VIETNAM NATIONAL UAIVERSLTY, LANOL COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF POST — GRADUATE STUDIES ===nfse=== HOÀNG THỊ MINH PHƯƠNG USING GROUP WORK IN ENGLISTI GRAMMAR LESSONS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGIES AND ECONOMICS IN TRADE NGHIEN CUU VIEC 8U DUNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP HỌC NHÓM TRONG VIỆC DẠY NGŨ PHÁP TIENG ANH CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THU NHAT TRUONG: CAO PANG KINE TA-KY THUAT THUONG MAT M. MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 601410 HANOI — 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOT COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES, To eB ay HOÀNG THỊ MINH PHƯƠNG USING GROUP WORK IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR LESSONS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGIES AND ECONOMICS IN TRADE NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP HỌC NHÓM TRƠNG VIỆC DẠY NGỮ PHÁP TIỀNG ANH CHO SINH VIÊN NAM THỨ NAAT TRƯỞNG CAO ĐẲNG KINH TẾ-KỸ THUẬT THƯỜNG MẠI M. MINOR TIIESIS Wield : Knglish T'caching Methodology Code : 601410 Supervisor : Lê Văn Canh, M.A HANOT — 2010 TABLE OF CONT Chapter I: Lntroduction 1. Aims of the study tot 1.4, Methods of the study 1.
Scope of the study tà 1. Design of the study Chapter II: Literature review 2.1, The role of grammar in ELT 2. Definition of group work 2. Group work in CLI: advantages and limitations of using group work 2.1 Advantages of using group work 2.1, Group work increases students’ talking time 2.2, Group work creales a more scoure and positive classroom atransphere 2.3, Group work gives chance for students learning ftom each other 2.4, Group work motivates learners 2.5, Group work has positive effect on the teachers 2.
Limilations of using group work 2. Students often speak in their native language. Students do not take the same equal responsibilities in the group 2. Using group work can make noise and indiscipline.4, Teacher may lack of tims 2.4, Studies on the use of group work in foreign language teaching and learning, 2.
Reasons of using group work int grammar leacting 2. Challenges in teaching grammar 2.2 Reasons of using group work in grannmar leaching, 2. Design group work activities for grammar lessons 2. The co-operating arrangement 2.
The superior inferior arrangement 2. The combining arrangement 2.4 ‘The individual arrangement 2.5 The grammar activities for group work 2.1, Doing grammar exercises 2. Practicing using language according to situations 2. Summary Chapter TTT: Develupment of the research 3.1 The context of the study 3.1 The students and the Lext book 3.2 Problems and issues in English language teaching al CTET 3.
The instruments and procadures 3.2, The classroom observation 3. Data analysis and discussions 3. Pre-treatment questionnaire 3. Students’ awareness of the importance of learning English grammar 3.
Students’ altitudes towards learning Pnglish grammar. The students” evaluation of English grammar teaching they have learnt in the class 20 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Factors involved in group work Table 2: The sturtent’s justification of the learning atmosphere in grammar fessens Table 3: The reasons lead to boring leaming atmosphere in grammar lessons Table 4: Students’ attitude towards using group work for grammar lessons Table 5: The personality of students in learning generally ‘Table 6: The changes in students” attitudes towards using group work Table 7: Students’ evaluation of using group work lo learn grammar Figure 1: Students’ participation in grammar lesson before and after using group work 30 vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Tn the past few years, the trend of globativabon has become fasler than ever before, the students’ awareness of learning English has been raised dramatically. However, the question of how to teach and to fearn English well is still in controversy, especially, teaching grammar is the most controversial one.
In Vielnam, Engtish langnage teaching often follows grammar-focused method, and for many English language teachers, teaching English means teaching grammar, In this process, students are supposed to learn whatever teachers give; therefore, not only knowledge but also learning styles are imposed on students by their teacher. As a resull of this traditional language Icaching method, not only the atmosphere of leaning is affected, the students’ ability of communication is also not good. As each student has their own inferest and habit of learning, the old way of teaching grammar enhances their creative ability and lcads to their neglect of Icaming. Because of this reason, 1 choose the topic “Using group work in English-grammar lessons for first year students in CTET™ for tny thesis, T want lo make out whether using group work lo teach grammar will make the above situations different.
T choose the topic also because of my own interest as ä loacher af English, T arm myself always interested in teaching grammar and 1 have never stopped finding new ways of teaching cach grammar items. I have observed teachers in my college and in other places teaching grammar, cach of thom have different ways of teaching; however, it is so difficult to make grammar teaching satisfactory to all students. It is not easy to find that if only follow some unchanged ways to teach grammar, students and teachers themselves wilt [eel monotonous. Thal’s why il is always haunled in my mind how to make teaching and learning English grammar easier and ¡more interesting for myself and my students, Applying group work in teaching grammar lessons is new ideas and maybe it is the best answer Lo Ty question.
By ing group work, sludents are supposed to participate more im the leaning process, so they would be more motivated and successfill, Of course, there is no single method that satisfies all teaching and leaming situations but at least, | know that | am on the way of improving my teaching method 2. Design group work activities for grammar lessons 2. The co-operating arrangement 2. The superior inferior arrangement 2.
The combining arrangement 2.4 ‘The individual arrangement 2.5 The grammar activities for group work 2.1, Doing grammar exercises 2. Practicing using language according to situations 2. Summary Chapter TTT: Develupment of the research 3.1 The context of the study 3.1 The students and the Lext book 3.2 Problems and issues in English language teaching al CTET 3. The instruments and procadures 3.2, The classroom observation 3.
Data analysis and discussions 3. Pre-treatment questionnaire 3. Students’ awareness of the importance of learning English grammar 3. Students’ altitudes towards learning Pnglish grammar.
The students” evaluation of English grammar teaching they have learnt in the class 20 1. Aims of the study ‘The specific aims of the study are «To ind out the students’ attitudinal changes about grammar and grammar learning. * To find out the students’ evaluation about the effectiveness of applying group work in teaching English grammar 1. Research questions The ait of the rescarch is to find ont students* altitude and the cffectivencss of using group work to teach English prammar lessons in CTET.
In order to achieve this aim, the researcher intends to find out the information needed to answer the following questions: 1) What are the first-year-students’ allitudes towards grammar? 2) Llow does grammar practice in groups affect the students’ attitudes towards grammar? 3) What do studenis perceive of the henefils and litnitations of using group work in Jeamning grammar? 1.4, Methods of the study The main methods used in this action research are questionnaires survey and classroom observation. A survey on the use of group work in teaching English prammar was conducted for two classes with about 85-first-year non-English major students in CET College. Besides using questionnaires, classtoom observation is also used to observe the elassroom behavior and students” parformance on the grarmmnar tessons 15. cope of the study Using group work in English teaching methodologies is one of the most popular methods of commomicative language touching and it can be appliod wi for all of the language teaching skills, However, due to the time and length constraint of the study, this thesis only focuses on the use of group work in English grammar lessons for first year students in CTET College.
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter reviews the literature on general aspects of group work in the light of ELY and the use of group work in grammar practice, Lirst, a review of the role of grammar in foreign language teaching is prescnicd. This is followed by a discussion af using group work in teaching grammar.1 The role of grammar in ELT Over the past few years, whether or not grammar should be taught explicitly or implicitly has been a controversial issue. Until now two main opposing opinions exist among many linguistics and re rehers, The first view is agains! tcaching: grammar. Extensive grammar research has shown that grammar should be neglected in teaching English ever since communicative methodology appeared in 1970s.
It was claimed that language should be acquired through natural exposure, not through formal instruction (Krashen as cited in Nassaji & Fotos). In Natural Approach ( Krashen and Terrell: 1983), Krashen distinguishes leaning ( explicit knowledge) and acquisition ( implicit knowledge). Te points out that these are cases where tearting bas taken place, bul some learners are still unable to use what have learnt in the conversation, because he has not yet acquired them So, according to him, teachers should give a lot of communication activities in class so studenis can acquire kmguage. Opposing with the views abave, recent sludies have demonstrated that grammar instruction enables learners to attain high level of proficiency, both in accuracy and dmency.
Without grammar, learners can communicate effectively only in limited munber of situation (Vlorez, 1999). Giving strong support to grammar icaching, Smith (2001) claimed that if we do nol pay allention lo grammar nor create opportunities for learners to improve their grammar, they are likely to stand the risk off fossilization, As for me, through my cxpericnee and observation, poor English grammar hinders the pace and quality of learning English, Students can obtain English much more easily if they pay enongh allention to granwnar right fom the beginning. Further tore, grammar teaching ean be beneficial to learners in the sense that it raises learner’s consciousness conceming the differences aud similarities of the fist language and the second language. ‘This will help students to avoid making mistakes when learning English 1.
Aims of the study ‘The specific aims of the study are «To ind out the students’ attitudinal changes about grammar and grammar learning. * To find out the students’ evaluation about the effectiveness of applying group work in teaching English grammar 1. Research questions The ait of the rescarch is to find ont students* altitude and the cffectivencss of using group work to teach English prammar lessons in CTET. In order to achieve this aim, the researcher intends to find out the information needed to answer the following questions: 1) What are the first-year-students’ allitudes towards grammar? 2) Llow does grammar practice in groups affect the students’ attitudes towards grammar? 3) What do studenis perceive of the henefils and litnitations of using group work in Jeamning grammar? 1.4, Methods of the study The main methods used in this action research are questionnaires survey and classroom observation.
A survey on the use of group work in teaching English prammar was conducted for two classes with about 85-first-year non-English major students in CET College. Besides using questionnaires, classtoom observation is also used to observe the elassroom behavior and students” parformance on the grarmmnar tessons 15. cope of the study Using group work in English teaching methodologies is one of the most popular methods of commomicative language touching and it can be appliod wi for all of the language teaching skills, However, due to the time and length constraint of the study, this thesis only focuses on the use of group work in English grammar lessons for first year students in CTET College.
