An investigation into the use of role play for enhancing second year non english major students’ speaking performance at hanoi university of business and technology

VIETNAM NATIONALUNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -  - MAI THI ̣LỤA OANH AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF ROLE PLAY FOR ENHANCING THE SECOND YEAR NON- ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE AT HANOI UNIVERSITYOF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY (Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng đóng vai tình để nâng cao khả nói tiếng Anh sinh viên không chuyên năm thứ 2, trường Đại Học Kinh Doanh Công Nghệ Hà Nội) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Hanoi, 2013 VIETNAMNATIONALUNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -  - MAI THI ̣LỤA OANH AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF ROLE PLAY FOR ENHANCING THE SECOND YEAR NON- ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE AT HANOI UNIVERSITYOF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY (Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng đóng vai tình để nâng cao khả nói tiếng Anh sinh viên khơng chun năm thứ 2, trường Đại Học Kinh Doanh Công Nghệ Hà Nội) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Dr Do Tuan Minh Hanoi, 2013 DECLARATION I certify that the minor thesis titled “An investigation into the use of role- play for enhancing second year non- English major students’ speaking performance at Hanoi University of Business and Technology” is the result of my own work and that this thesis has not been published or submitted for a degree to any other universities or institutions Signature Mai Thị Lụa Oanh i ACKOWLEDGEMENTS To complete the thesis, I have received a great deal of support from many people First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Mr Đỗ Tuấn Minh for his scholarly knowledge, wholehearted supervision, insightful guidance and constructive critical feedback He has inspired and encouraged me during the steps of the thesis Also, my special thanks are sent to my colleagues who helped me with useful materials and classroom observations My great thanks also go to my beloved second-year students in two classes, KT1711 and KT1715, of Hanoi University of Business and Technology (HUBT) for their participation in as well as their strong support for the research with comments, classroom observation opportunities without which my work would have not been completed Last but not least, I would like to convey my wholehearted thanks to my family and all of my close friends for their encouragement and financial as well as spiritual support for me to fulfill this thesis Hanoi, September 2013 Mai Thị Lụa Oanh ii ABSTRACT Role play is one of the teaching techniques which has been widely accepted and used in English language classes for many years both in Vietnam and in many other countries in the world Because of the advantages of role play, the author of this study attempted to apply role play activities in teaching speaking to 60 second year non- English major students in hope that role play can solve some of the students‟ speaking problems such as passive learning behaviors, boring and quiet atmosphere, lack of motivation and confidence to speak, students‟ less speaking time, etc This action research is conducted in two classes of Accounting at Hanoi University of Business and Technology with the focus on the effectiveness of role play in enhancing students‟ speaking performance In this paper, the author uses three collection instruments: questionnaires, follow-up interviews with students and observation in each speaking lessons through the evaluation sheets The researcher first reviews some theories regarding speaking skill, role play, and then analyzes the participants‟ feedback and the teachers‟ observation on the effectiveness of role play The research shows that role play is an effective technique in changing the students‟ attitudes towards speaking skill, their learning behaviors in speaking lessons and enhancing the students‟ peaking performance iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale and statement of the problem for the study Aims of the study 3 Scope of the study 4 Research questions and hypothesis Method of the study Organization of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of speaking and teaching speaking 1.1.1 Definition and Nature of speaking 1.1.2 Successful speaking activity 1.1.3 Teaching speaking 1.1.4 Activities to promote speaking 1.2 Theoretical background of role play technique 1.2.1 Definition of role play 1.2.2 Types of role play and procedures in using role play 10 1.2.3 Benefits of role play in teaching speaking 12 1.2.4 The teacher’s roles in role play activities 12 1.2.5 The learners’ roles in role play activities 14 1.3 Review of previous studies 15 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 17 2.1 Background of the study 17 2.1.1 The teaching and learning context 17 2.1.2 The syllabus 17 2.1.3 The description of the teaching material 18 PART C: CONCLUSION 54 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS HUBT: Hanoi University of Business and Technology ESL/ EFL: English as a second or foreign language LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Students‟ learning habits in previous speaking Table 2: Students‟ knowledge about role play Table 3: Students‟ interest in learning if role play is applied in speaking lessons Table 4: Students‟ comments on the teacher‟s instructions for role play Table 5: Students‟ preference for choosing pairs or groups Table 6: Students‟ preference in being prepared for a role play Table 7: Results of students‟ speaking performance in cycle Table 8: Results of students‟ speaking performance in cycle v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Students‟ knowledge about role play Figure 2: Students‟ knowledge about what students in role plays Figure 3: Students‟ attitudes towards speaking lessons Figure 4: Students‟ attitudes towards the role plays applied in the speaking lessons Figure 5: Students‟ habit of waiting for their teacher‟s calling Figure 6: Students‟ speaking time in role plays Figure 7: Students‟ understanding of teacher‟s instruction for role plays Figure 8: Students‟ actions when they not understand the teacher‟s instructions Figure 9: Students‟ learning behaviors when being asked to role play Figure 10: Students‟ use of language in role plays Figure 11: Students‟ difficulties in role plays Figure 12: Students‟ comments on role plays organized by the teacher Figure 13: Students‟ comments on the effectiveness of role play Figure 14: Ways in which role play motivates students to speak Figure 15: Students‟ reflection on their speaking ability after role play is applied Figure 16: Students‟ improvement when role play is used in speaking lessons Figure 17: Students‟ expectations to use role play in the next speaking lessons Figure 18: The improvement in the students‟ speaking skill through role play activities vi PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale and statement of the problem for the study In the age of globalization in many aspects of daily life, English is assumed not only as a tool for international communication but also a powerful instrument to link people from many countries all over the world For this fact, the demand for teaching and learning English in non- native English speaking countries is increasing, and this is also not an except in Vietnam setting Of all the four English skills, speaking seems, according to O‟Malley and Pierce (1996), to be an important skill that a learner should acquire In addition, as stated by Burn and Joyce (1997), one of the aims of most language programs is to develop spoken language skills and learning a language means one can use it in communication in oral or written forms to express feelings, thoughts and experience in different contexts However, regarding the context of Vietnam, speaking is mostly considered to be a difficult one to master by many Vietnamese students From my own teaching experience and my class observation, many problems occur during the process of teaching and learning speaking skill among my students and other teachers at HUBT However, the researcher of this study only mentions the three most outstanding problems that frequently arise during the process of learning and teaching speaking skill These problems are investigated in terms of the students‟ low speaking ability, the students‟ low motivation in learning English, and the teacher‟s monotonous and inappropriate teaching techniques These problems seem to be closely connected and interrelated Regarding the problem of students‟ low speaking ability, this is indicated through the fact that students only use a few words and give short responses when they are asked in English Their overwhelming use of Vietnamese in English discussion is also a result of their low speaking ability This unsatisfactory proficiency of the students‟ speaking is mainly due to the students‟ low motivation, high anxiety, and their limited vocabulary and also because of teachers‟ inappropriate use of teaching techniques As a result, the students easily get bored and uninterested in learning this skill The reality also shows that when students are exposed to monotonous instructional activities, they not participate actively and efficiently This is specifically illustrated through the fact that students are unwilling to involve themselves in the assigned activities, and students not have equal opportunity to participate in speaking group work Besides, most of my students have wrong assumptions of working in pairs or groups in speaking lessons They mostly perceive that speaking lessons is only the procedure of putting class members into groups, then each one try to complete their task mainly individually and competitively Furthermore, many of them carry out the speaking tasks assigned by their teacher by writing down their ideas and passively wait for the teacher‟s calling for presentation As a result, many of them not have chances to practice the language required, and after the lessons they not remember anything related to the speaking tasks All of these factors lead to the bad result that a few weeks later and before the speaking test, they gain nothing about the language use in a specific situation and they cannot communicate in English in their real life if the real life situations require them to use Therefore, theoretically it is impossible for the students to learn English with low motivation to have good speaking ability if they are inactive during the instructional process Besides, the students with low motivation will be defensive to use their English in oral communication if monotonous classroom does not stimulate them to participate in classroom interaction In practice, whether or not the students‟ speaking ability improves is greatly influenced by the intensity and frequency of their participation in oral communication In short, it can be said that the root of the problems above is due to teachers‟ use of inappropriate teaching technique Hence, there needs to be an appropriate technique to overcome the students‟ low speaking ability It is the responsibility of teachers to find out effective techniques for presenting the teaching materials in order to stimulate the students‟ positive attitude towards the speaking class the question and wait for whether the teacher calls me for my idea I work with my peers and raise my voice when we finish our preparation I speak more when I work with my peers Does your teacher usually give clear instruction before you the role play? A Yes B No To what extent you understand teacher‟s instruction in role play activities? A Very much B Much C A little D Very little E Nothing at all What you when you not understand your teacher‟s instruction for role play? A I always ask my teacher B I not ask my teacher IV C I ask my peer to explain the instruction for me What you when your teacher asks you to role play in pairs or in groups? A Always join with interest B Only join when feeling interested C Only join when being selected by teacher 10 Which language you use in role play activities? A English only B More English than Vietnamese C More Vietnamese than English D Vietnamese only 11 How you like to be chosen to form a pair/ group for role- play activities? A At random B According to proximate seat positions C Of the same ability D Of mixed ability E Others (please specify) 12 Do you want your teacher prepare for a role play activity by ? (you can choose more than one) A Explaining the purpose of the activity B Providing you with background information on the topic C Pre- teaching necessary vocabulary and structures D Provide help in time E Others (please specify) V 13 What difficulties you have when taking part in role play activities? (you can choose more than one) A Shy and not confident when speaking in front of a crowd B Lack of appropriate vocabulary C Partners not cooperate D Others (specify): III Students’ opinions on the effects of using of role play activities in speaking lessons 14 How you think of the role play activities organized by your teacher? A Very interesting and effective B Interesting C Not very interesting D Not interesting at all 15 In your opinion, is the use of role play in speaking lessons effective to motivate students to speak? A Yes B No 16 If you choose YES to answer question15, why role plays motivate students to speak? (choose more than one option) A It makes speaking lessons more enjoyable B It lowers anxiety and develops your confidence C It creates more opportunities to speak English D It improves students‟ fluency E It promotes students‟ cooperation F It makes you feel close to the real situation in everyday life G Others (Please specify) VI 17 If you choose NO to answer the question 15, what you think are reasons? (please specify) 18 How you reflect your own speaking ability after using role play activities in teaching and learning English speaking? A It is much improved B It is improved a little C It is not improved at all 19 What aspect of your English speaking is improved when role plays are used in speaking lessons? A Role plays help to create motivation B Role plays help to improve accuracy C Role plays help to improve fluency D Role plays help to promote learners‟ cooperation E Others (please specify)…………………………………………………… 20 Do you expect your teacher to use role play activities in your speaking lessons in the future? A Yes B No Thank you for your cooperation! VII APPENDIX ROLE PLAY ACTIVITY EVALUATION FORM Role play No: ….Date Student‟ name: ………………………………… ………… I Students’ speaking ability (adapted from The frame of Harris’ oral English rating scale) 1= poor = average Scoring criteria = good Student =very good = excellent Student Pronunciation Grammar Vocabulary Fluency Comprehension Total score (25 points) Comments: VIII The frame of Harris’ oral English rating scale (from “Testing English as a second language” 1969) Criteria Rating Comments scores Has few traces of foreign accent Always intelligible, though one is conscious of definite accent Pronunciation problems necessitate concentrated listening and sometimes lead to PRONUNCIATION misunderstanding Very hard to understand because of 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 GRAMMAR Make frequent errors of grammar and word order which occasionally obscure Grammar and word order errors make comprehension difficult Must often rephrase sentences and/or restrict himself to basic patterns 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 VOCABULARY Sometimes uses inappropriate terms and must rephrases ideas because of lexical and equities IX Frequently uses the wrong words conversation somewhat limited because of inadequate vocabulary 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 FLUENCY Speed and fluency are rather strongly affected by language problem Usually hesitant, often farced into silence by language limitation Speech is so halting and fragmentary as to make conversation virtually impossible Appears to understand everything without difficulty COMPREHENSION Understand nearly everything at normal speed although occasionally repetition may be necessary Understand most of what is said at slower than normal speed without repetition Has great difficulty comprehend social conversation spoken slowly and with frequent repetition Can not be said to understand even simple conversation X APPENDIX LESSON PLANS Unit 1: CAREER Lesson 4: Speaking – CASE STUDY: FAST TRACK INC Plan maker: Mai Thi Lua Oanh I Class Description: Thirty second-year students of HUBT II Time: 210 minutes III Objectives: Skills: After the lesson, students (Ss) are supposed to be able to: - Speak, listen to teacher and partners, ask other students and take notes during the lesson - Cooperate to each other to discuss and make final decision in the discussion - Train decision- making skills and leadership skills by managing the meetings (especially the group leader) Language: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to - Use vocabulary items related to career topic which is introduced in the three previous lessons to listen to and talk about the topic: choosing the best candidate for the job of sales manager IV Teaching Aids: Textbook, white board, chalk, handouts, pictures, etc V Anticipated problems: - Students may lack vocabulary to talk about recruitment or choosing a candidate for a position Therefore, teacher should be ready to give Ss explanation and provide them some new words or phrases VI Teaching Method: Communicative Language Teaching VII Procedure Stages & time Teacher’s activities Students’ activities Warm- up -Raise the following questions for the class - Listen to the (5minutes) to brainstorm ideas: teacher‟s questions XI “What does a company when they need a & brainstorm ideas new employee for a vacant position?” “What is usually included in a job advertisement?” - Leads into the lesson Case study - Ask Ss to read silently to capture the basic - Ss work Part 1: information about the company and provide individually background brief information about the company and its - During that time, (20 minutes) current situation: some Ss are asked Company to fill in the table on Based in the board with the Areas of business information from Profit/loss? Reasons the background Job vacancy A new appointment Responsibilities of the position Ask Ss to exchange their answers with their friends sitting next to them - Ask S to read aloud the background and explain any new words or difficult expressions or pronunciation if necessary - Check the information on the board Part 2: - Ask students to read through the XII - Read the profiles Candidates’ candidates‟ profiles individually profile - Explain any new words or difficult Listen to teacher‟s (15 minutes) expressions and drill pronunciation if explanation of new necessary words and repeat the pronunciation Part 3: - Divide class into groups: groups of - Each student Grouping five, one group of four counts the number, (5 minutes) - Number each student in turn from to 6, remember his/her and then group all of the students with the and move to the same number into a team group with the same number - Select the team leader and secretary to take the minutes Part 4: Tasks - Ask S to read the task guide and ask - Work in groups (100 minutes) him/her to check their understanding of - Generate ideas what they are going to in the class and share with - Go around the class and offer help if partners/ necessary teammates - Listen to others and take notes if necessary Part 5: - Ask 3- groups to come to the platform to - Present Presentation present their role plays - Listen, take notes in front of the - Listen & take notes (comments) class - Ask other groups to listen and take notes (40minutes) - After they finish presenting, collect comments from other groups + give XIII feedback: point out both Ss strengths and weaknesses - Give them marks Part 6: - Summarize the main points - Speak and take Wrapping up - Ash Ss to draw lessons from discussion notes (15 minutes) - Give homework: Write a letter offering the successful candidate TEACHING PREPARATION Unit 2: SELLING ONLINE Lesson 4: Speaking – CASE STUDY: Lifetime Holidays Plan maker: Mai Thi Lua Oanh Read the background to get general information about the company Work in pairs to note down key information about the situation Prepare to present briefly the situation Role play – negotiating: information-gap activities - Work in pairs, one is the director from Lifetime Holidays; the other is the director from Direct Sun - sides meet and negotiate to reach the last agreement Presentation - to pairs present their negotiation in front of class - Other students listen and take notes - Teacher listens, take notes and gives comments TEACHING PREPARATION Unit 3: COMPANIES Lesson 4: Speaking – CASE STUDY: VALENTINO CHOCOLATES Read the background to get general information about the company Note down key information about the situation XIV Prepare to present briefly the situation Role play – presenting: presenting an investment plan with reasons for the choice - Work in groups of 4, one member is the leader - The leader introduces the reasons for the meeting, aims of the meeting, the agenda‟s items and asks other members for their opinions - The rest of the groups are members who discuss to give out the final investment plan and give reasons for their opinions - The leader summarizes the final options and ends the meeting Presentation - or groups present their discussions in front of class - Other students listen and take notes - Teacher listens, take notes and gives comments TEACHING PREPARATION Unit 4: GREAT IDEA Lesson 4: Speaking – CASE STUDY: FABTEK Read the background to get general information about the company Listen to the CD about the Protean‟s main features and fill in the blanks Read information about Azra‟s award winning products Read information about Gadget and criterias for presenting new products Role play – presenting: successful meetings - Work in groups of 4, one member is the leader - The leader introduces the reasons for the meeting, aims of the meeting, the agenda‟s items and asks other members for their opinions - The rest of the groups are members who discuss new ideas for their products basing on the seven given items - The leader summarizes the final options and chooses three best products to propose to Fabtek in order to get a licensing agreement - The leader ends the meeting appropriately XV Presentation - or groups present their discussions in front of class - Other students listen and take notes - Teacher listens, take notes and gives comments TEACHING PREPARATION Unit 5: STRESS Lesson 4: Speaking – CASE STUDY: GENOVA VENDING MACHINE Read the background to get general information about the company Summarize the situation Listen to the CD about the company‟s problems and fill in the blanks Role play – Participating in discussions - Work in groups of 5, one member is the leader - The leader introduces the reasons for the meeting, aims of the meeting, the agenda‟s items and asks other members for their opinions - The rest of the groups are members who discuss which problems are the most serious ones and give solutions to these problems - The leader summarizes the final options and chooses the most serious problems and agrees on the solutions - The leader ends the meeting appropriately Presentation - or groups present their discussions in front of class - Other students listen and take notes - Teacher listens, take notes and gives comments TEACHING PREPARATION Unit 6: ENTERTAINING Lesson 4: Speaking – CASE STUDY: ORGANISING A CONFERENCE Read the background to get general information about the company Summarize the situation XVI Listen to the CD about the planning of the conference and make notes about the venue‟s specifications for the conference Read the information about the four venues Role play – Participating in discussions - Work in groups of 5, one member is the leader - The leader introduces the reasons for the meeting, aims of the meeting, the agenda‟s items and asks other members for their opinions - The rest of the groups are members who discuss which of the four places will be the most suitable for the conference venue - The leader summarizes the final options and proposes the most suitable venue for the conference - The leader ends the meeting appropriately Presentation - or groups present their discussions in front of class - Other students listen and take notes - Teacher listens, take notes and gives comments XVII APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Pre interview questions: How did you learn in your previous speaking lessons? What did you after you had finished your preparation for the speaking tasks? Post interview questions: Do you like joining speaking lessons when role play is applied? Do you work with your partners when joining in role play? What you think about role play technique? Do you speak more in role play? How does your teacher give instructions for role play? What you if you not understand the instruction? How you like to be chosen to form a pair or a group for role play? Do you have any difficulties when joining in role play? How you think about the role plays organized by your teacher? How you think about your speaking ability after the use of role play? 10 Do you like to join in the next speaking lesson if role play is applied? XVIII ... titled ? ?An investigation into the use of role- play for enhancing second year non- English major students’ speaking performance at Hanoi University of Business and Technology? ?? is the result of my... investigation into the use of role- play for enhancing second year non- English major students’ speaking performance at Hanoi University of Business and Technology? ?? Aims of the study The study firstly...VIETNAMNATIONALUNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -  - MAI THI ̣LỤA OANH AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF ROLE PLAY FOR ENHANCING