VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---oOo--- TRẦN THỊ THANH HOA STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN PHU THO PROVINCE (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỰ THAM GIA CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM TRONG GIỜ HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH Ở MỘT TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG Ở PHÚ THỌ) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi - 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---oOo--- TRẦN THỊ THANH HOA STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN PHU THO PROVINCE (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỰ THAM GIA CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM TRONG GIỜ HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH Ở MỘT TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG Ở PHÚ THỌ) M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231. Lê Văn Canh, PhD Hanoi - 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION Title: “ STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN PHU THO PROVINCE” I certify that no part of the thesis has been copied or reproduced by me from any other works without acknowledgement and that the thesis is originally written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor. Hanoi, 2019 Student‟s signature Trần Thị Thanh Hoa i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to send my sincere and special gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc.Lê Văn Canh, who has given valuable assistance, guidance, precious suggestions, advice, and reference materials to me so that I can complete this thesis. The success of my paper would have been almost impossible without his tireless support.
My thanks and gratitude also go to all professors and lecturers at Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable lectures. Last but not least, I would like to send my gratitude to my parents, all members in my family and my friends for their support and encouragement during the process of writing this thesis. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Group work activities play an important role in all stages of second language acquisition. Using group work activities has been considered an effective tool for enhancing English teaching and learning process.
The paper aims to find out the participation in group-work activities of the 11th students at a high school in Phu Tho and the reasons that make them participate the way. From that finding, the researcher could find ways to stimulate active involvement from students and make using groupwork in teaching language effectively. A mix-method approach (quantitative and qualitative methods) was used to collect the required data for the study. Questionnaires were collected from 58 students in two classes at this high school.
From this sample, 12 students were interviewed in more detail in face-to- face interviews. The findings show that learners in this school were very excited about the lessons when group-work activities were used. It also means that group- work activities can support the teachers in attracting the learners to the lesson. In other words, using group-work activities brought many benefits for not only learners but also teachers in the school.
For example, students could improve learning skills, such as English skills, presentation skills and groupwork skills. Additionally, not only students but also teachers could have chance to learn something new from other students. However, some learners identified difficulties, mostly related to students‟ knowledge and skills, which can lead to ineffective teamwork. Hopefully, the study can be a useful source of reference for those teaching English to young learners.
iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as a Foreign language T: Teacher SCT : Sociocultural theory Ss:Students ZPD: The zone of proximal development iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .v LIST OF TABLES. vii LIST OF FIGURES.
viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Rationale of the study. Aims of the study. The research questions.
Methods of the study. The scope of the study. The significance of the study. Organization of the thesis.3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.
The Sociocultural perspectives on language learning: the role of social interaction. Definition of group activities. The role of group work activities in language teaching. Challenges in Group work.
Participation as learning. Students‟ attitudes towards group work. Overview of the research projects related to the thesis topic .12 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .15 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. The case study methodology.
Definitions of case study. Why choosing case study. Descriptive case study. The context of the study.
The course book. 1 Data collection instruments. Data collection procedures .24 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Data from questionnaires. Findings and Discussion.
Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further research. I APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONS FOR INTERVIEW .III APPENDIX 3: LESSON PLAN IN THE CLASSROOM. IV APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT SUMMARY .XIII vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Description to Questionnaire .1: Summarizing the results of questionnaires in five weeks .34 vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1: Number of students by Level of Study and Gender Students Participation .1: The role of students in group work activities in class A .2: The role of students in group work activities in class A .3: The contribution to the group work activities of students in class A .4: The contribution to the group work activities of students in class B .5: Frequency of participation by class A .6: Frequency of participation by class B .7: Reasons of active participation by class A .8: Reasons of passive participation by class A .9: Reasons of active participation by class B .10: Reasons of passive participation by class B .11: The change in students‟ participation in group work activities.37 viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale of the study Interaction has now been recognized as the most effective way of learning a language. Therefore, group-work has been considered to be vital to students‟ language learning because group-work offers opportunities for interaction to occur. Until now, there have been a great number of studies on using group work, particularly using group work activities for English language teaching and learning. Researchers have been working on different aspects of group work such as : the role of group work activities in language teaching, challenges in using group work, students‟ attitudes towards group work, the relationship between students‟ participation in group work activities and their achievement, et cetera, which will be discussed more in the literature review.
Generally speaking, they have made big efforts to find out what extent group work is effective in students‟ learning process. In the context of Thanh Thuy high school where I have been teaching for several years I have observed that group work is not always welcomed by every student and teacher. Moreover, students do not actively participate or become passive in the group activities despite encouragements and use of various teaching methods by the teacher to stimulate active participation from students. As I believe in the usefulness of group work to my students‟ learning English, I have a strong desire of investing the students‟ level of participation in group work and what factors influence students‟ participation in group work activities from their own perceptions in order to design and set appropriate and effective group activities for my students.
With all factors above, I have decided to conduct a case study of 11th graders at a Phu Tho high school which thoroughly investigates “students‟ participation in group work activities in English language classes at a high school in Phu Tho.” This study hoped to fill the gap in understanding of students‟ level of involvement in English language classroom and the factors affecting their participation, which could help teachers find ways to increase students‟ participation in group interaction. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Aims of the study The research aims to find out the level of students‟ participation in group work activities and the factors that affect their participation. From that result, the researcher suggests some activities used effectively for group work.
The research questions In order to get the above aims, the research was designed and conducted to seek answers to the following research questions: 1. How do students participate in group work activities in English language classes and why do they participate that way? 2. What types of group tasks encourage students‟ better participation? 4. Methods of the study This is a descriptive case study.
In order to gain information that can help to answer the above research questions both qualitative methods were employed to collect the data. To be specific, data was obtained from two different sources: questionnaire and interviews. The scope of the study The research was carried out with one group of 58 high students (27 female and 31 male) at Thanh Thuy high school in Phu Tho province. The study focused on only students‟ participation in interactional activities in the classroom and the way their participation influenced their English skills.
The significance of the study The purpose of this study is to discuss the level of students‟ involvement in group work activities and factors affecting their participation. It is significant because it will provide definition and advantages of group work to help students have a deeper understanding and apply this method in learning effectively. Besides, the high school students are not used to using this way of studying at secondary school, therefore they have to cope with many difficulties which are already in the study. Through this study, the researcher would like to help the students and teachers can use group work activities effectively.
2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com This study will serve as the basis for students‟ creative ideas in group work. The results of this research study may give them insights which would encourage them to plan projects designed to improve the quality of language learning. It will enable the students in general to grasp at the innovative teaching-learning approaches. Organization of the thesis The thesis is organized as follows: CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION – introduces the rationale; aims of the study; research questions; significance of the study; and the thesis structure.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW – reviews and presents relevant theories and studies to the study. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY – describes the research design, the participants selection, date collection procedure, date collection instruments. CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION – presents an analysis of the data and discusses the results of the study. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS – summarizes the study, limitations of the study and suggestions for further research.
3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2. The Sociocultural perspectives on language learning: the role of social interaction Sociocultural theory (SCT) emphasizes the interaction among interpersonal ( social), cultural- historical, and individual factors as the key to the development of human cognition ( Tudge & Scrimsher, 2003). Interactions with persons in the environment stimulate developmental processes and promote cognitive growth. In other words, the sociocultural theory views the child‟s cognitive development as a product of social interaction, especially interactions with adults ( parents, teachers, relatives), or more capable peers.
Sociocultural theory is originated in the works of the Russian psychologist, Vygotsky (1978). The major theme of Vygotsky's works is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in cognitive development .