VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES
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VƯƠNG THI ̣ THU HUYỀN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN
GROUP WORK AT LUU NHAN CHU HIGH SCHOOL
( NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỰ THAM GIA HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM CỦA HỌC
SINH TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT LƯU NHÂN CHÚ)

M.A. MINOR THESIS

Field : English Language Teaching Methodology
Code : 60.14.10

HaNoi, 2012


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES
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VƯƠNG THỊ THU HUYỀN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN
GROUP WORK AT LUU NHAN CHU HIGH SCHOOL
( NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỰ THAM GIA HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM CỦA HỌC

- Table 1:Ways teachers often use to group students
- Table 2: Problems group work can cause
- Table 3: Factors affecting the success of group work most
- Table 4: What the teacher should do to make group work successful in an
English lesson.
- Table 5: Characteristics of the students participating in the language learning survey
- Table 6: Students’ opinions about suitable skills for group work
- Table 7: The ways students grouped by their teachers
- Table 8: Students’s preparation for group work
- Table 9: Students’ opinions about factors affecting the success of group work most

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ..................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND CHARTS .................................................... iv
Part A: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1
1. Rationale. .................................................................................................... 1
2. Aims of the study. .......................................................................................... 2
3.Scope of the study. .......................................................................................... 2
4. Research questions of the study. ................................................................... 2
5. Methods of the study. .................................................................................... 3
6. Design of the study........................................................................................ 3
Part B: DEVELOPMENT..................................................................................... 5
Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND. .................................................. 5
1.1.




1.3.

Concepts of students’ participation in group work. ............................ 14

1.4. Summary. .................................................................................................. 15
Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................... 16
2.1. Context of the study. ................................................................................. 16
2.1.1. Description of English syllabus at Luu Nhan Chu High school. ................ 16
2.1.2. Description of the students at Luu Nhan Chu high school. ........................ 16
2.1.3. Description of the teachers at Luu Nhan Chu school. ................................. 17
2.2. Methodology and design of the study. ..................................................... 17
2.2.1. The participants. ................................................................................................ 17
2.2.2. Research questions............................................................................................. 18
2.2.3. Research methods. ............................................................................................. 18
2.2.4. Research instruments. ....................................................................................... 18
2.2.4.1. Survey questionnaire. ................................................................. 18
2.2.4.2. Classroom observation. .............................................................. 19
2.3. Presentation of statisical results. .............................................................. 19
2.3.1. Questionnaires. ................................................................................................... 19
2.3.2.

Classroom observation................................................................................. 33

Chapter 3: FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS. ................................................. 35
3.1. Findings. .................................................................................................... 35
3.1.1. What are the difficulties in organizing group work at Luu Nhan Chu high
school? 35
3.1.1.1. Difficulties from teachers. ........................................................... 35

many fields such as politics, business, international conference, education or just
everyday communication.
However, the results of the English learning are not very good. Vietnamese
teachers of English may not have applied the teaching method in effective ways. For
many years, we taught English in a traditional way in which teacher played the role of
the knowledge provider and the students were the passive knowledge receivers.
However, with the help of the communicative approach in language teaching, we are
now paying more attention to the role of students in the class. We begin to realize the
importance of students‟ interaction. We begin to teach English in a more natural way
by putting it in real communicative situations. The teachers are now trying to organize
communicative activities in English classes, among them, group work, key features of
learner- centered orientation- has received more emphasis because of a number of
advantages it brings about.
Group work creates more opportunities for students to work with each other by
exchanging their ideas and, therefore, learning so many things from their partners.
Participating in group work makes students confident and creative in learning English.
It also helps students overcome shyness.
Group work brings advantages not only for the learners but also for the teachers.
First of all, it saves time. Instead of asking individual student to practice a structure or
answer the questions, the teacher can divide the class into groups and make them do
the exercise at the same time.

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Being a teacher of English at Luu Nhan Chu High School, the researcher is well
aware of the importance of using group work in English classes. However, like many
school teacher in Viet Nam, we still face with common problems coming from
teachers, students, classroom condition when organizing and using group work. This
led me to the choice of the study: “ An investigation into students’ participation in

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By means of qualitative method: the author has to refer to different materials,
lectures, former researchers and relevant issues related to group work and
teaching and learning English to gain more knowledge of the subject matter and
to come to the final conclusion.

-

By means of quantitative method: all comments, remarks, recommendation
assumption and conclusion provided in the study based on the analysis of the
statistics from the survey questionnaires conducted with students and teachers of
Luu Nhan Chu High School.
In addition, the researcher also used class observations with the hope that two

methodologies supplemented each other so that the data could be more reliable.
6. Design of the study
This study consists of three parts:
Part A: Introduction: presents rationale, aims, scope, research questions, methods
and design of the study.
Part B: Developments: consists of three chapters.
Chapter 1: Theoretical background: reviews the theory of CLT, group work and
students‟ participation in group work.
Chapter 2: Methodology: provides an analysis on the current situation of using
group work in teaching and learning English at Luu Nhan Chu High school. Data
collection and analysis are also presented in this chapter.
Chapter 3: Findings and suggestions: focuses on how the teachers at Luu Nhan
Chu High School organized group work, difficulties faced by them and their students

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competent in a speech community”.
Another theorist frequently cited for his views on the communicative nature of
language is Henry Widdowson. In his book Teaching Language as Communication
(1978),Widdowson presented a view of the relationship between linguistic systems
and their communicative values in text and discourse. He focused on the
communicative acts underlying the ability to use language for different purposes.
Littlewood (1984) consideres an alternative learning theory that he also see as
compatible with CLT-a skill-learning model of learning. According to this theory, the
acquisition of communicative competence in a language is an example of skill

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development. This involves both a cognitive and a behavioral aspect.
The cognitive aspect involves the internalisation of plans

for creating

appropriate behaviour. For language use, these plans derive mainly from the language
system- they include grammatical rules, procedures for selecting vocabulary,and social
conventions governing speech.
The behavioural aspect involves the automation of these plans so that they can
be converted into fluent performance in real time. This occurs mainly through practice
in converting plans into performance.

(Littiewood 1984: 74). This theory thus

encourages an emphasis on practice as a way of developing communicative skills
(Richards 1986).
With CLT, students are given the language they need to deal with real

There are many definitions about group work:
Adrian Doff ( 1988: 137) defines group work as a process that “ the teacher
divides the class into small groups to work together ( usually four or five students in
each group), all the groups work at the same time”.
According to Richards ( 1983: 189), group work is an essential activity because
the kind of interactions produced in group activities has been shown to be
quantitatively as well as qualitatively different from that which goes on in the teacherdominated lessons.
Clearly, group work is a co- operative activity, during which students share aims
and responsibilities, moreover, they have chance for greater independence as they take
some of their own learning decisions, without the teacher controlling every move. And
they can work without the pressure of the whole class listening to what they are doing.
They learn to listen to different opinions. They feel free to experiment and use the
language, and the most important thing is they have many chances to interact with each other.
1.2.2. Advantages and disadvantages of group work
1.2.2.1 The advantages of group work
According to Hubert Skrzynski, group work plays an important role in teaching
and learning Engish because of several advantages as follows:
- Increase in the amount of student practice: When students work in group they have
more chances to practise. Group work drammatically increases students talking time

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and students‟ participation.
- Increase in the students’ confidence: Students who are shy of speaking in front of
the whole class, or to the teacher, often find it much easier to express themselves in
front of a small group. For teachers, because there are more than two people in a group,
there is a greater chance of different opinions and varied contributions than in working
individually or in pairs, it frees the teacher from her traditional role of “ an expert who
always lectures” and allows her to wander freely round the class, leading and

-

Select the activity.

-

Prepare materials.

-

Anticipate the size and the selection of groups.

-

Anticipate how students will be organized within the groups (tasks and roles).

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Consider the timing of the group.

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Consider how the small group will be shared with the entire class and linked
with the overall curriculum.

1.2.3.2. Steps in classroom
* Selection of activity
An activity that is best suited for group work may meet the following criteria:
-


having students count 1, 2, 3, etc., with each numbers representing a group) or
selecting groups on the basis of birth date.
In a non random selection, groups will be selected based on the teachers‟ prior
knowledge. Usually, groups are selected to maximize diversity within the group, since
diversity enhances learning. Such groups often have a balance of girls and boys, and
students with differing ability levels. Teachers can also use their best judgement about
personality mixes that would enhance the work of the group.
Sometimes groups are organized only for one activity. Other times, teachers use
the same small groups for a series of activities, so that students get used to working
with one another.
If the tables and chairs cannot be moved for group work, then students can form
groups by turning around in seats to face their partners behind.
* Organization of students within the group
A laissez- faire approach to group work would be that the teacher gives a
general assignment to the group- like organizing a research project on „qualities of
good leaders‟- and the students are left to organize themselves.
A highly structured approach would be that the teacher assigns a specific role to
each group member. A semi- structured approach might be that the teacher recommend
certain roles, but leaves it to the group to assign roles.

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A more structured approach, with rotation of tasks within a group, is often used
with younger children. A less structured approach can be used with students with
experience in group work or for simple tasks that do not require that students take on
different roles.
* Group work timing
The teacher should anticipate student questions about timing, the task results,
sharing with the whole group, and so on. After giving clear instructions to the students,

An alternative procedure is to go round the class watching and listening to
specific groups. The teacher can stay (with their agreement) for a period of time and
then intervene if we think it is appropriate or necessary, always bearing in mind the
difference between accuracy and fluency work
When students are working in groups the teacher has an ideal opportunity to
work with individual students whom they feel would benefit from their teachers‟
attention. They also have a great chance to act as observer, picking up information
about students‟ progress.
* After : When groups stop working together the teacher needs to organise feedback.
The teacher wants to let them discuss what occurred during the group session and,
where necessary, add their own assessments and make corrections.
Where groupwork has formed part of a practice session, our feedback may take the
form of having a few groups quickly demonstrate the language they have been using.
The teachers can then correct it, if and when necessary, and this procedure will give
both those students and the rest of the class good information for future learning and action.
Finally, it is vital to remember that constructive feedback on the content of
student work can greatly enhance students‟ future motivation. The feedback the
teachers give on language mistakes is only one part of that process.
1.2.4. Difficulties in organizing group work and suggested solutions
When teachers organize groupwork, they encounter some difficulties.

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1.2.4.1.Difficulties :
According to Andy Hoodith- Saitama University, there are three main
difficulties while working in pair and group.
* Space : The furniture in the class is fixed, the teachers and students can not change
or have no time to do it. Sometimes the class is too crowded (with more than 50
students in a small room), there is no space for them to move. Thus group work proves

1.3.

Concepts of students’ participation in group work
Students‟ participation can be identified in terms of three kinds of interaction :

students to their teacher, students to students, and students to materials.
The interaction between students and their teacher includes care, contact, cooperation between them in the class. Students who have a good interaction with their
teacher always participate in the class discussion, support each other and act as the
teacher‟s requirement. Thus, participation not only means attending the class regularly
and on time but also taking part in the lesson actively or showing desire or being
active. Students become self- centered in the class activities.
The interaction between students and students is set up through their discussion
in small groups. They work together, help each other, and learn from each other. A
good interaction involves their co- operation and contribution to the task given.
Students feel pleasant and comfortable when they work together, then they will do their
best to complete the task.
Students‟ participation also includes the interaction between students and
materials. Clearly, students will be active and pay more attention to the lesson if they
are interested in the material or the task given. In other words, good and interesting
materials can get students involved in the lesson. Students will find it difficult to
participate in the class activities if they do not understand the tasks or feel bored with
them. ( Ellis, 1994 : 178).
In short, students‟ participation is concerned with their activeness in the lesson,
their success in completing the class activities and their attention to what is happening
in the class.

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1.4. Summary

textbook, students‟ communicative competence can be developed and they can know
more real things from daily life. Students are required to work in group to practise
English everyday. Moreover, they have chances to listen to native speakers from the tapes.
At the end of the course, students have basic knowledge of English, especially
grammar, also they can communicate with foreigners by using many different types of
conversations.
2.1.2. Description of the students at Luu Nhan Chu high school
To be 10th form students at Luu Nhan Chu High School, all students have to
take an entrance exam, like many other students in Viet Nam. They are all from
different, poor countryside in Dai Tu District. They have learnt English for four years
at secondary school. However, their English language proficiency is very low. And

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their levels are not the same in general. At Luu Nhan Chu High School, students have
to spend three years to learn Engish to develop their four skills in order to get general
certificate of education. Like other main subjects, English is taught three periods and
one optional period per week. Students have four fifteen minute tests, two forty- five
minute tests for each term and two final examinations.
2.1.3. Description of the teachers at Luu Nhan Chu school
If students are the most important factor in the learning process, teachers are the
most important factor in the teaching process. In Luu Nhan Chu High School, there are
9 teachers of English language aged from 25 to 31. All of them are very young and
there is only one teacher has ever been to a foreign country. Of 9 teachers, 7 have been
trained at Thai Nguyen college of Education, one has been trained from Hue university
and one has been trained at Ha Noi University of foreign study. There are only two
teachers are learning to get M.A degree. Because of the young age and lacking of
experience, all teachers at Luu Nhan Chu High School find difficult to be familiar with
new teaching method in which the use of procedures that develop the four language

4. How to organize group work in English class more effectively for improve
fours skills to students at Luu Nhan Chu high school?
2.2.3. Research methods
In order to get the needed information the researcher uses two following
research methods:
1. Questionaires
2. Class observation
2.2.4. Research instruments
2.2.4.1. Survey questionnaire
The survey questionnaire is considered as one of the most effective instruments
for collecting data in social science. Because of the advantages of questionnaire such
as: less pressure on respondents than interview and straight forward analysis of answer
, this study used the questionaire as the main source to fullfill its aims. There are two

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types of questionnaires: one for teachers and one for students. Each of them has ten
questions. The questionnaires are mainly used for exploiting teachers‟ and students‟
knowledge, experience, their attitude toward group work.
2.2.4.2. Classroom observation
Besides questionnaires, classroom observation is another tool to collect more
information about the reality of the application of group work activities in teaching and
learning English. Observation is carried out in different classes. The researcher has to
design the Class Observation sheet before observing classes. The classes observed
must be from grade 10 to 12 and with all 8 teachers of English in Luu Nhan Chu High
School and they should not be prepared especially for being observed. They must be
done in normal way. And the researcher must not do anything to interfere the class
while observing.
2.3. Presentation of statisical results