Chapter 1: Introduction
This very first chapter of the thesis is to introduce the rationale for the study, the aims
and objectives of the study as well as the research questions which the study was to carry out
to find out the answers. It also presents the scope of the study, an overview of the methods
employed to conduct the research as well as the design of the study.
1.1 Rationale
Needless to say, English has played a remarkable role in almost every aspect of life. In
Viet Nam, it is regarded as one of the most important subjects at all level of education.
Working as a teacher of English, I am particularly interested in teaching writing skill.
Therefore, I am concerned with approaches and methods which can help to enhance the
learners’ writing proficiency as well as facilitate their learning English as a second language.
As I observed, learners, especially students at high school, are often afraid of writing
which, as claimed by them, makes them anxious and unconfident when dealing with.
Moreover, the teaching and learning writing skill in many schools mostly involves the using of
the textbooks, many of which have, so far, been opened to considerable debate. To make the
matter worse, writing, which has been considered one of the most difficult skills among
reading, speaking, listening and writing, is not paid sufficient attention as it deserves.
The ideas of investigating deeply into the case intrigued me when I accidentally had a chance
to attend a seminar on process approach at Dong Da high school, which was carried out to help
teachers’ understanding of the process approach and suggest on how to apply it with the new
textbook “English 10”.
Although the process approach has had a widespread influence on the teaching of
writing throughout the English speaking world, its beneficial impact on learners in Viet Nam
context is still questionable. In other words, whether teachers and students in Viet Nam have
any difficulties with the applicability of such an approach in teaching and learning writing? If
so, what are the main constraints in applying the approach with the available new textbook
“English 10”? The thought motivated me to conduct a study to gain better understanding of the
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main constraints, if there are any, in applying process approach in particular a context of Viet
Nam.
1.2 Objectives of the Study

current situation of teaching and learning writing skill of the grade 10 students with the
textbook “English 10” at Dong Da School. In this chapter, the textbook “English 10” is
introduced first, followed by the discussion of the teachers’ methods and strategies in teaching
writing skill as well as students’ methods and strategies in learning the skill. Chapter 4, which
is the most important part of the study, presents data collection methods and significant
findings. It, then, draws out suggestions for feasible application of the process approach in
teaching and learning writing skill in a given setting. Chapter 5, the last chapter of the thesis,
includes a brief review of the study and some pedagogical implications. It also points out the
limitations of the study.
1.6. Summary
In this chapter, a brief overview of the study is presented. The next chapter will review
the literature that is relevant to the study.
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Chapter 2: Literature Review
This chapter gives an overview of relevant literature and researches that deal
with approaches in teaching writing skill.
2.1. Approaches in Teaching Writing
Nowadays, the teaching of writing has long been a central element in all educational
system and there are many, often conflicting, views of teaching writing. (Tribble, 1996:37). As
trends in the teaching of writing have coincided with those of other skills, especially listening
and speaking (Brown, 2000: 334), teachers who are willing to adopt new approaches as well as
new methods on how to teach fluency not just accuracy. Additionally, authentic texts and
context in the classroom are used creatively shifting the focus on the language itself to the
focus on the purposes of linguistic communication.
Up to dates, there are several ways to approach writing in the classroom. It should be
said at the beginning that there is not necessarily any 'right' or 'best' way to teach writing skill.
The best practice in any situation will depend on the type of student, the text type being
studied, the school system and many other factors (Steele, 2007: 43). Different ways in
approaching the tasks inform major movement in the teaching of writing (Raimes, 1983: 237-
60). According to Raimes, there are 3 principal ways of approaching the task: focusing on

product-focused. One of the most prominent weaknesses of the product approach is that the
process skills of learners are given a relatively small role or even undervalued.
2.1.2 Process Approach
During the seventies of the 20
th
century, while the product approach received a lot of
criticism, many teachers at the forefront of the development of the process approach have
proposed methodologies emphasizing the creatively and unpredictability of writing (Tribble,
1996:37). In the process approach, the teaching of writing has begun to move away from a
concentration on the written product to an emphasis on the process of writing. All writers make
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decisions on how to begin and how to organize the task. Therefore, they do not write on a
given topic in a restricted time and hand in the composition for the teacher to correct. The role
of teachers, therefore, is as education facilitators.
As described in Zamel (1983: 147) and Raimes (1985: 231), in the process approach,
the process of writing is seen as a recursive and complex process. In other words, although
there are identifiable stages in the process of writing, writers can still revisit any of these stages
many times before a text is completed.
PREWRITING
COMPOSING/
DRAFTING
REVISING
EDITING

Figure 2: Model of process approach.
Since it lays the emphasis on the writers’ writing process, the process approach has
been widely accepted. The focus on the writer inherent in the development of process approach
has brought a range of benefits to teachers and students. (Tribble, 1996: 40).
According to Graham Stanley (2007:16), although there are many ways of approaching process
writing, it can be broken down into three stages:

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According to Lin (2002: 18), the teaching and learning around text genres has become
increasingly influential in mainstream ELT in countries. However, their influence in EFL in
East Asian countries still appears limited.
A genre comprises a class of communicative events, the members of which share some
set of communicative purposes. These purposes are recognizes by the experts members of the
parent discourse community and there by constitute the rationales for the genre. (Swales, 1990:
58).
Genre-based approaches begin with the whole text as the unit in focus rather than the
sentence (Derewianka, 2003a: 120-22). In addition, genre-based approaches are concerned
with the social macro-purposes of language, and not just the semantic micro-functions of
individual words and sentences. The genres in focus are generally defined according to the
broad social purposes of communication. Finally, the focus on whole texts implies recognition
that there is a higher level of order and patterning in language than just the sentence -
grammar. Genre-based approaches emphasize that this higher order must be attended to for
effective language use: "all texts conform to certain conventions, and that if a student is to be
successful in joining a particular English-language discourse community, the student will need
to be able to produce texts which fulfill the expectations of its readers in regards to grammar,
organization, and context" (Kim & Kim, 2005, citing Lin, 2002: 11).
Genre-based teaching helps students participate effectively not only in the school
curriculum but also in the broader community. This approach holds the view that learning
language is a social activity and the process of learning language is a series of “scaffolded
developmental steps” that address different aspects of language. Dudley- Evans (1997)
identifies three stages in genre approach to writing. First of all, a model of a particular genre is
introduced and analyzed, students then carry out exercises which manipulate relevant language
forms and finally, students create texts. To write in a particular genre, students must be aware
of the formal patterns that shape a text. Genre analysis, therefore, can provide the vocabulary
and concepts to explicitly teach the text structures teachers would like their students to
produce. The approach also offers students a relatively fixed discourse model that they can use
8

writing as mainly concerned with knowledge about the structure of language and writing
development as mainly the result of the imitation of input in the form of texts provided by the
teachers. By contrast, in process approach, students can explore a topic through writing,
showing the teachers and each other drafts and using what they write to read over, think about
and move them onto new ideas (Raimes, 1983:96).
However, according to Brown (1994:337) the current emphasis on process writing must
of course be seen in the perspective of a balance between process and product. Brown points
out that after all, the final product is the ultimate goal and it is the reason that we go through
the process of prewriting, drafting, revising and editing. In short, process is the means to the
end not the end.
2.2.2 Process Approach versus Genre Approach
Despite the fact that the process approach has made a great improvement in practical
teaching in comparison with the product approach, the process approach also came under
attack from various genre theorists. One of its limitations claimed is that it does not address the
needs of learners who have to write for readers unknown to them. Another limitation pointed
out by Martin is that the approach doesn’t take into account the vast differences between
speaking and writing (1985, cited in Anh, 2001). However, limitations of the genre approach
are also recognized by many theorists. First of all, the genre approach may prove to be text-
centered approach rather than a student – centered one (Chinh, 2007: 12). Another weakness
of the approach arises from the fact that, in practical teaching, it is unable for teachers to teach
all the genres to the students in the classroom.
In spite of the tension between the two trends, many theorists (Bam forth 1993: 97;
Candery 1997, cited in Tribble 1996: 61) claimed that there is a relation between them. It is
10
possible to see the emergence of effective solution to teaching and learning problems which
draw on the strengths of both process and genre approaches and they should not be seen as
incompatible.
2.3 Recent Researches on the Teaching and Learning of Writing Skill
Hereafter are some cases concerning the teaching and learning of writing skill. These
studies can be roughly divided into two groups. The first one will include the studies dealing

and in language usage.
 Studies on aspects in teaching writing as a language skill
The first study mentioned in this part is a research on how to bring some energy and
excitement to the process of writing on first year students in advanced programmed at National
Economics University by Pham Thi Mai Thanh (2007). Data was collected and analyzed
through questionnaires and class observation after 10 weeks of teaching. The results revealed
that creative writing not only brought in fun and pleasure into the writing lessons but also
helped to enhance students’ writing ability.
Within the topic of motivational factors for students in writing, Nhung (2005) had
carried out a research on first year English major students at College of Foreign Languages,
Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi. The study arrived at some conclusion and suggestions
to improve the teaching and learning writing skill for the context of the study and other
contexts.
In series of studies concerning error analysis in writing, Nguyen Van Loi (1999) had
conducted a research on “the causes of Errors in Written English of Full-Time Vietnamese
Students of English at the Intermediate Level”. The study defined some common mistakes of
the students in the study context and gave some suggestions to improve the teaching and
learning the skill at the level of the study.
The last research of this part involves the EFL writing strategy conducted in Dali an
University of Technology in China by Liu Wenyu & Lu Yang. The study aims at analyzing the
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relations among writing proficiency, writing strategy and writing scores. It is found that there
exist significant differences in strategy use between English major and non-English major
writers; English major students hold a more positive attitude towards English writing; both
English major students and non-English major students cannot handle the strategy of
“coherence” well and English major students pay more attention to “global” strategies while
non-English major students pay more attention to “local” strategies. (Wenyu & Yang, 2006)
 How may this study fit in with previous studies in its area of research?
As stated previously in this part, there have been so many researches on the teaching and
learning of writing skill conducted in Viet Nam as well as in other countries. Although those

teachers ’and learners ’profile, their language proficiency as well as their teaching and learning
methods and strategies in teaching and learning writing skill.
3.1. The Textbook English 10“ ”
The new textbook “English 10” composed by Van, H.V et al (2006) has been in use
since 2006 as the official textbook to learn general English at grade 10. The book consists of
22 units in which there are 16 studying units and 6 revision units. As the book is theme-based,
each unit is relevant to a specific theme and has the following consistent parts: A. Reading, B.
Speaking, C .Listening, D. Writing and E. Language focus. Six revision units were designed in
the form of test yourself so that students can test their ability and knowledge after the
completion of every two or three units (relevant to 10-15 in-class periods). Revision units are
also valuable references for teachers who have to design 45-minute tests for students. In
addition to this, the glossary at the end of the book is a useful list of vocabulary categorized
according to themes including phonetic symbols and meanings.
The writing part includes various tasks that are aimed at developing writing skill of
students on different topics such as: writing a letter, writing a description of a city etc …
Even though, there is a separate part of writing, the skill is still presented integrating with other
skills such as reading and speaking. There are 10 types of exercises that help students to
develop their writing skill
1. Reading the passages for specific words
2. Reading the passages and answering the questions
3. Matching words and phrases
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4. Asking and answering questions
5. Completing a dialogue
6. Group or pair discussion
7. Completing a table
8. Gap-filling
9. Re arranging jumped sentences
10. Completing the sentences using the prompt words
Tasks covered in the book include:

writing skill. As a result, for those teachers teaching writing means giving sample, getting the
class to write about a given topic and collecting the writing for marking. The learning of
writing skill, therefore, is not interesting to students and the teaching and learning are not as
effective as expected.
On the whole, the teaching of the skill just involves the use of the textbook and
teachers rarely look for additional material from other sources.
3.3. Students Language Proficiency, learning methods and strategies of ’
writing skill
Non- major students at grade 10 in Dong Da high school are mostly from Ha Noi. A
small number are from the suburb areas but they have lived in Ha Noi for several years and
“become” permanent residents in the city. All of them have been learning English at secondary
school, using “seven - year text books”. However, the students come from different families
therefore their language proficiency ranges greatly partly due to conditions to learn English,
and many other factors affecting their L2 acquisition such as attitudes, motivation In …
addition, though they may be good at grammar and other skills, many of them can not write
well at high school. This is mainly because their written English is lower than expected.
Finally, at lower levels of education, students are rarely given a chance to obtain feedback
17
from peers and their teachers. Their writing process is seldom paid as much attention as it
deserved.
3.4. Summary
The chapter has presented the description of the text book, the teachers and learners’
profile and their methods and strategies in teaching and learning writing skill. On the whole,
the teaching and writing at non- major class is not as effective and interesting as expected. Due
to a lot of reasons, the teaching of writing skill stays at using the text book. Consequently, the
students face with many difficulties in learning the skill.
The next chapter will address the data collection methods and findings of the study.
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Chapter 4: Data Collection Methods and Findings
In this chapter, the first part is a detailed description of the methods used in the study.

4.2.2.1. Survey Questionnaires
Survey questionnaire is used in this research because it is stated in Grillham (2000: 7)
that questionnaire is a good choice for many researches as it has many prospects such as low
cost in time and money, easy to get information from a lot of people very quickly, less pressure
for an immediate response and more convenience for respondents However, to avoid the …
negative features of questionnaires, written questionnaires for both teachers and students are
designed so carefully so as to avoid misunderstanding and inconvenience to the respondents.
 Survey questionnaires for teachers
The survey questionnaires for teachers consist of 2 parts. In the first part, there are 3 questions
that aim to gain better understanding about personal information of the participants. In the
second part, there are 12 questions in which, two are open- ended questions with tables, one
yes-no question and 9 multiple-choice questions (see Appendix 1 for details)
The questions are attempted to explore the teachers’ methods and strategies in teaching writing
skill, their judgments of the textbook “English 10” as well as the applicability of process
approach in their real teaching.
The questionnaires for teachers were given to 10 teachers during the breaks of the
lessons and collected by the researchers. The number of collected surveys was 10 and all were
used for analysis.
 Survey questionnaire for students
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The survey questionnaire for students consists of 2 parts; the first part is to get general
information about the respondents. The second part includes 9 questions in which there are 2
yes-no questions, two open- ended questions with tables and 5 multiple choice questions (see
Appendix 2 for details). The questions are designed to investigate the learning strategies and
methods of students in learning writing skill. Besides, the questions are also aimed at exploring
students’ judgment on writing tasks and topics in the course book “English 10” as well as the
effectiveness of their teachers’ methods in teaching writing skill.
The questionnaires for students were translated into Vietnamese so as to avoid
misunderstanding. The questionnaires were delivered to 250 students at Dong Da high school
at the beginning of the class time so that they can complete it during the breaks and then, were

Textbook English 10“ ”
1. What do you think about the writing topics and exercises in the textbook “English 10”?
(Question 1 for students and question 1 for teachers)
Comments Teachers
(%)
Students
(%)
Effective 100 78
Not effective 0 0
Interesting 100 66
Not interesting 10 34
Varied 100 87
Not varied 0 0
Relevant 100 81
Irrelevant 0 17
Easy 10 19
Difficult 20 36
Table 1: Comments of the T and S on the topics and exercises in the textbook
According to the result shown in the table, the majority of the subjects indicated that
the topics and exercises in the textbook were interesting and relevant in helping students
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develop their writing skill. All of the teachers (100%) believed that writing topics and
exercises in the textbook are interesting, relevant and varied. However, 20% of them think that
the topics are quite difficult despite the fact that they are interesting enough such as describing
the chart/ table or giving instruction.
As for students, most of them supposed that the topics in the book are varied, effective
and relevant. 36% and 34% of the students say that the topics are difficult and uninteresting
respectively. No one thinks that the exercises and topics are not varied and not effective. This
can be interpreted that the textbook is highly appreciated.
2. What do you think about the writing tasks in the textbook “English 10” in term of

Describing a city 40 46 30 28 30 26 0 0 0 0
Describing chart 30 23 30 35 40 15 0 12 0 13
Other types you use in the
lesson (please specify……
Table 2: Comments of T and S on the writing tasks in the textbook
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According to the result shown in Table 2, there are various views on the effectiveness
of the writing tasks in the textbook, ranging from greatly effective, quite effective, not
effective and don’t know. At the first place, the majority of the teachers and students think that
the following tasks are effective and relevant:
Writing about people’s background
Writing a letter of invitation
Writing a letter of acceptance or refusal
Describing a film
Describing a city
It is suggestable that students seem to favor the tasks that familiar with their real lives
and they can use them right after the lesson into their daily life. However, they also add that
they expect the teachers to use more teaching aids such as film, pictures etc in writing lessons.
Contrary to our expectation, some tasks that receive most support from the teachers such as
writing about advantages and disadvantages of the mass media and describing chart/table turn
out to be least preferable to students. Students might find them confused and difficult in
expressing and organizing ideas as well as choosing appropriate vocabulary.
Furthermore, students have different ideas on the following tasks:
Writing a narrative
Writing a letter of complaint
Writing a letter of confirmation
Writing a formal letter of giving direction
In sum, the result of the first section of the questionnaire has revealed that most of the teachers
and students seem to appreciate the textbook “English 10”. The next sub-section will
investigate their preference of methods and strategies in teaching and learning writing skill.

time
70 10 10 10 0
Encourage students to correct
mistakes themselves and write
many drafts
80 10 10 0 0
Encourage peer-correction 40 20 20 10 10
Teacher corrects a typical
composition
60 20 10 10
Use other teaching aids (radio,
pictures, films )…
0 10 30 60
Give the task only and ask
students to write then collect the
writing for marking
0 30 40 20 10
Table 3: The frequency of use of writing techniques in writing lessons
According to the data presented in Table 3, the following techniques are frequently
used by the teachers:
* Ask students to correct mistakes themselves and write many drafts (90%)
* Teachers correct typical compositions. (80)
* Leave time for students to brainstorm (80%)
* Show students how to express their ideas (80%)
* Ask students to write in limited time (80%)
* Ask students to discuss to develop ideas (70)
* Present vocabulary in topics (60%)
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