(Luận văn thạc sĩ) using role play to improve the first year non major students’ speaking skills at a university in hanoi

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Phan Thị Thu Huyền USING ROLE PLAY TO IMPROVE THE FIRST YEAR NON-MAJOR STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE HANOI, 2021 Luan van VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Phan Thị Thu Huyền USING ROLE PLAY TO IMPROVE THE FIRST YEAR NON-MAJOR STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI Field: English Language Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Đỗ Thị Thúy Vân, Ph.D HANOI, 2021 Luan van DECLARATION BY AUTHOR I declare that the study entitled “Using role play to improve the 1st year non-major students' speaking skills at a University in Hanoi” is created by my own findings and I am the sole author To the best of my knowledge, with the exception of the indication of reference, this is carried out without using any other author’s work and is submitted after a carefully checking progress in order to fulfill the requirements of the M.A degree Except where reference has been made in the text, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person The study reported in this thesis was approved by Graduate Academy of Social Sciences Author’s Signature Phan Thị Thu Huyền i Luan van ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS Although only one name appears as the author of this work, writing a thesis is indeed a collaborative effort I would like to express my sincere thanks to the many people who made it possible First and the foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Đỗ Thị Thúy Vân, Ph.D for all of her kind support to complete this research paper If it had not been for her guidance, as long as the consultation and comprehensive comments from her, I would have not Next, I would like to send my special thanks to Mr Đặng Nguyên Giang - Dean of the Department of Foreign Languages and the other staff at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences the Department of Foreign Languages, Graduate Academy of Social Sciences for affording me the honor of writing this thesis Additionally, I would like to convey my special thanks to the teachers and students of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering – Hanoi University of Industry whose kind participation and patient co-operation and encouragement have helped me much in this study They provided me with valuable data for the study so that I could have broader prospects of teaching and learning English speaking activities at Hanoi University of Industry in general and at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in particular Last but not least, millions of my sincere thanks go to my beloved family, who are always supportive and enthusiastic to me during the progress of making this ii Luan van TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION BY AUTHOR i ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS ii ABSTRACT vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF CHARTS viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the Study 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Scope of the Study 1.5 Significance of the Study 1.6 Research Methods 1.7 Structure of the Study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Speaking 2.1.1 Definitions of Speaking 2.1.2 Characteristics of speaking 10 2.1.3 Principles of Teaching Speaking 11 2.1.4 Teacher’s Roles in Teaching Speaking 12 2.1.5 Methods of Teaching Speaking 14 2.1.6 Activities to Improve Speaking Skills 16 2.2 Role Play 17 2.2.1 Definition of Role Play 17 2.2.2 Types of Role Play 19 2.2.3 The Steps for Role Play Activities 22 2.2.4 Significance of role play in teaching speaking skill 25 2.3 Review of the previous research works 26 2.4 Summary 27 iii Luan van CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Research Setting 28 3.2 Participants 29 3.3 Research Procedure 30 3.3.1 Conducting preliminary investigation 30 3.3.2 Planning the action 31 3.3.3 Implementing the action 33 3.3.4 Observing the action 33 3.3.5 Reflecting the action 34 3.4 Data Collection Instruments 34 3.4.1 Questionnaires 34 3.4.2 Observation 36 3.4.3 Interviews 36 3.5 Summary 37 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 38 4.1 Data Analysis from Questionnaires 38 4.1.1 Questionnaire for teacher 38 4.1.2 Questionnaires for students 48 4.2 Data Analysis from Observations 60 4.2.1 The First Observation 60 4.2.2 The Second Observation 62 4.2.3 Reflection of the Students’ Speaking Performance 64 4.3 Data Analysis from Interviews 65 4.3.1 Teachers’ interviews 65 4.3.2 Students’ Interviews 66 4.4 Discussion 67 4.5 Summary 70 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS 71 5.1 Recapitulation 71 5.2 Concluding Remarks 72 5.3 Implications 73 iv Luan van 5.4 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Studies 74 REFERENCES 76 APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS I APPENDIX 2: PRE-TASK QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS IV APPENDIX 3: POST-TASK QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS VI APPENDIX 4: ROLE PLAY ACTIVITY EVALUATION FORM VIII APPENDIX 5: LESSON PLANS XI Lesson Plan for Role Play Activity – Cycle XI Lesson Plan for Role Activity – Cycle XIV APPENDIX 6: INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS XIX v Luan van ABSTRACT This study is designed and carried out in the hope of exploring the method of using role play to develop English speaking skills for first year non-major students at universities in general and at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI) in particular Basing on the theoretical foundation about role play implementation, this study aims at investigating the real situation of teaching and learning speaking skill to the first year non-major students at HaUI including the quality and methods of teaching and learning speaking skills It also studied how the speaking skills of the first year non-major students at HaUI can be improved through using role play activities and examined the students’ attitudes toward role play activities application in teaching and learning English The study analized the effects of using role play and the difficulties of applying for teacher and students as well as suggesting some solutions to these problems In order to achieve the target survey questionnaires, observation and interviews were employed to collect the required information Based on the findings, some implications would be given for both the teachers and the students With all these information, this study is expected to be useful to both teachers and students in teaching and learning English speaking skills vi Luan van LIST OF TABLES Page Table Teachers’ techniques to encourage students to speak and improve their English speaking skills 44 Table Students’ knowledge about what students in role play 54 Table Students' interest in learning if role play is applied in speaking lessons 55 Table Results from Post -task questionnaire for students 56 Table Results of students ’ speaking performance in cycle 61 Table Results of students’ speaking performance in cycle 63 vii Luan van LIST OF CHARTS Page Chart Teacher's opinions about the role of speaking skill 39 Chart Teachers' opinions about students' attitude towards 40 learning speaking 40 Chart Assessment on students' speaking competence 41 Chart Teachers' difficulties in teaching speaking skill 42 Chart Teachers' opinions about the material 43 Chart Teachers' opinions about benefits of role play 46 Chart Teachers' opinions about difficulties of role play implementation 47 Chart Teachers' assessment on students' improvement 48 Chart Students' opinions about the role of speaking skill 49 Chart 10 Students' opinions of being afraid in front of the class 49 Chart 11 Students’ difficulties in learning speaking English 50 Chart 12 Students’ opinions about the role of speaking skill 51 Chart 13 Students' self-assessment towards speaking competence 52 Chart 14 Students' opinions about the material 53 Chart 15 Students' speaking Performance at Good Level (Cycles 1&2) 65 Chart 16 The improvement of students’ speaking skill under role play implementation 69 viii Luan van B Important D Not important at all How is your speaking ability? A Excellent D Not very good B Very good E Not good at all C Good What you think of the materials used for teaching and learning speaking to the first year non-major students at your university? A Difficult C Interesting and stimulating B Difficult but interesting D Easy Have you ever heard of role play? A Yes B No B Difficult but interesting D Easy According to your knowledge, what students in role play? A Students take up their roles and cooperate to prepare for the presentation B Students act as someone else and imagine themselves in a situation outside the classroom and use the language in the new context C Students take up their roles and work independently to prepare for their role D Students listen to the teacher most of the time 10 Are you interested in learning speaking if role play is applied in speaking lessons? A Yes B No Thank you for your co-operation V Luan van APPENDIX 3: POST-TASK QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS For the completion of my minor thesis entitled: “Using role play activities to improve speaking skills for the first year non-major students at a university in Hanoi”, this survey questionnaire is designed and conducted to find out students’ attitudes towards applying or using role play activities in speaking lessons to developing speaking skills for the students Please feel free to complete this questionnaire because your identification in any discussion of the data will not be mentioned Thank you very much for your cooperation Please circle the appropriate answers for the following questions How you like speaking lessons? A Very much B Much C Little D Very little E Not at all What is your level of impression on the role play activities implemented in speaking classes? A Attractive C Somehow useful B Interesting D A little bit impressed E No impression at all How you feel when you act in role play activities? A Very embarrassed C Natural B Slightly embarrassed D Uneasy What you think about your level of involvement in speaking class after experiencing role play activities? A Active C No participation at all B Little participation D Not determined What difficulties you face when involving in role play activities? A Being shy and unconfident when communicating B Lacking vocabulary C Using wrong structures and sentences VI Luan van D Having little cooperation from partners Do you think using role play activities in English speaking classes can help improve your speaking skills? A Yes B No What are the reasons that make role play more effective and exciting?(More than one option is acceptable) A Role play activities make you feel relaxed and enjoyable B Role play activities make you feel closed to the real situation in everyday life C Role play activities help to improve your creativity and imagination D Role play activities enhance your confidence E Role play activities give you opportunities to speak English F Your own ideas: In your opinion, what factors influence a role play class? A Topic C Partners D Teacher’s support B Atmosphere Others… How you remark on your own speaking ability after using role play activities in teaching and learning English speaking? A Excellent C Good B Very good D Bad E Other comment(s): 10 Do you expect your teacher to use role play activities in your English speaking classes in the future? A, Yes B No Thank you for your co-operation! VII Luan van APPENDIX 4: ROLE PLAY ACTIVITY EVALUATION FORM Role play No:………………………… Date: …………………………… Student’ name: … , ……2: ……………………………… 3: ………………………4:……………………………… I Students’ speaking ability (adapted from The frame of Harris' oral English rating scale) Poor: Average: Scoring Criteria Good: Student Very good: Excellent: Student Pronunciation Grammar Vocabulary Fluency Comprehensive Total score (25 points) Comments:……………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… VIII Luan van THE FRAME OF HARRIS’ ORAL ENGLISH RATING SCALE (FROM “TESTING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE” 1969) CRITERIA RATING COMMENTS Has few traces of foreign accent Always intelligible, though one is conscious of definite accent Pronunciation problems necessitate concentrated PRONUNCIATION and sometimes lead to understand because of misunderstanding GRAMMAR listening Very hard pronunciation problems Pronunciation problems so severe as to make speech virtually unintelligible Make few (if any) noticeable errors of grammar of word order Occasionally makes grammatical or wordorder errors which not obscure meaning Make frequent errors of grammar and word order which occasionally obscure Grammar to and word order errors make comprehension difficult Must often rephrase sentences and/or restrict himself to basic patterns VOCABULARY Errors in grammar and word order so severe as to make speech virtually unintelligible Use of vocabulary and idioms is virtually that of a native Sometimes uses inappropriate terms and must Rephrases ideas because of lexical and equities Frequently uses the wrong words conversation IX Luan van CRITERIA RATING COMMENTS somewhat limited because of inadequate vocabulary FLUENCY COMPREHENSIVE Misuse of words and very limited vocabulary make comprehension quite difficult Vocabulary limitation so extreme as to make conversation virtually impossible Speech as fluent and efforts less as that of native speaker Speed of speech seems to be slightly affected by language problem Speed and fluency are rather strongly affected by language problem Usually hesitant, often faced into silence by language limitation Speech is so halting and fragmentary as to make conversation virtually impossible Appear to understand everything without difficulty Understand nearly everything at normal speed although occasionally Understand most of what is said at slower than normal speed without repetition Has great difficulty comprehending, social conversation spoken slowly and with frequent repetition Cannot be said to understand even simple conversation X Luan van APPENDIX 5: LESSON PLANS Lesson Plan for Role Play Activity – Cycle 1 Topic: Things around you! Time: periods/150 minutes Overall objectives: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: - Identify familiar objects and tools - Talk about familiar objects and tools - Describe a workplace (workshop/office/room) Teaching content - Vocabulary: familiar objects and tools; numbers 11-101 - Grammar: the articles “a, an”, plural nouns, prepositions of place, expression to ask and answer about the objects/tools and their position “What can you see?” “Where is it” “There is/There are…” Procedures Teacher’s activities Stages Ss’ activities - Greet the T Warm up - Greetings (5 minutes) - Lesson introduction - Pay attention to T’s introduction - Ask Ss to watch a video clip and Presentation write down as many objects as they - Individual/ group work (Pre-speaking) can (10 minutes) - Group division: T divides the class the objects Watch and note down into groups (5-6 Ss/group) - Acquire the structures - Give Ss some useful speaking and related words XI Luan van structures by asking “What can you see?” “Where is it?” “Where are they?” - Give sample answers: “I can see a/an/… “It’s/They’re on/in/at…” - Introduce structures “There be ….” - Ask Ss to work in pairs, use expressions on the board to ask and answer questions of each other - Work in pairs and listen randomly choose a few pairs to speak out their conversation Practice (Speaking skill with role play activities) (25 minutes) to the T’s explanation - Get flash card, should - Deliver flash cards to each pairs (one is given detailed cues, the other is not look at each other’s cards given information to respond as necessary) and ask Ss not to look at each other’s cards - Teacher controls the activity - Ask Ss to the task as required and - Read their instructions give certain time limitation and work out what they - Move around the classroom and have to and what they monitor the activity to see the will say, strengths and weaknesses of the Ss conversation and note down communicative mistakes problems, XII Luan van keep the within and allowed time prepare - Practice their role play describing possible feedback someone’s - Ask Ss to act out alternately while room the action is observed - Give some comments Post-speaking (5 minutes) - Ask Ss to give sonic comments about about other students’ other students' performance performance - Give Ss feedback - Listen to the teacher’s feedback Wrap-up and homework Teacher (5 minutes) homework Materials Evaluation wraps up and gives - Handouts - Online software - Flash cards - Observation XIII Luan van - Participation Lesson Plan for Role Activity – Cycle Topic: Shopping Time: periods/150 minutes Overall objectives: - Buy and sell products when shopping - Described a shopping experience Teaching content: - Vocabulary: common items for daily needs and mechanical/technical tools at mechanical stores… - Grammar: + Quantifiers for countable and uncountable nouns: some, a few, a little, a roll/a bottle of … + Useful shopping expressions:  For customer: “I’d like …”, “Can/Could I have , please?”, “How much…?”…  For shop assistant: “Can I help you? /How can I help you?”;“Anything else?/What else?”… Procedure: Activities Warm up (5 minutes) T’s activities - Greetings - Greet the T - Lesson introduction - Pay attention to T’s introduction Presentation - Bingo Game: Ask Ss to look at (Pre-speaking) the pictures and write down the (10 minutes Ss’ activities name of the shops and shopping - Individual/ group work items in the pictures Then say Note down the shops and XIV Luan van BINGO when finishing items - Group division: T divides the - Acquire the structures class into groups (5-6 Ss/group) and related words - Set the situations - Give Ss some useful speaking structures by asking “Can I help you?/How can I help you?”;“Anything else?/What else?” Give sample answers: “I’d like …”, “Can/Could I have , please?”, “How much…?”… - Ask Ss to work in pairs, use expressions on the board to ask and answer questions of each - Work in pairs and other Practice - Ask Ss to work in pairs and listen (Speaking skill separate them into two main explanation with role play groups activities) assistant), imagine they are in a as customers and shop (25 minutes) PPE shop and For another group, assistants at the PPE (customer and to the T’s shop - Practice their role play imagine they are in a hardware shop and the Hardware store store - Ask a few pairs to speak out their conversation - Teacher controls the activity XV Luan van - Deliver role cards to each pairs (one is given detailed cues, the other is given information to respond as necessary) and ask Ss - Get role card, should not to look at each other’s cards - Ask Ss to the task as required not look at each other’s cards and give certain time limitation - Move around the classroom and monitor the activity to see the strengths and weaknesses of the Ss and note down mistakes and communicative problems, prepare - Read their instructions and work out what they have to and what they will say, keep conversation the within allowed time possible feedback - Ask Ss to act out alternately while the action is observed Post-speaking Teacher gives some comments and Students (5 minutes) note feedback to the activity and some remarkable things decides the winner about their activity Material Evaluation down - Handouts - Online software - Role cards - Observation XVI Luan van - Participation debate XVII Luan van XVIII Luan van APPENDIX 6: INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FOR TEACHERS Do you usually use role play activities in teaching English speaking skill? Why and Why not? Do you face any difficulties when using role play activities? What are they? How you solve the problems? FOR STUDENTS Do you like role play activities? Why and Why not? Are there any difficulties in using Role play in class? What are they? XIX Luan van ... first year non- major students at HaUI be improved through role play activities?” and “What are the first year non- major students’ attitudes toward using role play activities in teaching and learning... on the theoretical foundation about role play implementation, this study aims at investigating the real situation of teaching and learning speaking skill to the first year non- major students at. .. teaching and learning speaking skills at HaUI and to find out an effective solution that is using role play activities to improve the students’ speaking skills To investigate how speaking skills of the