Using Cooperative Learning Techniques to Improve English Speaking Skills of the First-Year Students in Hanoi: An Action Research Project

Using Cooperative Learning Techniques to Improve English Speaking Skills of the First-Year Students in Hanoi: An Action Research Project

Nguyen Thi Hoai hoainguyenthi@hnue.edu.vn Hanoi National University of Education (Vietnam)
Summary: 
Cooperative learning has been widely applied in teaching English. The research concerns the use of cooperative learning techniques to improve the English-speaking skills of first-year students at a university in Hanoi. 31 English-major freshmen from this university were the study's participants. The design of the study was action research which lasted eight weeks. Three cooperative learning techniques, namely Think-Pair-Share, Read-Pair-Share, and Write-Pair-Share, were employed when teaching students two speaking task types which were answering questions of familiar topics and making decisions in daily situations. The study collected quantitative data from a pretest and a post-test and qualitative data from interviews. The findings revealed that the use of cooperative learning techniques helped improve students' speaking performance in both part one and part three of the Cambridge B1 Preliminary Speaking Examination, but the extent of performance differed in terms of students' levels and speaking skills components. It was also discovered that most participants had a positive attitude towards this intervention. It is suggested that cooperative learning techniques should be employed in teaching and learning English speaking.
Keywords: 
Cooperative learning
English speaking skills
B1-level English learners.
Refers: 

[1] Al-Tamimi, N. O. M., & Attamimi, R. A. (2014). Effectiveness of cooperative learning in enhancing speaking skills and attitudes towards learning English. International Journal of Linguistics, 6(4), 27-45. DOI: 10.5296/ijl.v6i4.6114.

[2] Arnab, R. (2017). Stratified Sampling. In R. Arnab (Ed.), Survey Sampling Theory and Applications (pp. 213– 256). Academic Press. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12- 811848-1.00007-8.

[3] Baker, J., & Westrup, H. (2003). Essential speaking skills. A&C Black.

[4] Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. SAGE.

[5] Brown H. D. & Lee H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed.). Pearson Education.

[6] Brown, H. D. (2004). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. Longman

[7] Burns, A. (1998). Teaching speaking. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, (18), 102–123. DOI: 10.1017/ S0267190500003500.

[8] Cahyani, F. (2018). The use of the Think-Pair-Share technique to improve students’ speaking performance. Research in English and Education Journal, 3(1), 76- 90.

[9] Chand, G. B. (2021). Challenges faced by bachelorlevel students while speaking English. IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics), 6(1), 45-60. DOI: 10.21093/ ijeltal.v6i1.853.

[10] Cohen, L., & Manion, L. (1994) Research Methods in Education (4th ed.). London: Routledge.

[11] Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Research Methods in Education (5th ed.). Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9780203224342.

[12] Goh C. C. M. & Burns A. (2012). Teaching speaking: A holistic approach. Cambridge University Press.

[13] Harris, D. P. (1969). Testing English as a second language. McGraw-Hill Book Co.

[14] Hayes, A. How stratified random sampling works, with examples. (2022). Investopedia. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/ stratified_random_sampling.asp

[15] Heriansyah, H. (2012). Speaking problems faced by the English department students of Syiah Kuala University. Lingua Didaktika: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Pembelajaran Bahasa, 6, 37-40. DOI: 10.24036/ ld.v6i1.7398

[16] Hong, Y., Chen, L.-G., Huang, J.-H., Tsai, Y.-Y., & Chang, T.-Y. (2022). The impact of cooperative learning method on the oral proficiency of learners of the training program for English tourist guides. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 866863. DOI: 10.3389/ fpsyg.2022.866863.

[17] Islam, W., Ahmad, S., & Islam, M. D. (2022). Investigating the problems faced by the university EFL learners in speaking the English language. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(2)47-65. DOI: 10.54855/ ijte.22223.

[18] Jain, V. (2014). 3D model of attitude. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://www.semanticscholar.org/ paper/3D-MODEL-OF-ATTITUDE-Jain/ eacc4246adf9ec72740f0b2dadff7c12f48e786c

[19] Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Holubec, E. J. (1984). Circles of learning: Cooperation in the classroom. Interaction Book Company.

[20] Kemmis, S. and McTaggart, R. (1988). The Action Research Planner. Deakin University Press.

[21] Macpherson, A. (2007). Cooperative learning group activities for college courses: A guide for instructors. Kwantlen University College.

[22] Muhria, L. (2021). Using cooperative learning modelsnowball throw to improve students English learning outcomes. ELT Echo: The Journal of English Language Teaching in Foreign Language Context, 6(2), 224–234. DOI: 10.24235/eltecho.v6i2.9226.

[23] Mustafa, H. (2019). Using peer mediation and cooperative learning techniques to promote active learning and assess student learning outcomes in computer engineering classes. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 2019.

[24] Mutlu, A. (2018). Comparison of two different techniques of cooperative learning approach: Undergraduates’ conceptual understanding in the context of hormone biochemistry. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 46(2), 114–120. DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21097.

[25] Namaziandost, E., Homayouni, M., & Rahmani, P. (2020). The impact of cooperative learning approach on the development of EFL learners’ speaking fluency. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 7(1), 1780811. DOI: 10.1080/23311983.2020.1780811.

[26] Nguyen, T. T., & Nguyen, T. M. L. (2020). Impact of cooperative Learning on speaking Competence of 10th-grade Students in Pho Yen high school. TNU Journal of Science and Technology, 225(12), 107-114.

[27] Nunan, D. (2003). Practical English language teaching. McGraw-Hill Education.

[28] Pham, T. N. (2020). Applying Kagan cooperative learning structures to improve 11th-grade students’ speaking skills at a high school in Thai Binh. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/ VNU_123/100320.

[29] Phan, H., & Do, T. M. L. (2021). Using the Think-PairShare strategy to support students in speaking lessons. Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 3(4), 1-8. DOI: 10.32996/ jeltal.2021.3.4.1

[30] Qian, J. (2010). Sampling. In P. Peterson, E. Baker, & B. McGaw (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Education (Third Edition) (pp. 390–395). Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-08-044894-7.01361-0.

[31] Raba, A. A. A. (2017). The influence of Think-Pair-Share (TPS) on improving students’ oral communication skills in EFL classrooms. Creative Education, 8(1), 12-23. DOI: 10.4236/ce.2017.81002.

[32] Renandya, W. A., Nguyen, T. T. M., & Jacobs, G. M. (2023). Learning to unlearn faulty beliefs and practices in English language teaching. Studies in English Language and Education, 10(1), 1-15. DOI: 10.24815/siele.v10i1.26009.

[33] Rides, S. (2017). The effects of cooperative learning teaching strategies on the speaking confidence and attitudes. ELT-Lectura, 4(2), 51-59. DOI: 10.31849/ elt-lectura.v4i2.2059.

[34] Riger, S., & Sigurvinsdottir, R. (2015). Thematic Analysis. In L. A. Jason & D. S. Glenwick (Eds.), Handbook of Methodological Approaches to Community-Based Research: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods 33-42. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/med:psych/9780190243654.003.0004

[35] Swaran Singh, C. (2020). The use of Think-PairShare of cooperative learning to improve weak students’ speaking ability. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24, 4008–4023. DOI: 10.37200/IJPR/V24I5/PR2020111.

[36] Tran, T. T. D. (2020). Application of Cooperative Learning strategies to improve speaking skills for non-English major students in a police training institution in Vietnam. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from http:// repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/108847.

[37] Van den Berg, H., Manstead, A., Van der Pligt, J., & Wigboldus, D. (2006). The impact of affective and cognitive focus on attitude formation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 373–379.

[38] Vanderkevent (1990). Teaching speaking and components of speaking. New York: Cambridge University Press.

[39] Vu, D. B., Ly, M. H., & Hoang, T. H. H. (2018). Using group-work activities to improve English speaking skills for the first-year English majors at Thai Nguyen University of Education. Journal of Science and Technology, 179(3), 97-102

Articles in Issue