PART I: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale of the study: Until now, English has been considered very important in every field of each society such as: diplomacy, business, aviation, education and science and technology. Because of its globalization, English has become the crucial medium in communication. In Vietnam, since !"#, English has become very popular because there have been English$spea%ing people coming to, visit or wor% in Viet &am. 'hey come to Vietnam not only because they want to do business with the Vietnamese but also they want to get to %now about the people, the cultures and e(plore the beauty of Vietnam. )pecially, with the open$door policy, many foreigners have been attracted by Vietnam. 'hus, English has been the %ey to Vietnam*s regional and global integration. English is used not only between the Vietnamese and foreigners but also between the Vietnamese and the Vietnamese. +ll this burns the desire of learning English in Vietnam. 'he demand for English training is promoted by an increasing influ( of foreign investments from both English$spea%ing countries and non$English$spea%ing countries which needs English as a means of communication. Vietnamese people need to be able to communicate in English successfully and effectively. 'he lac% of communicative ability in oral and other language s%ills in using English can put Vietnamese regionally and internationally in an inferior position both in politics and economics. In ,-' University, English is a compulsory sub.ect and certainly, every student %nows that it will be important for their future .ob. 'hey will use English at wor%. 'he students here opt for English due to their realization that a high proficiency in English will give them more opportunities for employment, let alone the possibility of going abroad for their further study in the e(change training program of ,-' University and some Universities in /ermany, 0apan etc. +mong the four languages s%ills, most students thin% that spea%ing is the most important in the first year of studying in ,-' University. 1uring the time of studying in ,-' University, they will have to learn English for 2 semesters 3each of which in university lasts for 2 wee%s4 include most English lessons. +fter the second year, they will learn the sub.ects almost with the English5spea%ing teachers and they will have to present their topic of study in English. ,urthermore, after graduation the students will have to do business, negotiate with the partners in English to sell their products to them. 'o

< ma%e these successfully, they must have a good ability of English especially communicating orally in it. ,or a long time, the language teaching and learning was based on the out of date methods which could not help the students spea% fluently and communicatively. ,or over the past few years, 6ommunicative 7anguage 'eaching method has been widely applied. +s a result, the students* spea%ing s%ill has been improved remar%ably. 'his mar%ed the beginning of the ma.or change in the language teaching and learning at all levels from school to university. ,-' University is a newly founded university 3more than two years old4 who also would li%e to innovate their teaching and learning... 8ith this implied ambition, we e(pect that there will be many changes in the teaching as well as learning in ,-' University. 9ere, the teaching of spea%ing s%ill is always emphasized. +ll the teachers here have been trying their best to help their students in learning English spea%ing s%ill well. 9owever, the result has not met their e(pectation. :any failed their spea%ing test. 8hen discussing in group, many students still use Vietnamese while others %eep silent etc. In the spea%ing class, the
st

5year students have to do many spea%ing activities. +mong

them, group wor%$one of the %ey features of learner$centered orientation$ have received more emphasis $because at the end of each semester, the students from the level of pre$ intermediate on have to sit for spea%ing test which includes two parts: panel discussion and individual response. :uch time has been devoted to group wor% activities because of a number of advantages they bring about. ,or e(ample, group wor% can dramatically increase the amount of tal%ing for individual students, encourage border s%ills of participation, cooperation and negotiation, promote learner autonomy by allowing students to ma%e their own decisions in the group without being told what to do by the teacher, and free the teacher from her usual role of instructor$corrector$controller. 8or%ing as a teacher at ,-' University for more than two years, the researcher is well aware of the importance of using group wor% to help improve the spea%ing class of the
st

year students. 9owever, li%e many other teachers of English here, the researcher has also faced many challenges in organizing and managing group wor% during spea%ing lessons. +re the students getting out of the control; +ren*t they lapsing into their mother tongue; Isn*t the organization into group wor% good for some lazy and passive students; +re they participating in group wor%; Being aware of these challenges, the researcher and her colleagues at ,-' University have decided to help the students to learn spea%ing s%ill and this is also the reason why the author of this study chose this area to do her research which

2 is intended to ma%e a modest contribution ma%ing spea%ing class of the ,-' University effective and successful. 2. Aims of the study: 'his study is aimed at investigating the reality of the use of group wor% in the spea%ing class of the $ $ $
st st

year students at

year students at ,-' University. 'o be specific, the aims of the study are:
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'o clarify how group wor% is used in the spea%ing class of the ,-' University.

year students at

'o find the factors that causes the difficulties for the teachers in their application of group wor% in the spea%ing class of the spea%ing class of
st st

year students at ,-' University.

'o recommend practical suggestions for the possibility of group wor% in the year students at ,-' University.
st

3. S o!e of study 'o improve spea%ing s%ill of year students at ,-' University, the researcher intends to
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investigate the current situation of using group wor% in the spea%ing class of students at ,-' University an then ma%ing some suggestion for improving it. ". Resea# h $uestions: 'his study is implemented to find answer to the following research =uestions: . 9ow group$wor% is used in the spea%ing class of of ,-' University;
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year

year students at ,-' University;

<. 8hat facilitates and prevents the teachers from using group wor% in the spea%ing class 2. 8hat recommendations for improvement are needed to ma%e group$wor% successful in spea%ing class of the %. &ethods of study In order to e(amine the situation of the study, this research used the following methods: =uestionnaire, class observation and informal interview is also included. 'he data collected from the =uestionnaire 3both for students and teachers4 and class observation will then be analyzed and generalized. '. Desi(n of the study 'he :inor 'hesis is divided into three parts. 'he first part is the Introduction 'he second part consists of 7iterature >eview, >esearch :ethodology and ,indings and >ecommendations 'he last part is the conclusion.
st

year students at ,-' University;

PART II: D)*)+OP&)NT

C,APT)R I: +IT)RATUR) R)*I)1.1. S!ea.in( s.ills and its #elated on e!t/ 1.1.1. The im!o#tan e of s!ea.in( s.ill in the lass#oom +mong the four s%ills in learning English, spea%ing and writing are the productive s%ills. 9owever, spea%ing is regarded as very important for language teaching and learning. )pea%ing is a bridge to reach other s%ills. )pea%ing helps learners to read better, to listen more effectively and write more accurately. )pea%ing is surely the most effective means of communication. 3Ur, !!#4 'here are two most important reasons why spea%ing should be taught in the classroom. 'he first reason is spea%ing is a good source of motivation for students. &unan 3 !! 4 points out, ?success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the 3target4 language@. ,or the students who have ability to spea% English eligibly, they want to spea% EnglishA they %now to e(press themselves in English. 'hus, they always spea% when possible. But for those who can not spea% English well, they do not want to spea% in group. +s a result, they may soon get de$motivated and lose interest in learning English. In addition to this, in the English spea%ing class, if the spea%ing activities are organized in the suitable way, spea%ing can have a lot Bof fun and therefore can raise motivation in the learners. If the spea%ing is practiced successfully, the other s%ills can also be improved through spea%ing. ,or the second reason, nowadays, the demand for communication among people is really important. 8ithout it, the life does not e(ist. ,or this, spea%ing always plays an important role in people*s lives. )pea%ing is considered as survival s%ill in real life 3Ur, !!#A p 2C4 ,or the ideas above, spea%ing s%ill also plays the %ey role in foreign language learning and teaching. 1.1.2. Ty!es of lass#oom s!ea.in( !e#fo#man e +ccording to Brown 3 !!C4, there are si( categories relating of oral production: $ Imitative: which accounts for very small portion of spea%ing time in the spea%ing time when learners are practicing an intonation contour trying to pinpoint a certain vowel sound, etc $ Intensive: includes any spea%ing performance that is designed to practice some phonological or grammar aspect of language.

E $ $ >esponsive: is short replies to teacher or student initiated =uestions or comments. 'hese replies are usually sufficient and do not e(tend into dialogue. 'ransactional 3dialogue4: is carried out for the purpose of conveying or e(changing specific information. 6onversations, for e(ample, may have more of a negative nature to them than merely responsive speech. )uch conversation could readily be the part of group wor% activity as well. $ Interpersonal 3dialogue4: carries out more for the purpose of maintaining social relationship than the transmission of facts and information. 'hese conversations are a little tric%ier for learners because they can involve some or all the following factors: a casual register, collo=uial language, emotionally changed language, and slang etc. $ E(tensive 3monologue4: ,inally, students at intermediate or advanced levels are called on to give e(tended monologues in the form of oral report, summaries, or perhaps short speeches. 9ere the register is more formal and deliberative. 1.2. 0#ou!12o#. in a s!ea.in( lesson 1.2.1. Definition and des #i!tion of (#ou!1 2o#. )tudent$based group wor% 3also %nown as team wor%4 has become an integral part of studying at ,-' University. 'his mode of teaching has primarily arisen in an attempt to capture many of the benefits associated with collaborative activities 3namely peer learning and graduate attribute development4. 8hat is really group wor%; +ccording to +drian 1off 3 !"": 2D4, group wor% is a process that ?the teacher divides the class into small groups to wor% together 3usually four or five students in each group4, as in pair wor%, all the groups wor% at the same time.@ 8hen wor%ing in small groups, the students can be assigned with many %inds of tas%s such as discussion, role$play, and presentations which help the spea%ing activities successful, varied and motivated. It can be clearly seen that group wor% is a cooperative activity in which the students wor% at the same time, sharing ideas and responsibility and independently have their own ideas which contribute to the group wor%*s success without every minute observation from the teacher and other students. 1.2.2. The ad3anta(es and disad3anta(es of usin( (#ou! 2o#. in the lass#oom.

# 1.2.2.1. s 6learly, group wor% can increase the student tal%ing time, which increases the spea%ing s%ill. In other word, group wor% helps improved communication. 'he students who have little chance to tal% to each other now can share ideas, become close in the short time and above all solve the common problem assigned by the teacher. Besides, wor%ing in groups helps students to produce greater output. )imply because of the number of people involved, each with different e(perience, %nowledge, points of view and values, a larger number and variety of ideas can be given. :oreover, the e(change of the ideas in the group can act as a stimulus which will encourage individuals to give more ideas, more opinions and therefore contribute more to group wor% activities. In addition to this, group wor% helps to reduce bias. 'he shared responsibility in a group in coming to decisions can encourage individuals to e(plore seemingly realistic ideas and to challenge accepted ways of doing things. Individual biases and pre.udices can be challenged by the group, forcing the individual to recognize them. /roup pressure can also encourage individuals to accept that change is need. ,inally, students* group wor% frees the teacher from the usual role of ?an e(pert who always lectures@ and allows himFher to wal% to each group, to guide, to answer =uestions from students or to encourage students to wor% actively. 39armer, !!!: #4 1.2.2.2. Disad3anta(es: Gne obvious disadvantage is the noise made by the group who have a big argument on the problem or by the group who are so e(cited about wor%ing with one another. It is hard for the teacher to control these %inds of groups. 'his can distract the other groups. 'he very bad effect of wor%ing in groups is that many passive students or lazy students let their friends do everything provided that they still have their names in the group*s result. 8or%ing in group can cause competitions. :ost students wor%ing in a group unconsciously perceive the situations as a competition. 'his generates a destructive behavior and drains the creative energy of the group. ,or e(ample, we often perceive disagreement with our ideas as a put$down. 'he natural reaction is to regain our self$ esteem, often by trying to sabotage the ideas of those who disagreed with us. Instead of loo%ing for ways to improve their ideas we chose to destroy them. Eager to e(press our Ad3anta(e

D own ideas, we may totally ignore what others suggest. -ower$see%ers may use ploys such as highlighting flaws in othersH arguments, barbed =uestions and displays of e(pertise to show their supremacy. 'hese types of behavior create an atmosphere which is incompatible with effective problem solving. +nother disadvantage is that wor%ing in group is a relatively slow process compared with wor%ing alone. It re=uires individuals to come together at an assigned time, usually for about a long time, and this can cause organizational problems. It is really time$consuming. It is not only time$consuming for the students in group but also for the teacher. 'he teacher needs more time to organize the group wor% and control all the members in the group let alone the unsuitable students in groups which ma%es the class in disorder. 'o conclude, although there are some disadvantages of group wor%, the advantages still outweighs. 7earning from each other in small groups is much more effective than from the teacher alone. 39armer, !!!: #4 1.2.3. 0#ou! fo#mation )mall groups or learning teams can be formed in three ways: randomly 3counting off or by seat pro(imity4, teacher$selected, or student$selected. >andom group assignments avoid cli=ues and ensure that students interact with different students throughout the semester. Gnce you %now your students fairly well, teacher$selected groups can be useful for pairing wea% and strong students, students with common interests or shared learning styles, etc. +ccording to I$ 0ung 3<IIC4, fre=uently employed grouping methods include random, student$selected and teacher$selected groupings 1.2.3.1. (#ou!in( >andom grouping is often used for in$class activities because of its convenience and readiness that is random grouping is a way including collecting and gathering students ignoring any differences among students in terms of their language level, learning style, interests etc. 8ith the seating arrangement, fi(ing the numbers, using playing cards, or distributing the card of different categories, random grouping is established. ,or the class of different levels, random group can be used to narrow down the gap between the students of different levels. Random

"

1.2.3.2. Student1sele ted (#ou!in(: 6ompared to random grouping and teacher$selected grouping, student$selected is preferred. Jnowing well one another or getting on well with each other can help the students ta%e part in the activities assigned well. 'hey can have more tal%ing, ma%ing more performances and ma%ing the group wor% activities very interesting. 9owever, student$ selected grouping can result in ma%ing so much noise because of too much socializing. 'his can distract the group activities. 1.2.3.3. Tea he#1sele ted (#ou!in( 6ompared to random grouping and student$selected grouping, teacher$selected grouping is a more time$consuming one. 'he reason is that the teacher has to ta%e students* preferences into consideration, also the learning style, the activeness etc to help the students who are at the lower levels to %eep up with the better students. 'his %ind of grouping can help peer tutoring which is really the most effective way of learning from one another. 1.2.". 0#ou! 4si5e /roup size is very fle(ible depending on many aspects such as tas% type, the time available, the class and how s%illful the group members are; 9ow big the group should be; 'he smaller the group is, the more chance each member has. 'he fewer s%ills of managing the teacher need to have. 9owever, when the group is small, there will be a lot of small groups in the class. 'his also leads to the lac% of time for them to give report to the class. )o how many members in each group is enough; :any authors have suggested that three to five in one group can be the best number. ,our$ member group is suggested by 9oneyfield 3 !! 4, I$0ung 3<IIC4, &goh 3 !! 4. ,our members in a group might lead to more interesting and challenging tas%s, with a wide range of opinions being e(pressed, and more negotiation re=uired for the group members to reach an agreement. )i( members in a group should be the ma(imum number. 39oneyfield, !! A I$0ung, <IIC4. It can clearly be seen that four is the optimum size to manage students learning. It allows a good range of e(periences and individual contributions. 1.2.%. Tea he# #ole in (#ou! 2o#.

! In 6ommunicative 7anguage 'eaching, the teacher has the roles of a guide, an instructor, an organizer, an assessor, a prompter and a participant 39ammer, !! 4. 8hen carrying out group wor%, even though the students are more independent, the teacher still plays an important role in conducting3 designing4 the tas%s, analyzing the need. 'he teacher will be of great help for the students as the group members interacting with each other as well as helping them with the difficulties. +ccording to 6ross 3 !!<:EC4, the teacher is the manager of an activity who must plant it, organize it, start it, monitor it, time it and in the end conclude it. 'he teacher in the group wor% activities is not the free one but the one who is active with assisting, supervising and monitoringKthe group. 'he teacher is not only at the beginning or the end of the learning process but from beginning to the end of it. 'he teacher is: $ a ti3ity sele to#: 'his is very important because the teacher has to create activities that fit the studentsH s%ills and abilities, assign group tas%s that allow a fair division of energy as well as set up LcompetitionsL among groups. $ inst#u to# so that the students will be not misleading. $ !e#fo#man e ont#olle#. 8hile the students are wor%ing in group, this is the time for the teacher to help, to assist them with the %nowledge and may be tac%ling the difficulties they have with the group. $ (#ou! e3aluato#. In the group wor%, the teacher not only evaluates the whole group wor% but also each member of the group. If the teacher has good comments on each group*s performance, this helps a lot because it is both good for the students and the teacher himself. It is the ideas for the following activities. 8hether group wor% is successful or not, it depends much on how and where the teacher applies these roles. 1.2.'. Common o#al a ti3ities fo# (#ou! 2o#. 'here are many activities that can be applied for group wor% but which one is suitable for the each class type; ,or the most common activities, I have =uoted three ones which are being used mainly among the students in my class. 'hey are: group discussion, debating and cross grouping. 'he reason why I made a choice among many other activities is that: the students in my class and some other classes of the same level have to perform these in the final term e(amination which includes two main parts: group discussion and individual response. 'he

I first part ta%es fifty percent of the total spea%ing mar%, which shows the importance of itself. 1.2.'.1. dis ussion 1iscussion sections create great opportunity for students to use active learning strategies to ma%e your classroom a more interactive environment. In this %ind of activity, the students have a chance to share their ideas with their friends. :oreover, their individuals* opinions are also clearly seen and highly appreciated. In this part, the students have used a lot of discussion language to show their ideas to their partners. +ccording to Ur, 3 !!<: <4, discussion is the ?most natural and effective way for learners to practice tal%ing freely in English is by thin%ing out some problem or situation together through verbal interchange of ideasA or in simpler terms, to discuss@. 9e also adds some factors to the good 3or successful4 discussion, that is, topic, group wor% and role play. )ometimes in the group discussion, the group has also to find a solution to a problem of different %ind. In groups, students can summarize main pointsA review problems such as for e(ams, compare and contrast %nowledge, ideas, or theoriesA solve problemsA or generate comments for you on class progress or on their levels of s%ill and understanding. 1.2.'.2. De6atin( In the boo%, Discussion that works@, 3 !!<: IE4 even though -enny Ur lists some limitations in debating, he also shows his regret if debating is completely e(cluded from group wor% because there are many students en.oying this %ind of discussion and he also emphasized the importance of debating when he affirms the things learned in this activity much better than any other ones. It is much more interesting when he clearly presents some very useful steps in designing the debating activity including the number of people in each group, the =uantity of group, the debating topics, group selection, and time limit as well as motivation creation. 'his is also called 7For and against8 3Ur, !!#, p 2C, bo( !.#4 that is the whole is divided into two big group that. Gne group is for and the other is against. 'his %ind of group wor% includes < stages. 'he first is preparation, the second is debating. In the first stage, the teacher thin%s of the arguments world be for or against. In the second stage, the teacher divides the class into < groups. Gne has to thin% of the reasons which agree with the topics set by the teacher and the other group also thin%s of the reason but disagrees with that. 0#ou!

'hen, one or two main spea%ers present the case for each group, and after that the discussion is then thrown open for free participation. Very importantly, at the end of the discussion, the teacher has to put the issue to the vote. +t this point the teacher may abandon the view of the group heFshe does not accept and vote according to hisFher own inclination. 1.2.'.3. (#ou!in( 6ross grouping is a new %ind of activity that can ma%e a lot of improvement in spea%ing. It is not only the involvement of the member in each group but also the e(change of member in each group for the new and maybe more attractive environment for spea%ing activity. It can be also called ?0igsaw@. ,irst, the students in a class are divided into some small groups. +fter discussing with the partners in the e(perts groups, the students are mi(ed and they will share the opinion with other partners in other cooperative group. ,or this, the ideas are e(changed and students can learn form one another. C#oss

1.2.9. P#o6lems and solutions in ma.in( the (#ou! 2o#. in lass effe ti3e +ccording to 0acobs and 9all, !!C, there are many problems associated with group wor%s which can be solved with careful preparation, clear instructions and appropriate facilitations. .<.D. . Some students tal. too mu h o# dominate the (#ou! lot to contribute, you would li%e other learners to have more opportunities to thin% for themselves. )ometimes, the students .ust need to be made aware of the situation. b. Even if you have not planned to assign roles to group members, do so at an appropriate point during the group tas%, either for all groups or for only the one3s4 with a dominant students. Ensure that some roles re=uire significant periods of silence 3e.g. summarizer, detective, recorder, observer, time%eeper, a liaison among a. 'al% to the students privately. E(plain that while you are pleased that they have a

< the groups.4 +lternately, spea% privately to the dominant students and give him or her one of these roles. c. +s% the entire group to reflect on how it is functioning with =uestions such as: 9ow well did you complete the tas% as a group; 1id someone ta%e the lead, and if so, how did this come about; 8hose ideas are most strongly presented in the solution to the tas%; 8as there anything you thought but didn*t actually say; d. 1uring long period of group wor%, call for regulation periods of reflective silence3 e.g., after every fifteen to twenty minutes4 in which students thin% 3and write 4 about the points that have been made, contradictions that have surfaced, omissions that should be added, and where the discussion should go ne(t. 8hen signaling for the discussion to resume, invite students who have said little to read out what they have written. .<.D.<. Some students s!ea. too little o# a#e 7f#eeloadin(8 e.g., introversion, fear of loo%ing stupid, feeling unprepared, fearing a trap, feeling unwelcome, past e(periences, trying to be cool, lac% of reward. b. 6onsider using even smaller groups. Muiet students may feel more comfortable participating in this situation, and ?freeloading@ students will be less able to coast on the other*s efforts. c. +s% students occasionally to hand in their group notes or their preparation notes. d. +s when handling dominating students, assign ones to one or all of the group members. )ome roles that re=uire active vocal participation are spo%esperson, s%eptic, organizer, facilitator, liaison to other group. e. )uggest go round 3or 6ircle of voices4, so that each group member has to contribute. f. Gffer a general reminder, either to the whole class or to a group in particular, that every student has valuable input and that there is no poor =uestion. Be sure to respond appropriately, then, when students have comments or =uestions. g. >ecognize that =uantity is not =uality. 'here is a place for silence in discussion. h. If the students are shy, consider incorporating an electric discussion into the course. )tudents may find it easier to contribute on a class bulletin board, chat room. a. )pea% to the students privately to determine the reason for lac% of participation,

2 i. >emind students that the content of the group wor% will be tested on a =uiz or test. Nou could design a test =uestion in which students must summarize their group*s result. 1.2.9.3. Students a#e not listenin( to fello2 (#ou! mem6e#s a. 6omment on the issue in the general class setting. b. 'ell the students that in the plenary session, you will call on one member of each group 3your choice4 to summarize the group*s discussion or answers. c. 6all a time$out, and restructure the activity so that all students must connect what they say to what the previous person .ust said. 1.2.9.". Students la . the so ial s.ills needed to 2o#. 2ith othe#s time assist the group by assigning them a tas% that would give them some sort of isolation. b. E(plain and as% students to get familiar with active and tolerant listening. c. )how students the way to give and receive constructive criticism. d. 'ell the students how to negotiate, manage disagreements. e. -reteach students the way to refuse, disagree, argueKKK..politely in English. f. Use pair wor% and group wor% fre=uently so that students will become more s%illful. 1.2.9.%. Students o3e#use mothe#1ton(ue the target language in group wor% b. 1uring the group wor%, teachers move around the classroom to remind learners of this rule and provide them with language assistance. c. :a%e the wor% tas% oriented. d. 0oin the group briefly to encourage and facilitate the learner*s participation. e. )et rules, agreed to by the class, for disciplining fre=uent offenders. O f. 7imit the time available. It is better to have a shorter time than is strictly necessary for full practice of the language because students tend to use mother tongue of spare time at the end of the group. g. -reteach some words or phrase necessary for group wor%. h. /ive someone in the group the role of language monitor. a. at the beginning of the activity, teachers should emphasize that students must use a. Encourage students who prefer to wor% alone to stay in group wor% and at the same

C,APT)R II: R)S)ARC, &)T,ODO+O0:

2.1 Desi(n and methodolo(y 2.1.1. The settin( of the study :y university 5 ,-' University is located at EB -ham 9ung street, 6au /iay 1istrict, 9anoi. 'his is a new university but rather wanted because we have received four Batches within two year*s time. ,or this reason, our university has been opened to meet the demand of the society when the economy is in need of software engineers. In the almost every conservation of everyday life. In our university, English is a compulsory sub.ect and students show their great interest in learning English. It is really a must that students have to get CEI mar%s in 'oefl at the end of the first year. 'o become the second 5year student, they have to ma%e great efforts in learning English and overcome this e(am. 9owever, if they fail it, they can still go up to the second year but are not allowed to do on$.ob training after the second year. ,or Batch 2, the least =uantity compared with Batch , <, and C, there are nearly about <II students. 'heir ages and English level are not the same. +fter the placement test, they are sorted into # classes of the same level. Each English class has about 2I students. 3'his is considered the best number for a class at Universities learning English4. 'he teachers of English are also various including three full$time ones. :any other visiting teachers from other Vietnamese universities, colleges and foreign countries are also invited to the universities to teach here. ,or all the students in ,-' University, there are I semesters in four years. In the first and second year, each has 2 semesters. ,or the third and fourth year, each school year has < semesters. Gnly in the first and second year do the students learn English. In the first year, they .ust learn /eneral English in the boo% ?'G- &G'69@ 3from 'op &otch ,undamental to 'op &otch 24 including C boo%s and ?)ummit@ 3volume and <4. ,or the second year, they .ust learn ?Intelligent Business@ with C periods a wee%. Beside 'op &otch and )ummit boo% as core boo%s, there are a lot of other reference boo%s in the library which help the students a lot in learning English. Each unit in 'op &otch and )ummit contains: 'opic >eview, )ound bites, 6onversation )napshot, /rammar focus, -ronunciation, 7istening, >eading, 8riting , +ctivities for pair and group3 collaborative4 wor%, and
st

year the

students are e=uipped with theoretical and practical s%ills of general English, that is in

# 6hec%point. Gbviously, these te(t boo%s cover the four s%ills of listening, spea%ing, reading and writing as well as pronunciation and vocabulary. Especially, from 'op &otch 2 to )ummit and <, there are a lot of controversial topics and activities planned for group discussion, debating and presentation. )pea%ing s%ill is not separately taught in this boo% but with listening s%ill. -rimary goal is to enable the students to ac=uire communicative competence, that is, the ability to communicate in English in a li%e $real situations. 'he activities in these boo%s are pair wor%, discussion 3mostly appear in any small lesson of each unit4 and whole class activities involving information sharing and role$play to encourage real communication. )pea%ing s%ill at our university is considered to be so important that any student has to ta%e an oral e(am at the end of each semester which includes < parts 3individual response and discussion4. 1iscussion part is more emphasized. 3#IP of the total spea%ing mar%4. In this way, students have the opportunities to personalize the English language they have learnt, ma%ing full use of their own %nowledge and e(periences to e(press their own ideas and opinions. 2.1.2. Data olle tion inst#ument 'he survey =uestionnaire is one of the most effective instruments for collecting data in social science. +dvantages of using =uestionnaire which /illham 3<III4 highlights are: less pressure on respondents, not under pressure of interview bias and analysis of answer is straightforward. 'he researcher used the survey =uestionnaire as the main sources to fulfill its aims. 'wo sets of =uestionnaires were designed to investigate the teachers* and the students* opinion about the use of group wor% in the spea%ing classes of the administered. 'he first is the =uestionnaire for students which includes C =uestions written only in English, was administered to #I students 3< classes of the same level in the first year4.'he =uestionnaire was divided into E main parts: -art : )tudents* opinions on spea%ing s%ill. 3Muestion , <, 24 -art <: )tudents* opinions on learning in group wor% 3C, E, #, D, and "4 -art 2: 'he difficulties of the students when wor%ing in groups 3!, I, and -art C: 'he students* wishes in wor%ing in groups. 3 <, 2, C4 4
st

year

students at ,-' University. 6lear instructions were given when the =uestionnaire was

D 'he second is the =uestionnaire for the teachers including C =uestions written only in English, was administered to # teachers 3both full time and part time4. 'his is divided into E parts: -art : 'eachers* opinions on spea%ing s%ill 3=uestion 4 -art <: 'eachers* opinions on the use of group wor% in a spea%ing lesson.3 =uestion <, 2 , C and E4 -art 2: 'eachers* current teaching methods in using group wor% in the spea%ing class. 3=uestions #, D, ", !, I and class.3 =uestion <, 24 -art E: 'he teachers* solutions to overcome their obstacles 3=uestion C4. ,or the =uestions with others 3to specify4, the researcher came to each teacher and as%ed himFher to e(plain clearly to understand their opinions. 2.1.3. The info#mants 2.1.3.1. The tea he#s 'he teachers as%ed are all teaching in ,-' University and all teaching the
st

-art C: Gbstacles teachers has e(perienced when applying group wor% in the spea%ing

year students.

'here are four female teachers, the rest are male. 'heir ages are from <C to 2C years old with at least two years* e(perience in teaching English. 'hey were mostly trained in Vietnam, at 9anoi &ational University, 6ollege of ,oreign 7anguages. +mong them, two have :+ from )ydney, +ustralia. Gne of them have :+ from &ational University, 6ollege of ,oreign languages. 'hey are all professionally e(perienced with E,7. 2.1.3.2. The students 'he #I
st

year students at ,-' University were from < classes. 'hey are aged from " to

<C and come from different provinces in Vietnam 3from the &orth to the )outh4. + large number of them have learnt English since primary and secondary schools. 'heir English are considered the same because before entering these two classes, they had ta%en a placement test to be sorted into these two classes. 9owever, the two class teachers 3English teachers: :y friend and I4 are not satisfied with the level they are at because some of them at the right level, but some are not 3maybe higher or lower4. 'his is e(pressed in the written wor% as well as spo%en one. 2.2. P#elimina#y #esults

" Before giving the concrete result of the survey, the researcher will show the preliminary result. 2.2.1. Student Su#3ey 2.2.1.1. Students; o!inions on s!ea.in( s.ill 'able : )tudents* opinions on spea%ing s%ill Gptions Muestions a. English spea%ing is compulsory at your university. b. Nou .ust want to pass the oral e(am. c. )pea%ing is necessary for your future .ob. < 2 d. Nou are interested in the spea%ing s%ill. a. very b. rather c. little a. very d. &ot at all b. rather EC EC # # I I I I # I #I EC a b c d

c. little 'he statistics in table

d. &ot at all shows the students* opinions on spea%ing s%ill. It can clearly be

seen that all the students as%ed 3 II P4 say that )pea%ing is necessary for their future .ob and !I P of them are interested in spea%ing s%ill while a small amount of them 3<# P4 says they learn )pea%ing s%ill because English is compulsory at their university. 'hey find English really interesting while there are only a few students 3 D P4 who want to learn spea%ing s%ill .ust to pass the oral test. !I P of them stated that English is so important for them. 2.2.1.2. Students; o!inions on lea#nin( s!ea.in( s.ills in (#ou! 2o#. 'able <: )tudents*opinions on learning spea%ing s%ills in group wor%. &ot at all . Individually <. In a small group I <2 2# 2. 8ith the whole class #I In the table <, all of the students as%ed 3 IIP4 said that they had very little favor for wor%ing individually, 2" P of them rather li%e wor%ing in a small group, and #I P 3 more than half of the students as%ed4 really li%e wor%ing in group in the spea%ing s%ill. +nd no student reported that they did not li%e wor%ing on their own. ,rom this, it can be understood that most of the students see the importance of wor%ing in group for the better 7ittle #I >ather Very

! spea%ing s%ill. In addition to that, the group wor% is very suitable for the spea%ing s%ill especially in their boo%: 'G- &G'69 to )U::I' with many controversial issues raised and written in it. 'his also means that group wor% is surely the most suitable activity for the spea%ing s%ill. 2.2.1.3. Students; a!!#e iation of the use of (#ou! 2o#. in the s!ea.in( lass at <PT Uni3e#sity 'able 2: )tudents* assessment for the teachers* fre=uent use of group wor% GptionsF =uestions E a. +lways c. )ometimes a I b ED c 2 d I

b. Gften d. &ever &ot very surprising information from table is that the students 3!E P4 affirm that the teachers in their university use the group wor% in the spea%ing lesson very often because it is compulsory that the teachers implement this to follow the boo% activities planned in the teacher*s boo% and ma%e the students get used to doing this for any oral test and may be for the students* future .ob. 'his is of great use in helping the students to communicate with each other. 'able C: )tudent* appreciation of their participation in group wor% GptionsFMuestions # a. 8or% with great interest b. >emain silent all the time. c. 6hat with other group members about other topics d. )pea% in Vietnamese to discuss with others while others discuss in English ,rom these number in the table C, .ust only 2E P of the students as%ed 3< out of #I4 reported that they had ta%en part in the group wor% activities enthusiastically and the number of the students who did not participate in group wor% by chatting with other groups or spea%ing Vietnamese is so big 3<! P and 2< P irrespectively4 that it must be loo%ed into consideration about the group wor% among these students in these two classes. In addition to that, the number in the table also implies that the students in these two classes may have very low proficiency of spea%ing s%ill or not enough English bac%ground a < b 2 c D d !

<I %nowledge to communicate with their partners or may be the topic is no interest to them etc. 8hen being as%ed why some of them %ept silent in the spea%ing lesson, they said they did not %now what to spea% and how to spea%. 'he teacher as%ed them to spea% English in group means ma%ing them =uiet. But when the teacher as%ed them to contribute their ideas in Vietnamese, they said that they could not thin% of anything. +nother reason why they %ept silent is that many students could not understand the English5spea%ing teachers* instructions. 'he researcher in this study thought that may be they were the worst students in these two classes. 'here would be very little chance for them to pass any oral tests. 'able E: )tudents* appreciation of group wor% for the benefit of spea%ing s%ill 3=uestion D4 &ot at all 7ittle >ather a. )pea% more in English b. feel more confident c. /ive you more opportunities for e(changing ideas d. 7earn from each other " C It can be surely said from the table that almost all the students 3!D P: E" out of #I4 found that group was so beneficial for their spea%ing s%ill that they can spea% more in English, they can be much more confident and they also have chance to e(change their ideas with their friends. >egarding the benefit of learning from each other of group wor%, #"P 3C out of #I4 the students stated that it was rather beneficial but only 2I P3 " out of #I4 thin% it is a little beneficial. 2.2.1.". The 6est (#ou! si5e and diffi ulties the students had 2hen 2o#.in( in (#ou! 2o#.. 'able #: 'he best group size and difficulties students had when wor%ing in group wor%. GptionsF =uestions a " a. from three to five E b. more than five c. the more the merrier d. it depends on the %ind of activities. ! a. Nes, often c. Nes, but rarely D b. Nes, sometimes d. &o, never I a. 'he teacher*s low proficiency and <I e(perience in English and methodology. b. 'he students* low proficiency in English c. 'he student*s passive learning styles with b 2 c < d 2I Very E" #I #I

CI CE

2 E#

I #

< overload wor% d. 'opics are not interesting. e. Gthers >egarding the group size, EI P 32I out of #I4 thin% the number of the students in a group depends on the activities they ta%e part in. Gnly <E P 3 E out of #I4 agree that from three to five are the best number and <I P 3 < out of #I4 li%e to have as many partners as possible in their group but .ust only I.E P thin% that the group should consist of more than five. +ccording to the table #, no students said that they had never had any difficulties in wor%ing in group wor%. +ll of them had difficulties, among them, #D P 3CI out of #I4, of the students sometimes had that difficulties, <"P 3 D out of #I4 often had difficulties, and only E P 32 out of #I4 rarely had difficulties with group wor%. It means that almost all of the students in these two classes had difficulties with group wor% and they also blamed their low proficiency and passive learning styles with overload wor% DEP and !2 P for their difficulties, .ust more than 22 P thought it was because of the teacher*s low proficiency and only I P blamed on the boring topics. Besides, they also added more factors that had caused their difficulties. 'hey are: specially overloaded wor%ing every wee%, members in the group didn*t understand each other, laziness and the an(iety of ma%ing mista%es. >egarding this table, one underlying cause but easy to understand is their passive learning style. 'his not only appears among the students of the
st

year of this university but also in

many other universities even though in this university, administrator has applied the gradual assessment, that is they have 2IP mar% for +.- 3+ssignment and -articipation4, 2IP for the midterm test and CI P for the final test. 'his re=uires the students to learn in the whole time not .ust at the end of the semester. 2.2.1.%. Students; desi#e fo# the 6ette# (#ou! 2o#.

'able D: )tudents* desire for the better group wor% Gptions F =uestions I a. )tudents of the a same # b <# c E< d C# e < f < g E h EC

<< proficiency. b. )tudents of the mi(ed proficiency. c. )tudents of the same interest d. )tudents sitting ne(t to you and near to you. e. )tudents of the same age. f. )tudents of the same se(. g. )tudents of the opposite se(. h. Gthers a. >ole$ playing b. conversation c. /ames d. 1ebating e. discussion f. 6ross$grouping 3 0igsaw4 g. >eading a long story < h. -roblem solving a. 'o minimize hisFher tal%ing #I time b. 'o create a competitive atmosphere. c. 'o give feedbac%, praise and encouragement. d. not to interrupt when you ma%e mista%es. e. 'o provide a promoting lead$in f. 'o give clear instruction g. 'o provide and necessary functional vocabulary language #I #I CD CE #I CD E2 <I I #I 2 E# E I CD

<2 h. Gthers &ow and even in the future, choosing the partners to wor% with is really important because it ma%es the group wor% more effective. +nd when being as%ed for their favorite %ind of partners, "DP 3E< out #I4 of the students preferred to have the partners of the same interest. Gnly P of them li%ed to wor% with the partners of the same proficiency, and C2 P li%ed to wor% with partners of the mi(ed proficiency. Gne thing which is very easy to understand is that, C# out of #I 3DD P4 are interested in tal%ing with the students sitting ne(t to or near them. 'his can be easily e(plained that they did not want to stand up and move to a new place, maybe this can affect their wor%ing results and most of them .ust wanted to %eep fi(ed and lazy in one place. 9owever, according to the statistics in the table D, most of the students in these two classes also wanted to wor% with partners with different levels of English so that they can learn a lot from their friends even though they %new they were sorted into the class of the same level of English proficiency and they nearly all did not care for their friends ages. In addition to that, only <E P of the students answered that wor%ing with partners of the opposite se( is better maybe because they %new for sure that in these two classes, men outnumber women even in one class, for instance, there are only 2 female students out of 22 students. Gne more thing reveals in this table is that !I P 3EC out of #I4 of the students gave more answers for their wishes in group wor%. 'hey nearly all had the same ideas with one another for the suitability of the partner with the partners. 'hey said that any partner was alright as long as heFshe matched with them. ,or the types of group wor% activities , IIP of the students responded that they li%ed /ames activities, more than !2 P of them li%ed to do discussion activities, D" P of them li%ed problem solving activities meanwhile none of them li%ed reading along story, and they did not li%e the conversation activities, debating activities, and cross$grouping and role playing very much. 3 #P, < P, <E P, and 22 P in turn4.'his can be completely e(plained that the students in these two classes were at the low level of English proficiency so they could not do the debating activities 3this is only suitable for the high level of proficiency4 and they .ust wanted to do the practical activities that can help them a lot in the oral test. 'he reason why all of them li%ed games activities is that they wanted to have an e(citing game in their lesson not .ust a lecture with only saying and writing as they were so stressed with other sub.ects such as 6oncrete :athematics, 9igh :athematics, 6 program etc.

<C Gne very important thing which helps to improve group wor% activities is to get the students ideas about what the teachers should do about that. It is =uite clear that all of them 3 II P4 wanted their teachers to minimize hisFher tal%ing time, to create a competitive atmosphere, to give feedbac%, praise and encouragement and give clear instruction. But DE P 3CE out of #I4 wanted their teachers not to interrupt when they made mista%es. D" P3CD out of #I4 would li%e their teacher to give enough necessary vocabulary and functional language for their activities, !E P added more re=uirement for the teacher, that is, the teacher should answer any =uestions during their group wor%, translate any words for them into English 3not many ideas4 and one more funny thing is that nearly all of them said that the teachers should not give too much homewor% after the group wor% activities. 2.2.2. Tea he#;s su#3ey 'he teachers who are as%ed to answer the =uestions in the survey are all teachers teaching the
st

year students at different levels in Batch 2.

2.2.2.1. Tea he#s; o!inions on tea hin( s!ea.in( s.ill 'able ": teachers* opinion on teaching spea%ing s%ill GptionsF Muestions a. Very b. rather # I I I c. 7ittle d. &ot at all ,rom the table ", all the teachers li%ed teaching spea%ing s%ill. 'hey claimed that spea%ing s%ill can help the students learn the other s%ills li%e reading, writing and listening better. ,or one more reason is that spea%ing s%ill is the compulsory lesson of all the teachers who were as%ed. )pea%ing s%ill in the future 3in more than year4 can help students to wor% in groups when doing a big pro.ect or doing the presentation on the topics re=uested. 2.2.2.2. Tea he#s; o!inions on the use of (#ou! 2o#. to tea hin( s!ea.in( s.ill. a b c d

'able ! a: Gptions F =uestions < a. +lways c. )ometimes b. Gften d. &ever a 22P b DD P c IP d IP

<E 2 C a. Very b. >ather

c. 7ittle d. &ot at all a. it*s very important b. It*s =uite good c. It*s both good and bad points d. It has no use

22 P

DD P

IP

IP

DD P

22 P

IP

IP

'able !b Gpti onsF =ues tions E a. It increases the students* spea%ing time. b. It promotes students* independence and cooperation. c. It improves students* motivation. d. )hy and passive students have more chance of e(pressing themselves. e. It creates e(citing atmosphere as it lends itself to game activities. f. )tudents can learn from each other. g. It frees the teacher from hisFher hard role of ?an e(pert who always lectures@ h. It decreases the teacher spea%ing time. i. 'he teacher can rela( or do anything heFshe wants. .. It %ills the time. >egarding the teachers* opinion for the use of group wor%, table !a and table !b have the concrete answer. 22 P teachers say they always used the group wor%. 8hen as%ed, they said they students re=uired it and they finds it very essential to organize this in the spea%ing lesson. :oreover, DD P of them claimed that they had used group wor% as regular group wor% activities. 'he e(planation for these two things is that group wor% is the essential and compulsory suggested and planned in the teacher*s edition boo%. 'he # # # # # # # # I I a b c d e f g h i %

<# same percent goes with the success of the teacher organizing the group wor% activities because they said that group wor% was very important for the spea%ing s%ill. ,or the benefit of group wor% activities, IIP of them claimed that group wor% is very beneficial and help students to increase the students* spea%ing time to promote students* independence and cooperation to improves students* motivation to creates e(citing atmosphere as it lends itself to game$li%e activities which frees the teacher from hisFher hard role of ?an e(pert who always lectures@, to decrease the teacher spea%ing time and helps shy and passive students have more chance of e(pressing themselves and learn from each other. 'hey said that group wor% not only ma%e them not rela(ed but also ma%e them more energy$consuming to ta%e care for each small group. In short, all the teachers %now the importance of group wor% and how beneficial the group wor% in relation to the students* improvement 3success4. 9owever, what and how they do with group wor% is much more important. 2.2.2.3. ,o2 the tea he#s use (#ou! 2o#. in thei# u##ent s!ea.in( lass =6y !e# ent> 'able I: 'he teacher*s uses of group wor% in their current spea%ing class Muestion Gptions P # a. 'otally follow the tas% in the te(t boo%. EI b. 1esign the tas% in your own way II c. 6ollaborate with other colleges to outline a common teaching I D ". plan. a. setting up b. :onitoring c. 8inding down a. )tudents of the same English proficiency level. b. )tudents of the mi(ed English proficiency level. c. )tudents of the same interest d. )tudents sitting ne(t to or near each other e. )tudents of the same age. f. )tudents of the same se(. g. )tudents of the opposite se(. h. 7et the students group themselves. a. >ole playing b. 1ebating c. /ames d. 1iscussion c. 6ross grouping d. 6onversation e. -roblem solving II II II # 22 22 "2 I II I EI II EI II II EI II II

<D f. Brainstorming II I a. )elect the tas% carefully II b. 7et the students choose the topics. 22 c. provide the vocabulary and functional language they need. EI d. /roup students cleverly. II e. /ive clear instructions. II f. )tate the focus and ob.ectives of the activity. II g. )et a time limit EI h. /o round monitoring students* performance #D i. always provide feedbac%, praise and encourage students EI .. )et homewor% relevant to the lesson. 22 %. 1o nothing I a. stand in front of the class and observe D b. stand at any place in the classroom and observe D c. remain in the teacher*s seat and observe D d. stand close to the students who spea% much I e. )tand close to the students who spea% the least #D f. go round the class and give help if necessary II g. spea% as much as possible. I h. only spea% if necessary #D i. Jeep interrupting and correcting when students ma%e mista%es. 22 .. wor% as a group member I %. 'a%e notes for feedbac% II 'o get information about the teacher*s strategies in using group wor%, the researcher has organized the =uestions from number # to number . ,rom the table I, IIP of the teachers in the Batch 2 use their own way of designing the tas% without any collaboration with others. In addition to that, EI P of them also follow the tas% in the te(t boo% as I mentioned above. Each teacher has a 'eacher*s Edition and -lanner with not very carefully planned steps. 'herefore it can be a good idea to get the gist of the planner and do as they li%e. ,or the stages used in organizing and managing the group wor%, all the teachers claimed that they used the three steps: setting up, monitoring and winding up, but they also said when the group wor% activity was organized at the end of the lesson, they had no time for giving feedbac%. Muestion " deals with the way the teacher used to group the students. Interestingly but not surprisingly, the teachers said that they could not organize mi(ed se( group totally because there are only two or three girls in the class. II P of them group the students of the same se( and rarely group them with opposite se(. In addition to that, "2 P of the teachers responded that they grouped their students sitting ne(t to or near each other into small

<" groups as they e(plained that it can save time and as for their students* wishes. +nd only #P of the teachers grouped their students into the small groups of the same English proficiency level, the percentage of the teachers put their students in the mi(ed English proficiency level and in the same interest both is 22 P as they added that this depended on the %ind of activities the students had to ta%e part in. &one of the teachers care about ages of their students. 9alf of the teacher said they had let their students group themselves only for the doing pro.ect or ma%ing presentation which re=uires them to prepare at home. 'hey argued that it is more convenient for them and it can help them to do the pro.ect effectively. >egarding the activities the teachers chose for group wor%, >ole playing, /ames, 1iscussion, 6onversation, Brainstorming, and -roblem solving are the most fre=uently in which brainstorming helps to elicit the students* ideas, bac%ground %nowledge, role play helps to ma%e the students understand the nature of English and games help them to do the group wor% activities without any pressure and stress. 'he students may thin% that they are playing not .ust learning. EI P of the teachers used debating and cross grouping because they thought that debating was only suitable for the high level of English proficiency and cross$grouping ta%es time. In this table, =uestion I loo%s into other things the teachers used during group wor% activities. 'he things li%e selecting the tas% carefully, grouping students cleverly, giving clear instructions, stating the focus and ob.ectives of the activity received IIP ideas from the teachers. #D P of the teachers went round monitoring the students* performance as there are two pregnant teachers teaching Batch 2. 'he three things which consist of providing the vocabulary and functional language, setting a time limit and providing feedbac%, praising and encouraging the students received the less percentage: EI P. +nd the last two things: letting the students choose the topics and setting homewor% relevant to the lesson were done by 22 P of the teachers. 'he things the teachers often did during the time of group wor% of the students is illustrated in the =uestion . +ll of them 3 II P4 often went round the class and gave help if necessary and too% notes for feedbac%. #D P of them often stood close to the students who spo%e the least and only spo%e if necessary, meanwhile the things such as standing in front of the class and observe, stand at any place in the classroom and observe and remaining in the teacher*s seat and observe all received D P. 8ith more e(planation for

<! these, the teacher said they rarely did these. 22 P of the teachers %ept interrupting and reminding when the students made mista%es as they found it necessary to do right away so that the students did not have that %ind of the mista%es any more. It is suggested that the teachers should not give the correction at that time but later for the whole class is better. &one of them spo%e as much as possible and wor%ed as a group member. 2.2.2.". O6sta les e?!e#ien ed 6y the tea he#s 2hen a!!lyin( (#ou! 2o#. in the s!ea.in( lass 'able : Gbstacles e(perienced by the teachers when applying group wor% in the spea%ing class by percent Muestions < Gptions P a. +lways I b. Gften D c. )ometimes "2 d. &ever I 2. a.. Gverload wor% II b. 'oo little time to prepare for group wor% "2 c. 7ac% of academic training in group wor% 22 d. 7ac% of teaching e(perience # e. ,ew people with e(pertise to turn for advice # f. ,eeling deficient to facilitate a communicative class # g. :ulti$ level class EI h. 7ow English proficiency of students EI i. )tudents resistance to class participation 22 .. Immovable seating arrangement. "2 %. 7ac% of money for material and teaching aid development I l. )tudents use Vietnamese during group wor%. #D m. )tudents ma%e so much noise EI 7oo%ing into the obstacles e(perienced by the teacher, the researcher see that "2 P of the teachers sometimes met the obstacles and the rest D P often met difficulties. &one of them either always or never met obstacles when applying group wor%. 'able offers the result of the types of obstacles the # teachers faced. 6learly, all the teachers 3 IIP4 had overload wor%. 8hen as%ed, they said most of them had from E hours a wee% or more in the same class, therefore, they had very little time 3"2 P said so4 to prepare for the lesson, especially group wor% re=uires a lot of time. :oreover, there is one teacher who had even <C hours a wee% 3one class in the morning and the other in the afternoon4, may be he will be e(hausted soon. 'he same percent 3"2 P4 goes with the

2I obstacles of immovable seating arrangement. 'he teachers .ust wanted to save time and satisfy the students* wishes to remain in one place. #D P of the teachers said their students use Vietnamese during group wor% if without their teachers* attention.EI P of the ideas collected go to :ulti$level class, low English proficiency of students and students made so mush noise. 22 P of the ideas go to lac% of academic training in group wor% and students resistance to class participation as they said since they graduated from university, they had had no time to go to wor%shop, and moreover, the students refused to do group wor% because they did not li%e or they .ust wanted to sleep because they are all night awa%e for other homewor%. Gnly # P of the teacher said they needed more teaching e(perience and needed people with e(pertise to turn for advice and feeling deficient to facilitate a communicative class. +nd lastly, all of them did not blame the obstacles on the lac% of money for material and teaching aid development. 2.2.2.%. Tea he#s; solutions to o3e# ome thei# o6sta les 'able <: 'eachers* solutions to overcome their obstacles 3by percent4 GptionsF a b I I c EI I d I e EI Muestions C a. 'ried to use different ways of implementing EI group wor% b. :ade the spea%ing tas%s suitable to the students. c. -unished lazy students. d. +s%ed for help from the faculty and administration e. others 3 please specify4 'he table < shows the solutions of the teachers to overcome their obstacles. II P of the teacher resorted to the ways of ma%ing the spea%ing tas%s suitable to the students and as%ing for help from the faculty and administration. 'hey said they had tried their best to help the students to do well in group wor% activities and as%ed the faculty to give more advice for the part they met obstacles. EI P of the teachers tried to use different ways of implementing group wor%. 9owever, EI P of the teachers punished their lazy students. EI P of them chose the other methods. In this answer, they included the ways of tal%ing with the stdudents having big problems li%e %eeping silent or chatting with others in the other

2 groups, and get the students used to doing group wor% by leting them choose their own favorite topics, choose their own group ...In conclusion, the teachers are trying their best to ma%e the group wor% activities efective and sucessful.

C,APT)R III: <INDIN0S AND R)CO&&)NDATIONS

3.1. <indin(s: 'he following findings were withdrawn from the data ta%en from the survey of teachers and students 3.1.1. ,o2 (#ou! 2o#. 2as used 'he survey result indicates that most of the students in the
st

year 3Batch 24 saw the

importance of spea%ing s%ill in their life especially in their future .ob as well as their oral test and so do the teachers. :ost of them were interested in this s%ill compared to other s%ills such as listening, writing and reading. 'hey also %new good spea%ing s%ill could help them to communicate successfully. ,or the group wor% activity, the teachers and the students also claimed how beneficial the group wor% was for their teaching and learning English. Both of the teachers and students have been trying to ma%e use of the advantages group wor% activities bring about. ,or the students, firstly, group wor% activities helped them to get closer to their friends as they had not had any chance to tal% to their friends until one day the teacher put them in the same group and they become very friendly. )econdly, group wor% helped them to be more independent from their teacher and learn a lot from each other. 'his is really the better way compared with the way they learnt from their teacher. 'hirdly, group wor% activities helped them to be more confident when spea%ing in front of the class as they were given time to prepare, to chec% mista%es with friends and to do rehearsals. 'he teachers also had some advantages from this. 'he first is the teacher freed herselfF himself from being ?an e(pert who always lectures@. 'he teacher had more time for each small group to get closer to the students. 'herefore, the students* mista%es were corrected and their wea%nesses were limited too. +lso from the survey, it can be concluded that the teachers used the group wor% very often because of the re=uirement from oral tests and the lesson. 'he use of group wor% helped a lot in improving the spea%ing s%ill of the students. +nd most of the teachers in the survey

2< said that they designed their own ways to ma%e the group wor% activities suitable to the students, these activities were also used but rarely. ,or the %ind of group wor% activities, >ole $ play, /ames, 1iscussion, 6onversation, -roblem )olving and Brainstorming were mostly preferred and fre=uently used. 'he other activities such as 6ross$grouping 30igsaw4 and 1ebating were less fre=uently used because they are .ust suitable for the students* high level of English proficiency. ,or the way of organizing and managing the group wor% in the spea%ing lesson, the teachers often followed the three stages: :onitoring, )etting up and 8inding down to ma%e the group wor% go smoothly. 'he teacher also often put the students sitting ne(t to or near each other in the same group to save time, and the students of the same se( 3because of the fact of few female students in the university4, and they only sometimes let the students group themselves when they did the pro.ect and prepared for the presentation at home with each other. 'o ma%e group wor% activities wor% effectively, the teachers also selected the tas% carefully, gave clear instructions, grouped the students appropriately, set the focus and ob.ectives of the activity, and praised and encouraged the students during that time. 'hey also often set the time limit, provided feedbac% when having enough time but never let the students choose their own topic. In order to ma%e sure the small group wor%s, the teachers also went round, monitoring the groups. 'hey went to each group and helped them to correct the mista%es, even translated the words for them 3the words they thought in Vietnamese4 and helped them participate actively in their groups. +lthough the teachers have done many things to ma%e group wor% successful and effectively, there are still some obstacles in the teachers, the students and also in the administration. 3.1.2. O6sta les in a!!lyin( (#ou! 2o#.: 3.1.2.1. Students; o6sta les ,or the students, there were three main obstacles which prevented the group wor% from going smoothly. 'he first and very big one was the students* passive and lazy learning style. 'he students only learnt what they are as%ed to learn or even did not do homewor%. 1uring the group wor%, some of them %ept silent or spo%e Vietnamese and even tal%ed about the other topics with other groups. 'hey did not actively ta%e part in the group wor%

22 and some even refused to do group wor% at home and were ready to receive zero if they did not have to. In addition to that, some of them did not pay attention to the teacher*s words or .ust slept. +lthough the administrator has applied the policy of mar%ing, that is the total mar% is the 2I P of :id term test, CI P of ,inal test and 2I P of +- mar% 3 assignment and participation4 to assess the usual learning, many of the students still ignored the teachers* warning or let it be. 'here is one more thing in the students* passive learning style. 'hat is before each semester, or at the beginning of the first term, the students did not go to e(plore the sub.ects they would learn in the first and the following semesters. 'hat is the reason why they were shoc%ed, not well informed and not well prepared for that. 'he second obstacle in the students* position was the students* uneven level of English proficiency. +lthough the students are sorted in the same$level class but some of them are at a higher level and some of them were at the lower level. 'herefore, when they were given the difficult tas%, the wea% students did not do or say anything. 'here was a dependence of the wea% on the better although they also got their names in the group result*s list. 'he students with better English proficiency level feel really reluctant to wor% with the worse ones. 'his may ma%e the group wor% activities slow and ineffective. 'he third is about girls. 'here is only one faculty of software engineer in ,-' University, so that many sub.ects are hard for the girls. 'he girls in this University had to try their best to %eep up with the male students. 3.1.2.2. Tea he#s; o6sta les ,or the teachers, there were also two main obstacles which prevented them from applying the group wor%. 'he first thing was that, the teachers in this university were too overloaded with their teaching hours. +s said above, every wee%, one teacher had to teach E hours or more of English in one class so they had little time for the group wor% preparation. :oreover, every lesson must be submitted one day earlier so that the administration had time to prepare documents for them. :any hours teaching a wee% and .ust fi(ing in one class caused stress and depression among the teachers. Usually, the English teacher is also the class teacher so he or she is responsible for the other wor% of the class. Gr with two teachers teaching in one class, the cooperation between them was not good. 'his had bad influence on the =uality of teaching and learning. 'he second thing was that the teachers have to face with the chase of the te(t boo% 'his means that in 2 wee%s, both the teacher and the students had to finish < volumes of a boo%

2C 3each volume consists of E units and each unit consists of topic preview , four lessons and chec%point in the same format4. 8hen the students complained about that, the teachers seem to be more stressful with the thought of pouring the %nowledge into the students* minds and ma%e it theirs. In addition to that, after finishing one lesson, the teacher wanted to test their %nowledge in all s%ills, the teachers were also stressed with mar%ing a lot of papers in a wee% that gradually delayed their mar%ing and their correction became not very e(act anymore. 'his led to the boredom among the students to repeat so many group wor% activities again and again. 3.2 Re ommendations: 'o ma%e the group wor% wor% more effectively, there must be a lot of changes among the students, the teachers as well as the administrators. 3.2.1. <o# the students 'o limit the obstacles in the students, we should concentrate on the learning habits and the )tudents* English proficiency. ,or the learning habits, firstly, let the students, especially the freshmen, be informed of the overview of the whole semester before they learn so that they are not shoc%ed or passive with the learning load and they can be well prepared for that. )econdly, they themselves must %now they are the centre of the learning process and the result of their learning only depends on them. 'hey must try hard to overcome the difficulty of the oral test and ta%e actively part in the activities set by the teachers in class activities. )econdly, in this university, despite the heavy load of the sub.ect, the students should find themselves the suitable way to learn and set the goal to achieve or else they will fail and be %ept behind. It has the same meaning with the students having to adapt to the current situation of the university. ,or the )tudents* English proficiency, firstly, they can register to ta%e part in the English spea%ing club or other activities 3tal% show, English spea%ing contests etc4 held by the English 1epartment to improve their spea%ing s%ill. 'hese activities not only help them to practice to be more fluent in their spea%ing s%ill but more confident as well. )econdly, the students should form a habit of spea%ing only English in the spea%ing lessons. 'hirdly but more importantly is, the students should turn to the teachers for advice about their problems so that their teacher can help to overcome their difficulties. 'his is one of the best ways to be successful.

2E 3.2.2. <o# the tea he#s ,irstly, the teachers should as% for decreasing the e(cessive teaching time at the same time with as%ing for teaching spea%ing s%ill in the two classes of the same level. 'his way will help them have more time for preparing the lesson and organizing the group wor% activities as well as mar%ing their students* papers. 'his can assure for the high =uality of the teaching time. By teaching spea%ing in the two classes of the same level, the teacher can perfect the not good things they have e(perienced in the previous class. )econdly, li%e the students, the teachers can also learn from each other. >egular observation and assessment will help them to learn the better way to deal with group wor% activities. ?'wo heads are better than one@. :oreover, the teachers can discuss in the same level group to have the best way to teach every lesson. 'hirdly, the teacher should register to ta%e part in the annual wor%shops during summer time. In order that the teachers can share their teaching e(periences in organizing group wor% activities and wor% together to find the solution to the problems of students* laziness or passive learning styles. 3.2.3. <o# the administ#ato# 9elping to solve the problems of both the students and the teacher needs a lot of cooperation from the administrator. 'he first thing is that the administrator should help the students to have an overview of the learning process in the orientation program, to be aware of the importance of learning as well as the activities. 'he second thing is that the administrator and the faculty of English 1epartment should arrange the teaching time 3by stretching learning time from 2 to E or D wee%s.4 suitably for the teachers so that the teachers and the students feel less stressful. 7ast but not least, the administrator should invite the e(perts on methodology to help and give advice for the teachers.

2#

PART III: CONC+USION

1. Summa#y of the findin(s: 'he findings of the whole study of application of group wor% in the spea%ing class of the
st

year students can be concluded in the following:

a. 'he advantages of the group wor% activities for the students $ ma(imize the opportunities for the students to engage oral practice and communication. $ gain independence from the teachers $ gain confidence before tal%ing or presenting in front of others. b. the advantages of the group wor% for the teachers: $ free himselfF herself from being ?an e(pert who always lectures@ $ have more time with small group and give more attention to them $ help to ma%e spea%ing lessons varied in forms of group wor% activities. +lthough, the use of the group wor% activities is very often in the spea%ing lesson of the problems in teacher as well as students: c. the students* problems: $ low level of English proficiency and passive learning habit $ using Vietnamese during group wor% d. teachers* problems: $ e(cessive teaching time. $ lac% of training and teaching e(periences in organizing group wor% methodology. 'he recommendations for the students, teachers and administrators are also included in the following: ,or the students, they should change the way of thin%ing that they passively learnt the things from the teachers but not actively e(plore themselves to adapt to the current situation of the University with a lot of hard sub.ects. 6hanging learning habit as well as turning for teachers for advice is the good way to improve their spea%ing s%ill. ,or the teachers, they should as% for the reduction in the teaching time to prepare for really good =uality teaching time. :oreover, the improvement and teaching e(perience sharing is a necessity.
st

year students of Batch 2, the effectiveness of that is not very high. 'here are still some

2D ,or the administrator, they should rearrange the suitable teaching time for the teacher. In addition to that, they should stretch the semester so that the teacher and the students do not become so stressful 2. +imitation of the study 7i%e many others research thesis, this study has some limitations. 'he researcher of the study had said in the previous part, this study was intended to loo% into the current situation of using group wor% in the spea%ing class of the in < classes of the other universities. 3. Su((estions fo# fu#the# study Because of time and limited %nowledge, my research study can not be complete and inclusive. :any other issues have not been mentioned and need investing more. 'he investment can help to improving the =uality of education by giving some suggestions such as reducing the teaching time for the teachers, reducing the lazy students and changing their passive learning habits to help them overcome the difficulties as well as adapting to the new and active ways of learning. 'his study might be a basis for the following studies: $ $ 9ow to help all the students in ,-' University and Vietnamese students as well do group wor% effectively. )trategies for involving the students into group wor% activities.
st st

year students in Batch 2 of

,-' University and then ma%ing some suggestion for improvement. 'he students are only year in Batch 2, so the opinion about using the group wor% in the spea%ing class might not be representatives of all the students at ,-' University and many

2" References: . Brown, 9.1. 3 !!C4, Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language pedagogy, &ew 0ersey: -rentice 9all >egents. <. Byme, 1. 3 !D"4, Teaching Oral English, 7ondon: 7ongman. 2. Bygate, :.3 !"D4, Speaking, G(ford University -ress. C. 6arter, >. and &unan, 1. 3<II 4, The Cambridge uide to Teaching English to speakers o! other Languages" E. 6ross, 1. 3 !!<4, A practical handbook o! language teaching. /reat Britain: -rentice 9all International. #. 1off, +.3 !""4, Teach English# A training course !or Teachers, 6ambridge University -ress D. 1uong, 7uu 'huy 3 <II#4, An investigation into the use o! pair and group $ork in the speaking class o! %st year students at &anoi Open 'niversity( )aculty o! Tourism" ". /illham, B 3<III4, *eveloping a +uestionnaire, 7ondon and &ew Nor%, 6ontinuum !. /illham, B 3<III4, The research Intervie$, 7ondon and &ew Nor%, 6ontinuum. I. 9armer, 0 3 !!"4, &o$ to teach English( 6ambridge University -ress. . 9armer, 0 3 !!!4, The Practice o! ELT, 7ongman. <. 9oneyfield, 0. 3 !! 4, The !ormation o! Small groups in the Language Classroom, /uidelines$ + periodical for 6lassroom language teacher, Vol. 2 &o. , 0une !! , )E:EG >egional language center. 2. I$ 0ung, 6 3<IIC, +pril4, 'tili,ing group $ork e!!ectively in the English language classroom( 'E)7 reporter, 2D3 4, $D C. 0acobs, /.:. Q )tephen, 9. 3 !!C4 Implementing cooperative learning. English 'eaching ,orum, 2<, <$ 2. E. &goh, ) 3 !! 4. roup$ork( Small group$ork in the classroom, /uidelines$ + periodical for 6lassroom language teachers, Vol. 2, &o. 0une !! , )E:EG >egional 7anguage 6enter. #. &unan, 1. 3 !"!4, *esigning Tasks !or the Communicative Classrooms, /reat Britain: 6ambridge University -ress. D. &unan, 1. 3 !! 4, Language teaching -ethodology, UJ: prentice$ hall International ". &unan, 1. 3 !!<4, .esearch -ethods in language Learning, 6ambridge: 6ambridge University -ress. !. Ur, - 3 !" 4, *iscussion that $ork: task#centered !luency practice, 6ambridge: 6ambridge University -ress <I. Ur, - 3 !!#4, A course in Language Teaching$ -ractice and 'heory, 6ambridge: 6ambridge University -ress.

2!

TA@+) O< CONT)NTS

1eclaration ............................................................................................................................i +c%nowledgement ................................................................................................................ii 7ist of table .........................................................................................................................iii +bstract ...............................................................................................................................iv