Tài liệu Applying kagan cooperative learning structures to improve 11th grade students’ speaking skills at a high school in thai binh

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* PHAM THI NHUNG APPLYING KAGAN COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRUCTURES TO IMPROVE 11TH GRADE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN THAI BINH (Áp dụng các cấu trúc học hợp tác của Kagan nhằm cải thiện kĩ năng nói cho học sinh lớp 11 tại một trường trung học phổ thông ở Thái Bình) M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I) Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi - 2020 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* PHAM THI NHUNG APPLYING KAGAN COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRUCTURES TO IMPROVE 11TH GRADE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN THAI BINH (Áp dụng các cấu trúc học hợp tác của Kagan nhằm cải thiện kĩ năng nói cho học sinh lớp 11 tại một trường trung học phổ thông ở Thái Bình) M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I) Field: English teaching methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, Ph.D. Hanoi – 2020 DECLARATION I, Pham Thi Nhung, hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Applying Kagan cooperative learning structures to improve 11th grade students’ speaking skills at a high school in Thai Binh” is submitted for the partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. I also declare that this thesis is my own research and efforts and it has not been submitted for any other purposes. Ha Noi, 2020 Pham Thi Nhung i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The study would not been completed without the invaluable assistance and encouragement of many people for whom I am grateful. I especially would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor Dr. Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, whose useful instructions and advice, as well as detail critical comments and encouragement have helped me a great deal from the beginning to the end of the thesis writing process. I also would like to thank to the teachers and the staff of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies who have given me useful advice and favorable conditions for the completion of the thesis. My sincere thanks go to all teachers of English and students in Me Linh high school who have wholeheartedly helped me much with enthusiastic contribution and cooperation. I am really in debt to my beloved family, my friends who always support me and show great patience all the time in my life. They all are my precious persons who make me keep moving forward. At last, I realize that although I made my best effort, this thesis is still far from perfection. Therefore, any constructive criticism and suggestions for the improvement of this thesis are highly appreciated. Then, I really hope that this thesis is able to give contribution to the readers and useful for the teaching and learning process. ii ABSTRACT The main objective of learning English is using English as a means of communication. To achieve that objective, teachers can use appropriate techniques which match with the learners’ characteristics in teaching speaking. Kagan cooperative learning structures (KCLS), a student-centered instructional approach, is believed to have the potential to encourage more interactions among students and maximize the improvement of each student’s learning process, thus have good effect on teaching in classroom. That is the reason why in this action research project, KCLS was applied in the speaking lessons of a grade 11 class at a high school in Thai Binh with a view to improving the students’ speaking skills. The findings from the data collected via questionnaire, teacher’ journals and speaking test scores showed great improvement in students’ speaking skills both in linguistic and paralinguistic features. The students also have positive attitudes toward the use of KCLS in class. This project provides recommendations to English teachers for implementing a cooperative learning approach when teaching of English speaking skills in the context of high school in Vietnam. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS KCLS: Kagan cooperative learning structures CL: Cooperative learning MLHS: Me Linh high school T: Teacher Ss: Students iv LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES Table 1: Kagan Structure Functions ......................................................................... 10 Table 2: The results of the pre-questionnaire........................................................... 28 Table 3: The application of KCLS in speaking lessons ........................................... 32 Chart 1: The Comparison between the Average Scores of Students’ Pre-test and Post-test in Terms of Fluency, Accuracy, Pronunciation, and Vocabulary ............. 37 Table 4: The results of the post questionnaire ......................................................... 38 v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ....................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................. iv LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES ........................................................................ v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1 1.1. Rationale for the research ............................................................................. 1 1.2. Research objectives ...................................................................................... 2 1.3. Research questions ....................................................................................... 3 1.4. Scope of the research .................................................................................... 3 1.5. Significance of the research .......................................................................... 3 1.6. Structure of the research ............................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 5 2.1. Speaking ....................................................................................................... 5 2.2. Teaching speaking ........................................................................................ 7 2.3. Kagan cooperative learning structures ......................................................... 9 2.4. Principles of Kagan cooperative learning structures .................................. 13 2.5. Advantages of Kagan cooperative learning structures ............................... 14 2.6. Role of the teacher in cooperative learning ................................................ 15 2.7. Roles of students in cooperative learning ................................................... 16 2.8. How is cooperative learning applied in Vietnam? ..................................... 17 2.9. Summary..................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 20 3.1. The context of the study ............................................................................. 20 3.1.1 The 11th grade English program............................................................ 20 3.1.2. The students at MLHS ......................................................................... 21 3.1.3. The teachers at MLHS ......................................................................... 21 3.2. Research method: Action research ............................................................. 22 3.3. Participants ................................................................................................. 24 3.4. Data collection techniques and instruments ............................................... 25 3.4.1. Teacher’s journal ................................................................................. 25 3.4.2. Questionnaire ....................................................................................... 25 vi 3.4.3. Tests ..................................................................................................... 26 3.5. Data analysis ............................................................................................... 27 3.6. Research procedure..................................................................................... 27 3.6.1. Planning ............................................................................................... 28 3.6.2. Action ................................................................................................... 32 3.6.3. Observation .......................................................................................... 33 3.6.4. Reflection ............................................................................................. 33 3.7. Summary..................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............... 35 4.1. Data analysis ............................................................................................... 35 4.1.1 Analysis of the teacher’s journal .......................................................... 35 4.1.2. Analysis of speaking tests .................................................................... 36 4.1.3. Analysis of students’ post- questionnaire ............................................. 38 4.2. Discussion of the findings .......................................................................... 40 4.2.1. How can the use of Kagan cooperative learning structures in teaching English speaking enhance Me Linh 11th grade students’ speaking skills? ............ 41 4.2.2. What are the students’ opinions of Kagan cooperative learning structures? .......................................................................................................... 41 4.3. Difficulties in KCLS application in speaking classes ................................ 42 4.4. Some cautions concerning KCLS application in speaking classes ............ 45 4.5. Summary..................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 48 5.1. Summary of the major findings .................................................................. 48 5.2. Implications ................................................................................................ 49 5.3. Limitations .................................................................................................. 50 5.4. Suggestions ................................................................................................. 51 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 52 ANNEXES ............................................................................................................... 56 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Rationale for the research In order to be able to use any language, learners have to master language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Although all four skills are equally important, the speaking skill could be seen as the leading skill during the language learning process. As Nunan argues, to most people, mastering the art of speaking is the single most important aspect of learning a second language, and success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the language (Nunan, 1991: 39). Therefore, developing learners’ speaking skill is of vital importance in language programs in general, and EFL/ESL programs in particular. As a matter of fact, learning to speak a foreign language is often considered one of the most difficult for students to learn (Brown and Lee, 2015). When learning speaking, learners are expected to master several important elements, such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. These elements are very important in the communication because if they do not master all the elements of speaking, the communication will not run very smoothly. In addition, there are many factors that may affect students’ performance, for instance, the lack of opportunities for purposeful communication in meaningful situation. Besides, class size and mixed ability class also reduce general learners’ motivation in acquiring EFL speaking skills. Drawing on my experience as a teacher of English at a high school in Thai Binh for seven years, teaching and learning English still focus on grammar and vocabulary. Therefore, both teachers and students do not pay much attention to practicing speaking. Consequently, there is a gap between the goals of the speaking lessons and what happens in the classroom. The students still find it difficult to pronounce certain English words, and have limited English vocabulary. Sometimes, they did not even understand the teacher’s instructions and were unconfident if they were asked to speak English. Thus, dealing with the students’ problem of pronunciation is very necessary and urgent. This is the responsibility of the students 1 themselves and their teachers as well. One possible solution to such problems comes from teachers who play a crucial role in creating opportunities for students to practice speaking skill. Such chances can be created by applying appropriate techniques in teaching speaking to make the students capable of being active and creative in the learning process in classroom. Among the alternatives, the researcher found the suggestion on using Kagan cooperative learning structures seemingly effective. Kagan cooperative learning structures have been carried out worldwide and in Vietnam. This is an effective technique to teach speaking skills, which helps the students work together cooperatively. By working together, the students can discuss, finish and submit the task given, so silence in speaking activities can be minimized. Besides, cooperative learning allows the students to support one another to be brave and confident as well. There are opportunities for the students to receive individual assistance from their mates. They can work together to improve their vocabulary and pronunciation. They have partners to practice speaking, and get feedback from their friends. The students receive more chances to speak because cooperative learning requires and enhances the students’ communication skills. The need of improving the students’ speaking skills at Me Linh high school and the advantages of using cooperative learning structures in language teaching have inspired me to conduct a study on: “Applying Kagan cooperative learning structures to improve 11th grade students’ speaking skills at a high school in Thai Binh” 1.2. Research objectives This research was designed to improve the students’ speaking skills by using KCLS. Generally, the primary objectives of the study were set up as follows: - Exploring how the use of KCLS in teaching English can enhance 11th grade students’ English speaking skills. - Finding out the opinions of high school students of the use of KCLS in English speaking lessons. 2 1.3. Research questions 1. How can the use of Kagan cooperative learning structures in teaching English speaking enhance Me Linh 11th grade students’ English speaking skills? 2. What are the students’ opinions of Kagan cooperative learning structures? 1.4. Scope of the research Due to the limitation of time and knowledge, this thesis only focused on using KCLS in teaching English speaking skills to 11th grade students at Me Linh high school during ten weeks of the first term of the school-year of 2018-2019. The speaking activities are selected and adapted from the text book “Tiếng Anh 11”. 1.5. Significance of the research Briefly, English teachers, students and researchers can benefit from the results of this research. Firstly, English teachers, especially those who have never had enough attention to their students’ English speaking ability and how to improve it, will have some new look at the methodology of teaching speaking skills using cooperative learning structures. Secondly, for students, the new method is expected to bring a lively and interesting environment for their speaking lessons in which they can benefit directly. Students can experience a new way of learning speaking and have chance to practice English without stressing. Besides, they can also get some good experiences for their self - studying to improve their English speaking skills. Finally, for the researchers, the study can provide useful information for further studies of the same topic in the future. 1.6. Structure of the research The study was divided into three parts which are presented as follows: Chapter 1- Introduction presents the rationale and the aims of the study, research questions, significance, scope as well as organization of the study. Chapter 2- Literature review reviews the literature relevant to the study which consists of the concept of teaching speaking, cooperative learning, the application of 3 Kagan cooperative learning structures in the speaking class. Chapter 3- Methodology presents information about the context of the study, the participants, the instruments, the data collection procedure and data analysis procedure. Chapter 4 – Data analysis, findings and discussion is the main part of the study that reports and discusses the main findings according to research matter. Chapter 5- Conclusion presents the author’s reflection and the outcomes of the study as well as indicates some limitations of the study, and finally gives some suggestions for further research. 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, the writer presents the theories that underlie the study. The theories cover the concept of speaking, teaching speaking, KCLS, roles of teachers and students in cooperative learning. 2.1. Speaking Speaking can be defined as the process of sharing information between speaker and listener in any circumstance. It becomes very indispensable since it is used to convey ideas or arguments particularly in the classroom setting. Speaking is one of language skills learned by the students in a foreign language. It involves a process of building and sharing meaning through the use of language orally. Speaking is a kind of bridge for learners between classroom and the world outside (Hadfield, 1999:7). By learning speaking, the students will know the way to express language communicatively. The students will learn how to express utterances meaningfully. Besides that, it also leads them to make interaction in the society by using the language. Because of that, speaking is one of important skill that should be mastered by the students in learning foreign language. In teaching speaking, there are some aspects which need to be considered by the teacher. Brown (2001: 268-269) proposes four aspects of speaking skills, namely fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, and vocabulary. They become the main requirements that must exist for the teacher to design the speaking activities for his/her students. Therefore, a good speaking activity has to cover all these four following aspects. Harris (1974:81) states that the fluency is the case of speed of the flow of the speech. A speaker is considered as a fluent speaker if he/she can use the language quickly and confidently, with few hesitation or unnatural pauses, false start, word searches, etc. Speakers need to know where he/she has to pause and stop his/her speaking in appropriate place and produce words in his/her speech into groups of words that form a meaningful unit (phrases or clauses). 5 While, accuracy focuses on issues of appropriation and other formal factors. It relates to the use of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary (Brumfit, 1984). Nunan (2003:55) states that accuracy happens when students’ speech matches what people actually say when they use the target language. Thus, in order to achieve the level of accuracy the students are demanded to use the correct grammatical structures in their speech. Besides fluency and accuracy, pronunciation is also needed in speaking. According to Thornbury (2005:128-129): “Pronunciation refers to the student’s ability to produce comprehensible utterances to fulfill the task requirements.” Harmer (2001:28-33) provides more issues related to pronunciation. He suggests pitch, intonation, individual sounds, sounds and spelling, and stress. Pronunciation becomes important because it gives meaning to what is being said. Wrong pronunciation may cause misunderstanding or people involved in a conversation are offended. Lastly, vocabulary becomes a very important aspect which can be used to determine students’ English speaking fluency. It means that the choice of words should be suitable with the topic. A good speaker must have many vocabularies to support him to deliver his idea. The people cannot communicate effectively or express their ideas both oral and in written form if they do not have sufficient vocabulary. Thornbury (2005:22) suggests three usual things used by speakers in what they are being said: - When people speaking, they are involving high proportion of words and expressions that express their attitude (stance) to what is being said. - Speakers usually employ words and expressions that express positive and negative appraisal because a lot of speech has an interpersonal function, and by identifying what people like and dislike, they are able to express solidarity. - A speech also usually employs deictic language, i.e. words and expressions that point to the place, time, and participants in the intermediate or a more distant context. 6 Vocabulary means the appropriate diction which is used in communication. Therefore, it is necessary for the English teacher to put some effort in order to enrich the students’ vocabulary. The writer concludes that the four aspects of speaking are very important to be concerned by a speaker in order that the listeners can understand what the speaker says easily. 2.2. Teaching speaking Teaching speaking can be defined as interactions of oral communication between teachers and students in the classroom. Kayi (2006) says that teaching speaking has some functions to the students: 1. Teach the students to produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns. 2. Use word and sentence stress and intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language. 3. Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter. 4. Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence 5. Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments 6. Use the language quickly and confident with few unnatural pauses. The aim of teaching speaking in the classroom is to maintain students’ ability to speak well and to improve their ability in oral communication. According to Harmer (2001) the aim of teaching speaking is to train students for communication. To do that, the teacher should be able to develop activities which promote students to use language in real communication. Moreover, Wenxia (2008) says that the teacher should think, when teaching, not only about presenting language in a certain situation, but also as a communicative act. Learning to speak in English will be easier when learners are actively engaged in attempting to communicate. There are some principles that should be considered by the teacher in teaching speaking. Brown (1994:275) mentions some principles that should be followed by the teacher 7 in speaking skills. First, use techniques that cover the spectrum of learner needs, from language based focus on accuracy to message-based focus on interaction, meaning and fluency. Second, provide intrinsically motivating techniques. Third, encourage the use of authentic language in meaningful contexts. Fourth, provide appropriate feedback and correction. Fifth, capitalize on the natural link between speaking and listening. Sixth, give students opportunities to initiate oral communication. Seventh, encourage the developmental of speaking strategies. English teachers have a responsibility to improve students’ English speaking skills; therefore the teachers must have a good teaching method in order to solve the problems faced by the students in learning English. The teachers also need appropriate techniques in teaching speaking to make the students capable of being active and creative in the learning process in the classroom. According to Ur (1999:120), in order to have a successful speaking activity, teachers should focus on some following characteristics: - Learners talk a lot. - Participation is even: It is said that the students should be grouped and organized to maximize the amount of student talk for each student. - Motivation is high: Learners are eager to speak: because they are interested in topic and have something new to say about it, or just because they want to contribute to achieving a task objective. - Language is of an acceptable level: Learners express themselves in utterance that is relevant, easily comprehensive to each other, and of an acceptable level of language accuracy. Many teachers realize that the best strategy for motivating the students to communicate in English is by changing the situation in the class. By creating an interesting and motivating environment, the students are expected to be immersed in the activities given by the teachers. This idea is also supported by Bailey (2003:48) saying that an ideal teacher should provide opportunities for students to talk by using group work or pair work, and limiting teacher talk. Therefore, the teacher 8 should keep encouraging the students to get involved during the process of learning in the class most of the time. 2.3. Kagan cooperative learning structures Kagan (2013) noted that structures are one of the two distinguishing differences between the Kagan cooperative learning method and other cooperative learning strategies and can be used to transform concepts and theory into daily classroom procedure. Kagan continued by stating that these structures express the social organization among individuals working as a team by presenting a series of steps or elements that depict the patterns of interaction. In fact, Kagan and Kagan (2009:53) defined structures as “content-free, repeatable instruction sequences that organize the interaction of student to implement the basic principles of cooperative learning”. Kagan (2013:6) extended the definition of structures by stating: “Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures are instructional strategies. They are content free: They facilitate teaching and learning any content. Structures are repeatable: They are used over and over with different content to create fresh activities. All Kagan Structures are carefully designed sequences of steps that organize the interaction of students with each other, the academic content, and the instructor. Cooperative Learning Structures are designed to include the four basic principles that distinguish true cooperative learning. Kagan Structures are easy to learn, and easy to use, so they promote sustained implementation”. Kagan (2013) has created over 200 structures, and each one involves certain steps with intended learning outcomes. For example, one Kagan structure is InsideOutside Circle. This structure functions nicely with any size group and can be utilized with students of all ages, from kindergarten through adults. Rimmerman (1996) stated that to employ this structure, students form two large concentric circles, with the students in the inside circle facing out and the students in the outside circle facing in so that each student in the circle is aligned with a partner. Rimmerman continued by stating that the teacher then states a prompt and partners discuss, using an equal amount of time to share, the prompt given by the teacher. 9 Kagan and Kagan (2009) offered that once the students have had time to discuss and share information with the group, one of the circles can then rotate a given number of partners left or right to gain a new partner and the process begins again from the beginning. In this cooperative learning approach, the emphasis is on the selection of a structure, not on the curriculum - bound activity. According to Davidson (1994) and Kagan (1990), in order to execute Kagan cooperative learning with fidelity, it is necessary for teachers to learn structures and incorporate them into their lessons. Kagan’s concept is consistent with some of the elements of cooperative learning proposed by the Johnson and Johnson (1999a) and Slavin (1990), particularly positive interdependence and individual accountability, but, in addition, he proposes that the steps of the chosen structure be taught prior to the implementation of cooperative learning (Davidson, 1994). Using the basic principles and key concepts of cooperative learning as a corner stone, Kagan and Kagan (2009) created ten functions of cooperative structures, categorized into two functions: interpersonal and academic. The cooperative structures are classified according to their principle purpose and are labeled as either class building, team building, social skills, communication skills, decision-making, knowledge building, procedure learning, processing information, thinking skills, and presenting information. Various structures are feasible and advantageous for meeting diverse objectives. In fact, many structures can be placed in more than one category. Kagan and Kagan’s description of critical attributes and the advantages to the community of learners is reviewed in table 1: Table 1: Kagan Structure Functions Functions Critical Attributes Advantages Class building Students out of seats interacting Improved class climate with the Interpersonal with all members in the class resultant feeling that this is “our class” Teambuilding Students interact with their 10 Enthusiasm, trust, and support Interpersonal assigned teammates in a pleasant which produces more efficient and academic work productive manner Social Skills Students obtain and refine social More polite, cooperative, Interpersonal skills, character virtues, and respectful, responsible students emotional who are able to understand intelligence different viewpoints Communication Equalize communication and Improved oral, written, and non- Skills encourage positive verbal communication among Interpersonal communication patterns members of the community Decision All students are given time to Creation of more unified teams Making verbalize and hear other points of due to increased skills with Interpersonal view before making a consensual conflict resolution, win-win, and decision for the team consensual decision making Knowledge Students work together to gain Produces a high level of mastery building knowledge and comprehension of academic content and basic Academic skills Procedure Students work together to gain Development of procedural Learning and refine skills and procedures knowledge Processing Students work together to talk Allows content to move to long- Information about or review presented term memory and clean the Academic information working memory Thinking Skills Students create and exchange Fosters an environment in which Academic novel, unique, and set-breaking students questions, reflect, ideas evaluate, and apply information Presenting These structures allow for the Engages the community in Information sharing of information and ideas higher level thinking and Academic among teams or the class as a understanding multiple points whole of view Academic 11