A Study of the Factors Influencing Non-Major English Students' Willingness to Do Workgroup at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade

Abstract

When it comes to working together in the group, many students, especially non-major English ones always show their unmotivated expression on their faces and the unwillingness to join in. Nevertheless, group work has always been considered to be one of the most effective learning methods for both lecturers and students. Developing students’ awareness of the importance of collaborative learning is something that lecturers should do, especially for students in higher education since it will greatly affect their chances of being employed in the future since “Employers want college graduates to have developed teamwork skills” (Burke, 2011, p. 87). Study objectives were to determine what factors influence the willingness of non-major English students to work in groups. The study revealed that students feel hesitant to join group work activities due to the fairness of grading, the characteristics of each student in the group, the intimacy in the students' relationship, a fear of being judged by their peers, and a lack of guidance from their lecturers. Furthermore, the study highlighted the need for teachers to provide more guidance and assistance to their students in order to encourage them to participate in group work activities. And after all, the writer hopes that the findings of this article will give lecturers from different majors, not only language departments, more knowledge, more confidence, and more motivation to apply this method in their classrooms to improve both teaching and learning quality in education.