High school students'''''''' perceptions of the benefits of the group work to their English language learning: a survey research in Ngoc Tao High School

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT

VŨ THỊ HẢI

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF
THE BENEFITS OF GROUP WORK TO THEIR
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: A SURVEY
RESEARCH IN NGOC TAO HIGH SCHOOL
(Nhận thức của học sinh phổ thơng về lợi ích
của hoạt động nhóm đối với việc học tiếng Anh:
Nghiên cứu khảo sát ở trường THPT Ngọc Tảo)

M.A. MINOR THESIS

Field: English Methodology
Code: 601410

Hanoi, 2009


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT

VŨ THỊ HẢI

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF
THE BENEFITS OF GROUP WORK TO THEIR
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: A SURVEY

RESEARCH IN NGOC TAO HIGH SCHOOL
(Nhận thức của học sinh phổ thơng về lợi ích
của hoạt động nhóm đối với việc học tiếng Anh:
Nghiên cứu khảo sát ở trường THPT Ngọc Tảo)

M.A. MINOR THESIS

Field: English Methodology
Code: 601410
Supervisor: Lê Văn Canh, M.A.

Hanoi, 2009


iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration .............................................................................................................................. i
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... ii
Abstracts .................................................................................................................................. iii
Lists of abbreviations ............................................................................................................. vi
Lists of tables ......................................................................................................................... vi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION......................................................................................... 1
1. Rationale ............................................................................................................................. 1
2. Aims of the study................................................................................................................ 2
3. Scope of the study .............................................................................................................. 2
4. Research questions ............................................................................................................. 2
5. Method of the study .......................................................................................................... 2
6. Design of the study ..................................................................................................... 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 4

2.1. Learner beliefs about language learning ...................................................................... 4
2.1.1. Definition of beliefs and learner beliefs .............................................................. 4
2.1.2. The necessity of studying learner belief in language teaching ............................. 4
2.1.3. Studies on learners’ beliefs ................................................................................... 6
2.2. The role of group work in language teaching............................................................... 8
2.2.1. Definition of pair work and group work ................................................................... 8
2.2.2. Types of group work ................................................................................................. 9
2.2.3. The role of group work in language teaching and its benefits ................................. 9
2.2.3.1. The role of group work in language teaching ................................................. 10
2.2.3.2. Benefits of group work ...................................................................................... 10
2.2.3.2.1. Group work creates classroom atmosphere ............................................ 10
2.2.3.2.2. Group work motivates learners and increases their confidence .............. 11
2.2.3.2.3. Group work increases students’ participation and their talking time ....... 11
2.2.3.2.4. Group work fosters learners’ responsibility and independence ................. 12
2.3. Limitations of group work ............................................................................................. 12
2.3.1. Time management; noise and mistakes ................................................................... 12


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2.3.2. Learners’ use of the mother tongue .......................................................................... 13
2.3.3. Unequal distribution of work in groups..................................................................... 13
2.3.4. Classroom discipline problems .................................................................................. 13
2.4. Studies on the use of group work .................................................................................. 14
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................... 17
3.1. The context of the study ................................................................................................. 17
3.2. The rationale of using the survey method .................................................................... 17
3.3. The participants .............................................................................................................. 18
3.4. The questionnaire ........................................................................................................... 18
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................. 19

4.1. Students’ attitudes towards group work ..................................................................... 19
4.2. Students’ perceptions of the benefits and limitations ................................................. 22
of group work to their language learning
4.2.1. Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work ................................................ 22
4.2.2. Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work ........................................... 25
4.3 Activities that students would most prefer to do in group .......................................... 28
4.4. Students’ opinions of the main benefits and limitations of ........................................ 31
group work according to grades
4.5. Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 33
4.5.1. Students’ attitudes towards group work ................................................................... 33
4.5.2. Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work ................................................. 34
4.5.3. Students’ preferences to group work activities ......................................................... 34
4.5.4. Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 34
4.6. Summary.......................................................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 36
5.1. Summary of the study..................................................................................................... 36
5.2. Implications for the use of group work ......................................................................... 36
5.3. Limitations of the study .................................................................................................. 37
5.4. Suggestions for further studies ...................................................................................... 38
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................... 39
APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................. I


vi

LISTS OF TABLES
Table 1:

Students’ attitudes towards group work (G.10)

19

Table 2:

students’ attitudes towards group work (G.11)

20

Table 3:

Students’ attitudes towards group work (G.12)

21

Table 4:

Students’ attitudes in three grades 10, 11 and 12

22

Table 5:

Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.10)

23

Table 6:

students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.11)

23

Table 7:

Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.12)

24

Table 8:

Students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work (G.10, 11 and 12)

25

Table 9:

Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G.10)

26

Table 10:

Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G.11)

26

Table 11:

Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G. 12)

27

Table 12:

Students’ perceptions of the limitations of group work (G.10, 11 and 12) 28

Table 13:

Activities that students would most prefer to do in group (G.10)

29

Table 14:

Activities that students would most prefer to do in group (G.11)

29

Table 15:

Activities that students would most prefer to do in group (G.12)

30

Table 16: Activities that students would prefer to do in groups (G.10, 11 and 12)

31

Table 17: Students’ opinions of the main benefits and limitations of group work

32

to their English learning according to grades

LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS
G.10:

Grade 10

G.11:

Grade 11

G.12:

Grade 12

CLT:

Communicative Language Teaching

EFL:

English Foreign Language

HULIS:

Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies

1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
With the advent of communicative language teaching (CLT), group work has always been
promoted in the English Foreign Language (EFL) literature as an instructional strategy
which encourages students’ interaction. Group work is believed to play an important role
in language teaching and learning process. Many researchers have paid their attention to
this field. In reality, group work has been used widely in almost high schools and
universities because the effectiveness of group work is always taken for granted. From
learners’ perspective, group work is beneficial to students in many fields, and students are
therefore more involved and motivated in the lesson. Group work gives more chances for
students to help one another and foster their responsibility, autonomy and independence,
(Ur, 1996).
However, all those claimed benefits of group work seem to be viewed from the
researchers’ or teachers’ perspectives. Little is known about students’ beliefs about group
work. Whether group work is effective or not depends on students themselves. If students
have positive attitudes towards group work, they will participate in the lesson actively. In
contrary, they will be inactive whenever the teacher asks them to work in groups.
As a teacher of English, I have observed that the students do not seem to get actively
involved in speaking activities in the classroom. When asked, most of them are afraid of
speaking English or they do not know how to express their ideas in English. Students are
familiar with the traditional teaching method in which their teacher plays a role as a
knowledge provider; and students only do the task like a machine without creativeness as
well as activeness. Thus, when group activities are applied in class, I realize that not many
students are eager to this activity or in other words, group work is not very efficient in
large classes.

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Why some students are eager to group work and the others are not? And what do they
perceive of the benefits of group work to their English learning? These questions have
drawn my interest in carrying out the current which focused on the investigation of high
school students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work.

2. Aims of the study
The study is carried out with the aims at:
- Surveying students’ attitudes towards group work using in their English lessons;
- Investigating students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work to their English
learning;
- Giving some suggestions to increase the effectiveness of group work to students in Ngoc
Tao High School. It is hoped that the study will be useful for teachers and students in
general and for those in my school in particular.

3. Scope of the study
Group work is widely used in almost high schools. However, due to the time and length
constraint of the study, the author only focuses on surveying students in Ngoc Tao High
school (grade 10, 11 and 12) to find out their perceptions of the benefits of group work to
their English learning.

4. Research questions
To reach the aims of the study, the following questions are given:
1. What are high school students’ attitudes towards group work in their language
learning?
2. What do the students perceive of the benefits of group work to their English
learning?
3. What activities would students most prefer to do in groups?

5. Method of the study

To seek answers to the above research questions, a questionnaire survey was used. Miles
and Huberman (1994) stated three good reasons for resorting to numbers: “to see rapidly
what you have in a large batch of data; to verify a hunch or hypothesis; and to keep
yourself analytically honest, protecting against bias”, (p.253). Moreover, using


3
questionnaires in research may help participants approach the problem more easily.
However, this method has its own limitation, that is, the results collected may not reflect
the matter proposed precisely. In order to reduce the invalidity and unreliability, the author
will give clear instructions to the students; observe the class to make sure that the students
answer each question themselves; or ask the students to check their answers.
For all that has been mentioned above, the survey research seems to be the most suitable
for the scope and objectives of my study. To collect data, the survey questionnaires will be
delivered to 150 students in grades 10, 11 and 12.

6. Design of the study
The study is divided into five chapters:
Chapter 1 is the introduction, which covers some brief information about the study
such as the rationale, aims, scope, research questions, method and design of the
study.
Chapter 2 deals with the literature review relevant to the study;
Chapter 3 describes the setting of the study and how the study is carried out;
Chapter 4 presents the data analysis and discussion
Chapter 5 is the conclusion which reviews what has been presented in the study
and suggests some implications for improving the effectiveness of group work


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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Learner beliefs about language learning
As mentioned above, group work is one of the important activities that enhance learners’
participation in class. Group work motivates learners in their language learning. Learners’
success in language learning depends on a number of factors. Among them are learners’
needs, their motivation as well as their attitudes towards learning a foreign language. To
understand more about this, an overview of learner beliefs about language learning is
necessary.
2.1.1. Definition of beliefs and learner beliefs


Belief: According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, belief is defined as a
thing that one accepts as true or real. Another definition of belief provided by
Horwitz (1987) is a statement that is held to be true, that affects language learning
practices



Learner belief: Language learners hold a set of beliefs concerning language
learning and these beliefs may influence the way they learn, even though the beliefs
are not always explicitly stated.

According to Richard & Lockhart (1996), learners’ belief system covers a number of
aspects, including beliefs about the nature of English, the speaker of English, the four
language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), teaching activities, language
learning, appropriate classroom behaviour, their own ability and the goals for language
learning.
Huang (2006) states that learner beliefs of language learning include beliefs about the time
needed to attain fluency, the relative difficulties of language, the right age to start language

learning, the roles of grammar, vocabulary and communication in language learning and
other aspects of the learning process.
2.1.2. The necessity of studying learner belief in language teaching


5
For recent years, foreign language teaching and learning have shifted from teacher directed
instruction to student-centred learning. Therefore, many researchers have raised their
interest in learners’ perspective. Numerous studies related to teaching methodology have
been carried out from learners’ perspective because learners are key figures in teaching and
learning process; and beliefs about language learning play an important role in learning
achievements and experiences
According to Horwitz (1999), it is likely that language learner beliefs have the potential to
affect their learning experiences as well as their actions. Some beliefs are likely influenced
by learners’ previous experiences which could be positive or negative. A negative learning
experience might lead learners to believe that they do not possess the special abilities
required to learn a foreign language (Horwitz, 1987). In addition, attitudes and perceptions
to learning beliefs take an important role on learning behaviours (Cotterall, 1995). MantleBromley (1995) points out that learners with positive beliefs are more likely to perform
better in class. Thus, it is important to discover learners’ beliefs to meet their expectations
and avoid students’ resistance to instructional approaches and activities in the classroom
(Horwitz, 1987)
Besides, learners’ beliefs in language learning will shape their attitudes as well as their
motivation towards a foreign language. Richards & Lockhart (1994) claims that “beliefs
can influence learners’ motivation to learn, their expectations about language learning,
their perceptions about what is easy or difficult about a language, and the strategies they
choose in learning” (p52). In reality, learners may have different goals for language
learning. Some learners learn a language for the purpose of communicating with speakers
of that language. Others may want to learn for their future jobs. Some may consider
grammar to be the most difficult task; the others think listening is the most difficult one,
etc.

Learners’ beliefs not only influence their approaches to language learning but also affect
the way they respond to the teaching activities. If learners feel dissatisfied with the
teaching method, they will lose their motivation in learning language. According to
Horwitz (1987), some students prefer having more free conversations rather than pattern
drills while some other students insist on their teacher’s correction. If the teacher cannot
meet learners’ needs, they will soon become bored and frustrated with learning and this
may affect learners’ motivation in language learning. Hence, it is necessary for teachers to


6
have better understandings of their learners’ needs as well as their expectations in order to
help them acquire a new language more easily.
Studying learners’ beliefs is not only necessary for teachers but also for learners
themselves. To emphasize the importance of learners’ beliefs in language learning, Huang
(2006) considers that learner beliefs of language learning are of critical importance to the
success or failure of any student’s effort to master a foreign language (p.62). Horwitz
(1988) also shares the same points with Huang. She admits that “knowledge of students’
beliefs provides teachers with better understanding of their students’ expectation of,
commitment to, success in, and satisfaction with their language classes” (p.283)
In conclusion, studying learners’ beliefs is necessary in language teaching. It helps the
teacher have better understandings of learners’ needs, their motivation as well as their
attitudes towards language learning. The teacher is therefore able to control his or her
teaching method to meet learners’ needs and improve the efficiency in language teaching.
2.1.3. Studies on learners’ beliefs
In the literature of language teaching and learning, there are numerous studies that deal
with learners’ beliefs. One of the earliest studies on beliefs about language learning was
that of Horwitz (1985). She conducted her research among students and instructors at the
University of Texas at Austin, using an instrument BALLI (Beliefs About Language
Learning Inventory) to assess students’ beliefs about learning a new language and found
out that some of the beliefs held by learners have effects on their learning. Later, many

other researchers explored beliefs about language learning among English language
students in different contexts (for example, in Taiwan, (Yang, 1992); in Korea (Park, 1995;
Truit, 1995); in New Zeland (Cotterall, 1995); in China (Wen & Johnson, 1987), in Brazil
(Barcelos, 1995), etc. (cited in Bernat, p.42)
Not only learners of English but also learners of other languages have been taken into
account. Nikitina (2006, p.210) has reviewed a number of researchers who conducted
study on learners’ beliefs among students of different languages such as Horwitz (1988)
conducted research among students of Spanish, French and German at the University of
Texas at Austin; Smith (1989) and Tumposky (1991) investigated beliefs of Russian
language learners; Kern (1995) used Horwitz’s model to assess beliefs of students learning


7
French; Bacon and Finnerman (1990) surveyed beliefs of Spanish language students; or
Mori (1999) concentrated on learners of Japanese. Nikitina claims that the findings from
these researches have revealed that beliefs about language learning are context- specific
and learners from different cultures may have different attitudes, approaches to and
opinions about learning a new language.
In addition, Bernat (2006, p.204) has reviewed the literature and listed factors related to
learners’ beliefs about language learning such as strategy use, anxiety, motivation,
autonomy, attitude, achievement and proficiency. Bernat goes on to claim that all of these
researchers concluded that learners who held unrealistic beliefs or misconceptions about
language learning were more anxious than those who held more positive and realistic
beliefs. And the more proficient learners were, the more realistic and/or positive beliefs
were. Among these factors, motivation and attitudes are considered to have close
relationships to learners’ beliefs. Richard & Lockhart hold the opinion that learners’ beliefs
in language learning will shape their attitudes as well as their motivation towards a foreign
language. They also stated that “beliefs can influence learners’ motivation to learn, their
expectations about language learning, their perceptions about what is easy or difficult
about a language, and the strategies they choose in learning”.

Another field which draws a great attention from researchers is learners’ learning strategy
of vocabulary and grammar. Dealing with this was Ken (1995), Mantle- Bromley (1995).
Li (2004) has also mentioned some researchers such as Horwitz (1988), Wenden (1987),
Gu & Johnson (1996), Yang (1999). Most of these studies have concentrated on language
learners’ beliefs about learning languages and have drawn relationships between their
beliefs and their influence on learners’ approach to learning. It is argued that what learners
believe about language learning will influence what they do to learn languages. For
example, Horwitz (1988) investigated the beliefs of 241 first-semester foreign language
learners of German, French and Spanish. The findings showed that the learners seemed to
be generally optimistic about language learning and somewhat underestimated the
difficulty of language learning. 34 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed that
learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of learning a lot of new vocabulary words,
29 percent that it is mostly a matter of learning a lot of grammar rules; 50 percent believed
in the existence of foreign language aptitude, and 35 percent of them stated that they had
that aptitude, (cited in Peacock, p.127). According to Horwitz, if students believe that


8
language learning means learning vocabulary and grammar rules, they will spent most of
their time memorising vocabulary lists and grammar rules rather than doing the tasks their
teacher plans for them (p.289). Apparently, learners’ beliefs have great effects on their
strategy for language learning.
In summary, studying on learners’ beliefs seems to appeal to researchers. Great deals of
researchers are interested in the differences in learners’ beliefs in different cultural
backgrounds. Some of them paid their attention to the factors that affect learners’ beliefs.
Some concentrated on learners’ beliefs in learning vocabulary and grammar rules. So far,
there has been no study on learners’ beliefs about group work. Although there are a
number of researches about group work in Vietnam, learner’s belief in group work is not
mentioned therefore, there may be unilateral points of view about group work from the
teacher’s perspective. Thus, this study is an attempt to explore high school students’

attitudes toward group work especially their perceptions of the benefits of group work to
their language learning. The author hopes that it will be useful for those who care about
this field.

2.2. The role of group work in language teaching
2.2.1. Definition of pair work and group work
Related to pair work and group work, there exist different definitions. Doff, A. (1988)
defines pair work and group work as follows:
“In pair work, the teacher divides the whole class into pairs. Every student works with his
or her partner in pairs, and all the pairs work at the same time”, (p.137)
This contrasts group work, which he defines as follows “In group work, the teacher divides
the class into small groups to work to work together (usually four or five students in each
group), as in pair work, all the groups work at the same time”, (p.137)
Adding the psychological dimension of group work, Brumfit (1984) defines group as a
number of people who interact with one another, who are psychologically aware of one
another and who perceive themselves to be a group” (p.72)
Nunan and Lamp (1995) describes group work as a language learning activity which is
carried out by three to six students under a careful supervision of a teacher. Although there
are different definitions about group work, I am in favour of Doff’s definition because this


9
definition is similar to the activities I often use in my teaching context. It is also suitable
for my scope of study. Thus, this definition will be used throughout the study.
2.2.2. Types of group work
According to Johnson, et al (1980), groups can be classified into four categories: pseudo
groups, traditional groups, cooperative groups and high performance cooperative groups.
 Pseudo groups are groups whose members have been assigned to work together
but they have no interest in doing so;
 Traditional groups are groups whose members agree to work together, but see little

benefit from doing so and as such members interact only to share information and
clarify how to complete the task;
 Cooperative groups are groups in which members commit themselves to the
common purpose of maximising their own and each other’s success;
 High performance cooperative groups are groups that meet all the criteria for
cooperative groups and outperform all reasonable expectations, given their
membership.
However, Chen (2004, p.3) classified group work in three types: whole group, pairs and
small group, in which whole group activities are often used to introduce new materials and
concepts to the entire class (cited in Valentino, 2000); pairs are used for guide, and
temporary discussions. Pair work gives learners greater opportunity to use the target
language in a less threatening environment; small groups are groups of three or four
students, no more than five to six students maximum, work best. The smaller the groups
are, the less intimidated the students are. The less skilful the group members are, the
smaller the group should be (cited in Davis, 1993)
2.2.3. The role of group work in language teaching and its benefits
2.2.3.1. The role of group work in language teaching
In language teaching, group work plays an important role. On the one hand, it helps
teachers facilitate the teaching process. On the other hand, group work helps improve the
effectiveness of the lesson. Macdonald (1997) (cited in Tessa Woodward, 2001) states that
there are four main reasons why he used group work with students at Sheffied Hallam
University:


10
- Collaborative work in group involves students in more active learning rather than
passive receptivity;
- It enables wider choice which helps to increase motivation;
- He can set tasks which are too big for individual students to tackle alone;
- The excitement of finding out new things, playing with ideas, making connections

with other ideas and beginning to make personal sense of the world’s works best in
groups.
Cottrel (2001) believes that small group work provides an opportunity for developing a
wider range of skills, such as team skill, listening, speaking, offering and receiving
feedback, etc. He also considers that group work allows teachers to rest their voices and to
engage in more varied sets of activities. Thanks to group work, teachers are supposed to
develop a wide range of skills than that required simply to deliver information, and to work
more creatively.
Following is a review of the benefits of group work, which include the creation of a
conductive classroom atmosphere, increase of students’ motivation and confidence as well
as their participation and talking time, and the fostering of learner independence.
2.2.3.2. Benefits of group work
2.2.3.2.1. Group work creates classroom atmosphere
Almost all learners realise the importance of learning English but when being asked, most
of them consider that it is seemingly a very difficult task for them. Many of them are afraid
of learning English. Sometimes learners will feel tired and frustrated with their continuous
teacher’s talking time. Therefore, working in groups will help change the atmosphere in
the classroom. According to Fraser & Dean (cited in Burdett, 2003), group work is “an
effective learning strategy” because it “provides opportunities for students to negotiate
meaning and manipulate ideas with others” (p.177). Obviously, by discussing with their
friends, learners will feel more relaxed and be more active in the lesson. They do not have
to sit still to listen to their teacher. Moreover, they will have a chance to express their own
ideas as well as share the ideas from other members of the group. The interaction among
learners will help them study more effectively.
2.2.3.2.2. Group work motivates learners and increases their confidence


11
Group work not only creates classroom atmosphere but also motivates learners and
increases their confidence. In reality, a lot of learners are afraid of learning a foreign

language just because they do not understand the lesson and lack the necessary skills for a
language. Help from friends is, therefore, beneficial to both the learners being helped as
well as those giving the help. For the former, the assistance from their friends will enable
them to get away from dependence on teachers and gain more chances to foster their
learning. For the later, the cooperative learning group creates opportunities to increase their
own performance. Sometimes with the help from friends, learners will have profound
understandings of the lesson, the new things as well as the language they are using. Hence,
it can be said that group work fosters learners’ interest in language learning. To highlight
this point of view, Ur (1996) denotes that group work “can improve motivation and
contribute to a feeling of cooperation and warmth in the class” (p.232).
Besides, group work makes learners more confident. One relaxing environment will
motivate learners to participate in the lesson. This is especially useful for learners who are
shy and timid. Explaining to this, Ly (2001) considers that learners are often worried about
their mistakes; they seem to be afraid of being asked by the teachers but they feel “secure
in working with partners” (p23). When being encouraged by other members of the group,
these learners may find it easier to express their own ideas.
2.2.3.2.3. Group work increases students’ participation and their talking time
According to Ly (2001), when students work in groups, they are more involved in the task.
In other words, group work can encourage individual contributions to problem solving
tasks, which may be more difficult to achieve when students work individually.
Apart from this, when working in groups, learners will have more chances to speak and
express their ideas rather than in individual work. It is also coincident with the point which
Harmer (1991) stated. He claims that students’ talking time and their opportunities to
communicate with each other will be increased through group work (p.245). It is
understandable when in a large class, learners have a little time to communicate with each
other. It is impossible for the teacher to call all learners in a forty- five minute period. As a
result, learners do not have enough time to practise what they learn. Thus, group work is a
good way to unload the teacher’s job as well as to give learners more chances to practise.
2.2.3.2.4. Group work fosters learners’ responsibility and independence

12
Another benefit of group work is related to learners’ responsibility and independence. Ur
(1996) states that “group work fosters learners’ responsibility and independence”
(p.232).What Ur denotes is reasonable because the learners’ level in a group varies from
one to another. Therefore, the task of the group should be divided carefully based on each
member’s ability. Each member will have to be in charge of his or her own part. Giving
task is also a good way to avoid the dependence of some lazy learners on other members of
the group. Thus, it can enhance learners’ responsibility and independence.
In summary, group work has some major benefits. First, group work create classroom
atmosphere. Second, it motivates learners and increases their confidence. Next, group work
makes learners more involved in the lesson and creates more chances for them to speak.
Last but not least, group work plays an important role in fostering learners’ responsibility
and independence. Thus, if group work is used effectively, it will facilitate teaching and
learning process.
However, like any other classroom management technique, group work has certain
limitations, which are discussed in the following section.

2.3. Limitations of group work
Beside its benefits, group work also has some limitations such as a waste of time, noise,
overuse of mother tongue, disorder and mistakes, and difficulty in classroom management.
2.3.1.Time management; noise and mistakes
As a matter of fact, in a period of forty-five minutes, the teacher has to deal with many
tasks. If group work is not well organised, it will take time and become ineffective. That is
the reason why some teachers feel dissatisfied with this activity. They consider that “group
work is time consuming”, (Byrne, 1986, p.78). The problem stated here is that the good
organisation of group work; the number of learners in each group as well as the time
needed for each activity should be taken into account.
Not only time but noise and mistakes are also factors which might arise during group work.
This is undeniable because when learners take part in the task eagerly, noise and mistakes

are unavoidable. In fact, this is productive noise and it should not be a major concern
because when the class is noisy, it means that learners are getting involved in the task. Like
Lewis and Hill (1992) state “effective language teaching means giving the students a
chance to speak. Carefully organised “noise” does not mean disorder or that time is being


13
wasted” (p.45). In many circumstances, when learners make mistakes, the teacher often
feels worried and interrupts them for error correction. It is advised that the teacher should
not correct all learners’ mistakes as this will make them less confident and limit their
performance in class.
2.3.2. Learners’ use of the mother tongue
One of the biggest problems in group work is the use of mother tongue by learners.
According to Harmer (1991), learners are, sometimes, unable or unwilling to take part in
activities in English (p.247). Otherwise, while some learners are very self-confident, others
are afraid of speaking in class for fear of making mistakes. These learners either keep silent
or switch to the use of mother tongue whenever a problem arises. Thus, while groups are
carried out, the teacher should go around and help learners if they have any questions and
encourage them to use the target language as much as possible.
2.3.3. Unequal distribution of work in groups
Beside the above factors, group work also makes chances for lazy learners to be even lazier
(Byrne, 1986, p.79). While group work brings advantages for some learners, it is also the
others’ disadvantages. This is due to the unequal contribution of group’s members; one
member may dominate the task for the whole group. This may be a good chance for lazy
learners to chat or to do private things without being realised by the teacher. To solve this
problem, the teacher should divide the group carefully and a leader of the group should be
chosen to control the activity in their own group.
2.3.4. Classroom discipline problems
Another limitation of group work is that teachers often have to deal with difficulties in
controlling the class. There may be problems of discipline from time to time because “all

the groups work at the same time” (Doff, 1988, p.137)). The teacher, therefore, cannot
control over what learners are doing. To prevent these activities from getting out of
control, a clear instruction of the task from the teacher should be introduced before learners
start so that learners will know exactly what they have to do.
To sum up, group work has some major limitations such as it is time consuming; noise and
mistakes also arise. Moreover, the use of mother tongue in class is rather popular in using
group work. Otherwise, it is also a chance for lazy learners to chat or to do other things in
stead of discussing the task. The difficulty in classroom management is another problem


14
that all the teachers often encounter in group activity. However, the teacher should be
active and flexible in organising the class in order for all groups to work; minimise the
limitations and increase the effectiveness of group

2.4. Studies on the use of group work
As mentioned above, group work plays an important part in language teaching. Therefore,
it attracts a great attention from various researchers both in the world and in Vietnam.
A lot of researchers from all over the world pay attention to this field with focus on
students’ attitudes towards group work. According to Gardner & Korth (1998), students’
attitudes towards group work varied according to individual learning styles preference. In
another study, Balaji (2007) examines the perception of students towards group work and
the skills acquired through group work and group projects. In addition, attention is given to
the influence of age and prior work experience on the students' perception of group work.
The sample consists of 187 students undertaking a marketing course at a premier business
school in India. The findings indicate that students' perception towards the group work is
significant and students value the skills acquired through group projects for their future
career development
Another study was carried out by Walker (2001). Walker investigated students’
perceptions of group work and peer assessments. One hundred and fifty six first year

psychology students took part in her study. Students were asked to complete questionnaires
regarding their attitudes towards participating in group work and peer assessment both
before and after participating in group project. The results regarding group work showed
that in general the students were favourably disposed towards participating in group work.
However, there were concerns about inequalities in workload distribution and in whether
students learned more by working independently.
A related study that looked at students’ perceptions of group work was reported by
Gatfield (1999). Gatfield reports that whilst age and gender were not found to be related to
the degree of satisfaction by students, previous work experience and home (Australia) or
overseas status were found to have an effect. Colbeck et al. (2000) also states that prior
influences such as the amount of instruction that the students received and the degree of
group work experience that they had previously undertaken affected the amount of
interdependency constructed between the group members.


15
Other researchers who paid attention to student’s perceptions of team learning in the
context of fieldwork in an earth science programme were Kempa and Orion (1996). In
their study, Kempa and Orion were concerned about two aspects: (i) students’ views on the
composition of working groups and choice of working partners; and (ii) students’
perception of their own learning from team activities. Findings revealed different points of
view from students. In the case of the former, a significantly larger proportion of students
seemed to be concerned that a fruitful working relationship would prevail than with the
likely success on the learning tasks. Students also believed that their working groups
should be placed in terms of interest orientation of members. This suggested that students
appreciated the helpfulness of expertises’ presence in group learning. In the case of the
latter, most of the students considered that their team activities had been successful in
terms of generating a solution to learning problems and also as a method of learning.
However, a significant minority of students felt that their own personal learning benefit
from group work had been rather low.

Although there are a number of studies related to the field group work by researchers in the
world, there has been not much research on the issue. Despite my efforts, I could manage
to identify very few studies on group work undertaken in Vietnam.
A study mentioned by Bac (2005) considered that large classes in Thai Nguyen University
were facing some challenges with communicative activities. Her study, therefore, was
aimed at examining the impact of two techniques, group work and questioning, on
students’ participation in communicative activities in large classes. Findings showed that
these two techniques strongly increased the students’ active participation. Students in the
experimental groups were positive and appreciative to the new techniques.
Another study related to the field of group work was by Nam (2006). In his study, he
investigated the benefits of using group work in teaching writing to second year students at
Hanoi Agricultural University. The study was carried out with the participation from
fifteen English teachers and over one hundred second year students from his own
University. Findings from questionnaires and observations showed that using group work
in writing skill had positive effects on students’ attitude and motivation and it also
improved their writing skill
Huong (2006) claimed the use of pair work and group work in speaking lessons for the first
year students at National Economics University. Fifteen Vietnamese teachers and two


16
hundred first year students from English-Russian Department, National Economics
University participated in her study. Findings revealed that most of the students were
aware of the importance of the speaking skill. Both teachers and students considered
communication to be a good way to exchange information. However, pair work and group
work were not very effective in her university due to the limitation in using necessary
practical activities. The author also suggested solutions for improving students’ speaking
skill through a flexible and effective use of pair work and group work.
To sum up, most of the mentioned studies dealt with the application of group work in
improving language skills especially speaking and writing. However, none considers

students’ perceptions of the benefits of group work. For this reason, the author has raised
her attention to this field with the hope to have profound understandings of students’
perceptions to group work, their needs as well as their expectations from the teacher. The
following chapters will be introduced in more details.


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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1. The context of the study
Founded in 1983, Ngoc Tao High school is one of the three High Schools in Phuc Tho
District, Hanoi. In 2007-2008 school year, the school has 38 classes in which there are 12
classes 10 (544 students), 12 classes 11 (586 students) and 14 classes 12 (665 students).
The number of the students in each class ranges from 45 to 50 students. The total number
of English teachers is 11 (1 male and 10 females), in which 2 teachers have Master’s
Degree, 2 others are studying for Master’s Degree, the rest all graduated from Hanoi
University of Languages and International Studies (HULIS), regular training. The average
age of English teachers is 35.
In recent years, the school has been equipped with many modern facilities for English
teaching and learning like computers, videos, projectors, etc. However, the use of these
modern facilities in teaching is not frequent due to the limited basic IT ability of some
teachers. Their way of teaching still follows a traditional method, which is mainly focused
on grammar rather than communication skills. Students’ learning and their real English
ability should be taken into account. Facts have shown that the majority of students have
not high results in English because their level of English is still low. In addition, the
students themselves do not consider English to be as important as other subjects like Math,
Physics or Chemistry, etc. Therefore, they do not spend much time in English learning.
This somehow affects students’ attitudes towards English learning as well as their English
ability.

As in many other high schools, English is a compulsory subject. The text books used for
students are English 10, 11, 12 (new series of text books- basic programme). Students have
three English lessons every week with 45 minutes per period. With the limited time in each
period and the high number of the students in each class, it is difficult for English teaching
and learning to be effective. Group work using is, therefore, restricted or in other words
this activity seems to be not efficient in English lessons in my school.

3.2. The rationale of using the survey method


18
When doing a research, one often chooses a suitable approach to collect data. Surveys are
widely used for collecting data in most areas. According to Cohen and Manion (1985),
surveys are the most commonly used descriptive method in educational research, and may
vary in scope from large scale investigations though to small scales studies carried out by a
single researcher. The purpose of a survey is generally to obtain a snapshot of conditions,
attitudes, and/ or events at single point in time.
In survey research, the researcher does not “do” anything to the objects or subject research,
except observe them or ask them to provide data. The result of the research is the data
collected from people or things without altering anything.

3.3. The participants
The total number of the students participated in the survey is 150 from three grades 10, 11
and 12, among which there are 69 males and 81 females. 50 students are from class 10A1
(26 males and 24 females); 50 are from 11A1 (23 males and 27 females) and the rest are
from 12A2 (20 males, 30 females)

3.4. The questionnaire
The questionnaire consists of three parts. The first part is the students’ personal
information such as which grade they are in and their sex. Part 2 includes 15 closed

questions designed according to Likert Scale, whose options are from totally disagree to
totally agree. These questions are to find out the students’ attitudes towards group work
and their perceptions of the benefits of group work to their English learning. In each
question, students are asked to choose the best answer. Part 3 consists of 3 open ended
questions, which clarify the students’ reasons for choosing their favourite skill in group
work and their own opinions of the benefits of group work. These questions also help to
check the similarities and the differences between what the students have chosen and what
they really think and expect from the lesson. In order to make the students easily
understand the questionnaire, all the questions were written in Vietnamese.


19

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter will present and analyse the data collected from the survey questionnaires.
First, the data will be analysed separately for each grade (10, 11 and 12) based on three
research questions. Then, the author will generalize to find out the similarities and
differences among three grades. After that findings and discussion will be introduced.
In survey questionnaires, each question consists of five options a, b, c, d and e (see
appendix). However, when analysing, the author put these options into three categories:
“agree”, “disagree” and “neutral”. This will be presented in the following parts:

4.1. Students’ attitudes towards group work
Grade 10 students’ attitudes towards group work are summarised in table 1 below:
Agree
(%)

Disagree
(%)

Neutral
(%)

1. Group work helps me more self- confident in study

82 %

16%

2%

2. Group work makes me inhibited

18%

80%

2%

3. Group work makes me more motivated in English

84%

12%

2%

4. I participate in groups actively

76%

20%

4%

9. I dislike group work because it consumes my time

14%

86%

0

Options
Questions

learning

Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards group work (G.10, N = 50)

According to the results shown in table 1, most of the students (82 %) agreed and strongly
agreed that group work helped them feel more confident in their study, 16 % did not agree
with this idea and 2% was not sure about his/her answer.
Regarding question 3, most of the samples (84%) agreed that group work made them more
interested in learning English. In other words, these students seemed to have a positive
attitude toward group work. 12% did not get motivated through this activity. 2% kept
his/her neutral opinion.

20
In terms of involvement, more than two thirds of the students (76%) agreed that they were
more involved in group work whereas nearly a quarter of the sample (20 %) said that they
did not participate in group work. In addition, 4% of the respondents did not answer this
question.
On the contrary to this trend, 80 % of the students asked in question 2 did not feel inhibited
when working in groups while 18 % strongly agreed with this idea. One student 2% of the
sample had a neutral answer.
In terms of cooperation in group work, most of the students (86%) said that they did not
mind explaining to their friends whereas 14 % did not want to waste their time in group
discussion.
What presented above is the analysis about students’ attitudes towards group work in grade
10. The following part is for grade 11. The data collected is shown in table 2 as follows:
Options
Questions

Agree Disagree Neutral
(%)
(%)
(%)

1. Group work helps me more self- confident in study

88%

12%

0

2. Group work makes me inhibited

12%

86%

2%

3. Group work makes me more motivated in English learning

82%

14%

4%

4. I participate in groups actively

78%

20%

2%

9. I dislike group work because it consumes my time

10%

84%

6%

Table 2: students’ attitudes towards group work (G.11; N= 50)

As can be seen from table 2, a great deal of the students chosen (88%) answered for
question 1 that they felt more confident when working in groups while 12% of the
respondents did not feel so.
Concerning question 3, most of the students (82 %) said that group work motivated their
study a lot while 14 % answered that they did not get motivation from group work. 4 %
chose the category “neutral”.
Regarding question 4, more than two thirds of the sample (78 %) agreed that they often
participated in group work actively. Besides, nearly a quarter of them (20%) admitted that
they did not join in groups. 2 % gave his or her neutral answer.