Việc sử dụng hoạt động đóng vai nhằm cải thiện kỹ năng nói cho học sinh khối lớp 6 tại một trường THCS ở quận nam từ liêm, hà nội

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************** TÔ THỊ HỒNG VÂN THE USE OF ROLE PLAY TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILL FOR STUDENTS AT GRADE IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM TU LIEM DIST., HANOI (Việc sử dụng hoạt động đóng vai nhằm cải thiện kỹ nói cho học sinh khối lớp trường THCS Quận Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi, 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************** TÔ THỊ HỒNG VÂN THE USE OF ROLE PLAY TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILL FOR STUDENTS AT GRADE IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM TU LIEM DIST., HANOI (Việc sử dụng hoạt động đóng vai nhằm cải thiện kỹ nói cho học sinh khối lớp trường THCS Quận Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Prof Nguyễn Hòa Hanoi, 2019 CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT I certify my authority of the minor thesis entitled “The use of role play to improve speaking skill for students at grade in a secondary school in Nam Tu Liem Dist., Hanoi” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Signature To Thi Hong Van i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research thesis would not have been completed without the support of my supervisor, my lecturers, my colleagues, my students and my family members First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Prof Nguyen Hoa whose expert guidance, vast knowledge of educational research and teaching experience greatly supported me during the time I carried out the thesis I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all my lecturers at the Department of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Their sincere support and considerations have enabled me to finish the course I would like to thank all the teachers and grade students at a secondary school in Nam Tu Liem Dist., for their support and cooperation in helping me complete this thesis Last but not least, my gratitude is extended to all members of my family for their love and encouragement during the time I carried out this study ii ABSTRACT In recent years, enhancing students’ oral communication is one of the fundamental goals of foreign language teaching Among different approaches to teaching and learning speaking, role play technique has received worldwide acceptance from researchers and educators for its many benefits to the learners In the reality, the teachers and grade students in a secondary school in Nam Tu Liem Dist., have met many problems in teaching and learning English speaking In an attempt to improve speaking skill for grade students, the researcher decided to carry out an action research with 40 students at class 6C, a secondary school in Nam Tu Liem Dist., in 12 weeks Questionnaire and tests (pre-test and post-test) were used to explore student’s attitudes towards role play activities and its effectiveness The results of the study revealed that students’ speaking skill had been improved remarkably by using role play Most of the students had positive attitudes toward using role play activities in speaking lessons The students enjoyed doing role play activities in front of the class They became more confident and actively involved in speaking lessons The findings of the study showed that role play is an effective teaching technique which should be widely applied in teaching and learning English not only for grade students but for students with different levels Key words: role play, grade students, improve speaking skill iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the research 1.2 Aims of the research .2 1.3 Research questions .2 1.4 Scope of the research 1.5 Method of the research 1.6 Significance of the research 1.7 Thesis organization .3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Overview of speaking skills 2.1.1 Definition of speaking 2.1.2 Parts of speaking 2.1.3 Teaching speaking 2.1.4 A successful speaking lesson in a classroom 2.1.5 Strategies to improve speaking skills .8 2.1.6 Assessment of speaking 2.2 Role play .9 2.2.1 Definition of role play 2.2.2 The importance of using role play 10 2.2.3 Classification of role play 10 2.2.4 The significance of role play in teaching speaking 11 2.3 Related studies in Asia and Vietnam 12 2.4 Summary .13 iv CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14 3.1 Setting of the study .14 3.2 Research design 14 3.3 Action research procedure 15 3.4 Action research procedures of the current study 16 3.4.1 Stage 1: Identifying the problem and planning 16 3.4.2 Stage 2: Action – implementing the plan .18 3.4.3 Stage 3: Observing the action 19 3.4.4 Stage 4: Reflecting the action 19 3.5 Participants 20 3.6 Data collection method .20 3.6.1 Observation 20 3.6.2 Questionnaire and semi-structured interview 20 3.6.3 Pre-test and post-test 22 3.7 Data analysis .22 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 23 4.1 Preliminary investigation 23 4.2 Pre-test results .26 4.3 Findings of the study 29 4.3.1 Findings on the students’ speaking performance 29 4.3.2 Findings on the students’ self-confidence 30 4.3.3 Data analysis and findings from the students’ questionnaire 30 4.4 The tests .33 4.5 Discussion 35 4.6 Summary .35 CHAPTER : CONCLUSIONS 36 5.1 Conclusion 36 5.2 Pedagogical implications 37 5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further studies 38 v REFERENCES 39 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS I PHỤ LỤC 1: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT CHO HỌC SINH III APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS V PHỤ LỤC 2: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT CHO HỌC SINH VII APPENDIX 3: THE QUESTIONS OF PRE-TEST IX APPENDIX 4: THE QUESTIONS OF POST-TEST X APPENDIX 5: THE FRAME OF HARRIS’S ORAL ENGLISH RATING SCALE XI vi LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards speaking skill and role of learning speaking skill 23 Chart 1: Students’ self-assessment towards their speaking competence level 24 Table 2: Students’ attitudes toward speaking materials 24 Table 3: Students’ difficulties in learning English speaking 25 Table 4: Teachers’ techniques to encourage students to speak and improve their English speaking skill 25 Table 5: Pre-test result 26 Table 6: Results of students’ speaking performance in pre-test 27 Table 7: Results of students’ speaking performance in cycle 29 Table 8: Results from survey questionnaire for students 31 Table 9: Results of tests 34 Chart 2: The improvement in the students’ speaking skill after using role play activities 34 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the research When the world has been developing day by day, there is an urge requirement arising which is the necessary to have a worldwide accepted language to communicate At that time, English has become a global language because it is spoken by lots of people in many countries In non-native English-speaking countries, students have to spend more time to learn English as a compulsory subject at school for student It is because people who speak English fluently can access the world knowledge conveniently This trend also applies in Vietnam Studying English requires learners to foster four skills, which are: listening, reading, writing, and speaking Generally, each skill holds equal role for learners but speaking seems the most important (Penny Ur, 1996) However, Heriansyah (2012) states that speaking foreign language fluently is the most difficult thing to complete because it requires more than proficiency in grammatical and semantic rules The author’s school as well as many other secondary schools in Vietnam has used the English curriculum regulated by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training The author has been teaching English for grade In particular, the textbook of this grade has 12 units whose topics are completely different from each other and suitable for the level of students Each unit has sections, which are: (i) reading, (ii) speaking, (iii) listening, (iv) writing and (v) language focus Time to teach and learn each section is 45 minutes; periods per week for all language skills Thus, students don’t have much time to practise speaking With students at grade in a secondary school in Nam Tu Liem Dist., speaking skill is very difficult for them Through the author’s observation, speaking ability of students is impacted by several reasons The first problem is that students feel afraid if they make mistakes Thus, many students are not self-assured to say something and join the classroom activity The second problem that students have to face with is that they not have a sufficient range of vocabulary As a result, they have difficulty in REFERENCES A & Joyce, H (1997) Focus on Speaking Macquire University Press, Sydney, pp 10 Arham R et al (2016) The use of role play to improve teaching speaking International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications Volume 6, Issue 3, March 2016 Bokja Cho (2007) Improving learners’ oral skills through two types of role play Brown, J D (1995) The Elements of Language Curriculum: A Systematic Approach to Program Development Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Bui Thi Minh Hong (2003) Teaching speaking skill at a Vietnamese University and Recommendation for using CMC Asian EFL Journal Bygate, M (1987) Speaking Oxford University Press, pp - Byrne, D (1986), Teaching Oral English, Longman Handbooks for English Teacher, Longman Group, Singapore Candace Matthews (1994) Speaking Solution: Interaction, Presentation, Listening, and Pronunciation Skills New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc, 1994, p.111 Chaney, A.L & Burke, T.L (1998) Teaching Oral Communication in Grades K -8, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, pp.13 Dan Maclsaac (1995) An introduction to Action Research [On-line] Available: http://physicsed.buffalostate.edu/danowner/actionrsch.html Gerald I Susman (1983) Action Research: A sociotechnical systems perspective Edited by G Morgan, Sage publications, London Page No.102 Ladousse, G.P (1997) Role Play New York: Oxford University Press, p.13 Harmer, Jeremy (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching: Fourth Edition, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited Harmer, Jeremy (2007) How to Teach English Harlow: Pearson Education Limited Harris, P.D (1969) Testing English as a second language, McGraw-Hill, USA Heaton, J.B (1990) Classroom Testing: Longman Keys to Language Teaching New York: Longman, p70-71 39 Ian Stephen Paul Nation, Gerald Ian Thomas (1988) Communication Activities, Victoria University of Wellington Jo Budden n.d., Role play, British Council, viewed 25 July 2018, https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/role-play> Kayi, H (2006) Teaching Speaking: Activities to Promote Pramela, Kris (2001) A role play activity with distance learners in an English classroom The Internet TESL Journal, Vol VII, No 7, July 2001 Larsen- Freeman, D (1986) Techniques & Principles in Language Teaching Oxford University Press, Oxford Le Dinh Mai Thao (2012) Applying role-play in increasing student’ interest in learning speaking to grade 11 students at Lai Vung high school Lewin, K (1946) Action research and minority problems J Soc Issues 2(4): 34–46 Littlewood, W (1994) Communicative Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 51 -57 Mach Buu Hien (2004) Improving speaking English skill of the grade 10 students at Thoai Ngoc Hau high school by using dialogs and role-play Matthews, Candace (1994) Speaking Solution: Interaction, Presentation, Listening, and Pronunciation Skills, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc, Nunan, D (2003) Practical English Language Teaching Mc Graw-Hill, New York, pp 48 Nunan D (1992) Research Methods in Language Learning, CUP, Cambridge Oxford Dictionary of Current English (2009), Oxford University Press, pp.414 Paul Procter (2001) Cambridge International Dictionary of English, Cambirdge University Press Penny Ur (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press.p.120 Rhodry Jones (1989) Speaking and Listening London: John Murray Publishers Ltd, p.14 Roger Gower, et-al (2005) Teaching Practice: A handbook for Teachers in Training Oxford: Macmillan Education, p 105 40 Speaking in a Second Language The Internet TESL Journal, Vol XII (11), retrieved on from ft_2filesljsrg/Articles/Kayi-TeachingSpealcing.html, pp 1-2 Suharsimi Arikunto (2009) Penelitian Tindakan Kelas Jakarta: Bumi Aksara, pp.21-23 Tran Thi Thuy (2013) Using role play activities to improve speaking skills in ESP for post clerk at PT & IT highland secondary school, Thai Nguyen 41 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey is designed to collect information about the real condition of the classroom problems in English teaching and learning process with students in a secondary school The obtained result will play an important role so that the researcher can design the appropriate action plan to solve the problems I am grateful for your cooperation in completing this questionnaire You can be certain that this is for research purpose only and that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Student name: Class: Please circle the appropriate answers for the following questions You may choose more than one option Which of these four English language skills you think the most difficult for you? A Listening C Reading B Speaking D Writing What is your opinion about learning English speaking at school? A Very important C Not very important B Important D Not important at all Are you willing to speak English in speaking classes? A Yes, very often B Yes, but sometime C No, I am not How good you think your speaking ability is? A Poor D Very good B Average E Excellent C Good I What you think of materials used for teaching and learning Speaking in your school? A Difficult C Interesting and stimulating B Difficult but interesting D Easy What are your difficulties in learning Speaking skill? A Low motivation B High anxiety and low self-confidence C Limited vocabulary and the influence of native language (Vietnamese) D Laziness E Others:… What does your teacher to encourage you to speak? A Suggest interesting topic for discussion B Give students some useful suggestions related to the topic C Let students choose topics themselves to discuss D Use other authentic materials (visual aids, stories, songs, video clips,…) E Involve students in the real English speaking situation F Give students marks for participation G Others:… Thank you for your co-operation! II PHỤ LỤC 1: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT CHO HỌC SINH Phiếu khảo sát thiết kế nhằm mục đích thu thập thơng tin thực trạng lớp học trình dạy học tiếng Anh học sinh trường THCS Kết thu quan trọng giúp nhà nghiên cứu soạn kế hoạch giảng dạy phù hợp để cải thiện vấn đề Tôi xin chân thành cảm ơn hợp tác em hoàn thành bảng hỏi Các em hoàn toàn yên tâm kết phục vụ mục đích nghiên cứu khơng mục đích khác Họ tên học sinh: Lớp: Hãy khoanh trịn câu trả lời thích hợp cho câu hỏi sau Em chọn nhiều lựa chọn Em thấy kỹ khó kỹ Tiếng Anh sau? C Đọc A Nghe B Nói D Viết Em nghĩ việc học kỹ nói Tiếng Anh trường? A Rất quan trọng C Không quan trọng B Quan trọng D Khơng quan trọng Em có sẵn sàng nói Tiếng Anh học kỹ nói? A Có, thường xun B Có, C Khơng Em nhận thấy khả nói tiếng Anh em mức độ nào? A Tồi D Rất tốt B Trung bình E Xuất sắc C Tốt Em nghĩ tài liệu sử dụng cho việc học nói trường em? A Khó C Thú vị tạo hứng thú học B Khó hay D Dễ III What are your difficulties in learning Speaking skill?/ Em gặp khó khăn học kỹ nói? A.Ít động lực B Hồi hộp, lo âu thiếu tự tin C Vốn từ hạn chế ảnh hưởng tiếng mẹ đẻ (tiếng Việt) D Lười biếng E Khác: Giáo viên làm để khuyến khích em nói Tiếng Anh? A Gợi ý chủ đề thú vị để thảo luận B Cung cấp cho học sinh số gợi ý hữu ích liên quan đến chủ đề C Cho học sinh tự chọn chủ đề thảo luận D Sử dụng tài liệu thực khác (phương tiện trực quan, truyện, hát, video clip, ) E Đưa học sinh vào tình thực tế F Cho điểm học sinh tham gia G Ý kiến khác: Cảm ơn hợp tác em! IV APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed and conducted to find out students’ attitudes towards applying or using role play activities in speaking lessons to develop speaking skills for students I am grateful for your co-operation in finishing this questionnaire Please be assured that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Student name: Class: Please circle the appropriate answer for the following questions You may choose more than one option What you think about role play activities? A I like them very much B I them because I have to C I hate them D I have no idea How you feel when role play activities are implemented in speaking classes? A Happy D Very interested B Bored and difficult E More enthusiastic C Interested How you feel when you act in role play activities? A Very embarrassed C Natural B Slightly embarrassed D Uneasy Do you think using role play activities in English speaking classes can help you improve your speaking skills? A Yes B No Please give some reasons if your answer in question is “Yes” A Role play activities make you feel relaxed and enjoyable V B Role play activities make you feel familiar to the real situations in everyday life C Role play activities help to improve your creativity and imagination D Role play activities help you be more confident E Role play activities give you opportunities to speak English F Your own idea:… How can you evaluate your improvement in speaking ability after using role play activities in speaking lesson? A Very much B A little C Not at all 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! VI PHỤ LỤC 2: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT CHO HỌC SINH Phiếu khảo sát thiết kế thực nhằm tìm hiểu thái độ học sinh việc sử dụng hoạt động đóng vai học nói để phát triển kỹ nói Tiếng Anh cho học sinh Tơi xin chân thành cảm ơn hợp tác em hoàn thành phiếu hỏi Các em yên tâm thông tin bảo mật Họ tên học sinh: Lớp: Hãy khoanh trịn câu trả lời thích hợp cho câu hỏi sau Em chọn nhiều lựa chọn Em nghĩ hoạt động đóng vai? A Em thích B Em thực em phải học C Em ghét hoạt động D Em khơng có ý kiến Em cảm thấy giáo viên sử dụng hoạt động đóng vai học nói Tiếng Anh? A Vui thích D Rất hứng thú B Nhàm chán khó E Có thêm động lực C Thú vị Em cảm thấy em thực hoạt động đóng vai? A Rất lúng túng C Tự nhiên B Hơi lúng túng D Khơng dễ Em có nhận thấy sử dụng hoạt động đóng vai dạy nói Tiếng Anh cải thiện khả nói? A Có B Khơng Hãy đưa vài lý em trả lời “Có” câu A Hoạt động đóng vai giúp em cảm thấy thoải mái thú vị VII B Hoạt động đóng vai giúp em cảm thấy quen với tình thực tế đời sống hàng ngày C Đóng vai giúp em tăng sáng tạo liên tưởng D Đóng vai giúp em tự tin E Đóng vai tạo hội cho em nói tiếng Anh nhiều F Ý kiến khác: Em đánh giá tiến thân sau sử dụng đóng vai học kỹ nói? A Rất nhiều B Một chút C Khơng có Em có mong muốn giáo viên tiếp tục sử dụng đóng vai học kỹ nói? A Có B Khơng Cảm ơn hợp tác em! VIII APPENDIX 3: THE QUESTIONS OF PRE-TEST Create a dialogue based on the role card and perform in front of the class! You come to an English club You meet a new friend from Thailand You want to make friend with him So make a dialogue: - Greet B, introduce yourself - Ask B’name - Say your nationality and ask B’s nationality - Ask B where he lives and something about that place - You and B take part in club’s activities You are on the street You meet a foreigner B who asks you direction to the nearest bookshop Make a conversation: - Show B the directions that B want to go You move to a new school and have new friends You and your new friend B talk and compare the new and old schools (Use comparative adjectives: bigger, smaller, more beautiful, ) You and your friend talk about your friend’s hairstyle You think that it is out of date Meanwhile, in your friend’s opinion, it is cool Give some reasons to support your opinions You and your friend discuss about Harry Potter movie In your opinion, the book is more interesting than the movie While your friend thinks the movie is more interesting Give some reasons to support your opinion You are in a cloth shop You are interested in a red dress and you ask the shop assistant the information ( the price, the material, size, ) IX APPENDIX 4: THE QUESTIONS OF POST-TEST You and your friend discuss about using the internet In your friend’s opinion, it is very useful However, in your opinion, the internet is useless Give some reasons to support your opinion Imagine that your Australian friend comes to Hanoi for the first time You introduces him some interesting places in Hanoi You and your friend discuss about playing video games In your friend’s opinion, it is very interesting On the other side, you think that it wastes lots of time Give some reasons to support your opinion You and your friend are in canteen and discuss about Facebook In your opinion, facebook is very helpful Meanwhile, your friend thinks that there are no advantages on it Give some reasons to support your opinion You are Mrs Brown, the host A wants to rent a room Introduce A to your family (your husband and your son) Show A around the house (dinning room, kitchen, your room, your son’s room, bathroom) And inform A the rules of the house You and your friend talk about your dream house in the future X APPENDIX 5: THE FRAME OF HARRIS’S ORAL ENGLISH RATING SCALE No Criteria Pronunciation Grammar Vocabulary Rating Scores Description Has few traces of foreign language Always intelligible, thought one is conscious of a definite accent Pronunciation problem necessities concentrated listening and occasionally lead to misunderstanding Very hard to understand because of pronunciation problem, most frequently be asked to repeat Pronunciation problem to serve as to make speech virtually unintelligible Make few (if any) noticeable errors of grammar and word order Occasionally makes grammatical and or word orders errors that not, however obscure meaning Make frequent errors of grammar and word order, which occasionally obscure meaning Grammar and word order errors make comprehension difficult, must often rephrases sentence Errors in grammar and word order, so, severe as to make speech virtually unintelligible Use of vocabulary and idioms is virtually that of native speaker Sometimes uses inappropriate terms and must rephrases ideas because of lexical and equities Frequently uses the wrong words conversation somewhat limited because of inadequate vocabulary Misuse of words and very limited vocabulary makes comprehension quite difficult XI Fluency 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 farced into silence by language limitation Speech is so halting and fragmentary as to make conversation virtually impossible Appears to understand everything without difficulty Comprehensio n 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 XII ... AT GRADE IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM TU LIEM DIST., HANOI (Việc sử dụng hoạt động đóng vai nhằm cải thiện kỹ nói cho học sinh khối lớp trường THCS Quận Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field:... interviewed these students in Vietnamese: - Tại em không thích hoạt động đóng vai? (Why don’t you like role play activities?) - Em bị gốc Tiếng Anh nên e sợ học môn (I don’t have background knowledge... FOR STUDENTS I PHỤ LỤC 1: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT CHO HỌC SINH III APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS V PHỤ LỤC 2: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT CHO HỌC SINH VII APPENDIX 3: THE QUESTIONS OF