Cải thiện kĩ năng nói tiếng anh thông qua các trò chơi cho học sinh khối 11 tại trường THPT yên phong số 2

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

NGUYEN THI SAC

IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS
THROUGH GAMES FOR 11th GRADE STUDENTS
AT YEN PHONG N0.2 HIGH SCHOOL

(Cải thiện kĩ năng nói Tiếng Anh
thông qua các trò chơi cho học sinh khối 11
tại trường THPT Yên Phong số 2)

M.A THESIS

Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2020


THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

NGUYEN THI SAC

IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS
THROUGH GAMES FOR 11th GRADE STUDENTS
AT YEN PHONG N0.2 HIGH SCHOOL

(Cải thiện kĩ năng nói Tiếng Anh

thông qua các trò chơi cho học sinh khối 11
tại trường THPT Yên Phong số 2)

M.A THESIS
(APPLICATION ORIENTATION)

Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof . PhD. Hoang Tuyet Minh

THAI NGUYEN - 2020


DECLARATION

I, the undersigned, declare that this thesis is the result of my own
research for the Degree of Master at Thai Nguyen University and that
this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university
or tertiary institution.

Thai Nguyen, 2020
Student

Nguyễn Thị Sắc

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor,
Ms. Hoang Tuyet Minh for her wholehearted assistance. Without her advice,
comments, and corrections, it would have been impossible for me to fulfill the
thesis.
Besides, students at Yen Phong No.2 high school are people to whom I want
to send my grateful thanks.
Last but not least, I am willing to show my deepest thanks to my family and
friends who encouraged and supported me a lot.

ii


ABSTRACT

One of the most challenging tasks facing any language teachers is to capture
students’ interest, and therefore, keep them in high learning spirit. Meanwhile,
English speaking skills are a hard skill which can sometimes be frustrating
especially students. To realize this situation, the teachers are supposed to find out
teaching ways corresponsive to students’ needs and wants. The study, in that light,
lays a focus on students’ improvement in English speaking skills through games.
The study was conducted in the form of an action research with the research tools
being observational note, pre-test, post-test 1, post-test 2 and survey questionnaire
to collect data. Then the data from observational note and tests were exploited to
find out the improvement in students’ English speaking skills. And the data from
survey questionnaire was used to find out students’ attitude when using games in
speaking lessons. Through the results of the teacher’s observation, the pre-test,
post-test 1 and post-test 2, it can be concluded that games could help improve
students’ English speaking skills. The results collected from the questionnaires
showed that most of the students expressed their positive attitudes towards the
games carried out in teaching English speaking skills.

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ......................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... iv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................1
1.1. Rationale for the study......................................................................................1
1.2. Aims of the study ................................................................................................2
1.3. Research question...............................................................................................2
1.4. Scope of the study ...............................................................................................2
1.5. Design of the thesis .............................................................................................3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................4
2.1. The Nature of Speaking .....................................................................................4
2.1.1. The Definitions of Speaking .....................................................................4
2.1.2. The place of speaking among the four language skills ............................5
2.2. Games ..................................................................................................................6
2.2.1. Definition of games ..................................................................................6
2.2.2. Role of games to improve the student’s speaking skills ...........................7
2.2.3. Benefits of using games ............................................................................8
2.2.4. The importance of games .........................................................................9
2.2.5. Kinds of games in language teaching and learning ...............................10
2.2.6. How to play games .................................................................................12
2.2.7. The Relationship between Games and Speaking skills...........................13
2.2.8. Using Games in the Speaking Class .......................................................14
2.3. Review of previous studies ................................................................................16

2.4. Summary ...........................................................................................................17
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................19
3.1. The setting of the study ....................................................................................19
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3.2. Participants .......................................................................................................19
3.3. The Method of the Research ...........................................................................19
3.4. The Procedure of Action Research ................................................................21
3.4.1. Identifying problems ...............................................................................21
3.4.2. Planning the action ................................................................................22
3.4.3. Implementing the action .........................................................................22
3.4.4. Observing the action ..............................................................................23
3.4.5. Reflecting ................................................................................................23
3.5. Data collection instruments .............................................................................23
3.5.1. Observation ............................................................................................23
3.5.2. Pre-test and post-test ..............................................................................24
3.5.3. Questionnaire .........................................................................................25
3.6. Data collection procedures ..............................................................................26
3.6.1. Teacher’s diary .......................................................................................26
3.6.2. Pre-test and Post-test .............................................................................26
3.6.3. Questionnaires ........................................................................................26
3.7. Data analysis procedures .................................................................................27
3.8. Summary ...........................................................................................................28
CHAPTER 4: RESUTLS AND DISCUSSION ....................................................29
4.1. Research question 1: To what extents do games improve students’
speaking skill? ..........................................................................................................29
4.1.1. The Result of Post Observational Note ..................................................29
4.1.2. The Result of pre-test and post-test ........................................................29
4.2. Research question 2: What are learners’ attitude when using games in

speaking lesson? ......................................................................................................32
4.3. Summary ...........................................................................................................37
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ...........................38
5.1. Conclusion .........................................................................................................38
5.2. Implications and suggestions for teaching and learning English ................39

v


5.2.1. Implications ............................................................................................39
5.2.2. Suggestions for teaching and learning English ......................................40
5.3. Limitations and suggestions for further study ..............................................41
5.3.1. Limitations of the study ..........................................................................41
5.3.2. Suggestions for further studies ...............................................................41
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................43
APPENDICES .........................................................................................................46
APPENDIX 1 ...........................................................................................................46
APPENDIX 2: SCORES .........................................................................................49
APPENDIX 3: STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE ...................................................55
APPENDIX 4 ...........................................................................................................57
APPENDIX 5: GAMES APPLIED IN THE PROCESS .....................................59
LESSON PLANS OF TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL .................59

vi


LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 4.1:

The students’ responses to the question ..............................................33

Table 4.2:

Students’ responses to the question ....................................................33

Table 4.3:

Factors interfere in the students’ speaking skill when the class
was taking place ..................................................................................34

Table 4.4:

Learners’ attitude when the teacher use games in teaching
speaking lesson?..................................................................................35

Table 4.5:

Students’ attitude towards necessity and importance of using
games in teaching English speaking skills? ........................................35

Table 4.6:

Students ‘ activeness while playing games ........................................36

Figure 3.1:

Dialectic Action Research Spiral. .......................................................20

Figure 3.2:

Simple Action Research Model 55 (from MacIsaac, 1995: p53) .......21

Figure 4.1:

The Improvement of Speaking Skill’s score.......................................31

vii


CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale for the study
Speaking is one of the basic language skills that have to be mastered by
English foreign learners due to its significant and its use for communication. It is
very important to be able to speak English regarding that it is the most commonly
accepted language in the world so that it will be very beneficial for those who
comprehend it not only to improve their knowledge and skills but also easier for
them to get a job. More than that, they will not find it difficult to communicate and
interact with people around the world when they travel (Gard & Gautam, 2015).
From the observation and teaching process done by the researcher with the
11th grade students at Yen Phong No.2 high school, lack of students’ speaking
proficiency is the problem. Their vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are low
which make them unable to say something during the speaking class. Related to the
competence of the students speaking skills, there are some indicators which show
that they do not speak accurately.
First, in language teaching class, they rarely answer the question given by the
teacher orally. Second, they also speak with a lot of pauses. Third, they get
difficulties to find the appropriate words to create sentence or expression. Fourth,
dealing with the vocabulary mastery, for instance when the teacher asks the
meaning of seldom, never, several of them cannot answer them. Fifth, in

grammatical item when the teacher explains recount text, she asks the past form of
the words bring, and think, the students do not understand. Another difficulty is
found in speaking material. The teacher has to translate all the sentences first before
explaining what kind of expression it is.
Other indicators are shown in the classroom atmosphere. During the teaching
learning process, the students are not enthusiastic and interested in joining teaching
activities. Only a few students have great willingness to speak up voluntarily. They
do not enjoy the lesson. When all the students speak together, it gets too noisy and

1


they just end up chatting in their own language. Moreover, when the time of
teaching and learning conducted after break time, they look tired and show low
motivation to follow the teaching and learning process. If there is a dialogue, the
teacher asks them to complete it and read it in front of the class. This technique
cannot enhance their speaking proficiency. Based on the fact, the classroom teacher
and the writer would like to improve English speaking skills by using games.
There are several reasons why they can improve the students’ speaking
skills. First, they help the teacher to create context in which the language is useful
and meaningful (Wright, 1997: ii). Second, enjoyment of games is not restricted by
age. It is generally accepted that young learners and adult are very willing to play
games. According to Chen (2000), games make the learners more willing to ask
questions and think creatively about how to use English to achieve the goal.
The reasons mentioned above lead me to my choice of the research title:
“Improving English speaking skills through games for 11th grade students at Yen
Phong No.2 high school”
1.2. Aims of the study
This study aims at helping the 11th grade students improve their speaking
skills through language activities and get the basic knowledge of speaking skills

with higher requirements for the next graders. To realize the above aim, this study
elaborates on:
- Identifying whether games can improve students’ speaking skills.
- Exploring 11th grade students’ attitude towards the teacher’s use of games
in speaking lesson.
1.3. Research question
The research is conducted to address the following questions:
1. To what extents do games improve students’ speaking skill?
2. What are learners’ attitude when using games in speaking lesson?
1.4. Scope of the study
There are so many different material resources and researchers that require a
lot of time and effect while my personal experience is limited. Therefore, this study

2


can only focus on study games in studying English speaking skills for the 11th grade
students at Yen Phong No.2 high school. In the process of teaching, taking lessons,
learning experiences, and studying book materials, I have noticed many types of
games that can fit into each specific lesson in English textbooks English 11. Since
then, I have bravely composed some warm - up and after - speaking sessions with
popular games such as question and answer game, matching game, word game,
guessing and speculating game... Through the implementation process, it can be
clearly seen the atmosphere was much more lively, students were ready to take a
new lesson in the new environment - the English environment. I hope that this study
is a good reference material for all students who wish to get higher speaking skills.
The number of students involved 11th grade students, especially the students
of class 11A2. It involves one class, consisting of thirty- four students; sixteen girls
and eighteen boys.
1.5. Design of the thesis

This thesis is divided into five chapter. The following is short description
about what each chapter contains.
Chapter 1 – presents the rationales for the study, the aims and objectives, the
research questions, the scope of the study and the design of the study.
Chapter 2 – provides the theoretical background of the study, including the nature
of speaking, games. Besides, review of previous studies are also stated.
Chapter 3 – demonstrates the research methods applied in the study with details on
how and why these methods were implemented in the research. Besides, this chapter
presents the data collected and analyzed from teacher’s dairy, questionnaire as well as from
the pre – tests and post – tests.
Chapter 4 – demonstrates the results and discussion of the study, which answer the
two research questions.
Chapter 5 – summarizes the main issues covered in the paper. It presents the
summary of major findings, the implications, limitations as well as suggestions for
further studies.
References and Appendices are presented in the last part of the thesis.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. The Nature of Speaking
2.1.1. The Definitions of Speaking
Speaking is a kind of bridge for learners between classroom and the world
outside (Hadfield, 1999:7). It is vehicle par excellence of social solidarity, of social
ranking, of professional advancement and business. It is also a medium through
which much language is learnt…, (Bygate, 1997: vii). To know the language
learners can speak, it is necessary to get them to actually, say something. To do this
they must act on knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. The application of this

knowledge can be realized by speaking practice.
Besides, New Webster Dictionary (1994: 932) states that speaking is an act
to express idea, feelings, and thought orally. It is also called oral communication.
According to Syakur (1987: 5), speaking is a complex skill because at least it is
concerned with components of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency.
Speaking is an act that is done naturally by people in their life. Sometimes they
share their problem to someone they believe in. They have a freedom to express
what they want to say.
Language is a tool which is used to communicate with other. One of the
ways is speaking. Speaking here means individual’s ability in expressing the idea.
According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, speaking is making use of
words, knowing and being able to use language: expressing oneself in word, making
speech, while is the ability to do something well. Therefore, the writer can infer that
speaking proficiency is the ability to perform linguistic knowledge in actual
communication. The ability to express our idea, feeling, thought and need orally.
As speaking is to communicate, it generally becomes main goal of learning in
language. People learning the language certainly wants to speak it. It means when
someone wants to master a certain language being learned, the first language skill he wants
to acquire is speaking, because it will make them able to practice it with other people.

4


2.1.2. The place of speaking among the four language skills
The aims of language teaching courses are commonly defined in relation to the
four language skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing. Depending on the
language user’s activity, Widdowson (1978:57) groups them into receptive and
productive ones. Reading and listening belong to receptive skills, whereas speaking
and writing are classified as productive skills. Speaking and writing are called
productive skills because they involve language production. Nevertheless, Penny Ur in

her book titled “A course in language teaching”, indicates:(…) of all the four skills
(listening, speaking, reading and writing), speaking seems intuitively the most
important: people who know a language are referred to as “speakers” of that language,
as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing; and many if not most foreign
languages learners are primarily interested in learning to speak (Ur 1996:120).
The author emphasizes the importance of speaking and also the fact that it
involves quite a vast knowledge of different language aspects, ergo, speaking may be
perceived as a complicated process. Furthermore, speaking seems to be one of the
most difficult skills students may possess since it requires first and foremost a great
deal of practice and also exposure. Nowadays, many people identify fluency in
speaking with the most desirable ability in their target language, for being able to talk
smoothly with a native speaker very often proves the actual linguistic level. Teaching
the other productive skill, namely writing, tends to be called the process approach
because focus is on what writers do and not on what is being produced. “Those
teachers who advocate the process approach pay attention to various stages that any
piece of writing goes through (Harmer: 2001: 257)”. The ability to write well is not a
naturally acquired skill and hence must be exercised; additionally, writing involves
composing letters, essays, etc. in relevance to the sets of given rules.
In sharp contrast to productive skills, listening and reading are the ways in
which people extract meaning from what they hear or see. Learners do not need to
produce language on their own; rather, they receive and understand it. Indeed,
Widdowson (1978: 57) also names receptive skills as passive skills, whilst writing

5


and speaking are called active skills. People process various messages from the
media, such as radio, television and then activate listening comprehension in
various communicative situations. According to Dakowska (2005: 212) “listening is
involved in all areas of our life, both public and personal.” Taking part in a

conversation requires not only the ability to talk in the target language but also
cautious listening to a partner. Similarly, reading results in understanding when an
interactive process goes between a reader and a text.
Interestingly, not only can these four skills be divided in terms of producing
and receiving information, but, as shown in the paragraph above, the skills may also be
classified according to the medium of communication. “Speaking and listening are said
to relate to language expressed through the aural medium and reading and writing are
said to relate to language expressed through the visual medium” (Widdowson 1978:
57). In other words, speaking and listening are held when sounds are being produced,
whereas the other two skills are concerned with visual perception. In this case, it is the
way of communicating information that is emphasized.
2.2. Games
2.2.1. Definition of games
Many different definitions of games have been made so far.
According to Jill Hadfield (1996: 4) a game is an activity with rules, a goal
and an element of fun. He also said that there are two kinds of games: competitive
games and co–operative games. A competitive game is games in which the player
or teams race to be the first to reach the goal. And co – operative games are games
in which players or teams work together towards a common goal.
Chen (2005) also said in his journal that the benefits of using games in
language learning are promote communicative competence, create a meaningful
context for language use, increase learning motivation, reduce learning anxiety,
encourage creative and spontaneous use of language. And construct a cooperative
learning environment.
In teaching and learning activities, there are many activities to develop

6


speaking skill. One of them is games. Games have a purpose beyond the production

of correct speech, serves as a good communicative activity. The aim of all language
games for students is to use the language. However, during the game play learners
also use the target language to persuade and negotiate their way to desire the result.
Games offer students a fun and relaxing learning atmosphere. When students
join in games, anxiety is reduced and speech fluency is generated, so communicative
competence is achieved.
Games activities are an excellent way of motivating learners to speak. Games
introduces of competition into language-building activities. In other words, games
create a meaningful context for language use. The competitive atmosphere also
makes learners concentrate and think intensively during the learning process.
Language learning should be enjoyable. Games help make it so. The
students acquire a great deal of language by concentrating and listening intensively,
but unconsciously. Much of our mother tongue competence is gained through using
language in play.
2.2.2. Role of games to improve the student’s speaking skills
Some people think that games are often considered as an end of term activity
or something to fill in last five minutes of a lesson. However, games are not just
time – filling activities but have a great educational value. In fact, they are
becoming an indispensable activity in language syllabus because they play vital
roles in speaking teaching and learning.
According to Richard-Amato (1996: 10), even though games are often
associated with fun, we should not lose sight of their pedagogical values,
particularly in foreign language teaching and learning. Games are effective as they
create motivation, lower students’ stress, and give language learners the opportunity
for real communication. Hansen (1994:118) also agreed that games are highly
motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to
express their opinions and feelings.
Wright, Betteridge, and Bucky (1983: 1) point out that, “Games help and

7

encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.” Clearly, games can
provide powerful and meaningful practice of language. Moreover, games can be
found to give practice in all skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking), in all
stages of the teaching and learning and for many types of communication.
Certainly, games can be related to language learning. Language games can
add fun and variety to conversation sessions if the participants are fond of games. In
addition, games are especially refreshing after grammar activities. Also a game is a
wonderful activity to break the routine of classroom drills by providing relaxation
while remaining within the framework of language learning. A game can in fact be
stimulating and entertaining. In the same way, according to this, Byrne (1984, p. 99)
stated “the maximum benefit can be obtained from language games if they form an
integral part of a program, at both the practice and production stages of learning.
Used in this way, they provide new and interesting contexts for practicing language
already learnt –and often for acquiring new language in the process”.
One of the purposes is to introduce an element of competition in the English
class. But we agree with Byrne (1984, p. 99) when he stated, “We do not wish the
students to become excessively competitive, but we want to recognize that the
competition provides a valuable force to a purposeful use of language”. This is
because we are looking for students to develop their speaking skills by avoiding a
frustrating situation in the classroom.
In summary, games are useful and effective tools that should be applied in
speaking lesson.
2.2.3. Benefits of using games
There are many benefits of using games in the classroom. According to Kim
(1995, p. 1), suggests some benefits:
• Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.
• They are motivating and challenging.
• Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help students to

make and sustain the effort of learning.

8


• Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing,
listening and reading.
• They encourage students to interact and communicate.
• They create a meaningful context for the language user.
• They increase the student’s proficiency (Deesri, 2002, p. 3).
• Games help and encourage many students or learners to sustain their
interest and work on learning a language; also they can be found to give practice in
all the skills, in all the stages of the teaching learning sequence and for many types
of communication (Wright et al, 1984, p. 1-2).
• Games can help teachers to create contexts in which language is useful and
meaningful (Wright et al, 1984, p. 1-2).
2.2.4. The importance of games
Games play a great importance in learning a foreign language. They can
make students to be good communicator, games as motivator; also they can increase
student’s proficiency in learning foreign language.
-

Games and communication

The teacher uses games in the classroom not only for making students enjoy
or to spend their time, but for helping them to know how to communicate with
others as Hadfield (1984) states that “games provide an opportunity for real
communication” (p. 4). As well as students need opportunities to practice English
and communicate well in the classroom Hedge (2000) confirm that “students need
plenty of opportunity to practice the language in situations which encourage them to

communicate their needs, ideas and opinions” (p. 44- 45). When teachers apply
games in the classroom, they should concentrate on the communication rather than
on the correctness of the language. Hadfield (1984) supports that “the emphasis in
the games is on successful communication rather than on the correctness of the
language” (p. 4).
Simply, using games in the classroom can help students improve their
communication and speak freely in the classroom.

9


- Games as motivator
Motivation in learning a foreign language is useful and important because it
helps students to have a good communication. According to Harmer (2001, p. 51)
motivation as “some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in
order to achieve something”. This means motivation encourages students to act and
participate in the classroom.
- Games increase students' proficiency
Using games in the classroom gives students the opportunity to acquire the
language and communicate well. Moreover, games make students good in the
vocabulary also they help them to reduce their grammatical mistakes. As Deesri
(2003) confirm that “using games in the classroom gives students the ability to
practice the language because they are given situations and have the chance to use
real communication. Also, students drill and practice grammatical rules and other
functions” (p. 3). The Teachers should use the games in the classroom in order to
increase the competency of their students.
2.2.5. Kinds of games in language teaching and learning
Different writers have different classification of games. Lee (2000, p.65)
classifies games into ten kinds: structure games, vocabulary games, spelling games,
pronunciation games, number games, listen-and-do games, read-and-do games,

games and writing, miming and role-play, and discussion game. However,
McCallum (1980, p. 74) categorizes games for language learning into seven kinds:
vocabulary games, number games, structure games, spelling games, conversation
games, writing games, and role-play and dramatics. From these two writers’
division, we have five main kinds of games: vocabulary games, structure games,
writing games, reading games, and games for developing speaking and listening
skills. Each kind of game focuses on a language component or a skill, so when
choosing games, one of the factors that teachers have to consider is the aim of the
lesson. As mentioned above, the language games chosen in this study must serve
the purpose of improving English speaking skills.

10


Therefore, the researcher chose the following classification of games provided by
Wright, Betteridge & Buckby (1984):


Picture Games: Most of these games involve the learners in the relative free
use of all language at their command. They involve comparing and
contrasting pictures, considering differences or similarities and possible
relations between pictures.



Psychology Games: These games let us work with the human mind and sense.
They involve telepathy, visual perception, characters, imagination and
memory. They also encourage the students' concentration and language use.



Magic Tricks: Language can sometimes be exemplified in a concise and
memorable way through a magic trick. These tricks always attract attention
and invite comments.



Sound Games: Sound effects can create in the listeners an impression of
people, places and actions. There is a demand for the listeners to contribute
through imagination. This inevitably leads to individual interpretations and
interactions as well as the need to exchange points of view and to express
ideas and opinions.



Card and Board Games: These games can be adaptations of several wellknown card games and board games like snakes and ladders.



Word Games: These games are used for spelling, meanings, using words for
making sentences, words in contexts and word for categorizing according to
grammatical use. Students, in many cases, have to communicate in full
sentences, give new ideas and argue at the same length.



True-false Games: In these games someone makes a statement which is
either true or false. The game is to decide which it is.



Memory Games: These games measure the players' ability to remember
different events which, in turn, leads to discussion, in which opinions and
information are exchanged.



Caring and Sharing Games: These games pretend to encourage students to

11


trust and get interested in others. They have the participants share personal
feelings and experiences with other class member.


Guessing and Speculating Games: In these games someone knows
something and the others must find out what it is. There are many games
and variations based on this simple idea.



Story Games: These games provide a framework for learners to speak as
well as write stories and share them with classmates.
In this study, below kinds of games were used in speaking lessons because

the researcher thinks these games are useful in order to encourage the students’
participation, and develop the students’ speaking skills taking into account the
games’ characteristics and learners’ attitude when engaged in games.
No

Kind of game

Name of game

1

Incomplete definitions game

Find someone who…!

2

Word game

Jumble word

3

Memory game

Slap the board

4

Guess and speculating game

Taboo

5

Caring and sharing

Let me know about you

6

Story game

Retell a story

It is clear that the classifications of games depend on each type of games which
concentrates on a language item or a skill for the purpose and the content of the lesson.
Using different games to learn grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation can facilitate
students to study English successfully, because learning through fun make the students
highly motivated to speak and participate in the classroom. Thus, it is very necessary for
teachers to choose the most appropriate game for each lesson so that these games can
bring a large number of benefits to both students and teachers.
2.2.6. How to play games
We know that each game suggests which form of class organization is
appropriate. Grouping pair and group work are very important if each learner is to

12


have sufficient oral practice in the use of the language. Wright (1997:5) said the
there are many ways to play games, namely:
a. Pair work
This is fast and easy to organize; it provides opportunities for intensive
listening and speaking practice. Pair work is better than group work if there are

discipline problems. Indeed, for all the reasons we often prefer to organize games in
pair or general class work.
b. Group work
Some games require four or six players, in these cases group work is essential.
Membership of groups should be constant for the sake of goodwill and efficiency. Many
teachers consider it advisable to have a group leader. However, there is much to be said
for encouraging a reticent learner by giving the responsibility to him or her. The leader’s
role is to ensure that game or activity is properly organized and to act intermediate
between learners and teachers.
2.2.7. The Relationship between Games and Speaking skills
Based on the previous underlying theory, the writer assumes that using
games can improve junior high school students’ speaking skills. There are several
reasons why games can improve students’ speaking proficiency. Firstly, as we have
seen games can be used to improve the learner’s command of particular items of
language: sound, vocabulary, spelling, and grammatical function.
According to Byrne (1997:100) games, especially traditional language games
are effective because the learners are so involved in playing game that they do not
realize that they are practicing language items or functions.
Secondly, games are also kinds of activities that encourage learners to speak.
In classes, shyness and lack of willingness to speak English in front of peers is a
very common problem. One way to deal with this is to get learners to talk about the
problem and agree on a solution. Games also can be used to provide the learners
with opportunities to use language rather than simply practice it. These games
concern in fluency. By using games, the learners have the opportunity to express

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their ideas, feelings, and thought orally. By using games, it encourages students to
interacts and communicate, as the writer said the goal of teaching speaking is

communicative efficiency. Learners should be able to make themselves understood,
using their current proficiency to the fullest. They also should observe the social
and cultural rules that apply in each communication situations.
2.2.8. Using Games in the Speaking Class
Teaching speaking is hard work, especially in teenagers’ class. The personalities
of students play a large role in determining how quickly and correctly they will
accomplish the goal. Teenagers often do not comfortable using English in the
classroom, because they feel self-conscious doing so. Teenagers are very sensitive,
they feel silly speaking a language in which they know they are making mistake,
speaking English is difficult, it is not fun.
Nevertheless, learning language should be enjoyable. Every opportunity for
speaking in the classroom should be taken, it is by trying to communicate that
students realize their need for language and by speaking they increase their fluency
and opportunity. One of the ways to accomplish the goal is by using games. Gower
(1995:110) said that Games are particularly useful with younger learners but are
generally popular with students of all ages, especially if they appreciate how they
can help them improve their English.
Angkana Deesri states that competition in games can stimulate and
encourage students to participate in the activity since naturally they want to beat the
other teams.
Games are including in creative or freer communication. Some games rather
than being amusing, encourage students to use their knowledge of the world around
them rather than linguistic knowledge, which brings the world into our classroom.
The description is based on Gower says:
“The students are given the opportunity to experiments, to see how far they can
communicate in situations where all the choices of language used are made by the
people speaking; to practice the fluent use of language they know. In general, these

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activities both increase the students’ motivation, since the students talk for themselves,
and help bridge the gap between rather artificial world of the classroom, with its
controlled language practice, and the real world outside” (Gower, 1995:101).
One of ways to practice speaking in class is using pair work task and group
work activities. Related to games, they are included in group activities. Cross (1991:54)
said that simple guessing games can be played in group. He also said that easy ones to
use are who I am thinking of? What’s my profession? And Guess what I did?
2.2.8.1. Teacher’s role when implementing games
Previous studies have demonstrated that the implementation of games in
language classes bring many learning advantages to the students. In order to obtain
the benefits that the implementation of games can offer, there should be ideal
conditions for the learners to use the language actively when performing gameactivities. In agreement with Greenall (1984) classes with games allow students to
practice what they have acquired, while feeling safe with the atmosphere of games,
which means students can act more spontaneously when performing those activities.
2.2.8.2. Feedback in speaking class
Giving feedback is one of the most important responsibilities of the teacher.
By giving feedback the teacher can help the students evaluate their success and
progress. According to Gower (1995:163) forms of feedback are giving praise and
encouragement; correcting; setting regular test; having discussion about how the
group as whole is doing; giving individual tutorials.
When giving feedback on oral or written work, always be on the lookout for
positive points to comment upon. For example:
a. successful communication – where students have expressed themselves
clearly (and been understood by others)
b. accurate use of grammar points recently learned
c. use of new vocabulary, appropriate expressions
d. good pronunciation
e. good use of fluency strategies in conversation

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The way giving feedback in speaking class especially pairs or group work is
monitor by moving round the class and listening to the students, make a note of
errors, and then give correctness after the activity.
From the explanation above, it can be concluded that feedback is necessary
in teaching speaking class. Feedback shows the students’ mistake and together with
the teacher, the students evaluate their mistake. Feedback also gives students a
chance to analyze their success and progress
2.2.8.3. How to use games in teaching English speaking skills?
Using games when teaching speaking skill to students require trained
teachers in playing and mastering the linguistic part of the language. Rixon (1981)
stated that understanding games will support teachers in finding and creating games
that make their learners learn while they play.
Halliwell (1992) stated that teachers have to provide students with a
communicative atmosphere so that they could express themselves. Besides, because
using language in any activity is unpredictable, teachers have to encourage them to
actively construct language for themselves. That is the reason why games are vital
and useful. They both are fun and create the wish to interact with each other and
create predictability.
Another noticeable thing is that not all games fit the classroom environment,
or all groups of students. In fact, it is good for teachers to keep in mind when
selecting a game that a recipe for a good educational game is one that balances both
fun and challenge (Steve Sugar.1998. p. xvi)
It can be seen that in order to gain the most from games, it is important that
suitable games are chosen. Whenever a game is to be organized, the factors such as the
number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, should be taken into account.
2.3. Review of previous studies
There are certain studies conducted in various classrooms that can help us

better explain our interest in games.
In her study about interacting in English through games, Ariza (2001)

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