GROUP WORK IN VIETNAMESE EFL CLASSROOMS: ENGLISHMAJORED STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS

  • Thi Minh Hanh Nguyen
  • Le Diem Trang Bui
Keywords: Group work, sociocultural theory, collaborative learning, Vietnamese EFL context, students’ perceptions

Abstract

Group work has widely been used to improve students’ communicative
competencies. Nevertheless, few studies have focused on how Vietnamese EFL students
perceive group work implementation. This study seeks to fill this gap. A questionnaire (n =
297) and semi-structured interviews (n=10) were used to gather data from English-majored
students at a university in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. The findings showed that
most students in this context considered group work an effective strategy in terms of
opportunities to enhance language skills, healthy interdependence, and emotional stability.
However, their participation in group work activities was still hindered by some negative
aspects including unfair contribution and disorder; the reduction of autonomy, and especially,
some constraining factors related to personal preferences for peers, teachers’ unclear
instructions, difficulty in maintaining group harmony, and concerns of losing face. The
findings suggest significant modifications for the successful implementation of group work
in Vietnamese EFL classrooms from the students’ perspectives.

điểm /   đánh giá
Published
2023-05-11