VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ----------o0o---------- LÊ THÙY DƢƠNG USING GROUP WORK TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY: AN ACTION RESEARCH SỬ DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KĨ NĂNG NÓI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ QUỐC DÂN: NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ----------o0o---------- LÊ THÙY DƢƠNG USING GROUP WORK TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY: AN ACTION RESEARCH SỬ DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KĨ NĂNG NÓI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ QUỐC DÂN: NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc. Nguyễn Xuân Thơm HANOI – 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I truly certify that this thesis is the result of my personal study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree Master of Arts and this thesis has not been published or summitted for a degree to any other university or institution wholly or partially.
Hanoi, 2014 Lê Thuỳ Dương i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Speaking is of great importance to all learners of English and Vietnamese students also encounter great obstacles when they learn this skill, especially the ones who do not major in languages. Therefore, finding the solution for this problem becomes urgent. This study is to identify the difficulties faced by teachers and students at National Economics University (NEU) in teaching and learning speaking and the effects of using group work as an activity to improve the NEU second-year students’ speaking skills. The results reveal that both teachers and students face with a lot of difficulties in teaching and learning speaking skills.
In addition, using group work has some certain positive effects on improving students’ speaking skills. However, there are some limitations and recommendations teachers need to take into consideration when implementing group work, which are also presented in the study ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge and extend my great thanks to many people who have made the completion of this study possible: First and foremost, I would like to offer the deepest appreciation to my supervisor, Assoc. Nguyễn Xuân Thơm, who has supported me throughout my thesis with his knowledge and enthusiasm. Then, I am extremely grateful to all the lecturers of the Post Graduate Department of University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their awesome lectures that have helped to increase my interest in English language and teaching.
Another special thank goes to my colleagues and students at National Economics University. They would be very enthusiastic about taking part in my questionnaires and interviews, which provided me with the facts and figures to complete my research. Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the members of my family who gave me the best personal conditions to complete my research. Hanoi, 2014 iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.
Rationale of the study. The scope and significance of the study. The objectives of the study. The research questions.
The methods of the study. 4 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW. Nature of speaking. Different aspects of speaking.
Differentiation between speaking skill and reading skill. Communicative Language Teaching. Problems of teaching and learning speaking. Definition of group work.
Types of group work. The advantages of group work. Some problems and suggestions in using group work. Teacher and students’ interaction in group work.
18 CHAPTER 2: THE RESEARCH. Data analysis and reflection. 26 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. The context of teaching.
Action research process. 29 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Students’ performance and speaking skills. Students’ opinion on speaking skills.
Difficulties faced by students when learning speaking. Student’s opinion on using group work to practice speaking skills. Students’ appreciation of group work for the improvement in speaking skills. Teachers’ opinions and assessment on teaching speaking skills and the effectiveness of using group work.
Teachers’ difficulties when teaching speaking skills. Teachers’ assessment on the effects of group work on improving students’ speaking skills. Difficulties faced by teachers when using group work. Teachers’ suggestions for using group work.
Summary of the findings. 43 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Recommendations for further study. Books and articles.
V vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Rationale of the study In today‟s world, it cannot be denied that English plays a vital role in every field of social life since it is the most common language used in communication among people who come from different countries and regions. English may not be the most spoken language in the world, but it is the official language in a large number of countries. In many places all over the world, people use English in parallel with their mother tongue.
A majority of books, cultural or business documents are published in English. Therefore, learning English becomes more and more essential in the context of globalization. Using English proficiently not only allows people to adapt to global work place but provides the access to the treasure of knowledge and cultural understanding all over the world today as well. As a result, it is better to consider mastering English beside the mother tongue in order to open the wealthiest treasure of knowledge and culture and be able to succeed in the working environment.
Vietnamese people are not an exception, especially when Vietnam is a developing country on the way of integration. To master English (or any languages), speaking is one of the most important and essential skills that must be practiced to communicate well. People who have ability in speaking will be better in sending and receiving information. The mastery of speaking skill is a priority for many second and foreign language learners.
Learners often evaluate their success in language learning of English on the basis how they are good at speaking. Having been teaching English for several years at a university where students do not specialize in languages (particularly English), I have drawn the conclusion that most of my students are not good at English, especially speaking. Being afraid of making mistakes, the shortage of vocabulary, mispronouncing a lot of sounds and the lack of practice time are the main reasons for that weakness. In some cases, I do not understand what my students are talking about and I have to ask them to repeat or explain in English and Vietnamese as well.
Not being able to express their own 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ideas in English would be a great barrier for them in the context of integration and globalization. How to improve speaking skills for students becomes my biggest consideration. For all the aforementioned reasons, I decided to carry out aresearch on using group work to improve speaking skills of the second-year students at National Economics University. I do hope that my study, to some extent, would be helpful for teachers and learners of English at National Economics University in particular and other universities in general in understanding and using that international language.
The scope and significance of the study Due to the limitation of time, it is rather difficult for the author to do on-going cycles in an action research. Therefore, I would present what have been found in one cycle. Moreover, because there are a variety of group work activities, I could not cover all of them in such a small scale of a minor thesis. As a result, I could only focus on two typical ones.
Undertaking the study in a specific context, I do hope that the result, to some extent, would help me improve my students‟ speaking skills and somehow the current situation of teaching and learning English at National Economics University. The objectives of the study The author sets two aims when conducting the research: - To study the advantages and disadvantages of the use of group work in developing speaking skills - To find the effects on students‟ learning when using group work as an activity in teaching speaking skills. The research questions - Q1: What are the advantages and disadvantages of group work in teaching speaking skills in the context of large classes? - Q2: What are the effects on students‟ learning when using group work as an activity in teaching speaking skills? + Accuracy 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com + Fluency + Vocabulary and pronunciation 5. The methods of the study Because the research is to identify the problems faced by teacher and students in teaching and learning speaking skills and the effects of group work on the improvement, both qualitative and quantitative methods are employed to best meet its target.
Surveys, interviews and observation are mainly used. Two sets of questionnaires were designed to find out the difficulties students faced with when learning speaking and teachers encountered when teaching speaking as well as to collect the information about teachers‟ opinions on the effectiveness of using group work to improve students‟ speaking skills. Interview questions are to search for students‟ opinion on working in groups to practice speaking. The teacher uses her own observation to evaluate the improvement of students‟ speaking ability when applying group work in speaking time.
The design The study is divided into three main parts: introduction, development, and conclusion. Part one, the introduction, presents the rationale, scope, significance, objectives, the research questions, methods and design of the study. Part two consists of three smaller parts: literature review, the research, findings and discussion. In literature review, I would like to review some key concepts in the study: speaking, group work and action research.
The research gives the methodology the context of the study, and the action research process. Findings and discussion part presents the results of the research. The conclusion summarizes what have been done so far in the study, the limitation of the study and the suggestions for further researches in this area. The study is completed by a bibliography of reference books, articles and websites, and appendixes.
3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Nature of speaking Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information. Its form and meaning are depending on the context in which it occurs, including the participants themselves, their experiences, the physical environment, and the purposes for speaking. It is often spontaneous, open-ended, and evolving.
However, speech is not always unpredictable. Speaking requires that learners not only know how to produce specific points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary ("linguistic competence"), but also that they understand when, why, and in what ways to produce language ("sociolinguistic competence") (Nunan,1999:216) The learning of language involves acquiring the ability to compose correct sentences and it involves an understanding of which sentences or parts of sentences are appropriate for a particular context (Widdowson, 1978:2). We do speaking in order to communicate with each other. Better communication means better understanding of others.
Communication is a continuous process of expression, interpretation, and negotiation. The opportunities for communications are infinite and include systems of signs and symbols (Savignon, 1982:8). Communication requires a sender, a receiver and a medium. It can be said that both hearers and speakers do interactions by giving responds to what they have heard and listened to.