A study on using group work activities to improve speaking skills of the second year non english major students at a university in hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES PHẠM THỊ THIỆN A STUDY ON USING GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

PHẠM THỊ THIỆN

A STUDY ON USING GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND YEAR NON- ENGLISH

MAJOR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI

(Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng hoạt động nhóm để nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh của sinh viên năm thứ hai không chuyên ngữ tại một trường đại học

ở Hà Nội)

Minor Program Thesis

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi- 2021

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

PHẠM THỊ THIỆN

A STUDY ON USING GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND YEAR NON- ENGLISH

MAJOR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI

(Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng hoạt động nhóm để nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh của sinh viên năm thứ hai không chuyên ngữ tại một trường đại học

ở Hà Nội)

Minor Program Thesis

Field: English Language Teaching Code: 8140231.01

Supervisor: PhD Mai Thị Loan

Hanoi- 2021

DECLARATION

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project

report entitled “A study on using group work activities to improve speaking skills of the second year non- English major students at a university in Hanoi” (Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng hoạt động nhóm để nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh của sinh viên năm thứ hai không chuyên ngữ tại một trường đại học ở Hà Nội) submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Except where reference indicated, no other person's work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mai Thị Loan PhD, for her inspiring me to do this research If it had not been for her helpful material supply as well as invaluable guidance, insightful comments and kind support, my thesis would not have been accomplished

I also wish to thank all my lecturers in Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Postgraduate Department for their precious lectures, which are partly applied in this study

I am indebted to my friends both at home and abroad for their suggestion, encouragement and enthusiasm in helping me distribute the survey questionnaires and collect information for the study

Finally, I owe the completion of this study to my family: my parents,

my relatives and especially my husband who gave me understanding and encouragement throughout the study

ABSTRACT

The use of group work activities is considered an effective method in teaching speaking for students However, not many researches projected have been carried to examine its effectiveness For the purpose, this study was set out to investigate the use of group work activities to develop speaking skill for second year students learning English as a foreign language in a university in Hanoi The researcher used tests, teaching diaries and questionnaires as research instruments Findings indicated the effectiveness of group work activities in students' improvement in their speaking performance and students had positive attitudes towards group work activities and consider it as an effective way to help them improve their speaking skills However, students also encountered some problems when working in group, in which their low- level speaking ability is the biggest hindering to them in group work From that, some recommendations for better using group work activities in speaking lessons were given for teachers to use in their classes

ABBREVIATIONS

ALC: Active Language Classrooms

CLT: Communicative Language Learning

ELT: English Language Teaching

ESL: English as a Second Language

Ss: Students

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

Approved by i

SUPERVISOR i

(Signature and full name) i

Date: i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

ABBREVIATIONS iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Aim and objectives of the study 3

1.3 Research questions 3

1.4 Method of the study 3

1.5 Scope of the study 4

1.6 Significance of the study 4

1.7 Organization of the research 5

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 An overview of speaking skills 6

2.1.1 Definition 6

2.1.2 The role of speaking in teaching and learning 7

2.1.3 Characteristics of a successful speaking activity 8

2.1.4 Factors affecting students' performance in speaking activities 9

2.1.5 Activities in speaking lessons 10

2.1.6 Traditional ways of teaching speaking 12

2.1.7 Stages in a speaking lesson 15

2.2 Overview of Communicative Language Teaching Method 16

2.2.1 Definition 16

2.2.2 Characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching method 18

2.2.3 The roles of teachers and learners in the classroom 19

2.3 Overview of group work in speaking lessons 20

2.3.1 Definition of group work 20

2.3.2 Group work formation 21

2.3.3 Common group work activities in teaching speaking 23

2.5 Previous studies on group work 29

2.6 Summary 33

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 35

3.1 Action research 35

3.1.1 Definition of action research 35

3.1.2 Rationale of using action research 36

3.1.3 Steps to conduct 36

3.2 Research setting 39

3.3.1 Teachers' diaries 40

3.3.2 Questionnaires 41

3.3.3 Tests 42

3.4 Data collection procedures 45

3.5 Data analysis method 46

3.6 Summary 47

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS 48

4.1 Analysis of teacher's diaries 48

4.2 Analysis of the questionnaire 51

4.2.1 Students' opinions about learning speaking through using group work activities 51

4.2.3 Students' reaction to classroom to the classroom atmosphere in speaking lesson using group work activities 52

4.2.4 Students' preference of types of group work activities in speaking class 53

4.2.5 Students' opinion about preference of techniques to motivate students in class 53

4.2.6 Students' problems in group work activities 54

4.2.7 Students' opinions on better group work activities 56

4.2.8 Students' opinion on group work formation 58

4.3 Analysis of test 58

4.3.1 Comparison between pretest scores of experimental group and control group 59

4.3.2 Comparison between post-test cores of experimental group and control group 60

4.3.3 Comparison between pre- test and post- test scores of experimental group and control group 61

4.4 Summary 62

CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 63

5.1 Recapitulation 63

5.2 Concluding remarks 64

5.3 Pedagogical implications 66

5.4 Limitations of the study 68

REFERENCES 70 APPENDICES LXXIV

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 Students' opinions about learning speaking skills through group work

activities 51

Table 4.2 Students' evaluation of their speaking skills after lessons using group work activities 51

Table 4.3 Students' preference of group work activities in speaking class 53

Table 4.4 Mean and standard deviation (Pre- test) 59

Table 4.5 Mean and standard deviation (Post- test) 61

Table 4.6 Descriptive statistics for the pre- test scores of experimental group and control group 61

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1 Students' reaction to the classroom atmosphere in speaking lesson using

group work activities 52

Figure 4.2 Techniques used to motivate students 54

Figure 4.3 Students‟ subjective problems in group- work 55

Figure 4.4 Students‟ objective problems in group- work 56

Figure 4.5 Students' opinion on enhancing the effectiveness of group work activities 57 Figure 4.6 Results of pretest scores of experimental group and control group 59

Figure 4.7 Results of the post- test scores of experimental group and control group 60

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale of the study

It is generally acknowledged that English has become one of the most dominant languages in the world It has impacted every field of our today‟s life such as politics, business, education and science Therefore, there is a great demand

in teaching and learning English in almost every part of the world as either a second language or a foreign one

In Vietnam, English was introduced nationally as a compulsory subject at school several decades ago in order to meet the increasing demands of globalization with the emergence of a global village Throughout the years, it has gained its important role as the main language taught and learnt in all parts of the country Especially in the last few years, English has undergone explosive growth with an overwhelming majority of learners studying English English proficiency is now seen as a crucial requirement and viewed as the end result of teaching and learning process

Among different skills of learning English language, speaking is one of the most important skills that need to be addressed and enhanced as it is an effective means of communication However, this skill is also considered one of the most difficult aspects of language learning In Vietnam, despite the fact that many students have been learning English for years, they still find it difficult to express their thoughts in English Hence, the question is how to improve the ability of speaking English for students that enable them to communicate fluently is an important goal in today's foreign language curriculum

A great deal of effort has been made and a growing number of researches have been carried out with the aim of generating the best solution to the question above Since the late 1960, CLT- a new approach to language teaching which aims

at "providing leaners both functional skills and linguistic objectives" (Nunan, 1989) has been introduced and widely accepted This method of language helps learners

not only develop their linguistic competences but focus on their communication ability as well; therefore, it has become a priority in language teaching In language teaching, speaking is considered a productive skill that involves many components such as grammar, strategies, sociolinguistics and discourse (Chastin, 1998:30) This skill is also considered the most important of all language skills (Ur, 1996), which leads to a wide range of studies conducted to find the best way to teach speaking skills One of the methods which has been said to be able to promote the active and positive attitudes of students in learning and their language proficiency is group work Many research projects have been carried out to determine the effectiveness

of using group work in teaching speaking in ESL classrooms Awang, Mohamed and Sulaiman (2013) conducted a study to investigate strategies for Arabic speaking skills enhancement through group work activities The researchers used semi- structured interviews with five students, group discussion and direct observations

on twenty students to collect date for analysis The findings indicated that group work activities have crucial impact on students' speaking skills They helped to increase the level of confidence among students However, the effectiveness of group work activities depends on how lecturers implements them in teaching and learning at class In 2017, a study of group work was also conducted by Divya John The researcher found that group work is a good way to develop students' speaking skills Analyzing the data from student evaluation and teacher evaluation, the study identified some elements that contributed to successful group work Firstly, the ideal number for group work is between three and five Secondly, group formation should be flexible The 5D procedure: direct, discuss, develop, deliver and document was suggested for teachers to carry out group work activities more successfully and effectively

In Vietnam, there are also many studies conducted to investigate the use of group work activities in teaching speaking to ESL students Ly Thi Hoang Men (2013) investigated the use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills for learners The findings of the research revealed that pair work and

group work activities are beneficial to both students and lecturers Nong Thi Thanh Huyen (2014) also carried out a thesis to investigate how group work activities help

to promote students' interest in English speaking lessons The research showed that group work is an effective technique of promoting students' interest in learning speaking However, most of research projects focused on the effectiveness of group work activities and how to enhance the effectiveness of group work activities on students' speaking ability There are not many studies investigating students' attitude toward group work activities

As English language teacher, the writer also identified the benefits of group work activities to learning a foreign language Therefore, an action research was carried out to access the effectiveness of group work activities on enhancing students' speaking ability as well as investigate students' attitude toward this type of learning and teaching method

1.2 Aim and objectives of the study

This study aims to improve speaking skills of students at a university in Hanoi In order to achieve the aims, the current paper is expected to fulfill the following objectives:

- to examine the effectiveness of using group- work activities in English speaking lessons for non- English major students in a university in Hanoi

- to find out students' attitude toward implementing group work activities in teaching speaking lessons at class and pinpoint some problems that students encounter when doing group work activities in English speaking lessons

1.3 Research questions

This study attempted to answer the following questions:

1 To what extent do group work activities affect students‟ speaking skills?

2 What are the students' attitudes towards group work activities in speaking lessons?

1.4 Method of the study

An action research was carried out The research instruments are teaching diaries, questionnaire and tests

Firstly, the pre-test was delivered to both experimental class (Marketing 2) and control class (Marketing 1) to check their speaking ability from the previous lessons

Secondly, the experimental class was taught speaking through using group work activities in five weeks Meanwhile, the control class was taught by using normal speaking teaching methods In order to take a closer look into the students‟ attitudes towards group work application and how effective group work activities were, the researcher wrote the teaching diaries after each lesson in experimental class

After that, the questionnaire was carried out on the participants in experimental group at the end of the course to get more information about the students' attitude on doing group work activities in speaking lessons and pinpoint some problems that students encounter when doing group work activities

The post-test was administered to both experimental and control class to measure students‟ speaking ability after the course

Finally, the data were collected, sorted and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively to obtain realistic results

1.5 Scope of the study

This study was conducted with the participation of 54 second- year students

in a university in Hanoi to investigate the effectiveness of the use of group work activities in speaking lessons and their attitude towards group work activities Therefore, English- major students and students of other groups were beyond of the study Besides, the study only investigated the effectiveness of group work activities in speaking lessons, hence the other skills such as listening, reading or writing were not mentioned in the study

1.6 Significance of the study

The writer hopes that this study may provide some insights in both theoretical and practical significance In term of the theory, the study contributes to the general theory of communicative language teaching and teaching speaking

techniques to help students improve their speaking skills Moreover, practically, this study may provide some guidelines to teach and enhance speaking skills

1.7 Organization of the research

The research includes five chapters as follows

Chapter 1 is the Introduction presenting rationale of the study, the aim and objectives, research questions, scope, method, significance as well as the design of the study

Chapter 2 is the Literature Review, giving a critical review of some previous studies relating to the research problem, presenting theoretical background relating

to group work activities

Chapter 3 is the Methodology, reporting the context of the study which included the description of the setting and the participants of the study Data collection instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis procedure are also introduced

Chapter 4 is the Data Analysis and Findings, describing the analysis of data

in details and discussing the results of the study

Chapter 5 is the Conclusion, providing the summary of the main issues and some pedagogical implications This chapter also include limitations and some suggestions of further studies

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter refers to theoretical background for further step of the thesis in which three related areas will be presented: Overview of communicative language teaching method, overview of speaking skills and overview of group work in speaking lessons In addition to this, the researcher also presents the results of some previous research projects related to the research area which helps researcher have better understanding about the issue

2.1 An overview of speaking skills

2.1.1 Definition

In language teaching and learning, the manner in which a language is used is called skills or language skills There are four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing skills (Richards et al, 1992) In teaching and learning a foreign language in general and English in particular, speaking is one of the most important skills because it is said to be the basic for communication (Ur, 1996) However, there are a variety of concepts of speaking by different linguists

Speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode According to Chastain (1998: 330), speaking is a productive skill that involves many components, such as grammar, strategy, sociolinguistics and discourse

Nunan (2003) defines speaking as "the productive oral skill" which is generated by the learner of a language in speech Speaking is composed of using verbal systematic utterances to express meaning Bailey (2005) also states that speaking is a verbal and productive skill and consists of systematically- produced oral utterances Nonetheless, Burns and Joyce (1997) as well as Brown (1994) have

a different view that speaking can be understood as an interactive process of meaning construction that is associated with producing, receiving and processing information

According to Florez (1999), speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing

information It is often spontaneous, open- ended and evolving Chaney and Burk (1998) states that speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non- verbal symbols, in many different contexts In one study, Brown and Yule (1983) claims that speaking have two main types of conversation namely dialogue and monologue In monologue, speaker gives uninterrupted oral presentation while in dialogue, speaker interacts with one or more other speakers for transactional and international purposes

Another term for "speaking" is spoken communication or oral communication It is more immediate and natural, so speaking is in need of the parties' simultaneous presence and attentiveness (Rai, 2010)

It is concluded that speaking is a verbal skill and a process of oral communication A speaker begins to produce oral utterances, which are received

by hearers, and then are processed so that the hearer can understand what the speaker is saying

2.1.2 The role of speaking in teaching and learning

According to Ur (1996:96), speaking is the most important of all four skills: speaking, writing, listening and reading Besides, it is also considered the first step

to confirm who knows and does not know a language Hymes & Rogers (1986:23) claims that the goal of language teaching is to develop communicative competence Pattison (1992) also shares the similar opinion which states that when people mention knowing or learning a language, they actually mean that they can speak the language

Brown (1994) claims that speaking is the most challenging skill for students because it consists a number of features that characterize discourse including contractions, vowel reductions and elision, the use of slang and idioms, stress, rhythm and intonation and the need to interact with at least one speaker

Bailey and Savage (1994: 6-7) argues that speaking is an "activity requiring the integration of many subsystems all these factors combine to make speaking a second or foreign language a formidable task for language learners yet for many people, speaking is seen as the central skills"

Harmer J (2007:53) also explains that speaking is the most complicated due

to the fact that speakers have to interpret not only the message that other speakers to express but also take into account other possibilities such as intonation, stress, speed Besides, speakers also have to use a whole range of facial expressions, gestures and general body language to help to convey the message

Jeremy Harmer (2007:123) in his book "How to Teach English" said that there are three main reasons for getting students to speaking in the classroom First, speaking activities provide rehearsal opportunities for students to practice real life speaking in the safety of the classroom Second, speaking tasks in which students try to use any or all of the languages they provide feedback for both teacher and students Third, students have opportunities to activate the various elements of the language they have stored in their brains

In conclusion, speaking is the most important of four skills Speaking skill plays an important role in foreign language teaching because ability of speaking effectively helps learners not only acquire the language better but to communicate

as well In the language classroom, speaking skill should be paid great attention to and frequently judged In addition, learners should try their best to be able to speak with confidence in order to carry out many of their most basic transactions

2.1.3 Characteristics of a successful speaking activity

Nunan (2003: 3) claims that teaching speaking is to teach students to produce the English speech sound and sound patterns, use word and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language, select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter, organize their though in a meaningful and logical sequence, use the language as a means of expressing values and judgements, use language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses Therefore, a successful speaking activity should help students to strengthen their speaking skills in all aspects

Ur (1996:89) has asserted some characteristics of a successful speaking activity as following:

Learners talk a lot As much as possible of the period of time allotted to the

activity in fact occupied by learner talk This may seem obvious, but often most time is taken up with teacher talk or pauses

Participation is even Classroom discussion is not dominated by a minority

of talkative participants: all get a chance to speak, and contributions are fairly evenly distributed

Motivation is high Learners are eager to speak: because they are interested

in the topic and have something new to say about it

Language is of an acceptable level Learners express themselves in

utterances that are relevant, easily comprehensible to each other, and of an acceptable level of language accuracy (Ur, 1996)

It can be concluded that a good speaking lesson should provide students as many chances to speak as possible as well as encourage students to participate in the lesson and motivate them to speak in class From that, students can strengthen their speaking ability and communicate in English in appropriate situations

2.1.4 Factors affecting students' performance in speaking activities

Online Macmillan dictionary defines performance as "the process of doing a job or an action" (Macmillan dictionary, 2020) It also refers to how well or badly someone do something In relation to speaking, performance can be understood as a means of oral communication in giving ideas and information to others It involves the production of the sounds and gestures, facial expression and the whole body- the way of one's manner in speaking

Some factors can affect students' speaking performance According to Nation and Newton (2009:58), speaking performance can be affected by performance condition including time pressure, planning, the standard of performance and the amount of support

Oxford (1990:7) claims that affective side of the learners is one of the most important influences on language learning success or failure Krashen (1982:12) states that three categories of affective factors are motivation, self- confidence and

anxiety Doff (1998:53) emphasizes the importance of listening skills in developing speaking skills He claims that speaking skills cannot be developed unless we develop listening skills because students must understand what is said to them to have a successful conversation Shumin (1997:12) also have similar idea of listening skills when stating that when one person speaks, the other responds through attending by means of the listening process

Another factor that can affect speaking performance is topical knowledge- speaker's knowledge of relevant topical information Bachman and Palmer (1996:32) argues that certain test tasks may be easier for those who possess the relevant topical knowledge and more difficult for those who do not Therefore, they believe that topical knowledge has effect on speaking performance

In short, students' speaking performance can be affected by both outside factors and learners themselves Some conditional factors include time pressure, planning, standard of performance and support from teachers and other students Other factors that can influence students' speaking performance consists of students' levels of confidence, anxiety and motivation Therefore, teachers should devote effort in designing and carrying out effective speaking activities to promote students' engagement in the lesson

2.1.5 Activities in speaking lessons

There are many types of classroom speaking activities which can help students to improve speaking skills Kayi (2006:7) in his article presents communicative activities to promote speaking skills such as discussion, role- play, simulations, brainstorming, storytelling, and so on

For the elementary level, most students do not have the habit of speaking, so they find it very hard to open their mouth producing the language That is the greatest challenge they are facing at this level Most of them are very shy and even totally unfamiliar with the target language Therefore, in order to get students to talk, teachers necessarily employ repetition drills or mechanical practice (Harmer, 1999: 60) This can be done by teaching each individual pattern at a time and then

practice with the pattern mechanically and repetitively after the teachers In this way, teachers help students get into the habit of speaking and gradually build up their confidence to use the language without reluctance

For the upper level, many students may encounter the problem that they have knowledge of the topic but do not know what to say, how to speak out their understanding which lies deep in their minds passively Accordingly, to assist students with some ideas to talk, teachers work out several ways that help to project students‟ thoughts into different directions to get ideas For instance, students

produce an utterance and then ask themselves different questions like who, what,

which, how, where, when, why and what

In order to describe a place or thing, students can deploy the technique called

“descriptive formula” in which they use several adjectives to depict and then give some sentences that help to support the ideas, and to explain the adjective (Reflex, 2002:400)

Students may talk about any topic choosing to mention the reason, the time, the place, the benefit, advantages, causes, harms, difficulties, obstacles, etc in their talk so that they can have something to say and should not struggle with their running out of ideas (Reflex, 2002:700)

Besides, in order to offer chances to students to speak, teachers should employ more meaningful tasks For example, students work in groups, each has similar pictures, but with differences Through talking to each other, they have to find the differences Another activity is that students work in groups giving a talk on a given topic; or students are presented with a normal dilemma

It can be concluded that many activities can be used in speaking lessons, however teachers have to base on students' levels and topics to choose appropriate activities Moreover, speaking activities should be meaningful and interesting to students so that they are involved more in the lessons Through those kinds of activities above, students are exposed to many chances to talk at length about whatever topic they choose The problem now is that how they can speak accurately and fluently

2.1.6 Traditional ways of teaching speaking

Kayi (2006, p.1) claimed that teaching speaking is the activity where the teachers lead their students to improve their ability in expressing emotions, ideas or feeling orally Teaching speaking skills has been changed continuously through the history of language teaching

Grammar- Translation method

From the mid 19th century to the mid 20th century, Grammar- Translation method was prevalent in foreign language classes The principles of this approach can be articulated by Broughton‟s words, where he states that the grammatical approach to language “produced a teaching method which selected the major grammar rules with their exceptions and taught them in a certain sequence” (Broughton 39) According to Richards, this approach was “based on the belief that grammar could be learned through direct instruction and through a methodology that made much use of repetitive practice and drilling” (Richards 6) Richards describes this method in more detail when he declares that this “approach to the teaching of grammar was a deductive one: students are presented with grammar rules and then given opportunities to practice using them.” (Richards 6) As we can see from these statements, in language lessons, the priorities were (and still are) grammar, grammatical rules, given examples, and translating from English into the mother tongue and vice versa This method of teaching makes students lack speaking and pronunciation practice (White, 8) Instead of trying to speak and get the meaning through, the students are smothered with linguistic information, “rules with examples, its paradigms [ ] and related exercises” (Broughton 39) Many learners experienced significant frustration at the moment of realizing that they were not able to speak in common life situations (Broughton 9)

Direct method

Parallel to the Reform Movement ideas was an interest for developing principles in language teaching as the ones that are seen in first language acquisition These were called natural methods, and finally during the nineteenth

and the twentieth century this new method was called the Direct Method The Direct Method was based in an instruction exclusively in the target language since the mother tongue was not permitted The vocabulary was taught through demonstration The oral skills were organized around questions- answers between the teacher and the students In opposition to the Grammar- Translation Method, grammar was taught inductively and speech and listening comprehension were taught By the 1920s, the use of this method declined

The Audio-lingual Method

The Audio-lingual Method lasted from late 1950s to the 1960s In this method, the language was divided in the four skills used when learning a language,

in the following order: listening, speaking, reading and finally writing Audiolingual lessons were based on dialogues and drills Dialogues were used for repetition and memorization The correction of pronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation were emphasized The decline of Audiolingualism was in the late 1960s The theoretical foundations of Audiolingualism were attacked due to the changes in the American linguistic theory in the sixties Chomsky (1966:153) argued that: “language is not a habit structure Ordinary linguistic behaviour characteristically involves innovation, formation of new sentences and patterns in accordance with rules of great abstractness and intricacy”

The Structural Approach

This approach employs techniques of the direct method of teaching but the use of translation is not wholly discarded Teaching is done in the situation Speeches urge giving stress but reading and writing are not neglected This approach is essentially what the term implies-an approach and not a method as such Speech and oral work are the core of the structural approach French (1966) observes that “Oral work is the basis and all the rest are built on it.” Through speech, students learn to make direct connection between the English words or phases and the object, action or idea, it hears He learns the habit of using words in the correct sentence patterns and he can learn this in no other way

Suggestopedia

Suggestopedia is a method developed by Georgi Lozanov (1978) The main characteristics of this method were the decoration, furniture, and arrangement of classroom, the use of music, and the authoritative behavior of the teacher (Richards and Rodgers, 2001: 142) The music was essential in this method since the intonation and the rhythm are the basis of the learning process The main objective

of this method was to make students achieve advanced conversational proficiency

by the use of lists of vocabulary pairs, however according to Lozanov (1978: 251):

“the main aim of teaching is not memorization, but the understanding and creative solution of problems”

Total Physical Response (TPR)

Total Physical Response was a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action; it attempted to teach language through physical activity (Richards and Rodgers, 2001: 87) The main objective of this method was

to teach communication since comprehension was the most important aspect when learning a foreign language The ultimate aim was to teach basic speaking skills The main objective of this method was accomplished by using imperative drills to which the students had to answer with a physical response

It can be said that traditional language teaching is based on a traditional approach to the target language, which regards the language as a body of grammatical rules and an enormous number of words that are combined according

to the rules Traditional methodology thus focuses on grammatical structures and isolated items of vocabulary Jim Scrivener adds that “the teacher spends quite a lot

of class time using the board and explaining things – as if „transmitting‟ the knowledge” (Scrivener 16) Students are expected to learn the rules and the items of lexis, and it is supposed that they will be able to use the language However, students mostly explore only narrow avenues of the language, because, according to Broughton and Scrivener, the syllabuses are grammatical and the language is grouped by purpose (16, 31) Besides, these traditional language teaching methods

focused more on the teacher as knowledge provider This lead to the merge of CLT-

a modern methodology Unlike traditional methodology, modern methodology is much more student- centred According to Jim Scrivener, the teacher‟s main role is to “help learning to happen,” which includes “involving” students in what is going on “by enabling them to work at their own speed, by not giving long explanations, by encouraging them to participate, talk, interact, do things, etc.” (Scrivener 18, 19) Broughton adds that “the language student is best motivated by practice in which he senses the language is truly communicative, that it is appropriate to its context, that his teacher‟s skills are moving him forward to a fuller competence in a foreign language” (Broughton 47) Briefly put, the students are the most active element in this process The teacher is here not to explain but

to encourage and help students to explore, try out, make learning interesting, etc

2.1.7 Stages in a speaking lesson

There are as many ways to structure a lesson plan as there are different teaching situations, and no single plan can serve as a model for all situations According to Zhao (2018), there are five stages in a speaking lesson including a warm-up or review at the start of the class, a presentation section to introduce content, a practice section to apply the content they have just learned, an assessment section to evaluate learners‟ performance and to assure the objective is achieved, and a wrap-up stage

In the warm-up or review stage, the main purpose is to get students‟ attention There are two major ways to start a lesson The first way is to quickly review materials from a previous lesson, and the second way focuses on connecting new information to the information previously learned The purpose of this stage is

to stimulate students‟ interest in and curiosity about the new content and to center attention on important content For a speaking class, playing a short game, giving a small talk, relaying personal information, conducting a short question and answer time, telling a joke, or talking about the weather or current events are good ways to engage students in a conversation and begin a lesson In the presentation stage, the purpose is to introduce new knowledge There are a number of different ways to transition from the warm-up stage to the presentation stage Some examples include

the following: describing the objective of the lesson, previewing the lesson content, activating background knowledge, or describing the activity the students will do Following the transition, teachers introduce the new information, such as vocabulary, conversational phrases or useful formulaic language Teachers need to determine the format of the presentation, either teacher or student led Also, teachers need to determine how to sequence the materials and resources they will use for the presentation stage The practice stage can be controlled/guided practice

or free practice, or it can move from controlled/guided practice to free practice Controlled/guided practice means the teacher has control of the activity and learner responses are controlled or guided In controlled/guided practice, students practice

or work with new content that the teacher has provided in a limited form Based on the learning objectives and functions of speaking, teachers determine type of activities (for example, group work, pair work, role play) that will give learners opportunities to practice attaining the objectives Based on the teachers‟ observations of learners‟ progress, teachers can sequence the learning activities from teacher-controlled to student-controlled activities

In the assessment or evaluation stage the focus is on giving students opportunities to apply and perform and demonstrate what they have learned During practice and assessment or evaluation stages, the teacher needs to know how well the students are doing and be actively observing what students have accomplished, what students are struggling with, and how much progress is being made toward objectives Receiving feedback from teachers during this phase helps learners to improve, furthers their understanding, and build confidence The final stage is known as the summary or wrap-up During this stage, the teacher reviews or summarizes the lesson materials, re-emphasizes the lesson objectives, connects the information to the next lesson, and praises or encourages the students

2.2 Overview of Communicative Language Teaching Method

2.2.1 Definition

The origins of Communicative Language Teaching are to be found on the changes in the British language teaching transition dating from the late 1960s Since

it was first introduced, this new approach to language teaching has been widely accepted due to its superior principles

There have been a variety of definitions and ideas about CLT According to Nunan (1989: 10), CLT views language "as a system for expression of meaning" aiming at providing learners both functional skills and linguistic objectives In this teaching approach, learners play the role as a negotiator and integrator and the teacher's role as a facilitator of the communication process Larsen- Freeman (2000: 46) also provides definition on CLT He states that Communicative Language Teaching refers to a theoretical view of a communicative approach by promoting communication, in which communication is the main objective of teaching any languages In the similar sense, Savignon (1971: 54) also defines communicative language teaching as purposes and procedures in classroom learning, which was built on the theoretical concept "communicative competence", which basically includes expression, interpretation, and negotiation of meaning

Richards and Rodgers (1986) consider CLT as an approach which comprises two sets of theories: assumption of what to teach and assumption of how to teach In

the first assumption, the purpose of language teaching is to develop "communicative competence" which is defined by Hymes (1972) as "what a speaker needs to know

in order to be communicatively competent in a speech community" The second assumption shows another point about CLT, that is " its learner- centered and experience- based view of second language teaching According to Richards and

Rodgers (2001), students in communicative approach are more active and participatory than those in traditional approaches Therefore, the roles of teacher will be redefined with the change of activity organization because each learner is thought to have unique learning styles needs and goals

In conclusion, Communicative Language Teaching can be understood as a set of principles with the goal of teaching communicative competence, in which

learners are seen to be the learners and users of language and teacher plays the role

of facilitator and monitor Learners have to participate in classroom activities based

on a cooperative approach to learning while teachers develop and facilitate language learning

2.2.2 Characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching method

When discussing communicative language teaching, Nunan (1991:279) offers five features to characterizes communicative language teaching:

 An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

 The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation

 The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on languages but also on the learning process itself

 An enhancement of the learners' own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning

 An attempt to link classroom learning with language activation outside the classroom

According to Little Wood (1981:6), there are four domains of skills which makes up a person's communicative competence in foreign language learning

 The learner must attain as high a degree as possible of linguistic competence That is, he must develop skill in manipulating the linguistic system, to the point where he can use it spontaneously and flexibility in order to express his intended message

 The learner must distinguish between the forms he has mastered as part of his linguistic competence and the communicative functions, which they perform In other word, items mastered as part of a linguistic system must also be understood as part of communicative system

 The learner must develop skills and strategies for using language to communicative learning as effectively as possible in correct situations He

must learn to use feedback to judge his success and if necessary, remedy failure by using different language

 The learner must become aware of the social meaning of language forms For many learners, this may not entail the ability to vary their own speed to suit different social circumstances but rather the ability to use general acceptable forms and avoid potential offensive ones

It can be concluded that communicative language teaching has some main features following It focuses on learners' communication ability through interaction and help learners develop their linguistic competences Learners can develop skills and strategies for using language so that they can use the target language in communication Due to outstanding characteristics, communicative language teaching has been widely applied for language teaching and learning Today, it has become a priority in the determination of method of teaching and learning a foreign language

2.2.3 The roles of teachers and learners in the classroom

In the CLT classroom, teachers and learners have different roles According

to Larsen- Freeman (2000:96), teachers is responsible for facilitating communication in the classroom In this role, one of teacher's main responsibilities

is to establish situations likely to promote communication Besides that, the teacher also acts as an adviser, answering students' questions, and monitoring their performance The students, on the other hand, are the communicators Meaning that they are actively engaged in negotiating meaning- in trying to make themselves understood and in understanding others- even when their knowledge of the target language is incomplete Larsen- Freeman (2000) mentions that CLT employs student- centered approach, therefore teacher's role is not too dominant and students are mainly responsible for their own leaning

Richards (2006) shares the similar ideas about the roles of learners and teachers

on CLT He argues that learners have to cooperatively participate in classroom activities They have to be responsible for their work and work with their peers in pairs

or in groups, rather than relying on their teacher And teachers now have the role of facilitator and monitor who have to develop and facilitate language learning

According to Breen and Candlin (1980), the teacher has two main roles The first role is to facilitate the communication process between all participants in the classroom, and between these participants and the various activities and text The second role is to act as an independent participant within the learning- teaching group The two researchers also explained the role of learners as negotiators between the self, the learning process and the object of learning

It is my belief that in communicative language teaching, learners are centered and responsible for their learning process They should contribute to their learning and learn in an independent way and cooperate with their peers in the process of learning Teacher play the two main roles Teacher is the facilitator who facilitates the communication between all participants in the classroom and guides activities in the class The second role of teacher is to act like an independent participant within the learning - teaching group

2.3 Overview of group work in speaking lessons

2.3.1 Definition of group work

In recent years, it is popular for a lot of teachers to teach language as a mean

of communication The target is to divide the class into groups where the number of students in each group is small enough to encourage them to interact with each other to perform the task given

Many researchers have given definitions of group work Adrian Doff (1988:7) defines group work as a process that students are divided into groups Each group has four or five students to work together and all groups work at the same time According to Brumfit (1984:26), group work is a number of people who interact with each other, who are psychologically aware of one another and who perceive themselves to be a group Shaw (1971) and Mill (1967) have definition about a small group as "units composed of two or more persons who come into contact for purpose and who consider the contact meaningful" In other words, group is seen as a task- oriented group in which members have a clear perception of purpose and goal of the activity Group is made up of four or five students under the control of a group leader, whose functions are as the group organizer and as a mini-

teacher Group work depends much on the size of group, the types of activity, types

of lesson and types of desks and chairs in the classroom Shaw also claims that in groups, students can write a group story, role- play a situation, prepare a presentation, discuss an issue or come to a group decision They can also watch, write or perform a video sequence Obviously, group work co- operative activity, during which students share aims and responsibilities, they have chances for greater independence as they take some of their own learning decisions, without the teacher controlling every move, and they can work without the pressure of the whole class listening to that they are doing They learn to negotiate, listen to different opinions and points of view Students participate more equally and in most cases, they feel free to experiment and use the target language

In conclusion, group work is co- operative activity during which students share aims and responsibilities When working in groups, learners have greater independence as they can make their own learning decisions, without the teacher controlling every move Learners can participate in the lessons more equally and are free to experiment and use the language

2.3.2 Group work formation

Forming groups can be a complicated process According to Gunderson and Moore, J (2008:33), there are three ways to accomplish group selection including self- selection, random assignment and criterion- based selection However, in the

book A guide to Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom: History, Research, and Practice, Baepler et al (2016:52) claims that four ways that instructor can use

for group formation: random, instructor- generated, self- selected, and mixed

2.3.2.1 Random

Nilson (2010:86) considers random formation of group as "the simplest and most efficient approach" Some instructors use software, such as spreadsheet and web- based random number generation and learning management Another approach is used by Active Learning Classroom instructor is to have students count off by the number of desired students per group until every student has been

assigned to a group According to Barkley et al (2014), random assignment is an equitable way to form groups and works well in large classes with broad and diverse member resources that therefore are more likely to be randomly distributed

However, random formation poses the risk to group cohesion and unequal distribution of students from underrepresented background and unequal distribution of member resources Oakley and colleagues (2004:53) suggested that instructors should endeavor to keep students from underrepresented populations together, especially early in a curricular sequence This may help some students who might otherwise feel isolated to have a greater affinity with the group Proponents of instructor-generated groups, Michaelson et al (2004) posited that random formation simply leaves too much to chance McKeachie and Svinicki (2014:5) stated that instructor-determined groups are more likely to result in a balance of member resources across groups

2.3.2.2 Instructor- generated

According to Michaelson et al (2004)n, istructor must first determine the criteria that they will use to form groups, and recognize that there are advantages and disadvantages of their choices An essential part of this process is knowing something about the students who are enrolled in the course On popular method entails using a pre- class questionnaires or in- class exercise at the onset of the term Instructors can solicit information about the background of the students By knowing students' background characteristics, the instructor can balance the distribution of member resources Knowing some of these background characteristics, instructors who generate groups can work to ensure better skill development for group members and diversity of member resources per group

Barkley et al (2014) claims that instructors can form groups based on students' interest, however this way of formation can result in groups which might

be more homogeneous than those established by other methods This uniformity can affect skill development as well as group formation

2.3.2.3 Self- selected

Some instructors prefer to let students self- select into groups According to Brookfield and Preskill (1999), students feel more comfortable and more motivated when they are able to self- select group members Barkley et al (2014) argue that students might find this process to be fairer than other strategies Bacon, Steward, and Silver (1999) indicate that self- selected groups might be more efficient for short- term project because students may already know each other and thus need spend less time in the early formative stage of group development

2.3.2.4 Mixed

Anson and Goodman (2014) suggested that groups could be formed to when the class members are available Several active language classroom instructors (e.g., Baepler, Walker, & Driessen, 2014) employ a mixed methodology to the formation

of groups, drawing on some aspects of the instructor-generated methods and of other approaches

Using this method of grouping, teachers usually have students line up around the room according to certain attributes that they have pre-selected, and then have them count off to form their teams

It can be concluded that the choice of group formation should be flexible based on the activity and students themselves Sometimes, self- selected group may benefit students since they have the same interest in the issues and work well together to solve the problem Sometimes, instructor- generated or random group might help students to form good habit of working with other to complete the tasks

2.3.3 Common group work activities in teaching speaking

According to Hayriye Kayi (2006), there are nine group work activities that can be used to promote students' speaking skills

2.3.3.1 Role- play

Role- play is an activity that the class is usually divided into groups These groups are given situations and roles to act out This acting is done for the sake of the language and imaginative activity, not for exhibition

According to Richards (2005), role- play is an activity in which students are assigned roles and improvise a scene or exchange based on given information or clues

According to Harmer (1984), role- play brings some usefulness to students Firstly, it helps students master fields of language like vocabulary, structure, pronunciation and intonation more easily It also gives students opportunities to practise language in various situations not only in class but also outside class Additionally, through role- play, students are trained to deal with the unpredictable nature of language because they act imaginary roles in a lot of situations Moreover, role- play promotes interaction in the classroom as well as increase motivation Role- play is simple to prepare, easy to play and along with games and other communicative activities are recommended to be used in the English- speaking class

2.3.3.2 Information gap activity

An important aspect of communication in Communicative Language Teaching is the notion of information gap This refers to the fact that in real communication, people normally communicate in order to get information they do not process This is known as an information gap According to Underhill (1987),

an information gap is an activity where one student is provided information that is kept from a partner A lot of communication involves bridging information gap: you know things I do not know and I know things that you do not know Often this is hard for students to do naturally in class, either because they might not know enough facts or because everyone knows the same facts We can simulate the information gap by giving two participants different information, which they have

to share

2.3.3.3 Problem solving

According to Byrne (1990), problem solving is used to group together a wide range of activities that require students to find "solution" to problems of different kinds Puzzles, problems, and brain- teasers can also stimulate meaningful communication if students work together to solve them He also emphasizes that the

purpose of the activity is to make students talk in English Many of these problems involve possesses that we commonly use in real life We frequently hypothesize links between two things such as events, actions, people or detect difference between real and imaginary We also grade things according to criteria subjectively

or objectively

Problem solving is believed to be necessary and suitable to students of all levels Because students are put in some situations that are similar to the real life, they actively join in the activities because of the feeling that they are doing with their language, talking the risks of experimenting with what they have learnt Additionally, the lesson can become more practical and attractive to them

2.3.3.5 Discussion

According to Penny Ur (1996), discussion is the most natural and effective way for students to talk freely in English by thinking out some problems or situations together through verbal interchange of ideas The word "discussion" here includes anything from the simplest questions to the most political and philosophical debates

Discussion works best in pairs or small groups of four or five students because more people can give their views In larger groups or in whole class, once one person has given his or her view, everyone else can only agree or disagree (Jones, 2007)

From the discussion, students learn something from what being said or discussed Besides, it provides students with interest in learning in a cooperative

atmosphere When discussion is carried out in groups, students have chances to exchange their ideas or opinions They not only speak out their feelings and attitudes but also listen to what others say Additionally, the motivation of participants also improves when they discuss in small groups

2.3.3.6 Simulations

In simulations are similar to role- play but what makes simulations different role- play is that they are more elaborate In simulations, students can bring items to the class to create realistic environment Role plays and simulations have many advantages First, since they are entertaining, they motivate students Second, as Harmer (1984) suggests, they increase the self- confidence of hesitant students, because in these activities, students will have different roles and they do not have to speak for themselves, which means they do not have to take the same responsibilities

2.3.3.7 Brainstorming

This kind of activity gives students opportunities to produce ideas in a limited time Since students work in group, they are not criticized for their ideas so they will be more open to sharing new ideas

2.3.3.8 Storytelling

Students can briefly summarize a tale or story that they heard from somebody beforehand, or they may create their own stories to tell their classmate Storytelling fosters creative thinking It helps students express ideas in the format of beginning, development and ending, including the characters and setting a story has

to have

2.3.3.9 Interview

Conducting interviews with people gives students a chance to practice their speaking ability both in class and outside class Interviews help students become more socialized as well After interviews, each student can present his or her study

at class

It can be concluded that there are many group work activities that teachers can implement in speaking lessons at classroom Each activity has its own benefits

to learners, therefore teachers need to be flexible to use these activities

2.3.4 Advantages and disadvantages of group work activities

2.3.4.1 Advantages of using group work activities

Brumfit (1984) claims that pair work and group work are the most effective techniques of classroom organization which combine aspects of communication learning and natural interaction in a stress- free environment

Group work gives students more opportunities to speak English in classroom Students participate in the lesson much more actively because they are involved in talking to their friends to exchange opinions, practising new structures more than listening to their teacher talking By dividing the class into groups, students get more chances to talk than in full class organization Penny Ur recommends that teachers working with larger classes should divide them into groups of four or five students, which is the most effective organization for practising speaking (Ur, 1996)

Students may feel less anxious when they are working in group with a small number of people When participating in pairs or groups, shy students may find easier to share their opinions naturally "It is generally easier to show that you do not know or do not understand something, in a smaller group than in a large one" (Norman, Levihn and Hedenquist, 1986)

In the long run, group work develops students' independence At first, preparing a group may be time- consuming and requires more effort from the students However, doing this technique regularly, students will become more efficient and skilled at practising the language They become more confident, their motivation also increases and they can manage without regular teacher's supervision Students learn how to learn and gradually take responsibility for their own learning

Besides, group work helps to integrate the class Students learn how to cooperate with one another, make compromise, negotiate, and respect individual with different abilities and views, which is important for the class atmosphere and relationship with teacher Instead of sitting alone trying to understand something difficult, they can help each other "There is a greater chance that at least one member of the group will be able to solve a problem when it arises" (Harmer, 1992) In such classes, teacher is no longer a supervisor but becomes a resource center and advisor for students "Most people learn a foreign language better with others than on their own" (Norman, 1986)

It can be concluded that group work activities encourage students speak more in speaking lessons Students become more confident and involved in the lesson Besides, group work activities foster integration in the class, which is better for students in the long run

2.3.4.2 Disadvantages of using group work activities

According to Gorgon, A (2008), group work activities may exist some disadvantages Firstly, group work activities may cause noise and discipline problems in classroom Students may make noise while they work on the task, discussing, checking words and communicating with others However, this is so- called "positive noise" and it does not disturb the students They are concentrated on the task and they do not hear it

Another disadvantage of using group work activities is the use of mother tongue When students get excited working in groups, they sometimes use mother tongue to express something they are not able to express in foreign language Such situation is a normal because they want to communicate

Using group work activities in classroom also pose some problems of mistake- correcting According to Doff (1988), when learners work in groups, it is impossible for teachers to listen and correct all the mistakes they make However, in real life, it is communicative fluency that matters, not accuracy, so we should not be concerned too much with accuracy if we want to practise oral skills Besides, teachers can reduce the number of mistakes before students start working by

demonstrating the activity to the class first and by asking groups to perform in front

of the class afterwards and discussing what they said and pointing out the most common mistakes

Putting students into groups may be a problem There is a challenge that if the teacher divides the class into mixed ability groups, the best students in the group will have to do the task while the weaker ones switch off and become disruptive Teacher, therefore, should put students into groups according to their abilities and each group is given a right task for their level of difficulty Then the teacher may monitor the whole class, devote more time to the students who need assistance or even work with individual students

In conclusion, group work activities may cause noise, discipline problem or the use of mother tongue in the class However, these problems do not affect much

to students and they can be consider normal phenomenoms Teachers also may encounter problems of giving feedback or group formation when implemeting group work activities in the class These problems can be solved by teachers' teaching techniques such as giving demonstration before each activity or correcting common mistakes in front of the class or basing on students' ability to form groups

The chapter provided some previous studies on group work activities and overview of communicative teaching and group work activities It summarized previous opinions on communicative language teaching as well as the role of teachers and learners in this learning and teaching method It also provided an overview of speaking skills and the theories of group work activities in speaking lessons

2.5 Previous studies on group work

Group work has long been viewed as an effective tool in enhancing learners' oral communication, therefore it has received growing attention from researchers and methodologists over the world as well as Vietnam

Larry, Fink, and Knight (1997) also provide guidance for designing effective group assignments and activities for classes and workshops In doing so, three