VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** CAO THỊ MINH A STUDY ON MOTIVATIONS OF 10TH GRADE STUDENTS IN LEARNING ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁC ĐỘNG CƠ HỌC VIẾT TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi – 2014 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** CAO THỊ MINH A STUDY ON MOTIVATIONS OF 10TH GRADE STUDENTS IN LEARNING ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS AT SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: PHẠM THỊ THANH THÙY, PH.D Hanoi – 2014 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com DECLARATION I hereby declare that the minor thesis entitled “A Study on Motivations of 10th Grade Students in Learning English Writing Skills at Son Tay High School, Hanoi” is the result of my own work and effort in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University. The material in this research has not been submitted to any other university or institution wholly and partially.
Hanoi, November 10, 2014 Cao Thi Minh i TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Phạm Thị Thanh Thùy, for the insightful comments, criticism, wholehearted guidance and kind support she gave me while I was carrying out this research. My special thanks go to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their valuable knowledge and guidance and help during my two years of study at the Faculty. I am also grateful to my colleagues as well as my students at Son Tay High School, who have helped me a lot in my data collection to fulfill this paper.
Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to my family for their support and strong encouragement to me throughout the study. ii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ABSTRACT The study reported in this paper investigates the motivation in writing lessons of 10th grade students at Son Tay High School to find out: (1) types of motivation possessed by 10th grade students at Son Tay High School. (2) factors affecting 10th grade students in writing lessons. (3) motivational strategies highly evaluated by 10th grade students in writing lessons.
The study was conducted with eighty 10th grade students and eight teachers of English at Son Tay High School, Son Tay town, Hanoi. In this study, the researcher used survey questionnaires and classroom observation sheets to collect data. The results obtained from the analysis of responses to the questionnaires and classroom observation sheet revealed the types of motivation of 10 graders, factors affecting students’ motivation and motivational strategies preferred by students in writing lessons. This study provided some recommendations for effective application of motivational strategies in enhancing students’ writing skills as well.
It is expected that the results from the study could be of benefit to the teaching and learning of English writing at Son Tay High School. iii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
Rationale of the study. Aim of the study. Objectives of the study. Scope of the study.
Methods of the study. Significance of the study. Design of the study. Definitions and features of writing skills.
Approaches to teaching writing. Definition of motivation. Types of motivation in foreign language learning. The roles of motivation in foreign language learning.
Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning .16 iv TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. The setting of the study. An overview of the research site. English teachers in Son Tay high school.
10th grade students in Son Tay high school. English teaching and learning situation at Son Tay High School. Methods of the study. The subjects of the study.
Data collection instruments. Data collection procedures. Methods of data analysis. DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS.
Students’ interest in writing lessons. Types of motivation possessed by students. Students’ participation in writing activities. Factors affecting students’ motivation.
Problems faced by students in learning writing skills. Attitudes of teachers to motivation in teaching writing skills for students. Teachers’ time to motivate students in writing lessons. Teachers’ assistance during writing lessons.
Teachers’ responses to unwilling writers. Problems faced by teachers in teaching writing skills. Strategies and activities to motivate students in learning writing skills. Summary of the main ideas.
Implications and Recommendations. 37 v TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Recommendations for further study.I vi TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLES Page Table 1 Reasons for students to learn writing skills. 22 Table 2 Students’ participation in writing activities.
23 Table 3 Results of classroom observation 24 Table 4 Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning writing 25 skills. Table 5 Problems faced by 10th grade students in learning writing 26 skills Table 6 Teachers’ time to motivate students in writing lessons 27 Table 7 Teachers’ assistance during writing lessons 28 Table 8 Teacher’s responses to unwilling writers 29 Table 9 Problems faced by teachers in teaching writing skills 29 Table 10 Students’ comments on activities employed by teachers 30 Table 11 Students’ comments on motivational strategies and 31 activities employed by teachers CHARTS Chart 1 Students’ interest in writing lessons 21 vii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L2: Second language M.A: Master of Art IQ: Intelligence quotient viii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Rationale of the study. Motivation has been considered a crucial factor determining the success of language learning in general and English learning in particular.
According to Dornyei, motivation “has an important role in determining success or failure in any language situation” (Dornyei, 2001:2). He also stated that “learners with sufficient motivation can achieve a working knowledge of an L2”, while “even the brightest learners” without sufficient motivation “are unlikely to persist long enough to attain any really useful language” (Dornyei, 2001:5). Therefore, most language teachers have been trying to find out different ways to motivate their students in language lessons with a view to making their lessons most effective. However, most of them have not been successful.
The situation is not an exception at Son Tay High school, where the researcher has been teaching English for eight years. Some English teachers at Son Tay High School complained about their students’ indifference to English lessons, especially English writing lessons. Meanwhile, many students claimed that they felt stressed and reluctant in these lessons and did not want to write. In fact, it may be the lack of motivation in writing lessons that prevents students from participating actively into writing lessons and producing good pieces of writing.
For the mentioned reasons, the researcher found it necessary to carry out this minor research to find out types of motivation possessed by 10th grade students, factors affecting their motivation in learning English writing skills, and motivational strategies employed by teachers in writing lessons, then base on which to suggest some motivational strategies to improve the problem. Aim of the study. The study is aimed to find out what might motivate and help 10th grade students at Son Tay high school learn better and improve their English writing skills. Objectives of the study.
The objectives of the study are summarized as follows: 1 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com - to investigate types of motivation possessed by 10th grade students at Son Tay high school in learning writing skills. - to examine factors affecting students’ motivation in learning writing skills. - to explore some motivational strategies preferred by students in writing lessons. Research questions To achieve the aim and objectives mentioned above, the following research questions are addressed: 1.
What types of motivation do10th grade students have in learning writing skills? 2. What are some main factors affecting students’ motivation in learning writing skills? 3. What motivational strategies are highly evaluated by students in writing lessons ? 5. Scope of the study This study examines types of motivation in learning English writing skills in classroom possessed by 80 students of 10th grade at Son Tay high school.
Such factors affecting students’ motivation in learning writing skills as the ones relating to learners, teachers and learning and teaching environment are also investigated in this minor research. The results of the study and suggested motivational strategies will be applied in writing lessons to enhance the writing skills of 10th grade students at Son Tay high school, Hanoi. Methods of the study In this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. The data were collected from: (1) A questionnaire for eighty 10th grade students: to find out their types of motivation, activities enjoyed most by students and factors affecting their motivation; (2) A questionnaire for eight teachers of English at Son Tay high school: to find out activities and techniques used in writing lessons; some factors that can motivate students in learning writing skills and some suggestions to motive students in learning writing skills; (3) Classroom observation checklists were also used: to take note data for the research.
2 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Significance of the study Firstly, the information about types of motivation possessed by 10th grade students will give teachers of English at Son Tay high school a better understanding about their students, which helps them find the most suitable teaching methods to apply in writing lessons. Secondly, some factors affecting students’ motivation will provide teachers with some suggestions in choosing the right techniques and activities to the students. Thirdly, the recommended motivational strategies will be applied to raise students’ motivation in writing lessons as well as their writing results.
In short, when finished, the research is expected to enhance both the teaching and learning English in general and the teaching and learning English writing skills in particular at Son Tay high school. Design of the study The study consists of three main parts named: Part A. The Introduction Part B. The Development Chapter 1: Literature Review Chapter 2: The Methods of the study Chapter 3: Data Analysis and Findings Part C: Conclusion 3 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
Definitions and features of writing skills. Writing is one of the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) that a language learner expects to master. According to Tribble, writing is “a language skill which is difficult to acquire” (Tribble, 1996:3). He also added that writing “normally requires some forms of instruction” and that “it is not a skill that is readily picked up by exposure” (Tribble, 1996:11).
The function of writing is “recording things, completing tasks, developing arguments and assembling ideas” (Tribble, 1996:9). From his point of view, writing is a complex skill that should be taught carefully. Ur supported Tribble when he said that “most people acquire the spoken language (at least their own mother tongue) intuitively, whereas the written form is in most cases deliberately taught and learned” (Ur, 1996:161). Harris considered writing “a process that occurs over a period of time, particularly if we take into account the sometimes extended period of thinking that precedes creating an initial draft” (Harris, 1993:10).
In his saying, Harris also wanted to focus on the complexity of writing. Boughey referred to the requirements of writing in social communication when stating that “writing is a process requiring writers to explore, oppose, and make connections between propositions for themselves” (Boughey, 1997:127).