VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES
ĐOÀN THỊ MINH THÚY
THE USE OF GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES FOR
IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST YEAR
STUDENTS AT THAI NGUYEN COLLEGE OF
MECHANICS AND METALLURGY

Việc sử dụng hoạt động nhóm để cải thiện kỹ năng nói của sinh viên
năm thứ nhất Trường Cao đẳng Cơ khí - Luyện Kim, Thái Nguyên M.A. MINOR THESIS
FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60 14 10 HA NOI – 2012

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration i
Acknowledgements ii
Abstract iii
List of abbreviations iv
List of figures and tables iv
Table of contents v
PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale of the study 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Scope of the study 2
4. Research questions 2
5. Methods of the study 3
6. Design of the study 3
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT 4
Chapter 1: Literature Review 4
1.1. Speaking skill and teaching speaking skill 4
1.1.1. Definitions of speaking 4
1.1.2. Teaching and learning speaking skill 4
1.2. Group work in a speaking lesson 5
1.2.1. Definitions of group work 5

2.2.1.3. Students’ appreciation of the use of group work in the 23
speaking class
2.2.1.4. Difficulties the students have had when working in group work 25
2.2.1.5. Students’ desire for the better group work 26
2.2.2. Teacher survey 29
2.2.2.1. Teachers’ opinions on teaching speaking skill 29
2.2.2.2. Teachers’ opinions on the use of group work to teaching 29
speaking skill
2.2.2.3. How the teachers use group work in their current speaking class 31 vi
2.2.2.4. Difficulties faced by the teachers when applying group work 34
in the speaking class
2.2.2.5. Teachers’ solutions to overcome their difficulties 36
Chapter 3: Findings and recommendations 37
3.1. Findings 37
3.1.1. How much group work was used 37
3.1.2. Problems in applying group work 38
3.1.2.1. Students’ problems 38
3.1.2.2. Teachers’ problems 39
3.1.2.3. Problems concerning classroom conditions 39
3.2. Recommendations 40
3.2.1. Concerning the students 40
3.2.2. Concerning the teachers 40
3.2.3. For the administrator 41
PART 3: CONCLUSION 42
1. Conclusions 42
2. Limitations of the study 43
3. Suggestions for futher study 43

Tables
Table 1: Students’ opinions on the importance of speaking skill
Table 2: Students’ opinions on learning speaking skills in group work.
Table 3: Students’ appreciation of group work for the benefit of speaking skill
Table 4: Teachers’ opinion on teaching speaking skill
Table 5: Teachers’ opinions on the use of group work to teaching speaking skill
Table 6: The ways teachers prepared and the stages teachers used for group work
Table 7: Difficulties faced by the teachers when applying group work in the
speaking class 2
PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale for the study
Today, English has become an international language. It is spoken as a second
language and an official language in many countries, and millions of people speak
English as a foreign language. Besides, English is considered the medium of
communication in many fields such as science, technology, aviation, internet,
commerce, and so on. Therefore learning and teaching English are getting more and
more important to non-native nations of English, Vietnam is not an exception.
In Vietnam, English has been used more and more widely, and it has become the
most popular foreign language in the country. Thus, people have a great concern
about learning English. As a result, English is a compulsory subject at schools and
colleges, and the number of ordinary people learning English nowadays is also on
the rise.
To keep pace with the demand of English usage in our society, learners'
communicative competence as well as learner-centered learning are the prefered of
approaches to foreign language teaching today. However, for a long time, the
teaching of English at The College of Mechanics and Mettalurgy (CMM) was

- To suggest practical recommendations for the possibility of group work in the
speaking class of the 1
st
year students at CMM.
3. Scope of the study
To improve speaking skill of the 1
st
year students at CMM, the researcher intends to
investigate the current situation of using group work in the speaking class of the 1
st
year students at CMM and then making some suggestions for improvement it. The
study was carried out with the participation of 70 first-year students and 8 teachers
of English.
4. Research questions
This study is implemented to find answers to the following research questions:
1. What do the students think of the use of group work activities in the speaking
class of the first year students at CMM?
2. What facilitates and hinders the teachers from using group work in the speaking
class at CMM ?
3. What suggestions for improvement should be used to make group work activities
successful in speaking class of the first year students at CMM? 4
5. Methods of the study
In order to examine the situation of the study, this research used questionnaires. The data
collected from the questionnaires (both for students and teachers), will be analyzed and
generalized.
6. Design of the study
The study has three main parts as follows:

Jones, R (1989:86) who defines speaking as “Speaking is a form of communication,
so it is important that what you say conveyed in the most effective way.” Speaking
is one of the basic skills that must be mastered by students since it is very important
for them to communicate in the class or outside the class. They must practice it
especially in learning teaching in order to be fluent, without an ability to speak, it
would be impossible to have a natural communication among people. Brown and
Yule (1989:14) state in their book. “Speaking is to express the needs request,
information, service, etc.” The speakers say a word to the listener not only to
express what in their mind but also to express what they need. Most people might
spend their everyday life communicating with others. Bygate (1987) claims that
"speaking is a skill which deserves attention as much as the literary skills in both
native and foreign languages". When students speak in a confident and comfortable
way, they can interact better in real daily situations. Because of this, it is necessary
to encourage the development of the students' ability of fluency in spoken English.
Developing fluency implies taking risks by using language in a relaxed, friendly
atmosphere-an atmosphere of trust and support. Speaking fluently, of course,
involves speaking easily and appropriately with others.
1.1.2. Teaching and learning speaking skill
People use oral language as their most means of communication-all people have
developed a form of oral language. Skill and fluency in speaking have dramatic
effects upon life in general. The recent emphasis on communication has focused
particular attention on ways of promoting speaking skills. This is a question of
developing not only language competence but also language use. Speaking activities 6
aim, therefore, to develop the confidence, desire, and ability to use the target
language accurately and appropriately and effectively for the purposes of
communication as well. Teaching speaking is to prepare students to be able to use
language. How this preparation is done and how successful it is depend on how we

opinions. They participate more equally and in most cases they feel free to
experiment and use the language. In group work, the focus is not only on the product
but also on the process and the skills which are activated in order to achieve it.
1.2.2. Types of group work
Davis (1993) divides group work into 3 types:
- Informal learning groups
- Formal learning groups
- Study teams
Informal learning groups are temporary clusterings of the students with a single
class session. Informal learning groups can be initiated, for example, by asking
students to turn to partners and spend several minutes discussing a question the
teacher has raised. The teacher can also form groups of three or five to solve a
problem. Informal learning groups can be organized at anytime in a class of any size
to check on students' understanding of the material, to give students an opportunity
to apply what they are learning, or to provide a change of pace. Informal learning
groups have a short lifetime ranging from a few minutes to the class period. With
informal learning groups, the tasks are generally created quickly, for example, the
teacher may say "discuss the questions with your partners" and have little
explanation.
Formal learning groups are teams established to complete a specific task, such as
perform a lab experiment, write a report, or carry out a project. These groups may
complete their task in a single class session or over several weeks. Typically,
students work together until the task is finished and their work is graded. Formal
learning groups can last several days or several weeks. They require more planning.
They also have greater explanation.
Study teams are long-term groups (usually existing during the course of a semester)
with stable membership whose primary responsibility is to provide members with 8


9
It is hard for the teacher to control these kinds of groups. This can distract the other
groups.
The very bad effect of working in groups is that many passive students or lazy
students let their friends do everything provided that they still have their names in
the group’s result.
Working in group can cause competitions. Most students working in a group
unconsciously perceive the situations as a competition. This generates a destructive
behavior and drains the creative energy of the group. For example, we often
perceive disagreement with our ideas as a put-down. The natural reaction is to
regain our self-esteem, often by trying to sabotage the ideas of those who disagreed
with us. Instead of looking for ways to improve their ideas we chose to destroy
them. Eager to express our own ideas, we may totally ignore what others suggest.
Power-seekers may use ploys such as highlighting flaws in others' arguments,
barbed questions and displays of expertise to show their supremacy. These types of
behavior create an atmosphere which is incompatible with effective problem
solving.
Another disadvantage is that working in group is a relatively slow process
compared with working alone. It requires individuals to come together at an
assigned time, usually for about a long time, and this can cause organizational
problems. It is really time-consuming. It is not only time-consuming for the students
in group but also for the teacher. The teacher needs more time to organize the group
work and control all the members in the group let alone the unsuitable students in
groups which makes the class in disorder.
To conclude, although there are some disadvantages of group work, the advantages
still outweighs. Learning from each other in small groups is much more effective
than from the teacher alone.
(Harmer, 1999:116)


class will be a major factor in its success. Teachers must keep instructions simple,
and use mother tongue if necessary. 11
Present the activity to the class: Teachers can use mother tongue if necessary;
however, try to use English as much as possible because both their explanation and
evaluation activities are very real use of language in a classroom situation. Teachers
should give plenty of examples and students a "trial run".
Monitor the students' performance: While students are working in groups, teachers
must move around the class and to listen to them in order to find out how the
students are getting on. Teachers can also join groups and work as a member.
Teachers should not correct mistakes as a rule, but make a note of them and use
them as the basis of feedback.
Provide feedback: There is a set of ways of providing feedback. For example,
teachers may ask students to give their ideas first before giving their opinion. A
major kind of feedback is often concerned with language. If during monitoring of
the activities, teachers have detected mistakes, they may choose to point these out to
the class afterwards. Alternatively, they may use errors they have noted as the basis
for remedial or further teaching.
Keep a record: It is important to keep a record of the activities teachers have done
with the class, together with any comments on the students' performance. Teachers
should also note down any ideas for further activities which occur to them or
modifications of existing ones.
Donn Byrne (1986:77)
1.2.5.2. The role of each student in group work activities
According to Ruben (1998) students have to implement two kinds of roles in order
to accomplish group goal. They are task roles and group building and maintenance
roles.
Task roles: When working in groups, students work together to gather information,

activities.
1.2.6. Some common activities for group work
Many ESL teachers agree on that students learn to speak in the second language by
"interacting". Communicative language teaching and collaborative learning serve
best for this aim. CLT is based on real-life situations that require communication.
By using this method in ESL classes, students will have the opportunity of 13
communicating with each other in the target language. ESL teachers should create a
classroom environment where students have real-life communication, authentic
activities, and meaningful tasks that promote oral language. This can occur when
students collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task. The list of
some common activities is given below.
Information gap
In this activity, students are supposed to be working in pairs or in groups. One or
two students have the information that other partners do not have and they will
share information. Information gap activity serves purposes such as solving a
problem, collecting information. Each partner plays an important role because the
task cannot be completed if the partners do not provide the information the others
need. This activity is effective because everybody has opportunity to talk
extensively in the target language.
Discussion
This activity is often used in the new textbook. In this activity, the students may aim
to arrive, may aim at a conclusion, share ideas about an events, find solutions in
their discussion groups. Before the discussion, teachers have to set the purpose of
the discussion activity. In this way discussion points are relevant to this purpose, so
that students do not spend their time chatting with each other about irrelevant
things. For efficient group discussions, it is always better not to form large groups,
because quiet students may avoid contributing in large groups. The group members

on the behalf of their team. They are so competitive while playing because they
want to have a turn to play, to score points and to win. In the class, students will
definitely participate in the speaking activities.
Problem solving: Problem-solving activities as well as others are utilized in the
class to facilitate communicative skills. The students are often in groups, then they
talk together to find out a solution for a problem or task given. The problem solving
activities stimulate the students to talk and to listen to the others.
Drama: Drama is a more formalized form of role-play and simulation, with a pre-
planned story line and script. Sometimes small groups may prepare their own short
dramatization of some event, writing the script and rehearsing the scene as a group. 15
But they are time consuming and rarely can form part of a typical school
curriculum.
Projects: Mainly for young learners who can greatly benefit from hands-on
approaches to language, certain projects can be rewarding indeed. For example, the
teacher choose a topic on environment, various small groups could each be doing
different things: Group A creats an environmental bulletin board for the rest of the
school; group B develops fact sheets; group C make a threee dimensional display;
group D puts out a newsletter for the rest of the school; group E develop a skit, and
so on.
Opinion exchange: Opinion exchange is a difficult teachnique for students to deal
with at the beginning levels of proficiency, but by the intermediate level, certain
techniques can effectively include the exchange of various opinions. Sometimes,
opinions are appropriate; sometimes they are not. In opinion exchanges, the teacher
must assure all students in the class that, while there may be disagreement on issues,
all opinions are to be valued, not scorned, and respected, not ridiculed.
1.2.7. How to design group work activities effectively
1.2.7.1. Forming students in groups

Description of
the method
Students are
randomly
selected in
groups
Students form their
own groups
Students are
selected in
different groups
based on criteria
(e.g. mark, skill )
Students are
selected in groups
based on their
preference for a
particular topic.
Advantages of
the method

- Easy to
manage
- Students
find it fair

Students have their
own choice, so they
find it easy to work
in groups

- Can be time-
consuming.

- Selection bias,
may not break up
fiends.
- Group size is
affected as there
are two few or two
may nominations
for a particular
topic.

Although there are a set of way forming group, it can be reported that there is no
fixed rule to form students in group. Teachers had better try different ways at 17
different occasion in order to find out the most suitable one which helps his students
to work most effectively in such groups.
1.2.7.2. Preparing for students to work in group
When working in groups, many students often experience the feeling of having
nothing to say on the subject, which will certainly be an obstacle for communication
process and make them feel inhibited or less confident to speak in group work.
Therefore, preparing students well for the group work must involve the pre-teaching
of the relevant language. Teachers also explain to students why they are doing
activities of this kind. One thing important is that teachers should assist their
students to generate some ideas through mini discussion or through brainstorming.
1.2.7.3. Monitoring group work activities
When discussing monitoring group work, Jaques (1984) says that it is essential that

teaching and learning it. Then it gives the theories relating to the groupwork
activities in teaching and learning speaking skill such as definitions of groupwork,
advantages and disadvantages of using group work activities, discussion on the
roles of the teachers and students , emphasis on effective groupwork activity design
in speaking lessons. 19
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2.1. Design and methodology
2.1.1. The setting of the study
The College of Mechanics and Metallurgy (CMM) is a technical college which
trains skilled workers and practical engineers of engineering and metallurgy for the
whole country. It is located in Thai Nguyen - a northern mountainous province.

Speaking skill at our college is considered to be so important that any student has to
take an oral exam at the end of each semester which includes 2 parts (individual
response and discussion). Discussion part is more emphasized. In this way, students
have the opportunities to personalize the English language they have learnt, making
full use of their own knowledge and experiences to express their own ideas and
opinions.
2.1.2. Data collection instrument
The survey questionnaire is one of the most effective instruments for collecting data
in social science. Advantages of using questionnaire which Gillham (2000)
highlights are: less pressure on respondents, not under pressure of interview bias
and analysis of answer is straightforward. The researcher used the survey
questionnaire as the main sources to fulfill its aims. Two sets of questionnaires were
designed to investigate the teachers’ and the students’ opinion about the use of
group work in the speaking classes of the 1
st
year students at CMM. Clear
instructions were given when the questionnaire was administered.
The first is the questionnaire for students which includes 11 questions written only
in English, was administered to the 70 first year students .The questionnaire was
divided into 5 main parts:
Part 1: Students’ opinion on speaking. (Questions 1,2).
Part 2: Students’ opinions on learning speaking skills in group work (Question 3).
Part 3: Students’ judgment of the use of group work in their speaking class at
CMM. (Questions 4, 5, 6).