VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH CITY AN GIANG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES UNDERGRADUATE THESIS EXPLORING JUNIOR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS' READINESS FOR COOPERATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNER AUTONOMY IN SPEAKING SKILLS AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI MY XUYEN AN GIANG, 6-2022 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH CITY AN GIANG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES UNDERGRADUATE THESIS EXPLORING JUNIOR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS' READINESS FOR COOPERATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNER AUTONOMY IN SPEAKING SKILLS AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI MY XUYEN ID. DAV187219 ADVISOR: PHAN THI THANH HUYEN, PhD. AN GIANG, 6-2022 Thesis Title: “EXPLORING JUNIOR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS' READINESS FOR COOPERATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNER AUTONOMY IN SPEAKING SKILLS AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY” By: NGUYEN THI MY XUYEN Field of Study: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING EDUCATION Advisor: Phan Thi Thanh Huyen, Ph. Accepted by the Faculty of Foreign Languages, An Giang University on 13 June ………………………………………… (Tran Thi Thanh Hue, Ph.) Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Examination Committee …………………………………………….
Advisor (PHAN THI THANH HUYEN, Ph.) …………………………………………… Faculty Examiner 1 (BUI LE DIEM TRANG, Ph. Faculty Examiner 2 (NGUYEN TIEN NGO, Ph.) The thesis entitled “Exploring junior English-majored students' readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills at An Giang university” by Nguyen Thi My Xuyen has been approved by the adviser in June 2022. ADVISOR PHAN THỊ THANH HUYỀN, Ph. DECLARATION I hereby declare that the thesis entitled “Exploring students’ readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills at An Giang university” represents an example of my work and I can affirm that it has not been sent to any other university or institute in an application for admission to degrees or other qualifications.
June 2022 Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Xuyên ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In my first words, it is grateful for me to have an opportunity to conduct the thesis after the four years of experiencing my English language learning journey at An Giang University. I would love to express my deep thankfulness to Phan Thi Thanh Huyen, Ph.D who has been by my side to give me dedicated guidance and valuable advice. Secondly, I want to send my gratitude to Bui Le Diem Trang, Ph.D, Le Thuy Dao, Ph.D and Le Do Thai, M.A who supported my research by providing insight from the field of expertise that significantly contributes to the result of the research. Besides, I sincerely thank Nguyen Duc Hanh, Ph.D, Huynh Chi Xuan Huyen, M.A and Tran Thi Thanh Nga, M.A for assisting me to collect research data and 130 students from three classes DH20AV, DH20TA1 and DH20TA2 for their cooperation that considerably contributes to the study results.
Furthermore, it is important to thank my classmates for encouraging and helping me while the research is at the rate of construction progress. Finally, from the bottom of my heart, I feel grateful to my beloved parents for supporting and encouraging me to carry out my thesis paper. Without the presence of those assistances, it would have been impossible to finish my research sufficiently. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
i TABLE OF CONTENTS. ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.v LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF FIGURES. viii CHAPTER 1: THE SETTING OF THE STUDY .2 Research aims and questions .3 Scope of the study .6 Organization of the thesis .4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .1 The background information on language learner autonomy and cooperative group learning.
The definition of language learner autonomy .2 The definition of cooperative language learner autonomy.2 The relationship between language learner autonomy and cooperative language learner autonomy in the university context.1 The theoretical factors of language learner autonomy .2 The relationship between language learner autonomy and cooperative language learner autonomy .3 Cooperative language learner autonomy in the tertiary education .3 Group learning as a means of enriching speaking skills in the domain of cooperative language learner autonomy .1 The values of cooperative learning in speaking skills beyond the classroom context.2 The contributions of cooperative language learner autonomy to students’ speaking skills .3 The obstacles of cooperative language autonomy learners in practicing speaking skills .4 Readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills .1 The role of learners’ willingness towards cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills .2 The noteworthy factors affecting students’ readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy .3 The readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills beyond the classroom .5 Summary of the main points .25 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.4 Data collection procedure .1 Quantitative data analysis .2 Qualitative data analysis .32 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Demographic data of the participants .2 Students’ learning strategies for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills through group learning .3 Students’ learning styles for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills.4 Students’ interdependence ability for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills .5 Junior English-majored students’ preparation for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills through group learning.1 Students’ perception of cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills through group learning.2 Students’ readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills through group learning.1 Main findings revisited .1 Students’ perception of language learner autonomy through cooperative group learning for practicing English speaking skills .2 The students’ readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy in speaking skills .3 Recommendations for further research .70 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AGU – An Giang University EMs – English majors FFL – Faculty of Foreign Language L1 – the first language – native language – mother tongue L2 – second language – foreign language – target language – foreign tongue LLA – Language learner autonomy ELTE – English Language Teaching Education EFL – English as a Foreign Language v LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Basic ingredients of cooperative learning .1 Categories of questionnaire second and third part.1 Identify learning needs and set goals .2 Selection of learning materials and resources .3 Organize the learning process and environment.1 Learning references in speaking skills.1 Seek support from friends and teachers .2 Work with other students .3 Paired-samples T-test for three independent variables above .54 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.3 Language learner autonomy and its components .1 Identify learning needs and set goals .2 Selection of learning materials and resources .3 Organize the learning process and environment .1 Learning references in speaking skills .1 Seek support from friends and teachers .2 Work with other students .1 How many members do you want to form a self-learning group to practice speaking skills?.2 How many members do you want to form a self-learning group to practice speaking skills? .3 How often do you want to study in self-learning groups to practice your speaking skills in a week? .4 Where do you want to organize your self-learning group to practice your English speaking skills? .5 How will you choose materials to practice speaking English….60 vii ABSTRACT Learner autonomy has become a hot topic in the research of foreign language education. Some people erroneously believe that learner autonomy means students always learn alone, without the involvement of teachers or peers. However, in reality, learner autonomy often involves students learning together with peers. Researchers and educators have increasingly been interested in learner autonomy in the field of foreign language education, which may refer to various interpretations although the term is mainly understood as learners’ ability to take control of their own language learning.
Besides, it is important to acknowledge that students do not learn alone or separately from their teachers and classmates. Instead, they often interact with their co-learners and teachers in order to foster their language learning outcomes. From this perspective, cooperative language learner autonomy can be interpreted as the process of learners’ participating in a group learning with their responsibility for their own learning and receiving support from other students as co-learners in order to achieve the same learning goals. Owing to the contribution of cooperative language learner autonomy, which becomes an integral component required for a successful language speaking skills learning outcome, it is necessary for language learners to cooperate with peers to have access to universal knowledge and practice the target language at an in-depth level, rather than merely receiving knowledge imparted by teachers.
This research project was carried out with junior English-majored students at An Giang University to explore their readiness for cooperative learner autonomy in learning English speaking skills. The research employed mix method approach, in which the survey was distributed as a question list with suggested answers and the interview accompanied by open questions for an in-depth understanding of students’ readiness and their perception of cooperative language learner autonomy in practicing English speaking skills. The findings show that the students were somewhat ready for group cooperation in speaking English and possessed a positive attitude toward cooperative language learner autonomy. This study provides empirical information to substantiate learner interdependence in developing their autonomy for language learning.
The research is a useful resource for language viii learners, teachers and educators in fostering student autonomy for lifelong learning purposes. Higher education institutions thus are recommended to provide language students with more cooperative learning activities for better development of students’ ability to take control of the learning process. ix CHAPTER 1: THE SETTING OF THE STUDY There are six sections in this chapter: (1) rationale of the research, (2) research aims and questions, (3) research hypotheses, (4) significance of the research, (5) research limitations and (6) organization of the thesis.1 Rationale According to Holec (1981) and Jihui Wang (2010), language learner autonomy is “a constructivist new pedagogical theory” in which students take responsibility for their own process of acquisition by carrying out learning plans based on their demands. However, it does not mean that students undergo the process of language learning separately from other learners and teachers.
So it is essential to approach a new learning method that promotes language learner autonomy and the cooperation between co-learners in the education context. English is taught as a foreign language in Vietnam, but a language learner’s paths to success in comprehensive education are rather difficult partly because the period of class-time is limited. Therefore, language teachers, especially at the university level, put more effort to impart important knowledge points, but it is insufficient for undergraduate students to enrich their language learning ability through acquiring these points with their willingness to pay some extra time after class to practice and explore the point of in-depth knowledge related to their majors. As a result, it is important to acknowledge that language learner autonomy and learner cooperation in learning English play an integral role in undergraduate students’ study paths in the tertiary context.
Students must take leadership of their learning, do more self-study, as well as receive supports from their instructors and classmates in order to sufficiently manage their own learning process to enrich their language skills. This is particularly important in the case of English speaking skills which needs small cooperative groups to use and practice speaking skills as the purpose of speaking is to communicate with other people in English. Page | 1 Regardless of the circumstances, even if students acknowledge the importance of cooperative language learner autonomy, do they truly interpret what cooperative language learner autonomy is; are they ready for cooperative group learning in terms of language learner autonomy in speaking skills? Is it sufficient for them to attend standard classes, complete all of their assignments, and do some practice in class? To find out answers to such enquiries, this research aims at exploring junior English-majored students’ perception and readiness for cooperative learner autonomy in English speaking skills at An Giang University which is in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Besides, the study also implies the significance of cooperative language autonomous learning, as well as figures out a favorable learning environment to practice speaking skills for the English-majored students who participate in this study.2 Research aims and questions 1.1 Research aims This research aims to explore junior English-majored students’ readiness for cooperative language learner autonomy in English speaking skills at An Giang University (AGU).