VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ………….o0o………… PHÙNG THỊ THU HẰNG A STUDY ON USING GROUPWORK ACTIVITES TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILL FOR THE MEMBERS OF AN ENGLISH CLUB AT VUNG CAO VIET BAC HIGH SCHOOL Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng các hoạt động nhóm để nâng cao kỹ năng nói cho các thành viên của Câu lạc bộ Tiếng Anh ở trường PT Vùng Cao Việt Bắc MA. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 HANOI – 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ………….o0o………… PHÙNG THỊ THU HẰNG A STUDY ON USING GROUPWORK ACTIVITES TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILL FOR THE MEMBERS OF AN ENGLISH CLUB AT VUNG CAO VIET BAC HIGH SCHOOL Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng các hoạt động nhóm để nâng cao kỹ năng nói cho các thành viên của Câu lạc bộ Tiếng Anh ở trường PT Vùng Cao Việt Bắc MA. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: HOÀNG THỊ XUÂN HOA, PhD HANOI – 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com i DECLARATION I certify that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of this thesis has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution. Phùng Thị Thu Hằng LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor – Ms Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa for her constant encouragement, precious advice and especially for her valuable corrections throughout this study.
There is no doubt that without her help, this thesis would be impossible to be accomplished. My sincere thanks are also sent to the lecturers of the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies of University of Languages and International Studies for their useful lessons and whole-hearted advices. I would like to acknowledge my thanks to all the authors of the books, magazines, and other materials listed in the reference part for their ideas that have been reflected and developed in the study. I am indebted to my family and friends who have encouraged and supported me very much in the completion of this paper.
If there had not been great help from the above people, the study could not have been fulfilled. Last but not least, I would like to thank the students who willingly took part in the survey of this paper. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iii ABSTRACT This research generally attempts to investigate using groupwork activities to improve speaking skill for students in the English club at Vung Cao Viet Bac High School (VCVBHS). The study has been conducted for the purpose of clarifying how groupwork are used in speaking lessons of the students in the English club at VCVBHS and investigating the difficulties of using groupwork activities in teaching and learning speaking skill for students of the English club at VCVBHS.
The data were obtained through the analysis of students’ questionnaire, interviews with four English teachers who are controlling directly the English club. The findings of the research revealed that groupwork activities were frequently used to improve the speaking skill. The use of groupwork activities were also beneficial for both teachers and learners. However, the study also found out some students’ difficulties such as low proficiency, their passive way of learning styles, using Vietnamese when working in groups…, and some teachers’ difficulties in using groupwork activities in such as lack of time, large and multi-level classes,…The author also gave some recommendations to make groupwork activities effective and successful in speaking lessons and to help students in the English club at Vung Cao Viet Bac High School to improve their speaking skill.
It is hoped that this thesis will help other English teachers be aware of the benefits of groupwork activities and apply them in teaching English speaking more successfully and effectively. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS VCVBHS: Vung Cao Viet Bac High School ESL : English as a Second Language LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com v LIST OF TABLES TABLES Table 1: Students’ opinions on learning English speaking skill Table 2: The teachers’ frequent use of groupwork activities Table 3: The students and teachers' opinions on benefits of groupwork activities Table 4: Organization of groupwork activities in speaking activity Table 5: Kinds of groupwork activities that students want to participate in Table 6: The difficulties students had when working in group work Table 7: The students' suggestions to make group work activities in speaking lesson effective LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. iv PART A: INTRODUCTION.
Rationales of the study. Aims of the study. Significance of the study. Scope of the study.
Methods of the study. Design of the study. 5 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW. Nature of speaking skill.
Concepts of speaking (spoken language). Characteristics of speaking. The importance of speaking skill in language teaching and learning context. Group work in a speaking lesson.
Definitions of group work. How to organize group work activities effectively. Forming students in groups. Preparing for students to work in group.
Monitoring groupwork activities. Ending groupwork activities. Benefits of using groupwork activities in language teaching. The role of the teacher and the role of each student in groupwork activities 12 1.
The role of the teacher. The role of each student in groupwork activities. 13 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. 14 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
An overview of the English club at VCVBHS. The subjects of the study. Data collection instruments. Semi-structured interview.
18 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS. The students’ and teachers’ opinions on learning and teaching English speaking skill. The students and teachers' opinions on the benefits of groupwork activities. The students’ and teachers’ organization of groupwork activities in speaking activity.
Difficulties the teachers and students have faced when using groupwork activities26 3. The teachers’ solutions to overcome their difficulties. The students' suggestions to make groupwork activities in speaking lessons effective. The teachers' suggestions to help students use groupwork activities in speaking lesson effectively.
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Research question 1: How groupwork activities are used in the speaking lessons of the students in the English club at VCVB high school?. Research question 2: What are the difficulties the teachers and the students in the English club at VCVBHS face when using groupwork activities?. 32 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Some recommendations to make groupwork activities effective and successful in speaking lessons and to help students to improve speaking skill. Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further research.I Survey questionnaire for students .IV INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS.IV LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationales of the study English has become one of the most important languages and powerful languages in the world.
In Vietnam, Ministry of Education and Training has put more emphasis on teaching and learning foreign languages, especially English than ever before. In recent years, English has been considered one of some important subjects and a compulsory one for Vietnamese students. "Better English, better careers" was the answer given by many of them when they told about their purpose of learning this language. It can not be denied that this international language may help Vietnamese students prepare better for their career in the future because it does not only equip learners with a necessary source of information of social and culture knowledge but also gives them up-to-date information concerning a different issues in our society nowadays.
Especially, our country's recent regional and global participation has been increasing the demand for English speaking people, who are wanted to communicate with the outside world and access up-to-date technology. In response, the teaching and learning English has been paid much attention to, which is shown by remarkable changes in curriculum, studies accompanied as well as teaching methods which are all applied for the four English skills. As a matter of fact, speaking skill “the most important aspect of learning a second language” (Nunan, 1989) is still a challenge for Vietnamese learners who still show a low motivation in speaking English. Therefore, together with this trend, speaking skills have also become the focus of language teaching as far as the objectives of English course at schools and universities are concerned.
As their major subject is English, each of the students at English club, Vung Cao Viet Bac High School is always aware of how important speaking skill to them. However, most students at Vung Cao Viet Bac high school are from different mountainous areas in the northern of Vietnam. Maybe they were good at grammar but they have a lot of difficulties in speaking English. They feel shy when they speak and they do not have a lot of chances to practice English in communication or for interaction in their daily life that is why speaking this language has not had the best result.
Therefore, it is necessary to help the students of English club at Vung Cao Viet Bac high school to have more chances to communicate with each other as well as to speak to each other in a so-called close-to-real English speaking condition. One of the strategies that reflects the principle of learner - LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 centeredness is groupwork activity. According to Nunan and Lamb (1996 : 142) group work is designed as any classroom activity in which learners perform collaborative tasks with one or more speakers. It has been considered one of the main changes to the dynamics of classroom interaction wrought by students-centered teaching.
They hope that by using this teaching method, they can help their learners improve their English and use it effectively and fluently in communication. The effort of this thesis is trying to determine effective methods in teaching speaking skill for learners and to help students to improve speaking skills. Having students work in groups not only makes them more involved in learning but also give them opportunities to practice foreign language. There are many reasons for choosing the study but the above reasons are the main ones that encourage the researcher to choose the thesis: “A study on using groupwork activities to improve speaking skill for the members of an English club at Vung Cao Viet Bac high school” 2.
Aims of the study This study is aimed at investigating the reality of the use of groupwork activities in speaking activities of the members in the English club at VCVBHS. To be specific, the aims of the study are: + To clarify how groupwork activities are used in speaking lessons of the students in the English club at VCVBHS. + To investigate the difficulties of using groupwork activities to improve speaking skill for students of the English club at VCVBHS. Significance of the study This study helps to determine how groupwork activities are used to improve English speaking skill.
It provides language teachers with the rationale to carry out groupwork activities in class to improve students’ speaking skills. This study also gives suggestion to ESL teachers to develop successful groupwork activities as they can identify the major problems faced by themselves and by their students. Thus, teachers are conscious with the advantages of group work in teaching and learning process. In addition, the students will appreciate and work with the strengths of others.
This will increase learning, planning and discussion skills and eventually improve their speaking capabilities. The students will be involved as participants and decision-makers in oral groupwork activities.