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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES
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LÊ LAN HƯƠNG

TEACHING ESSAY WRITING TO THE 10TH FORM
STUDENTS AT NGUYỄN MỘNG TUÂN
HIGH SCHOOL, THANH HÓA PROVINCE:
DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS
(Dạy viết bài luận cho học sinh lớp 10 trường THPT Nguyễn Mộng

Tuân, tỉnh Thanh Hóa: Những khó khăn và giải pháp khắc phục)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Languge Teaching Methodolgy
Code: 60.14.10

HANOI - 2013


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES
-----***-----

LÊ LAN HƯƠNG


TABLE OF CONTENTS

iv

LIST OF TABLES

vii

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1

1. Rationale of the study

1

2. Objectives of the study

2

3. Research questions

2

4. Methods of the study

2

5. Significance of the study


1.1.3. What is an essay and its parts?

7

1.1.4. Types of essays

10

1.1.5. Stages of writing an essay

11

1. 2. Approaches to teaching writing

13

1.3. Summary

15

CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY

16

2.1. The research context

16
iv



20

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

21

3.1. Data analysis

21

3.1.1. Data analysis of teachers‟ survey questionnaire

21

3.1.2. Data analysis of students‟ survey questionnaire

29

3.2. Data analysis of interviews

34

3.3. Data analysis of classroom observation

35

3.4. Findings and discussions

35



3. Suggestion for further studies

45

REFERENCES

46
v


APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1

I

APPENDIX 2

V

APPENDIX 3

VIII

vi


LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Teachers‟ opinion about the importance of writing
Table 2: Reasons of teaching writing to the 10th form students

teaching writing is not an easy job. One of the teachers‟ challenges in high school
education is to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for Vietnamese students to
write English essays effectively. In high school context, where exposure to English is
typically limited to three periods each week, students receive little practice in writing in
English, only one period (45 minutes) per unit. Most teachers are not satisfied with
reading and giving feedback on their students‟ essays because many essays are nonsense,
lack of ideas or even the content of some essays is very similar to each other, especially
when they write about the same topic. Conversely, students are not interested in learning
essay writing. They tend to translate ideas from mother tongue into English, express ideas
in long sentences, and are not aware of different kinds of writing, which leads them
unable to write in real life. Because of limited background knowledge, they often feel
bored when doing written work, especially when lacking support and motivation from
teachers.
I have been teaching writing to the 10th form students at Nguyễn Mộng Tuân high
school with the textbook “Tiếng Anh 10” for two years, and I encountered many
difficulties in the writing lessons. Therefore, the situation encouraged me to carry out the
study “Teaching essay writing to the 10th form students at Nguyễn Mộng Tuân high
school, Thanh Hoa province: Difficulties and solutions” with the hope of improving the
teaching and learning essay writing for my colleagues and my students.

1


2. Objectives of the study
The primary purpose of this study is to explore teachers‟ perception of the
importance of teaching essay writing to the 10th form students at Nguyễn Mộng Tuân high
school.
The second aim is to investigate teachers‟ difficulties in teaching essay writing to
the 10th form students with the new textbook “Tieng Anh 10” at Nguyễn Mộng Tuân high
school.

collect information about their views of writing difficulties and causes of them.
Classroom observation is used to record more information from teachers.

5. Significance of the study
The significance of this study is to reveal that problems teachers of English at Nguyễn
Mộng Tuân high school encounter when they teach essay writing to the 10th form
students. The study is intended to find out how the teachers cope and manage their
problems in order to help the 10th form students at Nguyễn Mộng Tuân high school to
write better. Also, this study is carried out with the hope that its findings can give some
suggested solutions for English high school teachers so that they can have teaching
practice better in writing lessons.

6. Scope of the study
The study is conducted at Nguyễn Mộng Tuân high school in order to recognize
difficulties in teaching and learning essay writing skills of both the teachers and the 10 th
form students with the new textbook “Tiếng Anh 10”. On the basis of findings, some
suggested solutions were advanced to further improve teaching essay writing to students.
Within its scope, the study is limited only to the 10th form students at Nguyen Nguyễn
Mộng Tuân teaching context.

7. Organization of the study
This thesis has 3 main parts: introduction, development and conclusion.
The introduction presents the rationale, objectives of the study, research questions,
methods of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, organization of the
study, which offers readers an overview of how the research idea is generated.

3


The development consists of 3 chapters.

skill that is readily picked up by exposure” (Tribble, 1996: 11).
As for Byrne, one of several authors on writing skills, gave a long and complex definition
of writing: “When we write, we use graphic symbols that is letters or combinations of
letters which relate to the sounds we make when we speak. On one level, then, writing
can be said to be the act of forming these symbols; making marks on a flat surface of
some kind. The symbols have to be arranged according to certain conventions, to form
words and words have to be arranged to form sentences.” (Byrne, 1991:1).
In other words, it can be said that writing is encoding of a message of some kind that is,
we translate our thoughts and ideas into language. So, in a way, writing represents our
thoughts and ideas. What one thinks leads to one‟s writing in the form of sentences and
by organizing the sentences into a cohesive text where we are able to communicate with
our readers successfully.

5


After considering some different views of writing, let‟s see how to write a good paragraph
and then an essay.
1.1.2. From paragraph to essay
Before a student starts writing essays, they should be taught how to write a good
paragraph. Langan (1999) defined “A paragraph is a series of sentences about one main
idea, or point. A paragraph typically starts with a point, and the rest of the paragraph
provides specific details to support and develop that point.”
A paragraph is made up of 3 kinds of sentences (the topic sentence, supporting sentences
and the concluding sentence that develop the writer‟s main idea.
The topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph, and it also limits the topic to one
or two areas that are discussed completely within one paragraph. It briefly indicates what
the paragraph is going to discuss. For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful guide to
both the writer and the reader. The writer can see what information to include. The reader,
then, can see what the paragraph is going to be about and is, therefore, better prepared to

- Gold, a precious metal is prized for two important characteristics
And here are the concluding sentences:
- In short, if you are fearless and in good physical condition and can react quickly, river
rafting is the ideal outdoor sport for you.
- In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for it utility.
Indeed, a good paragraph contains five elements: a topic sentence, supporting sentences,
possibly a concluding sentence, unity, and coherence. Unity means that in a paragraph a
writer concentrates on one main idea, which is very often stated in the first sentence of a
paragraph, and this idea is developed into further detail with the help of supporting
details. After the students know how to write a good paragraph, they start developing the
entire essay.
1.1.3. What is an essay and its part?
An essay has been defined in a variety of ways.
According to Wikipedia, an essay is “typically a short piece of writing, usually from an
author‟s personal point of view. Essays are non-fiction but often subjective; while
expository, they can also include narrative. Essays can be literary criticism, political
manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of
the author.”

7


Langan (1999) described that an essay does the same thing a paragraph does: it starts with
a point, and the rest of it provides specific details to support and develop that point.
However, a paragraph is a series of sentences about one main idea, or point, while an
essay is a series of paragraphs about one main idea, or point- called the central idea. In
other words “An essay is a group of paragraphs that develops one central idea” by
Smalley and Ruetten (1986).
Oshima and Hogue (1991) gave a similar definition of an essay: “An essay is a piece of
writing several paragraphs long instead of just one or two. It is written about one topic,

should take the time now to make our lives more meaningful in an increasing impersonal
world.
Of the three parts, the longest part should be the body. To connect the three parts of an
essay, the use of transitional signals is also important.
Transitions are words or phrases that link one idea to the next; they are signals which
help the reader follow your thoughts. Transitions are used to connect ideas within
paragraphs and when leading from one paragraph to the next. Transitions fall into several
categories. The following seven categories list transitions for some of the most common
situations in writing:
To show a time relationship: First, second (etc.); First of all, then, next, after that, finally.
To add an idea or example: in addition, also, another, furthermore, moreover, besides,
similarly, for example, for instance.
To add an opposite idea: On the other hand, however, but, Although, even though
To show comparison: Similarly, likewise, also, and
To show cause-effect: Therefore, thus, consequently, as a result, so, Because, since,
To show conclusion: In brief, all in all, indeed, in other words, in short, in the end.
To clarify: in other words, for instance, that is, put another way
Example of using transitions:
“Betty goes to the Writing Center every Tuesday and Thursday. Consequently, her
English grades have improved dramatically. After two months of tutoring, Betty became
an English tutor. In addition, she visits the math lab every Friday. However, her math
grade has not improved as much. Therefore, she will continue to get help with her math
homework.”

(Fawcett, Susan, and Alan Sandberg. Evergreen: A Guide to Writing)

9


“In addition” signals that Betty goes to The Math Lab and The Writing Center.


everyone go to college?; Are we too dependent on computers?; Should cigarette smoking
be banned?; etc.
Unlike Fawcett and Sandberg, Smalley and Ruetten (1986) gave out only 5 types
of essays with different names: Example essay, comparison and contrast essay,
classification essay, process analysis essay, cause-and-effect analysis essay and
argumentative essay. In Cause-and-Effect essay the writer identified the causes of a
phenomenon, a problem or something or predicted its good or bad effects.
Although there are many types of essays, there are only four major types while
others types are variations from of the four. They are persuasive essays, comparative
essays, narrative essays and expository essays. A comparative essay asks that you
compare at least two (possibly more) items. These items will differ depending on the
assignment. Though the assignment may say “compare,” the assumption is that you will
consider both the similarities and differences; in other words, you will compare and
contrast. The category of expository essay is also known as explanation or illustrative
essay in academic writing because it is commonly used to elucidate and clarify a concept,
a situation or a thought or notion. An expository essay explains a topic in an authoritative
manner. For instance, if you are writing about the film industry, you would narrow your
topic to a specific aspect of this industry and create an essay structure that explains that
aspect thoroughly. The content of the essay is intended to inform the reader.
1.1.5. Stages of writing an essay
Raimes (2005) suggests that the writing process consists of planning, drafting and
revising. However, Brandon (2005) presents a writing process of only three main steps:
prewriting; organizing and developing support; and writing, revising and editing.
Although there are many terms and patterns used in the writing process, the core
elements are similar. According to Pornpan Boonpattanaporn (2007), they can be summed
up as prewriting, writing, revising and editing. Prewriting is the first stage of writing
which helps students to generate ideas and prepares them to write an essay. At this stage,
all ideas are preliminary and subject to change. Techniques for generating ideas for essays
suggested by Wyrick (2002), Trimmer (2004), Brandon (2005) are free-writing or

by instructors might not be enough to help students improve their writing ability. In order
to assist students to overcome difficulties, it is necessary to examine what students

12


actually think and do when they write. The results can reveal their strengths and
weaknesses and will give opportunities for instructors to advise and provide assistance
regarding their writing practice in a more practical and flexible way, leading to a more
supportive classroom environment.
1. 2. Approaches to teaching writing
There are various approaches to teaching writing that are presented by Ann Raimes
(1983) as follows:
1.2.1. The Controlled to Free Approach:
In 1950s and early 1960, the audio-lingual method dominated second language learning
which emphasized on speech and writing through mastering grammatical and syntactic
forms.
Here, the students are given sentence exercises, then paragraphs to copy or manipulate
grammatically. These controlled compositions then followed by correction of errors, so
that it can lead to the free composition. Overall, this approach focuses on accuracy rather
than fluency.
1.2.2. The Free-Writing Approach:
This approach stresses writing quantity rather than quality. This focuses on fluency rather
than accuracy. It is based on the principle that if once ideas are there, the organization
follows. Thus, teachers may begin their classes by asking students to write freely on any
topic without worrying about grammar and spelling for five or ten minutes. The teacher
does not correct these pieces of free writing. They simply read them and may comment on
the ideas the writer expressed. Alternatively, some students may volunteer to read their
own writing aloud to the class. Concern for “audience” and “content” are seen as
important in this approach.

the content of what they write in their drafts. As such, writing becomes a process of
discovery for the students as they discover new ideas and new language forms to express
them. A writing process approach requires that teachers give students greater
responsibility for, and ownership of, their own learning. Students make decisions about
genre and choice of topics, and collaborate as they write.
There are different points of view on the number of stages comprising the writing process.
Byrne (1991) suggests the following as a representation of the stages of writing: Listing
ideas, making an outline, writing a draft, correcting and improving the draft, and writing
the final version. As for Ron White and Valerie Arndt, they are keen to stress that
“writing is re-writing; that re-vision – seeing with new eyes – has a central role to play in

14


the act of creating text”. In their model, process writing is an interrelated set of recursive
stages which include: Drafting, structuring (ordering information, experimenting with
arrangements, etc.), reviewing (checking context, connections, assessing impact, editing),
focusing (that is making sure you are getting the message across you want to get across),
and generating ideas and evaluation (assessing the draft and/ or subsequent drafts).
Oshima and Hogue (1991) mentions four stages of writing such as pre-writing, planning,
writing and revising draft, and writing the final copy to hand in.
Pre-writing is the first stage in the writing process. There are two steps namely choosing
and narrowing a topic and brainstorming. Planning (outlining) organizes the ideas the
learners generated by brainstorming into an outline. There are three steps on planning that
is: making sublists, writing the topic sentence, and outlining.
In writing and revising draft stage, a writer does three steps: writing the first rough draft,
revising content and organization, and proofreading the second draft.
Writing the final copy to hand in is considered as the final activity in a writing process, a
writer has to rework the written drafts and polish them for the presentation or publication.
During the writing process, students engage in pre-writing, planning, drafting, and postwriting activities. However, as the writing process is recursive in nature, they do not

teachers are often asked to explain every new word, new structure and even to translate
the text into Vietnamese. Our students are usually passive in the learning process.
The rest were trained to teach English based on the new teaching method, communicative
approach. From my perspective, their interests in teaching are so varied, not all of them
are really devoted to their teaching job.
2.1.2. The students at Nguyễn Mộng Tuân high school
The 10th form students at Nguyen Mong Tuan high school are sixteen years old and have
learnt English, including writing skills, for four years at secondary schools, their English
knowledge is still limited.
As a matter of fact, they are beginners of English. Besides, they have no clear
determination on English learning goal except few students who take English
examinations into universities and colleges. Apparently, applying teaching approaches
and using teaching methods should be taken into account in order to foster and develop
their writing skills efficiently.

16


2.1.3. Writing lessons in the new textbook “Tiếng Anh 10”
The new „Tiếng Anh 10‟ is the fifth volume which succeeds a new series of English
textbook from grade 6 to grade 9. It is designed to develop students‟ communicative
language skills including listening, speaking, reading, and writing via different interesting
and well- designed units. The new „Tiếng Anh 10‟ consists of 16 units of six themes
which are related to many aspects of daily life: You and Me, Education, Community,
Nature, Recreation, and People & Places. Each unit presents a topic and is divided into
5 main parts: reading, speaking, listening, writing, and language focus.
Owing to the new syllabus, each writing lesson makes up 20 % of 86 periods of the
English syllabus. Although each lesson is not clearly divided into stages: Pre-writing,
While- writing and Post- writing, it can be easily noticed that the initial tasks are a
preparation for the final task. There are totally 16 units, so 16 writing lessons are designed

7. The Mass Media

Writing about advantages and disadvantages of the mass media

8. The story of my village

Writing an informal letter: giving directions

9. Undersea world

Describing information from a table

10. Conservation

Writing a letter of invitation

11. National parks

Writing a letter of acceptance or refusal

12. Music

Writing a profile

13. Films and cinemas

Describing a film

17


First, the questionnaire for teachers consists of 10 questions written in English to find out
teachers‟ perception of difficulties teachers encounter in teaching essay writing to the 10th
form students based on the textbooks „Tieng Anh 10”, and their recommendations for
improving it.
Next, the questionnaire for students consists of 8 questions written in Vietnamese with the
hope to find out students‟ opinions on the writing skill, students‟ assessment of writing
topics and activities based on the textbook „Tieng Anh 10”, the causes that lead to
students‟ difficulties in learning essay writing and students‟ assessment of inappropriate
teacher pedagogical methodology, and their expectations for better study.

18


In 2 survey questionnaires above, the respondents were asked to answer and tick the
closed-questions; however some questions have more than one option.
Instrument 2: Interviews
The second research tool employed in this study was informal interview questions for
teachers. There are 5 interview questions for teachers in English in attempt to explore
further the teachers‟ background, their understanding of teaching essay writing at Nguyen
Mong Tuan high school, and their difficulties in teaching essay writing. While
formulating the interview questions, the interviewer made sure that the questions were
clear, precise and motivating.
Instrument 3: Classroom observation
In order to clarify the information from the questionnaires and interviews about the
difficulties that they are facing, the researcher observed some classes. From these
observations, the researcher got a deep understanding about teaching and learning essay
writing to the 10th forms students at Nguyen Mong Tuan high school.
2.2.3. Procedures of data collection
The data of the research was collected by means of questionnaire, interviews and
classroom observation.