VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES -o0o LÝ THỊ HOÀNG MẾN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY (NGHIÊN CỨU THỰC TRẠNG SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG THEO CẶP VÀ THEO NHÓM ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KĨ NĂNG NÓI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TẠI KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HANOI – 2013 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES -o0o LÝ THỊ HOÀNG MẾN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF PAIR WORK AND GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY (NGHIÊN CỨU THỰC TRẠNG SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG THEO CẶP VÀ THEO NHÓM ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KĨ NĂNG NÓI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TẠI KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Ms Trần Hiền Lan, M.A HANOI – 2013 i DECLARATION To the best of my knowledge and belief, this minor thesis contains no material which has previously been submitted and accepted for any other degree in any university The thesis is my own work and based on my own research It involves no material previously published or written by any other person, except where due reference is acknowledged in the paper Signature: _ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge and thank my supervisor, Ms Tran Hien Lan for her valuable guidance, critical feedback and enormous encouragement, without which my thesis would be far from completion I am also grateful to all the lecturers of the Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their guidance and enthusiasm during my course My sincere thanks go to all my colleagues and my students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my friends who were willing to help me during the course In particular, I find myself indebted to my family especially my husband and my son for their love, care and tolerance when I was in the process of writing this thesis iii ABSTRACT This thesis was carried out to investigate the use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills for the first year English major students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University Survey questionnaires for teachers and students were employed to find answers to these three questions The findings of the research revealed that pair work and group work were frequently applied in English speaking class with two main activities that students have to master are discussion and role-play The use of pair work and group work activities are also beneficial for both teachers and learners However, there were some problems such as students low proficiency and their passive way of learning styles, which prevent them from taking part in pair work and group work activities Teachers lack time and have to deal with large and multi-level classes in unqualified conditions hindering them a lot in implementing pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking By analyzing and comparing the results of students’ and teachers’ response to questionnaire about pair work and group work activities, the author attempts to shed some light on the effectiveness of these activities and how to best implement them iv TABLE OF CONTENT PART 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Aims of the study Scope of the study Research questions Methods of the study Design of the study PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Communicative Language Teaching 1.1.1 Traditional methods of second language teaching 1.1.2 Communicative language teaching methods 1.2 The communicative learning process 1.3 Pair work and group work 1.3.1 Definition and description 1.3.2 Common pair work and group work oral activities 11 1.3.2.1 Role – play 11 1.3.2.2 Information gap activity 12 1.3.2.3 Problem solving 12 1.3.2.4 Communication games 13 1.3.2.5 Discussion 13 1.3.3 Advantages and disadvantages of using pair work and group work 13 activities 1.3.3.1 Advantages of using pair work and group work activities 13 1.3.3.2 Disadvantages of using pair work and group work activities 15 CHAPTER 2: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY 2.1 Design and Methodology 17 2.1.1 The setting of the study 17 2.1.2 Data collection instrument 18 2.1.3 The Participants 19 v 2.1.3.1 The students 19 2.1.3.2 The teachers 19 2.2 Presentation and discussion of the results 19 2.2.1 Students’ survey 19 2.2.1.1 Students’ opinions about speaking skills 19 2.2.1.2 Students’ judgments about the use of pair work and group work activities 21 in English speaking class at FFL – TNU 2.2.1.3 Students’ difficulties when working in pairs/ groups 24 2.2.1.4 Students’ desires to learn English speaking skills 25 2.2.2.Teachers’ survey 27 2.2.2.1 Teachers’ opinions on teaching English speaking skills 27 2.2.2.2 Teachers’ opinions about the use of pair work and group work activities 28 to teach English speaking skills 2.2.2.3 Teachers’ current teaching methods of using pair work and group work 31 activity in using pair work and group work activities in English speaking class 2.2.2.4 Teachers’ difficulties in using pair work and group work activities to 34 teach English speaking skills 2.2.2.5 Teachers’ solutions to overcome difficulties in using pair work and 36 group work activities CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Findings 37 3.1.1 How pair work and group work activities are used at FFL, TNU 37 3.1.2 Difficulties in applying pair work and group work activities 39 3.1.2.1 Students’ difficulties 39 3.1.2.2 Teachers’ difficulties 40 3.1.2.3 Classroom conditions’ difficulties 40 3.2 Recommendations 41 PART 3: CONCLUSION Summary of the study 43 Limitations of the study 44 Recommendations for further research 44 vi REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX I APPENDIX IV vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FFL, TNU: Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University CLT: Communicative Language Teaching TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TEFL: Teaching English as Foreign Language TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language LIST OF TABLES Table 1:Students’opinions about speaking skills Table 2: Students’ judgments about how they like to practise speaking in English speaking class at FFL – TNU Table 3: Students’ judgments about the frequency of their teachers to organize pair work and group work activities in an English speaking class Table 4: Students’ judgments about their participation in pair and group work activities in an English speaking class Table 5: Students’ judgments about the benefits of pair work and group work activities to their speaking skills Table 6: Students’ difficulties when working in pairs/ groups Table 7: Students’ desires to learn English speaking skills via pair work and group work Table 8: Teachers’ opinions about English speaking skills Table 9: Teachers’ opinions about the use of pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking skills Table 10: Teachers’ current teaching methods of using pair work and group work activities in English speaking class Table 11: Teachers’ difficulties in using pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking skills Table 12: Teachers’ solutions to overcome difficulties in using pair work and group work activities PART I: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the rationale, aims, scope, research questions, research methods and design of the study Rationale of the study “Better English, more opportunities” has become a target of most university students in recent years English is a useful means they need for their future career since it equips them with linguistic, social and cultural knowledge and provides them with access to the modern world in the era of informatics and technology It is used as the official language in many powerful and developed countries Additionally, it is also considered as the means of communication in a number of aspects such as business, education, science, and so on Therefore, English teaching and learning play an important role in social developing policies in a large number of countries throughout the world In Vietnam, English has been used widely, and becomes the most popular language in the country Because of our country’s regional and global participation in every aspect, the demand for English speaking people has increased English is also a compulsory subject to be taught and learned at schools and universities With a strategic view to the future, teaching and learning English in recent years are changing There have been several international organizations and projects and teachers who attended TESOL, TEFL, or TESL courses with efforts to introduce and apply new approaches, methodology and techniques to their teaching of English nationwide Methodologically, the methods of English teaching have shifted from traditional grammar translation approach to communicative approach New syllabi, new textbooks which focus on communicativeoriented and learner-centered have been designed Therefore, according to the National Foreign Language Project 2020, teachers of English have to improve their capability of communicating successfully in English Not to be the exception to the trend, teaching English at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University (FFL, TNU) is also the strategic duty of all teachers and students Although communicative language teaching is the aim to approach, the process to achieve is quite difficult As a teacher of English at the FFL, TNU, I would like to help my students to master the language and have an ability to communicate confidently in English However, 38 In conclusion, pair work and group work activities are of the great use in developing speaking skills for the first year English major students at the FFL – TNU Both teachers and students are well aware of the importance of it and always find suitable ways for effective application continuously However, there still exist difficulties that hinder the teachers and students in using pair work and group work activities in the speaking class 3.1.2 Difficulties in applying pair work and group work activities Although the benefits and achievements in the use of pair work and group work activities cannot deniable, still the teachers and the first-year English major students encounter many obstacles preventing from facilitating pair and group work activities 3.1.2.1 Students’ difficulties The first to obstacle to challenge the success of applying pair work and group work activities in teaching and learning speaking skills is students’ passive learning style There are still a lot students coming to class expecting teachers to explain everything Their duty is attend class with enough hours to take the exams, listen to the teacher’s explanation, fulfill the tasks at their level and pass the final exams They are not autonomous in brainstorming, discovering the problems and asking teachers Making question ability of the students is actually problematic Consequently, they may resist participating in pair and group work activities in common and in speaking class in particular Another difficulty with students is their low English proficiency In fact, it is not new information; it is the constant drawback of learning and teaching Objectively, the level of students when they passed the entrance examination to be students at FFL – TNU is not high They are freshmen, they are still familiar with the learning and teaching styles at high school, so it takes time for them to get acquaintance to a new methodology of learning and teaching English in a brand new environment Some of them have serious problems of low English proficiency They cannot speak, listen, read and write in English well enough to work independently This may cause the feeling of not to be confident to communicate Therefore, teachers sometimes have to spend time reviewing the basic knowledge This problem is so challenging because of the limitation of time spent in class 39 Additionally, students of higher proficiency tend not to pay attention to what they have already known Last but not least is the use of mother tongue in pair and group work activities It is normal that, when working independently, every group tend to use mother tongue to share information or even chatting about interesting topics that are irrelevant to the themes of the lessons Sometimes, the students cannot express their ideas successfully; they automatically speak Vietnamese in order to make sure that everybody understands what they say The frequency of using mother tongue while working in pairs or groups of the first year English major students happens when:  Students are asked to perform a difficult or unfamiliar task that beyond their English capacity  Students are asked to follow unclear instructions or given objectives  Students fear of making mistakes 3.1.2.2 Teachers’ difficulties Teachers at FFL – TNU are mainly young and their ages range from 24 to 36 years old; therefore, lack of experience is inevitable Besides, over half of the teachers continue to improve their teaching methodology at the same time with teaching a heavy syllabus Each teacher have to work at least 15 periods a week and many other responsibilities such as teaching other kinds of class at weekend and in the evening, designing the curriculum and examinations, marking tests and assignments along with improving professional training It causes them lack time to make pair work and group work activities more successful in the speaking class of the first year English major students 3.1.2.3 Classroom conditions’ difficulties The big size class is such a major problem At FFL –TNU, most classes of the 1st year students have 40 – 45 students It is hard to teach and learn foreign language in such a classroom conditions In large class, students seem to get out of control easily They made a lot of noise whenever they have chance Pair and group work take time to organize of course The class is getting easy to be chaotic Another difficulty that classroom conditions may cause is multi-level classes It is considered as an important factor hindering the application of pair work and group work 40 activity in the speaking class of 1st year English major students In a small group, it is hard for students to collaborate if someone is passive when others dominate Besides, students of higher English proficiency may get reluctant to work with students of lower English proficiency They want to be paid attention by others or teachers rather than working with those who feel hard to communicate Last but not least, the lack of leaning and teaching facilities at the FFL – TNU is another difficulty in implementing pair work and group work activities Because of newly established, the faculty still have to rent classrooms for students So, classroom changing happens frequently Teachers always have to bring their own computers to serve for teaching 3.2 Recommendations Although the use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills for the first year English major students has comparative improvements, it faces difficulties However, it is feasible to enhance the situation if teachers and students take into consideration For students, it is necessary to enhance their proficiency of English competence Teachers should design suitable curriculum to provide more time for students to improve their vocabulary and language patterns because they are their major problems There should be supplementary materials for students to deal with vocabulary and structures of communicative English Each student should spend more time to find out the effective learning methods to apply Success or failure will, in the end, be determined by what they themselves make every effort Each class has learning counselor, so they can call for advice at any time they would like to or if they have problems in learning Besides taking part in actively in learning process in class, it is recommended that they should attend other activities outside classrooms in order to be confident and active FFL – TNU has a very effective and useful Community English Club (CEC) where students can play, study and share precious learning experience It is one way to make friends in an educational and language learning environment For the teachers, experience is only achieved by doing over and over again Lack of experience in conducting pair work and group work activities in teaching speaking for the 1st year students can be improved by implementing more and more frequently By this way, 41 teachers can withdraw lessons and experience for themselves Moreover, teachers should keep studying to improve their teaching methodology to meet the demands of students today For the administrators of the faculty, needless to say, it is the responsibilities of the board of management to enhance the problems caused by classroom facilities Although it takes time and a large budget to equip the classrooms with qualified educational facilities, it is worth to invest because it is the long-term and sustainable investment To say in short, instead of waiting for changes to come, teachers and 1st year students at FFL – TNU should attempt to overcome obstacles If they really want to change the situations, they will finally get the success as a famous saying of a Chinese author says that there is not a certain path on earth; actually, people walk over and over again to create paths 42 PART 3: CONCLUSION The chapter will provide the summary of the study and also discuss the limitations as well as suggestions for further research Summary of the study This study was carried out at the Faculty of Foreign Languages among 100 st year English major students and 10 teachers of English With the use of instruments such as two questionnaires, and interviews for both students and teachers at FFL - TNU, the researcher has found out the answers to her three research questions as mentioned in part I Introduction In terms of how pair work and group work activities were used at FFL – TNU, both teachers and students affirm that pair work and group work activities are frequently applied in English speaking class with two main activities that students have to master are discussion and role-play The use of pair work and group work activities are also beneficial because students can learn a lot from their partners and other group members They can be more independent and learn how to cooperate with others in pairs or groups For teachers, pair work and group work help them comprehend new teaching methodology approach which is common today It frees them from talking most of the time and change the status of teaching and learning into learner-centered learning However, difficulties happen as an inevitable situation Students low proficiency and their passive way of learning styles prevent them from taking part in pair work and group work activities Teachers lack time and have to deal with large and multi-level classes in unqualified conditions hindering them a lot in implementing pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking Recommendations are made to improve the situation in order to let pair work and group work activities be applied more frequently and successfully Students should find their own suitable learning styles to make their English proficiency higher They should also take part in other learning activities outside classrooms to create their own opportunities to practise speaking English in a language learning environment Teachers should pay more attention to enhance teaching methodology in order to conduct various 43 pair work and group work activities more effectively It is not only a chance to accumulate experience but also to improve teaching methodology Limitations of the study Because of the limitation of time, this study has some limitations It only investigated the current situation of using pair work and group work activities at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University The respondents of the study were limited to the first - year English major students, so their opinions about using pair work and group work activities could not be considered as representatives of all students learning English as a foreign language in general and all non- major students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University Recommendations for further research This study can not cover everything in its field of study Many untouched issues will be interesting topics for further research such as:  Strategies for managing pair work and group work activities in communicative English classes  Strategies to involve students in pair work and group work activities  How to increase the benefits of pair work and group work activities 44 REFERENCES Berns M (1984), Group Work Management, London Brown H D (1994) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagory London: Prentice Hall Regents Brumfit C (1984), Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching, Cambridge: CUP Byrne D (1983), Teaching Oral English, London: Longman Norman, D., Levihn, U., Hedenquist, J.A (1986), Communicative Ideas: An Approach with Classroom Activities Language Teaching Publications Underhill, N (1987), Testing Spoken Language: A Handbook of Oral Testing Techniques, Cambridge University Press Doff A (1988), Teaching English: A Training Course for Teachers, Cambridge University Press Harmer J (1991), The Practice of English Language Teaching, Longman Ur, P (1996), A Course in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press 10 Harmer J (1999), The Practice of ELT, Longman 11 Hylen K (1991), Managing Group Work, Guidelines, Vol 14 no 3, 28- 29 12 Hymes D (1972), On Communicative Competence Harmondsworth: Penguin 13 Jones L (2007), The Student- Centered Classroom Cambridge University Press 14 Larsen_ Freeman D M (1986), Techniques and Principles on Language Teaching, Oxford University Press 15 Littlewood W (1981), Communicative Language Teaching, Great Britain Cambridge University press 16 Liz & Soars J (2000), New Headway, Oxford University 17 Ngoh S G (1991), Small Group Work in the Classroom, Guidelines Vol.14 no.3, 22-27 18 Nunan D (1992), Research Methods in Language Learning, Cambridge University Press 19 Nunan D (1989), Desining Tasks for the Communicative Classroom, Great Britain: Cambridge University Press 20 Potter E & Spatt P (1995), Questionnaire Design, Dakin University 45 21 Richards J C and Rodgers T S (1986), Approaches to Methods in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press 22 Richards, J.C (2006), Communicative Language Teaching Today, Cambridge University Press 23 Taylor, L (2004), International Express, Oxford University Press 24 Willing K (1985) Learning Styles in Adult Migrant Education Adelaide: National Curriculum Resource Centre 25 Widdowson, H G (1978), Teaching Language As Communication, Oxford University Press I APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “The use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills for the first year English major students at Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University.” Your assistance in answering the questions in the survey is highly appreciated You can make sure that the data collected are only for the study purpose Thank you very much for your cooperation What you think about learning speaking skills when learning English? A very important B important C not important Why you have to learn English speaking skills? (You can tick more than one answer) A Learning Speaking skill is compulsory at my faculty B Speaking is important for my job in the future C I like speaking English D I want to master communicative English E I will be able to talk with English people when I have chance How you feel when you speak English? A very interested B interested C not interested How you find learning English speaking skills? A very difficult B difficult C easy D very easy How confident are when you speak English in an English class or outside? A very confident B confident C not confident II In which way you like to practise speaking in class? (Please put a tick to the appropriate column indicated how much you like the way the speaking activities are organized) Not at all Little Rather Much Very much A Individually B In pairs C In a small group D With your teacher How often your teachers organize pair work/ group work activities in an English speaking class? A Always B Often C Sometimes D Never What you often when working in pairs/ groups? A Speaking Vietnamese B Chatting with my partner/ other group members about other topics C Remaining silent and listening to other members talking most of the time D Participating enthusiastically In what way the pair/group work activities in the speaking class help you in doing the following? (Please put a tick in the appropriate column) Very A Speaking English more frequently B Feeling more confident when speaking English C Having more chance to express and exchange your ideas D Learning from partners/ from other group’s members working in pairs/groups when Rather Little Not at all III 10 Have you ever faced difficulties when working in pairs/ groups? A Yes, often B Yes, sometimes C Yes, but rarely D No, never 11 Which of the following causes your difficulties in learning speaking skills? A Your passive of learning B Your teacher’s low proficiency in the target language C Your partner’s low proficiency in the target language D Others (please specify): ……………………………………………………………… 12 What kind of students you want to collaborate with when working in pairs/ groups? A Students of the same age B Students of the same sex C Students of different sexes D Students of the same proficiency in the target language E Students of higher proficiency of the target language F Students having common interests G Students sitting next to you H Others (please specify): ………………………………………………………………… 13 What kinds of activities you want to work in pairs/ groups? A Role-play C Information gap B Discussion D Problem-solving E Games 14 What you want your teachers to to improve pair work and group work activities in English speaking classes? A Giving clear instructions B Providing vocabulary and language patterns in advance C Allowing their students to talk more than themselves D Not interrupting when their students make mistakes E Giving constructive, encouraging feedback and praise F Creating comfortable language atmosphere in English speaking class G Others (please specify): ………………………………………………………………… IV APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey is designed for my study on “The use of pair work and group work activities to develop speaking skills for the first-year English major students at Faculty of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University.” Your assistance in answering the questions is highly appreciated You can be sure that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data and data collected are only for the study purpose Thank you very much for your cooperation In your opinion, the role of speaking in teaching English is: A Very important B Important C Normal D Unimportant How much you like teaching speaking skills? A Very much B Rather C A Little D Not at all How you think the importance of pair work and group work activities? A It is very important C It has both advantages and disadvantages B It is quite good D It is of no use What are the benefits of pair work and group work activities? (You can choose more than one answer) A It gives students more chance to speak English B It improves students’ independence and cooperation C It encourages timid students to speak and express themselves D It enhances students’ pronunciation and intonation E Students can learn from each other F Students learn how to cooperate with each other G It warms up the atmosphere and motivates students to take part in the lesson H It decreases teachers’ speaking time I It frees the teachers from lecturing mainly J Others (please specify): ………………………………………………………………… What are the disadvantages of pair work and group work activities? (You can choose more than one answer) V A The noise and discipline problems may occur B Students may speak Vietnamese C It is impossible for me to correct all mistakes D It is time-consuming for me to choose appropriate tasks for students E Others (please specify): ………………………………………………………………… How you prepare to use pair work and group work activities? A Following exactly the task in the textbook B Designing the task by yourself C Cooperating with other colleagues to make a common syllabus D Others (Please specify): ………………………………………………………………… Which stage you often use to implement pair work and group work activities in an English speaking class? A Organizing pair work/ group work activities and explain the activities B Giving examples or demonstrations C Listening to the performance of pairs/ groups and making notes D Providing feedback E Others (please specify): ………………………………………………………………… How you group your students? A Students of the same age B Students of the same sex C Students of different sexes D Students of the same proficiency in the target language E Students of higher proficiency in the target language F Students having common interests G Students sitting next to each other H Let students choose their own group I Others (Please specify): ………………………………………………………………… What kinds of pair and group work activities you usually use? A Role-play D Games B Discussion E Problem-solving C Information gap VI 10 How you often to make your students interested in working in pairs/ groups? (You can choose more than one answer) A Choosing the tasks appropriate for students B Allowing the students to choose their own topics C Providing students with vocabulary or language patterns they need to the task D Allowing the students to group themselves E Giving clear instruction and model F Stating the focus of the activity G Setting the time limit to fulfill the task H Going around the class and monitoring pairs’/ groups’ performance I Giving constructive feedback J Encouraging and praising students K Doing nothing L Others (Please specify): ………………………………………………………………… 11 What you often when the students are working in pairs/ groups? (You can choose more than one answer) A Going around the class and giving help if necessary B Standing in front of the class and observing C Remaining at the teacher’s table and observing D Speaking as much as possible E Speaking when necessary F Staying close to student speaking the least G Staying close to student speaking the most H Interrupting and correcting when students make mistakes I Taking notes to give feedback J Other (Please specify): ………………………………………………………………… 12 How often you encounter difficulties in using pair work and group work activities in teaching English speaking? A Always B Often C Sometimes D Never 13 What are the difficulties that you have encountered in using pair and group work activities in teaching English speaking? A Lack of time to prepare for using pair and group work activities VII B Lack of facilities to implement communicative class C Lack of teaching experience in pair and group work activities D Multi-level classes E Low level English proficiency students F Large class to control G Students’ resistance to participate in the lesson H Students use Vietnamese when working in pairs/ groups I Students make noise most of the time J Students talk irrelevant topics K Others (Please specify):……………………………………………………………… 14 What you to overcome the difficulties? A Designing the speaking task appropriate for students B Trying to use different ways to use pair and group work activities C Using gestures, mimes, maps or pictures to save time D Giving strict discipline to manage the pair and group work implementation E Giving clear instructions to make sure that all students understand the activities F Providing students with all the tools and language they need to be able to complete the task G Others (Please specify): ………………………………………………………………… ... WORK AND GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY (NGHIÊN CỨU THỰC TRẠNG SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT... applying pair work and group work activities Although the benefits and achievements in the use of pair work and group work activities cannot deniable, still the teachers and the first- year English major. .. about the use of pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking skills Table 9: Teachers’ opinions about the use of pair work and group work activities to teach English speaking skills