SKKN SOME SUGGESTIONS TO MOTIVATE 10th FORM STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN GROUPWORK ACTIVITIES IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT QUANG XUONG 1 HIGH SCHOOL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................
11. Reason for the study.................................................................................... ……3
1.2. Aims of the study 1……………………………………………………… ……..3
1.3 Scope of the study......................................................................................... .........4
1.4. Methods of the study.............................................................................................4
1.5. New features of the study...........................................................................……...4
PART II: DEVELOPMENT...........................................................................……...
2.1 .Theo retical background .....................................................................................
2.1.1 Definitions of speaking.........................................................................................5
2.1.2. Teaching and learning speaking skill..................................................................5
2.1.3. Definitions of students' participation....................................................................5
2.1.4 Teachers' teaching methods...................................................................................6
2.1.5. Teachers' personalities and characteristics...........................................................6
2.1.6.Students' learning style..........................................................................................6
2.1.7. Students' learning motivation..............................................................................6
2.1.8. Definitions of group work....................................................................................7
2.1.9. Types of groupwork............................................................................................7
2.1.10. Advantages of using group work activities in speaking lesson......................8+9
2.2. The factual issues in participating in groupwwork at English speaking lessons at Quảng
Xương 1 High school.
2.2.1.The students and teachers' attitudes towards learning and teaching
speaking skill………………………………………………………………… 10
2.2.2. The students and teachers' problems in implementing groupwork activities.. ....11
2.3. Some suggestions to motivate 10th form students to participate in groupwork activities
in speaking lessons at Quảng Xương 1 High school.
2.3.1 The role of the teacher .....................................................................................12
2.3.2.The role of each student in group work activities.............................................13

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2.3.3. Types of speaking tasks carried out in group work activities in textbook English
10……………………………………………………………………………… ……14
2.3.4. Forming students in groups......................................................................... .....15
2.3.5. Preparing for students to work in group...................................................... .....16
2.3.6. Ending group work activities....................................................................... ......16
2.4.RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………….
2.4.1. RESULTS
2.4.1.2.The students' attitudes towards the current groupwork activities.............. ...18
2.4.1.3. The students' preference of kinds of groupwork activities........................

..19

2.4.1.4. The teachers and students' acknowledgements about groupwork activities.....19
2.4.2. Recommendations
2.4.2.1 Students should be well- prepared for groupwork activities…….…

…..20

2.4.2.2. Students should be always sustained in groupwork activities ………… .21
2.4.2.3. The groups' results should be appropriately evaluated ………………….21
PART 3:CONCLUSION
3.1.Summary …………………………………………………………………….22
3.2 Suggestions for the further study …………………………………………. 22

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CLT refers to Communicative Language Teaching
EFL refers to English as a First Language
ESL refers to English as a Second Language

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PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Reason for the study
With the undeniable role of communication, English has proven to be the most effective tool to involve
Vietnam in the process of globalization and vice versa. English has helped open a new integrating chance
those who knows to make use of it. Having fully recognized the importance of this, the Vietnamese
Ministry of Education and Training has made English a compulsory subject at secondary schools all over
the country and it has become one of the three main subjects at high schools. As a result, the high school
curriculum has laid a great deal of stress on teaching and learning this widely-used language especially in a
communicative way. The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has recently put into practice a
new series of English textbooks, which focus on the Communicative Language Teaching. In order to apply
this method effectively, the use of group work activities in teaching speaking skill is emphasized, as is
stated in the teacher’s guide books.
In the new textbook, English 10, most of the activities in speaking lessons are encouraged to be organized
in group work activities. It has been reported by a number of the studies that in speaking lessons, group
work activities make it possible for the teacher to devote more time to the students' oral production, which
perhaps before had not been a priority in the foreign language classroom. Thanks to group work activities,
less confident students get the chance to put their knowledge of the new language into practice in a nonthreatening environment, away from the critical eye and ear of the teacher. Instead of being dependent on
the teacher, students get used to helping and learning from each other. Meanwhile, the teacher is left free to
discreetly monitor progress and give help, advice and encouragement where and when it is needed. Small
groups provide greater intensity of involvement, so that the quality of language practice is increased.
Despite the enormous benefits of using group work activities in developing the students' speaking ability,
both the teachers and the students at Quang Xương 1 high school are generally not much successful in
teaching or learning through this type of activity. Almost the teachers often complained that their students
did not fully participate in group work activities. Therefore, they had a lot of difficulties using group work
activities in their class. This led me to carry out an investigation into the matter in the hope to work out and
explain how the 10th form students participate into group work activities in speaking lessons will be
identified and better understood. Furthermore, based on the study, practical teaching ideas to improve the

students' participation into the group work activities in speaking lessons will be drawn out.
1.2. Aims of the study
The study aims to
-

investigate current participation by the 10th form student in group work activities in speaking
lessons at Quảng Xương 1 High school.

-

identify the factors affecting the students' participation in groupwork speaking activities.

3


-

discuss and recommend practical teaching ideas to involve the 10th form students in more
effective groupwork activities in speaking lessons.

1.3. Subjects of the study
The subjects of the study are composed of 135 participants divided into 2 groups:
The first group consists of 135 grade 10 students randomly chosen at Quảng Xương 1 High school.
The second group involves 2 teachers. They have been teaching at school for at least 10 years. They are
assigned to teach English 10.
1.4. Method of the study
To conduct the study, quantitative and qualitative methods will be used. Questionnaires and semi-structured
interviews will be used to collect information and evidence for the study. All the comments,
recommendations and conclusions provided in the study will be based on the data analysis.

1.5. New features of the study: To help teachers detect the reason why their few students
take part in working in group in big size class and provide them some very useful methods
the teachers don’t conduct the steps in order or some of them even are not care about to
motivate students to participate in groupwork activities in speaking skill lessons such as;
select activities carefully,work out the instructions for an activity carefully,present the activity to the class,
monitor the students' performance, provide feedback, keep a record,

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PART 2: DEVELOPMENT
2.1. Theoretical background
2.1.1 Definitions of speaking
There are various definitions of speaking and the popular acceptance comes from Jones, R (1989:
86) who defines speaking as “Speaking is a form of communication, so it is important that what
you say conveyed in the most effective way.” Speaking is one of the basic skills that must be
mastered by students since it is very important for them to communicate in the class or outside the
class. They must practice it especially in learning teaching in order to be fluent, without an ability
to speak, it would be impossible to have a natural communication among people. Brown and Yule
(1989: 14) state in their book. “Speaking is to express the needs request, information, service, etc.”
The speakers say a word to the listener not only to express what in their mind but also to express
what they need. Most people might spend their everyday life communicating with others.
2.1.2. Teaching and learning speaking skill
People use oral language as their most means of communication- all peoples have developed a form
of oral language. Skill and fluency in speaking have dramatic effects upon life in general. The
recent emphasis on communication has focused particular attention on ways of promoting speaking
skills. This is a question of developing not only language competence but also language use.
Speaking activities aim, therefore, to develop the confidence, desire, and ability to use the target
language accurately and appropriately and effectively for the purposes of communication as well.
Teaching speaking is to prepare students to be able to use language. How this preparation is done

and how successful it is depend on how we as teachers understand our aims. For students, learning
to speak a foreign language is considered to be one of the most difficult aspects of language
learning. To help students be able to use that foreign language to express themselves intelligibly,
reasonably, accurately without too much hesitation, teachers must provide them with an
environment within in which they can communicate freely, and in which they can work together
independently with only the minimum amount of direction from the teachers.
2.1.3. Definitions of students' participation
Many linguists pointed out that students' participation plays a crucially important role which helps
to determine the level of proficiency by different students in language learning. According to
Howard, Short, and Clark (1996) participation is the student’s active engagement in the
classroom to promote effective learning. Peacock (1997) defined students' participation in

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language learning in term of on task and off task. This means that students are on task when they
"engaged in the pedagogic work of the day" and students are off task when they have "a complete
lack of attention to the task". Sylvelyn, Judith & Paulin (2009) stated that students' participation is
when students who actively engage in classroom discussions, rather than be passive learners
who simply take in knowledge.
2.1.4.Teacher’s teaching methods
Hammer (1991) claimed that teachers' teaching methods have direct effects on students' learning in
both positive and negative ways especially in speaking lesson. It is clear that good and proper
method will attract students in their learning. If students find their teacher' method deadly boring,
they will certainly become de-motivated and do not want to participate in the speaking activities.
On the contrary, if the students are interested in their teacher' method, there is no doubt that they
will be ready to engage in the activities. It is necessary that teachers need to apply appropriate
methods for their students' level.
2.1.5. Teachers' personalities and characteristics
Teachers' personalities and characteristics are considered to be the key influence on students' liking

of their success in different at school. The teacher's prestige will make students feel secure in his or
her lecture and thus they are wiling to participate in language learning more. Barry and King (1994)
pointed out the necessary characteristics of teachers like being nature, being warm, being pleasant,
being approachable and being tolerant. Besides, a good teacher owns certain qualities such as
encouragement to active learning, friendliness, support, ability to create positive and friendly
learning environment. He or she gets students involved in his lesson and encourage them take part
in the lesson enthusiastically. It may be well worth noting that teachers' personalities and
characteristics enhance students' participation in learning in speaking lessons.
2.1.6. Students' learning style
Students' learning style refers to their general approach towards using particular types of learning
activities. It is evidenced in the students' attitudes towards and preferences for particular activities,
the particular choice of activities they use for learning, the way in which they approach the use of
particular types of learning tasks.
There are different learning styles identified by educators and psychologists. Richard (1994, cited
in Knowles, 1992) classified students' styles into four types as follows: Concrete learning style,
analytical learning style, communicative learning style, authority- oriented learning style.
2.1.7 Students' learning motivation

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Motivation is viewed as a major factor affecting students' participation in language learning. It
affects directly students' failure and success in language learning. Motivation is understood as
interest and enthusiasm for the activities used in classes, persistence with learning task. It is also
indicated as by levels of attention and levels of concentration and enjoyment.
2.18.Definitions of group work
Group work has been incorporated into language teaching and learning in most parts of the world
since the emergence of the CLT up work, in a language class, is a co- operative during which
students share aims and responsibilities to complete a task assigned by the teacher in groups or in
pairs".

According to Sprott (cited in Metcalfe 1959:9), " a group as a number of people who interact with
another one, who are psychological aware of one another and who perceive themselves to be a
group". Doff (1988: 137) defines group work is a process that “the teacher divides the class into
small groups to work together (usually four or five students in each group), as in pair work, all the
groups work at the same time.”
In spite of the different definitions, it can be said that in group work, all the members have chances
to cooperate with others. They learn to negotiate to listen to different opinions. They participate
more equally and in most cases they feel free to experiment and use the language. In group work,
the focus is not only on the product but also on the process and the skills which are activated in
order to achieve it.
2.1. 9.Types of group work
Davis (1993) divides group work into 3 types:
-

informal learning groups

-

formal learning groups

-

study teams

Informal learning groups are temporary clusterings of the students with a single class session.
Informal learning groups can be initiated, for example, by asking students to turn to partners and
spend several minutes discussing a question the teacher has raised. The teacher can also form
groups of three or five to solve a problem. Informal learning groups can be organized at anytime in
a class of any size to check on students' understanding of the material, to give students an
opportunity to apply what they are learning, or to provide a change of pace. Informal learning

groups have a short lifetime ranging from a few minutes to the class period. With informal learning
groups, the tasks are generally created quickly, for example, the teacher may say "discuss the
questions with your partners" and have little explanation.

7


Formal learning groups are teams established to complete a specific task, such as perform a lab
experiment, write a report, or carry out a project. These groups may complete their task in a single
class session or over several weeks. Typically, students work together until the task is finished and
their work is graded. Formal learning groups can last several days or several weeks. They require
more planning. They also have greater explanation.
2.1.10.Advantages of using group work activities in speaking lesson
Many different kinds of speaking activities such as brainstorming, discussion, interview, dialogue
ect can be performed in groups. It can not be denied benefits of group work in these types of
activities. Beebe and Masterson (1982) describe cooperative learning in group work as:
"The glue that binds the organizations
The oil that smoothes the organization's function
The thread that ties the system together
The force that pervades the organization
The binding agent that cements all relationships"

Building on Long and Porter’s (1985) account of the advantages of
group/pair work for language pedagogy, Jacobs (1998) provides a
comprehensive list of ten potential advantages (see the table ),
comparing the typical characteristics of groupwork with those of teachercentred instruction.
Ten potential advantages of group Comment
activities

in

language

instruction

(based on Jacobs 1998)
1. The quantity of learner speech can In teacher-fronted classrooms, the teacher
increase

typically speaks 80% of the time; in
groupwork more students talk for more of
the time.

2. The variety of speech acts can In teacher-fronted classrooms, students
increase

are cast in a responsive role, but in
groupwork they can perform a wide
range of roles, including those involved
in the negotiation of meaning.

3. There can be more individualization In teacher fronted-lessons teachers shape

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of instruction

their instruction to the needs of the
average student but in groupwork the

needs of individual students can be
attended to.

4. Anxiety can be reduced

Students feel less nervous speaking in an
L2 in front of their peers than in front of
the whole class.

5. Motivation can increase

Students will be less competitive when
working in groups and are more likely to
encourage each other.

6. Enjoyment can increase

Students are ‘social animals’ and thus
enjoy interacting with others in groups;
in teacher-fronted classrooms studentstudent interaction is often proscribed.

7. Independence can increase

Group activities help students to become
independent learners.

8. Social integration can increase

Group activities enable students to get to
know each other.

9. Students can learn how to work In typical teacher-fronted classrooms
together with others

students are discouraged from helping
each other; group work helps students to
learn collaborative skills.

10. Learning can increase

Learning is enhanced by groupwork
because students are willing to take risks
and can scaffold each other’s efforts.

According to Harmer (1991) group work provides more opportunities for students' initiation, practice in

negotiation of meaning, extended conversational exchanges, face- to- face give and take and
adoption of roles. Ur (1996, p.232) also shares the same idea: "In group work, learners perform a
learning task through small group interaction. It is a form of learner activation that is of particular
value in the practice of oral fluency; learners in class divided into five groups get 5 times as many
opportunities to talk as in full class organization".
In short, group work can be beneficial for every student in a class. Groups make well- informed and
better quality decisions more often than do individuals because of the varied experiences individual
bring to a group. Group members also learn about themselves when they work with others because

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they receive feedback. Group interaction can enhance both comprehension and satisfaction
especially in developing speaking skill. Group work enables students to use the language. It also

motivates them more involved and concentrates on the task assigned. In a non- threatening
performance environment of collaborative classroom motivation is often improved as students feel
less inhibited and more able to explore possibilities for self- expression.
Furthermore, groupwork has advantages not only for the learners but also for the teachers. First of
all they save time. Instead of asking individual students to practice a structure or answer the
questions, he/she can divide the class into pairs and make them do the exercise at the same time. As
a result students are able to practice the language more during the lessons. When the time is saved,
the teacher can take his/her students through much bigger material and many more activities. This
will be for sure appreciated by the students who will not have time to get bored because of the
variety of activities and their own participation in the lesson. As a result, the lesson will seem to be
more interesting, the teacher will be liked by the students, and he/she will enjoy his/her work
because it will bring him/her satisfaction, pleasure, and fulfillment. Group work may be a good way
to help the teacher to check students' progress in learning. The teacher can do it without students'
knowledge about the fact that they are observed and checked. Walking round the class and listening
to the students, the teacher can not only make notes of the most common mistakes to discuss them
later, but also discover whether they are able to communicate with each other in the foreign
language or not. Such discovery helps the teacher to decide which parts of material need to be
repeated or explained later. Another important advantage for the teacher is that group work gives
him/her time to consult the lesson plan and organize materials for the next stage of the lesson.
Although the teacher can be prepared for the lesson very well, sometimes it may happen that he/she
simply forgets what he/she must do next. Group activities are the best for looking up the lesson
plan. It is also good for organizing materials for the next activity, for example hanging pictures or
pieces of a text on walls, writing something on the blackboard, etc.
2..2. The factual issues in participating in groupwwork at English speaking lessons at Quảng
Xương 1 High school.

2.2.1. The students' and teachers' attitudes towards learning and
teaching speaking skill before applying the new method.
Questions
Question 1

Options
What do you think of learning speaking
skill?
A. very important B. rather important

10

A

B

C

D

30.5

50

10

9.5


Question 2

C. little important D. not important
How much do you like learning speaking 32.5

15

31.5 21

skill?
A. very much

B. rather

C. little

D. not at all

As we look at table,a majority of the students held positive attitude learning speaking skill. The
results showed that most of them answered that learning speaking was important or rather
important (30.5%, 50% respectively) whereas only 9.5% of the students said learning speaking was
not important. A small number of them (10%) thought it was little important. The population of the
students who liked learning speaking skill very much or little was nearly the same ((32.5%,31.5%
respectively). The number of students responded that they did not like learning speaking skill at all
was not small (21%).
When being interviewed about their opinions on teaching speaking skill to students, all the four
teachers (100%) agreed that it was very important. One of them likes teaching speaking skill most
while the rest (3 teachers) said that they did not like it as much as the other skills.
The results revealed that most of the students found learning speaking skill necessary. However, not
many of them are really interested in learning it and not all teachers liked teaching speaking most

2.2.2.The students and teachers' problems in implementing groupwork
activities
Question 10:

Please tick the problems you have faced when Student's

participating in groupwork activities in speaking lessons.
You lack vocabulary and ideas to discuss in groups
You are dominated by other group members
You feel bored with working with the same partners
You feel uncomfortable and shy talking in groups
You are not corrected by the teacher
You are not sure what to do in group
You and your classmates tend to use Vietnamese more
The seating arrangement is not suitable
Your classmates make noise when working in groups
The amount of time for each groupwork activities is not sufficient
Lazy students do not contribute in groupwork activities
Teacher’s little control of the whole class
Responsibilities among members in a group are unevenly distributed

opinions.
90
45
25
22.5
55
47
82
56
87
42
68
46

42

2.3. Some suggestions to motivate 10th form students to participate in groupwork activities in
speaking lessons at Quảng Xương 1 High school.

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2.3.1. The role of the teacher:
When interviewed to give suggestions to help students participate in groupwork activities more
effectively. All of the four teachers said that they should give their students clear instructions,
necessary vocabulary and structures before letting them work in groups and groups of three or four
students that have different strong points so that they can help and learn from each other. The
teachers also reported that they had to encourage their students and have proper punishment for
lazy students. One important thing was that they should go around and help their students when
necessary. Furthermore, they suggested some solutions in order to improve the students' speaking
skill such as: setting up English club would create a good environment for students to practice
English; there should be oral tests so that students would pay more attention to learn speaking, and
the administrators should invest more facilities, for example, radios, special learning room for
practicing English, projectors, extra board....
Select activities carefully: Teachers should ensure that the activities can be done reasonably well
with language and students. It means that teachers should decide what they are going to pre- teach
and let students ask for what they realise they need.
Work out the instructions for an activity carefully: Presenting the activity to the class will be a
major factor in its success. Teachers must keep instructions simple, and use mother tongue if
necessary.
Present the activity to the class: Teachers can use mother tongue if necessary; however, try to use
English as much as possible because both their explanation and evaluation activities are very real
use of language in a classroom situation. Teachers should give plenty of examples and students a
"trial run"

Monitor the students' performance: While students are working in groups, teachers must move
around the class and to listen to them in order to find out how the students are getting on. Teachers
can also join groups and work as a member. Teachers should not correct mistakes as a rule, but
make a note of them and use them as the basis of feedback.
Provide feedback: There is a set of ways of providing feedback. For example, teachers may ask
students to give their ideas first before giving their opinion. A major kind of feedback is often
concerned with language. If during monitoring of the activities, teachers have detected mistakes,
they may choose to point these out to the class afterwards. Alternatively, they may use errors they
have noted as the basis for remedial or further teaching.

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Keep a record: It is important to keep a record of the activities teachers have done with the class,
together with any comments on the students' performance. Teachers should also note down any
ideas for further activities which occur to them or modifications of existing ones.
Donn Byrne (1986:77)
2.3.2.The role of each student in group work activities
According to Ruben (1998) students have to implement two kinds of roles in order to accomplish
group goal. They are task roles and group building and maintenance roles.
Task roles: When working in groups, students work together to gather information, make
recommendations, solve a problem or complete a specific task. Task roles as a contributor, a
analyzer, a coordinator, a recorder and a encourager are performed by students. As a contributor,
each student takes part in organizing the group's work, making all group members understand the
task, taking the group's questions, or proposing new ideas or changing way of regarding the group
problem goal. As an analyzer, he helps solve the problems, move the group rapidly to the core of
the problem and examine the reasoning behind each contribution to the discussion. As a
coordinator, he shows or clarifies the relationships among various ideas and suggestions and tries to
pull them together. As a recorder, he writes down the group's responses, data or collection on a
group response sheet or writes down the product of discussion. As an encourager, he offers support

or encouragement to group members and keeps others' feeling comfortable when working together.
Group building and maintenance roles: These roles require all the members to assume
responsibility for promoting, building and maintaining positive attitudes and a positive group spirit.
Maintenance roles are concerned with the feelings of individual members and the emotional
behavior of the group. Each member of the group acts as an active listener, a compromiser and a
follower. As an active listener, the student recognizes the contributions of the others and responds
with specific verbal or non - verbal reinforcement. For example, he can nod his head, smile or say "
good" or "great idea". As a compromiser, he, together with other members, makes decisions when a
discussion of two prominent positions emerges. He also makes attempts to reconcile disagreement
or relieves tension in conflict situations through jesting. As a follower, he accepts the ideas of the
others in a passive role.
Leader roles: Each group should have its own leader. If the student is appointed the leader of the
group by the teacher or his friends or he may volunteer, he will serves as a link between the group
and the teacher and among group members. It means that his function is not to dominate the group
but to coordinate the group members' activities.
2.3.3.Types of speaking tasks carried out in group work activities in textbook English 10

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Many ESL teachers agree on that students learn to speak in the second language by "interacting".
Communicative language teaching and collaborative learning serve best for this aim. CLT is based
on

real-life

situations

that

require

communication.

By

using

this

method

in

ESL classes, students will have the opportunity of communicating with each other in
the target language. ESL teachers should create a classroom environment where students have reallife communication, authentic activities, and meaningful tasks that promote oral language. This can
occur when students collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task. In the new
English textbook 10, speaking lesson is one of the important skills. Theme- based and task-based
approaches are favored and adopted so as to create authentic language settings for learners and
engage them in purposeful communication activities. Obviously, teaching speaking is mainly based
on having students complete the tasks via pairs or groups. The following types of speaking tasks
carried out in group work activities in textbook English 10:
Information Gap
In this activity, students are supposed to be working in pairs or in groups. One or two students have
the information that other partners do not have and they will share information. Information gap
activity serves purposes such as solving a problem, collecting information. Each partner plays an
important role because the task cannot be completed if the partners do not provide the information
the others need. This activity is effective because everybody has opportunity to talk extensively in
the target language.
Brainstorming

On a given topic, students can produce ideas in a limited time. Group brainstorming is effective
when students generate ideas quickly and freely. The good characteristic of brainstorming is that
students should not be criticized for their ideas so they will be open to share new ideas.
Discussion
This activity is often used in the new textbook. In this activity, the students may aim to arrive, may
aim at a conclusion, share ideas about an events, find solutions in their discussion groups. Before
the discussion, teachers have to set the purpose of the discussion activity. In this way discussion
points

are

relevant

to

this

purpose,

so

that

students

do

not

spend

their

time

chatting with each other about irrelevant things. For efficient group discussions, it is always
better not to form large groups, because quiet students may avoid contributing in
large groups. The group members can be either assigned by the teacher or the
students may determine it by themselves, but groups should be rearranged in every
discussion activity so that students can work with various people and learn to be open to different

14


ideas. It is important that whatever the aim of group discussion is, students should be encouraged to
ask questions, paraphrase ideas, express support and check for clarification. Interviews
Students can conduct interviews on selected topics with various people. Conducting interviews
with people gives students a chance to practice their speaking ability not only in class but also
outside and helps them become socialized. After interviews, each student can present his or her
results of the interviews to the class. To help students carry out interviews effectively, teachers
should provide a rubric to students so that they know what type of questions they can ask or what
path to follow.
Role- play:
One of the ways of getting students to speak is role-playing. Students pretend they are in various
social contexts and have a variety of social roles. In role play activity, teacher can give
information to the students such as who they are and what they think or feel.
Communication games: These activities are often designed in class. According to Byrne and
Rixon (1979), even though games are often associated with fun, teacher should not lose sight of
their pedagogical values, particularly in second language teaching. Games are effective because
they provide motivation, lower students' stress, and give them the opportunity for real

communication. Naturally when playing games, students are trying to win or to beat other teams for
themselves or on the behalf of their team. They are so competitive while playing because they want
to have a turn to play, to score points and to win. In the class, students will definitely participate in
the speaking activities.
Problem solving: Problem- solving activities as well as others are utilized in the class to facilitate
communicative skills. The students are often in groups, then they talk together to find out a solution
for a problem or task given. The problem solving activities stimulate the students to talk and to
listen to the others.
2.3.4.Forming students in groups
According to Byrne in Longman Handbook for Language Teachers, the group size should be
worked out in the relation to the total number of students in class. Usually, a group of 3 to 5 is
appropriate in speaking lessons. Teachers can form groups themselves, normally on the basis of the
mixed class ability (i.e. good and weak students together), since as a rule learners do help one
another. Sometimes, teachers want the students to work together on tasks which have been selected
to suit their abilities. If t means that teachers form students of more or less equal ability, so that they
will be free to give their attention to those who most need help. Byrne also suggests that each group
should have an identifying label (i.e. name or number) and set position in the classroom to work in

15


so that when students are asked to work in groups, they can do so with the minimum fuss and delay.
Usually group work will involve some re- arrangement of the classroom furniture. When
concerning the allocation of members into groups, Hurd (2000) states that most selection methods
fall into four categories. They are:
 Random appointment
 Self- selection
 Selective appointment
 Task appointment
2.3.5. Preparing for students to work in group

When working in groups, many students often experience the feeling of having nothing to say on
the subject, which will certainly be an obstacle for communication process and make them feel
inhibited or less confident to speak in group work. Therefore, preparing students well for the group
work must involve the pre-teaching of the relevant language. Teachers also explain to students why
they are doing activities of this kind. One thing important is that teachers should assist their
students to generate some ideas through mini discussion or through brainstorming.
2.3.6.Monitoring group work activities
When discussing monitoring group work, Jaques (1984) says that it is essential that teachers should
monitor the groups but not to hover. Sharing the same idea, Cohen (1986) emphasizes on the
supportive supervision of the teachers for the students in group work activities. This type includes
the following of the teachers' roles:
- giving feedback
- redirecting group with questions
- encouraging group to solve its own problem
- extending activity
- encouraging thinking
- managing conflict
From my point of view, teachers need to actively monitor group work. Teachers should make sure
that students work together and do not exclude anyone. Teachers are always cooperative and
willing to give help if their students ask. In brief, in order to make groups work effectively, teachers
should serve as a monitor, a modeler, a coach and a facilitator at the same time.
2.3.7.Ending group work activities
To sustain students' motivation to involve in the groupwork activities, it is necessary that teachers
should know how to end groupwork effectively. Therefore, after students have finished their task,

16


teachers should ensure that groups' performance is accessed and that the groups know their
members are doing who needs more assistance in completing the task and lazy students need to

know they cannot let others do all the work while they sit silently. Giving groups an opportunity to
evaluate other groups' performance is also important. This creates competition among groups and
each member of the groups tries their best to work effectively to become the winner.
2.4. RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
2.4.1. RESULTS
The students and teachers' opinions on the frequency of group work activities in speaking
lessons the teachers at school after applying the new methods
Questions
Question 3

Options

A

How often do your English teachers 79

B

C

D

21

0

0

implement groupwork activities in speaking
lessons?

A. Often B. Sometimes
C. Rarely D. Never

Table 2.4.1a Identifying the students' opinions on about the frequency of
applying group work activities in speaking lessons (by percent)
Activities employed

Discussion
Role- play
Problem-solving
Interview
Information- gap
Brainstorming
Games

Students' opinions
Often
Sometimes

Rarel

Never

88
0
80
26
20
85
82

y
0
41
0
9
30
0
0

0
30
0
0
0
0
0

12
29
20
65
50
15
18

The table 2.4.2. demonstrates that a majority of the students (79%) responded that their teachers
often implemented groupwork activities in speaking lessons. 21% of them said that their teachers
sometimes did this. Obviously, all the teachers used groupwork activities. This was the same the
results of the interviews with the teachers. All the teachers claimed that they applied groupwork

activities in speaking lessons and their frequency depended on the tasks in the textbook or the level
and the preference of the students.

17


As can be seen from the table 3.2b, many students reported that discussion, problem-solving,
brainstorming, games were groupwork activites which were often employed by their teachers.
When being asked about the groupwork activities they often used in speaking lessons, all the
teachers said that discussion was the most widely used, then games, problem- solving and
brainstorming.
2.4.1.2.The students' attitudes towards the current groupwork activities
A
Questions
Question 6

B

C

D

23.5

46.5 22.5

Options
How do you feel about the groupwork 7.5
activities your teacher is implementing in
speaking lessons?

A. I like all of them. B. I like most of
them.
C. I like few of them. D. I like none of

them
Table 2.4.1.2. The students' attitudes towards the current groupwork activities (by percent)
As can be seen from the table, the number of the students responded that they liked all the
groupwork activities was small (only 7.5%). 23.5% of the students said that they liked most of the
groupwork activities. Not surprisingly, nearly a half of them claimed that they liked few of the
groupwork activities. Even worse, 22.5% of them claimed that they had no interest in all the
groupwork activities in speaking lessons.
According to the interview results for the teachers, three of the four teachers claimed that most of
their students did not like the groupwork activities they were applying in speaking lessons.
Obviously, it could be said that a majority of the students did not have much interest in the
groupwork activities being implemented in their speaking lessons.
2.4.1.3The students' preference of kinds of groupwork activities
Question 9: Please put the following activities Students' opinions (by percent)
you like in group working in speaking lessons
in order. (From the most preferable to the least.)
(Put a tick √ in the appropriate box)
Activities
Role play
Discussions
Problem-solving
Interviews

1

2

3

4

5

30
10.5
4.

18

6 7
2


5
Information-gap
3
Brainstorming
28.5
Games
21
Table 2.4.1.3.The students' preference of kinds of groupwork activities in order
From the table 3.6, it can be said that the students preferred discussion activity to the others (30%).
Brainstorming activity ranked second (28.5%). Games were also one of the students' favorite
activities (21%). Problem- solving, interview and information- gap accounted for 10.5%, 4.5% and
3% respectively. Role-play activity might be difficult for the students, so it was least chosen.
2.4.1.4.The teachers and students' acknowledgements about groupwork activities
The data analysis reveals that teaching and learning speaking skill are no longer neglected and tend

to get increased attention at Quảng Xương 1 High school. Both teachers and students there have
found it necessary to improve the students' communicative competence. Therefore they agreed that
an important factor enhancing the students' communicative competence is that they have chances to
get involved in groupwork activities. A large number of students and all of the teachers claimed that
groupwork activities brought about a lot of benefits to students in speaking lessons. First, when
working in groups, they can share ideas with their friends. They can learn a lot from them because
their friends may know something that they may not and help them when they get stuck in
expression. Second, members in groups when working together provide assistance with each other,
so the task assigned can be solved and completed faster and more effectively. Third, every student's
talking time can be increased since they practice English more in groups. Fourth, when working in
group, they will be able to learn how to share responsibilities and improve cooperation spirit.
Lastly, groupwork activities also help students to feel more confident when talking in English,
especially for shy students. However, the data analysis indicates that in grade 10 at Quảng Xương 1
High school, the implementation of groupwork activities in speaking lessons has not proved to be
much effective. It means that students' participation in groupwork activities is not high.
2.4.2.Recommendations
2.4.2.1 Students should be well- prepared for groupwork activities
It is clear that working in groups is rather different from working individually. One of the biggest
students' difficulties is that students are not carefully prepared to perform effectively in groupwork.
Therefore, they need to be equipped with not only teamwork spirit but also necessary knowledge of
the task before they participate in groupwork activities. The teachers are able to help them. The first
thing the teacher should consider is to introduce the task the groups of the students with enthusiasm
and confidence. This is very important because by doing this the students will be more likely to

19


engage in the task. After introducing the task, the students should be given clear instructions and
objectives for the groupwork activities. The students need to know exactly what they are supposed
to be doing, who they are working with and why, as well how much time they have for the activity.

One of the most important things is that the students must be prepared an input of relevant
vocabulary and useful structures relating to the task. Almost students are often afraid of the feeling
of having nothing to say on the task, which will certainly hinder them participate in groupwork
activities. It is necessary that the teachers assist the students to generate ideas through the
exchanged ideas or brainstorming. Another useful way to help the students prepare for groupwork
activities is that before they actually start talking in groups, they need to be silent for a few
moments while they plan what they might say or make some notes to remember their ideas. This
delay can often lead to more interesting ideas about the task.
Furthermore, for grade 10 students, many of them do not have much extensive collaborative
experience since they have just come from lower secondary school. They know few people in their
class. They do not know much how to operate in a group. They need a lot of support and
encouragement. The teachers should spend time explaining benefits of groupwork and emphasize
the importance of working together in developing their communicative competence. The teachers
also should show less confident or shy students how to begin the activity and remind them that the
activity is not a test; it is a chance to practice English.
Added to those mentioned above, putting students in a right group is extremely important.
Otherwise, it affects adversely to the students' participation in groupwork activities. It is difficult
for students in a too large group to get close enough to one another to converse comfortable.
Usually the maximum comfortable size for a group is five and the ideal group size is three. In a
group, there should be the students who have different strong points so that that can help and learn
from each other. Dominant students may be team leaders but make sure to switch them so that other
members do not get bored and feel frustrated or left out.
2.4.2.2. Students should be always sustained in groupwork activities
Teachers often find that their students begin working together with enthusiasm but then they
quickly run out of steam. This may be because they have exhausted the task and do not have any
relevant opinions or experiences to share or they lack vocabulary to talk about the topic in greater
depth. The teachers should go around and provide them with quickly assistance or let them take a
few moments to gather their thoughts and consider what they are going to say. Establishing a time
limit is an important factor here. This reminds them to know how much time is available for them
to talk. In addition, to sustain the students' motivation in groupwork activities, it is essential to

20


encourage and support them in their work. A nod, a smile or gestures can be helpful in keeping a
relaxed learning environment in speaking lessons. Moreover, all the students have equal
responsibility and amount of time to speak. All of them have equal chance to participate. This can
be done by having each member of the group evaluate each other. The teachers have proper
punishments for lazy students who do not contribute to the groupwork or reward for active
students. Therefore, the teachers have to act as a manager. A good manager gets involved, interacts
with the groups of students and is capable of providing assistance. It means that while groupwork is
in progress, the teachers should play an active and facilitative role.
2.4.2.3. The groups' results should be appropriately evaluated
The follow- up activity of goupwork is necessary since without it, the students will feel that they
are not working properly. Therefore when the students have finished their task in groups, the
teachers should let to report their results to the class. The teachers often claim the fact that they do
not have enough time to correct all the groupwork's result. It is not necessary that every student
report but it is important that every student has the opportunity to practice and report. The teachers
can also use peer evaluations at the end of the groupwork activities. The teachers give each student
in a group a "score card" and ask him or her to give grade to each of his or her group member. The
teachers must be sure that all students have to fill out the cards

PART 3:CONCLUSION
1. Summary
Groupwork activities play an important role in improving the students' communicative competence.
Many educators claim that they really offer numerous benefits to both teachers and students.
The study in this thesis has dealt with the participation of grade 10 students in speaking lessons at
Quảng Xương 1 High school, Thanh Hoa province. The students' and teachers' acknowledgement
about groupwork activities, the reality of the students' participation as well as factors affecting their
participation in groupwork activities have been identified. The main causes of students' low

participation in groupwork activities at school are not only from the students themselves but also
from the teachers and their ways to attract their students to take part in groupwork activities.
Students have been taught in the traditional methods for a long time. Therefore they need more time
to gradually become familiar with groupwork activities in an environment of mutuality and
motivation in developing speaking skill. It is useful to let students interact with each other and have
chances to practice speaking face to face in groupwork activities.

21


Based on the findings of the study, the researcher has made an attempt to recommend several
practical teaching ideas to involve the 10th form students in more effective group work activities in
speaking lessons.
2. Suggestions for the further study
This study cannot cover everything in the field of the students' participation in groupwork activities
in speaking lessons. Many issues cannot be revealed. In order to increase the students' participation
in groupwork activities in speaking lessons, further studies can focus on the strategies to help the
teachers involve their students in groupwork more effectively.
Obviously, mistakes in this thesis are unavoidable, all comments and remarks on this study will be
highly appreciated.

XÁC NHẬN CỦA THỦ TRƯỞNG ĐƠN VỊ Quảng Xương, ngày 25/5/2019
Tôi cam đoan nội dung SKKN tôi tự viết,
không sao chép nội dung của người khác
Người thực hiện

Nguyễn Thúy Hằng
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