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

NGUYỄN THỊ HUYỀN
THE USE OF ROLE PLAY ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE SPEAKING
SKILLS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT
HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG ‘ĐÓNG VAI’ NHẰM CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG
NÓI CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN ANH
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP HÀ NỘI
M.A. Minor Thesis
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 601410

HÀ NỘI - 2012
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLA RATION
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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ABSTRACT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS
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LISTS OF TABLES AND CHARTS
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PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
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1. Background of the study and problem statement
2. Aim and objectives of the study
3. Research questions
4. Scope of the study
5. Method of the study
6. Significance of the study
7. Thesis organization
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CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
2.1. Research design
2.2. Setting and subjects of the study
2.3. Research procedure
2.3.1. Conducting preliminary study
2.3.2. Planning the action
2.3.2.1. Choosing teaching materials
2.3.2.2. Preparing the lesson plan
2.3.2.3. Making role play activities evaluation form
2.3.2.4. Setting the criteria of success
2.3.3. Implementing the action
2.3.4. Observing the action
2.3.5. Reflecting the action
2.4. Research instruments
2.4.1. Survey questionnaires
2.4.2. Classroom observation
2.5. Summary
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Findings from cycle 1
3.2.1.1.

Finding on the students‟ speaking performance
3.2.1.2.

Findings on the students‟ self-confidence

3.2.1.3.

Reflection

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3.2.2.

Findings from cycle 2

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1. Conclusion
2. Pedagogical implications
3. Limitations of the study
4. Suggestions for further study
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REFERENCES
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APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire for teachers
Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire for students
Appendix 3: Lesson plans
Appendix 4: Role play activities evaluation form
Appendix 5: The frame of Harris‟s oral English rating scores
Appendix 6 : Situations
Appendix 7 : Survey questionnaires for students
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activities
Chart 4: The improvement in the students‟ self-confidence through using role play
activities
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PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
1. Background of the study and problem statement
Currently, English has become a language of international communication, so it
is important for people to learn English. However, today‟s world requires that the
goal of teaching speaking should focus not only on linguistic competence of the
language learners but also on the development of their communicative abilities,
because, only in that way, learners can express themselves in each communicative
circumstance. There are four skills in teaching and learning a language: listening,
speaking, reading and writing, but out of the four skills, speaking is considered as
the most essential skill to be mastered. Considering how important speaking skill in
learning English, O‟Malley and Pierce (1996) state that speaking seems to be an
important skill in order to enable learners to communicate effectively through oral
language because the disability of the learners to speak may lead them to be unable
to express their ideas even in a simple form of conversation. However, using
English for speaking is not simple since learners have to master several important
elements of English such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and
comprehension. In that case, teachers are supposed to be creative in developing
their teaching learning process to give attention to the elements of speaking,
improve students‟ speaking skill, and make the English lesson more exciting.
Since the elements of the teaching speaking are various, many problems occur
in the teaching learning process. In learning English speaking skill, students often
face with some problems. The first common problem found is that the influence of
their native language makes it difficult to use the foreign language. The second one

technique which should be applied by ESL/EFL teachers more often in the
ESL/EFL classrooms.
Based on the theoretical background and the findings of previous studies about
the effectiveness of role play activities above, the author would like to implement
an action research in which role play activities were used as a technique of teaching
speaking to improve the speaking skills for the first year English major students at
HaUI.
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2. Aim and objectives of the study
The general aim of the study is to improve the first-year English major students of
HaUI speaking skills through using role play activities.
There are several objectives of the study, those are:
 To investigate the real situation of teaching and learning speaking skill to the
first year English major students at HaUI including the quality and methods
of teaching and learning speaking kills;
 To research how the speaking skills of the first year English major students
at HaUI can be improved through using role play activities;
 To examine the students‟ attitudes toward using role play activities in
teaching and learning English.
3. Research questions
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the following research
questions are raised:
(i) What is the present situation of teaching and learning English speaking
skills at HaUI?
(ii) How can the speaking skills of the first year English major students at
HaUI be improved through role play activities?
(iii) What are the first year English major students‟ attitudes toward using

6. Significance of the study
The result of this study is expected to give practical contribution to the teaching
of English, particularly at HaUI where the study was conducted. For the English
teachers, the use of role play activities can be one of the effective teaching
techniques to improve the students‟ English speaking skill. For students, using role
play activities can help them to improve their English speaking skills as well as
overcome shyness in order to be able to communicate in English orally. For other
researchers who conduct the same study, the result of this study is expected to be a
reference and contribute more information to solve the same problems.
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7. Thesis organization
The author makes an organization of this thesis in order to make an easy
understanding.
Part one is Introduction. In Introduction, there is a little explanation about
background of the study and problem statement, aim and objectives of the study,
research questions, scope of the study, methodology of the study, significance of
the study and thesis organization.
Part two is Development which is systematically divided into three chapters.
The following is a short description about what each chapter contains.
Chapter one: Literature review. It provides an overview of speaking skills and
role play.
Chapter two: Research methodology. This chapter deals with the research
method covering research design, setting and subjects of the study, research
procedure.
Chapter three: Data analysis, research findings and discussion. First, the
analysis of the data of teachers‟ and students‟ questionnaires and the results of
preliminary investigation are displayed in order to come to the conclusion that it is

of context.”
In terms of language teaching and learning, speaking is considered as one of the
four important language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) to practice
and master. In this light, Nunan (2003:48) puts it that “speaking is the productive
oral skill. It consists of producing systematic verbal utterance to convey meaning.”
Also regarding speaking as a skill, Bygate (1987:3) investigates the distinction
between knowledge and skill in a speaking lesson, which he considers as crucial in
the teaching of speaking. He argues that speaking is considered as a skill which
deserves attention every bit as much as literary skills in both first and second
language (Bygate, 1987:2). Indeed, to be a good learner of speaking, studying
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knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc. is not enough but the skill
to use this knowledge to communicate successfully is indispensable.
To sum up, there are different ways to define speaking, i.e. speaking as an
action, a process and a skill. In this study, the term “speaking” will be used as a skill
related to language teaching and learning. In the next part, issues related to teaching
speaking skills will be presented.
1.1.2. Teaching speaking
According to Kayi (2006:1-2) what is meant by teaching speaking is to teach
English language learners to:
 Produce the English speech sounds and sounds patterns
 Use words and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the
second language.
 Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting,
audience, situation and subject matter.
 Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence
 Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments

„exposed‟ if they are speaking their mother tongue.
1.1.2.1.2. Difficulties in learning speaking skills
Based on a survey of EFL teachers, the main challenges in the EFL classroom
are to be lack of motivation, students‟ reluctance to speak, and the use of the first
language (Nunan, 1993 in Celce-Murcia, 2001). It implies that in speaking class, it
is not easy to make students speak. Students‟ reluctance to speak, according to
Burns and Joyce‟s survey (in Nunan, 1999) may be caused by some factors: cultural
factors, linguistic factors and /or psychological factors. In line with the ideas,
Thornbury (2006) explains that the main difficulties the learner - speaker often
faces are the limited skills factors, in which their knowledge is not sufficiently
automated to ensure fluency. As a result of these limitations, there may be also
affective factors such as lack of confidence of self-consciousness, which might
inhibit fluency.
When the students feel not confident to speak, teachers are supposed to help
them build their self-confidence, as Brown (2001:63) suggests that teachers are
called on to sustain self-confidence where it is already exists and to build it where it
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does not. In sum, as teachers, they need to be aware of any problems that students
might face in speaking class.
1.1.2.2. Methods of teaching speaking skills
Now many linguistics and English as second language (ESL) teachers agree
with creating a classroom environment where students have real-life
communication, authentic activities and meaningful tasks that promote oral
language. This can occur when students collaborate in groups or pairs to achieve a
goal or to complete a task. Byrne (1991:22-31) points out that there are three phases
in the teaching of a speaking lesson to develop learners‟ oral ability, which are
presented as follows:

activities to improve fluency of speaking. At this phase, pair work or group work is
used.
 The production phase
Learners need chances to speak English freely at this phase. A real chance to
speak English takes place when the learner is able to use English naturally for
themselves, not for their teachers.
Byrne (1991:22) concludes that in order to improve speaking ability of learners,
these three phases above should be followed orderly. But in fact, they might not be
applied as expected due to time limitation, types of learners and materials in use.
The teachers should pay attention to what has been spoken by the students during
the Practice and Production phases so that they can see how far students have
improved their speaking skills and what mistakes they might produce. A speaking
lesson is successful or not depends on many factors such as learners‟ participation,
the use of language, etc. This matter will be dealt with in the following part.
1.1.3. A successful speaking lesson in classroom
Ur (1996:120) explains four elements of a successful speaking lesson. They
are:
 Learners talk a lot
A speaking class indicated by most of the period time allotted the activity is in fact
occupied by learner talk. It seems obvious, but most time is taken up with teacher
talk or pause.
 Participation is even
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A monitoring of talkative participant doesn‟t dominate classroom discussion here, it
is hinted that all get a chance to speak and are fairly evenly distributed.
 Motivating is high
This is indicated by the eagerness of the learners to speak. Students are interested in

picture describing can be employed to improve speaking skills.
Discussion
After a content-based lesson, a discussion can be held for various reasons. The
students may aim to share ideas about an event, or find solutions in their discussion
groups. Before the discussion, it is essential that the purpose of the discussion
activity is set by the teacher. In this way, the discussion points are relevant to this
purpose, so that students do not spend their time chatting with each other about
irrelevant things.
Role play
Students pretend they are in various social contexts and have a variety of social
roles. In role play activities, the teacher gives information to the learners such as
who they are and what they think or feel. Thus, the teacher can tell the student that
"You are David; you go to the doctor and…" (Harmer, 1984).
Picture describing
For this activity students can form groups and each group is given a different
picture. Students discuss the picture with their groups, and then a spokesperson for
each group describes the picture to the whole class. This activity fosters the
creativity and imagination of the learners as well as their public speaking skills.
In general, there are a lot of activities to improve students‟ speaking skill.
Among these activities, however, role play appears to be one of the most
appropriate and advantageous which can enable learners to practice in free less
controlled situations in the classroom. Thus, the following part of the thesis is going
to go into the details of role play.
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1.2. Role play
1.2.1. Definition of role play
Since communicative approach appeared on the stage as a new fresh air in

 Role play: The participants interact either as themselves or others in
imaginary situations.
 Simulations: For this activity the participants normally discuss a problem of
some kind with some setting that has been defined for them.
From his opinion, it can be seen that both role play and simulation are
commonly used in foreign language classes to facilitate communicative competence
whereas mime seems more appropriate as a language game. It is performing actions
without using words. For instance, if someone mimes and action, the others try to
guess what it is.
Ladousse (1989) seems to agree with Byrne‟s opinion about role play. In the
book under the title “Role play” Ladousse defines role play on the basis of the
separate words “role” and “play”: “when students assume a “role”, they play a
part
(either their own or somebody else‟s) in a specific situation.
“Play” represents the
role is taken on in a safe environment in which students are as inventive and playful
as possible. In the roles, students are creating their own reality and, by doing so, are
experimenting either their knowledge of the real world and developing their ability
to interact with other people.” (1989:5).
In Maley‟s view (1987:108), “role play can range from highly directed and
controlled activities, in which all the content is supplied to the students, to full scale
simulation, in which participants determine what they will say on the basic of
background information and the role they are given”. It can be clearly seen that he
wishes to make a move from the focus to the clarification of role play‟s level onto a
scale.
After all, it is better to take the definition of Byrne about role play due to its full
information, clearly-defined and simple language. It also shows the familiarity
between role play and simulation, that is highly flexible and leaving a great scope
for students‟ creation and imagination to use the language items.
In fact, there are also other definitions of role play given by a lot of famous

receive cues on separate cards when joining this activity. Each learner must listen to
his partner before providing an appropriate response. The cues enable them to
predict and to prepare the general gist of their responses. The teacher can elicit the
appropriate forms which help learners later. The cues control the functional
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meanings that learners have to express. The social situation and relationship
determine what kind of language is appropriate. Teachers can prepare the activity
by equipping the learners with suitable forms. Two sets of cues must interlock
closely; no cue produces an utterance which conflicts with what follows. It can be
seen this type of activity limits the creativity (Littlewood, 1994:51).
 The second type is role play controlled through cues and information. It has
a more flexible framework. Only one learner is given detailed cues. The other is
given information that allows him to respond as necessary. The structure comes
from one student who can improvise variations, the other one has to respond. The
teacher‟s control becomes looser and the learner‟s scope for creativity increases.
The emphasis in these activities is on practicing the process of communication
rather than on evaluating its product. In the pre-communicative language practice
the learner‟s attention is focused on the forms he / she needs to learn. These cued
activities enable the teacher to control the interaction and to ensure that learners
express a particular range of meanings (Littlewood, 1994: 52, 53).
 The third type of role play is role play controlled through situation and
goals in which learners have a greater control over their interaction. It is now
directed at the higher level of situation and the goals that learners have to achieve
through communication. The learners are initially aware only of the overall
situation and their own goals in it. They must negotiate the interaction itself. For
instance (Littlewood, 1994:55, 56).
 The last type of role play is in the form of debate or discussion. In details,

linguistic forms becomes subordinate. The criterion for success is whether the
meaning is conveyed effectively. It means that learners are presented some new
items, they are drilled with these items, and then they are expected to be able to use
them.
 Presenting and practicing the forms and vocabulary
At this stage teachers present the language which is likely to emerge. They pre-
teach the possible vocabulary and structures. Some examples can be written on the
board or given to learners on worksheets. A sample dialogue can be introduced. All
the structures and vocabulary should be practiced properly so as the learners could
be able to use them creatively in the next stage. There are many suitable activities
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which can be applied: drilling, learning the sample dialogue by heart, matching
halves of the sentences, filling in exercises, putting the dialogues in the correct
order, word games (hangman), etc. It depends on the teacher what he/she will use.
It usually takes some time before learners “memorize the forms, get the
pronunciation right and consolidate the meaning of the item.” (Gower and Walters,
1983:83). Before the role play itself starts learners are equipped with all the possible
language. Later “some help can be given on the role cards, but these should not be
overloaded or the students will be tempted to follow them too closely and simply
recite the structures offered.” (Ladousse, 1989: 45).
 Role play
At first learners should be motivated and get involved in the topic. The atmosphere
should be friendly and relaxed because of shy learners. The teacher explains the
activity very clearly. Learners have to know what to do exactly. In this way they
will feel more confident and they will benefit from the activity. In role play learners
usually work in pairs. They can either find a partner themselves or the teacher can
introduce some activities which put two learners together. Then they get the role