A study on factors causing demotivation in writing lessons of 10th grade students at Doan Thi Diem Private High school, Hanoi

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration …………………………………………………………………………………i
Acknowledgement ……………………………………………… ………………………ii
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………… iii
Lists of tables and charts …………………………………………………………… …iv
Table of content ………………………………………………………………………… v
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………….1
1. Rationale…………………………………………………………………………….1
2. Aims of the study………………………………………………………………… 1
3. Scope of the study………………………………………….……………………….2
4. Research questions ……………………………………………………………… 2
5. Method of the study……………………………………………………………… 2
6. Content of the study ……………………………………………………………… 3
PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT ……………………………………………………… 5
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………5
1.1. An overview on writing…………………………………………………………… 5
1.1.1.General concept…………………………………………………………………5
1.1.2.Teaching English writing………………………………………………………6
1.1.3.Approaches to to teaching writing…………………………………………… 6
1.1.3.1. Controlled-to-free Approach………………………………………………7
1.1.3.2. Free- writing Approach…………………………………………………….7
1.1.3.3. Paragraph- pattern Approach……………………………………………….7
1.1.3.4. Grammar-syntax-organization Approach ………………………………….7

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1.1.3.5. Communicative Approach …………………………………………………8
1.1.3.6. Process Approach …… ………………………………………………… 8

1.2. An overview on Motivation ………………………………………………………….9
1.2.1. Definition of Motivation …………………………………………………….9
1.2.2. Types of Motivation …………………………………………………………9
12.2.1. Integrative motivation …………………………………………….10
1.2.2.2. Instrumental motivation ………………………………………….10
1.2.2.3. Integrative vs. instrumental motivation ………………………….11
1.2.2.4. Intrinsic motivation ………………………………………………11
1.2.2.5. Extrinsic motivation …………………………………………… 11
1.2.2.6. Resultative motivation ……………………………………………12
1.2.3. Characteristics of motivated students. …………………………………… 12
1.3. Motivation in learning writing …………………………………………………….13
1.3.1. Students’ factors ………………………………………… ………………………13
1.3.2. Teachers’ factors ………………………………………………………… 15
1.3.3. Teaching and learning conditions ………………………………………….17
CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY………………………… 19
2.1. Situation Analysis …………………………………………………………………….19
2.1.1. Setting of the study…………………………………………………………………19
2.1.2. Subjects ………………………………………………………………………… 19
2.2. Sample and sampling…………………………………………………………………20
2. 3. Instrumentation………………………………………………………………………20
2.3.1. Instrument 1- Survey questionnaire….…………………………………………… 20

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2.3.2. Instrument 2- Class observation ……………………………………………………21
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………… 21
CHAPTER THREE: DATA ANALYSIS …………………………………………… 22
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………….22
3.1. Data analysis of the students’ survey questionnaire …………………………………22
3.2. Data analysis of the teacher’s survey questionnaire …………………………………32

3.3. Results from class observations …………………………………………………… 35
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………… 39
CHAPTER FOUR: MAJOR FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS
4.1. Major findings and discussions …………………………………………………….41
4.2. Suggestions ………………………………………………………………………… 43
PART THREE: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………… 45
REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………….46
APPENDIX 1
APPENDIX 2








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LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS
Table 1: Students’ profiles
Tables 2: Students’ attitude towards writing lesson
Table 3: Types of motivation possessed by students
Table 4: Students’ personality and intelligence
Table 5: Elements causing the students’ difficulties in learning writing skill
Table 6: Teachers’ enthusiasm and relationship with students during the lesson
Table 7: Teachers’ activities in pre-writing stage
Table 8: Frequency of writing tests
Table 9: Physical conditions in classroom
Table 10: The activities used by the teachers by frequency

Table 11: Techniques used by teachers by frequency
Table 12: Teachers’ opinion on the textbooks
CHART 2: Students’ attitude towards writing lesson
CHART 3: Types of motivation possessed by students
CHART 4: Students’ attitude towards some problems
CHART 5: Elements causing the students’ difficulties in learning writing skill
CHART 8: Frequency of writing tests



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PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
1. RATIONALE
English has become popular in learning and teaching over the last decades. We
have experienced its popularity in many fields of our social life, especially in
almost educational campuses: institutions, universities, colleges, training centers,
and schools. It has become the key for us to integrate into the world, the effective
communicative tool to foster the international relations. Vietnam has become a
member of WTO so that English is becoming more important and is a practical
need for many people. It is not deniable that there have been a lot of positive
changes in language teaching in Vietnam and thanks to the innovation of ways in
teaching English, teachers have been helping students improve their English with
four skills- speaking, reading, listening and writing in each unit of the course
book. Teachers have also been looking for and trying various methods and
techniques in teaching English in order to find out the effective ones to help
English learners become better. In the four skills in one unit, the researcher finds
that writing skill is the most difficult and students always find it boring and
difficult to learn and hard to write well a specific topic or task.
Being a teacher at Doan Thi Diem Private High School, the researcher finds out

that most of the students have faced many problems in learning writing. They
often feel tired and stressed during the writing lesson, and they get bad marks in
the writing tests. This is the reason why I decided to choose the title for my
minor thesis.
2. AIM OF THE STUDY
The purposes of the study is to investigate the factors causing demotivation in
learning writing among the 10
th
grade students at Doan Thi Diem Private High
School. The principal purposes of the study are summarized as follows:

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1. To investigate factors causing students‟ demotivation in writing lesson.
2. To examine methods and techniques used by teachers of English to motivate
their students in writing lessons.
3. To suggest some methods to stimulate students to write and give some
recommendations for improving the writing skill.
3. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study was conducted in two classes with 75 10
th
-grade students at Doan Thi
Diem Private High School. The study was carried out in order to find out the
factors causing demotivation in writing lessons, to examine methods and
techniques used by teachers of English to motivate their students in writing
lessons and to suggest some methods to stimulate students to write and give
some recommendations for improving the writing skill.
4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What are the types of motivation possessed by 10
th

- grade students in learning
writing?
2. What are the demotivating factors affecting students’ writing lesson?
5. METHODS OF THE STUDY
The study is a descriptive research, that is, questionnaires and class observation
are basically carried out to obtain the data and relevant information for the study.
Besides that, survey questionnaires are made to find out reliable data and useful
findings.
The data is collected by means of two survey questionnaires, one for the teacher
staff and the other for students. The questions are of the three kinds: close- ended
questions, open-ended questions, and scaling. Other sources of data come from
writing tasks in the textbooks.

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While carrying out class observations, the researcher want to take note the
popular motivating and demotivating factors that affect students‟ learning
process. The information will help the observer to create a general view on the
factors before the observer carry out questionnaires.
5.1. Participants
The subjects chosen for the research include 75 grade 10
th
non-major English
students from 10
th
grade-classes at Doan Thi Diem Private High School with the
survey questionnaires, and teacher staff of English group, whose ages range from
24 to 35. The research was carried out during the school year 2010-2011 at Doan
Thi Diem Private High School.
5.2. Instrumentation

The instrumentation of the research is two sets of survey questionnaires for
students and for teacher staff.
- Survey for students: The survey was carried out to find out students‟ thinking
about the factors causing demotivation in their writing lessons.
- Survey questionnaire for teacher staff: a set of 8 choices, this survey was carried
out in order to find out teachers‟ views on teaching writing, activities and factors
causing students‟ demotivation in writing lessons.
- Class observations:
+ Attending classes to take note the motivation factors possessed by students and
what demotivate them.
+ Recording classroom atmosphere in writing lesson
6. CONTENT OF THE STUDY
The study consists of three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion.

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Part 1: Introduction – this part presents the Rationale, Aim of the study, Scope of
the study, Research questions, Method of study, and the content of the study.
Part 2: Development- This part consists of 4 main chapters
Chapter 1: Literature Review- this part presents theoretical background on
Motivation and brief view on concepts of Writing and factors causing
demotivation in learning writing as well as the difficulties in teaching and
learning writing lessons.
Chapter 2: Research Methodology, presents the methodology used in the study
Chapter 3: Data Analysis, covers a comprehensive analysis on data collected
from the survey questionnaires and Observation.
Chapter 4: Major findings and Suggestions, offers some major findings and
suggestions for enhancing students‟ motivation in learning writing skill.
Part 3: Conclusion, is a review of the study, future directions for further research
and limitations of the study.

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PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. An Overview on Writing
1.1.1. General Concept
In language teaching, writing is defined as a productive and taught language
skill. According to Ur (1996) “most people acquire the spoken language (at least their
own mother tongue) intuitively, whereas the written form is in most cases deliberately
taught and learned” (1996:161). He added that “writing normally requires some form
of instruction. It is not a skill that is readily picked up by exposure” (1996:11).
In short the word “writing” itself may imply an act, a process or a skill, which needs
practice and study to develop. It requires both physical and mental powers from the
writers.
Moreover, writing is one of the four language skills (speaking, listening,
reading and writing) that a learner is expected to master. Writing is the process in
which the writer expresses his thoughts or ideas in the form of handwriting. “Writing is
communicating. Good writing gets your ideas out of your head and into the reader‟s
head without losing or distorting those ideas” (Leki, 1976). To understand thoroughly

the nature of writing, some more academic definitions of writing should be studied.
However, writing is “a language skill which is difficult to acquire” (Tribble,
1996: 3). It is “a process that occurs over a period of time, particularly if we take into
account the sometimes extended period of thinking that precedes creating an initial
draft” (Harris, 1993: 10). Tribble also stressed that writing “normally requires some
form of instruction” and that “it is not a skill that is readily picked up by exposure”
(1996: 11).
Writing, in Davie‟s point of view, involved two kinds of skills. The first one
was low- level skill such as handwriting or typing, spelling, constructing grammatical
sentences, organizing and sequencing, structuring, drafting and editing, the other one
was advanced level skill such as writing a novel, a work or a play. Byrne (1988) gave a
long and complex definition which might be summarized as follows: writing is the act

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of forming graphic symbols (letters or combinations of letters) which were arranged to
form sentences, and we produced a sequence of sentences arranged in a particular
order and linked together in certain way, on a flat surface of some kind.
In conclusion, Byrne‟s definition can be considered one of the most complete
definitions of writing because it covers all of the features of writing given by three
above- mentioned authors.
Furthermore, writing is a productive skill, so it is writing that provides students with
chances to put the language itself and practice communicative skills at the same time.
Through the act of writing students will realize what they are already good at and what
they still need to learn to become better.
1.1.2. Teaching English writing
Writing can turn into a real passion. However, teaching and learning writing skill is
hardly ever the most motivated component of a language curriculum. Writing curricula
(i) are often purely skill oriented –at the expense of more cognitive and meta cognitive
aspects-, (ii) involving one-to-one communication using traditional tools, (iii) lacking

clearly differentiated and sequenced goals per “level”, (iv) fail to be embedded in a
research environment, and (v) are seldom related to an overall view on language
acquisition and learning.
The teaching of writing is a vast and complex subject. A very common product of the
teaching of writing is a page containing a „Red Sea‟ of manually underlined passages:
considered at a micro level (i.e. student-teacher level), teaching FL writing often
consists of one-to-one communication with traditional tools, producing a discouraging
manually underlined and/or annotated text without systematic labeling. Its return is
usually low due to the time-consuming and inefficient nature of the activity.
1.1.3. Approaches to teaching writing
The teaching of writing which is a vast and complex subject has long been a central
element in all educational systems. Also a number of conflicting views of the best
ways of going about it has been presented. Raimes (1983) identified three principle
ways of approaching the task, namely; focus on form, focus on the writer, and focus on

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the reader. From these perspectives, he gave out six main approaches in the teaching of
writing namely: Controlled-to-Free approach, Free-writing approach, Paragraph-
pattern approach, Grammar- syntax- organization approach, Communicative approach
and Process approach.
1.1.3.1. Controlled- to- free Approach
According to this approach mistakes shown up in written work was regarded as a
major problem. The teacher assumed that students made mistakes because they wrote
what they wanted freely. This approach stressed the importance of control in teaching
writing skills to students in early stages. Students were taught how to write and
combine various sentence type and manipulation exercises were used to give students
the experience of writing connected sentences.
The amount of control would be reduced gradually and students were asked to exercise
meaningful choice. At the next stages, students might be given a good deal of guidance

and content, but allowed some opportunities for self- expression. This approach also
emphasized step- by- step learning and formal correction.
1.1.3.2. Free- Writing Approach
This free- writing encouraged students to write as much as possible and as quickly as
possible without paying attention to mistakes. The important thing students did was to
get their ideas down on a paper. The drawbacks of this approach were that many
students wrote badly because they did not write enough and for the same reason they
felt inhibited when they picked up a pen to write. This approach might be useful when
writing a journal or a diary.
1.1.3.3. Paragraph- Pattern Approach
This paragraph – pattern approach stressed the importance of paragraph as the basic
unit of written expression. Students were taught how to construct and organize
paragraphs. This approach helped students express themselves effectively at a level
beyond the sentence.
1.1.3.4. Grammar- syntax- organization Approach
Writing cannot be seen as composed of separate skills which are learned one by one.

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So some teachers devise writing tasks that lead students to pay attention to
organization while they also work on the necessary grammar and syntax. This
approach links the purpose of a piece of writing to the forms that are needed to convey
the message
1.1.3.5. Communicative Approach
This communicative approach emphasized the communicative role of writing. Students
should have the reason for writing and think about whom they wrote to or for. This
approach required situations which allowed them to write purposefully. This approach
motivated students to write and showed how writing was a form of communication.
1.1.4.6. Process approach
In this approach, particular stress is paid on a cycle of writing activities which move

learners from the generation of ideas and the collection of data through to the
“publication” of a finished text:
PRE- WRITING
(Specify the task/ planning and outlining/ collecting data/ making notes)

COMPOSING

REVISING
(Reorganizing/ shifting emphasis/ focusing information and style for your readership)

EDITING
(Checking grammar/ lexis/ surface features)
So in the Process approach, students did not write on a given topic in a restricted time
and gave their assignments to the teachers to correct. They explored a topic through
writing in an unrestricted time, showing their teachers and each other their drafts, and
using what they wrote to read over, think about, and moved them on to a new ones.
Teachers could give their feedbacks on the content of what students have written in
their drafts. The writing process became a process of discovery. That was the

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discovery of new ideas and new language forms to express those ideas.
To sum up, there is no one perfect way to teach writing. We teachers have to take into
consideration the many factors of our context before deciding which approach to apply
or very likely, develop one of our own which is the combination of some approaches
and which suits our setting best.
1.2. An Overview on Motivation
1.2.1. Definition of Motivation
Most definitions of motivation reflect the consensus that motivation is an internal
state or condition that serves to activate or energize behavior. Williams and

Burden (1997: 119) point out that the reason for and factors affecting your choice
of behaving in this way but not in others and how much effort you decide to
make in order to obtain your objects are all aspects relating to motivation.
Lightbown and Spada (1996:6) state that motivation in second language learning
is a complex phenomenon which can be defined in terms of two factors: learners‟
communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second language
community.
Motivation has been defined as the learner‟s orientation with regard to the goal
of learning a second language. Learners with positive attitudes toward the subject
and high motivation are likely to be successful in second language learning
(Gardner, 1985).
In second language learning as in other fields of human learning, motivation is
the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all,
how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he preserves. It is a complex
phenomenon and includes many components: the individual‟s drive, need for
achievement and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and experience, and so
on (Littlewood, 1998:53).
1.2.2. Types of Motivation

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1.2.2.1. Integrative motivation
One form of motivation is known as integrative motivation. It is thought that
students who are most successful when learning a second language are those who
like the people who speak that target language, admire the culture and have a
desire to become familiar with the society in which the language is used (Falk,
1978). This kind of motivation is considered a key component in assisting
learners to develop some level of proficiency in L2 when they become residents
in the community in which the target language is used in social interactions.
According to Gardner and Lambert (1974: 98) “An integrative orientation

involves an interest in learning an L2 because of a sincere and personal interest
in the people and culture represented by the other language group”. It occurs
when learners wish to identify with the culture of the L2 group. Moreover, Ellis
(1994:513) found that learners with integrative motivation were more active in
the class and were less likely to drop out.
1.2.2.2. Instrumental motivation
In contrast to integrative motivation is instrumental motivation. This is
characterized by the desire to obtain something practical from the study of L2
(Hudson, 2000). With this kind of motivation, the purpose of L2 acquisition is
more utilitarian. Ellis (1994: 75) mentioned “some functional reasons such as to
pass an examination, to get a better job, or to get a place at university. These
reasons motivate learners to learn an L2 because it opens up educational and
economic opportunities for them”. Instrumental motivation is often a
characteristic of L2 acquisition, where little or no social integration of the learner
into a community using the target language takes place.
Littlewood (1998) replicating Gardner and Lambert (1972), concluded “ A
learner with instrumental motivation is more interested in how the second
language can be a useful instrument towards furthering other goals, such as

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gaining a necessary qualification or improving employment prospects” (1998:
57). It occurs when learners‟ goals for learning an L2 are functional. With an
instrumental motivation, learners can be successful in learning an L2. It is likely
that incentives like money can help learning, but the effects maybe cease as soon
as the reward stops.
1.2.2.3. Integrative vs. instrumental motivation
Learners can have both integrative and instrumental motivation. In some cases,
integrative may be more powerful in stimulating an L2 learning, in some other
situations, however, instrumental counts far more. In addition, the social contexts

in which learning takes place strongly influence the level and type of motivation.
Ellis also stated “Learners can be both integratively and instrumentally motivated
at one and the same time. Motivation can result from learning as well as cause it”
(p76). Motivation and achievement have an interactive relationship. Moreover,
Ellis (1994: 513) found that learners with integrative motivation were more
active in the class and were less likely to drop out.
1.2.2.4. Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation refers to “motivation to engage in an activity for its own
sake” (Woldkowski, 1991). He means that activity itself is our benefit, so we do
not need any other kinds of rewards or punishment. He states that intrinsic
motivation “is the natural tendency to seek out and conquer challenges as we
pursue personal interests and exercise capabilities”. The factors of support of
intrinsic motivation are: competence (feeling that you know how to do things),
autonomy (being able to perform an activity by yourself without external help)
and relatedness (connection with your social environment like helping the
others).
1.2.2.5. Extrinsic motivation

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Harmer (2001:51) gives an easily understandable definition that extrinsic
motivation “is caused by any number of outside factors such as: the need to pass
an exam, the hope to of financial reward or possibility of future travel”.
Most writers agree that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations interact with each
other and play an important role in language learning. As a result, learners can be
either motivated by internal or external factors depending on the circumstances
and conditions under which the activity is performed.
1.2.2.6. Resultative motivation
Ellis (1997: 76) claimed that “motivation is the result of learning. Learners who
experience success in learning may become more, or in some contexts less

motivated to learn”. Truly, in some contexts like Vietnam, success in learning
Japanese may intensify Vietnamese students‟ like for Japanese culture, and thus,
stimulates them to learn more.
Among them, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations have an important part to play
in classroom settings. Most writers agree that intrinsic and extrinsic interact with
each other. As a result, students can be either motivated by internal or external
factors depending on the circumstances and conditions the activity is performed.
1.2.3. Characteristics of motivated students.
Ellis (1985:122) replicated findings from studies by Rubin (1975) and Naiman et
al. (1978), and drew on a number of characteristics and the qualities of the good
language learners. According to them, a good language learner would:
o Seek out all opportunities to use the target language
o Supplement the learning that derives from direct contact with the
speakers of the L2 with learning derived from the use of study techniques

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o Possess sufficient analytic skills to perceive, categorize, and store the
linguistic features of the L2
o Be prepared to experiment by taking risks
o Be capable of adapting to different learning conditions
In short, motivation which is affected by a number of factors on both the part of
the teacher and the part of the learner, has been considered to play an important
role in L2 teaching and learning. It is, moreover, of significance in teaching and
learning L2 writing. The following part will deal with several features of L2
writing activities.
1.3. Motivation in learning writing
1.3.1. Students’ factors
1.3.1.1. Personality
A number of personality characteristics like: Extroversion, inhibition, self-

esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness, responsiveness have been discussed
by Lightbown & Spada (1999). Although several studies on personalities and
second language learning have been done with different and contradictory
results, many researchers believe that personality has a great influence on second
language learners‟ success. “This relationship is a complex one, however, in that
it is probably not personality alone, but the way in which it combines with other
factors, that contributes to second language learning” (Lightbown & Spada,
1999:56).
1.3.1.2. Intelligence
Intelligence is the term referring to performance on certain kinds of tests
(Lightbown & Spada, 1999:52). Through these tests, teachers are able to classify
successful or unsuccessful students in the class performance. While some studies
have reported that there is a link between intelligence measured by IQ tests and

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second language learning, some students, in fact, whose academic performance is
weak, are successful in L2 learning.
1.3.1.3. Aptitude
Lightbown & Spada mentioned in the book How languages are learned
(1999:52) that researchers have investigated aptitude and the two aptitude tests
are the most widely used, namely, the Modern Language Aptitude Test and the
Pimsleur Language aptitude Battery. These two authors supposed that the
following different types of abilities compose aptitude:
(1) The ability to identify and memorize new sounds; (2) the ability to
understand the function of particular words in sentences; (3) the ability to
figure out grammatical rules from language samples, and (4) memory for
new words”.
These two authors also suggested that teachers should know the aptitude profile
of their students in order to choose appropriate activities for their class

performance for their particular groups of students.
1.3.1.4. Students’ beliefs
Most learners have strong beliefs about how languages are learnt, how their
instruction should be believed. “These beliefs are usually based on previous
learning experiences and the assumption (right or wrong) that a particular type of
instruction is the best way for them to learn” (Lightbown, 1999:59)
1.3.1.5. Students’ preferences
“The term “learning style” has been used to describe an individual‟s natural,
habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing, and retaining new
information and skills.” (Lightbown and Spada, 1999: 58, Replicated Reid,
1995). Learners can fall into the following groups: visual learners, aural learners,

22

kinaesthetic learners. Researchers have also distinguished field independent and
field dependent learners based on cognitive learning styles. They, furthermore,
posit another kind of learning style based on the individual‟s temperament or
personality.
1.3.2. Teachers’ factors
Basing on Dornyei (2001), teachers‟ factors and appropriate teacher behaviors
are mentioned as follows:
(1) Enthusiasm
(2) Commitment to and expectations for the students‟ academic progress
(3) Good relationship with the students
(4) Ability to listen and pay attention to students
(5) Teachers‟ methods of teaching
1.3.2.1. Enthusiasm
The American psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, conducted a survey and
asked the question “Who have been your most influential teachers?”. He then
addressed in a thought- provoking article (1997) that it was the enthusiastic ones.

It is teachers‟ love, dedication and passion together with a commitment toward
the subject matter that instill in students a willingness to pursue knowledge.
Also, teachers should clearly identify their reasons for loving and being
interested in the subject matter or L2, and then share these reasons with their
students (Good& Brophy, 1994).
1.3.2.2. Commitment to the students’ progress

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Teachers should show commitment towards their students‟ learning and
progress, at the same time they should care for what their students have learnt
and succeeded (Dornyei, 2001)
In order to express commitment towards the students, teachers should:
+ offer concrete assistance
+ respond immediately when help is requested
+ correct tests and paper promptly
+ Show concern when things are not going on
Furthermore, if teachers treat their students “as if they already are eager learners,
they are more likely to become eager learners” (Brophy, 1998: 170)
1.3.2.3. Teachers’ expectations
In an experiment in educational psychology, an intelligence test to primary
school children, Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) came to a conclusion that if
teachers had high expectations about how well students could study, their
students would probably be able to reach high level of achievement.
Students tend to perform at a level which is consistent with the teacher‟s
expectations. Particularly, when the teacher sets high expectations, they are
likely to perform better at the subject matter and even feel more competent
(Good & Brophy, 1987)
1.3.2.4. Good relationship with the students
- Acceptance: three linchpins of the humanistic psychology, namely, acceptance,

empathy and congruence, are of great influence in the development of student-
centered teaching.

24

- Ability to listen and pay attention to students: listening to a person is the single
most powerful transaction that occurs between ourselves and another person
(Wlodkowski, 1986: 28).
1.3.2.5. Teachers’ teaching methods
Teachers‟ teaching methods refer to a set of techniques or activities used to get
students involved in learning to achieve a goal. One of the reasons for learning a
foreign language among many students is that they find learning activities
interesting. It means that teachers‟ teaching techniques or activities can either
motivate or demotivate students to learn.
Harmer (1991:12) finds that classes in which the teachers present a variety of
activities are far more likely to ensure students‟ continuing interest and
involvement in learning, whereas classes in which the teachers continually give
the same activities are not likely to engage students‟ interest. For example, if all
writing activities always focus on brainstorming ideas and students write
following those ideas, writing will become less interesting. The same is true of
any activity that is constantly repeated.
Furthermore, students considerably vary in personality, preferences and beliefs.
The activity that is particularly appropriate for one student may not be ideal for
another. Thus, a particular teaching method cannot satisfy the needs or the
interests of all students.
It is clear that a variety of teaching activities can contribute to students‟
motivation while routine and monotony endanger it.
1.3.3. Teaching and learning conditions
1.3.3.1. Physical conditions

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Physical conditions in the classroom refer to the classroom size, chairs, desks,
tables, lights, boards and even bulletin boards. Jeremy Harmer (1992) confirmed
that such physical conditions had great impact on students‟ learning as well as
their attitude towards the subject matter. These conditions affect students‟
motivation either positively or negatively.
L2 teachers should be reminded that the classroom is not only a psychological
but also a physical environment. The decoration: posters, flowers, funny objects
influence strongly the classroom atmosphere. More importantly, teachers should
create the ownership of the class among students. He stated “Personalizing the
classroom can be seen as students exercising increasing control over their
environment” (Dornyei, 2001:42).
1.3.3.2. A pleasant supportive atmosphere in the classroom
Language learning is considered one of the most face- threatening school
subjects. Language anxiety has been found to be a powerful factor that hinders
L2 learning achievement (MacIntyre, 1999; Young, 1999). Thus, it is the
teacher‟s task to create a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere.
Moreover, humor is a very potent factor to improve the classroom atmosphere.
The use of humor helps students feel at ease without tension in the air.
Scheidecker and Freeman (1991: 138) had a summary on the essence of the ideal
classroom climate: “When one watches students enter such a classroom, one gets
an overwhelming sense that the students shed emotional baggage at the doorway.
This is an emotional safe zone.”




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CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter will analyze the situation with the description of the subjects, the
materials used by informants and the instruments applied to collect data.
2.1. Situation Analysis
2.1.1. Setting of the study
The study was conducted at Doan Thi Diem Private High School, where English
is the compulsory and a very high-appreciated subject. Although the School has
been founded for 5 years, it has become an ideal school for students to study and
experience their life. In school year 2010- 2011, there are 5 10
th
grade classes
with more than 150 students and the students‟ levels are not very high but in the
medium levels.
The program of English is the national standard program of Ministry of
Education and Training. However, apart from 3 standard periods, there are other
2 periods which help students to revise and improve their vocabulary, grammar,
language skills and preparation for tests. Besides that, they have 1 period
working with the foreign teacher, who helps them to improve their language and
to get the standard language.
2.1.2. Subjects
 10
th
grade students
Most of 10
th
grade students at DTD Private School, aged from 15 to 16, both
male and female, have learnt English at least 6 or 7 years but in different levels,
some students are very good, some are good, and some are very bad. They have
similar background, that is, they all come from Hanoi or live in Hanoi. At the
time of the study, they were in the first term of the school year 2010- 2011.

 The teacher staff of 10
th
grade students

27

There are 5 teachers of English in group 10
th
grade. All of them have been
teaching for the school at least one year and they all graduated from English
Department, College of foreign Languages, National University, Hanoi; 1 have
got M.A degree, 3 are in the Master course of Post- Graduation, CFL, VNU and
one teacher has got Bachelor Degree. They teach all skills and grammar also the
supplementary program.
2.2. Sample and sampling
The sample was drawn from two sources: from more than 75 students and from 5
teachers teaching 10
th
grade classes at DTD Private High School.
The 10
th
grade students were assigned to 5 classes. Fifteen students I each class
were randomly selected to fulfill the questionnaire. Totally, 75 students (about
50% of the 10
th
grade students) answered the questionnaire.
Five teachers (100% of teacher population) were invited to join the research.
Their ages range from 25 to 35. They are all female teachers.
2. 3. Instrumentation
2.3.1. Instrument 1- Survey questionnaire

Two set of survey questionnaire were completed with the assistance of 75 10
th

grade students and 5 teachers in 10
th
grade group. This method allowed the
researcher to collect the data needed in „quantitative form‟. A strong point of this
method is that it is quite easy to summarize, analyze and report the collected data
as all informants submit the answer to the same question. In addition, the
informants can express their opinions on teaching and learning the writing skill
in a free way as their personal information is not included in the questionnaires.
2.3.1.1. The questionnaire for the students

28

The questionnaire for the students (Appendix 1) was designed with 23 questions
with scaling.
2.3.1.2. The questionnaire for the teachers
The questionnaire for the teachers (Appendix 2) consists of two parts (with 7
questions). Part 1 is about their opinion on teaching Writing skill, the things they
often do in their writing lessons. Part 2 is their comments on the writing topics in
the course book.
2.3.2. Instrument 2- Class observation
The researcher observed two classes (10A1, 10A2). The observation was carried
out in two different lessons in two classes. For each lesson, the researcher
observed for 45 minutes.
Two teachers under the researcher‟s observation have been teaching English at
the School at least one year. They were the teacher in charge of these classes
from the beginning of the school year. There are some differences between the
teachers. In the first place, one of them is 26 years old while the other is 34.

Consequently, their teaching experience must be different.
Two units were chosen to be observed are Unit 4 and Unit 7. The purpose for
choosing these units was that they contained unfamiliar topics with difficult
things, which may make the students bored. Therefore the researcher intends to
observe how the teachers dealt with the topics, how they explained the new
words and what techniques they used to motivate students.
Conclusion
This chapter has presented the methodology employed in the research. The next
chapter will offer a descriptive data analysis of the collected data.