VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
---oOo---
TRẦN THỊ THANH HOA
STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN GROUP WORK
ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES AT A
HIGH SCHOOL IN PHU THO PROVINCE
(NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỰ THAM GIA CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM
TRONG GIỜ HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH
Ở MỘT TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG Ở PHÚ THỌ)
M.A MINOR THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01
Hanoi - 2019
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
---oOo---
TRẦN THỊ THANH HOA
STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN GROUP WORK
ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES AT A
HIGH SCHOOL IN PHU THO PROVINCE
(NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỰ THAM GIA CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM
TRONG GIỜ HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH
Ở MỘT TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG Ở PHÚ THỌ)
M.A MINOR THESIS
: English Teaching Methodology
Field
Code
: 8140231.01
Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Lê Văn Canh, PhD
Hanoi - 2019
DECLARATION
Title: “ STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN GROUP WORK
ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES AT A HIGH
SCHOOL IN PHU THO PROVINCE”
I certify that no part of the thesis has been copied or reproduced by me from any
other works without acknowledgement and that the thesis is originally written by
me under strict guidance of my supervisor.
Hanoi, 2019
Student‟s signature
Trần Thị Thanh Hoa
i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to send my sincere and special gratitude to my supervisor,
Assoc. Prof. Dr.Lê Văn Canh, who has given valuable assistance, guidance,
precious suggestions, advice, and reference materials to me so that I can complete
this thesis. The success of my paper would have been almost impossible without his
tireless support.
My thanks and gratitude also go to all professors and lecturers at Faculty of Post-
Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam
National University, Hanoi for their valuable lectures.
Last but not least, I would like to send my gratitude to my parents, all members in
my family and my friends for their support and encouragement during the process
of writing this thesis.
ii
ABSTRACT
Group work activities play an important role in all stages of second language
acquisition. Using group work activities has been considered an effective tool for
enhancing English teaching and learning process. The paper aims to find out the participation in group-work activities of the 11th students at a high school in Phu
Tho and the reasons that make them participate the way. From that finding, the
researcher could find ways to stimulate active involvement from students and make
using groupwork in teaching language effectively. A mix-method approach
(quantitative and qualitative methods) was used to collect the required data for the
study. Questionnaires were collected from 58 students in two classes at this high
school. From this sample, 12 students were interviewed in more detail in face-to-
face interviews. The findings show that learners in this school were very excited
about the lessons when group-work activities were used. It also means that group-
work activities can support the teachers in attracting the learners to the lesson. In
other words, using group-work activities brought many benefits for not only
learners but also teachers in the school. For example, students could improve
learning skills, such as English skills, presentation skills and groupwork skills.
Additionally, not only students but also teachers could have chance to learn
something new from other students. However, some learners identified difficulties,
mostly related to students‟ knowledge and skills, which can lead to ineffective
teamwork. Hopefully, the study can be a useful source of reference for those
teaching English to young learners.
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
EFL: English as a Foreign language
T: Teacher
SCT : Sociocultural theory
Ss:Students
ZPD: The zone of proximal development
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ....................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..........................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. vii
LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................1
1. Rationale of the study .............................................................................................1
2. Aims of the study ...................................................................................................2
3. The research questions ............................................................................................2
4. Methods of the study ...............................................................................................2
5. The scope of the study .............................................................................................2
6. The significance of the study .................................................................................2
7. Organization of the thesis.......................................................................................3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................4
2.1. The Sociocultural perspectives on language learning: the role of social
interaction ....................................................................................................................4
2.2. Group work ..........................................................................................................5
2.2.1. Definition of group activities ............................................................................5
2.2.2. The role of group work activities in language teaching ....................................6
2.2.3. Challenges in Group work ................................................................................8
2.3. Participation as learning .......................................................................................9
2.4. Students‟ attitudes towards group work .............................................................11
2.5. Overview of the research projects related to the thesis topic .............................12
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................15
3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................15
v
3.2. The case study methodology ..............................................................................15
3.2.1. Definitions of case study .................................................................................15
3.2.2. Why choosing case study ................................................................................16
3.2.3. Descriptive case study .....................................................................................17
3.3. Research procedures ...........................................................................................18
3.3.1. The context of the study .................................................................................18
3.3.2. The course book ..............................................................................................18
3.3.3. The teachers ....................................................................................................19
3.3.4. The students ....................................................................................................19
3.4. Data collection ...................................................................................................20
3.4. 1 Data collection instruments .............................................................................20
3.4.2. Data collection procedures ..............................................................................23
3.5. Summary ............................................................................................................24
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ...................................................25
4.1. Data analysis ......................................................................................................25
4.1.1 Data from questionnaires .................................................................................25
4.2. Findings and Discussion ....................................................................................39
4.3. Chapter summary ...............................................................................................41
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................42
1. Conclusion .............................................................................................................42
2. Limitations of the study ........................................................................................42
3. Suggestions for further research............................................................................42
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................44
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... I
APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE ......................................................................... I
APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONS FOR INTERVIEW ...............................................III
APPENDIX 3: LESSON PLAN IN THE CLASSROOM ................................. IV
APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT SUMMARY ............................ XIII
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1: Description to Questionnaire ...................................................................21
Table 4.1: Summarizing the results of questionnaires in five weeks ........................34
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1: Number of students by Level of Study and Gender Students Participation ..20
Figure 4.1: The role of students in group work activities in class A ........................25
Figure 4.2: The role of students in group work activities in class A ........................26
Figure 4.3: The contribution to the group work activities of students in class A .....27
Figure 4.4: The contribution to the group work activities of students in class B .....27
Figure 4.5: Frequency of participation by class A ....................................................28
Figure 4.6: Frequency of participation by class B ....................................................29
Figure 4.7: Reasons of active participation by class A .............................................30
Figure 4.8: Reasons of passive participation by class A ...........................................31
Figure 4.9: Reasons of active participation by class B .............................................32
Figure 4.10: Reasons of passive participation by class B .........................................32
Figure 4.11: The change in students‟ participation in group work activities............37
viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Interaction has now been recognized as the most effective way of learning a
language. Therefore, group-work has been considered to be vital to students‟
language learning because group-work offers opportunities for interaction to occur.
Until now, there have been a great number of studies on using group work,
particularly using group work activities for English language teaching and learning.
Researchers have been working on different aspects of group work such as : the role
of group work activities in language teaching, challenges in using group work,
students‟ attitudes towards group work, the relationship between students‟
participation in group work activities and their achievement, et cetera, which will be
discussed more in the literature review. Generally speaking, they have made big
efforts to find out what extent group work is effective in students‟ learning process.
In the context of Thanh Thuy high school where I have been teaching for
several years I have observed that group work is not always welcomed by every
student and teacher. Moreover, students do not actively participate or become
passive in the group activities despite encouragements and use of various teaching
methods by the teacher to stimulate active participation from students. As I believe
in the usefulness of group work to my students‟ learning English, I have a strong
desire of investing the students‟ level of participation in group work and what
factors influence students‟ participation in group work activities from their own
perceptions in order to design and set appropriate and effective group activities for
my students.
With all factors above, I have decided to conduct a case study of 11th graders
at a Phu Tho high school which thoroughly investigates “students‟ participation in
group work activities in English language classes at a high school in Phu Tho.” This
study hoped to fill the gap in understanding of students‟ level of involvement in
English language classroom and the factors affecting their participation, which
could help teachers find ways to increase students‟ participation in group
interaction.
1
2. Aims of the study
The research aims to find out the level of students‟ participation in group
work activities and the factors that affect their participation. From that result, the
researcher suggests some activities used effectively for group work.
3. The research questions
In order to get the above aims, the research was designed and conducted to
seek answers to the following research questions:
1. How do students participate in group work activities in English language
classes and why do they participate that way?
2. What types of group tasks encourage students‟ better participation?
4. Methods of the study
This is a descriptive case study. In order to gain information that can help to
answer the above research questions both qualitative methods were employed to
collect the data. To be specific, data was obtained from two different sources:
questionnaire and interviews.
5. The scope of the study
The research was carried out with one group of 58 high students (27 female
and 31 male) at Thanh Thuy high school in Phu Tho province. The study focused on
only students‟ participation in interactional activities in the classroom and the way
their participation influenced their English skills.
6. The significance of the study
The purpose of this study is to discuss the level of students‟ involvement in
group work activities and factors affecting their participation. It is significant
because it will provide definition and advantages of group work to help students
have a deeper understanding and apply this method in learning effectively. Besides,
the high school students are not used to using this way of studying at secondary
school, therefore they have to cope with many difficulties which are already in the
study. Through this study, the researcher would like to help the students and
teachers can use group work activities effectively.
2
This study will serve as the basis for students‟ creative ideas in group work. The
results of this research study may give them insights which would encourage them
to plan projects designed to improve the quality of language learning. It will enable
the students in general to grasp at the innovative teaching-learning approaches.
7. Organization of the thesis
The thesis is organized as follows:
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION – introduces the rationale; aims of the
study; research questions; significance of the study; and the thesis structure.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW – reviews and presents relevant
theories and studies to the study.
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY – describes the research design, the
participants selection, date collection procedure, date collection instruments.
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION – presents an analysis of the
data and discusses the results of the study.
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS – summarizes the study, limitations of the
study and suggestions for further research.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. The Sociocultural perspectives on language learning: the role of social
interaction
Sociocultural theory (SCT) emphasizes the interaction among interpersonal
( social), cultural- historical, and individual factors as the key to the development of
human cognition ( Tudge & Scrimsher, 2003). Interactions with persons in the
environment stimulate developmental processes and promote cognitive growth. In
other words, the sociocultural theory views the child‟s cognitive development as a
product of social interaction, especially interactions with adults ( parents, teachers,
relatives), or more capable peers.
Sociocultural theory is originated in the works of the Russian psychologist,
Vygotsky (1978). The major theme of Vygotsky's works is that social interaction
plays a fundamental role in cognitive development . According to Vygotsky (1978),
"Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the
social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people
(interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies
equally to attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the
higher functions originate as actual relationships between individual.” ( p. 57)
Sociocultural theory postulates that children are very impressionable and
therefore they can quickly adapts the pattern of speech, behavior, written language
and even other symbols around them. Through these inputs by themselves or with
the help with their parents or teachers, the information could gradually be
associated with the meanings and finally take root in children‟s knowledge
framework.
Viewed from sociocultural theory, learning is a dynamic process in which
participation in socially-mediated activities within the zone of proximal
development (ZPD) is necessary. therefore, instruction should be directed to the
ZPD, which is defined by Vygotsky (1978, pp. 86-87) as follows:
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"The distance between the actual development level as determined by
independent problem solving and the level of potential development as
determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers." (Vygotsky, 1978, pp. 86-87)
Differently, the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the range of
abilities that an individual can perform with assistance but cannot yet
perform independently. These skills are called "proximal" because the
individual is close to mastering them but needs more guidance and
practice in order to perform these actions independently.
Vygotsky believed that peer interaction was an essential part of the
learning process. In order for children to learn new skills, he suggested
pairing more competent students with less skilled ones. Translated into
classroom teaching, the learning process is composed of three stages:
1. The presence of someone with the knowledge and skills to guide
the learner;
2. Social interactions that allow the learner to observe and practice
their skills; and
3. Scaffolding, or supportive activities provided by the mentor or
teacher that help guide the learner through the ZPD
In summary, the sociocultural theory emphasizes that learning is changing
participation in situated practices. As such, this study aims to explore the students‟
participation in group work.
2.2. Group work
2.2.1. Definition of group activities
In this study, Brown‟s (2000) definition of group work is adopted. According
to Brown, group work is when individuals work together, they depend on each other
and they have a common goal. If someone in the group is affected by an event or a
thing, it will affect the whole group. This definition is adopted because it reflects
the nature of group work in an EFL classroom. This means that in the EFL
5
classroom, individual students co-operate with one another in small groups to
achieve a common goal, which is understood as the learning goal to be achieved in
each learning task or activity.
Sharing Brown‟s definition, Forsyth (2006) considered a group as two or more
individuals who are connected to one another by social relationships. Forsyth also
pointed out that group should satisfy three factors: the number of individuals
involved, connections, and relationships.
2.2.2. The role of group work activities in language teaching
A literature review shows that the benefits of group work in EFL can be
classified into three categories. These are discussed below.
Group work activities can promote students’ responsibility and autonomy
All students work together, share their ideas, and always have desire to
achieve the goal in group activities. In addition, one of their main tasks is to take
charge of their group activities. Every learner is responsible for himself and others,
so there is a friendly help and high personal interdependence between them. Doff
(1998) believes that group work and pair wok encourage students to share ideas
knowledge. In a reading activity, students can help each other to explore the
meaning of a text, in a discussion activity; students can give each other new ideas.
Chirac and Hempel (2008: 26-27) points out that group work can be a way to learn
how to think for yourself, as well as develop the students‟ argumentative abilities
and critical thinking”. It was revealed in this study that student collaboration led to
higher productivity and higher results on the part of students‟ learning outcomes.
Group work increase students’ talking time and oral fluency.
According to Ur (1996), students can have a learning task in small
interaction in group work and it is considered as a kind of their activation and is
very valuable for practicing of fluency in speaking. There are 5 groups in a class;
students can get five times as some probability to speak as in a large class.
Moreover, group work activities can be used to improve the students‟
motivation . Group-work activity can allow participants to use and practice the
6
language. It is also one of the most effective ways to motivate participants to
become more involved. Richards and Loc Khart (1994) point out that students not
only play more active roles in the learning process but also get the benefits of
sharing ideas with their group members through participation in groups. Doff (1988,
p.141) also shares the idea that while working in groups, “students felt less anxiety
when they are privately than when they are on shown in front of the whole class.
Pair work and group-work can help shy students, who would never say anything in
a whole class activity.”
Group work helps to provide mutual learning and student-student interaction
Viewed from a sociocultural perspective, which emphasizes the role of social
interaction in human cognitive development, group work can provide affordances for
learning . For example, Lightbrown & Spada (2006) assert that learning is supposed to
happen when an individual interacts with an interlocutor within his/her zone of
proximal development (ZPD). It can be deduced that cooperative learning provide
opportunities of a social interaction in a classroom while interaction for EFL is very
limited outside the classroom. The sociocultural view of group work in second or
foreign language learning will be discussed in details in the subsequent section.
The benefits of group-work can be seen in many different aspects, including
improving students‟ language skills. In the best group-work activity in a language
classroom, the participants of a learning group can benefit in many ways. By
dividing the class into group, a new social context is created whereby learners have
the opportunity to share personal awareness with their group mates and decide on a
conclusion based on the sum of these cognitions.
In general, group work is beneficial to second language learning in several
ways. However, the organization of group activities can be a challenge to teachers.
For example, some students may control the group a lot and make others
uncomfortable. So, the effectiveness of group work to student learning depends
considerably on how group work is organized and the appropriateness of the tasks
or activities for the students to work in group.
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2.2.3. Challenges in Group work
Along with these benefits, however, there are also some negative aspects that
may be related to group work. For instance, McGraw and Tidwell (2001) say that
students often have to deal with difficult issues such as getting credit without
working equally, poor communication, culturally different approaches to work, lack
of leadership, varying work ethics, and different grade expectations. In extreme
cases, teams collapse. Group Work (n.d.) and Fisher et al. (1994) report other
challenges such as “advantaging some students and disadvantaging others,”
“difficulty in grading individual input” and “time consuming for both students and
faculty.”
Scholars (Davis 1997; Ives 2000; Brown, 2001; Hess 2001; Alley 2005;
Ramirez 2005; Shamim, F and others 2007) have identified a number of the
reasons why teacher avoid using group work in their classes. Some teachers are
concerned that most students will not participate during group work, will go „off-
task‟, or that students will communicate in their native language (e.g. Peacock
1998; Brown, H.D 2001).
The reason most commonly cited by teachers why they do not use group
work is classroom management. For example, Davis (1997), Brown, (2001), Alley
(2005), and Ramirez (2005) report that teachers have difficulty controlling class
discipline during group work. This may involve a lack of instruction or preparation
of the strategy. For some teachers, group work means putting students together
without planning or developing a rationale to use group work for that activity or
task. For instance, Davis (1997) and Brown, (2001) show that teachers can operate
group work superficially, and that many of them do it without a thorough
understanding of the underlying purposes for the technique. As a result, the
outcomes tend to be limited due to a poor design.
Similarly, group work represents a more student-centred approach which
particularly in large classes has been difficult to implement as explained above.
Davis (1997,p. 267) argues that, for some teachers, group work challenges the
8
“traditional teacher-centred classroom” and that “allowing learners to work without
teacher supervision tends to disrupt the notion of teachers as “knowers” who impart
their knowledge to students, who are simply receptacles”. He believes that this
perception is particularly common in teachers with little experience. In practice,
however, Ramirez (2005, p. 4) emphasizes that during group work “the teacher is
still the director and manager of the class and needs to make students aware of this”.
Nevertheless, the perception that group work challenges the “traditional teacher-
centred classroom” could result in a negative attitude towards group work.
In order to solve the discipline problems during group work, various studies
suggest clear instructions, teacher training covering group work strategies, careful
planning, justified use of group work for the activity, and giving roles to the group
members (Pasigna 1997; Brown, 2001; Hess 2001; Shamim, F and others 2007).
2.3. Participation as learning
Class participation is an important aspect of student learning. For examples,
when students speak up in class, they will learn how to express their ideas in a way
that others can understand; or when they ask questions, they learn how to gather
information to improve their own understanding of a topic. Moreover, it also is a
valuable learning tool for teachers. Through the questions of students, the teachers
will learn what students do not understand, and can adjust your instruction
accordingly. Therefore, participation between lecturers and students is
indispensable in the process of learning. There are several reasons why participation
is important in the learning process.
Jong (in Theberge, 1994), it was found that students, who are active
participants, tends to have better academic achievement, compared with students,
who are passive in participation. This statement was supported by Astin (1999),
claiming that students who actively participate in the classroom discussions showed
greater satisfaction in the learning process. Active participation of students in
discussions in the classroom is very important for the aim of achieving effective
learning and plays a crucial role in the success of education and personal
9
development of students in the future (Tatar, 2005). This is because students will
learn how to think critically and enhance their intellectual development if they are
an active participant in the classroom
It can be said that the relationship between students‟ participation in the
classroom and students‟ achievement is undeniable. Participation provides an
opportunity to the students to learn through their own contribution, and through the
contribution of their classmates. Through discussion, students can practice thinking
through problems, organizing concepts, formulating arguments, testing their ideas
in a public setting, evaluating the evidence for their own and others‟ positions, and
responding thoroughly to critical and diverse perspectives. Lahaderne (1967) claims
that there are interactions between the process of teaching and academic
achievement. Cobb (in Abu Bakar, 1986) found that there are links between
children‟s behaviors in learning mathematics and their academic achievement.
Therefore, student participation is one of instructional components in the instruction
enhanced by school to help students to learn more (Abu Bakar, 1986).
Hull ( 1985, cited in Horder 2010) also pointed out that adults learn best if
they were put in group. Working in groups can help learners achieve higher order
thinking skills and retain knowledge longer than working individually.
Hicks ( 1955) and Palinscar(1986) also stated that discussion which requires
students to participate and share their opinions and ideas permit teacher to provide
information and explanation in an efficient manner besides checking students‟
understanding about the lessons ( as cited in Chu and Kim , 1999).
Classroom participation can help students to study better at school.
According to Scepansky (2003), higher levels of classroom participation also
tended to score slightly higher on personality traits of openness and consciousness.
Classroom participation can send positive signals to students about the type of
learning and thinking such as growth in critical thinking, active learning,
development of listening, and speaking skills needed for career success, and the
ability to join a disciplined conversation.
10
Ewens (2000) points out that compared to traditional lecture style teaching,
encouraging classroom participation promotes a higher level of reflective thinking,
and problem solving, including application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, and
that information learned through discussion, is generally retained better than
information learned through lecture.
Based on the literature and selected past research, it can be concluded
that student‟s participation in the classroom will ensure the effectiveness of the
learning process.
2.4. Students’ attitudes towards group work
In spite of the benefits that research suggests can be accrued through
academic group work, it is reasonable to expect that there would be a variety of
opinions among students about their participation in group work. In a recent article
concerning academic group work, the author noted that it is common for students to
not enjoy group work (Butts, 2000). This leads a potential instructor to a certain
problem: If group work is proven to have highly beneficial results, it would seem
wise to incorporate group work into the curriculum. However, if students often
dislike group work, and if these negative attitudes are related to a diminishing
effectiveness of such groups, the instructor might be understandably reluctant to use
group work. If we hope to improve student attitudes toward group work, the first
important thing is to explore the issues that might affect such attitudes. This
information might then be used to address student concerns and to explore possible
techniques for improving students‟ attitudes and groups‟ effectiveness.
Recent research related to student attitudes towards group work suggests that
these attitudes may be influenced by a number of factors. Roughly speaking, these
factors can be divided into two broad categories: unique characteristics to the
individuals which comprise the group (i.e., gender, or education level), and
characteristics which belong to the group as a unit (i.e., the interpersonal
relationships that develop over time within the group, and the division of labor).
11
Students‟ attitudes toward group coursework can pose a challenge to the
performance of assessed group coursework tasks. Such attitudes can be shaped by
educators, mixed messages related to the purpose and effectiveness of group work
(Mutch, 1998). They can also be shaped by the manner in which the coursework is
operationalised (Willcoxson, 2006). However, Chapman and Van Auken (2001)
believe that educators‟ negative attitudes toward group coursework due to recurrent
group conflicts play an important role in influencing students‟ attitudes, their
perceptions of the benefits of teamwork, as well as their concerns in relation to
fairness in marking. The authors also suggest that students are more likely to have
positive attitudes toward assessed group coursework if their lecturers discuss group
management issues with them and use tools such as peer evaluations to assess
individual performance within the group(Chapman and Van Auken, 2001).
Similarly, Pffaf and Huddleston (2003) argue that some group conflicts can indeed
be caused by the educator, due to practices such as determining groups without
students‟ input, failing to reduce (or insignificantly reducing) the marks of social
loafers, and not requiring peer evaluation.
2.5. Overview of the research projects related to the thesis topic
The roles of using group work activities and its effectiveness in English
teaching have been the subject of many studies. Recently, Li and Campbell's (2008)
examined Asian students‟ perceptions of the much promulgated cooperative
learning concepts in the form of group work and group assignments. The population
in this study consisted of twenty- two Asian students. Face-to face semi-structured
interviews were used as tools in this study. The results revealed not only the
strength of group work, but also some detrimental factors that affects group
dynamics, such as members‟ attitudes and willingness to cooperate and contribute
as a team, the composition of the group, students‟ competing demands on students‟
time and attention, heterogeneity from the natural abilities of students, and varying
cultural values and beliefs held by group members.
12
Another study by Chen and Hird‟s (2006) aimed to examine both
quantitative and qualitative data relating to student behaviour in groups collected in
EFL lessons in China. The researchers were interested to find out how 36 Chinese
non- English major students behave in groups in EFL classroom in Normal
University. Both tape recordings of group discussion and interviews were used in
this research. The results presented the difficulty of generalizing about what
happens when students get into groups in English lessons, and argues that there are
still many unexplored aspects regarding how group work functions and what
students actually do in groups in English classrooms.
Payne and Monk-Turner (2006) also had a study to research how students
perceive group work after completing a semester –long group project. The
participants were 145 students taking an upper division research methods class in
the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at a large regional university.
The data supported the idea that small groups may work more effectively together
than larger one. However, it sometimes inhibits the performance of the weakest
members as those who are good in the group dominate the tasks carried out.
According to Jeremy Harmer (2007), there are a lot of activities for students to
do in groups. For instance, students can work and prepare a story, then they can take
roles to perform a situation in their groups. Moreover, the writer says that the students
tend to participate more in small groups than large groups. In his opinion, small groups
will motivate students to communicate. However, he states that when students work in
groups, students do usually like to sit with their friends in the group work activities
because they like their teachers to pay special attention to them.
Davis (1997) also did an action research which pointed out some issues in
the design and implementation in group activities and then included solutions for
the post-observation remodeling of activities within a task and content-based
framework for language instruction. The results indicated that teachers had
difficulty controlling class discipline during group work. This could be related to
the lack of instruction or preparation of the strategy. For some teachers group work
means putting students together without planning or developing a rationale to use
group work for that activity or task.
13
Nihalani et al., (2010) also pointed out that group performance will reflect
the groups‟ member level in stead of the whole group together when one group
member dominates the group.
In short, relevant studies above show that using group work activities could
bring both advantages and disadvantages in teaching English for students. Thus, the
present study was conducted with the aim to see how students participate in group
work activities and find out the reasons for their participation. From that point,
teachers could find ways to use groupwork activities effectively in English language
classrooms.
14
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Introduction
This chapter begins with the methodological orientation adopted in this
study, which is the case study approach. The chapter provides the reasons for
choosing the methodology. This chapter also presents the research designs used in
the study with explanation of selection of research design and development of the
tools as well as the methods of data collection and its analysis. The chapter ends
with ethical consideration of the present study and a brief summary of the chapter.
3.2. The case study methodology
3.2.1. Definitions of case study
Case study is a very popular research method in the current development of
society. However, different researchers have different ideas about what a case study
is. Yin (2003) considers case as “a contemporary phenomenon within its real life
context, especially when the boundaries between a phenomenon and context are not
clear and the researcher has little control over the phenomenon and context” (p. 13).
His definition also reflects his support for the case study as a legitimate research
method. According to this definition, from Yinian viewpoint, case study is an
empirical inquiry investigating the case or cases that follow to the above mentioned
definition by solving the “how” or “why” questions related to the phenomenon of
interest. He finds it particularly instrumental to evaluate the program. The rest of his
technical definition draws attention to the aspects of data collection and analysis
related to the situation under study: in order to investigate a different situation
including “many more variables of interest than data points,” case study draws from
diverse lines of evidence for triangulating purposes and avails itself of “prior
development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis” (Yin,
2003, pp. 13-14). This attention shows that his approach is meticulous about the
cohesion and consistency among the design components and phases of case study as
a research strategy.
15
In terms of the definition of case, Stake (1995) agrees with Louis Smith‟s
(1978) rendition: researchers should view case as “a bounded system” and inquire
into it “as an object rather than a process” (p. 2).
For Merriam (1998), the defining characteristic of case study research is the
delimitation of the case. Her definition is consistent with Smith‟s (1978) view of
case as a bounded system and Stake‟s view of case as an integrated system. She
states that “the case as a thing, a single entity, a unit around which there are
boundaries” (p. 27).
Through all the definitions above, it can be concluded that case study is
carried out with the aim of collecting information from one or more cases and
study. It mainly focuses on describing and explaining these cases through “how”
and “why” questions. Case studies can be single or multiple-case designs in which
a multiple design must follow a replication instead of a sampling logic. In many
case studies, a number of cases are studied. This is to investigate some common
phenomenon. When there is no other cases for replication, the researcher is limited
to single-case designs.
3.2.2. Why choosing case study
The opportunity to research students‟ participation in group work activities at
a high school in Phu Tho presented a ready-made case study. However, in the
research process a case study approach was not the only consideration. Here I
provide my reason to apply this methodology. In the sub-sections, I explore two
main components of this approach: identifying the case and theoretical
underpinnings. Finally, I outline the structure of the study.
My starting point was the desire to have a better understanding of how
students participate in group work activities in language lesson and why the
participate in that way. One possibility was to conduct a survey of all students in the
school; however, I felt the exploratory nature of the enquiry did not suit a
methodology which presupposed quite specific prior understandings; moreover,
from the outset I was strongly inclined towards interpretive research, which I
understood as ideally qualitative in nature.
16
Yin (2003) suggests four types of design that case study researchers can
make use of. They include single holistic design, single embedded design, multiple
holistic design and multiple embedded design. Holistic designs require one unit of
analysis, whereas embedded designs require multiple units of analysis. Yin advises
the apprentice researchers to select the design which provides them with the
maximum instrumentality to answer their research questions, and to consider the
strengths and limitations of each design and the certain pitfalls to be avoided while
implementing each of them. Broadly speaking, Yin (2003) suggests three common
approaches to designing case studies. These are exploratory, descriptive and
explanatory case studies. In this study, a descriptive approach was adopted.
3.2.3. Descriptive case study
The case study research methodology was selected to investigate the
students‟ participation in group work within their classroom. This strategy provides
an “all-encompassing method” for systematically studying and describing a
phenomenon (in this case, the students‟ participation in group work activities in
English language lessons) within a real-life context, i.e. in the actual language
classroom (Yin, 2003, p. 14).
The case study research strategy also provides an excellent methodological
framework for performing mixed-method research studies in the social sciences
(Merriam,1998; Yin, 2003). A descriptive case study successfully provides multiple
sources of qualitative and quantitative evidence for triangulating such experiential
data in an all-encompassing manner (Yin, 2003). Yin (2003) also suggests that the
case study method is appropriate “when a „how‟ or „why‟ question is being asked
about a contemporary set of events, over which the investigator has little or no
control” (p. 9). This study‟s research questions align well with this viewpoint,
asking how students participate in group work activities, and why they participated
the way they did. This design strategy focuses the inquiry on a single context (in
this study, classroom-based English language lessons), but requires collecting and
analyzing data from multiple units ( the students‟ responses to the questionnaire and
interviews) within that context.
17
3.3. Research procedures
Yin (1994) identified five components of research design that are important
for case studies:
1. A study's questions
2. Its propositions, if any
3. Its unit(s) of analysis
4. The logic linking the data to the propositions
5. The criteria for interpreting the findings
(Yin, 1994, p. 20).
For the present study, the single case study approach has been chosen, which
is appropriate to the phenomenon being studied. Looking to the theoretical
background of the designs of the case study, the present study is the descriptive case
study having embedded case study design.
3.3.1. The context of the study
Thanh Thuy high school was founded over fifty years ago and it has
officially become a high school in Phu Tho province at this time. It has 27 classes in
which the majority of students are non-major English. Although there are many
challenges the school has to face up with in the new era, English has also been put
much emphasis on because of its popularity and necessity. Thus, it is a compulsory
subject in the teaching and learning curriculum. Its aims are to help students acquire
general English knowledge and the four English skills.
In terms of physical setting, English teaching and learning at Thanh Thuy are
carried out inside the classroom with basic equipment such as blackboard, tables
and desks. In some rooms, they also have cassette players, projectors and speakers.
As for class size, the number of students in each class is often about 45 students.
This leads in lots of difficulties in teaching and learning.
3.3.2. The course book
The textbook is the old version of English 11 published by the Vietnamese
Education Publishing House. After a first glance on the contents of the book it
18
could be noticed that the book was divided into two parts : a workbook and a
student‟s book. The first page of the student‟s book presents the aims of the units to
the students. The book is comprised of twelve units which are further divided into
four small lessons. In every lesson, there is a separate grammar section called “
Language focus” which is usually positioned after Reading lesson, speaking lesson,
listening lesson and writing lesson. In this section, grammar rules are first explained
and exemplified, and the latter followed by tasks aimed at practicing the presented
rules. Furthermore, there is usually one grammar task preceding the “Language
focus” and although there is a separate grammar section, a small number of
grammar tasks can also be found in other places throughout the textbook. Also, at
the end of the book, before the “Word list”, there is a three-page “ Grammar
summary” which contain the basic grammar rules covered in the textbook.
Not only does it present basic grammatical items but it also aims at
developing students‟ vocabulary and communication. Therefore, it is considered as
one of the most appropriate textbook to non-English major students at Thanh Thuy
high school.
3.3.3. The teachers
There are two teachers who take charge of the two classes. The first one is
male and the other is female. The teachers have different degrees and different years
of work experience at teaching English at Thanh Thuy high school. The male
teacher has got the Master‟s degree in teaching English while the female teacher has
got Bachelor‟s degree. In terms of teaching experience, both of them had taught for
10 to 15 years. However, both of them are very good at teaching English with a
flexible approach and always care about their students.
3.3.4. The students
In this study, class A, Grade 11 has 34 students, including 14 female students
and 20 male students; class B, Grade 11 has 24 students, including 13 female
students and 11 male students. The total number of female students is 27 and male
is 31 students. It is important to note that only the students who responded the
questionnaire the first week were asked to participate in the study ( Grade A
(N=34), grade B ( N = 24)).
19
25
20
20
14
15
13
Female
11
Male
10
5
0
Class A
Class B
Figure 1 showed the distribution of students in the two classrooms.
Figure 3.1: Number of students by Level of Study and Gender Students Participation
3.4. Data collection
3.4. 1 Data collection instruments
Since a case study approach was adopted in this study, it was decided that a
questionnaire was one of the instruments used to collect data concerning the
attitudes of the research participants. A population of 58 high school students ( non-
major English) were invited to answer the questionnaire. Along with the
questionnaire, a semi-structured interviewing tool was also employed to collect
supplementary data needed to answer the research questions.
In short, the main data collection instruments of this study include
questionnaire, and interviews.
3.4.1.1 The questionnaire
As mentioned earlier in this section, a questionnaire is used to collect as
much data as possible in a short time. In this research study closed format questions
that consisted of multiple choices were used in an attempt to help students select the
attitudes that are mostly related to their ideas. However, in order for the results of
the sample to be more authentic and valid, an open format question was included in
20
the questionnaire as well. This could allow the students express their own views of
group work in the classroom. Gilbert (2008) states that it is important for the
validity and reliability of the research that the researcher uses different question
formats when designing his/her questionnaire. Cohen et al, (2007) state that the
questionnaire becomes more valid and reliable if it includes closed and open-ended
questions type. However, it is argued that the questionnaire has its own weaknesses
as students might not be honest when filling it in which then might affect the overall
results of the research study (May, 2001).
The questionnaire consisted of 5 research related questions, which constituted 4
close-ended questions and one open-ended question. The aim was to identify
changes in the students‟ opinions about group work over time. Students were asked
to answer the questions in the questionnaire after each experimental lesson or
teaching period ( one lesson per week). A student was defined as a person who had
participated in group work activities. Participants were given 5 minutes to fill in the
questionnaire individually. Because all surveys were fully completed 58 students‟
survey results in five weeks were included in the analysis.
The factors covered by the questions and the style can be summarized as
follows:
Table 3.1: Description to Questionnaire
No Question Aim Factors Covered Style
1 Qs. 1: Define the Number of group MCQ (One Selection)
number of group work activities
work activities in
each lesson
2 Qs 2: Collect the The role of MCQ (more than one selection. It
role of students in students means that in this section of the
group work questionnaire, six positive points
activities about group work are listed and
students are asked to choose more
21
than one of them.).
3 Qs 3: Collect the The contribution MCQ (more than one selection)
contribution of of students The third question of the
students in group questionnaire focuses on the
work activities contribution of the students
regarding group work. The design
of this section is similar to the
second one, however the theme is
different.
4 Q.4: Collect the Evaluate the level LSQ (1: very much - 2: Much –
self-evaluation of of students‟ 3:: Little - 4: Not at all)
students about their participation
level of
participation
5 Q.5: Collect reasons Find the reasons to Open-ended question
for participating or help students
not participating in participate in
group work group work
activities activities
Notations: MCQ - Multiple Choice Question, LSQ – Likert Scale Question,
Q / Qs – Question (s),
3.4.1.2. The interview
In order to gain a better insight into the possibilities for improvement of the
product range, semi- structured interviews were conducted with 12 students who
participated in answering the questionnaire.. They were from two regular classes,
so-called class A and class B. These students were defined as frequent participants
in group work activities and active contributors to their group during the five-week
period of the study.
22
Cohen et al, (2007) argue that such type of interview increases the
comparability of the answers from the respondents and helps the research to gain
complete answers. Moreover, it reduces bias in the data collected. This type of
interview also increases the ability of the researcher to logically organize and
analyze his/her data (The Open University, 2001). Furthermore, such type of
interview is effective in that it helps the researcher to access students' real feeling
about the aspect being investigated (Punch, 2009). In this study a standardized
open-ended interview is conducted with 12 students from two classes at Thanh
Thuy high school. Such a type of interview allows the researcher to follow a
scheduled list of open-ended questions
The interview protocol has three following open-ended questions:
Em hãy nhớ lại và miêu tả việc tham gia các hoạt động theo nhóm trên lớp
của em theo các ý sau:
1. Mức độ tham gia nhóm của em có thay đổi không? Tại sao?
2. Cảm nhận của em về mức độ tham gia các hoạt động nhóm cho việc học tập
của em?
3. Em học được gì qua hoạt động nhóm về môn Tiếng Anh cũng như áp dụng
vào các môn khác ngoài Tiếng Anh?
The interview questions were designed in Vietnamese language to ensure proper
responses from participant. The use of the mother tongue language also helped
students who could not understand English to contribute relevant information in
relation to the topic under study.
3.4.2. Data collection procedures
The time for data collection lasted during the third month of the second
semester of the school year 2018-2019. This is the time when students learnt a
majority of grade 11 knowledge. Therefore, students may have an overview of their
English ability or summarize the activities they participated in as well as evaluate
the effects of those activities.
23
The procedure for collecting data contains three stages as following:
Stage 1: Delivering questionnaires to 58 grade 11 students after each
experimental lesson (one lesson per week). Before answering the questions, they
were informed in Vietnamese the purpose, methods and requirements of the study
to make sure they got the idea about what they would have to do and were willing
to take part in the study. Then, the students completed the questionnaires. It is very
important to note that before participating in groupwork activities and answering
questionnaire, students were instructed about the ways to work in group activities
and how to evaluate their work in each learning period. While students were
completing the questions, anything that they wondered was clarified by the author.
Stage 2: After collecting and analyzing data from questionnaires, it was time
to design and carry out the interviews with 12 students who reported that they
participated enthusiastically in group activities. Interviews were conducted in a
small room at the school and lasted approximately 15 minutes each. Answers were
recorded by note-taking and 12 interviews were also filmed with consent.
Stage 3: The numeric data and qualitative data gathered from questionnaires
in stage 1, interviews in stage 2 were recapitulated and analyzed.
3.5. Summary
This chapter begins with an introduction then describes the research design
employed in this study. Population and sample study is also mentioned before
discussing the research methodology used to conduct this research. In collecting
data, library and field research are used. For field research, both quantitative and
qualitative methods are chosen in which questionnaire and group of interviewees
are involved in the research procedure. The data that were collected are then
analyzed and discussed and the results are displayed.
24
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
In this chapter, the research questions brought up in the first chapter will be
answered through the analysis and discussion on the collected data from
questionnaire and interviews. After the data was collected, the next step was
analyzing the whole data obtained. With those techniques of data analysis, it is
expected to answer the research question adequately and appropriately.
4.1. Data analysis
4.1.1 Data from questionnaires
4.1.1.1. The role of students in group work activities
Question 2 in the questionnaire aims to examine the roles that individual
students reported they played in group work activities. It is important to note that
before participating in group activities, students were informed about how to divide
the work and the role in each activities. From the line chart, it is evident that the
majority of students worked as a thinker ( 75 times) for five weeks in class A,
following by analyst with 48 times.
Similarly, the number of thinkers in class B is also the highest, with 48 times
and following by the students working as analysts ( with 45 times).
There are also other roles, including leader, presenter, summarizer, checker
and secretary.
Figure 4.1 and figure 4.2 show the role of students in group work activities.
Class A
75
48
34
29
28
23
Class A
16
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Figure 4.1: The role of students in group work activities in class A
25
Class B
60
50
48
45
40
35
34
30
30
30
23
20
Class B
10
0
Figure 4.2: The role of students in group work activities in class A
4.1.1.2. The contribution to the group activities
Student participation in classroom activities as simply defined in the
literature is the acts of involvement in the class activities. In this research, the act of
participation includes developing ideas/ planning project, discussing the ideas with
others, co-operating with other members, leading or facilitating the discussion,
helping other members to participate and giving presentation the whole class.
Basing the results from question 3 in the questionnaire, the researcher
counted the total number of students in each item in five experimental lessons to
give their frequency. The result showed that students in class A are quite active in
developing ideas, planning project and co-operating with other members with 64
times and 59 times respectively students involved in five weeks. Following is
discussing the ideas with others (51 times). Some of the students are passive in
leading and facilitating discussion ( 20 times students participated in five weeks).
Questionnaires in class B revealed that co-operating and discussion the ideas with
other members are the two most popular activities, with 56 times and 54 times
respectively students involved. The students tended to be passive in the act of
leading, facilitating discussion and giving presentation to the whole class.
Figure 4.3 and Figure 4.4 indicate the forms of contribution to group work activities
by class through the observation weeks.
26
Class A
70
64
60
59
51
50
40
36
35
30
Class A
20
20
10
0
2. Discussing the ideas with others
3. Co- operating with others
4. Leading/ facilitating discussion
1. Developing ideas/ planning project
5. Helping other members to participate
6. Giving presentation to the whole class
Figure 4.3: The contribution to the group work activities of students in class A
Class B
60
54
56
50
48
40
30
30
20
Class B
17
15
10
0
6. Giving presentation
2. Discussiong the ideas with others
4. Leading/ facilitating discussion
1. Developing ideas/ planning project
5. Helping other group member to participate
3. Co- operating with other group members
Figure 4.4: The contribution to the group work activities of students in class B
4.1.1.3. Frequency of participation by class
Questionnaires in classroom were delivered to students for the five weeks of
lectures ( one lesson per week). The result was found by counting the total number
27
of students in each item in each teaching period. Overall, the questionnaire results
showed that majority of students were active throughout the five weeks. However,
there are some students who are also involved in the passive participation. For class
A, most students said that they had contributed to the group work much and very
much ( more than two- third of the students in class). The most passive week were
in week 1 and week 2 with 10 students and 11 students (more than 30 percent)
respectively participated very little and even did not do anything at all. However,
this number tended to decrease in the following weeks.
Figure 4.5 indicates the self-evaluation about group work participation of
20
19
18
18
16
16
15
15
14
13
Very much
12
12
Much
11
10
11
9
9
Little
8
8
Not at all
6
4
4
3
3
2
1
2
1
0
0 Week 5
Week 1
Week 2
Week 4
0 Week 3
students by class A throughout the observation weeks.
Figure 4.5: Frequency of participation by class A
The line graph compares the level of students‟ participation in group work
activities of class B in five weeks. Overall, it can be seen that the number of
students who said their level of participation was much were far higher than the
other three ones.
From the data obtained, the number of students who said that their level of
participation was little and not at all followed a fairly similar pattern over the first
28
two weeks, all remaining at between 2 and 5 students. The number of passive
students seemed to decline over the period, with both at around 4 (16,7%) students
in week 4 and 3(12,5 %) students in week 5. In contrast, the number of active
students increased steadily, starting in week 1 at about 17 students, and finishing in
week 5 at about 21 students.
Figure 4.6 indicates the self-evaluation about group work participation of students
18
16
16
14
14
13
13
12
12
Very much
10
Much
8
8
8
Little
Not at all
6
5
4
4 4
4 4 3
3
3
2
3 2
1
0
0 Week 3
Week 1
Week 2
Week 4
0 Week 5
by class B throughout the observation weeks.
Figure 4.6: Frequency of participation by class B
4.1.1.4. Reasons of active and passive participation
Question 5 in the questionnaire asks the students about the degree of their
participation according to their self- evaluation. The data on questionnaire in the
two classrooms was also analyzed to find out the reasons which made students
active and passive in participating in group work activities. The result of the
questionnaires shows that there are five reasons the students gave for their
participation: (1) the aim of getting knowledge and increasing English skills, (2) the
aim of getting good grade, (3) attracted by interesting activities, (4) well-prepared
for the lesson, (5) the aim of improving presentation skills/ groupwork skills. It can
29
be seen from the chart that the students in class A are involved in group work
activities because they would like to get knowledge and increase English skills ( the
most popular reason in five weeks). Grade also contributed greatly to students‟
participation, especially in week 3 and week 5. There are also some students said
that they are attracted by some interesting activities and the most was in week 3
with nearly half of these students. Well-prepared for the lessons also helped students
participated actively. Students seemed to be more active thanks to better preparation
for the following lessons ( the number of students increased gradually from 2
students in week 1 to 15 students in week 5). Some students agreed that group work
activities would improve their presentation skills and group work skills ( especially
40
35
30
Getting knowledge and increase English skills
25
Grade
20
Interesting activities
15
Well- prepared for the lesson
10
Improve presentation skills/ groupwork skills
5
0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
in week 4 with 14 students).
Figure 4.7: Reasons of active participation by class A
In the same question in the questionnaire, some students also listed the reasons
which made them passive in group work activities. They are (1) the lack of
knowledge/ ideas, (2) the conflicts among members in the group, (3) the lack of
groupwork skills, (4) the activities are boring.
The following chart shows the reasons of passive participationby class A. In detail,
30
the lack of knowledge and ideas, which had been the most popular reason with
17,6 % ( 6 students) and 20,6 % (7 students), respectively in week 1 and week 2 ,
fell to 5,9 % (2 students) in week 5. Conflicts among members in the groups also
fell from a high of about 17,6% ( 6 students) in week 1 to just 2,9% ( 1 student) in
week 5. Lack of group work skills and the boring activities also made students
passive in participating in group. However, this number of students tended to
decrease in the following week, remaining just 1student or 2 students from week 3
8
7
6
Lack of knowledge/ ideas
5
conflicts among members in the group
4
Lack of groupwork skills
3
The activities are boring
2
1
0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
to week 5.
Figure 4.8: Reasons of passive participation by class A
Questionnaire on class B revealed that most students involved actively in
group work activities due to the aim of getting knowledge and increase English
skills in week 1 ( 23 students) and this number tended to decrease gradually in the
following weeks ( just 5 students in week 5). Grade is also one the main reasons
which made students active. There are also some other reasons included the type of
activities, the preparation for the class and the aim of improving presentation and
group work skills.
In other aspects, lack of knowledge and lack of group work skills became the
two main reasons which made students passive in participating in the first three
weeks. In addition, the conflicts among members in groups and the type of tasks
31
also contributed to students‟ passive participation.
Figure 4.9 and figure 4.10 described the reasons for participation in group work
25
20
Getting knowledge and increase English skills
Grade
15
Interesting activities
10
Well- prepared for the lesson
5
Improve presentation skills/ groupwork skills
0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
activities of students in class B
7
6
Lack of knowledge/ ideas
5
4
conflicts among members in the group
3
Lack of groupwork skills
2
The activities are boring
1
0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Figure 4.9: Reasons of active participation by class B
Figure 4.10: Reasons of passive participation by class B
32
33
4.1.1.5 Summarize table for questionnaires
Table 4.1: Summarizing the results of questionnaires in five weeks
Questions Week Week Week Week Week
1 2 3 4 5 No Items
Games + +
Brainstorming/ + + Listing
Comparing: finding
similarities and + 1.Number of differences activities and task + Matching types Ordering and sorting +
Discussing/ Debating + a topic
Problem- Solving +
Creating and + enacting role plays
Leader 8 10 14 6 14
Thinker 29 21 22 31 22
20 13 21 20 19 Analyst 2.The role of
10 14 13 16 15 students in group Presenter
work activities 11 9 10 10 11 Summarizer
4 9 15 13 17 Checker
8 12 10 11 12 Secretary
Developing
ideas/planning 22 17 28 26 19 3.The contribution
project of students in
group Discussing the ideas 17 17 29 19 23 with others
34
Co-operating with
other group 22 19 26 21 27
members
Leading/ facilitating 5 4 10 10 8 discussion
Helping others to 13 14 9 15 15 participate
Giving presentation 9 9 13 4 15
Very much 13 16 15 20 23 4.Frequence of Much 28 27 35 30 29 participation in Little 12 12 8 6 6 groups Not at all 5 3 0 2 0
Getting knowledge
and increasing 53 46 37 35 27
English skills
Grade 10 6 20 18 26 Active Interesting activities 9 9 23 18 17 particip- Well-prepared for the ation 4 8 13 11 17 lessons
Improving Reasons
presentation skills/ for the 9 5 8 20 11
group work skills students‟
participat Lack of knowledge/ 9 4 4 12 13 ion ideas
Conflicts among Passive 9 6 3 4 2 members in groups particip-
ation Lack of group work 9 6 3 2 3 skills
The boring activities 6 5 3 2 2
35
Table 4.1 shows the results of questionnaires of 58 students in five weeks.As
can be seen from this table, all students seemed to be assigned at least one role in
group and contributed something to the group work. However, the frequencies were
different from week 1 to week 5. Students tended to be passive in the first two
weeks (17 students in week 1 and 15 students in week 2 had little participation or
even did not participate at all). This number of students decreased steadily in the
next three weeks ( just about 6 to 8 students). According to students‟ report, there
are a variety of reasons for this results. The first reason is that students were not
accustomed to working in groups in the first two weeks which also led to the
conflicts among them in groups ( 9 students reported). The second reason related to
the students‟ knowledge. Students pointed out that lack of knowledge and ideas
made them passive in participation. From this viewpoint, we believe that their lack
of knowledge might relate to the difficulty of the tasks. Because in the same weeks
when students were passive in participation, they reported that they felt the
activities were boring.
In contrast, students seemed to be more active in the next three weeks( more
than 50 students actively got involved in group activities). Particularly, just a small
number of students (two or three students) had to cope with the difficulties such as
lack of knowledge, conflicts among members and the problems of activities.
From these results, it can be assumed that some exciting activities such as
brainstorming, listing ideas, enacting role plays, playing games and easy activities
such as matching, ordering are usually regarded when recommending group work
activities. In other hand, students seem to have difficulties in participating in those
difficult activities which require good knowledge and deep understanding such as
comparing, finding the similarities and differences or problem-solving.
4.1.2. Data from interviews
The semi-structured face to face interviews provided more detailed
information about what students felt about working in groups.
The questions in the interview are shown as below ( the interview was
conducted into Vietnamese to elicit the most information from students):
36
Recall and describe your participation in group work activities according to
these following questions:
1. Does your level of participation in group work activities change? Why ?
2. How do you feel about your participation in group work activities?
3. What did you learn from working in groups ( English in particular and
other subjects in general) ?
The participants show that they were really excited about the interview, so
they answered comfortably and naturally.
The first question was aimed at finding out whether the students changed
their participation in group work activities or not after five weeks. Accordingly,
most answers received revealed that their participation had been changed a lot. Out
of 12 students interviewed, 10 (83%) students confirmed that they are likely to
participate more actively than before. They said that they steadily got used to
working in groups and knew how to make group work activities effectively. As a
result, they seemed to join these activities actively and enthusiastically in the class.
The rest also agreed but, according to them, because they were not interested
17%
Change
Not change
83%
in working in groups before, their participation‟s level tended to change very little.
Figure 4.11: The change in students’ participation in group work activities
37
The main reason given for this change was groupwork skills. Students said
that they had not known how to work, what to do in groupwork activities.
Sometimes, because of misunderstandings or disagreement, they happened to
quarrel. Luckily, after having time to work together in groups, they got on well with
each other little by little.
For example, M reported as follows:
M: “ mức độ tham gia nhóm thay đổi vì
- Mọi người không thống nhất được ý kiến nên vẫn gây tranh cãi nội bộ, một số
bạn không tham gia cũng ảnh hưởng đến nhóm.
- Sau một vài lần hoạt động, biết điểm mạnh và yếu của mỗi người, phân chia
vai trò phù hợp, mọi người cùng đưa ra ý kiến và việc hoạt động nhóm trở nên
hiệu quả hơn.”
N also responded to the same question as follows:
N: “ ….việc tham gia nhóm lúc đầu còn bị động, khả năng tiếng anh kém nên
cũng tự ti….sau vài lần tham gia thì đã quen với việc học theo nhóm, nhận ra được
những điểm tích cực từ hoạt động nhóm, bản thân cũng tự tin hơn…”.
4.1.2.1. Advantages of groupwork
All of them seemed to prefer groupwork to individual work. One of the
reasons they provided is that they can improve listening and speaking skills. And
this factor seemed to be considered as one of the biggest advantages of group work
when 67% of students (8/12 students) agreed with this benefit.
A: “ Qua hoạt động nhóm em có thêm kĩ năng nghe nói Tiếng Anh”
N and C reported that she learnt a lot through group work activities, especially
group work skills.
C: “…biết cách để hợp tác với các bạn, giải quyết các mâu thuẫn trong
nhóm, thống nhất ý kiến…”.
N: “…có kĩ năng hoạt động nhóm, tương tác tốt với mọi người…”
A, B and N also mentioned that it is beneficial for them to know how to help
other members in groups.
38
N: “…biết lắng nghe, chia sẻ và giúp đỡ mọi người trong nhóm…”
A and B: “….biết tôn trọng và giúp đỡ nhau…”
Except for the knowledge about English and group work skills, students also stated
that they could learn many other things for themselves.
C said that she felt her English skills were very low and it was much easier for her
to work with other members when doing a task.
C: “ ….hoạt động nhóm giúp giảm khối lượng công việc…mỗi thành viên sẽ
được phân chia công việc theo điểm mạnh, điểm yếu, từ đó có học tập lẫn nhau…”
Supporting C‟s comments, F pointed out that group work is better especially for less
skilled students. If those students are made to work by themselves, they cannot
complete the task because of their lack of knowledge or English skills, and they just
wait for the answers.
F: “…khi làm việc trong nhóm, các bạn khác đều làm việc, một học sinh
bình thường dù lười hay kém đến đâu đều cũng cảm thấy phải làm gì đó, vậy họ
không thể chỉ ngồi chờ đáp án…”
4.1.2.2. Disadvantages of group work
Most students agreed that they did not participate actively in group work activities
at the first time because of the conflict among members in groups. H and J
mentioned about members they prefer to work with. They reported that working
with someone who does not have close relationship with make it difficult and
uncomfortable for them to work in a group.
They answered as follows:
H: “…em cảm thấy vì không hiểu nhau, nên trong lúc làm việc đã xảy ra
bất đồng, cãi vã khiến việc học nhóm trở nên khó khắn, mất thời gian mà không
hiệu quả…”
J: “…thât khó để làm việc hiệu quả với một người mà mình không thích…”
4.2. Findings and Discussion
This study attempts to explore the level of students‟ participation in group
work activities. Attendance levels were monitored throughout the questionnaire and
39
interview by students‟ self- evaluation. The findings from the questionnaires and
interviews revealed some interesting results. Firstly, questionnaires done from two
classes revealed that the students are active participants. Especially, these were
higher in week 3, week 4 and week 5 ( >86%), compared to week 1 and week 2 (
<75%). When they are working in groups, they tend to participate in co-operating
with others and discussing the ideas with other members. Only some of the students
in each classroom reported that they are not involved in group work activities. In
details, when asking face-to face 12 students, ten of them also confessed that they
participated actively and enthusiastically in group work activities.
Secondly, the study is important for researchers and teachers to understand
and identify the factors which encourage and discourage students‟ participation.
As for positive attitudes, students cited five most influential factors that
encourage them to participate, including getting knowledge and increasing English
skills, grade, interesting activities, well-prepared for the lessons and improve group
work and presentation skills. The study also discovered that the aim of getting
knowledge and increasing English skills was the most influential factor in
encouraging students‟ participation among these factor.
In addition, students were observed to be more inclined to participate when
they got used to working in groups and realized the benefits from group work
activities. In sociocultural theory, Vygotsky (1978) emphasized the impotance of
social interaction in cognitive development and believed that peer interaction was
an essential part of the learning process. in order for children to learn new skills, he
suggested pairing more competent students with less skilled ones. It is true that
thanks to working in groups, many students could improve skills related to English
in particular and other skills in general. For example, they .could learn how to work
and interact with others in the same groups, how to help each other. After working
in groups, they became more confident, especially in communication and
presentation. Moreover, students felt an increased sense of responsibility towards
others in their team to attend the classes.
Concerning negative attitudes, the majority of responses from both
instruments (questionnaire and interview) went for negative traits like boring
40
activities and negative students‟ traits which refer to students‟ own limitation were
found to deter their class participation. Lack of knowledge, conflicts with others in
group and lack of group work skills were reported to be discouraging students‟
participation. Studies carried out by Fassinger (1995) and Gomez , Arai & Lowe
(1995) found similar traits; lack of confidence, lack of preparation, fear of appearing
unintelligent to their classmates or instructor, and feeling intimidated make students
become less inclined to participate. There could be some possible reasons for these
results. Low level EFL students might think that group work is a waste of time because
they sometimes find it difficult to communicate with their friends in the same group.
Moreover, it could be assumed that because of the diversity of levels in the same class,
and in the same group as well, students might be dependent. Glanz (2004) pointed out
that the teachers should be careful in arranging groups because if the top students and
the low level ones are put in the same groups, those with low levels will not participate
and completely depend on others.
Moreover, the result also revealed that students seemed to like doing the easy
and exciting activities such as games, matching, ordering tasks and enacting roles.
In contrast, those difficult and challenging activities related to comparing and
contrast, problem-solving make students hesitate participating. It suits to English
level of students at this school who usually feel nervous about learning English.
The understanding of these factors will help teachers to plan and create a
conductive learning environment whereby group activities will be more interactive
and stimulating. Teachers are also encouraged to find ways to stimulate active
involvement from students.
4.3. Chapter summary
The chapter has presented the findings of the study after analyzing the data.
The findings show both advantages and disadvantages of using groupwork activities in teaching English to the two 11th classes at a high school. They help the
researcher, to some extent, answer the research question: “How did students participate in group work activities and why did they participate in that way at 11th
graders at Thanh Thuy high school ?”
41
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS
1. Conclusion
Learning is an interactive process which involved active participation from
both teachers and students in the classroom. The data from this research indicated
students‟ positive attitudes toward group work activity over individual activity. It
also revealed the advantages such as getting knowledge, helping each other,
reducing the individual workload and encouraging low level students to participate
in the activity. In addition, this study also pointed out some factors teachers should
consider for successful group work activity , such as the task types, the relationship
between members in the same groups and the ability of each students in the class.
Moreover, the result also revealed that students seemed to like doing the easy
and exciting activities such as games, matching, ordering tasks and enacting roles.
In contrast, those difficult and challenging activities related to comparing and
contrast, problem-solving make students hesitate participating. It suits to English
level of students at this school who usually feel nervous about learning English.
The understanding of these factors will help teachers to plan and create a
conductive learning environment whereby group activities will be more interactive
and stimulating. Teachers are also encouraged to find ways to stimulate active
involvement from students.
2. Limitations of the study
Although the use of groupwork activities brings great benefits for teaching
English to students, due to limited time,this case study just focuses on a small
number of students in the classes.
3. Suggestions for further research
It can be said that no way is the best way in teaching, especially teaching
English because each learner has his own features of learning and acquisition. This
way may be good for this learner but may be not for another. Hence, the teacher
should be not only the practitioner but also the researcher in her own classes. It
42
means that teaching is trying and experiencing to find out the most suitable way for
her learners. Another important thing is that the teacher should be closer to her
learners to better understand each learner‟s feeling. Understanding learners‟ feeling
is such a key for the teacher to design the lesson as attractively as possible.
However, the teacher should not fix any teaching method or any way of using group
work activities. It can be appropriate to the students today but it cannot be
appropriate to them forever. Repetition can cause boredom. It means that the
teacher should change or prepare for a change everyday by studying more to adapt
to any learners‟ changes.
43
REFERENCES
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Ary, D.Jacob, C. L., Razavieh, A., & Sorensen, C. (2006). Introduction to research
in education. Belmont: Thomson Higher Education.
Chen, R. and Hird, B. (2006). Group Work in the EFL classroom in China: A
Closer Look, RELC Journal, 37(1), 91-103.
Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (2007) Research Methods in Education.
(6thed). Routledge: London.
Davis, R. 1997. „Group Work is NOT Busy Work Maximizing Success of Group
Work in the L2 Classroom‟, Foreign Language Annals, 30:265-279
Denzin, K. N., & Lincoln, S. Y. (2008). The landscape of qualitative research.
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Gilbert, G. N. (2008) Researching Social Life. (3rd ed). London: SAGE.
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Hoang Van Van, Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Dao Ngoc Loc, Vu Thi Loi, Do Tuan Minh,
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Koshy, V. (2005) Action Research for Improving Practice: A Practical Guide.
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Payne, B. & Monk-Tuner, E. (2005) Addressing Issues in Group Work in the
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SAGE Publications.
45
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE
Self- evaluation of your participation in group work
Name: ……………………………………………. Class:……………..
Period: ……………… Date:……………...
Please answer all the following questions by choosing the answers best suit the
way you worked in your group in today’s lesson.
1. How many group work activities did the teacher give you in today’s
lesson?
( Trong tiết học hôm nay, giáo viên đã giao cho các bạn bao nhiêu hoạt
động nhóm?)
a. None (0) b. One c. Two d. Three e. Four f. five
2. What was your role in each group work activity? ( you may choose
more than one answer)
( Vai trò của bạn trong mỗi hoạt động là gì?) ( Bạn có thể chọn nhiều
hơn một đáp án)
a. leader ( nhóm trưởng)
b. thinker ( người suy nghĩ đưa ra ý kiến)
c. analyst ( người phân tích)
d. presenter (người trình bày)
e. summarizer (người tóm tắt)
f. checker (người kiểm tra)
g. secretary (thư ký- người ghi chép lại các ý)
h. other roles: ( vai trò khác)……………… ………………………………
3. What was your contribution to the group work activity? ( You may
choose more than one answer)
( Bạn đã đóng góp gì cho hoạt động của nhóm mình) ( bạn có thể chọn
hơn một đáp án)
I
a. I participated in developing ideas/ planning project ( tôi đã tham gia vào
việc phát triển ý tưởng/ lên kế hoạch)
b. I participated in discussing the ideas of others ( tôi đã thảo luận các ý
tưởng của các thành viên khác)
c. I participated in cooperating with other group members ( tôi cùng tham
gia làm việc nhóm với các thành viên khác).
d. I participated in leading/ facilitating discussion ( tôi dẫn dắt và làm cho
việc thảo luận trở nên dễ dàng hơn).
e. I helped other group members to participate ( tôi giúp các thành viên
khác tham gia hoạt động)
f. I gave presentation to the whole class ( tôi thuyết trình trước cả lớp)
g. I contributed to summarizing the main ideas ( tôi tổng hợp các ý kiến
chính)
h. Other contributions ( các đóng góp khác):
4. Please evaluate your participation in the group activity by circling the
appropriate answer:
( Vui lòng tự đánh giá sự tham gia trong hoạt động nhóm của bạn bằng
việc chọn câu trả lời phù hợp)
a. Very much b. Much c. Little d. Not at all
5. Give reasons why you participated that way.
( Lí do bạn tham gia như vậy?)
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
II
APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONS FOR INTERVIEW
Recall and describe your participation in group work activities according to
these following questions:
1.Does your level of participation in group work activities change? Why ?
1. How do you feel about your participation in group work activities?
2. What did you learn from working in groups ( English in particular and
other subjects in general) ?
III
APPENDIX 3: LESSON PLAN IN THE CLASSROOM
Wee Activities Descriptions Purpose
k
1 -Prepare Students UNIT 11: Natural resources
handouts and discuss Part: Listening
deliver to Ss. together Activity 1:
Ask them to and do Work in groups
Compare the similarities and differences work in the task
between renewable and non-renewable groups of 4
resource and then one
representative
of your group
will come to
the board and
report what
you have
talked Activity 2: Problem- solving
The environment is being polluted by human about.(markin Students
activities. Discuss and suggest some measures g) discuss
to protect the environment - Teacher go together
For instance: reduce using cars/ motorbikes around and do
that cause noise and air pollution offering some the task
help.
- Teacher ask
students come
to the board
and present.
- Students take
IV
notes
Students work
in the same
groups in
activity 1 and
do the task
assigned/
- divide class -Students UNIT 12: READING
2 into 4 groups work Activity: Discussion a topic
- Students together After you read
Work in groups: discuss the to save
Talk about the history of the Asian Games topic together time
in 5-7 minutes - Students
- Teachers can learn
goes round for from
help others
- After limited
time, the
representative
of each group
will present in
front of the
class.
- Others listen
and take notes
- Teacher
V
gives
feedback.
3 - Divides the -To make Unit 12: THE ASIAN GAMES
class into two students Part: WRITING
groups. ready for Activity 1:WARM-UP
Game: Hangman Game 1. Tell students the new
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ that they are lesson
KEY: FACILITIES going to guess
a word in the
Time: 5 minutes teacher‟s
mind. This
word has 8
letters.
(students can
say out any
letter in the
alphabet. If
they guess it
correctly, the
teacher will
put it on its
position, but if
students guess
Activity 2: Matching the noun phrases with a wrong letter, Students
teacher starts work the verbs given
Using the verbs in “warm up” to draw a together
hangman.) and help VERBS Noun phrases
Build ……….. - Writes on the others do
VI
Upgrade ……….. board: the task
Widen ………. - If students Save time
Equip ……….. can guess the
Promote and Advertise word before
Recruit ………. the teacher
Hold …… finishes the
hangman, they T gives some word cards with noun phrase
1. One more National Stadium, some sports will win the
buildings and car parks game. If the
2. National Sports Centres and local stadium teacher
3. Training areas and roads to sports buildings finishes the
4. Hotels, guesthouses with modern facilities hangman
5. Preparations for the Asian Games on the before students
radio and TV guess the
6. Volunteers to serve the Games word, they will
7. Competition to choose an official song lose the game.
2. Checks Ss‟ Activity 3: Brainstorming
Students discuss in groups and give some understandi
useful structures and languages which should ng of the
be used in the writing instructions. Be ready
to write
- Students the topic
work in
groups of
6
- students
stick them
with
suitable
VII
verbs on
the board
- T checks
Teacher asks
students to
think about the
structures and
languages used
in the writing
Each group
has 2 minutes
to think
After the
limited time,
groups will
take turns to
give the
answer
Who can give
the answer
after all will
be winner.
For example:
Useful
language
- structures:
Need to be +
Vpp
VIII
Need + V-ing
Sequence
adverbs:
First of all, In
addition, then,
next, after…
4 Unit 13: Hobbies
Part: Reading
- divide class - Lead Activity 1: Warm-up Listing/
into 4 groups students Brainstorming
List all the things people often do in their free - ask Ss to to the
time. work in new
groups to list lessons Time: 5 minutes
all the things - Give
Hobbies
people do in them
the free time chances
in 3 minutes to present
Collecting stamps, reading books, listening to - Ask them to their
music, going shopping, …. write down ideas.
Activity 2: After you read their answers
Discussion on the board. Students
Time: 10 minutes - Sum up and can have
Discussing the hobbies lead in chances
to talk
about
their
hobbies
Students
improve
IX
- Students speaking
work in the skills
same group as Students
activity 1 and learn
activity 2 knowledg
- Teacher asks e and
students to skills
close their from
books and others
practice
discussing the
their hobbies:
- Work in
small groups
and take turn
to talk about
their hobbies
- Teacher lets
students give
opinions in
front of the
class
- Students
comment and
add more
ideas
- Teacher give
feedback
- Students take
X
notes
5 - Have Unit 13: Hobbies
Activity 1: Warm-up -Give Ss clear fun
GAME: CROSSWORD instructions of - Students
Time: 5 minutes the game are ready
1. I often chat with friends on ___. - Students for
2. I am not an avid stamp ___. work in group learning
3. He likes reading ___. of 5 or 6 to
4. I bought these books from the ___ near my play the game
house. - Students
5. I also love ___ computer games. choose the
number of row 1 P H O N E
which will be 2 C O L L E C T O R given a
3 B O O K suggestion
- Students 4 B O O K S H O P
guess the word 5 P L A Y I N G basing on this Activity 2: Ordering and sorting suggestion Time: 7 minutes - If they Teacher gives students a series of sentences answer and asks students work in groups and arrange correctly, they them into correct order of a dialogue. get 10 point Then students practice reading this dialogue - If not, they with other member in groups lose chance Students
work Activity 3: Work in groups: Enacting roles together Suppose you are making an interview about to save
XI
hobby of some famous people. time
Based on the dialogue in the speaking part in
textbook, students were required to make a
similar dialogue about their hobbies. In each
group, students were given roles such as the
interviewer, famous people, audiences. - Students
work in the
same group as
activity 1
- They have to
discuss to do
the task
- After the
limited time,
teacher calls
some
representatives
from groups to
show their
opinion and
practice
reading.
Work in
groups and
make a
dialogue.
XII
APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT SUMMARY
STT Does your level of How do you feel What did you learn
participation in group about your from working in
work activities participation in groups ( English in
group work change? Why ? particular and other
activities? subjects in general) ?
Active 1 Yes - Improve English
Because: skills
- At first, some - Become confident
- Improve students argued
presentation skills becaused of the
and group work disagreement.
skills Moreover, some
students didn‟t get
involved in group
work
- After several group
work activities,
students:
+ Get used to
working in groups
+ Mutual
understanding after
working together
2 Yes Active - Improve
Because: communicative
- At first, feel skills
unconfident - Become
because of limited responsible for the
XIII
English skills common work
- After several - Have deep
participating in understanding
group work, about the world
students:
+ Become more
confident after
getting involved in
group work
activities
+ Realize the
benefits from group
activities
3 Yes Active - Gain knowledge
Because: related to English
- Know how to work and other subjects
and interact with - Learn from friends
others - Become more
- Feel free to give confident
opinions in front of
other members
Yes 4 Active - Improve group
Because: work skills
- Be accustomed to - Get knowledge
group activities - Become a good
- Find group work listener
activities
interesting
5 Yes Active - Improve speaking
Because and listening skills
XIV
- Be confident to - Become
share ideas responsible for the
- No conflict among group work
members after - Know how to help
mutual others and respect
understanding their opinions
6 Yes Active - Improve group
Because work skills
- Be nervous at the - Become more
first time confident when
- Mutual communicating in
understanding after English
time working - Get knowledge
7 Yes Active - Improve
Because: communicative
- Get used to skills
working in groups - Know how to help
- Feel free to share others
ideas - Have chance to
learn something
new from friends
8 Yes Active - Know how to co-
Because: operate with others
- Become more - Students know how
confident after toResolve the
working with other conflicts
friends
- Get used to
working in groups
- Reduce the
workload
XV
9 Yes Active - Improve group
Because work skills
- Realize some - Become respectful
benefits from to others
working in groups - Get knowledge
10 Yes Active - Become
Because: responsible for the
- Feel happy when work
working with - Know how to help
others others
- - Learn many things
new from friends
11 Yes ( but very little) Passive
Because:
- Conflicts happen
because -
misunderstanding
- Working in group
is time- consuming
12 Yes ( but very little) Passive
Because:
- Do not like to work
with some people -
- Lack of knowledge
XVI
