VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THI BÍCH NGOC A SURVEY ON APPLYING COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES IN WRITING LESSONS TO IMPROVE WRITING SKILLS OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AT A COLLEGE IN HA NOI (Nghiên cứu khảo sát về thực trạng sử dụng các hoạt động cộng tác trong giờ học viết nhằm mục đích cải thiện kỹ năng viết của sinh viên khối không chuyên trong một trường Cao Đẳng ở Hà Nội) M. Minor Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI – 2018 ơ ơ LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THI BÍCH NGOC A SURVEY ON APPLYING COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES IN WRITING LESSONS TO IMPROVE WRITING SKILLS OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AT A COLLEGE IN HA NOI (Nghiên cứu khảo sát về thực trạng sử dụng các hoạt động cộng tác trong giờ học viết nhằm mục đích cải thiện kỹ năng viết của sinh viên khối không chuyên trong một trường Cao Đẳng ở Hà Nội) M. Minor Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231. Phạm Thị Thanh Thùy HANOI – 2018 ơ ơ LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “A Survey on Applying Cooperative Activities in Writing lessons to Improve Writing Skills of non – English major first year Students at a College in Ha Noi” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University, Hanoi and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or tertiary institution.
Hanoi, 2018 Signature Vũ Thị Bích Ngọc i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people. First and foremost, I would like to send my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Pham Thi Thanh Thuy, Assoc. for her enthusiastic guidance, critical feedback, and valuable encouragement during the implementation of the study. I am immensely grateful to the lecturers in the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies who gave me broad background and precious knowledge.
What they taught me is really plentiful resources for my study. Last but not least, I want to thank my family, my friends, my colleagues and my students for their supporting and encouraging me during the completion of this paper. Without the enthusiastic assistance of those people, this M. minor thesis could have been hardly completed.
ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Writing has a unique position in language teaching and language learning because it’s involved practice and knowledge of three other language skills: reading, speaking and listening. Moreover, it is not easy to become a good writer even if you are a good speaker, reader or listener. Learners always try the best to think or plan carefully, to set the objective and to write drafts for the writing. In order to have perfect writing, learners should learn the way to write and find out the suitable method.
This study is the relation between cooperative learning and teaching writing skill at class. This work will show the importance of using cooperatives activities at a college in Ha Noi as well as the attitude of teachers and students toward this method. After all, some suitable activities will be proposed so that teachers can use to help their students improve writing skill. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
iii LIST OF FIGURES. vii LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. ix PART 1: INTRODUCTION.
Rationale of the study. Objectives of the study. Significance of the study. Scope of the study.
Method of the study. Organization of the thesis.5 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW. Theoretical background of writing. Definition of writing.
The writing process. The factors affecting student’s motivation to writing skill. Theoretical background of Cooperative learning. Definition of Cooperative learning.
Types of Cooperative learning. Elements of Cooperative learning. Advantages and disadvantages of Cooperative learning. Cooperative activities in teaching and learning English .29 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
Data collection instruments. Data collection procedure .37 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Cooperation and Cooperative activities. Students’ and teachers’ understanding about cooperation.
Types of Cooperative activities. The frequency of using Cooperative activities in writing periods .2 Students’ attitudes to Cooperative activities and materials .1 Students’ attitudes to writing periods. Students’ attitudes to Cooperative activities. Suggestions for further study.
I v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com APPENDIX I: QUESTIONNAIRES. I APPENDIX 2: OBSERVATION SHEETS. IX APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW WITH TEACHERS.XXIX vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The writing process approach Figure 2: The relationship between cooperative and collaborative learning Figure 3: Type of cooperative learning Figure 4: The roles of teachers in formal cooperative learning Figure 5: Cooperative learning elements by Johnson, D. Figure 6: Illustration of Random-grouping Figure 7: Homogeneous and heterogeneous groups Figure 8: Cooperative activities Figure 8: Frequency of using cooperative activities in writing periods.
Figure 10: Student’s preferences for Cooperative activities. Figure 11: Group division in cooperative activities Figure 12: Group forming in cooperative activities Figure 13: Students’ preferences for materials Figure 14: Time distribution for Cooperative Activities in writing class vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1: The difference between cooperative learning and competitive learning Table 2: Roles of teachers in CL and traditional learning Table 3: Changes in Characteristics in Group Dynamics Table 4: Students’ cooperation in cooperative activities Table 5: Students’ attitudes to writing periods viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CL Cooperative learning M.A Master of Arts B.A Bachelor of Arts T Teacher Ss Students ix LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study In the modern life, English becomes a very important mean to communicate in enhancing economy, culture, politics and other relations among countries. Therefore, teaching and learning English play much significant position in education system in over the world.
Nowadays, learners concentrate mostly on communication as well as speaking skills. They want to go abroad. They want to work for foreign companies. Hence, writing skills are not really promoted.
Otherwise, English is considered to be a mean of communication which people commonly used to exchange information, absorb experience as well as broaden their mind, writing in English is becoming a difficult goal to achieve. Hyland (2003) believed that performance in language development is the process of writing skills. English learners do not only speak a language they also have to write down it on paper to exchange email, report and so on. A professional writing version can express cohesion, logicality, well-organization and interest (Jacobs & L, 1981; Hall, 1988).
Although there has been much innovation in English Teaching Methodology, students usually meet difficulties in writing comprehension in the target language. In other words, in some classrooms, teachers or lecturers tried to teach students by their own way. They do not clearly observe or they do not have enough enthusiasm to motivate learners. Teachers mostly teach students by providing background knowledge of the topic; organizing learners to discuss a topic or analyzing the available writing; asking some related questions to the topic, providing words and structures etc., nevertheless; their writing comprehension in the second language is limited.
In addition, students are passive in learning language. They always do not want to join in activities and work in pairs or groups. Learners as well as teachers do not really recognize that cooperation in leaning is a very good way to enhance leaning, especially writing skills. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com As a teacher of English, who is aware of the fact and wishes to motivate students into writing skills and involve them into cooperative activities, this study was conducted to make clear the current situation of using these activities in writing lessons and students’ attitude towards them to find out some practical methods so as to incorporate them into writing periods to motivate the first year students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy.
Objectives of the study The study aims at: Investigating the current situation of using cooperative activities in writing classes for non – English major first year students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy. Identifying students’ attitudes and teachers’ ones towards cooperative activities in writing classes. Suggesting some recommendations for applying these cooperative activities to motivate non – English major first year students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy. With those above objectives, three research questions were raised: Which cooperative activities are currently used in writing classes for non – English major first-year students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy? What is the situation of using these cooperative activities in writing class? Which cooperative activities are the students’ preferences in writing class? 3.
Significance of the study The study is conducted to examine the current situation of using cooperative activities and students’ attitude towards them. Therefore, it is expected to bring about some advantages to both the lectures and students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy. The researcher hopes that the students will raise their awareness of the benefits of cooperative activities in their writing lessons; hence, they will group with their partners to achieve their common goals in these classes. Besides, it is hoped that the study will help teachers at Hanoi College of Pharmacy in Hanoi apply, adjust their teaching methods as well as design some activities appropriately 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com in their own lessons.
Furthermore, this study is also believed as a reliable source of reference for all researchers or those who are concerned. Scope of the study Analyzing the objectives and research questions, the study concentrates on the effectiveness of cooperative activities used in writing classes at Hanoi College of Pharmacy. More specifically, the researcher focuses on cooperative activities used writing periods for non – English major first-year students at this college to find out some students’ preferences and effective methods to motivate students’ writing skills. In terms of participants, the study investigates 120 non – English major first-year students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy.
In addition, 7 lecturers of teaching English in these classes will be included in this research. Method of the study The research is conducted basing on both qualitative and quantitative methods. First, quantitative methods were applied to investigate the participants’ performance in writing lessons. Additionally, close-ended, open-ended questionnaire items and rating scale response were used.
The survey was carried out with the participation of 120 non – English major first-year students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy who come from two different Departments. Besides, qualitative approach was also involved in the process of data collection, the data in semi – unstructured interviews with 7 lectures at Hanoi College of Medicine and Pharmacy contributed much to the data analysis. Organization of the thesis. This study consists of three main parts: Part one named Introduction, is the introduction which presents the rationale of the study, significance of the study, objectives, research questions, scope and method of the study.
Part two called Development, consists of four main chapters: 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Chapter one, literature review, deals with theoretical background about writing skills and cooperative learning. Chapter two, the study, is an overview of the reality of using cooperative activities in writing classes for non-English major first-year students at Hanoi College of Pharmacy, students’ attitudes and teachers’ attitudes towards cooperative activities in writing classes. Chapter three, data analysis and discussion, focuses on analyzing the data.