participated in the research They were asked to complete questionnaires and participate in short interviews Also, observations were later employed to guarantee for better interpretation of the results Through the application

of the study, the researcher found out that teachers and students all acknowledged the importance of group work organization on student interaction in speaking classes Most students appeared to participate vigorously in speaking activities thanks to the use of group work in general Nevertheless, when being asked about the effects on student speaking performance, mixed answers were received as students felt confused judging their own performance Teachers, with years of experience, found it easier to evaluate students speaking performance

TABLE OF CONTENT

Page

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

List of figures vi

List of tables vii

List of abbreviations viii

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study 1

1.2 Aims and objectives of the research 2

1.3 Significance of the study 3

1.4 Scope of the study 4

1.5 Methods of the study 4

1.6 Organization 5

Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 Speaking skill 6

2.1.1 The importance of speaking skill 6

2.1.2 Communicative language teaching method 6

2.2 Student interaction in speaking English 7

2.2.1 Definition of interaction 7

2.2.2 Definition of student interaction 8

2.2.3 Relation between group work and student interaction in speaking 8

2.3 Group work organization in cooperative learning 9

2.3.1 Group work in cooperative learning 9

2.3.1.1 Advantages of group work 9

2.3.1.2 Problems of group work 10

2.3.2 Group work organization 11

2.3.2.1 Grouping method 12

2.3.2.2 Seating arrangements 13

2.3.2.3 Types of tasks 16

2.3.2.4 Roles 14

2.3.2.4.1 Teachers’ roles 14

2.3.2.4.2 Students’ roles 14

2.4 The effects of group work organization on student interaction in speaking 15

2.4.1 Effects on student encouragement 15

2.4.2 Effects on students achievements 15

2.5 Related studies 16

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY 17

3.1 Selection of participants 17

3.2 Data collection instruments 17

3.2.1 Questionnaires 17

3.2.2 Interviews 19

3.2.3 Observations 19

3.3 Data collection procedures 20

3.4 Data analysis 21

Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 23

4.1 Research question 1 23

4.1.1 Students’ attitudes towards the effects of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in speaking class 23

4.1.2 Teachers’ attitudes towards the effects of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in speaking class 31

4.1.3 Discussion 40

4.2 Research question 2 43

4.3 Research question 3 44

Chapter 5: CONCLUSION 45

5.1 Summary of the findings 45

5.2 Implication 46

5.3 Limitations 47

5.4 Suggestions 47

References 49

Appendix 1: Students’ questionnaires 54

Appendix 2: Teachers’ questionnaires 57

Appendix 3: Interview questions 60

Appendix 4: Interview transcription 61

Appendix 5: Observation 1 64

Appendix 6: Observation 2 66

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Long’s model of the relationship between type of conversational tasks and

language acquisition

Figure 2: Students rearrange their tables

Figure 3: A and B turn to face C and D

Figure 4: Students’ opinions about the role of classroom speaking practices

Figure 5: Problems students face in speaking classes

Figure 6: Students’ opinions about the role of student interaction in speaking classes

Figure 7: Students’ talking time with their classmates in speaking classes

Figure 8: Students’ opinions about the role of group work activities in speaking

classes

Figure 9: Students’ opinions about the role of group work organization in enhancing

student interaction in speaking classes

Figure 10: Teachers’ opinions about the role of student interaction in speaking classes

Figure 11: Time spent on student interaction by teachers in speaking classes

Figure 12: Teachers’ opinions about the role of group work in speaking classes

Figure 13: Teachers’ opinions about the role of group work organization in enhancing

student interaction in speaking classes

Figure 14: Teachers’ grouping method in speaking classes

Figure 15: Teachers’ opinions about the most appropriate number of member for an

effective group in speaking classes

Figure 16: Teachers’ opinions about the role of seating arrangements in speaking

classes

Figure 17: Teachers’ changing students’ seats frequency in speaking classes

Figure 18: Teachers’ choice of tasks

Figure 19: Teachers’ opinions about their responsibilities in group work activities

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Students’ opinions about group work organization in speaking classes

Table 2: Students’ opinions about the effects of group work organization in enhancing

student interaction in speaking classes

Table 3: Teachers’ opinions about the advantages of group work organization on

promoting student interaction in speaking classes

Table 4: Reasons for a group activity’s success in teachers’ point of views

Table 5: Reasons for a group activity’s failure in teachers’ point of views

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ULIS: University of Languages and International Studies VNU: Vietnam National University

CLT: Communicative language teaching

ESL: English as second language

EFL: English as foreign language

L1: first language

L2: second language

T1: the first teacher

T2: the second teacher

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

In this part, a brief introduction to the research consisting of reasons for the study, its significance, scope, and organization will be presented

1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study

Communicating fluently has always played an essential role in learning new languages According to Celce-Murcia (2001), speaking ability equals knowing the language (p.103) The role of speaking indicates that it is important for learners to concentrate on their understanding of language usage in different contexts Nevertheless, learning to speak a new language other than his mother tongue is quite difficult for almost every learner Communicative language teaching, as a result, arose

to ensure communicative competence

Communicative language teaching brings changes to classes For instance, a CLT classroom offers a new environment and roles for both learners and teachers comparing to the traditional ones such as Audio Lingual and Silent Way Instead of the conventional format where teachers take control of the class and spend most of the time talking, teachers are encouraged to apply interactive learning in teaching

Interactive learning aims to change all lectures into discussions where “students and teachers become partners in the journey of knowledge acquisition” as stated in

Stanford Medicine Interactive Learning Initiatives website An interactive classroom offers students opportunities to actively control their language acquisition Also, cooperative activities such as pair and group work are highly frequent in interactive learning Many studies proved cooperative learning efficiency on student language acquisition (Nunan, 2004; Johnson, Johnson & Smith, 1991; etc.), pointing out that students acquire better when they work together

Nonetheless, a typical Vietnamese language classroom requires teachers to act

as sole providers of knowledge and experience Despite the importance of speaking skill, people often focus on grammar and receptive skills As a result, most students

lack opportunities to practice orally using the target language both inside and outside the classroom Long and Porter (1985, cited in Nguyen, 2010, p.16), in their research, prove that a class of 30 students in 50 minutes only allows each student a maximum

of 30 seconds to talk Although many Vietnamese teachers acknowledge the time issue, the usefulness of interactive learning and Communicative language teaching method, research shows that they lack experience, time, and facilities to implement better speaking classes (Le, 1999) Therefore, teachers often prefer whole class interaction which provides limited opportunities to improve students’ speaking ability

Understanding the importance of student interaction and group work activities

in speaking classes, ULIS often encourages teachers to apply Communicative language teaching method and cooperative learning into teaching and learning English Along with time, many studies have investigated techniques and benefits of group work and pair work on classroom interaction (Tran, 2010; Jiang, 2009; Ngo, 2014; etc.) Nonetheless, many have underestimated the process of organizing group work activities before applying in classes As a result, this gap has motivated the researcher

to conduct a survey on “The effects of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in second-year speaking classes in Honor program, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies” which aims to help and encourage teachers whenever they want to use group

work activities in their classes

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

This research examines the current situation of organizing group work activities to second-year students in advanced classes in FELTE, ULIS It aims to (1) identify both teachers and students’ attitudes towards group work organization in speaking activities and (2) identify how teachers perceive different types of group work organization in terms of difficulties and effectiveness In brief, these objectives can be summarized into three following research questions

Research questions:

(1) What are teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the effects of organization of group work activities on enhancing student interaction

in their speaking classes?

(2) What difficulties do teachers face when organizing group activities to enhance student interaction in their speaking classes?

(3) What types of organization of group work activities are effective in enhancing student interaction in speaking classes from teachers’ perspective?

Once the research is finished, it would serve as supplementary materials for teachers to consider in their teaching methods Hopefully, the results of this paper would increase the quality and frequencies of group activities in speaking classes later

1.3 Significance of the study

For teachers: The study will serve as reference for teachers to consider

regarding their current teaching methods The aim is to produce the most effective group activities to improve students’ speaking skill

For students: The results of this study will provide students with an overview

of teachers’ purposes when applying group work activities in classes Also, the study will offer learners with opportunities to utilize their group work interaction for further self-improvement and academic performance Furthermore, for students who want to become English teachers, they can use these results as references in their later teaching career

For researcher: There is little research which focused on the topic of group

work organization and student interaction The study, therefore, will help the researcher gain more knowledge when she wants to apply group work activities in her later teaching career

For others: This research will work as supplementary materials for people who

are interested in group work organization and student interaction

1.4 Scope of the study

In this research, the researcher does not have the ambition to cover all aspect

of group work organization and student interaction The study will only focus on the effects of group work organization in enhancing student interaction in advanced second-year speaking classes Students in three classes and their speaking teachers are considered the target population Their answers and attitudes will help the researcher obtain a certain amount of data and knowledge towards group work organization’s role, its difficulties, and effectiveness so as to draw the complete picture of the topic

1.5 Methods of the study

To conduct the research, the researcher combined both qualitative and quantitative methods by using the following tools:

Data collection methods:

 Questionnaires: For primary data, the researcher will use surveys because they are cost-effective and time-saving

 Interviews: Direct talks with teachers will help the researcher in exploiting their attitudes and difficulties towards the organization of group work and student interaction with better validity and reliability of the information

 Observations: Attending the target speaking classes’ lessons will help the researcher have more evidence to compare with teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the organization of group work activities and student interaction

Data analysis methods:

 Mathematically totaling up the data collected from questionnaires:

it is among the most effective ways to produce exact and reliable statistics through charts and tables

 Extracting appropriate information from questionnaires, interviews, and observations for possible and reliable interpretation of data

collected: results from questionnaires, interviews, and observations should be consistent to interpret the effects of group work organization on student interaction in speaking classes

1.6 Organization

This part serves as a brief introduction to the study including statement and rationale, aims, research questions, significance, its scope of the study, and methods The rest of the research will present more detailed information about the study

Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter will present definitions of key terms and theories the study bases Also, the researcher will review related studies in order

to highlight the gap which she aims to fill

Chapter 3: Methodology This chapter describes the research methods for the study which consists of the target participants, data collection and data analysis methods and why the researcher chose the population and methods

Chapter 4: Findings and discussion This chapter shows results collected from participants and provides further interpretation from the data

Chapter 5: Conclusion This last chapter concludes main empirical findings, limitations, and suggestions for further studies

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, key terms definitions and theoretical foundation of the research’s topic will be presented for better understanding of the whole paper Also, related studies are included and reviewed to show the gaps this research wants to fill

2.1 Speaking skill

2.1.1 The importance of speaking skill

Speaking is a skill every language learner has to learn together with writing, reading, and listening Many people believe that speaking is the most challenging task regarding the level of difficulties (Bailey, n.d., p.48) To be exact, speaking involves immediate response between two or more people People cannot erase or edit what they spoke Furthermore, communications happen in every aspect of life They are also methods to impress others during conversations As a result, it has always been crucial for people to possess good speaking skill

For many years, people have applied different methods to teach speaking Overall, these methods required students to remember a conversation in particular Nonetheless, as time went by, people started to put emphasis on the ability to make and maintain conversations Conventional methods could not meet all the requirements Educators then demanded a new approach which allows learners to acquire language better Communicative language teaching method, therefore, was introduced

2.1.2 Communicative language teaching method

Researchers have conducted many studies on the concept of CLT over the years Ying (2010) states that CLT is an approach in L2 teaching that puts emphasis

on interaction, also known as the goal of language learning On similar ground, Larsen-Freeman (2000) claims that CLT enables communication through a communicative approach It aims to improve learners’ speaking ability Furthermore,

communicative approach relies heavily on interaction It caters for student talk and offers opportunities to practice English Therefore, it is important to keep students energetic in classes for successful interaction

Nevertheless, there are certain difficulties when teachers apply CLT A study conducted in Vietnam proved that it was challenging to use CLT when students focused on receptive skills rather than productive skills Also, the concept of authentic materials has not yet been widely introduced As a result, Vietnamese teachers and students found it difficult to apply CLT in teaching and learning English Furthermore, English as Foreign Language countries like Korea faced the same problems Studies showed that English classrooms did not have needed fundamental basis for CLT to implement due to grammar-centered learning style (Li, 1988, p.66, as mentioned in Wei, 2011)

In brief, the goal of CLT undeniably matches with the demanding for communicative competence through interaction process Nonetheless, it is worth noticing that there are still some barriers that hinder CLT from applying

2.2 Student interaction in speaking English

2.2.1 Definition of interaction

Communicative language teaching method offers students opportunities to speak Interaction is considered one of the most effective ways to push students to talk Many researchers have attempted to define interaction Nevertheless, an exact and concrete definition has not been agreed (Soo & Bonk, 1998) Still, it is important

to choose an appropriate way of defining interaction in the development of knowledge (Bannan-Ritland, 2002) Hadfield and Hadfield (2008) describe interaction as an

action which “involves responding to other people rather than just putting messages together” Instead of solely speaking, students are required to communicate and

receive responses

Good speaking skill puts emphasis on the importance of interaction through negotiations of meaning in different contexts When interacting, students can

exchange information among others Hedge (2000) asserts that students, through interaction, can improve their language knowledge as they are exposed to authentic input and output from their classmates Also, interaction provides students with opportunities to practice the target language authentically

In brief, interaction is the key to CLT’s success It is advisable for any teachers

to take interaction into consideration in teaching The next part will explain one type

of interaction - student interaction

2.2.2 Definition of student interaction

Student interaction is an aspect of interaction It is considered “the strongest predictors of student development” (Tinto, 1999) This type of interaction is proved

to show how well students acquire language

First, peer interaction creates a connection among learners who are put into groups They, therefore, can get support and motivation to learn from their counterparts (Dorn et al., 1995) Also, student interaction helps learners practice speaking skill To be exact, interaction requires students to clarify and discuss during

conversations Students, therefore, will be put in an active position to “reinforce what they have learned” and acquire language (Naegle, 2002, p.128)

2.2.3 Relation between group work and student interaction in speaking

Interaction requires learners to use and produce appropriate language when working in groups since one student’s output will become input for another and vice versa Therefore, many researchers agree on the role of group work in promoting student interaction in classroom context McGroarty (1989) points out that group work

“abound in activities promoting verbal exchange and interaction” Other authors also

share the same view on the effectiveness of group work For example, in groups of two, students are required to communicate with each other so as to complete a given task Being put in groups, student talking time increases due to the activities’

requirements Lindsay and Knight (2006), in their study, add that the idea of grouping

students “can help them practice speaking effectively”

To sum up, it is perceived by many authors that peer interaction in group activities can enhance learners’ language and communicative competence By being put in groups, students are pushed to produce appropriate target language to convey

their ideas when working

2.3 Group work organization in cooperative learning

2.3.1 Group work in cooperative learning

Cooperative learning is developed within the framework of CLT (Johnson, Johnson & Smith, 1991) It aims to raise language production level and allows learners

to negotiate meaning naturally (Bailey, Daley & Onweugbuzie, 1999; Ford, 1991; Long & Porter, 1985) through the use of group work

Group work is a form of cooperative learning It is defined as “tasks, activities and exercises carried out by learners working in small, cooperative groups” (Nunan,

2004) This type of activity requires people interacting with each other in groups to perform a task It caters for learners’ individual differences, knowledge and generic skills (e.g communication skill, collaborative skill, etc.) Overall, group work has received positive responses from both students and teachers For instance, towards their preferred learning style, 70% of ESL learners in Australia preferred group work

to individual work (Mishra & Oliver, 1998) Another study by Polley (2007) points out that ESL learners acknowledge the usefulness of group work and they feel motivated to participate

2.3.1.1 Advantages of group work

Group work activities play a crucial role in teaching and learning speaking There are four major benefits group work serve

First, group work provides students with more input and output (Fathman & Kessler, 1993; Long & Porter, 1985; McGroarty, 1993) Students then can enhance

their own speaking ability Comparing group work to traditional teacher-fronted methods, the latter provides restricted discourse and controlled instructions As a

result, students interact in “standard and less spontaneous” manner (Barnes, 1992)

On the contrary, group work allows learners to think and talk naturally with more authentic input and output

Second, group work reduces learners’ anxiety and helps them get sense of belonging In Liqun’s research (2005, cited in Nguyen, 2010, p.16), students tend to

be anxious “in language classroom than in classrooms of any other subjects”

Students may feel shy and afraid if they have to speak alone in front of the class They may fear to make mistakes or receive negative comments As a result, Tsui (1996) and Hellison (1996) (cited in Wright, 2005, p.356-357) suggest that putting students

in smaller yet familiar groups can encourage them to speak

Third, teachers can keep track of all students at the same time They can spend time with some groups while others are working (Harmer, 2011, p.16) Also, while students are participating group activities, teachers can observe and provide immediate help for students who are in need

Last but not least, group work promotes learners’ responsibility and autonomy Since the final result depends on the contribution of each member, students may feel

the “desire not to let their group down” (Steinberg, 2007, p.195) Students are

required to share ideas, to discuss, to manage group problems and to come up with a plan The final achievement will be judged based on the performance of the whole group and each individual Therefore, every student needs to be responsible for the success of their groups

2.3.1.2 Problems of group work

Beneficial as it is, group work still has some demerits that teachers feel hesitant

to implement

To begin with, teachers cannot give feedback on all mistakes students make While teachers are facilitators, students are in control of their group activities They

do not have enough time to listen and check all students’ mistakes They, on the other hand, can only observe and provide help for students

Another difficulty is the use of L1 in groups (Byrne, 1987, p.78) Dealing with problems in different languages other than their mother tongue is difficult A research conducted in Vietnamese language classrooms by Tuan and Mai (2015) points out that students tend to lose encouragement and switch into using Vietnamese when they face difficult topics Nevertheless, group work aims to expose students to the target language in realistic and authentic environments Therefore, if students do not acknowledge group work’s purposes, it would be difficult for them to stop using their L1 while working in groups, especially when their later performance will be scored

Next, unequal participation can cause problems It is difficult for teachers to ensure whether students contribute to group performance Byrne (1987, p.78) states that some students are lazy and they do not participate in group work while some tend

to take over all the work There are two reasons resulting in the problem First, some students are afraid of making mistakes in front of others They do not want to be criticized by classmates who are better than them Second, some students prefer working individually to working collectively Both types of students decrease the effectiveness and fairness of group activities

Finally, although researchers understand the importance of group work in

language acquisition, some argue that “simply placing students in groups and telling them to work together does not in and of itself promote higher achievement” (Johnson,

Johnson & Smith, 1995, p.30) In another word, the aim of group activities should be clear enough for all students to understand Every activity is encouraged to have a meaning for better participation and acquisition

2.3.2 Group work organization

In order to have a good group activity, it is important to prepare beforehand The process of group work organization often refers to forming a group The

formation is based on four major aspects which are grouping method, seating arrangements, types of tasks and roles (Bell, 1998)

2.3.2.1 Grouping method

Group size is concerned when organizing a group activity The smaller the number of members in a group, the more benefits members will have such as more talking time and work efficiency Some researchers suggest an ideal number of a group should be around three to four (Csernica et al., 2002; Kagan, 1992) Group size can be varied depending on the purpose and types of activities Nonetheless, according

to Long (1976) and Johnson and Johnson (1991), the number of members in each group should only reach the maximum of six so as to guarantee everyone’s engagement

Also, when assigning groups, there are three major factors teachers should consider First of all, it is essential for teachers to maximize groups’ heterogeneity based on proficiency, gender, etc (Davis, 1993) The more differences group members have, the more opportunities they can negotiate For groups which are full

of students with different language ability, the more able ones “get practice in producing comprehensible output” while the less able ones “gain experience in negotiating meaning” (Lynch, 1996, p.115) Furthermore, McCafferty, Jacobs and

Dasilva Iddings (2006) add that grouping a higher-level learner with a less proficient learner could help the weaker improve his level On the other hand, if a homogeneous group is formed, stress level and knowledge gap will be reduced This type of groups will work fast and perform well

Second, some instructors allow students to self-select their groups organization in group work aims to prevent obstacles when group members interact Students can form groups by choosing their friends or someone they have already been familiar with, etc Nevertheless, this method faces the risk of students wasting time socializing instead of working Also, in one study carried out by Fiechtner and Davis (1985), 155 students reported that their worst group work experiences belonged

Self-to self-selected groups while their best were with groups formed by their teachers

Finally, teachers can randomly assign each student a number or group students based on their seating Depending on students’ age, assigning numbers method can change in order to fit learners’ characteristics For instance, teachers can consider include a small game to raise young learners’ interest Grouping students based on their location, on the other hand, is regarded as the most popular and common method

in language classes Teachers do not have to spend time arranging students With this type, Byrne (1987, p.75) suggests two ways forming a group:

Figure 2: Students rearrange their tables

Figure 3: A and B turn to face C and D

This method may seem fair; nonetheless, the balance and heterogeneity in each group are not guaranteed

2.3.2.2 Seating arrangements

Seating arrangement is important since it has proximity and interaction effect (Dornyei & Murphey, 2003) When students work in groups, the physical arrangement can create a comfortable feeling which encourages them to interact Also, seating arrangement can affect student behavior According to McCorskey and McVetta

(1978), “an arrangement that is disagreeable to the student may erect a needless

barrier, possibly one that will prevent learning” (p.104) An appropriate seating

reorganization for activities can then engage students with group work Furthermore,

it is noticeable that teachers should leave some space in the classroom so that they can

easily observe, help and assess students

2.3.2.3 Types of tasks

Types of tasks for group work are crucial Activities should be interesting and appropriate to students’ level According to Lobatón (2011), it is important for teachers to design an activity which fulfills learners’ needs For instance, topics for group interaction should be suitable, meaningful, and exciting to participate Students should possess some knowledge about the topic Therefore, they will be motivated to participate in activities Once the task meets the requirements, it will have positive impacts on learners On the contrary, if the activities fail to deliver their purposes, students will easily lose interest and switch into using their L1 (Tuan & Mai, 2015)

or even delay working

2.3.2.4 Roles

2.3.2.4.1 Teachers’ role

Teachers should choose an appropriate role for themselves In order to increase student interaction, instead of being a controller of the class, teachers are now given

a more essential role - a facilitator who is required to observe, help and encourage

students, etc McGreal (1989) adds that teachers should receive “less the center of activity” Teachers can go around and provide students with the resource they need

for group performance Also, instead of intervening in group interaction, teachers should observe and let students interact naturally and spontaneously (Harmer, 2001) Once teachers become facilitators, they can give feedback and evaluate student interaction role in developing learners’ speaking skill

2.3.2.4.2 Students’ role

When organizing group work, teachers need to consider students’ role in each activity When students interact in groups, they act as negotiators and communicators

themselves Students are expected “to help each other, to discuss and to argue with each other, to assess and fill each other’s current knowledge and understanding”

(Slavin, 1995) As a result, students become independent and they actively engage in the learning process It is important for students to realize and understand their role

so as to utilize the benefits of group work activities in promoting interaction

2.4 The effects of group work organization on student interaction in speaking 2.4.1 Effects on student engagement

Many studies prove that group work promotes active learning environment and student engagement in classes (Dunn, 1994; Johnson, Johson & Smith, 2014, etc.) A study conducted by Cavanagh (2011) concludes that students in her research all value opportunities group work bring They allow students to actively participate in lectures Other studies on how students perceive group work point out that students mostly enjoy and benefit from working in groups (Greenop, 2007; Li et al., 2010)

2.4.2 Effects on students achievements

Group work enhances student academic achievement (Baines, Blatchford & Chowne, 2007; Johnson & Johnson, 2004, etc.) Many studies compare students’ performances when they work in groups and individually Results indicate that group work leads to better achievement compared to individual work performance (Tuan & Neomy, 2007; Wichadee, 2007; Li et al., 2010; etc.) For instance, some studies (Hoyles et al., 1991; Webb, 1997) demonstrate students’ achievement in a test after participating in group activity Post-tests results are proved to be better with a deep understanding by using group work comparing to working alone Also, Meteeham (2001) concludes from her research that group work techniques allow students to learn better and improve their achievement A study conducted by Tuan and Neomy (2007) points out that students who prepared in groups before oral presentation perform better

Working collectively in this study offers students opportunities to improve their speaking performance in terms of contents

2.5 Related studies

There are other studies on the effects of group work regarding student engagement and achievement Li et al (2010) in their study did research on students’ attitudes towards group work in Australia They pointed out that all thirteen Chinese students acknowledged advantages of group work activities Also, students were reported to feel more engaged and to possess better understanding of new knowledge when discussing in groups

Other research by Hanan and Nowreyah (2014) studied the effects of group work on 40 EFL students’ learning Results were analyzed after three phrases: tests, questionnaires, and observations The study indicated that academic groups improved their learning by using group work Many admitted their speaking ability became much better compared to before

Although many studies shed light on the effects of group work on student interaction, there is a little research that focuses on group work organization and its effects

Summary

Chapter 2 presented theoretical foundations for the study which included overview of student interaction and group work organization in speaking classes They have shown the relation between interaction and group work organization which supported further development of the study Furthermore, a review of different research on the topic of group work organization effects was presented for better understanding

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, selection of participants and data collection are being explained in this part Also, a brief overview of the whole process as well as how data will be analyzed are also included

3.1 Selection of participants

The research was carried out in three advanced 2nd year speaking classes in ULIS All students and their speaking teachers were invited to the research There are three major reasons that urge the researcher to choose these people as an ideal population

First of all, for ULIS students, they study four English skills in the first two years only In the researcher’s opinion, 1st year is the time when students start to familiarize themselves in a new environment As a result, when students reach their

2nd year, they may have more experience with the concept of interaction and group work

Second, before selecting three 2nd year classes as target participants, the researcher chose three students from each class to ask their view on the two concepts: group work organization and student interaction Also, how they learn speaking were mentioned in order to compare with the features of an ideal population for the research

Finally, due to ability and time constraints, the researcher chose Honor Program as there was only 3 classes On the other hand, mainstream program had around 10 classes As a result, the researcher only aimed at a small scope for the study

3.2 Data collection instruments

time-saving research instruments To be exact, they can collect information in a short amount of time With the population of fifty-two, questionnaire seems to be an ideal choice Furthermore, it is quite objective and cost-effective

For preparation, the researcher used two sets of questionnaires, one for year students in advanced classes and one for their speaking teachers Both sets included multiple choices questions and Likert scales so as to provide the researcher with in-depth information on the research problems

second-To be more specific, teachers’ survey consisted of fifteen questions which were divided into four major parts The first part had two questions which were designed

to find out the three teachers’ personal information such as their teaching experience and the number of English lessons they give per week Next, the second part aimed to identify teachers’ opinions towards the importance of student interaction in speaking classes as well as how often they let students practice speaking with their peers Then

a set of eight questions was designed to investigate teachers’ views and teaching practices on group work organization in speaking class Finally, teachers were asked three questions on the effects of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in speaking classes

For students’ questionnaire, it consisted of fourteen questions dividing into four major parts The first one included two questions which aim to identify students’ opinions on the importance of classroom speaking practice and problems they might face in speaking classes The next two questions were designed to find out students’ views on student interaction in speaking classes Next, three multiple choice questions and four Likert scales statements aimed to investigate how students perceive group work and group work organization Finally, the last three Likert scale questions helped the researcher have an overview of students’ overall perceptions on the effects of group work organization on promoting student interaction in speaking classes

After all questions had been revised and improved, the researcher contacted relevant participants and proceed collecting data

3.2.2 Interviews

Interview, on the other hand, is a qualitative research instrument It concentrates on teachers’ perspectives towards the problem Interview is regarded as

“a useful tool to get the story behind participants’ experience” (Nguyen, 2008) It

provides data using understanding the informants, particularly interviewees in this case Using qualitative approach allows the researcher to dig deep into problems which questionnaires cannot investigate thoroughly The interviews will be semi-structured

in order to obtain information from teachers flexibly

Since the research focus places on three 2nd year classes, the researcher invited two out of three speaking teachers from these classes to join the interviews The researcher, with these data, could compare the answers from both teachers and students together in later analysis Also, using interview made it easier for the researcher and teachers to elaborate on their points of view

In terms of structure, the interview consisted of two main questions which were designed to investigate the problems teachers might face while applying group work organization as well as which types of organization supported them the most in speaking classes Beside the main questions, teachers were asked other questions based on their choice of answers in the questionnaires and evidence collected from observations Also, due to time limit, each interview was estimated for about 10 to 15 minutes The researcher recorded the whole interview for later use

3.2.3 Observations

Observations are important supplementary data for analysis Miller referred observation as the most basic research technique to employ in the classroom (2004) Observation was chosen to help the researcher collect more data from both teachers’ and students’ actual attitudes towards group work organization and student interaction

in speaking classes The results provided will be objective and reliable which can back

up other data collected through questionnaires

In order to make the observations more convenient, the researcher made a new observation sheet template There were five main parts in the sheet The first part

indicated which group activity is applied in classes Next were methods of organization In this research, there were four kinds of group work organization the researcher aimed to investigate The researcher would check whether each type of organization method was applied The next two columns were designed to describe and investigate how group work organization were used for each activity and the effects of group work organization on student interaction in classes

3.3 Data collection procedures

The procedures of data collection could be put intro four phrases as follows

1 3 weeks - 2 weeks: prepare and develop questionnaires

- 1 week: prepare interview questions

2 1 week - Deliver survey questionnaires and get them back

3 2 weeks - Conduct interviews with chosen participants

- Conduct class observation

4 1 week - Transcribe interview recording and classroom

observation notes

Phrase 1: Preparation

In this phrase, the researcher were able to:

 Design and finalize questionnaires and interviews questions

 Finalize data collection instruments selection

 Contact target participants to collect data

This phrase can be completed thanks to the help and support of the researcher’s supervisor With his help, both questionnaires and interviews questions were reviewed and they became more completed

Phrase 2: Questionnaires delivery

Based on time conditions from both participants and the researcher, the questionnaires were handed out to students and teachers according to the arranged

schedule Before delivering the survey, the researcher briefly introduced the topic, some key terms and research aims for students and teachers Then, the researcher asked students and teachers to complete the questionnaires immediately in order to save time and prevent the survey from affecting their study time later

Phrase 3: Conducting interviews and observations

Observations: After contacting teachers and requesting their permission, the researcher came to observe speaking lessons While observing, the researcher took notes of all group activities, concentrating on teachers’ doing and students’ attitudes

Interviews: After observing, the researcher asked teachers to spare some time

in order to conduct the interviews The appointments were set up based on teachers’ schedule Each interview began with a brief introduction of the researcher as well as the research topic Then, the researcher delivered questions for teachers to answer Also, some additional questions were made in order to clarify teachers’ answers

Phrase 4: Transcribing recordings and observations notes

When the researcher finished the three phrases above, she took times transcribing interview answer and observations notes so as to be more convenient for data analysis

3.4 Data analysis

Since both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed, data collected was analyzed statically and interpretively Specifically, questionnaires’ results were presented in percentages to show the common trends in students’ as well as teachers’ answers Notes taken during observation also worked as evidence to compare to participants’ attitude, from theory to practice Also, detailed information from teachers’ interviewing were summarized and analyzed in terms of teachers’ perspectives towards group work organization’s difficulties and effectiveness Moreover, regarding teachers’ and students’ attitudes, results from questionnaires were compared to information collected from observations as well as interviews to interpret

These above methods helped the researcher get reliable data for the research From that, analysis and discussion could be made

Summary

This chapter by far has been introduced some general information regarding the methodology employed in this paper before proceeding the next procedure The choice for this research methodology has ben justified through a background overview Both quantitative instruments (questionnaires) and qualitative instruments (observations and interviews) were elaborated together to elicit data from 52 students and 3 teachers Moreover, all target participants clearly understood the aims as well

as purpose of the study for reliable results in next chapter

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In the previous chapter, the methodology employed in this research to collect data has been presented, along with choice justifications In this chapter, all collected data from questionnaires, interviews, and observations will be analyzed and discussed

at the same time to answer three research questions respectively Pie charts and tables are used for better elaboration

4.1 Research question 1: “What are teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the

effects of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in speaking classes?”

4.1.1 Students’ attitudes towards the effects of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in speaking class

4.1.1.1 The role of classroom speaking practice

The following figure aims to investigate students’ opinions towards the role of classroom speaking practices:

Figure 4: The role of classroom speaking practice

As can be seen from this pie chart, it is clear that the number of students considered speaking practice as “Very important” and “Important” accounts for 100%

No students disagree with the role of speaking practice Since Nunan (2004) mentions

“success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the (target)

Unimportant

language”, it can be assured that the majority of 2nd year students realized the importance of speaking practice in language acquisition process

4.1.1.2 Problems faced by students in speaking classes

Despite acknowledging the importance of classroom speaking practice, students are still facing some problems in speaking classes

Figure 5: Problems faced by students in speaking classes

The chart above shows some major problems language learners have been dealing with 22 out of 52 students said that they felt shy speaking in front of their teachers and the whole class Observation in T1’s class proved that students felt hesitant speaking in front of the class 21 students thought that some topics and activities provided were unfamiliar for them to cope up with Moreover, 20 of the students believed that they did not have enough time to practice speaking using the target language Short amount of talking time with high group population leads to this problem Also, some students added that sometimes class activities were too repetitive and there was a limitation in topic ranges which made it harder for them to become interested Furthermore, when they were put in groups, some students admitted that though they wanted to practice, their classmates just switched into using Vietnamese instead, which it has been proved in the first observations A group with seven members showed that all of the members work together in the first five minutes, then

Unfamiliartopics andactivities

Shyness whenspeaking infront ofclasses orwith teachers

four of them started to socialize in Vietnamese and did other unrelated works The cause of the problem may result from their speaking teachers In the first observation, T1 tended to spend too much time on some groups instead of facilitating the whole class

Through the statistics presented in this part, it is possible to conclude that there are still some common problems students may face These problems may hinder their language acquisition in speaking classes despite acknowledging the importance of speaking practice Teachers, therefore, should take notice of these difficulties to overcome for better speaking classes

4.1.1.3 The role of student interaction in speaking classes

Figure 6: Students’ opinions about the role of student interaction

From Figure 6, it is clear that 94% of the students put emphasis on student interaction in speaking classes as “Very important” and “Important” Though nobody referred student interaction as “Unimportant”, there is a number of students who considered it as “Quite important” only Generally, despite the answers being varied, the majority acknowledged the essentiality of student interaction in speaking classes

In order to prove students’ viewpoints, the following chart aims to provide the common trends of student interaction in speaking classes

44%

50%

Very importantImportantQuite importantUnimportant

Figure 7: Students’ talking time with their classmates in speaking classes

When being asked about the amount of time spending on speaking practice with their classmates, half of the students answered that they often had activities required them to talk to their friends (52%) 37% of the students chose “Sometimes” and a small amount of respondents (11%) thought that they always had student interaction-related activities Although choices are different, it can be concluded that students in the three 2nd year speaking classes often have activities that promote student interaction

4.1.1.4 The role of group work and group work organization in speaking classes

52% of the students agreed that they often spent time practicing speaking with their friends (as shown in figure 7) The questionnaire continues to investigate how the practices are carried out For this research, the practices are in the form of group work activities

Figure 8: Students’ opinions about the role of group work activities

Figure 8 illustrates students’ attitudes towards the role of group work activities

in speaking classes The majority of students (69%) considered group work as

“Important” and “Very important” The rest (31%) chose group work as “Quite important” only Group work receives different views from students Nevertheless, a proportion of 69% represents that many students acknowledged the importance of group work to some extent In the first and second observations, students in both classes showed their delights and interest when working in groups It also indicates the group work does bring advantages to student language acquisition

Following is the chart describing the role of group work organization on enhancing student interaction in speaking classes from students’ point of view

Figure 9: Students’ opinions about the role of group work organization in enhancing student interaction in speaking classes

In Figure 9, 91% of respondents believed that group work organization is

important Some students even stated during the introductory interview that “Group work organization like grouping method is important It requires them [students] to

be more responsible for group’s overall performance” Though the majority of

students agreed on the role of group work organization in class, a small number (of 9%) considered it as quite important only

In brief, the two charts point out students’ positive opinions towards the importance of group work and group work organization in speaking classes