Luận văn Thạc sĩ với đề tài:
“THE EFFECTS OF ORAL QUIZZES ON HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING SPEAKING
ENGLISH AND SPEAKING ABILITY”
do học viên Nguyễn Hà Thanh Vân thực hiện và báo cáo đã được Hội Đồng Chấm
Luận Văn thông qua.
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DECLARATION
The thesis entitled “The Effects of Oral Quizzes on High School Students’
Motivation in Learning Speaking English and Speaking Ability” is conducted under
the supervision of Dr. Thai Cong Dan, at Department of Foreign Languages, School
of Social Sciences & Humanities, Can Tho University.
I hereby declare that the information reported in the present paper is the
result of my own work, except where due reference or citation is made. The current
thesis has not been accepted for any other degree or diploma.
Supervisor Researcher
Thái Công Dân, Ph.D. Nguyễn Hà Thanh Vân
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The present study has been completed with the support and encouragement
of many people. I am deeply indebted to all of those who have contributed to the
success of my study.

Declaration iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of contents vii
List of tables xii
List of figures xiii
Tóm lược xiv
Abstract xv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………… ….1
1.1 Rationale……………….…………………………………………… 1
1.2 Research objectives……………………………………………… 4
1.3 Research questions……………………………………………………….4
1.4 Research hypotheses…………………………………………………… 4
1.5 Significance of the study…………………………………………………5
1.6 Organization of the study……………………………………………… 6
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………7
2.1 Oral quiz…………… ……………………………………………… 7
2.1.1 Definition of oral quiz………………………………………… 7
2.1.2 Benefits of oral quiz…………………………………………….8
2.1.3 Characteristics of quizzes versus tests………………………….9
2.1.4 Possible challenges in testing speaking skills and solutions… 10
2.2 Motivation………………………………………………………………12
2.2.1 Definition of motivation………………………………………12
2.2.2 Types of motivation………………………………………… 13
2.2.3 The roles of motivation in language learning……………… 15
2.2.4 The ways to enhance students’ motivation in speaking classes…
…………………………………………………………… .15
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2.3 Speaking ability……………………………………………………… 17
2.3.1 Definition of speaking ability……………………………… 17
2.3.2 The roles of speaking ability in language learning………… 18

questionnaire on the participants’ motivation in learning
speaking English ……49
4.1.2 Findings from the interview on the participants’ motivation
in learning speaking English 53
4.2 Research question 2: Do oral quizzes increase high school students’
speaking ability? 56
4.2.1 Findings from the pre-oral test and the post-oral test on the
participants’ speaking ability 56
4.2.2 Findings from the interview on the participants’ speaking
ability 59
4.3 Research question 3: Is there a correlation between high school
students’ motivation in learning speaking and speaking ability? 61
4.3.1 Findings from the motivation questionnaires and the oral tests
on the correlation between students’ motivation in learning
speaking English and their speaking ability 62
4.3.2 Findings from the interview on the correlation between
students’ motivation in learning speaking English and their
speaking ability 64
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS……………………… 66
5.1 Discussions ………………………………………………… 66
5.1.1 Theoretical framework of the study ………………………… 66
5.1.2 Summary of the research results 67
5.1.3 Discussions of the findings 69
5.1.3.1 The effects of oral quizzes on the participants’
motivation in learning speaking English 69
5.1.3.2 The effects of oral quizzes on the participants’
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speaking ability 73
5.1.3.3 The correlation between the participants’ motivation
in learning speaking English and their speaking

Appendix 16 A typical lesson plan with the implementation of oral quizzes…
…………………………………………………………… 139
Appendix 17 Model of the researcher’s journal……………………… 148
Appendix 18 Typical researcher’s journals……………………………….149
Appendix 19 Raw calculations of the questionnaires………………… 153
Appendix 20 Raw calculations of the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation
questionnaires……………………………… ………… 162
Appendix 21 Raw calculations of the oral tests……………………… 166
Appendix 22 Raw calculations of the correlation……………………… 170
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LIST OF TABLES
1Table 3.1: Characteristics of the participants 35
2Table 3.2: Characteristics of the interviewees 41
3Table 3.3: The procedures of the study 43
4Table 4.1: Participants’ motivation in learning speaking English 51
5Table 4.2: Paired-Samples T-Test on the mean scores of participants’
motivation in the pre-questionnaire and the post-questionnaire 51
6Table 4.3: Participants’ speaking ability before and after the intervention 57
7Table 4.4: Paired-Samples T-Test of the mean scores 58
8Table 5.2: Summary of the correlation between the participants’ motivation
in learning speaking English and their speaking ability 68
xii
LIST OF FIGURES
1Figure 4.1: Summary of the participants’ motivation in learning speaking
English before and after the treatment 52
2Figure 5.1: Variables of the study 67
xiii
TÓM LƯỢC
Rất nhiều nghiên cứu cho thấy việc kiểm tra kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh đã góp phần thúc đẩy động cơ
học nói và khả năng nói tiếng Anh của học sinh. Trong một khảo sát ở trường trung học phổ thông

syllabus. Therefore, the current research was carried out to investigate the effects of oral quizzes
(informal oral tests administered in speaking classes during less than fifteen minutes) on students’
motivation in learning speaking English and their speaking ability. It also examined whether there
was a correlation between students’ motivation in learning speaking English and their speaking
ability. The current ten-week experimental study followed a single group design with a
combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in which oral quizzes were one independent
variable, learners’ motivation in learning speaking English and learners’ speaking ability were
two dependent variables. Participants were 65 eleventh grade students from two classes (Class
11A1 and Class 11A5) in Tran Van Bay high school. Three main instruments used to collect the
data were (1) a questionnaire on the participants’ motivation in learning speaking English, (2) an
oral test on their English speaking ability, and (3) interview questions. Besides, another
supplementary instrument applied during the implementation of oral quizzes was the researcher’s
journals. The results indicated that students’ motivation in learning speaking English and their
speaking ability were enhanced after the treatment. In addition, there was a moderate correlation
between students’ motivation in learning speaking English and speaking ability. An exploratory
research was also conducted to compare the participants’ extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in
learning speaking English and to investigate which type of motivation more correlated with
students’ speaking ability. The results revealed that the participants had the same level of intrinsic
and extrinsic motivation in learning speaking English; however, the participants’ extrinsic
motivation in learning speaking English more slightly correlated with speaking ability than their
intrinsic one. The research outcomes proved that the use of oral quizzes had positive effects on
grade eleven students’ motivation in learning speaking English and their speaking ability in the
context of Tran Van Bay high school.
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The chapter firstly focuses on the rationale for the study, and then the research objectives and the
research questions follow. In addition, the research hypotheses are shaped. Finally, the
significance and the organization of the study are presented.
1.1 Rationale

students’ motivation in learning speaking English was low; similarly, 57.2% of the
students also asserted that their motivation in learning speaking English was low. In
order to increase students’ motivation in learning speaking English, both teachers
(66.7%) and students (51.4%) proposed that teachers should design more interesting
tasks. In addition, 33.3% of the teachers and 32.3% of the students suggested that
another way to enhance students’ motivation in learning speaking English was to
test speaking skills frequently in class. In terms of students’ speaking ability, 83.3%
of the teachers judged that their students’ speaking ability was poor, and 16.7% of
the teachers claimed that their students’ speaking ability was average. When being
asked to self-evaluate their own speaking ability, among 535 students, 49.7% stated
that their speaking ability was poor; 43.4% thought that their speaking ability was
average; 6.2% affirmed that they had fair speaking ability and 0.7% reported that
their speaking ability was good. According to the teachers, two reasons leading to
the students’ low ability in speaking were the lack of speaking skills in tests and
exams (83.3%) and the large number of students in each class (16.7%). Among the
students with poor speaking ability, they confided that their speaking ability was
low because of their low motivation (49.7%), the lack of speaking skills in tests and
exams (30.8%), limited time for practicing speaking English (14.8%), and their
shyness when speaking English (4.7%). According to the teachers, there were two
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possible ways to increase students’ speaking ability: speaking skills should be tested
(83.3%), and the number of students in each class should be smaller (16.7%). For
the students, in order to improve their speaking skills, firstly teachers should design
more interesting speaking tasks (47.6%); secondly speaking skills should be tested
(42.4%); thirdly they should be allowed more time to practice speaking skills
(8.2%); and finally the number of students in each class should be reduced (1.8%).
From the statistics of the survey, it could be concluded that the eleventh
grade students in Tran Van Bay high school realized the essential role of speaking
skills in language learning and in daily life. Nevertheless, most of them had low
motivation to learn English speaking skills and poor speaking ability. The students

out
(1) whether oral quizzes enhance high school students’ motivation in
learning speaking English
(2) whether oral quizzes increase high school students’ speaking ability
(3) whether there is a correlation between high school students’ motivation
in learning speaking English and their speaking ability.
1.3 Research questions
In order to attain the research objectives, the current study intends to obtain
the answers to three research questions:
1. Do oral quizzes enhance high school students’ motivation in learning
speaking English?
2. Do oral quizzes increase high school students’ speaking ability?
3. Is there a correlation between high school students’ motivation in learning
speaking English and their speaking ability?
1.4 Research hypotheses
It was hypothesized that oral quizzes would enhance high school students’
motivation in learning speaking English and would increase their speaking ability. It
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was also predicted that there would be a positive correlation between high school
students’ motivation in learning speaking English and their speaking ability.
1.5 Significance of the study
Speaking skills have played a vital role in language learning, and most
language learners consider speaking ability as the measure of their knowledge about
a language. In addition, motivation has been considered as one of the most crucial
factors which help promote the learning process. A lot of studies have investigated
the effects of oral testing on students’ motivation in learning speaking and speaking
ability. Nonetheless, to the best of the researcher’s knowledge, there has been no
research on the effects of oral quizzes on students’ motivation in learning speaking
English and speaking ability, which forms the significance of the current study. If
the hypotheses that oral quizzes would enhance high school students’ motivation in

described in detail.
Chapter four reveals the results of the research which aim to answer the three
research questions. All of the data from the motivation questionnaires, the oral tests
and the interview are presented.
Chapter five summarizes and discusses the findings of the study. The chapter
also includes the pedagogical implications and the limitations of the study.
Suggestions for further research and conclusions end the chapter.
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The chapter reviews the literature fundamental to the effects of oral quizzes on students’
motivation in learning speaking English and speaking ability. Specifically, the chapter firstly
clarifies the terms oral quiz, motivation and speaking ability. Then, studies relevant to the effects of
oral testing on students’ motivation in learning speaking English and speaking ability are
presented. Studies about the correlation between students’ motivation in learning speaking English
and their speaking ability are also introduced. Finally, summary of the literature and justification
of the current study are addressed.
2.1 Oral quiz
The section provides a general knowledge of oral quiz, which primarily
focuses on its definition, benefits and characteristics.
2.1.1 Definition of oral quiz
There are influential ways of defining the concept quiz. According to Cohen
(1994, p.31), “a quiz is not very rigorous and it is only a short test. [ ] It tends to be
more informal than a test”. Davis (1999) states that a quiz is often carried out in
fifteen minutes or less. In Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2005), a quiz is
defined as an informal test given to students.
From the presented definitions of the notion quiz, it appears that Cohen
provides a more detail definition on the term quiz. Cohen’s definition (1994) is
shared with that of Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2005) and is clarified
by Davis’s (1999). Meanwhile, the definition of the term oral quiz has not been

instructors can attain a lot of desirable results when they apply proper oral quizzes
such as:
+ revealing the effectiveness of the instructor’s training procedures
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+ checking students’ retention and comprehension of what has been learned
+ reviewing material already covered by the students
+ drawing students’ interests and stimulating thinking
+ emphasizing the main points of the lesson
+ promoting active student participation, which is essential to effective
learning.
Kurzweil (2003) and Antonion & O’Donnell (2004, cited in Hughes, 2005)
found that oral quizzes provide teachers and students with instant feedback after
speaking activities. Oral quizzes can help them realize problematic areas so that
they can improve future lessons. Teachers can use oral quizzes as a means to
quickly evaluate students’ progress, and students are eager to hear their scores as
well as to receive advice from the teacher and other classmates on how to improve
their oral performances. In addition, oral quizzes can promote student interests in
their weak points and encourage them to practice their speaking skills as the term
continues. Capps (2007) added that oral quizzes can be a non-threatening and
motivational tool for encouraging students to take part in oral presentation.
In summary, it has been indicated that quizzes play a vital role in language
learning in general, and oral quizzes offer considerable advantages to both teachers
and students in teaching and learning speaking skills in particular. Therefore, more
attention should be paid to the use of oral quizzes in order to enhance students’
motivation in learning speaking and speaking ability. In reality, it appears to be
ambiguous to distinguish the terms “quiz” and “test”. The following part will
thoroughly describe the characteristics of quizzes and those of tests.
2.1.3 Characteristics of Quizzes versus Tests
Cohen (1994, p.32) pointed out several differences in characteristics between
quizzes and tests.

about their weaknesses
2.1.4 Possible challenges in testing speaking skills and solutions
Many teachers of English are afraid of testing speaking skills because they
may face several challenges. Below are possible problems that teachers might
encounter when testing speaking skills and their solutions.
The first problem originates from the difficulty in establishing criteria for
evaluating a speaking test. Even though criteria are best designed, the subjectivity
of marking may lead to unreliable results (Kitao & Kitao, 1996; Hingle &
Linington, 1997). To resolve this problem, specific criteria should be designed
according to the purpose of the test to ensure the reliability of the oral test. In
addition, in oral tests, there should be two examiners to minimize the subjectivity of
marking. Especially, time and effort should be devoted to examiner training and
standardization. Finally, it is suggested that examinees’ performances should be
recorded so that the examiners may listen to the recordings and mark again in case
there is a great discrepancy in scoring between the two raters (Fulcher, 2003).
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Time limit also becomes one of the most concerns for teachers when
conducting oral testing. In fact, it is hard to test a large number of learners in a
relatively short time (Heaton, 1988; Seligson, 1997). The solution to this challenge
is that teachers may assess students in pairs or in groups to save time. Besides,
using group competition as a form of oral test may become a good idea because
teachers can save much time and the students will put more efforts to win other
groups.
Another difficulty in testing speaking skills is that candidates are not familiar
with the instructions when being tested at the first time (Hingle & Linington, 1997;
Christman, 1999). There are several ways to settle the problem. First of all, teachers
should inform all of the students that they are being assessed and remind them that
their efforts will be rewarded (Christman, 1999). Furthermore, students should be
given clear and comprehensible instructions before they participate in the oral tests.
For instance, the tester should describe the test purpose, predict the possible

work towards that goal. From Dörnyei’s viewpoint (2001), motivation explains the
reasons people decide to do something, the efforts they are going to pursue it and
the time they are willing to keep up the activity. From the presented definitions, it is
transparent that there has been a good deal of variation in the literature in the way in
which the term motivation has been defined. It is important to note that these
definitions are not contrary to one another, but rather complement each other in
clarifying the concept of motivation. Within the scope of the current paper,
motivation is considered as the willingness, need and desire of students to
participate in the learning process (Bomia et al, 1997). This definition is adopted as
the definition for the term motivation in the present study because it is the most
comprehensive and the most relevant to language learning context.
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