The effectiveness of using creative writing in warm-up activities to motivate first-year English major students at national economics university in integrated skills lessons

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
*****************

PHẠM THỊ THU TRANG

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING CREATIVE WRITING IN
WARM-UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR
ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS
UNIVERSITY IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS
MA MINOR THESIS
English Methodology
601410

Hanoi - 2010


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
*****************

PHẠM THỊ THU TRANG
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING CREATIVE WRITING IN
WARM-UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR
ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS
UNIVERSITY IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS
(Hiệu quả của việc sử dụng viết tiếng Anh sáng tạo để tạo không khí học tập đầu
buổi học cho môn thực hành tổng hợp của sinh viên năm thứ nhất chuyên ngành
tiếng Anh thương mại - Đại học Kinh tế Quốc dân)

MA MINOR THESIS
Field:

English Methodology

Code:

60.14.10

Supervisor:

Phan Thị Vân Quyên , MA

Hanoi - 2010


iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION .............................................................................................................. i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ ii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ vii
LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... viii
ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................ ix
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1
1.1. Rationale ............................................................................................................... 1
1.2. Aims of the study .................................................................................................. 3
1.3. Research questions................................................................................................ 4

1.4. Methods of the study............................................................................................. 4
1.5. Scope of the study ................................................................................................. 4
1.6. Contribution of the study ..................................................................................... 5
1.7. Design of the study ................................................................................................ 5
Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................. 6
2.1. Warm-up activities ............................................................................................... 6
2.1.1. Definitions of warm-up activities ..................................................................... 6
2.1.2. The importance of warm-up activities .............................................................. 6
2.2. Motivation ............................................................................................................. 7
2.2.1. Definitions of motivation ................................................................................. 7
2.2.2. Sources of motivation ...................................................................................... 8
2.3. Creative writing .................................................................................................... 8
2.3.1. Definitions of creative writing .......................................................................... 8
2.3.2. Types of creative writing .................................................................................. 9
2.3.3. Benefits of creative writing ............................................................................ 10
2.3.3.1. For language learners .............................................................................. 10
2.3.3.2. For language teachers .............................................................................. 12
2.3.4. How to make creative writing work in the classroom ..................................... 12
2.3.4.1. What to write in the classroom ................................................................ 12


v

2.3.4.2. Starting up ............................................................................................... 13
2.3.4.3. Writing .................................................................................................... 13
2.3.4.3. Presenting and feedback .......................................................................... 13
Chapter 3: THE APPLICATION OF SOME CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES
IN THE WARM-UP STAGE TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR
STUDENTS AT NEU IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS ................................... 14
3.1. Subjects ............................................................................................................... 14

3.2. The Integrated Skills course ............................................................................... 14
3.3. Procedures for applying creative writing activities ........................................... 14
3.4. Schedule of applying creative writing activities................................................. 15
3.5. Descriptions of activities applied and students’ selected works ........................ 16
3.5.1. In another’s shoes (Autobiography) ................................................................ 16
3.5.2. Love poems (Collaborative poem).................................................................. 17
3.5.3. “Bosses never say …” .................................................................................... 17
3.5.4. Truth telling cards .......................................................................................... 18
3.5.5. Pizza recipe .................................................................................................... 18
3.5.6. Messages in a bottle ....................................................................................... 19
3.5.7. Diamante poems ............................................................................................ 20
3.5.8. Mailbox ......................................................................................................... 21
3.5.9. Round robin (Collaborative stories): An unforgettable weekend trip .............. 22
Chapter 4: THE STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CREATIVE WRITING
ACTIVITIES IN THE WARM-UP STAGE TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR
ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NEU IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS . 23
4.1. The instruments ...................................................................................................... 23
4.1.1. Questionnaire ................................................................................................. 23
4.1.2. Classroom observation ................................................................................... 24
4.2. Procedures for the study ..................................................................................... 24
4.3. Data analysis and findings .................................................................................. 25
4.3.1. Questionnaire ................................................................................................. 25
4.3.2. Classroom observation ................................................................................... 35
4.4. Summary of the findings .................................................................................... 35
Chapter 5: PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS .......................................................... 37


vi

5.1. Available sources of creative writing activities .................................................. 37

5.2. How to make creative writing activities fit in the warm-up stage ..................... 37
Chapter 6: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 39
6.1. Summary of the study ......................................................................................... 39
6.2. Limitations of the study ...................................................................................... 39
6.3. Suggestions for further research ........................................................................ 39
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. I
APPENDIX .................................................................................................................... IV


iii

ABSTRACT
This study adopts both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the effectiveness of
creative writing activities in the warm-up stage to motivate English major students at
National Economics University in Integrated Skills lessons. Additionally, it aims to
investigate the change in students’ attitude towards writing with the introduction of these
activities to the Integrated Skills course. Sixty English major students from Department of
Business English – Faculty of Foreign Languages were selected to complete a sixteen-item
questionnaire reflecting their assessments of the creative writing activities that they had
participated in. Class observation was also recorded during the teaching. The data
revealed that creative writing enhanced students’ motivation in Integrated Skills lessons
and made positive changes in their opinions on writing. Based on the findings, significant
pedagogical implications and suggestions were provided for future applications of creative
writing. It is hoped that the results of this research are of some uses for further
explorations in the field.


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