Sử dụng thủ thuật đóng vai nhằm gây hứng thú trong các giờ học nói cho sinh viên năm thứ 2 chuyên ngành kế toán tại trường ĐH Đại Nam

1

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

PHẠM THỊ HẰNG NGA

USING ROLE PLAY TECHINIQUES TO MOTIVATE 2ND
YEAR ACCOUNTING- MAJORED STUDENTS AT
DAINAM UNIVERSITY TO IMPROVE THEIR SPEAKING
SKILL
( Sử dụng thủ thuật đóng vai nhằm gây hứng thú trong các giờ học nói cho
sinh viên năm thứ 2 chuyên ngành kế toán tại trường ĐH Đại Nam)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60 14 10

Hanoi, 2012


2

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

PHẠM THỊ HẰNG NGA

USING ROLE PLAY TECHINIQUES TO MOTIVATE 2ND
YEAR ACCOUNTING- MAJORED STUDENTS AT
DAINAM UNIVERSITY TO IMPROVE THEIR SPEAKING
SKILL
( Sử dụng thủ thuật đóng vai nhằm gây hứng thú trong các giờ học nói cho
sinh viên năm thứ 2 chuyên ngành kế toán tại trường ĐH Đại Nam)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60 14 10
Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Hồng Hải, M.A.

Hanoi, 2012


6

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Declaration

i

Acknowledgements

ii

Abstract

iii

Table of contents

iv

Lists of tables and figures

vi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale of the study

1

1.2. Aims of the study

2

1.3. Research Questions

2

1.4. Method of the study

3

1.5. Scope of the study

3

1.6. Significance of the study

3

1.7. Organization of the study

3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Conceptualization of motivation

4

2.1.1. Definition of motivation in Second Language Learning

4

2.1.2. Different kinds of motivation in language learning

6

2. 2. Role-play technique as a motivating factor in speaking lesson

8

2.2.1. Definition of role-play

8

2.2.2. Classification of role-play

10

3.2.3. Advantages of role-play

14

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1. Background to the study

16


7

3.1.1. Hypothesis

16

3.1.2. Setting of the study

16

3.1.3. Subjects of the study

16

3.2. Data collection

18

3.2.1. Method of data collection

18

3.2.2. The data collection instruments

18

3.2.2.1. The questionnaire

18

3.2.2.2. Interviews

19

3.2.2.3. Observation

19

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYIS & FINDINGS
4.1. Data analysis
4.1.1. Data analysis of teachers‟ survey questionnaire and direct interview

21

4.1.2. Data analysis of students‟ questionnaire and direct interview

30

4.1.3. Data analysis from Class Observation

36

4.2. Data discussion

36

4.3. Findings

37

CHAPTER 5: COMCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1. Conclusion

40

5.2. Limitations and suggestions for further study

40

5.3. Pedagogical Implication

41

REFERENCES

43

APPENDICES
Appendix 1:

I

Appendix 2:

IV

Appendix 3:

VII


8

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 1: Data collected from the survey questionnaire for teachers

20

Table 2: Data collected from the survey questionnaire for students

29

Figures illustrates data collected from the survey questionnaire for teachers
Figure 1: The frequency of using role play activities

21

Figure 2: Teachers‟ opinion on role play

22

Figure 3: Students‟ attitude towards role play activities exploited by teachers

23

Figure 4: Students‟ participation in role play activities

23

Figure 5: The effectiveness of role play in enhangcing students‟ participation

24

Figure 6: Benefits of using role play

25

Figure 7: Frequency of difficulties faced by teachers

26

Figure 8: Factors causing difficulties

26

Figure 9: Suggestions to make role play more effective

27

Figures illustrates data collected from the survey questionnaire for students
Figure 10: Frequency of applying role play

30

Figure 11: Students‟ opinion on role play

30

Figure 12: Students‟ participation in role play

31

Figure 13: Benefits of role play

32
33

Figure 14: Frequency of difficulties faced by students

34

Figure 15: Factors causing difficulties

34

Figure 16: Suggestions to make role play more effective

35


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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

.1. Rationale
The past few decades have witnessed a radical methodological change in English language
teaching. Since its appearance in 1960s, the Communicative Approach has been widely
applied in language teaching. In the light of this approach, English is looked on as an
international means of communication. The context of international integration and
development has attached increasing importance to communication in general and oral
communication in particular. That fact accounts for the need to educate communicatively
competent students who after graduating from universities are able to take part in jobs
concerning the use of English as an effective tool of communication.
Oral communication skills, therefore, have become the focus of language teaching as far as the
objectives of English courses of the English Department at Dainam University are concerned.
Being put in a simple way, developing speaking skill among students is the focus of language
teaching.
However, like many other universities in Vietnam, the teachers at Dainam University are
facing the problem of their students‟ low level of participation in speaking activities in their
classrooms. While there may be a variety of reasons for students‟ poor participations such as
students‟ shyness when speaking in front of a crowd or their unwillingness to show weakness
in speaking English, I believe one such reason has been their lack of motivation. In my
opinion, it is the teachers‟ role to recognize the importance of motivation in English language
learning and thereby try to seek ways to enhance their students‟ motivation in improving their
speaking skills. If motivated, even unmotivated learners will be likely to participate more in

speaking activities in the classroom as well as practice it more outside the classroom.
Of all the methods used to motivate students‟ participation in speaking lessons, Role Play
method is very effective in inducing students‟ motivation. As Doff (1988) points out, Role
Play increases motivation. Always talking about real life can become very dull, but the chance
to imagine different situations adds interest to a lesson. In addition, Role Play gives a chance
to use language in new contexts and for new topics. Role Play is also a technique that can


10

make the students work in pairs, support one another, make the class more interesting and
reduce students‟ boredom. Moreover, Role Play is fun and motivated, the students get the
chance to speak more and it is useful to extend knowledge. So Role Play can be seen as a
bridge to join the theory inside the classroom to the reality outside the classroom. Role Play
has a lot of advantages. It can increase learners‟ motivation, it gives chance to use language in
new contexts and for new topics and it encourages learners to use natural expressions,
intonation as well as gestures. As a result, learners‟ ability communicate in the target language
will be improved.
The idea of applying role play techniques in order to motivate students to speak English is not
a recent practice; however, in Vietnam this technique has not been fully exploited by teachers
in English classes due to some limitations in English Teaching. This assumption has led me to
undertake a research titled “Using Role Play technique to motivate Second year
Accounting- majored students at Dainam University to improve their speaking skill.” I
am interested in analyzing the use of role play in teaching speaking for the students. I also
want to know the advantages and the problems encountered by learners and teachers in using
it.
.2. Aims of the study
This study is aimed at investigating the use of Role Play technique in communicative English
classes at Dainam University. To be specific, the aims of the study are:
- To explore the frequency of employing Role Play and difficulties that students and

teachers encounter when applying this technique in Speaking lesson at Dainam University
- To prove the hypothesis Role Play technique will help teachers motivate students to
speak more in English Speaking lessons.
1.3. Research Questions
With the purposes mentioned above, the research questions will be:
1. How often is Role Play applied in speaking lessons at Dainam University?
2. Does using Role Play motivate students to participate more in speaking class?
3. What difficulties do teachers and students encounter when Role Play is used in
speaking lesson?


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1.4. Method of the study
Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to carry out the study. The data were
collected by means of questionnaires, interviews and observation.

1.5.Scope of the study
The study focuses specifically on using Role Play in teaching speaking to the second year
students at Accounting Department, Dainam University. So the study limits itself to the
teaching and learning Speaking only.
1.6. Significance of the study
- Theoretical significance of the study: The study supplies the English language teachers with
the understanding of Role Play techniques in terms of types, advantages when employing
them.
- Practical significance of the study: The research provides the language teachers and learners
recommendations or suggestions for the successful exploitation of this technique.
1.7.Organization of the thesis
This thesis consists of five chapters:
-

Chapter 1, The Introduction, presents the rationale, the aims, the research questions,
the method of the study, the scope, the significance of the study

-

Chapter 2, The Literature Review, deals with some theoretical background that is
relevant to the purpose of the study: Motivation and Role Play

-

Chapter 3, The Methodology, reports the design of the study, the participants of the
study, the instruments used in the research and the statistical method to analyze the
data.

-

Chapter 4, The Data Analysis and Findings, provides an analysis of the data as well as
the interpretation of the results.

-

Chapter 5: The Conclusion and Recommendation draws pedagogical implications
including a number of recommendations for teachers of English to apply Role Play as
method to motivate students to participate in classroom speaking activities. Limitations
of the study and suggestions for further possible research are also given in this part.

-

The Appendices are the last part of the thesis, following the References.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter will explore some theoretical background to the study. Specifically, it firstly
discusses the concept of motivation and later discusses how this concept relates to learning
and teaching in several contexts. In addition, the chapter will also review the concept of Role
Play and its role in motivating students to speak English in class.
2.1. Conceptualization of Motivation
There have been so far many researches on the theory of motivation which have
generally come to a conclusion that motivation is an abstract concept used to describe the
willingness of a person to expand effort to reach a particular goal.
Some scholars and psychologists of the first half of the 20th century determined two
interior factors of motivation, instincts and drives, which are of great importance in our lives.
However, in the second half of the 20th century, researchers found that self- actualizing
tendencies are the central force in motivation in people. Maslow(1970) analyses two
groupings of seven levels of basic needs. They are deficiency needs including physiological,
safety, belongingness and love, and being needs consisting of cognitive, aesthetic and selfactualization. Williams and Burden (1997) point out
"Motivation is concerned with such issues as why people decide to act in
certain ways and what factors influence the choices they make. It also involves
decision as to the amount of effort people are prepared to expand in attempting
to achieve their goals" (p. 119).
According to Dornyei (2001), the concept of motivation has been seen differently. That is
how individual‟s conscious attitudes, beliefs, and interpretation of events influence their
behavior. He also adds that motivation explains the reason why people decide to do
something, how hard they are going to pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the
activities.
2.1.1. Definition of Motivation in Second Language Learning

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Motivation is not only a vital but also a highly complex factor determining success or failure
in L2 learning. Therefore, the concept of motivation in L2 learning has been studied by a
number of authors. Keller (1984) defines "interest" as one of the major components of
motivation in foreign and second language learning. Nonetheless, Gardner (1985) sees the
important role of effort and desire to achieve the learning goal “Motivation in the present
context refers to the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning plus
favorable attitudes towards learning the language” (p. 10).
Similarly, Ellis (1997) emphasizes the role of attitudes and effective states “Motivation
involves the attitudes and effective states that influence the degree of effort that learners make
to learn an L2” (p. 75).
Meanwhile, Littlewood (1998) sees the complex combination of motivation from many
different components:
In second language learning 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 perceives. It is
a complex phenomenon and includes many components: the individual’s drive,
need for achievement and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and new
experience, and so on. ( p. 53 )
In addition, according to McKay and Tom (1992), it is the need and drive to
communicate with others in a new language that provide strong motivation for most learners
(p.2)
However, Gardner and Lambert (1972), two dominant researchers of the social
psychological approach, propose that the broad concept of the “integrative motive” consists of
three main components: attitude, integrativeness and motivation.
There are some other new approaches the researchers of which wish to make close the
gap between theories of motivation in educational psychology and in the L2 field. The

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researchers of this period added some new elements to the concept of L2 motivation. In his
framework of motivation, Dornyei (1994) classifies three levels: language level, learner level
and learning situational level, and in each level there are some different elements. Moreover,
Marion Williams and Bob Burden (1997), propose a detailed framework of L2 motivation
with the Internal and External motivational influence. They analyze nine internal factors as
follow: intrinsic interest of activity, perceived value of activity, sense of agency, mastery, selfconcept, attitudes, affective states such as confidence, anxiety and fear, developmental age and
gender. The external factors consist of human factors

such as parents, teachers, peers,

feedback, rewards or punishments, the learning environment and the boarder context(Adapted
from Dornyei, 2001)
In this study, I adopted Littlewood‟s definition, which sates that
Motivation is a complex phenomenon and includes many components: the individual’s
drive and need for achievement and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and new
experience that make up her motivation. In other words, motivation is both
intrinsically and extrinsically- originated.” (1998)
In brief, there exist scores of definitions of motivation. All definitions embody certain
implications for L2 teaching and learning. One such implication is that motivation is an
important consideration in L2 teaching and learning. When properly motivated in class,
students will continue to make efforts to achieve their goals in learning the target language.
2.1.2. Different kinds of motivation in language learning
Gardner and Lambert (1985) distinguish integrative and instrumental as two types of
motivation. Besides, researchers have added some other kinds such as resultative, intrinsic,
extrinsic, global, situational and task motivation.
* Integrative motivation. This type of motivation occurs when learners wish to identify
with the culture of the L2 group. When speaking the target language, learners admire the

culture and have a desire to become familiar with the society in which the language is used
(Falk, 1978). It is, therefore, the interest in the people and culture of the language that creates
student motivation in L2 learning and this type of motivation lies in the realm of intrinsic
need.


15

* Instrumental motivation. This is characterized by the desire to obtain something
practical from the study of L2 (Hudson, 2000). Ellis (1994) states "Some functional reasons
such as to pass an examination, to get a better job or to get a university place motivate
learners to learn an L2 because it opens up educational and economic opportunities for
them." (p.75)
* Resultative motivation. Motivation is not only the cause of achievement, it is also the
result of learning. Learning success may encourage learners to learn better. Ellis (1994) points
out that the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one and "A
high level of motivation does stimulate learning, but perceived success in achieving l2 goals
can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new ones." (p. 515)
*Intrinsic motivation. This type of motivation plays a vital role in most learners' L2
learning success or failure. For many learners, the reason for learning an L2 is the "interest in
the culture and the target language group" or the "positive attitudes towards the target
language group" while for some others it is the interest in learning tasks. Teaching methods
and learning activities may attract them, arouse and maintain their interest in doing the tasks.
In short, intrinsic motivation "Involves the arousal and maintenance of curiosity and can ebb
and flow as a result of such factors as learners' particular interests and the extent to which
they fell personality involved in learning activities." (Ellis, 1994, p. 76)
*Extrinsic motivation derives from the influence of some kinds of external incentives,
including the influence of the teacher, the learner's desire to please significant people or their
wish to succeed in an external exam, or peer group influence, which are different from the
wish to learn for its own sake or interest in learning tasks.

* Global motivation. Brown (1994) defines global motivation as a general orientation
to the goal of an L2 learning which may be affected by such factors as previous education,
social factors as well as the teacher's attitudes.
* Situational motivation refers to the learning context: classroom, total environment
assumed to be influenced by teacher action. Brown (1994) distinguishes the difference in
situational motivation according to the situation in which learning takes place. Thus the
motivation in the classroom setting differs from that in natural setting.


16

* Task motivation. This motivation occurs when learners are performing some
particular tasks in learning performance. An attractive task designed by the teacher in class
may encourage learners to invest their effort and energy in.
2. 2. Role Play technique as a motivating factor in speaking lesson
2.2.1. Definition of Role Play
In recent years, because of the fact that language teaching focuses much more on oral skills in
order to respond to the students‟ needs for effective communication in their L2, a large
number of communicative activities such as Role Play, Simulation, Drama, and so on are
brought into language classes by teachers. They provide learners with chances to practice the
language they learn, to convey meanings that are functionally effective and appropriate to the
social situations. Of all these activities, role-play seems to be the most appropriate to develop
communicative ability while their linguistic competence and cultural knowledge are limited.

In order to understand Role Play, it is a good way to look at the differences between
Simulation and Role-play. Klippel (1991) claims that it is not easy to distinguish between role
play and simulation because they both mirror the reality. The main difference is that
simulations are more structured and contain more diverse elements.
Ladousse (1989) explains that simulations are complex, lengthy and relatively inflexible
events which will always include an element of role play while role play can be a simple and

brief technique to organize. He sums up that it is not possible and profitable to make fine
distinctions between these two.
Role-play is defined in many ways according to different linguists. Byrne (1986) defines roleplay by the phrase “Let‟s pretend”, added by “Role-play is a way of taking the students out of
the classroom for a while and showing them how English can be used in certain situations.” (p.
117) In role-play activities, students are not themselves any more, they are put in either
realistic or imaginative situations to act.
Similarly, Harmer (1998) considers role-play activities are those where students are asked to
imagine that they are in different situations and act accordingly. We may tell them to role play


17

being guests at a party, travel agents and answering customer questions or participants in a
public meeting about a road-building project.
Ur (1996) also states that Role-play is used to refer to all the activities where learners imagine
themselves in a situation outside the classroom, sometimes playing the role of someone other
than themselves, and using language appropriate to this new context.
Doff (1988) defines “Role-play is a way of bringing situations from real life into classroom.”
(p.232) He pointed out the two characteristics of role-play: imagination of a role and/or a
situation and improvisation. They may pretend to be a different person, doing something
different. The situation is fixed, but they make up the exact words to say as they go along.
According to Cross (1991), Role-play is used a great deal in situations where the students‟
future use of the language can be defined fairly clearly. It is enjoyable; it offers a mental
escape from the classroom. It can be tightly controlled, perhaps as a logical development of a
dialogue in the textbook, or it can be relatively free, with considerably scope for imagination
and creativity.
Another definition stated by Wingate (1993). He said that in a Role-lay each student pretends
to be someone else and does something which has been set for them to do.

So we can see that there are numerous definitions of role play. The definition used for this

study is from Ladousse( 1987). He proposes that “When students assume a “role”, they play a
part (either their own or somebody else‟s) in a specific situation. “ Play” means that the role is
taken on a safe environment in which students are as inventive and playful as possible. In the
role, students are creating their own reality and, by doing so, are experimenting with their
knowledge of the real world and developing their ability to interact with other people.” This
definition precisely describes what my students often do in their speaking lessons when role
play is applied as the main technique.
In short, it is clearly that each scholar has his own opinion of Role-play; however, they all
agree that Role-play is a technique which involves fantasy or imaginative to be someone else
or to be ourselves in a specific situation for a while, improvising dialogue and creating a real
world in scenario. It aims at the students to encourage thinking and creativity, lets students


18

develop and practice new language and behavioral skills in a relatively non-threatening
setting, and can create the motivation and involvement necessary for learning to ooocur.
2.2.2. Classification of Role-play
According to Littlewood (1981) Role-play can be divided into four types according to the
nature of control exercised by the teacher. The activities are part of a continuum ranging from
pre-communicative activities. The former is defined as activities that “…aim to equip the
learner with some of the skills required for communication, without actually requiring him to
perform communicative acts” (p.8). The later consists activities in which “…the learner uses
the linguistic repertoire he has learnt in order to communicate specific meanings for specific
purposes” (p.17). Four types of Role-play are parts of this continuum: Role-play controlled
through cued dialogues, Role-play controlled through cues and information, Role-play
controlled through situation and goals and Role-play in the form of debate and discussion.
Role-play controlled through cued dialogues
In role-plays controlled through cued dialogues, each learner receives cues on separate cards.
According to Littlewood (1981), “Two sets of cues must interlock closely” so that cues can

only generate utterances that match cues that follow. Even though learners‟ creativity is quite
limited, this kind of role play still presents a certain amount of uncertainty and spontaneity
inherent to real communication. Learners have to listen to their partner before providing an
appropriate response.
Role-play controlled through cues and information
This kind of framework is obviously best suited to those situations where there is a natural
initiator, whose cues can control the interaction. These are mostly situations where one person
needs to gather information or obtain a service. For example, in a travel agency, where one
learner needs to find out train time and fares, and the other has timetable and brochures.
Another example is in a bank, where the manager has to obtain personal information about a
client who wants to borrow money. Because of the information-gathering element, this type of
role-play may often be very similar to some of the functional communication activities.
However, there is greater emphasis on the social context in which the information is obtained.
Role-play controlled through situation and goals


19

All the activities in the previous sections provide a framework of specific cues for the learners.
These enable the teacher to control the interaction and to ensure that learners express a
particular range of meaning (In addition to any variations they may introduce). This cue also
provides the learner with a supportive framework which relieves them of some of the
responsibilities for creating the interaction themselves.
As learners progress, teachers will not necessarily abandon the use of specific cues. He will
still sometimes want to produce a particular kind of interaction and elicit a particular range of
functional meaning and forms. There will also be increasing scope, however, for providing a
looser structure, which gives learners greater responsibilities for creating the interaction
themselves. The control now determines not so much the specific meaning that learners
express. It is directed at the higher level of situation and the goals that learners have to achieve
through communication.

In this role-play, learners are initially aware only of the overall situation and their own goals in
it. They must negotiate the interaction itself as it unfolds, each partner responding
spontaneously to the other‟s communicative acts and strategies.
Role-play in the form of debate and discussion
The last Role-play in Littlewood‟s continuum “… is debate or discussion about a real or
simulated issue” (p. 57). The prerequisites for the activity are having adequate knowledge
about the topic, and having opposite opinions or interests. Learners can either get to a decision
or just put the issue to a vote at the end. The interaction is a result of the conflict of opinions.
The skill that learners need to practice is similar to those in the problem-solving activities. The
activity is also similar in nature to the discussion sessions. Here, the simulated roles ensure
that there will be sufficient conflict of opinion to sustain the interaction phase because students
are usually interested in comparing their decisions with those of other groups. It also gives
students an opportunity to talk about problems they had and it rounds off the activity. Beware;
however, of making this stage unduly long- to listen to fifteen groups of Ss reporting back in
turn would clearly be tedious.


20

In the view of the persons taking an actor, Laudousse (1997) explains that there are several
types of role. The first is the roles which correspond to a real need in the students‟ lives. In
this category, it involves such roles as doctors dealing with patients, or salesman traveling
abroad. The second type of role is the students play themselves in a variety of situations which
may or may not have direct experience. The example which include in this category is a
customer complaining or a passenger asking for information. The third type is the type that
few students will ever experience directly themselves, but it is easy to play because the
teachers have such vast indirect experience of them. The television journalist is a good
example of this type and it is very useful kind of role taken form real life. The last type is
fantasy roles, which are fictitious, imaginary and possible even absurd.
In case of role play activities, according to Donn Byrne (1986), role play can be grouped into

two forms, scripted and unscripted role play. In details, those types of role play activities
described as follows:
Scripted Role Play
This type involves interpreting either the textbook dialogue or reading text in the form of
speech. The main function of the text after all is to convey the meaning of language items in a
memorably way.
For more details, Doff (1988) gives example of scripted role play dialogue and reading text
and how the process is:
Angela: Good morning. I wan to send a letter to Singapore.
Clerk: Yes, do you want to send it by air mail or ordinary mail?
Angela: I think I’ll send it air mail. I want it to get there quickly. How much does it cost?
Clerk: To Singapore? That will be 30 pence, please.
Angela: Here you are.
Clerk: Here’s your stamp, and here’s 20 pence change.
Angela: Thank you. Where is the post box?
Clerk: you want the air mail box. It is over there, by the door.
To demonstrate a role play activity based on the dialogue, the procedures given by Adrian
Doff (1988) are as follows:


21

First, the teacher guides the role play by writing these prompts: (where?/ air mail/ how much?/
post box?/ thanks). Talk as you write to show what the prompts mean.
Secondly, if necessary, go through the prompts one by one, and get students to give sentences
or questions for each one.
Then, call two students to the front: one play the role as Angela and the other one is the post
office clerk. They should improvise the conversation using the prompts to help them. Point out
that the conversation should be similar to the one in the textbook, but not exactly the same; the
conversation can be shorter than the presentation dialogue. It should just cover the main points

indicated by the prompts.
Finally, call out a few pairs in turn and ask them to have other conversation based on the
prompts.
Unscripted Role Play
In contrast to Scripted Role-play, the situations of Unscripted Role-play do not depend on
textbooks. It is shown as a free role play or improvisation. The students themselves have to
decide what language to use and how the conversation should develop. In order to do this
activity, good preparation from teacher and students is necessary.
The example and procedures of Unscripted Role- play which is adapted from Doff‟s book are
as follows:
One student has lost a bag.
He/She is at the police station.
The other student is the police officer, and ask for details.
To bring out this ideas:
1/The teacher could prepare the whole class, by:
Discussing what the speakers might say or writing prompt on the board to guide the role play,
and any key vocabulary.
2/ The teacher could divide the class into pairs, and:
Let them discuss together what they may say. Or let them all try out the role play privately,
before calling on one or two pairs to act out in front of the class.


22

2.2.3. Advantages of role-play
There are many advantages that can be gained through role play method. Ments ( 1999) states
that there are thirteen advantages that can be gained through role play method, they are:
a. enables students to express hidden feelings
b. enables students to discuss private issues and problems
c. enables students to empathize with others and understand their motivations

d. gives practice in various types of behavior
e. portrays generalized social problems and dynamics of group interaction, formal and
informal
f. gives life and immediacy to academics descriptive materials ( history, English,
economics, geography)
g. provides opportunity for non-articulate students and emphasizes importance of nonverbal, emotional responses
h. motivational and effective because it involves activity
i. provides rapid feedback for both students and tutor
j. is student-centered and addresses itself to the needs and concerns of the trainee; the
group can control content and pace
k. closes gap between training and real life situations
l. changes attitudes
m. permits training in the control of feelings and emotions.

According to Ladousse (1997) there are some advantages of using Role-play. The advantages
are below:
a. Through Role-play we can train students in speaking skills in any situation.
b. Role-play is very useful dress rehearsal for real lives. It enables them not just to
acquire set phrases, but also to lean how interaction might take place in a variety
situation.
c. Role-play may help may shy students by providing them with mask.
d. Role-play is fun. The students can enjoy their imagination trip.


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e. Role-play gives the students a chance to explore and play with the possibilities offered
by the new language, and provide situations where this new language can be related to the
students‟ own experiences. (p. 6)

Cross (1991) also states some advantages of Role-play. They are:
a. Role-play offers a mental scope from the classroom.
b. Role-play can be contrived to make the students apply the same language in a new
context.
c. Role-play offers rehearsal for such later, genuine communication by engaging the
students in simulated situations, forcing them to satisfy needs and express meanings
by use of their limited linguistic resources.
d. Role-play can make the weaker students restrict themselves to a few simple exchanges,
while more able learners profit from the freedom to be creative and take risks.(p. 285)

Dougill (1994) also states that the main benefit Role-play from the point of view of
language teaching is that it enables a flow of language to be produced that might be
otherwise difficult or impossible to create. Role play can also recreate the language used in
different situations, the sort of language students are likely to need outside the classroom.
It seems that there are many reasons why teachers should use role play in their lessons.
Most of all this activity develops learners‟ fluency in speaking; it supports interaction and
increases motivation.
In short, this chapter conceptualizes the discussion of issues and aspects concerning the
topic of the study. First, it concerns the concepts and ideas relating to motivation in general
and in teaching second language in particular, the types and the importance of motivation.
Then comes an overview on the nature of role play in which the definition, the types and the
importance of role play are discussed. The following chapters will present the investigation,
the findings and recommendations of the research under the light of the above discussed
theories.


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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
The third chapter presents the research site whose notable contextual feature is that

learning English is compulsory and students tend to put their focus on communicative
language competence. Besides, the subjects of study and the data collection methods will also
be discussed in this chapter.
3.1. Background to the study
3.1.1. Hypothesis
As mentioned in the first part of the study, this study is aimed at testing the following
hypothesis: Using the activity of Role play is effective in arousing the University students‟
motivation in speaking English.
3.1.2. Setting of the study
The study was conducted at Accounting Department, Dainam University. At our University
English is taught as a compulsory subject for students. Here, students have to study English as
a means of communication during 6 semesters. By the end of the course, students are expected
to be able to communicate in English at intermediate level. Therefore, developing oral skills is
the main focus of teaching and learning English at Dainam.
The materials used during the courses are Market Leader from Elementary to Intermediate by
David Cotton, David Falvey and Simon Kent. Market Leader is the distinctive business
English course that brings together the best in English language teaching with the best in
business resources. Market Leader develops language skills, increases knowledge of key
business concepts and expands vocabulary. The textbook put high emphasis on developing
business communication in English so it presents a lot of situations which students can role
play to sort out, especially, in Case studies that bring together the language and business skills
in challenging and motivating scenarios. Not only do these case studies develop speaking skill,
but they also strengthen important business skills such as team work, negotiation and
discussion skills.
3.1.3. Subjects of the study


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The participants of the studies include teachers and students for the survey questionnaire, for

the further interview and classroom observation.
Subjects for the survey questionnaire
The research was carried out at Dainam University with the participation of 246 second year
students (from four groups) whose major is Accounting and 20 teachers who were at Division
2, English Department, Dainam University. They were selected randomly by the researcher to
ensure the objectiveness of the survey.
The students
All the participated students are from four Accounting classes. Among them there are
194 females and 52 males. They are from 19 to 21 years old. To those students, English was
not their majors but a compulsory subject in the courses. All of the surveyed students have
learnt English for at least 6 years, especially some of them have learnt English for 10 years.
Most of them can do grammar exercises very well but they have difficulties in mastering four
language skills. Of the four skills, as many of them revealed, they find speaking especially
important yet challenging one. That was the reason why most of students feel bored and
unmotivated in speaking classes.
The teachers
The 20 teachers teaching second-year students at Division 2, English Department were asked
to take part in the survey questionnaire for the teachers. Among them, there were 4 males, and
16 females. Their ages ranged from 22 to 41. Some of them have Master degree of English,
some were studying post- graduate at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, or at Hanoi
University.
Subjects for the interview
The selection of informants for the interview was based on the survey data. 20 students and 5
teachers were interviewed for more information about the impact of role play in English
speaking lesson
Subjects for classroom observation
The classroom observation was conducted for five sessions that took forty five minutes for
each in which the researcher acted as a teacher, as a researcher and a participant observer.

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Several speaking lessons at Accounting 0401 Class will be observed by the teacher and
another teacher of English at English Department, Dainam University.
3.2. Data collection
3.2.1. Method of data collection
Both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed to carry out the study. That is,
the data serving the research analysis and discussion were collected by means of:
- Questionnaires.
- Interviews.
- Classroom observation.
Besides, reviewing the related document is also a method to establish the theoretical
background of the study.
3.2.2. The data collection instruments
3.2.2.1.The questionnaire
The questionnaire for students
The questionnaire for the students, with 10 questions including closed and open ones,
was administered to 246 students. They were written in Vietnamese to make sure that students
understood all questionnaire items. All the questionnaires were designed with reference to
“Questionnaire design” by Eric Potter and Peter Spratt from Dakin University, 1995 and “ The
post- experimental intrinsic motivation inventory” By Ryan, Koestner & Deci, 1991.
The survey questionnaire includes five main parts as follows:


Part 1 (question 1) was to find out the frequency of recruiting activity of role play in
English speaking class



Part 2(question 2) was about students‟ preference in role playing used in speaking lessons.



Part 3 (question 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) was to investigate effectiveness of using role play to increase
students‟ motivation to speak English



Part 4 including 2 questions (question 8, 9) was about the difficulties students often
encounter when they took part in role play activities.



Part 5 (question 10) was given to collect students‟ recommendation for increasing the
effectiveness of role play technique.


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The questionnaire for the teachers
The second questionnaire was given to 20 teachers at Division 2, English Department.
The purpose of this questionnaire was to investigate the frequency of employing role play
(question 1), the teachers‟ attitude toward role play( question 2), the impact of role play
technique on students‟ participation (question3, 4, 5, 6, 7), difficulties in organizing role play
activities (question 8, 9), and teachers‟ recommendation for increasing the effectiveness of
role play ( question 10)
The questionnaire also consists of 10 questions written in Vietnamese and it was with
reference to “Questionnaire design” by Eric Poter and Peter Spratt from Deakin Univeristy,
1995 and “ The post- experimental instrinsic motivation inventory” By Ryan, Koestner &
Deci, 1991.

3.2.2.2. Interviews
A one- one interview was conducted after the administration of questionnaire and after the
researcher had finished reading all the responses in the questionnaire. The interview was
carried out in Vietnamese in the form of informal conversation between the researcher and the
students and in English between the researcher and the teachers. 20 students and 5 teachers
were selected for the interview. The questions in the interview were basically based on those
in the questionnaire, but they were extended to cover more open-ended questions to get
thorough understanding of the reasons behind each choice. Each conversation lasted for 5 to
10 minutes. The data were recorded, transcribed for the analysis purpose, and then translated
into English.
3.2.2.3.Class observation
The classroom observation was conducted for five sessions that took forty five minutes for
each in which the researcher played the role of a teacher, a researcher and a participant as
well. By doing so, the researcher of this study was able to take on in every activity that has
been set out to be observed. During the observation, the researcher took note on everything
that was going on in her class after the class. In order to ensure the reliability of the results
from the classroom observation, a colleague was invited to observe the class.


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