Sử dụng các hoạt động “đóng vai” trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng nói cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất khoa Công nghệ hóa- trường Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội t.PDF

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






NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY NGA






THE USE OF ROLE-PLAY ACTIVITIES IN
IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS OF FIRST-
YEAR CHEMISTRY-MAJORS AT HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

Sử dụng các hoạt động “đóng vai” trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng
nói cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất khoa Công nghệ hóa- trường
Đại học công nghiệp Hà Nội



M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60 14 10







H NI, 2011


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






NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY NGA






THE USE OF ROLE-PLAY ACTIVITIES IN
IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS OF FIRST-

YEAR CHEMISTRY-MAJORS AT HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

Sử dụng các hoạt động “đóng vai” trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng
nói cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất khoa Công nghệ hóa- trường
Đại học công nghiệp Hà Nội


M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS



Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60 14 10
Supervisor: NGUYỄN THỊ BÁCH THẢO, M.A.





H NI, 2011

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration
i
Acknowledgements
ii
Abstract

iii
Table of contents
iv
List of tables
vi
List of charts
vii
List of abbreviations
viii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION


1.1. Rationale
1
1.2. Aims of the study
2
1.3. Scope of the study
3
1.4. Significance of the study
3
1.5. Method of the study
3
1.6. Design of the study
3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Communicative Language Teaching & Cooperative Learning
5

2.1.1. Characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching
5
2.1.2. Cooperative Learning
6
2.2. Role-play in developing speaking skills
9
2.2.1. What is role-play?
9
2.2.2. Types of Role Play and Procedures in Using Role Play
11
2.2.3. Roles of Teachers and Students in role-play activities
17
2.2.4. Significance of Role Play in Developing Speaking Skills
21


CHAPTER III: THE STUDY


v
3.1. Setting of the study
22
3.2. The study
22
3.2.1 Type of research
22
3.2.2. Participants
23
3.2.3. Data collection instruments
23

3.2.4. Data collection procedure
24
3.2.5. Data analysis procedure
25
3.3. Results
25
3.3.1. Research question 1 and 2
25
3.3.2. Research question 3
38
3.3.3. Research question 4
39
3.4. Discussion
40

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION

4.1. Major findings of the study
44
4.2. Implications
45
4.3. Limitations of the study
47
4.4. Suggestions for further research
48

REFERENCES

49
APPENDICES

I
Appendix 1: Questionnaire for students
I
Appendix 2: Questionnaire for teachers
IV
Appendix 3: Interview questions for students
VII
Appendix 4: Interview questions for teachers
VIII





1

ABSTRACT
The context of international integration and development has attached increasing
importance to communication in general and oral communication in particular. Oral
communication skills or speaking skills therefore have become the focus of language teaching
as far as the objectives of English course of the Faculty of Chemistry, Hanoi University of
Industry (HaUI) are concerned. With a lot of advantages, role-play is considered one of the
most potential activities to help students promote their speaking skills.
As one of the first attempts to explore the application of using role-play in
speaking classroom for a specific group of learners, namely first-year chemistry-majors, this
paper sheds light on both the students and teachers’ attitude towards using role-play, the
difficulties they encounter as well as suggestions for utilizing this kind of activity effectively.
To achieve the aims of the study, a survey was conducted with 120 first-year
chemistry-majors and twenty teachers being involved. To enhance the quality of information
collected from the questionnaire and help the researcher provide more details to the findings,

interviews were employed.
The results of this research show many positive signs in students and teachers’ attitude
towards using role-play in improving speaking skills. By identifying the difficulties they face,
the paper suggests some changes in the students’ participation, the teachers’ roles during role-
play activities as well as alteration of the management board. The study is of great use to those
who want to find an effective way of using role-play to teach speaking skills and thanks to it,
students will be more interested in learning speaking to gain a better result.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
There exists one problem that teachers and students of English in Vietnam cope with:
the target language is mainly used in the classroom and learners have few opportunities to use
English in authentic contexts outside the classroom. This requires some changes in teaching
approach from traditional ones which put emphasis on the production of accurate grammatical
sentences into CLT approach which focuses on developing learners’ communicative
competence, i.e. the ability to communicate through language.

2

The above reasons have urged the author to conduct a study to gain more insight into
the current situation of using classroom activities with a focus on role-play tasks and try to
draw some implications for using role-play to improve speaking skills for 1
st
-year students at
the Faculty of Chemistry – Hanoi University of Industry (FC - HaUI). It is hoped that this
study will lay a foundation on which subsequent research into this matter is based and
developed.
1.2. Aims of the study
Firstly, this research is carried out in order to investigate the reality of applying role-
play activities in teaching speaking skills to 1

st
-year students at the Faculty of Chemistry –
Hanoi University of Industry. Additionally, it is planned to explore students and teachers’
attitude towards role-play activities as well as the difficulties in using these activities in
improving speaking skills.
1.3. Scope of the study
Within the scope of a graduation paper and due to the limitation of time, the study is
confined to the Faculty of Chemistry, Hanoi University of Industry with focus on first-year
chemistry majors. Moreover, although role-play activities could be used extensively in
different contexts and for different purposes, the study is dealing with role-play in developing
speaking skills only.
1.4. Significance of the study
The study is carried out with the intention to provide teachers of English at FC – HaUI
with a deeper understanding of using role-play activities in teaching speaking skills. In
addition, it is hoped that the study will be of great significance in helping teachers find an
effective way to increase their students’ participation in speaking lessons as well as supply
them with successful communication outside classrooms.
1.5. Methods of the study
Questionnaires and interviews will be utilized to collect data for the whole paper. After
completing questionnaires, those who are willing to give further response on the issue will be
invited to take part in semi-structured interviews.
1.6. Design of the study
The thesis consists of four chapters as follows:


3

Chapter 1 provides a general introduction.
Chapter 2 is an attempt to review some theoretical background for the study.
Chapter 3 presents the methodology of the study

Chapter 4 is the conclusion of the study

CHAPTER II - LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Communicative Language Teaching & Cooperative Learning
2.1.1. Characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching
The communicative approach is usually characterized as a broad approach to teaching
rather than as a teaching method. As such, it is most often defined as lists of general
principles. One of the most recognized of these lists is five features of CLT pointed out by
Nunan:
- An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language.
- The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.
- The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language, but also
on the Learning Management process.
- An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing
elements to classroom learning.
- An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the
classroom.
(David Nunan, 1991)
These five principles show that the communicative approach focuses on the needs and
desires of their learners. Based on these principles of CLT, it can be concluded that any
teaching practice that helps students develop their communicative competence in an authentic
context is deemed an acceptable and beneficial form of instruction.
2.1.2. Cooperative Learning (CL)
CL has received much attention of many researchers and become popular over the last
decade. In general, CL is one instructional strategy which is under the learner – centered
approach.

4

In general, CL has been proven to be effective for all types of students because it

promotes learning and fosters respect and friendships among diverse groups of students.
Students in cooperative classrooms achieve many social and academic benefits as Slavin
(1987) stated: “Cooperative classrooms are classrooms where students are likely to attain
higher levels of achievement, to increase time on task, to build cross-ethnic friendships, to
experience enhanced self-esteem, to build life-long interaction and communication skills, and
to master the habits of mind (critical, creative and self-regulated) needed to function as
productive members of society.”
2.2. Role-play in developing speaking skills
In defining role-play, the writer views that role play is a technique which involves
fantasy or imagination 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 encouraging the students
to think and create, lets students 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 occur.
In case of role play activities, according to Byrne (1986), role play can be grouped into
two forms, scripted and unscripted role play.
Holding different ideas from Byrne, in dividing types of role-play, Littlewood (1981)
reported that role-play activities can be categorized into four types as follow: Role-playing
controlled through cued dialogues, Role-playing controlled through cues and information,
Role-playing controlled through situation and goals, Role-playing in the form of debate or
discussion
2.2.3. Roles of teachers and students in role-play activities
In this kind of activities the teacher is less dominant but by no means less important
than in the traditional classroom activities. He is a facilitator of the communicative process in
which he may play the roles of instructor of language items, organizer of the role-play activity,
error-corrector, passive viewer, and consultant. He may also take part in the role-play
activities as a co-communicator, or observe the students’ performance for planning future
activities.
The roles of students have changed since the invention of Communicative Teaching
Approach. According to Morrow, (1977: 71), “the learner is now concerned with using

5

language, not English usage. In order to do this, learners take on roles and interact with other
learners who also have roles. What they say is determined by the roles they play, their
communicative intentions and the contribution of the other learners”.
2.2.4. Significance of Role Play in Developing Speaking Skills
Role play is a technique which can develops students’ fluency in the target language,
promotes students to interact with others in the classroom, increases motivation and makes the
teaching-learning process more enjoyable.

CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY
3.1. Setting of the study
The study was conducted at Hanoi University of Industry among first-years chemistry-
majors whose English competence is of mixed levels. Almost all of these students studied
English at high school in traditional approaches which focus on grammar, vocabulary and
reading. Therefore their communicative competence, especially speaking is limited.
3.2. The study
3.2.1 Type of research
This research is a survey research because it uses questionnaires to gather information.
3.2.2. Participants
The study was conducted at Faculty of Chemistry, Hanoi University of Industry. 360
students in total and twenty teachers were involved in the research.
3.2.3. Data collection instruments
In order to collect sufficient, reliable, and valid information for the study,
questionnaires and interview were employed.
3.2.4. Data collection procedure
Phase 1: all preparation for the data collections was made. Piloting is essential since it
can indicate problems or potential pitfalls.

6

Phase 2: the researcher had a direct interaction with the respondents and delivered
questionnaires to them. After that, interviews with the participants were conducted in
classrooms on campus.
3.2.5. Data analysis procedure
Responses collected from different interviews were analyzed to compare interviewees’
opinions. Discussion and comparison between the data from the interviews and those from the
questionnaires were also made. All the data were presented in table and bar charts for better
illustration and explanations in a reader – friendly way to easily compare different variables in
the same category.
3.3. Results and Discussion
3.3.1. The current situation and participants’ attitude towards using role-play activities
in improving speaking skills
The results of the study reveal that students often have opportunities to take part in
role-play activities and different kinds of role-play are employed in speaking lessons. In
general, role-play is popular to both students and teachers because it not only helps to improve
students’ speaking skills but also meets the demand of learning English for communications.
However, teachers and students show different interest in different kinds of RP. While
students are in favor of role-playing controlled through cues and information, teachers often
prefer to use role-playing through cued dialogues. The reason may lie in the fact that role-
playing controlled through cues and information is neither too easy nor too difficult to students
so they find it interesting; whereas teachers may underestimate students’ level in choosing
role-playing through cued dialogues.
The findings of the survey also show that when conducting role-play activities, in order
to involve students in the activity, many teachers go round to check students’ performance and
keep them on the right track, which is highly appreciated by the students. The teachers also
help less able students by giving them some clues. The direct interviews with teachers indicate
that checking students to ensure their going on the right track can prevent any
misunderstanding so that students can fulfill their tasks successfully.

7

To sum up, both teachers and students have positive evaluation of and favorable
response to role-play activities conducted to improve students’ speaking skills at the Faculty
of Chemistry, HaUI. Nevertheless, there is still a small gap between teachers’ practice and
students’ expectations in the implementation of role-play activities.
3.3.2. Participants’ difficulties in using role-play and their expectations for more effective
role-play activities
According to the data collected from the survey, teachers have some difficulties during
the implementation of role-play activities. These include involving all students in the activity,
encouraging students to use the target language in class, selecting or designing suitable
activities and managing the class. Among those difficulties, teachers always find getting all
the students involved in the activity very hard to be done. Possible explanations to these
troubles might be the large size of classes and students’ mixed ability in a class. However,
from the researcher’s point of view, the reasons may also lie in the teachers’ low proficiency
and management skill.
For students, their biggest problem is poor linguistic competence which prevents them
from taking part in role-play activities productively. This results from the fact that HaUI
students are non-English majors. Moreover, they are used to studying English in traditional
approach in which students are passive in classroom activities. When they are unconfident of
their English proficiency, they cannot do their task effectively.
In order for role-play to be fully employed, teachers expect changes in both students’
participation and administrators’ actions. Actually, administrators hold the right to categorize
students into English classes and this division directly affects the teaching quality. Too many
students of different levels in one class make it impossible for teachers to monitor the activity
well. Therefore, if there were smaller classes with students of similar English proficiency,
teachers’ work would be more effective. In addition, students’ participation is a significant
factor contributing to the success of role-play activities.
Besides, students expect for better support and help from the teacher during the

activity. They also want their teachers to clarify the instructions and provide them with
essential vocabularies and background knowledge about the topic. For them, teachers’

8

modeling is sometimes necessary because it gives the clearest and the simplest guidance.
Furthermore, students are looking forward to supporting environment which may encourage
them and make them feel confident to complete the tasks.

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION
4.1. Major findings of the study
Firstly, role-play activities have been used quite widely and frequently at the Faculty of
Chemistry, HaUI and both teachers and students have positive attitude towards using role-play
activities to improve speaking skills. Students also have good comments on teachers’ work.
However, there is still a small gap between teachers’ practice and students’ expectations in the
implementation of role-play activities.
Secondly, in using role-play activities, teachers and students have their own
difficulties. Students’ limited linguistic level is the biggest problem for them to take part in
role-play activities successfully whereas teachers consider class size and students’ various
levels two main causes of their difficulty in involving all students in role-play.
Thirdly, teachers expect for more students’ participation, their positive response to
role-play and the administrators’ actions to make smaller classes with students of the same
level. In addition, students expect for more teachers’ assistance during the activity which may
give a helping hand to their limited ability and gradually improve their linguistic competence.
4.2. Implications
4.2.1. For teachers
In order to make role-play activities effective, teachers should take into consideration
the following things:
Firstly, a well-planned lesson is always necessary to contribute to the effectiveness of
RP activities. Teachers should consider the following main issues in their lesson plans when

deciding to choose any RP activity: the purpose and organization of the activity, the length of
the lesson and students’ ability level. Moreover, preparing materials needed for the lesson and
pointing out teaching procedures are also worth considering. These preparations will help
teachers practice well in class.

9

Secondly, when assigning the task, teachers should state the instructions simply and
describe specific role or task for each student clearly. In addition, instructions should not be
too long to avoid confusion for students. This will also decrease TTT (teacher talking time)
and increase STT (student talking time).
The result of the study shows that most teachers group students according to their
proximate positions because it’s time-saving. However, where possible, breaking the class into
groups according to students’ ability helps teachers to assign suitable tasks to specific groups,
to create more language opportunities for them and produce a secure, anxiety-free climate for
learning. In addition, due to students’ low level of English, teachers should give praise to
students in any achievement they make and assure them that they can succeed with learning as
long as they try their best.
When students are working in groups or pairs, teachers should circulate around
classroom to ensure that students are on the right track and see whether they need help.
Staying at their seat and asking for students’ participation, teachers cannot involve all students
into the activity as well as control students’ use of English.
Teachers should give corrective feedback on students’ performance at the end of the
task in order to avoid distracting students. As the research result indicates, students sometimes
receive too much criticism for their speaking task, which makes them discouraged. Therefore,
teachers should also balance positive and negative evaluation.
Last but not least, it is advisable for teachers to build a bank of role-play activities as
supplementary to particular course books. They can also share it with their colleagues, which
would solve the shortage of applicable materials for teachers.
4.2.2. For administrators

To assist teachers in their teaching, administrators are recommended to form smaller
classes and place students of the same level into one class. These would create more teachers’
efficiency in their jobs.
Besides, it is suggested that administrators should frequently organize training courses
for teachers to improve their English proficiency, teaching methodology and management
skills. In these courses, teachers can exchange knowledge and experience with each other.

10

Furthermore, teaching conditions and teaching aids should be among administrators’
support. If the classrooms are well-equipped and teachers are supplied with various and
interesting teaching materials, students will be more excited to participate in the lessons.
4.2.3. For students
The most important thing to deal with students is that they should be made aware of
the benefits of communicative activities in general and role-play in particular. Once they
consider studying languages for communication, they will have intrinsic motivation to use the
target language instead of mother tongue.
In addition, students should realize that it is them who should be responsible for their
English learning. Instead of being passive in the class, they are expected to join all the
activities conducted by teachers voluntarily and actively.
4.3. Limitations of the study
First, the study only considers the implementation of role-play activities in one
particular pedagogical situation – the first-year speaking class. If the research were conducted
over longer period of time with various intakes, it would give more valuable, reliable and valid
data.
Secondly, the validity of the findings and the reliability of any implications and
recommendations would be maximized if the researcher could employ more research
instrument like classroom observation.
Lastly, the study only focused on role-play activities as a single tool to improve
students’ speaking skills whereas there are many other instruments to enhance speaking

competence.
4.4. Suggestions for further research
Using communicative activities in teaching speaking still remains a broad area to
study. Further research should have a deeper insight into the exploitation of others
communicative activities to develop speaking skill.
As for exploiting role-play activities in teaching and learning speaking skills, I would
suggest that research on criteria or guidelines, based on which suitable role-play activities can
be designed, would be worth considering.