VIETNAM NATIONAL,UNIVERSITY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES Fo hiebook dope, PHAM THI VIET HA DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILLS THROUGH PERSONALIZATION ACTIVITIES: ACTION RESEARCII AT THAI NGUYEN MEDICAL COLLEGE (Phát triển Kỹ năng Viết cho Sinh viên thông qua các Hoạt động Cá nhân hôa: “Nghiên cửu Hành động tại Trường Cao đẳng Y tế Thải Nguyên) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS TIELD: ENGLISI TEACHTNG METIIODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 Tlanoi, 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL,UNIVERSITY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES Fo hiebook dope, PHAM THI VIET HA DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILLS THROUGH PERSONALIZATION ACTIVITIES: ACTION RESEARCII AT THAI NGUYEN MEDICAL COLLEGE (Phát triển Kỹ năng Viết cho Sinh viên thông qua các Hoạt động Cá nhân hôa: “Nghiên cửu Hành động tại Trường Cao đẳng Y tế Thải Nguyên) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISIT TEACTIING METITODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: NGÔ TỰ LẬP, PhD. Tlanoi, 2014 DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this minor thesis entitled “Developing students’ Writing Skills through Personalization Activities: Action Research at IMC” is the result of my own work for the Degree of Master of Arts al Universily of Foreign Languages, Vielmarn National University, Hanoi and that this thesis has not been submitted to any other tertiary institution, Signature Pham Thị Việt Hà LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS - ELT: English language teaching - N: Number of students - PÁs: Persunalization Aelivities - SLA: Second Language Acquisition -TMC: Thái Nguyên Medical College iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS - ELT: English language teaching - N: Number of students - PÁs: Persunalization Aelivities - SLA: Second Language Acquisition -TMC: Thái Nguyên Medical College iv PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale English has been considered as a necessary and effective tool for global integration and it has been brought into teaching in almost every nation throughout the world. In Visinam, foreign languages, especially English, have heen considered as a major subject This was affirmed for the first time in the Prime Minister’s Decision numbered 251-TTg in 1972.
‘The importance of English is once again stated in Laws of Education in 1998 Thoroforo, Ieaching English has roozivsd a great doal of allention in schools and educational institutions, Among the four language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing), writing is often considered as a necessary bul challenging skill by many learners. Writing skill helps to transmit messages among people. It can be considered as the most effective tool to save information. Also, in learning language, writing is an interactive skill to other skills speaking, listening and reading - for instance, taking notes while listening, noting down information while reading, or presenting the outline of a speech.
In the long term, writing skill serves a wide range of functions for the language user like writing an application form, reporis, journals, Therefore, learning to write is always necessary lo lsarners both for their study and working process. However, at Thai Nguyên Medical College (IMC), where all the students are non- English majors, the insizuction of writing skill appsars nol very effective. One of the most important reasons is that wriling Lopies and activities arc often designed for all the sludents without or with very little attention to learner factors and differences among them. This practice, sometimes called “one-size-fits-all” approach, seems not to encourage leamers to participate actively ino the leaching and learning activities.
Generally, their writing test results are poor, Moreover, communication is a process which occurs between individuals who are different in their aptitudes, interests, leaning styles, beliefs, backgrounds, and so on; and when students are allowed to write something about themselves or to do something that they think they can they will do it to their best. Therefore, finding writing activities which account for leamer differences and can motivate the students to participate actively in the Ioaming is really necessary. Implementing personalization activities in writing lessons may be the solution to the problem, LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS - ELT: English language teaching - N: Number of students - PÁs: Persunalization Aelivities - SLA: Second Language Acquisition -TMC: Thái Nguyên Medical College iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Stndents' time of learning English.18 ‘Table 2: Students' attitudes towards writing skill.18 Table 3: Students" freedom of writing topic choice. 19 Table 4: Students' difficulties in writing topics assigned by teachers.
20 ‘Table 5: ‘The students’ biggest difficulties in writing - - - 20 Table 6: The stuilents’ apinions about the importance of interests in writing 2 Table 7: Students' needs of persomalization activities. 21 ‘Table 8: Students' motivation in personalized writing class. - - 14 Table 9: Students’ self-estimation about their performance in personalized writing Table 10: Advantages of personalized writing class for students.35 Table 11: Students’ opinions about personalization of practicing forms - 26 Table 12: Students’ difficulties in personalized writing class.37 ‘Table 13: Students’ feelings towards in-class discussion on their viewpoints.28 Table 14: Students’ opinions about grading basing on students’ language competence. 29 Table 15: 8fudents' opinions about continuing usitg PÁ¡.
The setting of the research. Data collection and analyzing instruments. Action research procedure 14 2. Before the intervention with PAs.
Implomenting personalization activitics 2 2. Data analyzing siage.4, Reflecting stage: Fimdimas and Diseussion. Recapitulation and conclusion. Limitations Suggestions for further study.
PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIÊN SINH VIÊN VỀ KỸ NĂNG VIET. PIIEU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIEN SINIT VIEN Vi VIC ST? DUNG TIOAT DONG CA NHAN HOA TRONG GIG HOC VIET APPENDIX 3. TABLE OF WRITING LESSONS USING PERSONALIZATION ACTIVITIES vl APPENDIX 4. SAMPLE LESSON PLANS WITH PERSONALIZATION ACTIVITIES.
VIII vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to expr my sitecrest thanks and appreciation to these who have supported me in completing the thesis. First and foremost, I am grateful to Dr. Ng6 ‘Iw Lap for his valuable guidance and advice. Ve inspired me greatly to work on this topic.
Tlis willingness to help and answer my questions has contributed enormously to my study results, 1 am in debt to Dr. Lẻ Hùng ‘Tidn and the staff members of the Post-graduate Department, and all the lecturers al ULIS, Vielnam National University, Hanoi for their precious lectures, which provided me with scientific knowledge useful to my study. 1 also would like to thank the Board of Rectors and my colleagues in Foreign Language Facully al Thai Nguyén Medical College for helping me conduct the rascarch. My special thank is to all the students of class CD7A¢ for joining, in my research.
Finally, an honorable mention goes to my beloved husband Nguyễn Quốc Huy, my kids Giang and Viét, and my friends for their encouraging and supporting me in completing the thesis. LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Stndents' time of learning English.18 ‘Table 2: Students' attitudes towards writing skill.18 Table 3: Students" freedom of writing topic choice. 19 Table 4: Students' difficulties in writing topics assigned by teachers. 20 ‘Table 5: ‘The students’ biggest difficulties in writing - - - 20 Table 6: The stuilents’ apinions about the importance of interests in writing 2 Table 7: Students' needs of persomalization activities.
21 ‘Table 8: Students' motivation in personalized writing class. - - 14 Table 9: Students’ self-estimation about their performance in personalized writing Table 10: Advantages of personalized writing class for students.35 Table 11: Students’ opinions about personalization of practicing forms - 26 Table 12: Students’ difficulties in personalized writing class.37 ‘Table 13: Students’ feelings towards in-class discussion on their viewpoints.28 Table 14: Students’ opinions about grading basing on students’ language competence. 29 Table 15: 8fudents' opinions about continuing usitg PÁ¡. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to expr my sitecrest thanks and appreciation to these who have supported me in completing the thesis.
First and foremost, I am grateful to Dr. Ng6 ‘Iw Lap for his valuable guidance and advice. Ve inspired me greatly to work on this topic. Tlis willingness to help and answer my questions has contributed enormously to my study results, 1 am in debt to Dr.
Lẻ Hùng ‘Tidn and the staff members of the Post-graduate Department, and all the lecturers al ULIS, Vielnam National University, Hanoi for their precious lectures, which provided me with scientific knowledge useful to my study. 1 also would like to thank the Board of Rectors and my colleagues in Foreign Language Facully al Thai Nguyén Medical College for helping me conduct the rascarch. My special thank is to all the students of class CD7A¢ for joining, in my research. Finally, an honorable mention goes to my beloved husband Nguyễn Quốc Huy, my kids Giang and Viét, and my friends for their encouraging and supporting me in completing the thesis.
LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Stndents' time of learning English.18 ‘Table 2: Students' attitudes towards writing skill.18 Table 3: Students" freedom of writing topic choice. 19 Table 4: Students' difficulties in writing topics assigned by teachers. 20 ‘Table 5: ‘The students’ biggest difficulties in writing - - - 20 Table 6: The stuilents’ apinions about the importance of interests in writing 2 Table 7: Students' needs of persomalization activities. 21 ‘Table 8: Students' motivation in personalized writing class.
- - 14 Table 9: Students’ self-estimation about their performance in personalized writing Table 10: Advantages of personalized writing class for students.35 Table 11: Students’ opinions about personalization of practicing forms - 26 Table 12: Students’ difficulties in personalized writing class.37 ‘Table 13: Students’ feelings towards in-class discussion on their viewpoints.28 Table 14: Students’ opinions about grading basing on students’ language competence. 29 Table 15: 8fudents' opinions about continuing usitg PÁ¡. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS - ELT: English language teaching - N: Number of students - PÁs: Persunalization Aelivities - SLA: Second Language Acquisition -TMC: Thái Nguyên Medical College iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Stndents' time of learning English.18 ‘Table 2: Students' attitudes towards writing skill.18 Table 3: Students" freedom of writing topic choice. 19 Table 4: Students' difficulties in writing topics assigned by teachers.
20 ‘Table 5: ‘The students’ biggest difficulties in writing - - - 20 Table 6: The stuilents’ apinions about the importance of interests in writing 2 Table 7: Students' needs of persomalization activities. 21 ‘Table 8: Students' motivation in personalized writing class. - - 14 Table 9: Students’ self-estimation about their performance in personalized writing Table 10: Advantages of personalized writing class for students.35 Table 11: Students’ opinions about personalization of practicing forms - 26 Table 12: Students’ difficulties in personalized writing class.37 ‘Table 13: Students’ feelings towards in-class discussion on their viewpoints.28 Table 14: Students’ opinions about grading basing on students’ language competence. 29 Table 15: 8fudents' opinions about continuing usitg PÁ¡.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements i Abstract wii List of abbreviations wiv List of charts, figures and tables. v Table 0f cont€HIS. si eterrreee ` PART A: INTRODUCTION - - - - 1 1. Aims oŸ the stDdy,.
Seape of the study 2 5. Method of the siudy. Design of the siudy. àsicieerrrreee a3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT - - - - 4 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND.
Why teaching writing skill? 4 1. Changes teaching writing skill. Leamer factors in second language teaching, 6 1. The importance of personalization activitics in teaching English as a second TangUage.
The benefits of personalization activities in devctoping students’ wriling skill. Action 2eS@a1Ch. Definition of action research. The main characteristics of action research.
Action rasearch procaduft. - - - - 1 CHAPTER 2: THE ACTION RESEARCH ON TEACHING WRITING WITH PERSONALIZATION ACTIVITIES. The research questions. - - - - 13 vị PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale English has been considered as a necessary and effective tool for global integration and it has been brought into teaching in almost every nation throughout the world. In Visinam, foreign languages, especially English, have heen considered as a major subject This was affirmed for the first time in the Prime Minister’s Decision numbered 251-TTg in 1972.
