Rationale of study
Writing is a vital form of communication that allows individuals to express their knowledge and feelings effectively Strong writing skills are essential for success in any profession, as they facilitate the exchange of information Mastering English writing enables you to convey clear messages and ideas, reaching a broader audience than verbal communication alone.
Writing skills are not innate or naturally acquired; they are developed through personal training and real-life practice Among the four English language skills, writing is often viewed as the most challenging Mastering the art of writing requires significant time investment, including memorizing rules and practicing various techniques It demands competencies such as grammar, dictation, and cohesion to effectively convey ideas and opinions Each writing piece necessitates careful drafting and revision.
According to Reid (1994), daily informal writing practice can significantly enhance students' writing skills, fostering greater confidence and ease in their writing However, Nunan argues that achieving fluency and accuracy in writing is often the most challenging macro skill for language learners.
1989) Learning to write well requires much consciousness, patience, knowledge and practice and this is normally a challenging issue for students
For Vietnamese students, mastering English writing poses significant challenges, hindering their international integration and job opportunities in foreign companies This struggle is evident in standardized English proficiency tests like IELTS and TOEFL IBT, where Vietnamese students consistently achieve the lowest scores in writing compared to their performance in speaking, listening, and reading.
Test/ Skill Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall
Vietnam average IELTS and TOEIC IBT test score in 2016
Vietnamese students perform reasonably well in writing compared to neighboring countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos; however, their average scores significantly lag behind those of more advanced economies like Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia This discrepancy is primarily due to higher education institutions' insufficient focus on training and organizing activities aimed at enhancing students' writing skills.
Many higher education institutions lack dedicated writing skills training programs for students, focusing primarily on content assessment rather than correcting grammatical errors in assignments Additionally, organizations like the Youth Union and Students' Union offer limited activities aimed at enhancing writing skills, including essential areas such as job application techniques and crafting effective employment histories.
Country/ Test Writing score IELTS TOELF IBT
Vietnam average IELTS and TOEIC IBT writing test score in 2016 against few other countries in the region
The influence of chat language, blogging, movies, comics, and music on students has led to an increase in spelling and grammatical errors, negatively impacting their English skills As Vietnam's economy grows and international integration expands, mastering English writing skills has become crucial This importance is reflected in the mandatory inclusion of English in the school curriculum from elementary levels Furthermore, English language training, particularly in basic writing skills, can be practiced anytime and anywhere—whether at home, at work, or while traveling.
The researcher’s experience at Pham Hong Thai School indicates that students struggle significantly with writing Informal interviews conducted during break times revealed that many students expressed difficulties in this area, often submitting first drafts as final versions Challenges include articulating their ideas and mastering essential writing skills, with some students remaining silent when prompted Observations and discussions with colleagues further confirmed that students frequently encounter obstacles in expressing their thoughts in writing, likely due to insufficient instruction in effective writing techniques and knowledge acquisition.
In today's era of global integration, the significance of English as a communication tool is growing, with more Vietnamese businesses entering the international market and multinational corporations investing in Vietnam Proficiency in English is crucial for the success of both individuals and companies, particularly in facilitating foreign transactions and collaboration among multinational firms Effective Business English writing skills are essential for daily communication, encompassing everything from emails to clients and reports, to professional interactions with international colleagues.
Mastering writing skills and structure is essential for presenting text accurately and professionally In today's globalized economy, honing English writing abilities is crucial for achieving success Proficiency in English serves as a vital tool for individuals aiming to advance their careers in the international marketplace.
In today's globalized world, it is essential for Vietnamese students to develop strong English writing skills The growing emphasis on English as a foreign language in Vietnam highlights this urgent need, particularly as evidenced by the national education system's foreign language project from 2008 to 2020, initiated by the Ministry of Education and Training This initiative aims to enhance foreign language proficiency to meet the human resource demands necessary for the country's industrialization and modernization Mastering English writing not only fulfills these educational goals but also significantly improves students' future career prospects.
Considering the need of the study in the situation of Pham Hong Thaischool, the researcher decided to conduct the research on the use of
The use of journalistic questions techniques can significantly enhance the writing skills of 11th-grade English as a Foreign Language (ELF) students This study aims to refine and implement these techniques to effectively train students, ultimately improving their writing abilities By incorporating journalistic questioning into the curriculum, educators can foster critical thinking and creativity in student writing.
Purposes of the study
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Journalistic questions technique in enhancing the writing accuracy and fluency of 11th grade EFL students in Vietnam Specifically, it investigates whether incorporating Journalistic questions activities into speaking lessons is beneficial for these learners The thesis will present findings that address this primary objective.
- Introduce the significance of writing skill and journalist questioning technique
- Investigate whether journalist questioning would promote the accuracy and fluency of writing content amongst EFL 11 th grader in the case study or not
- Propose recommendations on journalist questioning teaching in writing lesson at Pham Hong Thai school
From the outcomes of the research, the author hopes to identify recommendation strategies for teachers and a suggestion for future research concerning teaching writing English.
Research questions of the study
Based on the description above, the study seeks to answer to the following research questions:
Q1 How does journalistic questions technique increase the accuracy of writing content of EFL 11 th graders?
Q2 How does journalistic questions technique increase the fluency of writing content of EFL 11 th graders?
Scope of the study
This study focused on Pham Hong Thai EFL students in class 11A2 at Pham Hong Thai High School, where the teacher-researcher has worked for several years The researcher implemented an experimental method to explore the effectiveness of the Journalistic Questions technique in enhancing writing skills.
Due to budget and time constraints for a master’s thesis, this study focuses solely on analyzing the writing papers of a specific group of students Consequently, the conclusions drawn are limited to the data collected from this particular population, reflecting their writing performance exclusively.
Methods of the study
The research methodology of this research is experiment research with data obtained from only quantitative one using test results.
The organization of the study
The study consists of five main parts:
- The introduction presents the rationale, scope, research questions, the method of the study, and the structure of the study
The literature review section examines essential theoretical frameworks and analyzes relevant studies on writing skills, emphasizing their significance, the writing process, and effective teaching methods It also discusses the journalist questions technique and evaluates findings from previous research in the field.
- The study methodology part, then, introduces the research method including the research framework, instruments, data analysis, findings, and discussions
- Afterward, the findings and analysis section discuss the data obtained from the methodology discussed in the previous chapter
- Finally, the conclusion recapitulates the major findings of the study and represents further recommendations about the appropriateness of the implication of the journalist questioning on 11 th grader.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Writing skill
Writing is a crucial form of communication, especially in high school and college, where students often struggle to generate ideas and adhere to specific academic styles Regardless of your profession, strong writing skills are essential for effectively preserving, transmitting, and exchanging information While many associate writing primarily with journalists and authors, it is a vital skill for everyone Whether drafting reports, creating plans, or engaging in online blogging, the ability to write well is indispensable in any field.
The benefits of writing skills:
• Help your article in a more professional way
• Help readers easily understand the meaning of the article
• The way you write tells you who you are
• Good writing is also a way for people to quickly trust you
• Effective writing can convince and entice the action
• How do you write to help your friend attract others?
• Help the content of the layout of the article is clearer
• Help readers easily understand the meaning of the article
• Good writing gives you confidence and excitement when writing
• The way you write tells others about your knowledge and expertise
According to Flower and Hayes (Armana, 2011), writing is a cognitive process that encompasses four interactive components: the task, the environment, the writer’s long-term memory, and the composing processes The task environment includes factors such as the writing topic, audience, urgency, and previously produced text The writer’s long-term memory holds essential information like topic definitions, audience identities, and potential writing plans The writing processes consist of planning, translating, and reviewing; planning involves generating ideas and goals, translating is about articulating those ideas verbally, and reviewing focuses on evaluating and revising the content.
Writing is a complex, multifaceted activity that defies simple formulas (Fulwiler, 2002) As we contemplate a topic, we instinctively begin to select words and form sentences, essentially drafting our ideas (Kane, 2000) One significant purpose of writing is to create text, and having a model can aid in this process, whether for imitation or inspiration (Miles Myers in Chicaiza, 2009) Additionally, an introduction in academic writing serves to inform the reader about the issue at hand and the rationale for addressing it (Taylor, 2009) Ultimately, writing serves as a medium for conveying information to the audience.
Writing communities adhere to distinct punctuation and design rules in communications like letters, reports, and publicity, which often do not transfer between different communities or languages These variations are evident in how different languages handle punctuation for direct speech quotations and the use of commas versus full stops Understanding these differences is crucial for effective communication across diverse linguistic contexts.
Many writers and editors in English criticize the overuse of certain punctuation conventions Specific rules, such as capitalizing names, months, and the pronoun "I," are unique to a few languages While punctuation can often reflect personal style, disregarding established norms can make writing appear awkward to readers (Harmer, 2001:256).
According to Moore and Murray (2006:25), writing is not merely a result of thinking; it actively enhances the thinking process and generates new insights on the subject matter A common obstacle for academic writers is the misconception that they must meticulously plan and refine their ideas before starting to write, which can lead to feelings of blockage.
2.1.1 The importance of writing skill in language education
Writing is a crucial skill in learning English, allowing individuals to articulate their thoughts effectively It fosters communication between the writer and the readers, enabling the expression of ideas based on a specific topic Engaging in the writing process helps students clarify their thoughts and enhance their writing abilities, ultimately leading to more impactful written communication.
To effectively convey ideas through writing, junior high school students must develop strong writing skills This proficiency enables them to craft paragraphs and texts with specific purposes, ensuring they effectively communicate information to their readers.
Buehl (2009) emphasizes the importance of writing in daily communication, particularly for work-related emails and seminar essays, highlighting that proficiency in a foreign language is essential for students Writing in a foreign language can initially appear challenging, as it requires learners to generate their own language rather than simply process existing information However, integrating activities that focus on both "writing to learn" and "learning to write" can effectively support students in navigating the complexities of writing.
Buehl (2009) emphasizes that writing as a support skill enhances the practice of essential sub-skills through written mediums Engaging in narrative and descriptive writing not only reinforces newly acquired vocabulary but also solidifies various grammar concepts in diverse contexts, facilitating effective pre-writing preparation Implementing activities with written elements is beneficial, offering students a rich resource for the pre-writing phase As students transition to writing-focused tasks, they should be equipped to generate foundational content, setting the stage for critical, persuasive, or expository writing endeavors.
Writing as a primary skill can be enhanced by utilizing it as a supportive tool, allowing students to apply their existing writing techniques from their native language after engaging with the target language on specific topics Activities like creative writing and computer-mediated prompts can reduce anxiety while fostering authentic communication Emphasizing the recursive writing process and the goal of "learning to write" not only improves fluency in the foreign language but also raises awareness of students' overall writing abilities Continuous development of writing skills is crucial for all students, and the foreign language classroom serves as an important platform to highlight these communicative skills, ultimately boosting motivation and proficiency in the target language.
Writing is fundamentally a process rather than a final product, requiring writers to follow a systematic approach to achieve optimal results According to Oshima and Houge (1991:3), the writing process consists of four key stages: prewriting, planning, drafting, and revising Each of these stages is essential for guiding writers through the completion of their work effectively.
There are two steps in prewriting:
1 Choosing and narrowing the topic In this step, the writer should decide the topic which is going to tell Usually, it is kind of interesting topic of what they want to discuss After that, the writer should arrange or make specific details or narrow the topic in order to limit it into particular sides of the topic It is important to help the writers in developing the topic
2 Brainstorming In this step, the writers should generate or narrow the ideas to significant issues that will be written because the topic should be developed into specific problem too By doing brainstorming, the writer can think about the topic quickly, and then write if freely to looking for a specific focus or idea and finally they write important ideas in their paper b Planning (outlining)
At this stage, writers focus on creating an outline to effectively develop their ideas based on a list of relevant words For example, when addressing students' learning problems, supporting terms such as limited access to resources, laziness, and environmental factors should be organized into coherent groups for discussion Ultimately, this process culminates in crafting a clear topic sentence that encapsulates the chosen subject.
In writing, the writers develop the topic to be the sentences, paragraph or passage d Revising draft
Journalistic questions technique
2.2.1 The definition of the concept
Journalist Question technique is a technique that can help the students to explore their idea in writing to cover the content of the narrative text
Experts, including Gardner (2005), emphasize the importance of the journalist's questions known as the 5 Ws and an H—What, When, Where, Why, Who, and How These fundamental questions assist writers in identifying key aspects of their topics and enhancing their ideas By utilizing these inquiries, students can effectively draft their narratives: "What" helps them understand the story's content, "Why" reveals the reasons behind the events, "When" pinpoints the timing, "How" outlines the sequence of events, and "Where" identifies the setting Collectively, the 5W1H framework serves as a vital tool for comprehensive storytelling.
According to Preszler (2006:2) there are some steps of journalist question, they are:
Step 1: Teacher teaches students the 5 Ws and an H questions These questions will help them to expand their topic into a good paragraph This is one of important parts because if the students do not understand how to explain their topic, their paragraph or text will be unorganized
Steps 2: Practice applying the questions to group reading When first using the journalist question, allow students to work in pairs or groups Students will be easier to work together Moreover, it is their first time to write narrative texts, so they need much help
Step 3: Make sure students understand that not all questions will be answered in an article For example, some of the questions might be irrelevant to the topic For example, if the study topic focuses on weather trends of the past 10 years, the Who element will probably not be particularly important The teacher should explain that the question that is used should be related to the story If the questions do not make any parts of the story, the students do not need to use it
Step 4: Review student answer and findings In this step teacher checks the students work and correct it if there is any mistake or error
Step 5: Ask the students to write down their answer in the paper became paragraph
When tackling a problem, students should prioritize clarity and comprehensibility in their content The 5W-1H principle—who, what, when, where, why, and how—serves as an effective framework for presenting ideas, summarizing events, or initiating research on a topic.
- Next to this event, what else is happening? (What else)
- What is this book about?
- What is this lesson about?
- Why use ICT in teaching?
- What are the secondary questions of this problem?
- Where does this historical event occur?
- What other areas are involved in this?
- Where is this herb usually grown?
- What magazine is this article?
- Knowing where ICT is used in teaching?
- This presentation will be presented in groups or in front of the class
- This issue, has anyone researched before, when?
- When does this concept begin to appear?
- When do you need ICT in your unit?
- When will I present this presentation?
- What steps will be taken (graduation thesis, dissertation, essay, etc.)?
- Why do book authors choose this sort of arrangement?
- Why did not this experiment work out as expected? (Why not)
- Why do teachers have access to giaovien.net website?
- Why this revolt broke out? Why did it fail?
- Why did you study in a good school when you were young and still struggling economically now?
- How does this machine work?
- How much will this project cost? (How much)
- How are the events and characters in this novel connected?
- How many courtesies, weapons and people have been injured in this polite event? (How many)
- What is the style of the upcoming article?
- Who has studied this issue?
- Who is in charge of this project?
- What is the next presentation for?
- When I have difficulties in applying ICT, who will I ask?
- Who will benefit when this project is implemented? Who else? (Who else)
- Who is the author of the book is doing stir rumors?
- What is the policy of the government towards?
2.2.2 The Advantages of Journalists Question Strategy
There are several advantages of using journalists question strategy, they are:
• Asking questions can help transform a topic into a thesis by directing students to state an opinion or take a position
• Journalists question is one of the ways to generate ideas in writing
• Journalists question is not only useful for writing, what information what students’ need and exploring ideas but also can guide students to conduct a research
• Asking questions can help identify ideas and focus assignments such as narration and description
• This strategy is designed to help students to generate and focus on specific ideas while writing
Journalists can enhance their writing by employing a strategic questioning approach, which helps identify essential insights This adaptable questioning strategy can be applied across various topics and disciplines As learners work to clarify issues, it is crucial to encourage them to engage actively in this process.
• Put different types of questions in front of a problem,
• Ask the right questions in the right place, at the right time;
• Be encouraged to make personal comments,
• Judge or evaluate the matter;
• Actively explain the reason, argue, prove their point;
• And is able to provide compelling evidence of the problem
In fact, some researchers have done researches about improving writing skill by using journalist question technique They are as follow:
A study by Armilia Riza (2012) titled "Teaching by Combining Journalist Questions and Exit Slop Strategies for Eighth Grade of Junior High School" reveals that utilizing journalist questions significantly enhances students' writing skills The research indicates that employing the 5Ws and an H questions allows students to organize their thoughts more clearly, facilitating easier writing Consequently, the implementation of journalist question strategies proves effective in improving the paragraph writing abilities of eighth-grade junior high school students.
A study by Puspa Dewi Ayu Kurniyasari (2015) examined the effectiveness of the journalist question technique in enhancing eighth-grade students' writing skills in narrative texts at SMP N 19 Semarang during the 2014/2015 academic year The findings indicated that students taught using this technique demonstrated significantly improved writing abilities compared to those who were not exposed to the journalist question method.
A study by Zuriyanti NIM (2012) examined the impact of the journalists' question strategy on the narrative writing skills of second-year students at Man Kampar in Kampar Regency The findings revealed a significant improvement in students' writing abilities, as evidenced by the higher scores achieved in the post-test compared to the pre-test This indicates that students in the experimental group, who utilized the journalists' question strategy, demonstrated enhanced narrative writing performance.
This study is closely related to the research conducted by Bambang Dananto, titled “Improving the Students’ Writing Skill in News Item Text Using the Journalist Question Technique.” Dananto's research focused on evaluating the impact of the journalist question technique on the writing skills of tenth-grade students at SMA Negeri 1 Bojonegoro.
The research conducted was a classroom action study involving 32 students from class X-2 during the 2009-2010 academic year, most of whom faced challenges in writing The findings revealed that the journalists' question technique significantly enhanced students' writing abilities, fostered a more dynamic classroom environment, increased student participation, diminished teacher dominance, and provided greater opportunities for student writing Additionally, this approach encouraged teacher innovation and a deeper understanding of students' potential.
A study by Nguyen, Van, and Nguyet (2011) evaluated the effectiveness of EFL writing activities among sixty Vietnamese sophomores and three native English speakers The research utilized tests and interviews, revealing that activities such as trial publishing, teacher consultation, vocabulary sharing, and peer support significantly enhance students' writing abilities and test performance Despite the focus on student-centered learning, the study noted a lack of diverse activities, including journalist questioning, in the proposed list.
In her 2009 paper, Thuy highlighted the challenges of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing in Vietnam, emphasizing the need for improvements in curriculum design She proposed incorporating more journalistic questioning techniques into the teaching framework to enhance writing skills This approach aligns with broader research efforts focused on EFL education in Vietnam.
Research in Vietnam highlights the underutilization of journalist questioning techniques across various subjects, including English and Physics A 2006 study by Ha revealed that a significant percentage of teachers—62%, 59.5%, and 80%—viewed questioning in the classroom as unnecessary and expressed reluctance to adopt this strategy Additional studies, such as those by Chinh, Nhan, and Thien (2011) on physics instruction, and Loc (2005) on general teaching practices, further explore the potential benefits of this questioning approach in education.
2.2.3 Teaching Writing by Using Journalists Question Strategy
According to June Preszler (2006), the stages used in using journalists question strategy are:
• The teacher teaches students using 5 Ws and an H questions they; who, what, where, when, why, and how
• The teacher divides students into pairs or groups and they apply the questions to group readings based on the given topic by the teacher in the article or book
• The teacher tells students that not all the questions will be answered in the text
• The teacher asks students to review the answers and findings
• The teacher asks students to read the article and identify the 5 Ws and an
• The teacher asks students to write 20- words summaries based on the template.