PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
In the globalization age today, English assumes as a more and more important part as a
means of international communication than ever. Therefore, in some recent years, the
focus of teaching has been promoting oral skills in order to respond to the students’ needs
for effective communication.
However, due to some objective and subjective reasons, teaching and learning English in
general and teaching and learning speaking in particular does not come up to the study
aims. Despite teachers’ efforts to provide students with opportunities to develop their
communicative skills, how to teach and learn speaking effectively is still a challenging
question to both teachers and students at many high schools in Vietnam.
At Phan Boi Chau specializing high school, the situation is the same to the non- English
majors who specialize in natural subjects such as: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and
Biology or social subjects such as: Literature, History and Geography. For most students,
they find speaking especially important yet most challenging one. It has been proved that
some students got into a habit of leaning ‘mute English” which is obviously harmful to a
language learner. It also seems to the writer that the techniques exploited during a speaking
activity such as: role plays, simulations, discussions…are not really effective. Therefore, it
is a necessity to find a supplementary technique used in teaching speaking.
In language teaching, language games have proved themselves not merely as “time filler
activities” but as an important factor which can create more chances and interest to
motivate students to speak. Nevertheless, language games have not successfully applied to
speaking classes at Phan Boi Chau specializing high school.
All the above-mentioned reasons and factors have inspired the writer to conduct a research
titled “Using language games to motivate the 10
th
form non- English majors in speaking
lessons at Phan Boi Chau specializing high school”
2. Aims of the study
The study is aimed at:
• Investigating the situation of teaching and learning speaking to the 10

Boi Chau specializing high school: one specializes in Mathematics and the other
specializes in Chemistry.
6. Design of the study
This paper is divided into three main parts:
Part A is the INTRODUCTION. In this part, the rational, the aims, research questions, the
scope of the study, methods of the study and also its design are presented.
Part B is the DEVELOPMENT which includes 4 chapters. Chapter I deals with some
theoretical background that is relevant to the purpose of the study: speaking skill and
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language games. Chapter II can be seen as case study in real situation. It investigates the
situation of teaching and learning speaking and the feasibility of using language games in
teaching speaking to the 10
th
form non- English majors at Pham Boi Chau specializing high
school through the analysis of collected data. Chapter III are some findings concluded
from the data analysis. Chapter IV is by far the most dominant one in which some
suggestions on using language games are made and some sample language games
exploited during all stages of the lessons are provided.
Part C is the CONCLUSION which includes the summary of the study, limitations of the
study and suggestions for further study.
REFERENCES and APPENDICES are presented in the last pages of the study.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
I.1. Overview of speaking activities
I.1.1. What is meant by speaking skill?
Speaking is crucially important for the whole learning process. “Speaking makes you a
more fluent language user, speaking is a chance to notice the gaps between what you want to say
and what you can say, it is a chance to test hypotheses about language.” The terms ‘speaking”
catches much attention of linguistics. Therefore, many definitions have been offered to this term so

Different all these ideas may be, the main components of speaking are unchanged. It means
that to improve speaking skill, both accuracy and fluency should be focused on.
I.1.2. Characteristics of a successful speaking activity
There are many characteristics of a successful speaking activity which are introduced by Ur (1996)
as follows:
• Learners talk a lot: As much as possible of the period time allotted to the activity is in fact
occupied by learner talk. This may seem obvious, but often most time is taken up with the
teacher and talk and pauses.
• Participation is even: Classroom discussion is not dominated by a minority of talkative
participants: all get a chance to speak and contributions are fairly evenly distributed.
• Motivation is high: Learners are eager to speak because they are interested in the topic and
have something new to say about it, or because they want to contribute to achieving a task
objective.
• Language is of an acceptable level: Learners express themselves in utterances that are
relevant, easily comprehensible to each other and of an acceptable level of language
accuracy.
In practice, however, few classroom activities succeed in satisfying all the criteria mentioned
above. Therefore, language teachers should make great efforts to employ a variety of effective
techniques to create some of the mentioned-above criteria.
I.1.3. Problems with speaking activities
According to Ur (1996), there still exist some problems with speaking activities as follows:
• Inhibition: Unlike reading, writing and listening activities, speaking requires some degree
of real-time exposure to an audience. Learners are often inhibited about trying to say things
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in a foreign language in the classroom: worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism
or losing face, or simply shy of the attention that their speech attracts.
• Nothing to say: Even if they are not inhibited, you often hear learners complain that they
cannot think of anything to say: they have no motive to express themselves beyond the
guilty feeling that they should be speaking.
• Low or uneven participation: Only one participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be

pronunciation and repeatedly use target speech patterns.
• Provide appropriate stimuli for eliciting speech: The teachers can use a wide variety of
sources such as: books, radios, audio and video cassettes, etc and well as pictures, stories,
songs.
• Vary classroom interaction modes: The teachers can arrange the class activities in different
ways: individual to whole class, in pair work or group work.
• Give clear instructions: The teachers should speak loudly, slowly and clearly and it is a
good idea that the teachers demonstrate the proposed task themselves.
• Monitor student activity continuously: The teachers should encourage those who find the
activity difficult and praise students who perform well or try hard to fulfill the task.
• Prepare well for class: The teachers should make a checklist of things to obtain and a
checklist of things to do.
• Handle errors sensitively and effectively: The teachers should ignore performances errors
and ignores that are repeated. However, it is necessary that the teachers correct errors in
language that they recently taught or errors that might shock the listeners (e.g. childrens). In
addition, errors in structures that need to be used frequently by students should also be
corrected. (E.g. “What means that?” instead of “What does it mean?”). And the teachers
should remember that corrections should be made in accuracy phase, not fluency phase.
I.2. Overview of language games
I.2.1. What are language games?
Language games can be used in language classes. So what are games and what are language
games?
First of all, what are games? Games are forms of entertainment derived from a set of artificial
rules, typically with a known goal to be reached. Games can be in the form of physical activities,
mental, or a mixture of the two. Also, games can be classified as cooperative, solitaire or
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competitive. Hadfield (1987) defines “a game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of
fun.” Similarly, according to Rixon (1981), “a game consists of play governed by rules.” This is
summed up very well in Gibb’s definition (1978) of a game as “an activity carried out by
cooperating or competing decision markers, seeking to achieve, within a set of rules, their

card.
• Labeling games: These are form of matching, in that participants match labels and pictures
• Puzzle-solving games: The participants in the game share or pool information in order to
solve a problem or a mystery.
• Role play games: The terms role play, drama and simulation are sometimes used
interchangeably but can be differentiated. Role play can involve students playing roles that
they do not play in real life, such as dentists, while simulations can involve students
performing roles that they already play in real life or might be likely to play, such as a
customer at a restaurant. Dramas are normally scripted performances, whereas in role plays
and simulations, students come up with their own words, although preparation is often
useful.
I.2.3. Opinions on using games in teaching and learning process
Effective teaching in classroom environment requires different types of methods and techniques.
Games are one of the activities that these techniques use. There has been quite a lot of research
done on the use of educational games in particular. However, the effectiveness of using language
games in English language teaching is still controversial among educators and teachers.
There is a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature and that if
one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. Ur (1996) reports
that once we call a language leaning activity a “game” we convey the
message that it is just fun, not something to be taken serious. Therefore many teachers are reluctant
to use games in their lessons because they are doubtful about the effectiveness of games. That is,
the teachers often perceive games as mere time-fillers, "a break from the monotony of drilling" or
frivolous activities rather than an effective teaching technique.
Contrary to the opinions mentioned above, many experienced textbook and methodology
handbooks writers have argued that games are not just time-filling activities, but they have a great
educational value. Lee (1979) holds that most language games make learners use the language
instead of thinking about learning the correct forms. He also says that games should be treated as
central, not peripheral to the foreign language teaching programme. A similar opinion is expressed
9
by Richard-Amato, who believes game to be fun, but warns against overlooking their pedagogical

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contribution to students’ motivation to learn.” With a view to creating such a learning atmosphere,
using language games, which have long been advocated for assisting language learning, in
speaking classes seems to be a good choice for the following reasons:
• Games add interest to what students might not find very interesting. Language learning is
hard work…Effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period
of time. Games help and encourage many students to sustain their interest and work.
Sustaining interest can mean sustaining effort. After all, learning language involves long
tem effort.
• The variety and intensity that games offer may lower anxiety and encourage shyer students
to take part in speaking classes positively, especially when games are played in small
groups.
• Games also help the teachers to create contexts in which the language is meaningful and
useful. The students want to take part and in order to do so they must understand what
others are saying and they must speak in order to express their own point of view or give
information.
• Games are student-centered in that students are active in playing the games and games can
often be organized such that students have the leading roles, with teachers as facilitators.
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CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY
II.1. Background to the study
II.1.1. Hypothesis:
As mentioned in the first part of the study, this study was aimed of testing the following
hypothesis: Language games can be used as a teaching technique to enhance students’ motivation
in speaking classes effectively.
II.1.2. Subject of the study
The research was carried out at Phan Boi Chau specializing high school with the participation of
seventy 10
th
form students whose majors are Mathematics and Chemistry. To those students,

data of the survey questionnaires will be analyzed based on this target population.
II. 2.2. Procedures and methods of data collection
The study was done through the following steps
• The researcher taught 2 classes of seventy 10
th
form students whose majors are
Mathematics and Chemistry for a month and then asked them to complete the pre-task
survey questionnaire.
• The researcher adapted speaking activities given in the textbook by supplementing them
with a variety of language games for three months. Then the post-task survey questionnaire
was distributed to these seventy students to find out the effectiveness of the use of language
games in speaking classes.
Both survey questionnaires were administered during the class time. Before the questionnaire
was given to the informants, the researcher took time to explain the purpose of the
questionnaires, the requirements of the informants. The informants were also encouraged to
raise any questions if there was anything unclear in the survey questionnaires. Then they were
instructed to complete the questionnaires.
II.3. Presentation and analysis of data
II.3.1. Pre-task questionnaire
II.3.1.1. Presentation of the data
The pre-task survey questionnaire included two main parts:
Part one aimed to collect information about the students’ background: Their majors and English
learning experience.
Part two aimed to collect information about the students’ attitudes towards English learning
(question 1, 2), their attitudes and perspectives towards speaking lessons (question 3, 4, 5, 6, 7),
students’ preferences and expectations of the teachers’ methodology in English speaking lessons
(question 8, 9, 10).
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Table 1: Data collected from pre-task survey questionnaire.
A B C D E

With the aim of finding out the real situation of learning speaking skill as well as students’
preferences and expectations in speaking lessons, seventy copies of the survey
questionnaires were distributed to students from two classes majored in Mathematics and
Chemistry. The data of the pre task survey questionnaire will be analyzed based on this
target population.
 Students’ attitudes towards English learning (Question 1, 2)
As can be seen clearly from the table 1, most of the surveyed students find it important to
learn English. More specifically, 51.4 % admit that it is very important to learn English
meanwhile 42.9 % appreciate the importance of English in study courses. However, it is
unexpected that only 54.3 % like learning English.
 Students’ attitudes and perspectives towards speaking lessons
(Question 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
The descriptive static in figure 1 indicates that the majority of the participants (57.1%) find
listening most troublesome language skill. There exist 38.6 % students who have
difficulties in speaking. Only 3 informants reveal that writing is the most challenging
language skill and unsurprisingly, none of the students claim reading as the most
problematic.
57.10%
38.60%
0%
4.30%
0.00%
20.00%
40.00%
60.00%
A B C D
Figure 1: Perspectives of four language skills
A. Listening
B. Speaking
C. Reading

chose B or C in question 6 raised their voices. Being affected by their learning experiences
at secondary school, many participants answered that they are not accustomed to speaking
in front of the crowd. During the speaking classes, they just keep silent and listen to others
speaking as they are too shy to express their ideas. A number of informants confess that
they are afraid of being laughed at by their classmates because they may pronounce words
incorrectly or they may not speak fluently. Some of the students complain that the
speaking activities are either boring or difficult. In addition, the teaching way is not
interesting enough. These factors discourage them to be reluctant to join the speaking
classes despite their awareness of its great importance.
 Students’ preferences and expectations towards teacher’s teaching techniques in
speaking classes. (Question 8, 9, 10)
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All of the students who are involved in the survey admit that they would like the teacher to
use language games in speaking lessons. This is very beneficial to the study as the
researcher intend to apply this technique to motivate students to speak. Songs and visual
aids are the next choices, taking up 68.6% and 52.9% respectively.
When being asked “What are the purposes of using language games in teaching
speaking?”, most of the respondents (94.3 %) think that language games are used for both
teaching and relaxing meanwhile a small number of students (5.7 %) suppose that language
games are suitable for relaxing only.
Question 10 is designed lastly to aim at investigating students’ willingness towards using
language games in speaking classes. It really comes up to the expectations when all of the
informants show their willingness to join in language games. This is very advantageous to
apply this technique to speaking classes due to the students’ interest.
II.3.2. Post-task questionnaire
II.3.2.1. Presentation of the data collected from post-task questionnaire
The post-task questionnaire consists of ten questions varying in three main categories.
The first category dealt with the students’ feelings and attitudes towards language games
exploited by the teacher (question1, 2, 3).The second investigated the students’ evaluation

Question focus
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II.3.2.2. Data analysis
 Students’ feelings and attitudes towards language games exploited by the teacher
(Question 1, 2, 3)

The pie chart above illustrates vividly the students’ attitudes towards language games.
From the chart, it can be seen that most of the students hold their interest in language
games. To be more detailed, 90% of the informants show their keenness on language
games. There exists 2.9 % having no concern about the games and even 7.1 % frankly
show their dislike to language games.
In order to find out students’ feelings and attitudes when playing games, question 2 and 3
are designed.
Question 2 deals with students’ participation when playing games. The number of the
participants who are ready to join the games actively builds up 45.7 %; meanwhile 51.4 %
A. Actively take part in
B. Join only when being
asked
C. Join only when feeling
interested
D. Do not play
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rate their participation as inactive. They claim that they join the games only when being
asked by the teacher or only when feeling interested, which accounts for 24.3 % and 27.1
% respectively. Only 2 respondents (2.9 %) voice that they refuse to play such games
given by the teacher.
The results collected from question 3 show that a quite high number of students (60 %) feel
comfortable and relaxed meanwhile a significant number, accounting for 32.9 %, feel OK.
Especially, 7.1 % confirm that they feel uncomfortable. Although the number of these
students is small, it should also be taken into consideration. Because if the teachers expect

learning speaking skill.
A. Make speaking lessons
more enjoyable
B. Make speaking lessons
less challenging
C. Lower anxiety and
develop confidence
D. Create more chances to
speak
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In addition to that, the thing that should be noted here is language games can help to create
more chances, more talking time for students. This point is supported by 87.3% of
respondents.
Like question 6, question 7 aiming at investigating the reasons for the ineffectiveness of
using language games is especially for those who think that language games have nothing
to do with increasing students’ motivation. Question 7 is an open-ended question and there
are only 15 students answering this question. Based on the feedback from the students,
there are some main reasons for this. First of all, the majority reveals that some of the
games rules that teachers give are unclear and somewhat confusing. Besides, some of the
respondents consider the high required level of the target language an obstacle preventing
them from envying the games. A small number of students think that noise is really a great
challenge. These reasons partly contribute to reduce the effectiveness of using language
games in teaching speaking skill.
 Students’ expectations and preferences for the use of language games in speaking
classes. (Question 8, 9, 10)
To ensure the effectiveness of exploiting language games in speaking classes, it is of great
necessity to find out students’ preferences and expectations.
The data illustrated in figure 11 shows that the majority of the respondents (95.7 %) think
that in order to make best use of language games, the teacher should choose and exploit
A. Suitable language games

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