Using group work to improve teaching and learning quality for the students in the communal police chief class at the People’s security college I

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES
-----------o0o------------

PHẠM THỊ THU NGÀ

USING GROUP WORK TO IMPROVE TEACHING AND
LEARNING QUALITY FOR THE STUDENTS IN THE
COMMUNAL POLICE CHIEF CLASS AT THE PEOPLE’S
SECURITY COLLEGE I

Sử dụng phương pháp nhóm để nâng cao chất lượng dạy và
học của học viên lớp trưởng công an xã, trường Cao đẳng an
ninh nhân dân I
M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60140111

Hanoi, 2015


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES
-----------o0o------------

PHẠM THỊ THU NGÀ

USING GROUP WORK TO IMPROVE TEACHING AND

LEARNING QUALITY FOR THE STUDENTS IN THE
COMMUNAL POLICE CHIEF CLASS AT THE PEOPLE’S
SECURITY COLLEGE I

Sử dụng phương pháp nhóm để nâng cao chất lượng dạy và
học của học viên lớp trưởng công an xã, trường Cao đẳng an
ninh nhân dân I
M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60140111
Supervisor : Dr. Trầ n Thi Thu
Hiền
̣

Hanoi, 2015


DECLARATION
I certify that this minor thesis entitled: “Using group work to improve teaching
and learning quality for the students in the Communal police chief class at the
People’s Security College I” is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Arts is the result of my own work. I have provided fully
documented references to the work of others. The material in this thesis has not been
submitted for any other formal course of study.
January12th, 2015

Phạm Thị Thu Ngà

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the
possibility to complete this thesis. I want to thank the Faculty of Post Graduate
Studies, University of languages and international studies, Vietnam National
University, Hanoi for giving me permission to commence this thesis.
I am deeply indebted to my supervisor Dr Tran Thi Thu Hien, whose stimulating
suggestions and encouragement helped me in all the time of research for and writing of
this thesis.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all my lecturers at
the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International
Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, whose lectures and support have laid
foundation for my thesis.
My colleagues from the Department of foreign languages and informatics at the
PSCI and the students in the CPC class at the PSCI have greatly supported me in my
research work. I want to thank them for all their assistance, support, interest and
valuable hints.
Especially, I would like to give my special thanks to my husband, my family and
my friends who encourage me to complete this work.

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ABSTRACT
It is widely admitted that teaching English in the Communal Police Chief
class has a lot of disadvantages over other classes at the People‟s Security College I
such as: students in the class are very crowded. They are different level. The class
lacks of material foundation. However, teaching in a large multilevel class is a popular
mode being used in most schools and universities in Vietnam. There exist many

constraints on effective English teaching in such environment. When teaching as well
as learning English in these classes, teachers and students have to face a lot of
problems and difficulties. Thus, to improve this situation, I applied group work for
teaching and learning four skills for the students in the CPC class at the PSCI.
The paper then explores how to use group work of the teachers in the CPC
classroom handle their lessons to attract attention of the learners. On the basis of the
brief analysis, a few suggestions, in the light of current education thinking to enhance
classroom practice, are presented to see that skills teaching in the CPC class can be
successful and students can develop their language skills.

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List of abbreviations
BE: Basic English
CPC: Communal Police Chief
DFLI: Department of Foreign Languages and Informatics
ESP: English for specific purposes
FPGS: Faculty of Post Graduate Studies
PSCI: People‟s Security College I
MA: Master of Arts
VNU: Vietnam National University

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LIST OF TABLE
Table 2.1: Students’improvement in English speaking (p.21)

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ............................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................iv
LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... v
PART A: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 8
1. Rationale ..................................................................................................................... 8
2. Aims of the study ....................................................................................................... 9
3. Significance of the study ........................................................................................... 9
4. Research question ...................................................................................................... 9
5. Method of the study ................................................................................................... 9
6. Scope of the study ...................................................................................................... 9
7. Design of the study ................................................................................................... 10
PART B: DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................. 11
1.1 The role of group work in English language learning ....................................... 11
1.1.1 Definition of group work....................................................................................12
1.1.2 Advantages and disadvantages of group work ................................................12
1.1.3 Types of group work ..........................................................................................15
1.1.4 Group formation .................................................................................................16
1.2 How to organize group work activities effectively in the classroom................. 16
1.2.1 Common activities for group work ......................................................................16
1.2.2 Principles to apply group work ...........................................................................17
1.2.3 Teacher’s role in group work ..............................................................................18
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 21
2.1. Action Research...................................................................................... 21
2.1.1 Definition ...........................................................................................21

2.1.2 Action research process...................................................................22
2.1.3. The rationale for choosing action research for this study ...........24
2.2 Context of the study ................................................................................ 24
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2.2.1 People’s security college I .................................................................24
2.2.2 The English program and the teaching material .............................25
2.3 The students ............................................................................................. 25
CHAPTER 3: AN ACTION RESEARCH ON GROUP WORK AT PSC I .......... 26
3.1 Problem identification ............................................................................ 26
3.2. Preliminary investigation ...................................................................... 26
3.3 Hypothesis formation .............................................................................. 27
3.4 Intervention ............................................................................................. 27
3.5 Evaluation ................................................................................................ 27
3.6 Dissemination .......................................................................................... 33
3.6.1. Students’ benefits ..............................................................................33
3.6.2. Main issues that students confront in working in groups...............34
3.7 Follow - up ............................................................................................... 34
PART C: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 35
1. Recapitulation ............................................................................................ 35
2. Concluding remarks ................................................................................. 35
3. Limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies................ 35
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 37
APPENDICES.................................................................................................................. I

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PART A: INTRODUCTION

In this part, the rationale, the aims and objectives as well as the research
questions and research design are presented. The structure of the thesis is also
presented briefly in this Part.
1. Rationale
Nowadays, the importance of English cannot be denied or ignored. The
common trend of the world today is integrating and developing together. As this global
- trend expands, the need for a global language that is recognized and understood by
people everywhere in common and security students at the People‟s Security College I.
Besides, English is also necessary for the co-operation with others countries.
Their security force‟s mission is not only to protect national security but also to
contribute to the peace of our world especially, in the current East Sea situation.
English is considered as a compulsory subject in the school curriculum. However,
students in the CPC class at the PSCI still are not aware of the importance of and make
no efforts in learning this international language. Moreover, students must be both
good at professional knowledge and proficient in English after graduation. Therefore,
innovating teaching method is essential and urgent. While CPC students are very
crowded. It is not effective if applying the traditional method: Teachers present and
explain, students listen and write down. How to help students to improve their learning
is a big question for all the teachers. Therefore, the author chose the thesis: “Using
group work to improve teaching and learning quality for the students in the CPC class
at the PSCI”
Teaching English as a foreign language by using group work has been proven
by researchers at various levels; from basic to advance over the past twenty years.
Many authors both in the world and in Vietnam do the research about group work that
can be applied to facilitate and promote the process of learning English such as
ZdeněkPola (2008) shows the ways to maintain discipline in group work activities in
EFL classes at Liberci technical university, Mai Thi Hang Phuong (2008) believes
that it is very important for the teachers to organize group work in a class at Pham Van
Nghi upper secondary school, Nam Dinh province, Dang Thi Kim Oanh (2010)
observes writing skill for 10th form non English majors at Phan Boi Chau specializing

8


high school through group work. Most of the research objects are students at high
school and at the college but nobody carries out an action research on “Using group
work to improve teaching and learning quality for the students in the CPC class at the
PSCI”. I hope that my research will improve some extent English learning for students
in the CPC class.
2. Aims of the study
The study aims to improve English teaching and learning quality for students in
the CPC class at the PSCI through group work method.
3. Significance of the study
Although the study was conducted on a small scale with a particular group of
the CPC students at the PSCI, it would contribute to the existing knowledge in the
field concerning group work, students‟ participation in group work, influential factors,
and teachers‟ strategies. Moreover, it could raise awareness of EFL learners about the
problems in their peers‟ participation in group work and elements affecting their
participation. Finally, it propose several useful recommendations for teachers to
minimize negative impacts of influential factors on students‟ participation.
4. Research question
The research was carried out with an attempt to find out the answers to the
following question: “How does group work affect students’ ability to use English?”
5. Method of the study
Given that the current study was carried out in an attempt to improve English
learning quality for students in the CPC at the PSCI through group work, the
researcher decided to adopt the action research approach because this type of research
is aimed at improving a situation.
6. Scope of the study
The study mainly focuses on applying group work to improve English learning
for the students of the CPC at the PSCI. All the other teaching methods and the

different researches with other types of students at the different facilities are out of
scope of this study. Moreover, it was conducted with 96 students of the CPC class and
an English teacher at ED at the PSCI

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7. Design of the study
This study consists of 3 parts: Introduction, development and conclusion
The first part, INTRODUCTION, includes the rationale for choosing the topic
of the study, the aims of the study, the significance of the study, research questions,
the methods of the study, the scope of the study and the design of the study.
The second part, DEVELOPMENT, consists of three chapters.
Chapter 1 focuses on a variety of linguistic concepts most relevant to the
research topic such as definitions of group work, the previous studies, advantages and
disadvantages of group work, types of group work, group work formation, common
activities, group work‟s principles and teacher‟s role in group work.
Chapter 2 focuses on the context of the study, theChapter 3 concentrates on
research procedures, analyzing data analysis findings, the result and makes a
discussion, reflection
The last part, CONCLUSION, summarizes the major findings of the study,
points out the limitations and proposes some suggestions for further research.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 The role of group work in English language learning
It is said that “More hands make for lighter work.” “Two heads are better than

one.” “The more the merrier”. These adages speak to the potential groups have to be
more productive, creative, and motivated than individuals on their own. Group work‟s
effectiveness has been reconsidered closely since Tickoo (1991: 53) left the open
question “is group work a pedagogic universal or a partial remedy?” Group work can
be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop
key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making skills.
The most common way of teaching English in the majority of elementary
schools is frontal teaching because it is a traditional teaching situation; however, this
is not the only possibility. The other well-known student groupings are pair work and
group work. Each of them has its good points and bad points; therefore, teachers try to
combine all these various alternatives in order to achieve the lessons‟ objectives.
Group work is mostly included into the lesson when there is a serious need to raise the
amount of student involvement because it offers more space for the pupils to discuss
or solve problems together, in other words they learn how to cooperate. Even shy
students, who would almost never take an active part during the lesson, are usually
much more easily persuaded to work in a group. Petty (2004:175) concludes that:
“Group work is an activity which is enjoyable by itself and at the same time hides a
huge learning and teaching potential”. Moreover, it leads students to take their own
responsibility for learning.
On the other hand, teachers are curious whether some signs of indiscipline
would appear in this kind of classroom activity. Moreover, this apprehension is bigger
when group work is used with pupils or young learners. Generally speaking, it is very
likely that every teacher will meet with some elements of disturbing behaviour during
their teaching career because indiscipline depends on many circumstances. If one
wants to avoid disturbing behavior, he or she needs to find these circumstances out at
first and after that solve them, even if this can be quite a difficult task. Nevertheless,

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one cannot say that disturbing behaviour goes always hand in hand with group work;
more likely, suitable group work activities could lessen disruptive behaviour.
1.1.1Definition of group work
Group work means work done by a group of people working together, for
example students in a classroom(Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 2014).
Group work is widely agreed to be a process in which two or more learners
work together to do a task which involves cooperation and self-generated language
(Brown, 2001; Doff, 1998). The whole class is divided into group work by the teacher.
Every student works with his or her partners in groups and all the groups work at the
same time (Doff, 1988:137).
According to Petty (2004: 175), “group work is an activity which is enjoyable
by itself and at the same time hides a huge learning and teaching potential”. Group
work is a term used by many teachers to describe an activity where several students
are sitting and working together; however, how is it defined by scholars? Experts from
National Institute for Educational Development in Teacher Basic Competency Manual
define group work as “… a type of activity in which learners work together in groups
in order to learn something.” Pincas (1982: 126) also remarks that group work is “cooperative language practice between small groups of students (3-6 in most cases)” and
emphasizes that “… it is not a matter of sitting together in groups, but of pooling
efforts in a given task”.
There are many different definitions about group work. Each author also
protects his own idea. In this research, “group work” refers to one or more of the
following:
-

Arranging students in small groups to carry out particular exercises or tasks
(e.g. breaking up a seminar group into smaller groups for some problem-based
learning)

-

Organising students in small groups to accomplish a project

Working with students in groups to improve and develop their interpersonal skills
and/or increase their understanding of group dynamics.1.1.2 Advantages and
disadvantages of group work

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Group work has several advantages. They are mentioned below: Group work
offers an inexhaustible number of variations how to practice all the language skills,
receptive as well as productive; it depends only on the kind of the activity students are
engaged in. Moreover, Gannaway in Group Work [online] states that: “Group work
can be used for real world work on authentic real world projects,” which is very
important in pupils‟ further development.
Firstly, group work is very suitable for increasing the amount of student
talking time because more students can talk at the same time. Harmer (1991:245)
notes that group work provides students with greater possibilities to use the language
to communicate and cooperate with one another because when working together on a
task, the cooperation among students is very important. Moreover, while dealing
with some problem, the discussion can arise quite often because there are more
students to react to in a group.
Secondly, as far as the task is concerned, Doff (1991:141) points out that:
“Working in … groups encourages students to be more involved and to concentrate
on the task”. In groups pupils are more motivated in endeavour to show to others
that they are useful. Moreover, even „weak‟ students can enjoy the sense of
achievement when being a part of a group; therefore, they do not, at least
immediately, lose their interest.
Security is another important point. Doff (1991:141) concludes that students
are less nervous when working in groups than when showing off in front of the

whole class. If one student does not know something, the others would help him or
her so he/she could more easily overcome the fear of feeling of not knowing the
right answer, etc. In other words, students share their ideas and knowledge within
their group [ibid.] and are not so worried about the grammatical accuracy.
Besides that Harmer (1991:245) also claims that “… working in groups is
potentially more relaxing than working in pairs” or individually, which contributes to
a better atmosphere in the groups. When there is a supportive atmosphere within the
groups, pupils are very much likely to be in a good mood, which results in better
outcomes of the activity.

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From the social point of view, students develop the interpersonal
relationships. They learn to respect, boost up and help each other. They become
more diligent and not so distributive in order to function as one firm group. As
Finocchiaro (1989:34) suggest: “They become socially cohesive”.
Finally, Bradeyin JCU – Teaching and Learning Development [online] notes
that: “Group work promotes learning in providing opportunity to share and test
ideas with others and to examine different perspectives on issues.” Students are able
to report their own ideas and opinions within the group and make their own
decisions or develop their own insight into the problem according to what they find
out from others by listening to their arguments.
Apart from the advantages above, there are several disadvantages of group
work
Firstly, it is really simple to understand that students usually speak their own
native language when working in groups in a large multilevel class as the Communal
police chief class. Besides, teacher is very difficult to listen to all groups at the same
time. However the teacher can change this situation by giving the strict and clear rules
at the beginning of the subject. It will help students establish the good habit of

speaking without any native language.
Secondly, working in groups especially in a large class always makes noise
because the participants in group work activities are not aware of what they are doing.
They make noise without paying attention.
Moreover, it is very easy to make mistakes when students work in groups
because teacher does not normally disturb them and students cannot control all things
they speak. Moreover, students prefer correcting each other rather than learning the
mistakes. Therefore, teacher should correct the mistakes immediately in order to help
students remember and do not make errors again.
Finally, shy or weak students can be excluded from practice because of
individuals who always tend to dominate. Therefore, teacher should assign roles to
avoid one or two learners taking over the activity and others becoming passive
observers.

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1.1.3 Types of group work
Each activity differs from another by means of distribution of the information
that is needed in the activity, which specifies different types of group work. Nation
(1994: 162) suggests that different types of group work require different kinds of
classroom arrangement as they are to meet different learning goals. Basic types of
group work, according to the distribution of information, are as follows: individual
arrangement, superior-inferior, cooperating and combining. Each type of group work
has some following figures:
1.1.3.1 Individual arrangement
- The learners face each other.
- All learners have the same information but use a different part.
- There is equality in social relationship, but with focus on individual performance.
- Fluency and new language item sare the most suitable learning goals.

- The most suitable tasks are solving problems and completion.
- A chain story or role play is a typical example.
1.1.3.2 Superior-Inferior
- The knowers face the seeker.
- One or more learners have information that the others do not have.
- There is equality in social relationship, the knowers are in a superior position.
- New language items and mastering content are the most suitable learning
goals.
- Data gathering, completion and providing directions are the most suitable
tasks
- A typical example is an interview.
1.1.3.3 Cooperating
- Learners sit beside each other facing the information.
- All learners have equal access to the same information and to each other‟s view of it.
- There is equality in social relationship.
- The most suitable learning goals are fluency and new language items.
- Ranking, ordering, choosing finding implications, causes, uses solving
problems, producing material are the most suitable tasks.
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- Ranking exercise is a typical example.
1.1.3.4 Combining
- Learners sit at an equal distance from each other, facing each other.
- Each learner has unique essential information.
- This type creates equality, mutual dependency in social relationship.
- The most suitable learning goals are negotiation of input, mastering content
and fluency.
- Completion, ordering, providing directions, matching, classifying and
distinguishing are the most suitable tasks.

- A strip story is a typical example.
1.1.4 Group formation
There are many possibilities of forming groups but UnderWood (1990: 46)
points out that “It‟s often easiest to organize the whole thing yourself”. The teacher is
very likely the most competent person who is able to form the suitable groups.
Teachers know their students best, therefore, they can divide students into groups
according to their level of English, pace of work, level of participation,
friendship/hostility or, in case of urgency (eg: not enough time), can just strictly show
who will work with whom.
According to the author‟s own experience, some students especially those of
nine to thirteen years of age, would, under no circumstances, cooperate with someone
who they do not like. Moreover, very often girls do not want to work with boys and
vice versa. Therefore, teachers have to anticipate these problems when forming a
group and try to avoid them.
Informal group is quite a common method of forming a group. The groups are
created according to the sitting order of students. To form the informal group, students
turn to those classmates sitting nearest to them in order to, as Clarke et.al (1990: 40)
call it, “put their heads together”.
1.2 How to organize group work activities effectively in the classroom
1.2.1 Common activities for group work
According to, Illingworth (2000:3), common group work activities include:

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 Practical activities to reflect on how they work with others
eglegoman/legobridge (all would be followed by the opportunity to reflect on
what went well, what they could improve etc.)
 Activities relevant to the topic (e.g. a sport listing exercise). Preparing
answers to competency based questions using the collective experience of the

group to provide evidence. Research exercises, using the paper based resources
and the internet to research information, courses of further study and sources of
further information.
 Quizzes eg issues related to the lessons
 Problem solving; Projects; Competitions
 Goldfish bowl exercises (e.g. making a decision based on ethical/moral
discussion), decision-making/negotiation activities based on knowledge, problem
solving exercises (e.g. building something to set criteria), group presentations,
activities to encourage own creative thinking (thinking outside the box!)
 The group activity ranges from allocation of roles, design of a research
proposal, completetion of the research and presentation of findings.
 Triad work to practise skills e.g. one doing, one receiving, one observing
 Small group activities focused on developing a particular skill e.g. gas
platform activity to encourage team working and time management and problem
solving skills
 Ice breaker activities to get people to know each other
 Reflective pair work to share experiences and learn from them
 Self-assessment activities e.g see what roles people have within a group,
these are then shared
 Practice tests/activities e.g. writing answers to competency based
questions and sharing answers
 Presentation based activities - brainstorm a topic and then present back
in group plenary
1.2.2 Principles to apply group work
There are five common principles by Clarke et al (1990:9) as follows:
- Students work in positive interdependence.
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- Students work in heterogeneous groups.

- Students are accountable both as individuals and as a group.
- Students learn through ample opportunity for purposeful talk.
- Students learn and practice co-operative skills as they study and explore the
subject matter together.
1.2.3 Teacher’s role in group work
The role the teacher assumes during group work when their task is to help
students in managing the task at hand successfully. Teachers can help them in noticing
the best possible option for solving the task, help students clarify ideas or identify the
language they need at the moment (Hammer, 1993) but by no means do they serve as
only source of knowledge and solve the problems for their students. They rather lead
them to the correct answer or possibility. They truly serve as facilitators and not as the
omniscient persons. It used to be a generally accepted notion that the teacher assumed
the central position in the classroom. This practice was supported by the fact that
teachers serve as “controllers”, they were in charge for every moment, they were the
vessels of knowledge, organizer and the only decision - making persons in the
classroom. Because of a virtually nonexistent variety in the language classroom which
mostly consisted of grammar drills and vocabulary memorising there was no real need
for creating new roles for teachers.
Similarly to learner autonomy, the significance of the shift in teacher roles lies
in transferring the power over the lesson from the teachers toward the students.
Hammer (1995:137) expressed the feeling that has been around for some time that
“there has been too much “teaching” and not enough “learning”. With this strike to
change the teacher centred classrooms into the learners centred classrooms, many new
techniques came into existence which demanded new roles teachers could assume to
better facilitate these techniques.
1.2.3.1 Raising students’ awareness
Teachers should build up students‟ awareness of group work‟s benefits and the
importance of participation in group work (Le, 2004). For example, teachers can
organize experience-and-gain-sharing meetings or have informal talks with learners
about those issues, especially at the beginning of each course. Moreover, setting rules

18


for participation in in-class group activities is a good idea as it helps students to
acknowledge that participating is part of learning.
1.2.3.2 Creating a supportive group atmosphere
Applying the activities requiring them to change between working with the peers they
know best and those they know least will be also a good idea. This will establish their
confidence in talking to and working with others and reduce the possibility of some
being left out when group activities are conducted later. By all those activities,
negative peer-related factors can be eliminated.
1.2.3.3 Planning group work
Teachers should be careful in selecting motivating group tasks (Hyland, 1991).
As Ngoh (1991) suggests, the group tasks must be as interesting and real-life as
possible, not too complex, and suitable for the students‟ capacity. Additionally, an
important aspect of devising group tasks is to ensure that all members are fully
involved to contribute to the successful completion of the task (Hyland, 1991).
Moreover, they should set up time for each procedure so that time can be
sufficient for students‟ participation and interaction (Ngoh, 1991). Giving learners
more time to prepare for discussions is useful for them to generate necessary language
to perform the tasks (Martine, 2003).
1.2.3.4 Giving clear instructions
Teachers should give clear instructions by repeating them, and speaking at a
slower pace (Ngoh, 1991). They should refer students to the textbook if the
instructions are stated there (Le, 2004); nevertheless, simplifying them is strongly
recommended for easier understanding (Kelch, 1985, as cited in Ngoh, 1991). Besides,
teachers‟ brief written instructions on the blackboard can help learners to catch what
they are supposed to do (Le, 2004). Then, they should check students‟ understanding
of the tasks by testing out certain elements of the instructions (Brown, 2001; Le,
2004). Finally, they should identify signals for groups to stop working: a raised hand,

a timer, or a whistle.
Therefore, the role of the teacher is now one of the key elements in English
language teaching.

19


The chapter has so far presented the basic theoretical background for the study.
The main issues including the theory of group work. Basing on this review and having
realized the advantages and disadvantages of group work, types of group work and
factors that demotivated students in learning. An action research on implementing
group work to improve students‟ English learning will be carried out. The thorough
research will be presented in the next chapter.

20


CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
This chapter provides background information about action research, the
current situation of teaching and learning English at The CPC class and a description
of the methodology employed to collect and analyse the data for the study.
2.1. Action Research
2.1.1 Definition
As can be seen, “action research” refers to two dimensions of activity: the word
“action” refers to taking practical action to resolve classroom problems (Richards,
2005: 171) meanwhile the word “research” in “action research” refers to a systematic
approach to carrying out investigations and collecting information that is
designed to illuminate an issue or problem and to improve classroom practice,
Therefore, action research achieves both action (change or improve) and research
(understanding)

According to Parsons and Brown (2002), action research is a form of
investigation designed for uses by teachers to attempt to solve problems and improve
professional practices in their own classroom. It involved systematic observations and
data collection which can be then used by the practitioner – researcher in reflection,
decision - making and the development of more effective classrooms strategies.
Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) said that a form of research which is becoming
increasingly significant in language education is action research. A Christine Miller
(2007) defined that action research a natural part of teaching. Teachers are continually
observing students, collecting data and changing practices to improve students‟
learning and the classroom and school environment. Action research provides a
framework that guides the energies of teachers toward a better understanding of what,
why and how students become better learners.
Action research in general is defined by McNiff and Whitehead (2006) as “a
form of enquiry that enables practitioners everywhere to investigate and evaluate their
work.” In Elliott‟s definition (1999, quoted in Altrichter et al.), it refers to “the study of
a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it.” This view is
also shared by Cohen and Manion (2007), action research is “small-scale intervention

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in the functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such
intervention.”
Carr and Kemmis (1986: 162) also argued that action research is “simply a
form of self-reflective inquiry undertaken by participants in order to improve the
rationality and justice of their own practices their understanding of those practices and
the situations in which the practices are carried out”.
Each author has their own attitude about action research but it is collaboration
among different people. They are teachers, their colleagues and students, who should
be willing to talk with each other about the problems and find out the solutions

together, as well as help each other in implementing classroom–centered action
research projects. It also needs the collaborative efforts of students who participate in
the action research project. Students‟ collaboration plays an important role in the
success of the action research project.
2.1.2 Action research process
According to Ferrance (2000), the action research process has six steps: identify
the problem, gather data, interpret data, act on evidence, evaluate results and next steps.
Kemmis (1988, quoted in Burns, 2010) puts forward an action research process
that includes two cycles, each having four steps: plan, act, observe and reflect. McNiff
and Whitehead (2006) propose an action-reflection cycle that involves the following
steps: observe the practice, reflect on the effectiveness of the practice, act to improve
the practice, evaluate the action, modify the action based on the evaluation and move
in new directions based on the revised action.
Stringer et al. (2010) put forward an action research process in teaching in
particular. This process has three phases: planning, instruction and evaluation. In each
phase, researchers go through three steps: look (gathering information), think
(analyzing information) and act. Tsui (1993) suggested 5 steps in conducting action
research: Identifying problems; Finding causes of the problem; Designing strategies
for improvement (plan for action) and writing a proposal for action research; Trying
out the strategies (action) and keeping a diary of what happened in the class; and
Evaluating the try out. Whereas Nunan (1992) defined the framework of a research as
consisting of seven steps as follows:
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- Step 1: Initiation (Identify the problem)
- Step 2: Preliminary investigation (Collect data through a variety of means)
- Step 3: Hypothesis (Develop research questions)
- Step 4: Intervention (Devise strategies and innovation to be implemented)
- Step 5: Evaluation (Collect data again and analyze it to work out the findings)

- Step 6: Dissemination (Report the result by running workshops or issuing a paper)
- Step 7: Follow-up (Find alternative methods to solve the same problem)
Different from Tsui, Nunan (1992) suggested that teachers should observe and
make notes on what their learners said and did in class, and then, based on these
observations, identified positive ways to bring about this change. In the researcher‟s
teaching context where cassette recorders or camcorders are not available, observing
the class and making notes are feasible for the researcher to implement her action
research.
A necessary component of action research is collaboration among different
people. They are teachers, their colleagues and students, who should be willing to talk
with each other about the problems and find out the solutions together, as well as help
each other in implementing classroom - centered action research projects. It also needs
the collaborative efforts of students who participate in the action research project.
Students‟ collaboration plays an important role in the success of the action research
process. As can be seen, although the above-mentioned models include different steps,
they all share the following basic elements: the process begins with the researcher
identifying a problem, then a plan of action is worked out, afterwards the plan is
implemented, and the process culminates when the researcher evaluates the
effectiveness of the plan and proposes next actions to further address the problem.
In this study, the teacher-researcher followed the model proposed by Nunan
(1992) because the steps in his model made it easier and more convenient for the
teacher-researcher to carry out the research. Besides, it reflected correctly what steps
were taken during the study. More specifically, after realizing that most students of
CPC class were unaware of the importance of learning English and their level was
very low, the teacher-researcher began to gather data about the target population and
then interpret the data to see whether they had the same problem. After the results
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