VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT
VŨ THỊ HẢI HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF
THE BENEFITS OF GROUP WORK TO THEIR
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: A SURVEY
RESEARCH IN NGOC TAO HIGH SCHOOL

(Nhận thức của học sinh phổ thông về lợi ích
của hoạt động nhóm đối với việc học tiếng Anh:
Nghiên cứu khảo sát ở trường THPT Ngọc Tảo) M.A. MINOR THESIS Field: English Methodology
Code: 601410

Hanoi, 2009


iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration i
Acknowledgements ii
Abstracts iii
Lists of abbreviations vi
Lists of tables vi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Scope of the study 2
4. Research questions 2
5. Method of the study 2
6. Design of the study 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
2.1. Learner beliefs about language learning 4
2.1.1. Definition of beliefs and learner beliefs 4
2.1.2. The necessity of studying learner belief in language teaching 4
2.1.3. Studies on learners’ beliefs 6
2.2. The role of group work in language teaching 8
2.2.1. Definition of pair work and group work 8
2.2.2. Types of group work 9
2.2.3. The role of group work in language teaching and its benefits 9
2.2.3.1. The role of group work in language teaching 10
2.2.3.2. Benefits of group work 10
2.2.3.2.1. Group work creates classroom atmosphere 10
2.2.3.2.2. Group work motivates learners and increases their confidence 11
2.2.3.2.3. Group work increases students’ participation and their talking time 11
2.2.3.2.4. Group work fosters learners’ responsibility and independence 12
2.3. Limitations of group work 12

5.3. Limitations of the study 37
5.4. Suggestions for further studies 38
REFERENCES 39
APPENDIX I

vi
LISTS OF TABLES

Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards group work (G.10) 19
Table 2: students’ attitudes towards group work (G.11) 20
Table 3: Students’ attitudes towards group work (G.12) 21
Table 4: Students’ attitudes in three grades 10, 11 and 12 22
Table 5: Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.10) 23
Table 6: students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.11) 23
Table 7: Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.12) 24
Table 8: Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.10, 11 and 12) 25
Table 9: Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G.10) 26
Table 10: Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G.11) 26
Table 11: Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G. 12) 27
Table 12: Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G.10, 11 and 12) 28
Table 13: Activities that students would most prefer to do in group (G.10) 29
Table 14: Activities that students would most prefer to do in group (G.11) 29
Table 15: Activities that students would most prefer to do in group (G.12) 30
Table 16: Activities that students would prefer to do in groups (G.10, 11 and 12) 31
Table 17: Students’ opinions of the main benefits and limitations of group work 32
to their English learning according to grades

LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS
G.10: Grade 10
G.11: Grade 11

familiar with the traditional teaching method in which their teacher plays a role as a
knowledge provider; and students only do the task like a machine without creativeness as
well as activeness. Thus, when group activities are applied in class, I realize that not many
students are eager to this activity or in other words, group work is not very efficient in
large classes.

2
Why some students are eager to group work and the others are not? And what do they
perceive of the benefits of group work to their English learning? These questions have
drawn my interest in carrying out the current which focused on the investigation of high
school students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work.
2. Aims of the study
The study is carried out with the aims at:
- Surveying students’ attitudes towards group work using in their English lessons;
- Investigating students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work to their English
learning;
- Giving some suggestions to increase the effectiveness of group work to students in Ngoc
Tao High School. It is hoped that the study will be useful for teachers and students in
general and for those in my school in particular.
3. Scope of the study
Group work is widely used in almost high schools. However, due to the time and length
constraint of the study, the author only focuses on surveying students in Ngoc Tao High
school (grade 10, 11 and 12) to find out their perceptions of the benefits of group work to
their English learning.
4. Research questions
To reach the aims of the study, the following questions are given:
1. What are high school students’ attitudes towards group work in their language
learning?
2. What do the students perceive of the benefits of group work to their English
learning?


2.1. Learner beliefs about language learning
As mentioned above, group work is one of the important activities that enhance learners’
participation in class. Group work motivates learners in their language learning. Learners’
success in language learning depends on a number of factors. Among them are learners’
needs, their motivation as well as their attitudes towards learning a foreign language. To
understand more about this, an overview of learner beliefs about language learning is
necessary.
2.1.1. Definition of beliefs and learner beliefs
 Belief: According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, belief is defined as a
thing that one accepts as true or real. Another definition of belief provided by
Horwitz (1987) is a statement that is held to be true, that affects language learning
practices
 Learner belief: Language learners hold a set of beliefs concerning language
learning and these beliefs may influence the way they learn, even though the beliefs
are not always explicitly stated.
According to Richard & Lockhart (1996), learners’ belief system covers a number of
aspects, including beliefs about the nature of English, the speaker of English, the four
language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), teaching activities, language
learning, appropriate classroom behaviour, their own ability and the goals for language
learning.
Huang (2006) states that learner beliefs of language learning include beliefs about the time
needed to attain fluency, the relative difficulties of language, the right age to start language
learning, the roles of grammar, vocabulary and communication in language learning and
other aspects of the learning process.
2.1.2. The necessity of studying learner belief in language teaching

5
For recent years, foreign language teaching and learning have shifted from teacher directed
instruction to student-centred learning. Therefore, many researchers have raised their


6
have better understandings of their learners’ needs as well as their expectations in order to
help them acquire a new language more easily.
Studying learners’ beliefs is not only necessary for teachers but also for learners
themselves. To emphasize the importance of learners’ beliefs in language learning, Huang
(2006) considers that learner beliefs of language learning are of critical importance to the
success or failure of any student’s effort to master a foreign language (p.62). Horwitz
(1988) also shares the same points with Huang. She admits that “knowledge of students’
beliefs provides teachers with better understanding of their students’ expectation of,
commitment to, success in, and satisfaction with their language classes” (p.283)

In conclusion, studying learners’ beliefs is necessary in language teaching. It helps the
teacher have better understandings of learners’ needs, their motivation as well as their
attitudes towards language learning. The teacher is therefore able to control his or her
teaching method to meet learners’ needs and improve the efficiency in language teaching.
2.1.3. Studies on learners’ beliefs
In the literature of language teaching and learning, there are numerous studies that deal
with learners’ beliefs. One of the earliest studies on beliefs about language learning was
that of Horwitz (1985). She conducted her research among students and instructors at the
University of Texas at Austin, using an instrument BALLI (Beliefs About Language
Learning Inventory) to assess students’ beliefs about learning a new language and found
out that some of the beliefs held by learners have effects on their learning. Later, many
other researchers explored beliefs about language learning among English language
students in different contexts (for example, in Taiwan, (Yang, 1992); in Korea (Park, 1995;
Truit, 1995); in New Zeland (Cotterall, 1995); in China (Wen & Johnson, 1987), in Brazil
(Barcelos, 1995), etc. (cited in Bernat, p.42)
Not only learners of English but also learners of other languages have been taken into
account. Nikitina (2006, p.210) has reviewed a number of researchers who conducted
study on learners’ beliefs among students of different languages such as Horwitz (1988)

learners of German, French and Spanish. The findings showed that the learners seemed to
be generally optimistic about language learning and somewhat underestimated the
difficulty of language learning. 34 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed that
learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of learning a lot of new vocabulary words,
29 percent that it is mostly a matter of learning a lot of grammar rules; 50 percent believed
in the existence of foreign language aptitude, and 35 percent of them stated that they had
that aptitude, (cited in Peacock, p.127). According to Horwitz, if students believe that

8
language learning means learning vocabulary and grammar rules, they will spent most of
their time memorising vocabulary lists and grammar rules rather than doing the tasks their
teacher plans for them (p.289). Apparently, learners’ beliefs have great effects on their
strategy for language learning.
In summary, studying on learners’ beliefs seems to appeal to researchers. Great deals of
researchers are interested in the differences in learners’ beliefs in different cultural
backgrounds. Some of them paid their attention to the factors that affect learners’ beliefs.
Some concentrated on learners’ beliefs in learning vocabulary and grammar rules. So far,
there has been no study on learners’ beliefs about group work. Although there are a
number of researches about group work in Vietnam, learner’s belief in group work is not
mentioned therefore, there may be unilateral points of view about group work from the
teacher’s perspective. Thus, this study is an attempt to explore high school students’
attitudes toward group work especially their perceptions of the benefits of group work to
their language learning. The author hopes that it will be useful for those who care about
this field.
2.2. The role of group work in language teaching
2.2.1. Definition of pair work and group work
Related to pair work and group work, there exist different definitions. Doff, A. (1988)
defines pair work and group work as follows:
“In pair work, the teacher divides the whole class into pairs. Every student works with his
or her partner in pairs, and all the pairs work at the same time”, (p.137)

language in a less threatening environment; small groups are groups of three or four
students, no more than five to six students maximum, work best. The smaller the groups
are, the less intimidated the students are. The less skilful the group members are, the
smaller the group should be (cited in Davis, 1993)
2.2.3. The role of group work in language teaching and its benefits
2.2.3.1. The role of group work in language teaching
In language teaching, group work plays an important role. On the one hand, it helps
teachers facilitate the teaching process. On the other hand, group work helps improve the
effectiveness of the lesson. Macdonald (1997) (cited in Tessa Woodward, 2001) states that
there are four main reasons why he used group work with students at Sheffied Hallam
University:

10
- Collaborative work in group involves students in more active learning rather than
passive receptivity;
- It enables wider choice which helps to increase motivation;
- He can set tasks which are too big for individual students to tackle alone;
- The excitement of finding out new things, playing with ideas, making connections
with other ideas and beginning to make personal sense of the world’s works best in
groups.
Cottrel (2001) believes that small group work provides an opportunity for developing a
wider range of skills, such as team skill, listening, speaking, offering and receiving
feedback, etc. He also considers that group work allows teachers to rest their voices and to
engage in more varied sets of activities. Thanks to group work, teachers are supposed to
develop a wide range of skills than that required simply to deliver information, and to work
more creatively.
Following is a review of the benefits of group work, which include the creation of a
conductive classroom atmosphere, increase of students’ motivation and confidence as well
as their participation and talking time, and the fostering of learner independence.
2.2.3.2. Benefits of group work

their mistakes; they seem to be afraid of being asked by the teachers but they feel “secure
in working with partners” (p23). When being encouraged by other members of the group,
these learners may find it easier to express their own ideas.
2.2.3.2.3. Group work increases students’ participation and their talking time
According to Ly (2001), when students work in groups, they are more involved in the task.
In other words, group work can encourage individual contributions to problem solving
tasks, which may be more difficult to achieve when students work individually.
Apart from this, when working in groups, learners will have more chances to speak and
express their ideas rather than in individual work. It is also coincident with the point which
Harmer (1991) stated. He claims that students’ talking time and their opportunities to
communicate with each other will be increased through group work (p.245). It is
understandable when in a large class, learners have a little time to communicate with each
other. It is impossible for the teacher to call all learners in a forty- five minute period. As a
result, learners do not have enough time to practise what they learn. Thus, group work is a
good way to unload the teacher’s job as well as to give learners more chances to practise.
2.2.3.2.4. Group work fosters learners’ responsibility and independence

12
Another benefit of group work is related to learners’ responsibility and independence. Ur
(1996) states that “group work fosters learners’ responsibility and independence”
(p.232).What Ur denotes is reasonable because the learners’ level in a group varies from
one to another. Therefore, the task of the group should be divided carefully based on each
member’s ability. Each member will have to be in charge of his or her own part. Giving
task is also a good way to avoid the dependence of some lazy learners on other members of
the group. Thus, it can enhance learners’ responsibility and independence.
In summary, group work has some major benefits. First, group work create classroom
atmosphere. Second, it motivates learners and increases their confidence. Next, group work
makes learners more involved in the lesson and creates more chances for them to speak.
Last but not least, group work plays an important role in fostering learners’ responsibility
and independence. Thus, if group work is used effectively, it will facilitate teaching and

or switch to the use of mother tongue whenever a problem arises. Thus, while groups are
carried out, the teacher should go around and help learners if they have any questions and
encourage them to use the target language as much as possible.
2.3.3. Unequal distribution of work in groups
Beside the above factors, group work also makes chances for lazy learners to be even lazier
(Byrne, 1986, p.79). While group work brings advantages for some learners, it is also the
others’ disadvantages. This is due to the unequal contribution of group’s members; one
member may dominate the task for the whole group. This may be a good chance for lazy
learners to chat or to do private things without being realised by the teacher. To solve this
problem, the teacher should divide the group carefully and a leader of the group should be
chosen to control the activity in their own group.
2.3.4. Classroom discipline problems
Another limitation of group work is that teachers often have to deal with difficulties in
controlling the class. There may be problems of discipline from time to time because “all
the groups work at the same time” (Doff, 1988, p.137)). The teacher, therefore, cannot
control over what learners are doing. To prevent these activities from getting out of
control, a clear instruction of the task from the teacher should be introduced before learners
start so that learners will know exactly what they have to do.
To sum up, group work has some major limitations such as it is time consuming; noise and
mistakes also arise. Moreover, the use of mother tongue in class is rather popular in using
group work. Otherwise, it is also a chance for lazy learners to chat or to do other things in
stead of discussing the task. The difficulty in classroom management is another problem

14
that all the teachers often encounter in group activity. However, the teacher should be
active and flexible in organising the class in order for all groups to work; minimise the
limitations and increase the effectiveness of group
2.4. Studies on the use of group work
As mentioned above, group work plays an important part in language teaching. Therefore,
it attracts a great attention from various researchers both in the world and in Vietnam.

composition of working groups and choice of working partners; and (ii) students’
perception of their own learning from team activities. Findings revealed different points of
view from students. In the case of the former, a significantly larger proportion of students
seemed to be concerned that a fruitful working relationship would prevail than with the
likely success on the learning tasks. Students also believed that their working groups
should be placed in terms of interest orientation of members. This suggested that students
appreciated the helpfulness of expertises’ presence in group learning. In the case of the
latter, most of the students considered that their team activities had been successful in
terms of generating a solution to learning problems and also as a method of learning.
However, a significant minority of students felt that their own personal learning benefit
from group work had been rather low.
Although there are a number of studies related to the field group work by researchers in the
world, there has been not much research on the issue. Despite my efforts, I could manage
to identify very few studies on group work undertaken in Vietnam.
A study mentioned by Bac (2005) considered that large classes in Thai Nguyen University
were facing some challenges with communicative activities. Her study, therefore, was
aimed at examining the impact of two techniques, group work and questioning, on
students’ participation in communicative activities in large classes. Findings showed that
these two techniques strongly increased the students’ active participation. Students in the
experimental groups were positive and appreciative to the new techniques.
Another study related to the field of group work was by Nam (2006). In his study, he
investigated the benefits of using group work in teaching writing to second year students at
Hanoi Agricultural University. The study was carried out with the participation from
fifteen English teachers and over one hundred second year students from his own
University. Findings from questionnaires and observations showed that using group work
in writing skill had positive effects on students’ attitude and motivation and it also
improved their writing skill
Huong (2006) claimed the use of pair work and group work in speaking lessons for the first
year students at National Economics University. Fifteen Vietnamese teachers and two


teachers. Their way of teaching still follows a traditional method, which is mainly focused
on grammar rather than communication skills. Students’ learning and their real English
ability should be taken into account. Facts have shown that the majority of students have
not high results in English because their level of English is still low. In addition, the
students themselves do not consider English to be as important as other subjects like Math,
Physics or Chemistry, etc. Therefore, they do not spend much time in English learning.
This somehow affects students’ attitudes towards English learning as well as their English
ability.
As in many other high schools, English is a compulsory subject. The text books used for
students are English 10, 11, 12 (new series of text books- basic programme). Students have
three English lessons every week with 45 minutes per period. With the limited time in each
period and the high number of the students in each class, it is difficult for English teaching
and learning to be effective. Group work using is, therefore, restricted or in other words
this activity seems to be not efficient in English lessons in my school.
3.2. The rationale of using the survey method

18
When doing a research, one often chooses a suitable approach to collect data. Surveys are
widely used for collecting data in most areas. According to Cohen and Manion (1985),
surveys are the most commonly used descriptive method in educational research, and may
vary in scope from large scale investigations though to small scales studies carried out by a
single researcher. The purpose of a survey is generally to obtain a snapshot of conditions,
attitudes, and/ or events at single point in time.
In survey research, the researcher does not “do” anything to the objects or subject research,
except observe them or ask them to provide data. The result of the research is the data
collected from people or things without altering anything.
3.3. The participants
The total number of the students participated in the survey is 150 from three grades 10, 11
and 12, among which there are 69 males and 81 females. 50 students are from class 10A1
(26 males and 24 females); 50 are from 11A1 (23 males and 27 females) and the rest are

Agree
(%)
Disagree
(%)
Neutral
(%)
1. Group work helps me more self- confident in study
82 %
16%
2%
2. Group work makes me inhibited
18%
80%
2%
3. Group work makes me more motivated in English
learning
84%
12%
2%
4. I participate in groups actively
76%
20%
4%
9. I dislike group work because it consumes my time
14%
86%
0
Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards group work (G.10, N = 50)
According to the results shown in table 1, most of the students (82 %) agreed and strongly
agreed that group work helped them feel more confident in their study, 16 % did not agree

12%
0
2. Group work makes me inhibited
12%
86%
2%
3. Group work makes me more motivated in English learning
82%
14%
4%
4. I participate in groups actively
78%
20%
2%
9. I dislike group work because it consumes my time
10%
84%
6%
Table 2: students’ attitudes towards group work (G.11; N= 50)
As can be seen from table 2, a great deal of the students chosen (88%) answered for
question 1 that they felt more confident when working in groups while 12% of the
respondents did not feel so.
Concerning question 3, most of the students (82 %) said that group work motivated their
study a lot while 14 % answered that they did not get motivation from group work. 4 %
chose the category “neutral”.
Regarding question 4, more than two thirds of the sample (78 %) agreed that they often
participated in group work actively. Besides, nearly a quarter of them (20%) admitted that
they did not join in groups. 2 % gave his or her neutral answer.