VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
………… o0o…………
PHÙNG THỊ THU HẰNG A STUDY ON USING GROUPWORK ACTIVITES TO IMPROVE
SPEAKING SKILL FOR THE MEMBERS OF AN ENGLISH CLUB
AT VUNG CAO VIET BAC HIGH SCHOOL

Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng các hoạt động nhóm để nâng cao kỹ năng nói cho các
thành viên của Câu lạc bộ Tiếng Anh ở trường PT Vùng Cao Việt Bắc MA. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111
SUPERVISOR: HOÀNG THỊ XUÂN HOA, PhD
HANOI – 2014

i
DECLARATION

I certify that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of this
thesis has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution.
Phùng Thị Thu Hằng


iii
ABSTRACT

This research generally attempts to investigate using groupwork activities to
improve speaking skill for students in the English club at Vung Cao Viet Bac High School
(VCVBHS).
The study has been conducted for the purpose of clarifying how groupwork are
used in speaking lessons of the students in the English club at VCVBHS and investigating
the difficulties of using groupwork activities in teaching and learning speaking skill for
students of the English club at VCVBHS. The data were obtained through the analysis of
students’ questionnaire, interviews with four English teachers who are controlling directly
the English club. The findings of the research revealed that groupwork activities were
frequently used to improve the speaking skill. The use of groupwork activities were also
beneficial for both teachers and learners. However, the study also found out some students’
difficulties such as low proficiency, their passive way of learning styles, using Vietnamese
when working in groups…, and some teachers’ difficulties in using groupwork activities in
such as lack of time, large and multi-level classes,…The author also gave some

v
LIST OF TABLES

TABLES

Table 1: Students’ opinions on learning English speaking skill
Table 2: The teachers’ frequent use of groupwork activities
Table 3: The students and teachers' opinions on benefits of groupwork activities
Table 4: Organization of groupwork activities in speaking activity

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationales of the study 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Significance of the study 2
4. Research questions 3
5. Scope of the study 3
6. Methods of the study 3
7. Design of the study. 4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5
1.1. Speaking skill 5
1.1.1. Nature of speaking skill 5
1.1.2. Concepts of speaking (spoken language) 5
1.1.3. Characteristics of speaking 6
1.2.4. The importance of speaking skill in language teaching and learning context . 7
1.2. Group work in a speaking lesson 8
1.2.1. Definitions of group work 8
1.2.2. How to organize group work activities effectively 9
1.2.2.1. Forming students in groups 9
1.2.2.2. Preparing for students to work in group 10
1.2.2.3. Monitoring groupwork activities 10
1.2.2.4. Ending groupwork activities 10
1.2.3. Benefits of using groupwork activities in language teaching 11
1.2.4. The role of the teacher and the role of each student in groupwork activities 12
1.2.4.1. The role of the teacher 12
1.3.4.2. The role of each student in groupwork activities 13

vii

4.2.2. Teachers’ difficulties 32

viii
4.3. Some recommendations to make groupwork activities effective and successful in
speaking lessons and to help students to improve speaking skill. 33
4.4. Summary 34
PART C: CONCLUSION 35
1. Conclusions 35
2. Limitations of the study 36
3. Suggestions for further research 37
REFERENCES 38
APPENDICES I
APPENDIX 1 I
Survey questionnaire for students I
APPENDIX 2 IV
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS IV
areas in the northern of Vietnam. Maybe they were good at grammar but they have a lot of
difficulties in speaking English. They feel shy when they speak and they do not have a lot
of chances to practice English in communication or for interaction in their daily life that is
why speaking this language has not had the best result. Therefore, it is necessary to help
the students of English club at Vung Cao Viet Bac high school to have more chances to
communicate with each other as well as to speak to each other in a so-called close-to-real
English speaking condition. One of the strategies that reflects the principle of learner - 2
centeredness is groupwork activity. According to Nunan and Lamb (1996 : 142) group
work is designed as any classroom activity in which learners perform collaborative tasks
with one or more speakers. It has been considered one of the main changes to the dynamics
of classroom interaction wrought by students-centered teaching. They hope that by using
this teaching method, they can help their learners improve their English and use it
effectively and fluently in communication.
The effort of this thesis is trying to determine effective methods in teaching
speaking skill for learners and to help students to improve speaking skills. Having students
work in groups not only makes them more involved in learning but also give them
opportunities to practice foreign language. There are many reasons for choosing the study
but the above reasons are the main ones that encourage the researcher to choose the thesis:
“A study on using groupwork activities to improve speaking skill for the members of an
English club at Vung Cao Viet Bac high school”
2. Aims of the study
This study is aimed at investigating the reality of the use of groupwork activities in
speaking activities of the members in the English club at VCVBHS. To be specific, the
aims of the study are:
+ To clarify how groupwork activities are used in speaking lessons of the students in
the English club at VCVBHS.
+ To investigate the difficulties of using groupwork activities to improve speaking

speaking activities of the English club, some difficulties the teachers and the students face
when using groupwork , and then suggesting some recommendations to make groupwork
activities more effective and successful in speaking activities as well as help students in the
English club at VCVBHS to improve their speaking skill. In addition, the data for the study
are collected among fifty students in English club and four teachers of English who are
responsible for controlling the English club at VCVBHS.
6. Methods of the study
This study employs a both quantitative and qualitative research methods in order to
get a more detailed and comprehensive picture about what is investigated. In this study,
qualitative data is gained from semi-structured interviews and quantitative data is achieved
from questionnaire. The questionnaires were designed for 50 students in the English club
and semi-structured interviews were carried out in the form of informal conversation
between the researcher and the four teachers who are directly controlling the English club.
For the purpose of data collection, a set of questionnaire was designed to gather the
students’ opinion on the group work activities to improve their speaking skills. By using
questionnaire, the privacy of the respondents was protected and the students were able to
provide an honest response to facilitate the study. Also, time was arranged efficiently when
questionnaire was used as the respondents intended for the study could be reached without
difficulty. The questionnaire was prepared in Vietnamese language so that the students 4
could respond based on their understanding of the statements. Most of the time, the
researcher had to repeat the instructions in Vietnamese language so that every student can
understand before starting their activities. Thus, the reliability of the instrument was
increased as the students could provide feedbacks or responses as accurately as possible.
Interviews were conducted with four English teachers after the groupwork activities
were carried out in class. The interviews were semi-structured, whereby twelve questions
were prepared before the interview and some additional questions were asked on the spot.
The researcher prepared twelve relevant questions to gather information and support the

language, particularly, brings about its own prerequisites: exposure, consolidation,
motivation as well as acknowledgment. Whether we realize it or not, these determinant
factors can be made to exist in a supportive learning environment ESL classroom.
To beginners, speaking activities can appear more demanding and even threatening
than plain writing. Compared to writing as an academic skill, you can expect a bigger
audience for speaking. The audience may also be encouraging or vice versa. Well-behaved
and attentive audience may be supportive of learners' attempt to speak; nevertheless,
distracting members will only dampen their spirit to try and speak up.
As much as learners may dread speaking in a group or in front of the class,
speaking as a skill is essential for acquisition and participation purposes. Nowadays, every
profession requires some extent of communicative competence and interpersonal skills.
The nature of speaking at the workplace presents itself in various forms: discussions,
presentations, negotiation, and even debates. Professions like medical doctors and IT
specialists also require communication with clients, not to mention teaching, journalism,
politics, and public relations. In other words, ESL speaking class in this competitive era
will have to do more than pair work speaking practice by the middle of the semester.

1.1.2. Concepts of speaking (spoken language)
Speaking is of the most fundamental of human communication, and because we do
it constantly. Different linguists have different concepts of speaking but they all agree with
this idea.
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English (2009), speaking is “the
action of conveying information or expressing one’s thoughts and feelings in spoken 6
languages”. While Brown (1994) defines speaking as an interactive process of constructing
meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information.
Speaking is, however, a skill, which deserves attention as much as literary skills.
Our learners often need to speak with confidence so as to carry out many of their most

7
use appropriate activities for practice and suitable approaches to teach speaking. Moreover,
students themselves get benefits from those activities.
Lastly, speech has its own skills, structures, and conventions different from written
languages. A good speaker synthesizes this array of skills and knowledge to succeed in a
given speech act.
In a nutshell, it is undeniable that speaking is the key to communication. Speaking
skill owns particular characteristics which differentiate it from other skills. By considering
what good speakers do, what speaking tasks can be used in class, and what specific needs
learners report, teachers can help learners improve their speaking and overall oral
competency.

1.2.4. The importance of speaking skill in language teaching and learning context
Speaking, along with the other three skills including listening, reading and writing,
help learners learn a language most effectively. Good speaking skills help people
communicate the fastest and the most effectively.
Many language learners consider speaking ability the measure of knowing a
language. As for them, fluency is the ability to converse with others much more than the
ability to read, write or comprehend oral language. They regard speaking as the most
important skill they can acquire and they assess their progress in terms of their
accomplishments on spoken communication. Therefore, if learners do not learn how to
speak or do not get any opportunities to speak in the language classroom, they may soon
get de-motivated and lose interest in learning. On the contrary, if the right activities are
taught in the right way, speaking in class can be a lot of fun, raising general learners’
motivation and making the English language classroom an enjoyable and dynamic place to
be. Penny Ur (1996) points out four features of a successful speaking activity. They are
learners’ attendance, learners’ participation, motivation and appropriate language level.
With the criterion “learner-centered learning”, in a speaking practice lesson, teachers only
play the role of facilitators and supervisors while students are encouraged to talk most of
the time allotted to speaking activities. Secondly, learners’ even participation also decides

It is said that, in group work, students learn to listen to different ideas, learn to discuss and
to negotiate. They take part in equally and sometimes they feel comfortable to experiment
and speak the language. Every member has more opportunities for independence and they
can have some learning decisions. David (1993) shows that groupwork activity consists of
three general types. The first one is informal learning group. The second one is formal
learning group. The last one is the study teams. From these definitions of group type, the
first one is more suitable for the term "groupwork activities" described in this study. This 9
means that learners are required to have small groups from 3 or more members to work on
a speaking task.
It can be clearly seen that group work is a cooperative activity in which the students
work at the same time, sharing ideas and responsibility and independently have their own
ideas which contribute to the group work’s success without every minute observation from
the teacher and other students.

1.2.2. How to organize group work activities effectively
1.2.2.1. Forming students in groups
According to Byrne in Longman Handbook for Language Teachers, the group size
should be worked out in the relation to the total number of students in class. Usually, a
group of 3 to 5 is appropriate in speaking lessons. Teachers can form groups themselves,
normally on the basis of the mixed class ability (i.e. good and weak students together),
since as a rule learners do help one another. Sometimes, teachers want the students to work
together on tasks which have been selected to suit their abilities. It means that teachers
form students of more or less equal ability, so that they will be free to give their attention
to those who most need help. Byrne also suggests that each group should have an
identifying label (i.e. name or number) and set position in the classroom to work in so that
when students are asked to work in groups, they can do so with the minimum fuss and
delay. Usually group work will involve some re-arrangement of the classroom furniture.

 extending activity
 encouraging thinking
 managing conflict
It is important for teachers to actively monitor group work. Teachers should make sure that
students work together and do not exclude anyone. Teachers are always cooperative and
willing to give help if their students ask. In brief, in order to make groupwork activities
effective, teachers should serve as a monitor, a modeler, a coach and a facilitator at the
same time.
1.2.2.4. Ending groupwork activities
To sustain students' motivation to involve in the groupwork activities, it is
necessary that teachers should know how to end groupwork effectively. Therefore, after
students have finished their task, teachers should ensure that groups' performance is
accessed and that the groups know their members are doing who needs more assistance in
completing the task and lazy students need to know they cannot let others do all the work
while they sit silently. Giving groups an opportunity to evaluate other groups' performance 11
is also important. This creates competition among groups and each member of the groups
tries their best to work effectively to become the winner.

1.2.3. Benefits of using groupwork activities in language teaching
There are many sorts of activities in speaking lesson. They are discussions,
dialogues, etc. These activities are often used in group work and have a lot of advantages.
Firstly, students' responsibility and autonomy are promoted through groupwork
activities. All students work together, share their ideas, and always want to reach the goal
in group activities. In addition, one of their main tasks is being in charge of their
groupwork activities. Every learner is in charge of his own and each others' speaking, so
there is a friendly help and high personal interdependence between them. Doff states:
Group work and pair wok encourage students to share ideas knowledge. In a reading

students' speaking skill.

1.2.4. The role of the teacher and the role of each student in groupwork activities
When students work in groups, teachers must assist them. These are some of the
things they have to do:
1.2.4.1. The role of the teacher
In Communicative Language Teaching, the teacher has the roles of a guide, an
instructor, an organizer, an assessor, a prompter and a participant (Hammer, 1991). When
carrying out group work, even though the students are more independent, the teacher still
plays an important role in conducting( designing) the tasks, analyzing the need. The
teacher will be of great help for the students as the group members interacting with each
other as well as helping them with the difficulties.
According to Cross (1992:54), the teacher is the manager of an activity who must plant it,
organize it, start it, monitor it, time it and in the end conclude it. The teacher in the
groupwork activities is not the free one but the one who is active with assisting,
supervising and monitoring…the group. The teacher is not only at the beginning or the end
of the learning process but from beginning to the end of it. The teacher is:
- activity selector: This is very important because the teacher has to create activities
that fit the students' skills and abilities, assign group tasks that allow a fair division of
energy as well as set up "competitions" among groups.
- instructor so that the students will be not misleading.
- performance controller. While the students are working in group, this is the time
for the teacher to help, to assist them with the knowledge and may be tackling the
difficulties they have with the group. 13
- group evaluator. In the group work, the teacher not only evaluates the whole
group work but also each member of the group. If the teacher has good comments on each
group’s performance, this helps a lot because it is both good for the students and the

14
situations through jesting. As a follower, he accepts the ideas of the others in a passive
role.
Leader roles: Each group should have its own leader. If the student is appointed the leader
of the group by the teacher or his friends or he may volunteer, he will serves as a link
between the group and the teacher and among group members. It means that his function is
not to dominate the group but to coordinate the group members' activities.

1.3. Summary
In this literature review, the writer presented different basic issues relating to
speaking skill and groupwrok activities that set the theoretical background for the current
study. Some understandings about speaking skill were presented first. Next the writer has
paid attention to concepts of speaking and characteristics of speaking belonging to one of
the language learning strategies. And then, she presented definition of groupwork, how to
organize groupwork effectively and benefits of using groupwork activities in language
teaching. Finally, she gave the role of the teacher and the role of each student in groupwork
activities.
Also in this chapter, the writer found that speaking skill and groupwork activities play an
important role in teaching and learning English. Especially, groupwork activities has been
used widely because of its value in improving students’ speaking skill,
students’creativeness and autonomy as well as in helping teachers have successful and
effective lectures. With these mentioned aspects, the researcher set the basic theoretical
background related directly to the study and research questions she is developing and
synthesized the data and results collected during research time.

cooperative tasks.
In short, The English Club is a place for students to use English in a fun
environment. In the English Club, the students will have the opportunities to practice many
different skills based on real situations and to personalize the English language they have
learnt, making full use of their own knowledge and experiences to express their own ideas
and opinions.