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Luận văn tiếng Anh: “Phát triển kỹ năng viết của sinh viên thông qua các hoạt động cá nhân hóa: Nghiên cứu hành động tại trường Cao đẳng Y tế Thái Nguyên” = Developing Students’ Writing Skills through Personalization Activities: Action Research at Thai Nguyen Medical College . M.A Thesis Linguistics: 60 140 111
Nhà xuất bản: University of Languages and International Studies
Ngày: 2014
Miêu tả: 54 p. + CD-ROM
M.A Thesis English Teaching Methodology -- University of Languages and International studies. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2014
The findings of the research indicates that personalization activities could effectively develop students’ writing skills. This method helped students overcome the difficulties in writing. This method helped them use their vocabulary, grammar, content and organization in writing. Also, this method helped to develop the students’ activeness in learning. However , the study still has some limitations. In the study, some suggestions were also offered to teachers in teaching writing skills. Hopefully, this study will be of great value for the teachers and students.
BSTRACT
In the trend of globalization, English is increasingly becoming an important tool for
international communication. Therefore, developing students’ communicative competence
in English is vital for their current study and future jobs. However, in the author’s teaching
practice process, the author finds that the students often have problems with writing skill.
In general, their writing skill is poor. There are various reasons for this fact. However, an
important reason is that the teaching activities and writing topics are not related and
relevant to the students. In other words, they do not match with the students’ personal
factors and background.
In solving this problem, the author believes that personalization activities can help
develop the students’ writing skill. The author conducted action research on 54 students
from a class at Thái Nguyên Medical College during two months in the second semester.
The aim of the research is to find out whether using PA can Giúp develop students’ writing
skill. Personalization activities were implemented in four writing lessons. After that, the
students’ opinions were collected through a questionnaire survey and analyzed. The result
of the research revealed that using PA did Giúp improve writing skill of students at Thái
Nguyên Medical College. However, the use of PA needs to be flexible and careful under
certain control and in combination with other teaching methods in order to make writing
lessons more effective.iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
- ELT: English language teaching
- N: Number of students
- PAs: Personalization Activities
- SLA: Second Language Acquisition
- TMC: Thái Nguyên Medical College
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Students’ time of learning English ......................................................................... 18
Table 2: Students’ attitudes towards writing skill............................................................... 18
Table 3: Students’ freedom of writing topic choice............................................................. 19
Table 4: Students’ difficulties in writing topics assigned by teachers ............................... 20
Table 5: The students’ biggest difficulties in writing .......................................................... 20
Table 6: The students’ opinions about the importance of interests in writing ................. 21
Table 7: Students’ needs of personalization activities......................................................... 21
Table 8: Students’ motivation in personalized writing class .............................................. 24
Table 9: Students’ self-estimation about their performance in personalized writing
class ......................................................................................................................................... 24
Table 10: Advantages of personalized writing class for students....................................... 25
Table 11: Students’ opinions about personalization of practicing forms.......................... 26
Table 12: Students’ difficulties in personalized writing class............................................. 27
Table 13: Students’ feelings towards in-class discussion on their viewpoints................... 28
Table 14: Students’ opinions about grading basing on students’ language competence . 29
Table 15: Students’ opinions about continuing using PAs.................................................. 29vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ i
Abstract................................................................................................................................... ii
List of abbreviations .............................................................................................................. iv
List of charts, figures and tables........................................................................................... v
Table of contents .................................................................................................................... vi
PART A: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1
1. Rationale ............................................................................................................................. 1
2. Aims of the study ................................................................................................................ 2
3. Research question................................................................................................................ 2
4. Scope of the study............................................................................................................... 2
5. Method of the study ............................................................................................................ 2
6. Design of the study ............................................................................................................. 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................. 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND...... 4
1.1. Literature review.......................................................................................................... 4
1.1.1. Why teaching writing skill?........................................................................................... 4
1.1.2. Changes teaching writing skill....................................................................................... 4
1.2. Theoretical background ................................................................................................. 6
1.2.1. Learner factors in second language teaching................................................................. 6
1.2.2. The importance of personalization activities in teaching English as a second
language ................................................................................................................................... 7
1.2.2.1. Personalization activities (PAs) .................................................................................. 8
1.2.2.2. The benefits of personalization activities in developing students’ writing skill......... 9
1.2.3. Action research .............................................................................................................. 10
1.2.3.1. Definition of action research....................................................................................... 10
1.2.3.2. The main characteristics of action research................................................................ 10
1.2.3.3. Action research procedure .......................................................................................... 11
1.3. Summary.......................................................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER 2: THE ACTION RESEARCH ON TEACHING WRITING WITH
PERSONALIZATION ACTIVITIES.................................................................................. 13
2.1. The research questions...................................................................................................... 13
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2.2. The setting of the research ................................................................................................ 13
2.3. The participants................................................................................................................. 14
2.4. Data collection and analyzing instruments ....................................................................... 14
2.5. Action research procedure ................................................................................................ 14
2.5.1. Planning stage ............................................................................................................ 15
2.5.2. Acting stage ............................................................................................................... 15
2.5.2.1. Before the intervention with PAs...................................................................... 15
2.5.2.2. Implementing personalization activities ........................................................... 21
2.5.3. Data analyzing stage .................................................................................................. 23
2.5.3.1. Data collection ................................................................................................... 23
2.5.3.2. Data analysis ...................................................................................................... 24
2.5.4. Reflecting stage: Findings and Discussion .................................................................. 29
PART C: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 31
1. Recapitulation and conclusion ............................................................................................. 31
2. Pedagogical implications ..................................................................................................... 31
3. Limitations Suggestions for further study .......................................................................... 32
REFERENCE ........................................................................................................................ 33
APPENDICES........................................................................................................................ I
APPENDIX 1. PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN SINH VIÊN VỀ KỸ NĂNG VIẾT................. I
APPENDIX 2. PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN SINH VIÊN VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG HOẠT
ĐỘNG CÁ
NHÂN HÓA TRONG GIỜ HỌC VIẾT................................................................................. III
APPENDIX 3. TABLE OF WRITING LESSONS USING PERSONALIZATION
ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................................................... VI
APPENDIX 4. SAMPLE LESSON PLANS WITH PERSONALIZATION
ACTIVITIES..VIII1
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
English has been considered as a necessary and effective tool for global integration
and it has been brought into teaching in almost every nation throughout the world. In
Vietnam, foreign languages, especially English, have been considered as a major subject.
This was affirmed for the first time in the Prime Minister’s Decision numbered 251-TTg in
1972. The importance of English is once again stated in Laws of Education in 1998.
Therefore, teaching English has received a great deal of attention in schools and
educational institutions.
Among the four language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing), writing
is often considered as a necessary but challenging skill by many learners. Writing skill
helps to transmit messages among people. It can be considered as the most effective tool to
save information. Also, in learning language, writing is an interactive skill to other skills –
speaking, listening and reading - for instance, taking notes while listening, noting down
information while reading, or presenting the outline of a speech. In the long term, writing
skill serves a wide range of functions for the language user like writing an application
form, reports, journals. Therefore, learning to write is always necessary to learners both for
their study and working process.
However, at Thái Nguyên Medical College (TMC), where all the students are nonEnglish majors, the instruction of writing skill appears not very effective. One of the most
important reasons is that writing topics and activities are often designed for all the students
without or with very little attention to learner factors and differences among them. This
practice, sometimes called “one-size-fits-all” approach, seems not to encourage learners to
participate actively into the teaching and learning activities. Generally, their writing test
results are poor. Moreover, communication is a process which occurs between individuals
who are different in their aptitudes, interests, learning styles, beliefs, backgrounds, and so
on; and when students are allowed to write something about themselves or to do something
that they think they can they will do it to their best. Therefore, finding writing activities
which account for learner differences and can motivate the students to participate actively
in the learning is really necessary. Implementing personalization activities in writing
lessons may be the solution to the problem.
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For all the above reasons, the author decided to carry out an action research entitled
“Developing Students’ Writing Skills through Personalization Activities: Action
Research at Thái Nguyên Medical College” with the hope that it might be helpful to both
teachers and students in teaching and learning writing.
2. Aims of the study
This research was carried out in order to:
investigate into the students’ needs, attitudes, and difficulties in learning
writing.
explore the effects of using personalization activities to develop their writing
skill.
provide some suggestions and implications for teaching writing.
3. Research questions:
The research is an attempt to answer to the following questions:
- What are the students’ needs, attitudes, and difficulties in learning writing at
TMC?
- How much do personalization activities Giúp develop students’ writing skill?
- What are the implications for teaching writing skill in general?
4. Scope of the study:
Due to the limitation of time and materials, this minor study focuses only on using
personalization activities for teaching writing skill to Thái Nguyên Medical College firstyear students at elementary English level. At this level, writing tasks include composing
paragraphs and small essays on general topics such as daily life, hobbies, describing
places, etc.. This study does not deal with writing at an advanced level or for specific
purposes which are beyond the scope of the English course at the college in study.
5. Method
To find out whether using PA can develop students’ writing skill, the author of the
study decides to carry out action research on 54 students at TMC.
According to Corey (1952,1953), action research is as “a way in which teachers try
to study their own problems scientifically, in an effort to evaluate, guide and correct their
procedures”. As Tsui (1993) puts it: “Action research is a very effective way of helping3
teachers to reflect on their teaching and to come up with their own alternatives to improve
their practice”.
With the mentioned definitions of action research, using this method is suitable to
achieve the aim of the study.
* Data collection instruments: For data collection the following instruments are
used:
- Class attendance and observation
- Questionnaires
* Data analysis method: both quantitative and qualitative methods are used.
6. Design of the study
This minor thesis is composed of three main parts as follows:
Part A – Introduction: introduces the information on the background, rationale,
the aims, scope, research method and design of the study.
Part B – Development: includes three chapters. Chapter 1 - “Literature Review
and Theoretical Background” presents a general review of works on the topic and
theoretical background of the study. Chapter 2 – “Methodology and the action research on
teaching writing skill with personalization activities” introduces the setting, participants,
methodology, research instruments and procedure, findings and discussion on the findings.
Part C – Conclusion: summarizes the main contents of the study including
recapitulation, conclusions, pedagogical implications of using personalization activities in
teaching writing skill, limitations and suggestions for further study.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This chapter presents a general picture of the studies and research on methodology
and approaches to teaching writing skill. It also proposes the problems related to the study
subject and theory of action research.
1.1. Literature review
1.1.1. Why teaching writing skills?
It is known to everyone that writing is an important tool of communication. Writing
is also the most effective way to save information. According to Dr. Crandall (2006), from
University of Maryland Baltimore, writing skill is a “form of language output, a means of
building fluency, a way of developing accuracy”. He also states that writing is “thinking
made evident, external memory, a critical skill for professional success, and a source of
input – reading materials at the learners’ proficiency level”. Brown (2001: 335) sees
writing as a complex thinking process; it is more than the graphic presentation of spoken
language.
This is supported by Hedge when she says that writing is more than producing
accurate and complete sentences and phrases. She stated that writing is producing the
whole piece of communication, linking and developing information, ideas, or arguments
for a particular reader or a group of readers. Hedge also mentions four features of effective
writing: a high degree of accuracy, complex grammar devices, a careful choice of
vocabulary and sentence structures in order to create style, tone, and information for the
readers of a written text (2005:7). All these points make the teaching of writing skill a
complex but necessary task.
1.1.2. Changes in teaching writing skills
Over decades the instruction of English has experienced a lot of changes. The
changes in English teaching in general have had strong effects to teaching writing skill.
Different approaches to teaching writing skill have come into exist.
In the 1950s, teaching English focused mainly on grammar and vocabulary
competence as the basis of language proficiency. Very little instruction was devoted to
communicative skills including writing skill. This approach made the language
intrinsically a dead one because most learners could hardly communicate in real life. This5
approach was gradually replaced with the classical communicative approach which existed
from 1970s to 1990s. This approach gave the priority to question-and-answer practice,
techniques of memorizing dialogues, or substitution drills. This approach also focused on
different forms of guided speaking and writing. Accurate pronunciation and grammar were
stressed in this approach (Richards, 2006:6-21). In this period, the grammar-syntaxorganization and control-to-free were the major approaches to teaching writing.
In the 1990s, the focus of English teaching on grammar and controlled practice
were questioned. It was argued that language proficiency required more than grammatical
competence alone. What was needed to use language for communication was
communicative competence for different purposes such as making requests, giving advice,
giving directions, writing letters, writing invitations, describing people or places, etc. Since
then, communicative language teaching has become common worldwide. Communicative
language teaching places the learner at the centre of teaching and learning process,
involving real communication and meaningful tasks (Richards, 2006:22).
The communicative approach aims at communicative competence, stressing the
purpose of the writing and the audience for it. Communicative approach is learner-centered
and emphasizes communication and real-life situations. It starts with the learner’s interest
and practical functions that they can relate to and express things they want to write about.
In this approach, learner involvement is important. With this approach, the teacher allows
the students to choose what they would like to learn, do, or write about with relation to a
topic or theme. Students are regarded as writers in real life and they are encouraged to ask
themselves the key questions: Why am I writing this? (purposes) and Who will read it?
(audience) (Rosamond,1994:33-42).
According to Raimes (1983: 5-10), the process approach, coming into play in the
1970s, considers writing as a process in which students generate ideas, make plan for their
writing, write drafts, revise and edit before completing the final version. This approach
encourages students’ real communication of ideas, feelings and experiences. It
concentrates on purposes, themes, text types of the writing. The students concern not only
with the organization of the writing, but also with its purpose and the readers.
These two modern approaches to teaching writing skill stress the role of the learner
in the teaching and learning process. The communicative purposes are concentrated instead
of grammar and vocabulary knowledge.
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With the various approaches to teaching writing, so many methods, techniques, and
strategies have been applied in writing classes. However, not all of them bring about
improvement.
1.2. Theoretical background
1.2.1. Learner factors in second language teaching
There have been different opinions about second language acquisition (SLA) and
second language learning. According to Richards, Platt and Platt (1992:197), “Language
acquisition is the learning and development of a person’s language”. According to Krashen
(1987), learning a second language often takes place in adults consciously while acquiring
a language refers to children’s drop a language usually subconsciously.
Like SLA, second language learning is a process which requires meaningful
communication activities in the target language. It is strongly affected by factors such as
learner’s motivation, opportunities of exposing to the language and using it, personality,
and environment. In the second language learning process, learner factors as the centre of
the language learning process.
Harmer argues that students are different in their aptitudes, styles, language levels,
basic knowledge, and individual variations. Therefore, the language learning process is
different among learners. According to Harmer, in most communicative activities, the
students will be using any and/or all the language that they know. This shows that their
background knowledge is of great importance to the students’ communicative activities.
In his hypothesis about “Affective Filter”, Krashen says that motivation and other
types of affect such as fear, anxiety, self-confidence, and other feelings that occur during
the learning process have great impacts on language learning and acquisition (Krashen,
1987, 2001, 2007). In his Input Theory, Krashen proposes that language acquisition takes
place only when learners receive input just beyond their current level of second language
competence. That once again affirms learners’ background knowledge and competence
play an important role in the second language learning.
Another linguist who contributes to the viewpoint that learner’s personal factors are
important in language learning is Bandura. According to Bandura, “individuals place a
value in the future of their action”. He states that a person will be able to learn as much as
they feel they can learn (Bandura, 1994:72). He also considers learning as a very active
process that requires involvement from all of whom are participating from it (Bandura,7
1977:15); and the outcome of the performance is still “entirely inherent to the belief of a
person” (Bandura, 1994).
In Gardner’s viewpoint, “an individual should be tasked in the area where he or she
is the strongest in order to strengthen the skill and take it to a further level of ability. If an
individual is not tasked and challenged in the areas where he or she deemed most
intelligent, the skill might be lost, underused, or underdeveloped” (Gardner, 1983). Once
again, in his theory of Multiple Intelligent (1999), Garder affirms the great importance of
the uniqueness of each individual, and the mental, physical, emotional, and personal
capacities naturally – possessed by people in language learning process. His theory rests on
the need for teaching that is relevant, natural and meaningful to students.
McCain (2000) mentions four factors affecting second language learning and
acquisition: motivation, opportunity, environment, and personality. Motivation, in his
opinion, is the desire of learning the language for certain purposes while a motivated
student needs opportunities to utilize language skills. He states that the environment in
which these opportunities take place also affects SLA. Also in this study, McCain (2000)
concludes that learner’s personality has a strong effect on the success or failure of SLA. In
his opinion, learner’s external and internal characteristics affect the way in which the brain
acquires language. An embarrassing student may keep silent in class and avoid the
opportunities for practicing language skills. Conversely, an active one may take the chance
to develop his/her skill.
In short, learner factors play an important role in second language learning.
Therefore, in teaching ESL, learner factors need to be taken into thorough consideration. In
a large class with students from different areas, different backgrounds and different
characteristics, the teachers needs to adapt their lessons, activities, even the aims of the
lesson to match with their students’ abilities and interests.
1.2.2. The importance of personalization activities in teaching English as a second
language
Because learners are different, in teaching second language, the old method, by
which the same input is given to all students, what we call sometimes “one-size-fits-all”
approach, seems not to be relevant. The activities used in class by the teachers need to
match with the students’ needs and take students’ personal factors into account. That is the
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reason why teachers should use of personalization activities (PAs) to develop students’ real
communication.
1.2.2.1. Personalization activities (PAs)
In a second language learning classroom, personalization happens when activities
allow students to use language to express their own ideas, feelings, preferences and
opinions. PAs encourage students’ meaningful communication when students
communicate real information about themselves (Adams, 2003). He also states that
personalization can be used at any stage of a lesson. Teachers should use activities that get
their students talking or writing about themselves and using the target language. In this
way, the ESL/EFL students can relate the language to their own experiences and express
their opinions, ideas, thoughts and feelings (Adams, 2003). Therefore, it is an important
part of the communicative approach to language teaching.
There are many different forms of using PAs in a writing class. Basing on the
syllabus and student’s needs, competences, interests, etc. the teacher may choose
personalization of the contents, teaching materials, teaching methods to different groups of
students, language provided, feedback and correction, class organization, assigning
students’ learning autonomy. Besides, when using PAs to develop students’ language
skills, the way of assessment and evaluation also needs to be personalized in order to fit
with the personalized teaching and learning process.
Chao-ching Lin, an English college lecturer from Taiwan says, “The critical
element is to encourage students to find what their interests are. If they are interested in
sports, they are encouraged to read, talk, listen and write in English about anything to do
with sports. If they are interested in arts, let them explore this topic in English”.
Along with using PAs in language classrooms, personalized teaching is needed.
Historically, personalized teaching is not a new approach to language teaching. In fact,
Tosley (2000) describes how it operating in the school at Yasnaya Polyana in 1859: “The
best teacher is the one who can instantly recognize what is bothering a particular student.
This ability in turn gives the teacher a knowledge of the greatest possible number of
methods; the ability to invent new methods; and above all – the conviction that all the
methods are one-sided, that the best possible method is the one that answers all the
possible difficulties incurred by the students. This is not a method, but an art and a talent.”
(pp. 186-187)
PART C: CONCLUSION
1. Recapitulation
As mentioned previously, the research reported in this thesis aimed at exploring the
effectiveness of PAs in developing students’ writing skill.
The problem of the writing classroom is identified as the writing activities are not
involving and relevant to the students. The students’ personal factors are not taken into
consideration when the teachers conduct these activities. As the result, the students are not
motivated to write and their writing performance is poor. The author affirms that this
problem is true through a class observation of a writing lesson by another teacher and a
questionnaire survey to here from the students.
One suggestion for solution is using PAs in English classrooms which had been
brought into practice widely in the world. Three questions are raised: “What are the
students’ needs, attitudes, and difficulties in learning writing at TMC? How much do
personalization activities Giúp develop students’ writing skill? And what are the
implications for teaching writing skill in general?” To answer these questions, the author
did a research at TMC.
The research was conducted at TMC during 6 weeks in the form of an action
research, with the participation of 54 students from class CD7A4 and three voluntary
teachers of English. After PAs were implemented in six, a questionnaire survey was
delivered to the students of the class studied for collecting their feedback information. An
interview was also carried out to the teachers to hear their opinions about using
personalization activities in a writing classroom.
The results of the survey prove that PAs had positive effects on developing
students’ writing skill. The students’ motivation to take part in writing tasks increased. To
their self-estimation of writing skill, most of the students said that they write better and had
fewer difficulties with generating ideas, vocabulary and grammar. However, teachers need
to pay attention to unexpected problems of PAs to make their writing lessons more
successful.
2. Pedagogical implications
On the basis of the findings of the research, the author would like to give some
recommendations on teaching English writing skill for college students.
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Firstly, learner factors should be studied carefully by the teacher in order to have a
full understanding of their differences. Knowing how they are, what they need, what they
want, how they learn, where they are, etc. will Giúp the teacher have successful writing
lessons and students progress in their learning.
Secondly, teachers should be flexible in choosing and conducting activities
teaching writing skill. The course book Lifelines Elementary was designed by foreigners
aiming to be used by students all over the world. However, there are still factors that do not
match Vietnamese conditions. Therefore, teachers should not keep tightened to the book
contents, but change it and adapt it to Vietnamese students. This can be done well by
personalization activities.
Thirdly, PAs should be used more frequently as an effective way to develop
students’ writing skill. It also creates an open environment to confidently express
themselves on paper and communicate real and meaningful information about themselves.
Last but not least, to make highest use of PAs, each activity needs choosing and
organizing very carefully. The activities should be involving and relevant to the students
and the training purposes.
3. Limitations and suggestions for further study
In this thesis, the results of the action research might be tentative due to some
following factors:
Firstly, the action research was carried out in a comparatively short period of time
(4 weeks) because if the study had taken longer, it might affected the college syllabus.
Secondly, the number of the participants was only 54 students. Therefore, the
results of the research cannot be generalized for all the colleges.
The third limitation was this research only stopped at finding out whether PAs
could Giúp develop students’ writing skill. It did not study in detail which activities should
be used in each instruction circumstance.
Despite these limitations, I strongly believe that my research is successful to some
extend. Though it is just a small-scaled research on the issue, it may provide some helpful
suggestions for college teachers in teaching writing skill in particular as well as other
language skills in general.
For further studies, large-scaled research should be conducted in order to gain more
exact and believable results. Besides, PAs should be used to teach other language skills.
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Nhà xuất bản: University of Languages and International Studies
Ngày: 2014
Miêu tả: 54 p. + CD-ROM
M.A Thesis English Teaching Methodology -- University of Languages and International studies. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2014
The findings of the research indicates that personalization activities could effectively develop students’ writing skills. This method helped students overcome the difficulties in writing. This method helped them use their vocabulary, grammar, content and organization in writing. Also, this method helped to develop the students’ activeness in learning. However , the study still has some limitations. In the study, some suggestions were also offered to teachers in teaching writing skills. Hopefully, this study will be of great value for the teachers and students.
BSTRACT
In the trend of globalization, English is increasingly becoming an important tool for
international communication. Therefore, developing students’ communicative competence
in English is vital for their current study and future jobs. However, in the author’s teaching
practice process, the author finds that the students often have problems with writing skill.
In general, their writing skill is poor. There are various reasons for this fact. However, an
important reason is that the teaching activities and writing topics are not related and
relevant to the students. In other words, they do not match with the students’ personal
factors and background.
In solving this problem, the author believes that personalization activities can help
develop the students’ writing skill. The author conducted action research on 54 students
from a class at Thái Nguyên Medical College during two months in the second semester.
The aim of the research is to find out whether using PA can Giúp develop students’ writing
skill. Personalization activities were implemented in four writing lessons. After that, the
students’ opinions were collected through a questionnaire survey and analyzed. The result
of the research revealed that using PA did Giúp improve writing skill of students at Thái
Nguyên Medical College. However, the use of PA needs to be flexible and careful under
certain control and in combination with other teaching methods in order to make writing
lessons more effective.iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
- ELT: English language teaching
- N: Number of students
- PAs: Personalization Activities
- SLA: Second Language Acquisition
- TMC: Thái Nguyên Medical College
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Students’ time of learning English ......................................................................... 18
Table 2: Students’ attitudes towards writing skill............................................................... 18
Table 3: Students’ freedom of writing topic choice............................................................. 19
Table 4: Students’ difficulties in writing topics assigned by teachers ............................... 20
Table 5: The students’ biggest difficulties in writing .......................................................... 20
Table 6: The students’ opinions about the importance of interests in writing ................. 21
Table 7: Students’ needs of personalization activities......................................................... 21
Table 8: Students’ motivation in personalized writing class .............................................. 24
Table 9: Students’ self-estimation about their performance in personalized writing
class ......................................................................................................................................... 24
Table 10: Advantages of personalized writing class for students....................................... 25
Table 11: Students’ opinions about personalization of practicing forms.......................... 26
Table 12: Students’ difficulties in personalized writing class............................................. 27
Table 13: Students’ feelings towards in-class discussion on their viewpoints................... 28
Table 14: Students’ opinions about grading basing on students’ language competence . 29
Table 15: Students’ opinions about continuing using PAs.................................................. 29vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ i
Abstract................................................................................................................................... ii
List of abbreviations .............................................................................................................. iv
List of charts, figures and tables........................................................................................... v
Table of contents .................................................................................................................... vi
PART A: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1
1. Rationale ............................................................................................................................. 1
2. Aims of the study ................................................................................................................ 2
3. Research question................................................................................................................ 2
4. Scope of the study............................................................................................................... 2
5. Method of the study ............................................................................................................ 2
6. Design of the study ............................................................................................................. 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................. 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND...... 4
1.1. Literature review.......................................................................................................... 4
1.1.1. Why teaching writing skill?........................................................................................... 4
1.1.2. Changes teaching writing skill....................................................................................... 4
1.2. Theoretical background ................................................................................................. 6
1.2.1. Learner factors in second language teaching................................................................. 6
1.2.2. The importance of personalization activities in teaching English as a second
language ................................................................................................................................... 7
1.2.2.1. Personalization activities (PAs) .................................................................................. 8
1.2.2.2. The benefits of personalization activities in developing students’ writing skill......... 9
1.2.3. Action research .............................................................................................................. 10
1.2.3.1. Definition of action research....................................................................................... 10
1.2.3.2. The main characteristics of action research................................................................ 10
1.2.3.3. Action research procedure .......................................................................................... 11
1.3. Summary.......................................................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER 2: THE ACTION RESEARCH ON TEACHING WRITING WITH
PERSONALIZATION ACTIVITIES.................................................................................. 13
2.1. The research questions...................................................................................................... 13
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2.2. The setting of the research ................................................................................................ 13
2.3. The participants................................................................................................................. 14
2.4. Data collection and analyzing instruments ....................................................................... 14
2.5. Action research procedure ................................................................................................ 14
2.5.1. Planning stage ............................................................................................................ 15
2.5.2. Acting stage ............................................................................................................... 15
2.5.2.1. Before the intervention with PAs...................................................................... 15
2.5.2.2. Implementing personalization activities ........................................................... 21
2.5.3. Data analyzing stage .................................................................................................. 23
2.5.3.1. Data collection ................................................................................................... 23
2.5.3.2. Data analysis ...................................................................................................... 24
2.5.4. Reflecting stage: Findings and Discussion .................................................................. 29
PART C: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 31
1. Recapitulation and conclusion ............................................................................................. 31
2. Pedagogical implications ..................................................................................................... 31
3. Limitations Suggestions for further study .......................................................................... 32
REFERENCE ........................................................................................................................ 33
APPENDICES........................................................................................................................ I
APPENDIX 1. PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN SINH VIÊN VỀ KỸ NĂNG VIẾT................. I
APPENDIX 2. PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN SINH VIÊN VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG HOẠT
ĐỘNG CÁ
NHÂN HÓA TRONG GIỜ HỌC VIẾT................................................................................. III
APPENDIX 3. TABLE OF WRITING LESSONS USING PERSONALIZATION
ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................................................... VI
APPENDIX 4. SAMPLE LESSON PLANS WITH PERSONALIZATION
ACTIVITIES..VIII1
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
English has been considered as a necessary and effective tool for global integration
and it has been brought into teaching in almost every nation throughout the world. In
Vietnam, foreign languages, especially English, have been considered as a major subject.
This was affirmed for the first time in the Prime Minister’s Decision numbered 251-TTg in
1972. The importance of English is once again stated in Laws of Education in 1998.
Therefore, teaching English has received a great deal of attention in schools and
educational institutions.
Among the four language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing), writing
is often considered as a necessary but challenging skill by many learners. Writing skill
helps to transmit messages among people. It can be considered as the most effective tool to
save information. Also, in learning language, writing is an interactive skill to other skills –
speaking, listening and reading - for instance, taking notes while listening, noting down
information while reading, or presenting the outline of a speech. In the long term, writing
skill serves a wide range of functions for the language user like writing an application
form, reports, journals. Therefore, learning to write is always necessary to learners both for
their study and working process.
However, at Thái Nguyên Medical College (TMC), where all the students are nonEnglish majors, the instruction of writing skill appears not very effective. One of the most
important reasons is that writing topics and activities are often designed for all the students
without or with very little attention to learner factors and differences among them. This
practice, sometimes called “one-size-fits-all” approach, seems not to encourage learners to
participate actively into the teaching and learning activities. Generally, their writing test
results are poor. Moreover, communication is a process which occurs between individuals
who are different in their aptitudes, interests, learning styles, beliefs, backgrounds, and so
on; and when students are allowed to write something about themselves or to do something
that they think they can they will do it to their best. Therefore, finding writing activities
which account for learner differences and can motivate the students to participate actively
in the learning is really necessary. Implementing personalization activities in writing
lessons may be the solution to the problem.
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For all the above reasons, the author decided to carry out an action research entitled
“Developing Students’ Writing Skills through Personalization Activities: Action
Research at Thái Nguyên Medical College” with the hope that it might be helpful to both
teachers and students in teaching and learning writing.
2. Aims of the study
This research was carried out in order to:
investigate into the students’ needs, attitudes, and difficulties in learning
writing.
explore the effects of using personalization activities to develop their writing
skill.
provide some suggestions and implications for teaching writing.
3. Research questions:
The research is an attempt to answer to the following questions:
- What are the students’ needs, attitudes, and difficulties in learning writing at
TMC?
- How much do personalization activities Giúp develop students’ writing skill?
- What are the implications for teaching writing skill in general?
4. Scope of the study:
Due to the limitation of time and materials, this minor study focuses only on using
personalization activities for teaching writing skill to Thái Nguyên Medical College firstyear students at elementary English level. At this level, writing tasks include composing
paragraphs and small essays on general topics such as daily life, hobbies, describing
places, etc.. This study does not deal with writing at an advanced level or for specific
purposes which are beyond the scope of the English course at the college in study.
5. Method
To find out whether using PA can develop students’ writing skill, the author of the
study decides to carry out action research on 54 students at TMC.
According to Corey (1952,1953), action research is as “a way in which teachers try
to study their own problems scientifically, in an effort to evaluate, guide and correct their
procedures”. As Tsui (1993) puts it: “Action research is a very effective way of helping3
teachers to reflect on their teaching and to come up with their own alternatives to improve
their practice”.
With the mentioned definitions of action research, using this method is suitable to
achieve the aim of the study.
* Data collection instruments: For data collection the following instruments are
used:
- Class attendance and observation
- Questionnaires
* Data analysis method: both quantitative and qualitative methods are used.
6. Design of the study
This minor thesis is composed of three main parts as follows:
Part A – Introduction: introduces the information on the background, rationale,
the aims, scope, research method and design of the study.
Part B – Development: includes three chapters. Chapter 1 - “Literature Review
and Theoretical Background” presents a general review of works on the topic and
theoretical background of the study. Chapter 2 – “Methodology and the action research on
teaching writing skill with personalization activities” introduces the setting, participants,
methodology, research instruments and procedure, findings and discussion on the findings.
Part C – Conclusion: summarizes the main contents of the study including
recapitulation, conclusions, pedagogical implications of using personalization activities in
teaching writing skill, limitations and suggestions for further study.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This chapter presents a general picture of the studies and research on methodology
and approaches to teaching writing skill. It also proposes the problems related to the study
subject and theory of action research.
1.1. Literature review
1.1.1. Why teaching writing skills?
It is known to everyone that writing is an important tool of communication. Writing
is also the most effective way to save information. According to Dr. Crandall (2006), from
University of Maryland Baltimore, writing skill is a “form of language output, a means of
building fluency, a way of developing accuracy”. He also states that writing is “thinking
made evident, external memory, a critical skill for professional success, and a source of
input – reading materials at the learners’ proficiency level”. Brown (2001: 335) sees
writing as a complex thinking process; it is more than the graphic presentation of spoken
language.
This is supported by Hedge when she says that writing is more than producing
accurate and complete sentences and phrases. She stated that writing is producing the
whole piece of communication, linking and developing information, ideas, or arguments
for a particular reader or a group of readers. Hedge also mentions four features of effective
writing: a high degree of accuracy, complex grammar devices, a careful choice of
vocabulary and sentence structures in order to create style, tone, and information for the
readers of a written text (2005:7). All these points make the teaching of writing skill a
complex but necessary task.
1.1.2. Changes in teaching writing skills
Over decades the instruction of English has experienced a lot of changes. The
changes in English teaching in general have had strong effects to teaching writing skill.
Different approaches to teaching writing skill have come into exist.
In the 1950s, teaching English focused mainly on grammar and vocabulary
competence as the basis of language proficiency. Very little instruction was devoted to
communicative skills including writing skill. This approach made the language
intrinsically a dead one because most learners could hardly communicate in real life. This5
approach was gradually replaced with the classical communicative approach which existed
from 1970s to 1990s. This approach gave the priority to question-and-answer practice,
techniques of memorizing dialogues, or substitution drills. This approach also focused on
different forms of guided speaking and writing. Accurate pronunciation and grammar were
stressed in this approach (Richards, 2006:6-21). In this period, the grammar-syntaxorganization and control-to-free were the major approaches to teaching writing.
In the 1990s, the focus of English teaching on grammar and controlled practice
were questioned. It was argued that language proficiency required more than grammatical
competence alone. What was needed to use language for communication was
communicative competence for different purposes such as making requests, giving advice,
giving directions, writing letters, writing invitations, describing people or places, etc. Since
then, communicative language teaching has become common worldwide. Communicative
language teaching places the learner at the centre of teaching and learning process,
involving real communication and meaningful tasks (Richards, 2006:22).
The communicative approach aims at communicative competence, stressing the
purpose of the writing and the audience for it. Communicative approach is learner-centered
and emphasizes communication and real-life situations. It starts with the learner’s interest
and practical functions that they can relate to and express things they want to write about.
In this approach, learner involvement is important. With this approach, the teacher allows
the students to choose what they would like to learn, do, or write about with relation to a
topic or theme. Students are regarded as writers in real life and they are encouraged to ask
themselves the key questions: Why am I writing this? (purposes) and Who will read it?
(audience) (Rosamond,1994:33-42).
According to Raimes (1983: 5-10), the process approach, coming into play in the
1970s, considers writing as a process in which students generate ideas, make plan for their
writing, write drafts, revise and edit before completing the final version. This approach
encourages students’ real communication of ideas, feelings and experiences. It
concentrates on purposes, themes, text types of the writing. The students concern not only
with the organization of the writing, but also with its purpose and the readers.
These two modern approaches to teaching writing skill stress the role of the learner
in the teaching and learning process. The communicative purposes are concentrated instead
of grammar and vocabulary knowledge.
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With the various approaches to teaching writing, so many methods, techniques, and
strategies have been applied in writing classes. However, not all of them bring about
improvement.
1.2. Theoretical background
1.2.1. Learner factors in second language teaching
There have been different opinions about second language acquisition (SLA) and
second language learning. According to Richards, Platt and Platt (1992:197), “Language
acquisition is the learning and development of a person’s language”. According to Krashen
(1987), learning a second language often takes place in adults consciously while acquiring
a language refers to children’s drop a language usually subconsciously.
Like SLA, second language learning is a process which requires meaningful
communication activities in the target language. It is strongly affected by factors such as
learner’s motivation, opportunities of exposing to the language and using it, personality,
and environment. In the second language learning process, learner factors as the centre of
the language learning process.
Harmer argues that students are different in their aptitudes, styles, language levels,
basic knowledge, and individual variations. Therefore, the language learning process is
different among learners. According to Harmer, in most communicative activities, the
students will be using any and/or all the language that they know. This shows that their
background knowledge is of great importance to the students’ communicative activities.
In his hypothesis about “Affective Filter”, Krashen says that motivation and other
types of affect such as fear, anxiety, self-confidence, and other feelings that occur during
the learning process have great impacts on language learning and acquisition (Krashen,
1987, 2001, 2007). In his Input Theory, Krashen proposes that language acquisition takes
place only when learners receive input just beyond their current level of second language
competence. That once again affirms learners’ background knowledge and competence
play an important role in the second language learning.
Another linguist who contributes to the viewpoint that learner’s personal factors are
important in language learning is Bandura. According to Bandura, “individuals place a
value in the future of their action”. He states that a person will be able to learn as much as
they feel they can learn (Bandura, 1994:72). He also considers learning as a very active
process that requires involvement from all of whom are participating from it (Bandura,7
1977:15); and the outcome of the performance is still “entirely inherent to the belief of a
person” (Bandura, 1994).
In Gardner’s viewpoint, “an individual should be tasked in the area where he or she
is the strongest in order to strengthen the skill and take it to a further level of ability. If an
individual is not tasked and challenged in the areas where he or she deemed most
intelligent, the skill might be lost, underused, or underdeveloped” (Gardner, 1983). Once
again, in his theory of Multiple Intelligent (1999), Garder affirms the great importance of
the uniqueness of each individual, and the mental, physical, emotional, and personal
capacities naturally – possessed by people in language learning process. His theory rests on
the need for teaching that is relevant, natural and meaningful to students.
McCain (2000) mentions four factors affecting second language learning and
acquisition: motivation, opportunity, environment, and personality. Motivation, in his
opinion, is the desire of learning the language for certain purposes while a motivated
student needs opportunities to utilize language skills. He states that the environment in
which these opportunities take place also affects SLA. Also in this study, McCain (2000)
concludes that learner’s personality has a strong effect on the success or failure of SLA. In
his opinion, learner’s external and internal characteristics affect the way in which the brain
acquires language. An embarrassing student may keep silent in class and avoid the
opportunities for practicing language skills. Conversely, an active one may take the chance
to develop his/her skill.
In short, learner factors play an important role in second language learning.
Therefore, in teaching ESL, learner factors need to be taken into thorough consideration. In
a large class with students from different areas, different backgrounds and different
characteristics, the teachers needs to adapt their lessons, activities, even the aims of the
lesson to match with their students’ abilities and interests.
1.2.2. The importance of personalization activities in teaching English as a second
language
Because learners are different, in teaching second language, the old method, by
which the same input is given to all students, what we call sometimes “one-size-fits-all”
approach, seems not to be relevant. The activities used in class by the teachers need to
match with the students’ needs and take students’ personal factors into account. That is the
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reason why teachers should use of personalization activities (PAs) to develop students’ real
communication.
1.2.2.1. Personalization activities (PAs)
In a second language learning classroom, personalization happens when activities
allow students to use language to express their own ideas, feelings, preferences and
opinions. PAs encourage students’ meaningful communication when students
communicate real information about themselves (Adams, 2003). He also states that
personalization can be used at any stage of a lesson. Teachers should use activities that get
their students talking or writing about themselves and using the target language. In this
way, the ESL/EFL students can relate the language to their own experiences and express
their opinions, ideas, thoughts and feelings (Adams, 2003). Therefore, it is an important
part of the communicative approach to language teaching.
There are many different forms of using PAs in a writing class. Basing on the
syllabus and student’s needs, competences, interests, etc. the teacher may choose
personalization of the contents, teaching materials, teaching methods to different groups of
students, language provided, feedback and correction, class organization, assigning
students’ learning autonomy. Besides, when using PAs to develop students’ language
skills, the way of assessment and evaluation also needs to be personalized in order to fit
with the personalized teaching and learning process.
Chao-ching Lin, an English college lecturer from Taiwan says, “The critical
element is to encourage students to find what their interests are. If they are interested in
sports, they are encouraged to read, talk, listen and write in English about anything to do
with sports. If they are interested in arts, let them explore this topic in English”.
Along with using PAs in language classrooms, personalized teaching is needed.
Historically, personalized teaching is not a new approach to language teaching. In fact,
Tosley (2000) describes how it operating in the school at Yasnaya Polyana in 1859: “The
best teacher is the one who can instantly recognize what is bothering a particular student.
This ability in turn gives the teacher a knowledge of the greatest possible number of
methods; the ability to invent new methods; and above all – the conviction that all the
methods are one-sided, that the best possible method is the one that answers all the
possible difficulties incurred by the students. This is not a method, but an art and a talent.”
(pp. 186-187)
PART C: CONCLUSION
1. Recapitulation
As mentioned previously, the research reported in this thesis aimed at exploring the
effectiveness of PAs in developing students’ writing skill.
The problem of the writing classroom is identified as the writing activities are not
involving and relevant to the students. The students’ personal factors are not taken into
consideration when the teachers conduct these activities. As the result, the students are not
motivated to write and their writing performance is poor. The author affirms that this
problem is true through a class observation of a writing lesson by another teacher and a
questionnaire survey to here from the students.
One suggestion for solution is using PAs in English classrooms which had been
brought into practice widely in the world. Three questions are raised: “What are the
students’ needs, attitudes, and difficulties in learning writing at TMC? How much do
personalization activities Giúp develop students’ writing skill? And what are the
implications for teaching writing skill in general?” To answer these questions, the author
did a research at TMC.
The research was conducted at TMC during 6 weeks in the form of an action
research, with the participation of 54 students from class CD7A4 and three voluntary
teachers of English. After PAs were implemented in six, a questionnaire survey was
delivered to the students of the class studied for collecting their feedback information. An
interview was also carried out to the teachers to hear their opinions about using
personalization activities in a writing classroom.
The results of the survey prove that PAs had positive effects on developing
students’ writing skill. The students’ motivation to take part in writing tasks increased. To
their self-estimation of writing skill, most of the students said that they write better and had
fewer difficulties with generating ideas, vocabulary and grammar. However, teachers need
to pay attention to unexpected problems of PAs to make their writing lessons more
successful.
2. Pedagogical implications
On the basis of the findings of the research, the author would like to give some
recommendations on teaching English writing skill for college students.
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Firstly, learner factors should be studied carefully by the teacher in order to have a
full understanding of their differences. Knowing how they are, what they need, what they
want, how they learn, where they are, etc. will Giúp the teacher have successful writing
lessons and students progress in their learning.
Secondly, teachers should be flexible in choosing and conducting activities
teaching writing skill. The course book Lifelines Elementary was designed by foreigners
aiming to be used by students all over the world. However, there are still factors that do not
match Vietnamese conditions. Therefore, teachers should not keep tightened to the book
contents, but change it and adapt it to Vietnamese students. This can be done well by
personalization activities.
Thirdly, PAs should be used more frequently as an effective way to develop
students’ writing skill. It also creates an open environment to confidently express
themselves on paper and communicate real and meaningful information about themselves.
Last but not least, to make highest use of PAs, each activity needs choosing and
organizing very carefully. The activities should be involving and relevant to the students
and the training purposes.
3. Limitations and suggestions for further study
In this thesis, the results of the action research might be tentative due to some
following factors:
Firstly, the action research was carried out in a comparatively short period of time
(4 weeks) because if the study had taken longer, it might affected the college syllabus.
Secondly, the number of the participants was only 54 students. Therefore, the
results of the research cannot be generalized for all the colleges.
The third limitation was this research only stopped at finding out whether PAs
could Giúp develop students’ writing skill. It did not study in detail which activities should
be used in each instruction circumstance.
Despite these limitations, I strongly believe that my research is successful to some
extend. Though it is just a small-scaled research on the issue, it may provide some helpful
suggestions for college teachers in teaching writing skill in particular as well as other
language skills in general.
For further studies, large-scaled research should be conducted in order to gain more
exact and believable results. Besides, PAs should be used to teach other language skills.
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