The use ò role play activities in enhancing 11th graders’ motivation speaking at trieu son 2 high school

HONG DUC UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

GRADUATION THESIS

THE USE OF ROLE PLAY ACTIVITIES IN ENHANCING
11TH GRADERS’ MOTIVATION SPEAKING
AT TRIEU SON 2 HIGH SCHOOL

Student: Đỗ Thị Thúy Hoài
Class: K20A-FFL-HDU
Course: 2017-2021
Supervisor: M.A. Hoàng Thị Minh

Thanh Hoa, June 2021


i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
On completing this graduation thesis, foremost, I would like to show my
great gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Hoang Thi Minh, M.A., lecturer of Faculty
of Foreign Languages of Hong Duc University for her assistance in giving me
invaluable suggestions, corrections as well as instructive comments.
Secondly, I would like to express my deepest thanks to the Board of
Management, all the teachers and my friends in class K20A of the Faculty of
Foreign Languages of Hong Duc University. Without their helpful supports,
ideas, suggestions and encouragement I could not finish this paper.
I repeat my thanks to the teachers and students at Trieu Son 2 High school
where I did my teaching practice and survey questionnaire, observation and
interview, especially students of class.

Last but not least, I’m indebted to my family’s spiritual and financial support
a long with my friends’ encouragement during the process of doing this study.


ii

ABSTRACT
One of the main purposes of learning foreign languages, particularly
English, which has become the lingua franca in many parts of the world, is the
ability to communicate effectively with other users of the target language.
Teaching to communicate in real, everyday situations is very often neglected
and students have little chance to practice the ordinary language in class.
Therefore, teachers ought to provide learners with opportunities to improve their
speaking skills.
To realize this situation especially in speaking lesson and find some
solutions for this problem, an investigation on “The use of role play activities in
enhancing 11th graders’ motivation speaking at Trieu Son 2 High school” is
conducted by using the combination of methods such as document analysis,
survey questionnaire, interview, observation. The prime objective of this paper
is to investigate whether role-play activities contribute to developing students’
speaking skills in the English Language Teaching classroom. To achieve this
goal, some theoretical backgrounds of role-playing games motivation, and using
this game in improving speaking ability in speaking lessons in English as
Foreign Language class are studied to confirm the result found. Additionally,
both teachers and students support the idea of teaching and learning through
role-playing game which is quite effective in motivating students but its
application is not paid attention to. With the hope to diversify learning activities
to motivate students to learn better, the author of this paper consulted and
designed a few speaking lessons using role-playing games. This thesis consists
of three chapters: the first two sections on theoretical basic and the third one

focuses on implementing role-play activities in the classroom.


iii

TABLE CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... ii
TABLE CONTENTS ......................................................................................... iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATION ............................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLE OF FIGURES ...................................................................... vi
PART 1: INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1
1. Rationale............................................................................................................ 1
2. Aims of the study .............................................................................................. 2
3. Research questions ............................................................................................ 3
4. Methods of the study ......................................................................................... 3
5. Scope of the study ............................................................................................. 3
6. Design of the study ............................................................................................ 4
PART II: DEVELOPMENT .............................................................................. 5
CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .......................................... 5
1.1. Overview of motivation in language learning................................................ 5
1.1.1. Definition of motivation .............................................................................. 5
1.1.2. The importance of motivation in language learning ................................... 6
1.2. Speaking skill ................................................................................................. 7
1.2.1. Definition of speaking skill ......................................................................... 7
1.2.2. Principles for Teaching Speaking ............................................................... 8
1.2.3. The Components of Speaking Skill ............................................................ 9
1.2.4. A successful speaking lesson in classroom ................................................. 9
1.3. Overview of role play................................................................................... 10
1.3.1. Definition of role play ............................................................................... 10

1.3.2. Types of role-play .................................................................................... 13
1.3.3. Stages of a standard role-play ................................................................... 15
1.3.4. Significance of role play in teaching speaking ......................................... 16
1.3.5. Related previous study .............................................................................. 17


iv

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ................................................................... 18
2.1. Research hypothesis ..................................................................................... 18
2.2. Setting of the study....................................................................................... 18
2.3. Participants of the study ............................................................................... 18
2.4. Research instruments.................................................................................... 19
2.5. Procedures of data collection ....................................................................... 20
2.6. Data analysis procedures .............................................................................. 21
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ................................ 22
3.1. Data analysis and discussion from Phase 1 .................................................. 22
3.1.1. Data analysis from Phase 1 ....................................................................... 22
3.1.2. Discussion from Phase 1 ........................................................................... 26
3.2. Data analysis and discussion from Phase 2 .................................................. 27
3.2.1. Data analysis from students’ survey questionnaires ................................. 27
3.2.2. Data analysis from teachers’ questionnaires ............................................. 29
3.2.3. Data analysis from class observation ........................................................ 32
3.2.4. Discussion from Phase 2 .......................................................................... 33
PART III: CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 34
1. Major findings of the study ............................................................................. 34
2. Pedagogical implications ................................................................................ 35
3. Limitations and future research directions ...................................................... 37
REFERENCES .................................................................................................. 38
APPENDICES ................................................................................................... 42

APPENDIX 1: CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH ............... 42
APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONAIRES FOR TEACHERS ............... 44
APPENDIX 3: CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH ............... 45
APPENDIX 4: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES FOR TEACHERS ........... 47


v

LIST OF ABBREVIATION
CLT:

Communicative Language Teaching

EFL:

English as Foreign Language

Ts:

Teachers

Ss:

Students

ELT:

English Language Teaching

L2:

Second language


vi

LIST OF TABLE OF FIGURES
1. Tables
Table 3.2.1.1: The students’ attitudes toward the use of role-play activities in
improving their speaking skills ........................................................................... 27
Table 3.2.2.1: Teachers’ opinions towards the importance of role play activities
in speaking lessons .............................................................................................. 29
Table 3.2.2.2: Ways of motivating students to take part in role play activities .. 29
Table 3.2.2.3: Teachers’ preparation for role play activities .............................. 30
Table 3.2.2.4: Best time for teachers to implement role play activities in
speaking lessons .................................................................................................. 30
Table 3.2.2.5: Ways of organizing the class for role play activities in speaking
lessons ................................................................................................................. 31
Table 3.2.2.6: Kinds of correction techniques used in giving feedback on
students’ doing role-play activities ..................................................................... 31
Table 3.2.2.7: Teachers’ evaluation of students’ improvement in speaking ability
after using role play activities ............................................................................. 32
Table 3.2.2.8: Teachers’ expectation towards integrating role play activities in
speaking lessons .................................................................................................. 32
2. Figures
Figure 3.1.1.1: Teachers’ and students’ opinions towards the importance of
teaching and learning speaking skills .................................................................. 22
Figure 3.1.1.2: Students’ interest in learning speaking skill ............................... 23
Figure 3.1.1.3: Language used by students in speaking lesson .......................... 23
Figure 3.1.1.4: Teachers’ and students’ self-evaluation towards students’

speaking ability ................................................................................................... 24
Figure 3.1.1.5: Students’ knowledge towards the term “role play” .................... 25
Figure 3.1.1.6: Frequency of role play activities in speaking lessons ................ 26


1

PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
English is now one of the most important languages in the world. It is
spoken as a second language and an official language in many countries, as well
as a foreign language throughout the world, particularly in the globalization
trend. Almost everyone in the world uses it to communicate, and it is used by
people from all over the world. English is now a required subject in all high
schools across the country. Students were previously required to learn English
grammar; however, in light of communicative language teaching (CLT), they
are now required to learn a variety of skills and language items. English
speaking ability is very important in international relationships for people to be
able to integrate into the large world. The ability to carry on a conversation in
the language is used to assess speaking ability. As a result, in recent years, the
emphasis of teaching has been on promoting oral skills to meet the needs of
students for effective communication, and the ability to communicate effectively
has been the goal of every learner. However, how to effectively teach and learn
speaking remains a challenge for both teachers and students in many
Vietnamese high schools. Despite teachers’ efforts to provide students with
opportunities to develop their communicative skills, evidence shows that too
many school students are unwilling to participate in speaking activities in class.
This could be due to a variety of factors originating from the teachers’,
students’, and others’ perspectives, such as classroom environment, activity
types and contents, and so on. Teaching methods has been identified as the most

important of these factors. Teaching methods is a critical issue in language
teaching that has long been thought to have a positive impact on the success or
failure of learning English. Language teachers must have skills and techniques
to teach students to practice the four basic skills, particularly speaking skills. As
a result, in order for students to speak more effectively, teachers frequently
employ a wide range of communicative activities such as discussion, role-play,


2

simulations, information gap, jigsaw, and so on. Among them, role play is
regarded as a common and effective method for improving students’ speaking
performance. A role play, according to Ladousse (1987)

[34]

, uses various

communicative techniques to develop fluency in the language, promote
interaction in the classroom, and increase motivation. Role-playing can help
students improve their speaking skills in any situation and improve their ability
to interact. For shy students, role play helps to provide a mask, where students
who struggle with conversation are open-minded. Furthermore, Harmer (1986)
[18]

promotes the use of role-playing for the following reasons:
- It is enjoyable and motivating
- Quieter students have the opportunity to express themselves more

openly.

- The classroom world is expanded to include the outside world, providing
a much broader range of language opportunities.
- Real-world scenarios can be created, and students can benefit from
practice.
- Mistakes are permissible with no severe consequences.
It is critical, in my opinion, to investigate the effectiveness of role-play
activities in improving students’ speaking performance. That is why I am
interested in conducting a study on “The use of role play activities in enhancing
11th graders’ motivation speaking at Trieu Son 2 High school”. The research is
hoped to make a small contribution to the improvement of teaching speaking
skills for students at Trieu Son 2 High school.
2. Aims of the study
The study’s goal is to look into the use of role play activities in speaking
lessons at Trieu Son 2 High school. The study’s specific goals are as follows:
- Investigate students’ attitudes toward using role-play in speaking lessons
at Trieu Son 2 High school.
- Look into how teachers at Trieu Son 2 High school use role-playing
activities to teach speaking to 11th graders.


3

- Examine the effectiveness of role-playing activities in increasing
motivation and speaking performance among Trieu Son 2 High school’s 11th
graders students.
3. Research questions
The present study is designed to answer the following questions:
1. What are the attitudes of students at Trieu Son 2 High school towards
using role-play activities in a speaking lesson?
2. How do teachers of English at Trieu Son 2 High school teach speaking

to 11th grade students with role play activities?
3. In what ways do role-play activities improve motivation and speaking
performance of 11th grade students at Trieu Son 2 High school?
4. Methods of the study
The following research tools were used by the author to complete this
thesis:
- Document analysis
- Questionnaires for surveys
- In-class observation
- Subsequent interviews
All of the paper’s comments, remarks, and conclusions are based on data
analysis.
5. Scope of the study
The study is an excellent attempt to investigate the effectiveness of roleplay activities in motivating Trieu Son 2 High school 11th grade students to
participate in English speaking lessons. Once completed, it will be a valuable
resource for high school English teachers. Furthermore, this study offers Trieu
Son 2 High school teachers suggestions for successfully implementing role-play
activities. As a result, the findings of the study will make a significant
contribution to the improvement of teaching speaking skills to high school
students.


4

6. Design of the study
This research is divided into three sections:
Part I: Introduction: Discusses the theoretical foundation of the study, the
purpose of the study, research questions, the scope of the study, the significance
of the study, research methods, and research organization.
Part II: Development consists of the three chapters listed below:

Chapter 1 - Theoretical Background: demonstrates the theoretical
foundation of motivation, teaching speaking skills, and role play
Chapter 2 - Methodology: describes the study’s context, participants,
research instruments, and data collection procedures.
Chapter 3 - Findings and discussion: analyzes the data as well as
interprets the results.
Part III: Conclusions: Summarizes the findings and discusses the
pedagogical implications, limitations of the study, and future research directions.
The study’s references and appendices are presented on the final pages.


5

PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This chapter will go over some of the study’s theoretical underpinnings. It
first discusses the concept of motivation before moving on to the concept of
speaking ability. Furthermore, the chapter will examine the concept of role play
in the context of teaching and learning speaking ability.
1.1. Overview of motivation in language learning
1.1.1. Definition of motivation
There have been a great number of different theories of motivation
throughout many types of research in years.
Burden (1997) [6] assumed that from a cognitive standpoint, motivation is
concerned with why people choose to act in certain ways and what factors
influence their decision. It also includes decisions about how many effects
people are willing to expand in order to achieve their goals. As a result, the
teacher's role becomes one of assisting and enabling students to make
appropriate decisions.
Dornyei (2001)

[12]

stated that Motivation explains why people decide to

do something, how hard they are willing to work at it, and how long they are
willing to keep doing it.
Additionally, Woolfolk (2001) [57] defines motivation as “an internal state
that arouses, directs and maintains behavior”. Briefly, motivation is something
involving the attitudes and affective states that influence the degree of effort that
one makes to achieve some certain goal. It is clearly seen that motivation plays
an important part in the process of learning a foreign language. There are a lot of
theories of motivation that have been searched and discussed.
The term “motivation” appears to be simple but difficult to define.
Motivation, according to Ellis, R. (1997:75) [48], is “the efforts which learners put
into learning a Second language as a result of their own need or desire to learn”.
He also indicates that “Motivation involves the attitudes and affective states that


6

influence the degree of effort that learners make to learn Second language”.
Then, motivation to learn a second language in Ellis’s point of view refers to the
extent to which the individual works or strives to learn the language because of a
desire to do so and the satisfaction experienced in the activity.
Sharing the same viewpoint, Gardner (1985) [46] defines motivation as a
key factor in determining the preparation of learners to communicate.
Gardner&apos’s motivation involves four aspects: a goal, an effort, a desire to
attain the goal, and a favorable attitude towards the activity.
According to Crookes and Schmidt (1991)

[8]

, motivation is defined in

terms of learner interest in and enthusiasm for the teaching method used in class,
their active participation or constancy with the learning task as indicated by
levels of concentration and enjoyment. The learning process can only make
sense if students enjoy activities and work hard. From the researcher point of
view, this definition is exactly right for the motivation in this study. It could be
inferred from the definitions above that motivation is the effort, enjoyment,
enthusiasm, and constancy that learners devote to the learning tasks as well as
the challenging activities conducted by the teachers to reach the setting - goals
in foreign language learning.
1.1.2. The importance of motivation in language learning
Motivation has become more commonly recognized as the major factor in
the success or failure of a language learner. As William T. Littlewood puts it
(1984:53)

[56]

, in second language learning as well as in every other field of

human learning, motivation is “the crucial force which determines whether a
learner embarks on a task at all, how much energy he devotes to it, and how long
he perseveres”.
Another important statement to consider is by Dörnyei, “Motivation
changes over time” (2001:21)

[12]

. Someone may start with instrumental

motivation but this develops later into integrative motivation. Thus, motivation
is not fixed and can change in the learning process. Just if students start with
integrative motivation, they can lose their interest in learning a second language


7

and change their motivation to an instrumental one. Avoiding the second kind of
change mentioned above, it is important to know which different factors can
influence motivation.
Besides, Oxford and Shearin (1996:121-122) [45] also argue: Motivation is
important because it directly influences how frequently students use L2 learning
strategies, how much they interact with native speakers, how much input they
receive in the language being learned (the target language), how well they
perform on curriculum-related achievement tests, how high their general
proficiency level becomes, and how long they persevere and maintain L2 skills
after lan As a result, motivation is critical for L2 learning, and we must
understand what motivates our students. As a result, motivation should be paid
much attention to in teaching and learning second languages.
Harmer (2007) [20] argues that according to the view of most researchers
and methodologists, “intrinsic motivation produces better results than its
extrinsic counterpart”. Indeed, it is hard to learn something if it is not liked by
students. But if they have to learn something they are interested in, it will be
easier for them to become better grades. The same goes for instrumental and
integrative motivation. But I do not entirely agree with Harmer. Some students
get better grades if they are single-minded, to be successful. Speaking
personally, intrinsic motivation leads to better results but such a statement

cannot be transferred to all people.
1.2. Speaking skill
1.2.1. Definition of speaking skill
Speaking is the use of language verbally to communicate with others. The
statement demonstrates that speaking is used to communicate verbally with
others. Speaking is also known as oral production. Speaking is the productive
oral skill of producing systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning.
Speaking is a skill that deserves as much attention as literary skills, in both first
and second language. To most people, mastering the speaking skill is the most
important aspect of learning a second or foreign language, and success is


8

measured by the ability to carry on a conversation in the language.
According to Nunan, D. (1995)

[39]

, speaking is to utter words orally, to

talk; to communicate as if by talking; to make a request; to make a speech.
Speaking, according to Hornby (1995)

[23]

, is using language in an

ordinary voice; uttering words; knowing and being able to use a language;
expressing oneself in words; and making a speech. Broughton (2008)

[3]

also

claims that just because a student is good at listening and understanding does not
mean he will be good at speaking.
Every language has two types of abilities. The first is the receptive skill,
which consists of two components: comprehension and reading; the second is
the productive skill, which consists of writing and speaking. According to
Bygate( 1987) [7], speaking is a skill that deserves as much attention as literary
skills in both native and foreign languages. When students speak confidently and
comfortably, they can interact more effectively in real-life situations. As a result,
the goal of this study is to promote the development of fluency in spoken
English. It is appropriate even for students with basic English language skills.
According to some of the definitions above, speaking is the way in which
the language system manifests itself through the organs of speech that use words
in an ordinary voice. It also demonstrates how speaking is an important skill in
language learning, particularly in the English subject.
1.2.2. Principles for Teaching Speaking
There are seven principles for teaching speaking, according to Brown
(1994)[4]:
- Depending on your goals, prioritize fluency and accuracy.
- Provide techniques that are intrinsically motivating.
- Promote the use of natural language in meaningful contexts.
- Give appropriate feedback and correction.
- Take advantage of the natural link between speaking and listening.
- Provide opportunities for students to initiate oral communication.
- Encourage the development of effective communication strategies.

9

1.2.3. The Components of Speaking Skill
Pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension are all
components of speaking, according to Nurgiyantoro (1987:259-260)

[44]

and

Syakur (1987: 3) [51].
- Comprehension: Oral communication necessitates a subject’s ability to
respond to speech as well as initiate it.
- Grammar: This is concerned with how to construct a correct sentence in
a conversation.
- Vocabulary: The appropriate diction used in conversation is referred to
as vocabulary.
- Pronunciation: Pronunciation is the students’ way of properly
expressing themselves in English, and it deals with phonology.
- Fluency: It is defined as the ability to speak fluently and accurately in
professional situations.
1.2.4. A successful speaking lesson in classroom
Ur (1996:120) [53] proposes the following four components of a successful
speaking lesson:
 Students talk a lot.
 There is even more participation.
 There is a lot of motivation.
Language is of an acceptable standard.
According to Nunan (1996: 32) [40], effective oral communication should

include the development of the following skills:
- The ability to articulate phonological features of the language in a
comprehensible manner;
- Mastery of stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns; an acceptable level of
fluency;
- Transactional and interactional skills.
- Competence in short and long-distance speaking in turns, interaction
management, and meaning negotiation.


10

- Conversational listening skills (good listeners as well as speakers are
required for successful conversations);
- Knowledge of and ability to negotiate conversational purposes;
- Use of appropriate conversational formulations and fillers.
According to Harmer (2001)

[18]

, in a successful communicative task,

learners should have a desire to talk, a purpose for communicating, focus on
content rather than form, and use a variety of language.
It is undeniable that in the context of language teaching and learning,
implementing such a speaking activity that meets all of the above criteria is not
an easy task, but language teachers must be reminded of them as they design and
administer such activities.
1.3. Overview of role play
1.3.1. Definition of role play

It is clearly stated that students are assigned particular roles to play.
Scrivener also has it that role cards have an important function, thus, thanks to
the learners who are equipped with crucial information about their roles.
Guidelines put on such cards help students in conveying important facts about
their characters to be played and also make the speakers feel more secure, as
basic clues are included on the paper. The weaker learners may base their
utterances only on a card, while the strong ones find role cards as prompts. A
good set of role cards is frequently designed so that the participants may have
different points of view and obvious disagreements (Scrivener 2005: 156)

[30]

.

This author also inclines that students need an appropriate amount of time to
prepare ideas and language before playing their roles. What is more, he says that
learners not only use the ideas put on role cards but also try to add any language
they possess.
Gołębiowska (1978: 13) [14] indicates that in role-play, learners are given a
task to complete and to do it, they are told who they are, what their opinions are,
and what they know that is unknown to the other students. She stresses the fact
that students are told who they are, namely, that they play the role of somebody


11

else. Being cast in a role of a different character may diminish the fear of
speaking, as these are not the speakers who make mistakes, but the personalities
played by them. The key feature of role-playing is that learners can become
anyone they want for a short time. Their task is to pretend a different person and

it may be, for example, a doctor, a pop star, a parent, a millionaire, etc.
Brown (2001: 183) [5], argued that role-play minimally contains (a) giving
a role to one or more members of a group and (b) assigning an objective or
purpose that participants must accomplish. He also suggested that role-play can
be done with a single person, in pairs or groups, with each person assigned a
role to accomplish an objective.
Furthermore, it allows the students to explore their inner resources,
empathize with others, and use their own experiences as scaffolds upon which
credible actions. As a result, the students can improve their ability to produce
the target language, acquire many of its nonverbal nuances, improve the ability
to work cooperatively in group situations, and effectively deal with affective
issues. (Richard, 2003: 222)

[47]

, stated that role play has high appeal for the

students because it allows them to be creative and to put themselves in another
person’s place for a while. The time has been determined by the teacher.
In A Course in Language Teaching, Ur (1996) [54] explains role to play as,
all kinds of activities in which students imagine themselves in a situation outside
of the classroom, sometimes playing the role of someone or something else, and
using language appropriate to the new context. Thereby, learners would be
placed in a variety of experiences where they are play role as themselves or play
the role of someone else and they should use language that suitable to the
situation and social context in which they are playing.
Usually, role-play can inflict a sense of community within the class.
Although at first, this strategy has seemed a frightening method, it has some
advantages in.
According to Killen (2008) [33], role play is “a technique which provides

an opportunity for students to become more deeply involved in thinking about


12

how they would react in real-world situations”. In Longman Dictionary of
Contemporary English, role play is defined as “an activity in which you pretend
to be in a particular situation, especially to help you learn a language or deal
with problems”. In defining role play, Donn (1986)

[11]

gave comments that

“role play is a part of drama activity”. He explained in detail that there are three
terms to cover the drama activities. Mime (mimicry-memorization), roleplaying, and simulation are the three. The terms were differentiated as follows:
a. Mime: participants act out actions without using words (although as we
shall see, this activity leads naturally on to talk).
b. Roleplaying: the participant interacts as themselves in fictitious
situations.
c. Simulation: entails the above-mentioned role-playing.
However, for this activity, participants typically discuss a problem of
some kind in a setting that has been designated for them. Both role play and
simulation, in his opinion, are commonly used in foreign language classes to
facilitate communicative competence. Mime, on the other hand, appears to be
more appropriate as a language game. It is carrying out actions without the use
of words.
In the book under the title “Roleplay”, Ladousse (1989:5) [34] defines role
to play based on the separate words “role” and “play”: “when students assume a
“role”, they play a part (either their own or somebody else’s) in a specific

situation. “Play” represents the role is taken on in a safe environment in which
students are as inventive and playful as possible. In the roles, students are
creating their own reality and, by doing so, are experimenting either their
knowledge of the real world and developing their ability to interact with other
people.”
According to the definitions given above, role play is widely accepted as
an effective technique for communicative language teaching. It is a technique in
which we use our imagination to pretend to be someone else or ourselves in a
specific situation for a short period of time, improvising dialogue and creating a


13

real-world scenario. Because it requires analyzing and problem-solving, it
encourages the use of critical thinking.
1.3.2. Types of role-play
According to Donn (1986) [11], role play activities can be divided into two
types: scripted role play and unscripted role play. Scripted role play is a type
that involves interpreting either textbook dialogue or reading text aloud. After
all, the primary purpose of the text is to convey the meaning of language items
in a memorable manner. Unscripted role play situations, in contrast to scripted
role play, do not rely on textbooks. It is referred to as free role play or
improvisation. The students must decide what language to use and how the
conversation should progress. This activity requires a lot of preparation from
both the teacher and the students.
Littlewood (1994) [36], on the other hand, categorizes role play activities
based on the type of information provided to learners as follows:
1. Cued dialogues control the role play: When learners join this activity,
they are given cues on separate cards. Before responding, each learner must
listen to his or her partner. The cues allow them to anticipate and plan the

general gist of their responses. The teacher can elicit the appropriate forms,
which will aid students later on. The cues govern the functional meanings that
students must express.

Teachers can prepare the activity by providing

appropriate forms to the students. Two sets of cues must be closely interlocked;
no cue should produce an utterance that contradicts what follows. It restricts
one’s ability to be creative.
For example:
Learner A

Learner B

You meet B in the street.

You meet A in the street.

A: Greet B.

A:

B:

B: Greet A.

A: Ask B where he is going.

A:

B:

B: Say you are going for a walk.


14

A: Suggest somewhere to go together.

A:

B:
B: Reject A’s suggestion. Make a
A: Accept B’s suggestion.

different one.

B:

A:
B: Express pleasure.
(Littlewood, 1994: 51) [36]
It has a more flexible framework for controlling role play through cues

and information. Only one learner receives specific cues. The other is provided
with information that allows him to respond as needed. The structure is provided
by one student who can improvise variations, and the other student must
respond. The teacher’s control loosens, and the learner’s creative potential
grows. The emphasis in these activities is on practicing the communication
process rather than evaluating the product. The learner’s attention is focused on

the forms he or she needs to learn during pre-communicative language practice.
These cued activities allow the teacher to direct the interaction and ensure that
students express a specific range of meanings.
For example:
Student A: You arrive at a small hotel one evening. In the foyer, you meet
the manager and:
- Ask if there is a room vacant.
- Ask the price, including breakfast.
- Say how many nights you would like to stay.
- Ask where you can park your car for the night.
- Say what time you would like to have breakfast.
Student B: You are the manager of a small hotel that has friendly, homely
atmosphere. You have a single and a double room vacant for tonight. The prices
are: -L-8.50 for the single room, -L-15 for the double room. Breakfast is -L-1.50
extra for a person. In the street behind the hotel, there is a free car park. Guests
can have tea in bed in the morning, for 50p.


15

(Littlewood, 1994: 52, 53) [36]
2. Controlled role play based on situation and goals: learners have more
control over their interaction. It is now aimed at a higher level of situation and
the goals that students must achieve through communication. Initially, the
learners are only aware of the overall situation and their own goals within it.
They must bargain over the interaction itself.
For example:
Student A: You wish to buy a car. You are in a showroom, looking at a
second-hand car that might be suitable. You decide to find out more about it, for
example how old it is, who the previous owner was, how expensive it is to run

and whether there is a guarantee. You can pay up to about -L-900 in cash.
Student B: You are a car salesman. You see a customer looking at a car in the
showroom. The car is two years old and belonged previously to the leader of a
local pop group. It does about twenty miles to the gallon. Your firm offers a
three-month guarantee and can arrange hire purchase. The price you are asking
for the car is -L-1,400.
(Littlewood, 1994:55, 56) [36]
3. Debate or discussion in the form of role play: In particular, the situation
is a debate or discussion of a real or simulated issue. The activity requires
learners to have adequate knowledge of the issue, as well as different points of
view to defend. Learners must first digest the pertinent information before
engaging in small-group discussion. They can either reach a concrete decision or
simply vote on the issue at the end. The interaction is caused by a disagreement.
As an illustration:
You are a group of people who are anxious to help the old in your small
town, and you have managed to make a start by collecting -L-1,000 from local
inhabitants and holding jumble sales. Study your role and then discuss how the
money can best be used.
(Littlewood,1994:57) [36]
1.3.3. Stages of a standard role-play


16

A standard role play has three stages, according to Phil (1967) [17] setting
up, playing, and following up. The facilitator creates a clear context during the
setup stage. In other words, the facilitator describes the scenario while assigning
roles to participants.
The participants act out their roles and the play is performed during the
play stage. During this stage, the facilitator monitors the students’ work by

listening to them and attempting not to intervene unless there is a breakdown in
communication.
The follow-up is an important part of a role play because it allows all
participants to discuss how they felt after the role-play and evaluate how well
they did. The follow-up stage is also a time for the teacher to solicit feedback
from the students on the task at hand (in terms of topic, level of difficulty, the
authenticity of the task, etc...).
1.3.4. Significance of role play in teaching speaking
Role play activities play an important role in teaching speaking.
Stern(1983)

[50]

suggested “role playing helps the individual to become more

flexible”. She explained that through role play, L2 learners can encounter a wide
range of situations in which they will use the language; and as they develop a
sense of mastery in them, they should be able to apply the language more easily
to new situations. Larsen-Freeman (1986) [10]

also explained that role plays,

whether structured or less structured, are important in the communicative
approach

because

they

give

learners

an

opportunity

to

practice

communicating in different social contexts and in different social roles. In
addition, according to Ladousse (1995)

[34]

, there are some main reasons for

using role play in teaching speaking as follows:
 Teachers can train students in speaking skills in any situation by
bringing a variety of experiences into the classroom.
 Role play places students in situations that require them to use and
develop those phatic forms of language that are so important in oiling the works
of social relationships but are so often overlooked by our language teaching


17

curricula.
 Some people study English in order to prepare for specific roles in their

lives. It is advantageous for these students to have practiced and experimented
with the language they will need in the welcoming and secure environment of a
classroom.
 Many shy students benefit from role play by wearing a mask.
 The most important reason for using role play is that it is enjoyable.
1.3.5. Related previous study
This research paper referenced and followed the research orientation of
author Tran Thi Phan [52] named “the use of role play activities in enhancer 10th
graders’ motivation and speaking performance at Nam Cao high school”. The
purpose of this study was to investigate how the speaking skills of 10th graders
at Nam Cao High School can be improved through the use of role-playing
activities, as well as students’ attitudes toward the use of role-playing activities
in teaching and learning English and the use of role-playing by teachers in
teaching speaking skills. According to the findings of the study, role-playing
activities are an effective teaching technique that should be widely used in the
teaching and learning of English to improve the speaking motivation of 10th
grade students at Nam Cao High School.


18

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the research hypothesis, the context of the study,
the textbook, the participants, the data collection instruments, the data collection
procedure, and the data analysis procedure that were used to achieve the study’s
objectives.
2.1. Research hypothesis
The purpose of this study is to test the following hypothesis: There is a
significant improvement in students’ motivation and performance in speaking
lessons when role play activities are used.

2.2. Setting of the study
This research is being carried out at Trieu Son 2 High school, which is
located in Thai Hoa Village, Trieu Son District, Thanh Hoa Province. It has
three grades: 10, 11, and 12, with roughly the same number of students in each.
English is one of the mandatory subjects taught in every high school, and it is
taught every three forty-five periods per week. In terms of classroom
arrangement, the average class size is 42–45, making it difficult to carry out a
communicative task in such a mixed–ability large class. Students at this school,
like many others in Vietnam, have a limited ability to communicate in English.
Grammar-based teaching is so named because both teachers and students focus
on developing grammatical issues in order to meet the demands of examinations.
Both teachers and students paid little attention to teaching and learning public
speaking skills.
2.3. Participants of the study
This study includes 85 students from two randomly selected
classes at Trieu Son 2 High school, 11C1 and 11C4. They come in both male
and female forms. They are all in grade 11 at Trieu Son 2 High school and have
been studying English for four years. In addition, 6 English teachers were
invited to participate in the study.