MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY
o0o
TRỊNH LINH GIANG
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF GROUP WORK
IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO THE 11
th
GRADERS
AT BO TRACH 1 HIGH SCHOOL
MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY
o0o
TRỊNH LINH GIANG
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF GROUP WORK
IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO THE 11
th
GRADERS
AT BO TRACH 1 HIGH SCHOOL
Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Code: 60.14.01.11
MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION
Suppervior:
Ngô Đình Phương, Assoc. Prof., Ph.D
NGHỆ AN, 2014

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
I hereby acknowledge that this study is my own work. The data and findings
discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission, and have not been published
elsewhere.
Author

data collections instruments are used: students’ and teachers’ questionnaire surveys;
students’ and teachers’ interviews. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were
employed to create a realistic and detailed description of the real teaching context
and the attitudes, assessments of teachers and students involved.
This research investigated the difficulties in using group work activities in
English speaking lessons at Bo Trach 1 high school – Quang Binh province. At the
end of the thesis, some suggestions for conducting group work have been given.
Some newly arising problems were also pointed out for further research.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENT
Content Page
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii
LISTS OF TABLES ix
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Aim and objectives of the study 2
3. Scope of the study 2
4. Research questions 3
5. Organization of the study 3
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 4
2.1. Previous Studies Related to the Topic 4
2.2. Communicative language teaching(CLT) 6
2.2.1. Definitions of CLT 6
2.2.2. Characteristics of CLT 8
2.2.3. Principles of CLT 11
2.3. Speaking skill 14

2.5.9.3. Steps of organizing group work 40
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 43
3.1 Research design 43
3.2 Research methods 43
3.2.1 The teaching and learning situation in Bo Trach 1 high school 43
3.2.2 Participants 44
3.2.3 Methods and procedure of the study 44
3.2.4. The questionnaires 44
3.2.5. Interviews 45
CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSTIONS 46
4.1. Result from students’ questionnaire, interview 46
4.1.1. The attitude of the students toward working in group work 46
4.1.2. The students’ difficulties in using group work activities 51
4.1.3. Students’ desires for the group work activities in English
speaking classes.
55
4.2. Results from teachers’ survey questionnaires 58
4.2.1. Teachers’ opinions about Communicative Language Teaching 58
4.2.2. Teachers’ attitudes towards group work activities in English
speaking lessons
58
4.2.3. Teachers’ difficulties in using group work activities in English 60
v
speaking lessons
4.2.4. Teachers’ techniques in group work activities in English
speaking lessons
63
4.3. Discussions 66
4.3.1. Teachers’ problems 66
4.3.2. Students’ problems 74

61
Figure 4.8. Forming students’ desire in groups 62
Figure 4.9. Students’ opinions about ways improve the effectiveness of group work
activities in English speaking lessons 64
Figure 4.10. Teachers’ current methods 65
Figure 4.11. Teachers’ frequency of using group work activities in English
speaking lessons 66
Figure 4.12. Teachers’ perceived importance of group work activities in English
speaking classes 67
Figure 4.13. Number of students in each class 68
ix
Figure 4.14. Teachers’ difficulties in organizing group work activities 68
Figure 4.15. Factors preventing students’ group work activities participation 69
Figure 4.16. Teachers’ opinions about group work activities in the stages of
English speaking lesson 70
Figure 1.17. Things teachers often do when the students work in groups 72
Figure 4.18. Teachers’ solutions to improve the effectiveness of group work
activities in English speaking classes 72
Tables:
Table 4.1. Forming students in groups 49
Table 4.2. Students’ opinions on the benefits of using group work activities 50

Table 4.3.Activities students wished teachers to select for group work 56
Table 4.4. Activities teachers often selected for group work 64
x
xi
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale:
Nowadays, English has become an international language and a compulsory
subject at schools in Viet Nam. Especially, since Viet Nam became the 150th

along with group work activities to improve my own teaching.
Because of the above reasons, I decided to conduct a study on: “An
investigation into the use of group work in teaching speaking skill to the 11
th
graders at Bo Trach 1 High school”.
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study:
The main purpose of this study is attempts to clarify the reality of
implementing group work activities in English speaking lesson and find out
solutions to improve the situations at Bo Trach 1 High school, Quang Binh
province. To achieve the research goals, I investigate the teachers’ and learners’
reality towards speaking skill and then put the focus on the current difficulties in the
application of group work activities. Then I also make some recommendations for
the teachers of English as reference in their teaching speaking skills with a view to
help students improve their speaking competence. The specific objectives of the
study are:
- To investigate the current situation of using group work activities in teaching
speaking skill at Bo Trach 1 high school.
- To identify the problems and suggested solutions in implementing group
work activities in teaching speaking skill.
1.3. Scope of the study:
Detecting problems in the applying group work activities to improve speaking
skill of students at Bo Trach 1 High school in Quang Binh province and providing
some proposed solutions for speaking skill development.
2
1.4. Research questions:
-What challenges do teachers and students cope with using group work
activities in teaching speaking skill?
-What are suggested solutions in implementing group work activities in
teaching speaking skill at Bo Trach 1 High school?
1.5. Organization of research:

did, focus on designing effective group activities, Designing Effective Group Activities: Lessons
for Classroom Teaching and Faculty Development published by the Professional and
Organizational Development Network in Higher Education, volume 16, 1997. In
this book, the author said that the primary objective of this article was to provide
readers with guidance for designing effective group assignment and activities for
classes and workshop. In doing so, they examined the forces that foster social
loafing in learning group and identify four key variables that must be managed in
order to create a group environment that is conductive for broad based member
participation and learning. They then discussed the impact of various types of
activities and designed to evaluate the effectiveness of group assignments in a wide
variety of instructional setting and subject areas.
4
Another book written by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, Sandi Everlove was Productive
Group Work: How to Engage Students, Build Teamwork, and Promote
Understanding, republished by ASCD in 2009. In this book, educators Nancy Frey,
Douglas Fisher, and Sandi Everlove show readers how to make all group work
productive group work: with all students engaged in the academic content and with
each other, building valuable social skills, consolidating and extending their
knowledge, and increasing their readiness for independent learning. The key to
getting the most out of group work is to match research-based principles of group
work with practical action. Classroom examples across grade levels and disciplines
illustrate how to: Create interdependence and positive interaction; Model and guide
group work; Design challenging and engaging group tasks; Ensure group and
individual accountability; Assess and monitor students' developing understanding
(and show them how to do the same); Foster essential interpersonal skills, such as
thinking with clarity, listening, giving useful feedback, and considering different
points of view. The authors also address the most frequently asked questions about
group work, including the best ways to form groups, accommodate mixed readiness
levels, and introduce collaborative learning routines into the classroom.
Throughout, they build a case that productive group work is both an essential part

The origin of Communicative Language Teaching was found in the changes in
the British language teaching tradition dating from late 1960s (Richards & Rodgers, 1996).
CLT marks the beginning of a great innovation within language teaching because of its superior
principles, which are widely accepted nowadays. In recent years, Communicate Language
Teaching (CLT) has been seen as a major influence on teaching and learning in
many parts of the world. CLT emphasizes the development of learners’ ability and
willingness to use the target language appropriately and accurately for the purposes
of effective communication (Sheils, 1993). So, CLT has extended in scope and
strongly influenced on language teaching practice in Asia, especially, in Vietnam.
2.2.1. Definitions of CLT:
Perhaps the majority of language teachers today, when asked to identify the
methodology. They employ in the classroom, identify “communicative” as the
methodology of choice. However, when pressed to give a detailed account of what
6
they mean by “communicative”, explanations vary widely. Does communicative
language teaching (CLT) mean teaching conversations, an absence of grammar in a
course, or an emphasis on open-ended discussion activities as the main features of a
course?
There are various definitions of CLT by different methodologists. According
to Richards (1998) [27], CLT can be understood as a set of principles about the goal
of language teaching, how learners learn language, the kind of classroom activities
that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom.
David Nunan states that CLT as “a system for the expression of meaning. Activities
involves oral communication, carry out meaning task and using language which is
meaningful to the learners…The learners’ role is as an negotiator and integrator
and the teachers’ role is a facilitator of the communication process”.
In definition of CLT, Littlewood (1981:1) [20] stated that the most
characteristic features of CLT is that it plays systematic attention to functional as
well as structural aspect of language. In other aspects of teaching language, Ho
(2004) cities in Littlewood) show that the most common understanding of the

2.2.2. Characteristics of CLT:
CLT has been popular and widespread in foreign language teaching.
Contrary to the teacher-centered approach, in which teachers are regarded as
knowledge givers and learners as receivers, CLT reflects a more social relationship
between the teacher and learner. This learner-centered approach gives students a
sense of “ownership” of their learning and enhances their motivation (Brown,
1994) [3].
CLT emphasizes the process of communication and leads learners to roles
different from the traditional approach. The role of the learner is negotiator between
the self, the learning process, and the object of learning. Learners are actively
engaged in negotiating meaning by trying to make themselves understood and in
8
understanding others within the classroom procedures and activities (Richards &
Rodgers, 1986) [26]. Teachers also take particular roles in the CLT approach. First,
the teacher facilitates the communication process between all participants in the
classroom. The teacher is also a co-communicator who engages in communicative
activities with the students (Larsen-Freeman, 2000) [19]. In addition, the teacher
acts as analyst, counselor, and group process manager (Richards & Rodgers, 1986)
[26].
In 1971 a group of experts began to investigate the possibility of developing
language courses on a unit-credit system, a system in which learning tasks are
broken down into "portions or units, each of which corresponds to a component of
a learner's needs and is systematically related to all the other portions" (van Ek and
Alexander 1980: 6) [35]. The group used studies of the needs of European language
learners, and in particular a preliminary document prepared by a British linguist,
Wilkins (1972) [36], which proposed a functional or communicative definition of
language that could serve as a basis for developing communicative syllabuses for
language teaching. Wilkins's contribution was an analysis of the communicative
meanings that a language learner needs to understand and express. Rather than
describe the core of language through traditional concepts of grammar and

- An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target
language.
- The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.
- The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language,
but also on the Learning Management process.
- An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important
contributing elements to classroom learning.
- An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities
outside the classroom.
10
CLT is so popular that “no self- respecting teacher, materials designer, or
applied linguist would think of teaching English as anything else.” (Harmer 1982:
164) [15]
2.2.3. Principles of CLT:
Johnson and Morrow (1981) propose a set of five principles of CLT as
criteria to be taken into consideration in developing teaching procedures.
Principle one: Know what you are doing
In real life, people talk to each other because they really want to talk,
otherwise they would be quiet. But people do not talk just for the sake of talking,
they have something to communicate. Therefore, needs and purposes constitute the
nature of communication. Thus, “when organizing communicative activities, we
will try to ensure that these activities share the characteristics of communication”
(Harmer, 1986: 43) [15].
In class, what is taught should be closely related to what the learner is most
likely to perform in real life communication. The activities should give students a
chance to use language and to learn more about the language through using it.
Johnson and Morrow (1981:61) suggest that: “every lesson should end with the
learner being able to see clearly that he can do something that he could not do at the
beginning, and the “something” is communicatively useful”.
Principle two: The whole is more than the sum of the parts.