UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDY – VNU POST – GRADUATE FACULTY BÙI THỊ THU HUYỀN THE BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF A GENRE – BASED APPROACH TO TEACHING WRITING TO GRADE 10 STUDENTS IN TAN TRAO HIGH SCHOOL, TUYEN QUANG PROVINCE (Những lợi ích và hạn chế của đường hướng dựa vào thể loại đối với việc dạy viết cho học sinh lớp 10 trường THPT Tân trào, Tuyên Quang ) M.A Minor Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 601410 Ha Noi - 2012 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgements i Abstract ii Table of contents iii,iv,v,vi Lists of abbreviations vii Lists of tables and figers viii INTRODUCTION 1 1. Purposes of the Study 1-2 3. Scope of the Study 2 5. Design of the Study 2-3 7.
Summary 3 DEVELOPMENT 3 CHAPTER 1. Theoretical Backgrounds of Writing 3 1. Definitions 3-4 -5- TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Role of writing skill in Foreign Language Learning 4-5 1.
Theoretical Backgrounds of Genre-Based Approach (G. Why choose a genre based approach to teaching writing ? 6-7 1. Genre-Based Approach (G.4 Basic Principles of G. The curriculum cycle of G.
Building knowledge of the field 11-12 1.Modeling of the Text 12 1. Join Construction of the Text 13-14 1. Independent construction of the Text 14-15-16-17 1. Theoretical backgrounds of narrative text 17-18 1.
Benefits and limitations of GBA 19-20-21 1. Benefits of GBA 19-20 1. Limitations of GBA 20 1. The setting of the study 21 2.
The context 21 -6- TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. The writing program of the grade 10 students 21 2. The Experimental program 23 2. Role of the teacher and the students 23-24 2.
Data collection Instruments 24 2. Pre-test and Post-test 24 2. Pre- and –Post Questionnaires 24 2. Teacher‟s and students‟ observation 25 2.
Data collection Procedures 25 2.Before the experimental treatment 25 2.During the experimental treatment 25 2.After the experimental treatment 25-26 2. Data Analysis of Pre -and - Post Tests 26 2. The two groups‟ writing performance before the experiment 26-27 -7- TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. The two groups‟ writing performance after the experiment 27-28 2.
The experimental groups‟ improvement in writing proficiency 29-30 2. Data Analysis of Questionnaires 30 2. Students‟ attitude to writing before and after the experiment 30-31-32-33 2. Students‟ participation before and after the program.DICUSSION THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS 35 3.
Discussion of the Research Questions 35 3.A on students‟ writing proficiency 35-36-37 3.A to teaching writing 37-38 3.The benefits and limitations of the genre-based approach in teaching 39-40 writing to my own students.Limitations of the study 40 3.Implications for further research 40-41 References I, II, III Appendix 1: Sore writing , rating scale IV, V, VI Appendix 2: Pre-questionnaire VII, VIII -8- TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Appendix 3:Post-questionnaire IX, X Appendix 4: Lesson Plan XI,XII,XIII, XIV,XV LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L2: Second language GBA: Genre based approach ELL: English language learning X: Mean SD: Standard deviation N: Number case D f: Degree of freedom α : Probability -9- TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1.The activities done in the teaching learning using GBA Table 2 .Checklist of writing tasks in English textbook 10 Table 3.Pre-test descriptive statistics Table 4.Post-test descriptive statistics Table 5.Pre-post test descriptive statistics of experimental group Table 6.Students‟ interest in writing skill Table 7.Students‟ opinions of writing in English Table 8. Students‟ preferences for form of activities Table 9.Students‟ participation in writing lessons Figure 1: Pre-test results of both groups Figure 2: Post-test results of both groups Figure 3: Pre- post test results of experimental group - 10 - TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Rationale Many language teachers in Vietnam are aware that teaching writing is more difficult than teaching other language skills. This is cultural interference due to the difference in the style of literacy and rhetorical patterns of expression in their native language and the target language.
Consequently, when students write in English, they do not create the text themselves; they only translate their thoughts word by words from their native language into English, often with grammatically incorrect results. In my school, both teachers and students are faced with many difficulties in teaching and learning the writing skills. First, according to the curriculum of the MOET, there are three English lessons per weeks for the students in high school, and the level of the students is pre-intermediate when entering high school but in fact, many of them are not good at the four skills, especially writing. Second, each of the lessons lasts 45 minutes.
The students have to read the model, study the text type and write their writing in such a short time so they cannot practice well. Another important reason is the fact that in the final examination, the students always do MCQs instead of writing sentences. Therefore in teaching and testing, the teachers usually use MCQs to measure their knowledge and skills. In writing lessons, the students are helped with vocabulary, model, grammar but they encounter great difficulty in applying them in their writing as well as using the correct text type in their work.
Besides, the opportunity of self-correction and classmates‟ evaluation is also lacked. This causes students‟ failure to improve their skill. For these reasons, the students can rarely produce a good piece of writing. In order to solve these obstacles, I‟ll try to introduce a genre-based approach in teaching writing for the grade 10 students at Tan Trao High School in Tuyen Quang province, where I have been teaching.
Although it is new to Vietnamese teachers and learners, the approach has been proved an effective method in improving learners‟ writing abilities. Purposes of the Study - 11 - TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits and limitations of using a genre-based approach on improving the students‟ writing skill and motivating students to write a narrative text and to explore their attitudes towards learning to write with this approach. Research Questions In order to find out the fact whether a genre-based approach improves students‟ writing proficiency and motivates them to learn, this study was designed with the following questions: 1. What are benefits of a genre-based approach to teaching writing to grade 10 students in Tan Trao High school in Tuyen Quang province ? 2.
What are limitations of a genre-based approach to teaching writing to grade 10 students in Tan Trao High school in Tuyen Quang province ? 4. Scope of the Study The study was carried out only the grade 10 students of Tan Trao High school in Tuyen Quang province. These students were measured their writing narrative proficiency in correlation to the application of an experimental GBA 5. Research Method The first method applied in this study is a quasi-experimental which involves the three components of experiments according to Selinger and Shohamy (1989): the population (the grade 10 students at Tan Trao High school), the treatment (GBA activities), and the measurement of the treatment (t-test).
In addition, pre and post-questionnaires were delivered to students who took part in the Genre based approach class as a supporting tool to obtain their change in attitude towards writing. What is more, observation was also employed during the teaching time to recognize the participation of students in the control group and the experimental group. Design of the Study - 12 - TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com The study is composed of three main parts: Introduction, Development which consists of three chapters, and conclusion. The Introduction gives an overview of the study with the rationale for the research, the aims, and the research hypothesis and research questions of the study.
It also narrows the scope, presents the research methods and outlines the content of the study. The Development includes three chapters: Chapter one presents the literature review relevant to the study including the theoretical background of wring and a genre-based approach. Chapter two contains the setting of the study, the experimental program, the collection and analysis of the data for the research. Chapter three discusses the research questions The Conclusion presents a discussion of the major findings.
It also provides some limitations and suggestions for further study. Summary The first part has given an overview of the study including the background, the purpose as well as the research hypothesis and questions of the study. Also all research method employed to get data and the designs of the study have been presented. In the next part, a theoretical framework for the study will be discussed.
- 13 - TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1. Theoretical Backgrounds of Writing 1. Definitions Writing has been defined in a variety of ways, which shows a lack of consensus as to what it is, and reflects the complexity of the writing process. Traditionally, researchers focused mainly on form and the final product while current researchers on writing emphasize the writing process and strategies which are utilized by the writers to attain the final product.
According to Byrne (1991), writing can be seen as an “act of forming graphic symbols‟‟; that is letters or the combination of letters. Simply, writing is like “making marks on the flat surface of some kinds ‟‟ (p.Lannon (1989) made a conflicting definition that writing, in fact, is a far more complicated process than the production of graphic symbols. It is “ a process of transforming the material discovered by research inspiration, accident, trial and error, or whatever into a message with a definite meaning…, a process of deliberate decision‟‟ (p. From another view of writing, Murray (1978: 29) and Perl (1979:43) defined writing as “a creative discovery procedure characterized by the dynamic interplay of content and language: the use of language to explore beyond the known content.‟‟ Writing can also be seen as a social process by Candlin and Hyland (1999).They has asserted that “writing is therefore an engagement in a social process, where the production of texts reflects methodologies, arguments and rhetorical strategies constructed to engage colleagues and persuade them of the claims that are made ‟‟ (p.
As for Tribble, writing is “a language skills which is difficult to acquire” (1996: 3).He also stressed that writing “normally requires some forms of instruction‟‟ and that “it is not a skills that is readily picked up by exposure‟‟ (1996: 11). Harris (1993: 10) affirmed that writing is a process that occurs over a period of time, particularly if we take into account the sometime extended periods of thinking that precede creating an initial draft;. From my personal experience as a classroom teacher, I share with Rivers‟ - 14 - TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com definition (1981) that “writing is not a skill that can be learned or developed in isolation but it should be taught and developed in cooperation with other skills and aspects of the language studied‟‟. Role of writing in English language teaching and learning From the concepts declared above, it can be inferred that writing is essential to enhance language acquisition as the process of communicating ideas and critical thinking as writing need focused thoughts and intellectual capacities.
As part of language acquisition, Rothery in Sawyer and Watson (1987) describes Writing as the following: Firstly, it provides the students with records and notes of work, which they may need to use for their own revision purposes or for developing a more extensive project of some kind. Secondly, it is used to test both students‟ understanding of work and his or her ability to develop a particular kind of genre. Therefore, writing becomes essential and useful to be taught to the students of EFL to enhance their language mastery, to their ability in producing certain kind of genre and to develop their critical thinking. Harmer (1998) states some reasons why writing should be taught to students.
The first reason is reinforcement-students will benefit greatly from seeing language written down.