VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES
________ ________

NGUYỄN thÞ h-êng
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING INFORMATION GAP
ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE GRADE 10 STUDENTS’
PARTICIPATION IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT NGUYEN DANG
DAO HIGH SCHOOL, BAC NINH PROVINCE

(Hiệu quả của việc sử dụng hoạt động điền thông tin nhằm tăng
cường sự tham gia của học sinh lớp 10 trong giờ học nói ở
trường THPT Nguyễn Đăng Đạo, Bắc Ninh) M.A MINOR THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60.14.10 Hanoi, 2013
i DECLARATION

This paper is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Education. I certify that this thesis is the result of my own research, and that it
has not been submitted for any other degrees.
Hanoi, September 20
th
, 2013
Signature
Nguyen Thi Huong

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr.
Nguyen Van Do, for the wholehearted guidance he gave me while I was doing this
research. I am truly grateful to him for his ideas, comments and instructions, as well
as encouragement and constant support. Without these, the thesis could not have

increased significantly while the control group‟s stayed almost the same. Hopefully,
this study can raise teachers‟ awareness of using information gap activities in
teaching speaking to enhance learners‟ involvement.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES viii
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Purpose and significance of the study 2
3. Research Questions 3
4. Method of the study 3

1.3.3.3 Physical Classroom factors 15
1.4 Summary 15
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16
2.1 The research method 16
2.2 Participants of the study 16
2.2.1 The teacher researcher 16
2.2.2 The observers 16
2.2.3 Samples for the control group and the experimental one 16
2.2.4 Samples for the interviews 17
2.3 Variables of the study 17
2.4 Data collection instruments 17
2.4.1 Classroom observations (Appendix A) 18
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2.4.1 Students’ interaction self-reports (Appendix B) 19
2.4.2 Questionnaire (Appendix C) 19
2.4.3 Interviews (Appendix D) 19
2.5 The intervention of IGA 19
2.6 Summary 23
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 24
3.1 Data analysis 24
3.1.1 Students’participation before the experiment 24
3.1.1.1 Students’ on- task behaviour in two observed lessons 24
3.1.1.2 Students’ interaction times in two observed lessons 25
3.1.2 Students’participation at the experimental stage 26
3.1.2.1 Students’ on task behaviour 26
3.1.2.2 Students’ interaction times 27
3.1.3 Comparison of participation levels of the experimental group before and
during the experiment. 28
3.1.4 Comparison of the control group’s participation level and the

viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
1. CLT Communicative Language Teaching
2. IGA Information Gap Activities
3. FLT Foreign Language Teaching

LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES
Table 1: Students' profile 17
Table 2: The data collection proce 23
Chart 1: On task time of the control and experimental group before the experiment 25
Table 3: On task time of the experimental group during the experiment 27
Chart 2: On task time of experimental group before and during the experiment 29
Chart 3: On task time of the control group and the experimental one during the experiment 30

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
This research is carried out for the following reasons: the increasing important role
of English in our present life, students‟ weakness in speaking skill, the reality of
learners‟ poor participation and the motivation created by imformation gap
activities(IGA) in speaking lessons.
Firstly, it is undeniable that English has been playing a crucial role in our modern

with peer is less intimidating than presenting in front of the entire class and being
evaluated. Another advantage of information gap activities is that students are
forced to negotiate meaning because they must take what they are saying
comprehensible to others in order to accomplish the task. Therefore, information
gap activities are of great use in English speaking lessons. Making full use of these
activities will definitely result in successful speaking lessons.
The aforementioned reasons have urged the researcher to conduct the study entitled
“The effectiveness of using information gap activities to promote grade 10 students’
participation in speaking lessons at Nguyen Dang Dao high school, Bac Ninh
province”. It is hoped that the research will provide a better view to the
effectiveness of these activities on students‟ participation in speaking lessons.
2. Purpose and significance of the study
The study aims at:
+ investigating the effectiveness of using information gap activities on
students‟ participation level in English speaking lessons.
+ Raising language teachers‟ awareness of exploiting these activities.
The study can be beneficial to both students and teachers. First, it enables teachers
to confirm the importance of information gap activities in teaching speaking skills.
Hence it promotes teachers‟ using of these activities in class, which creates a natural
and highly motivational environment for students to speak the target language to
their partners.
3

3. Research Questions
In order to achieve the above- mentioned purposes, the following research questions
were formulated and needed to be answered:
1. Does the implementation of information gap activities really increase grade 10
students’ participation in speaking lessons at Nguyen Dang Dao high school?
2. What are students and teachers’ attitudes towards IGA?


Chapter two presents the methodology underlying the research. It deals with the
research method, the participants of the study, the variables, the intervention, the
instruments and procedure for data collection.
Chapter three is devoted to presenting how data was analyzed, what are the
findings of the study and the discussions about the study results.
Part C: The thesis ends with the conclusion and recommendation part which gives
a summary of the main issues that have been discussed, the limitations of the study,
some recommendations and suggestions for further research as well.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
To provide a theoretical background to the study, this chapter is devoted to the
review of concepts that are the most relevant to the thesis‟ topic. It begins with
some theoretical backgrounds to teaching speaking. Next come some theoretical
backgrounds to information gap activities and students‟ participation.
1.1 Teaching speaking
1.1.1 Definitions of speaking
Several resources that explain and clarify speaking have been found by the
researcher as follows:
Chaney, (1998:13) defined speaking as “the process of building and sharing
meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of
contexts". Florez (1991:1) defined speaking as “an interactive process of
constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing
information” (cited in Bailey, 2005:2)
Byrne (1998:8) considered speaking a two way process between speaker and
listener and it requires the productive skill of speaking and the receptive skill of
understanding.
In the same respect, Nunan (2003; 48) shared the same idea with Byrne that
speaking is the productive skill and it comprises producing systematic verbal

functions as well.
1.1.3.2 Characteristics of CLT
Nunan (1989) pointed out five features of CLT as follows:
- An emphasized on learning to communicate through interaction in the
target language
- The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.
- The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language
but also on Learning Management process.
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- An enhancement of the learner’ own personal experiences as important
contributing elements to classroom learning.
- An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities
outside the classroom.
As pointed out, the researcher found out that the principles of CLT asserted on the
students‟ communicative competence in the target language, not just linguistic
structures but also semantic notion and social functions. In addition, learners work
in groups or in pairs to transfer and negotiate meaning in real life situation where
one person has information that the other lacks. The teacher‟s role here is primarily
facilitating communication, not intrude into students‟ conversations correcting
mistakes.
As a result, CLT provides learners various opportunities to involve in the speaking
activities, hence developing their speaking skills.
1.1.4 Characteristics of successful speaking activities
Ur (1996, P.120) lists some characteristics of a successful speaking activity as
follows:
- Learners talk a lot. As much as possible of the period of time allotted to
the activity is in fact occupied by learner talk.
- Participation is even. Classroom discussion is not dominated by a
minority of talkative participants: all get a chance to speak, and

In conclusion, the definitions may be different in words but they all come to an
agreement that an information gap activity is an activity where learners are missing
the information they need to complete a task and need to talk to each other to find it.
It cultivates students‟ curiosity and the need to communicate; therefore, they are
determined to be highly communicative activities in language teaching and learning.
1.2.3 Types of Information Gap Activities
According to Ellis (1999), there are two types of information gap: one-way and-two
way. One- way occurs when one person holds information that other group
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member(s) do not have. An example of a one-way information exchange is one in
which one person has a picture and describes it to his/her partners who tries to draw
it. On the contrary, a two- way information gap activity, both learners have
information to share to complete a task. For example, both have the information
about directions to a location but they have o share the information they have to
complete the directions. (Ellis,1999, p95). Both one- way and two- way information
exchange activities involve an information gap that information must flow between
group members in order for the activity to be accomplished. It seems that two- way
IGA have been shown to facilitate more interaction than one –way IGA.
1.2.4 Benefits of implementing IGA in teaching speaking
IGA have increasingly achieved the popularity in CLT classrooms all over the
world. It has recently highly appreciated by language teaching specialists and
classroom teachers. The numerous benefits they bring to both teachers and students
are admitted by many language experts and authors .Raptou.V (2012) asserts that
IGA satisfy Ur‟s characteristics of a successful speaking activity presented in part
1.4 of the thesis.
1.2.4.1 Increasing students’ motivation to speak the target language
Students can be motivated to use the target language when taking part in IGA.
Brown and Yule (1983) says that we are usually motivated to tell people the things
assumed not to be known by them; IGA; then, can provide learners with a reason to

negotiate meaning (Neu & Reeser, 1997). IGA require information exchange among
partners. Involving in the activities where the information is known to someone but
unknown to others, participants have to try to deliver information to their partners
and reach mutual comprehension through recasting, clarifying and confirming
information. In other words, they must make what they are saying comprehensible
to others in order to accomplish the task.
In conclusion, many authors agree that IGA are beneficial activities in language
teaching. They are highly communicative, highly motivational, and helpful for
building students‟ confidence and developing their sub-skills. Therefore, IGA are
highly recommended to be applied in language classrooms.
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1.2.5 The roles of teachers in IGA
It is believed that the teacher is the most important figure in the teaching process
and he/she is the first responsible for the actual learning standard in schools and the
level of students‟ achievement. Many authors such as Littlewood (1981), used the
term “facilitator” as the dominant role of the teacher in CLT classrooms. Breen and
Candlin (1980) also hold the same view with these two authors but they added two
more roles of the teacher: to act as a participant and an observer and learner. Tran
Lam Son (2009) generalized all these three roles of the teacher in IGA as follows:
1.2.5.1 Facilitator
The teacher‟s role as a facilitator of communication comprised of many other roles
such as the role of language instructor, material provider, activity initiator,
classroom activity organizer, error- corrector, by-stander and consultant or advisor.
1.2.5.2 Participant
As a language teacher, he/she should make an equal part in the activity. He can offer
his information, stimulate and present new language simultaneously but he/she
should act á one equal in position to the students and at the same time stimulate and
present new language, without taking the main initiative for communication away
from the students themselves and one only authoritative and superior in language

students themselves, teachers and classroom quality.
1.3.2 Benefits of students’ participation
Learner participation plays a major role in language learning in the classroom.
Research conducted by Lim (1992 cited in Nunan, 1999, p48) has both shown
students‟ participation is related significantly to improvement in language
proficiency. Weimer (2011) also says that learner participation helps to develop
learners‟ important speaking skills. It is reasonable because high level participation
enhances students‟ opportunities to use the target language and provides teachers‟
feedback. He adds more benefits of getting students to participate, including the
ones of adding interest to the lessons, encouraging students‟ preparation before the
lectures. All of these advantageous factors enable to create a successful language
lesson.
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1.3.3 Factors affecting students’participation
Students‟ participation may be influenced by teacher, students and physical
classroom factors. These factors can have positive or negative effects on students‟
involvement.
1.3.3.1 Students’ personalities, language levels and motivation
Learners‟ personalities such as extroversion, inhibition, self-esteem, empathy,
dominance, talkativeness and responsiveness also have a great influence on the
success of second language learners (Ellis, Lightbrown & Spada, 1995: 54-55). Ellis
(1985:120) emphasizes that extroverted learners are more successful in oral
communication than the introverted ones since the former ones are more willing to
interact with others than the later. It is understandable that in a class, students
involve in lessons at different levels. Therefore, the teacher must take his/her
students‟ personally differences into consideration so that all learners can benefit
from classroom activities.
Students‟ low perceived proficiency is among the factors affecting the reluctance of
their participation in a speaking lesson (Tsui, 1996). Similarly, in Burns and Joyce‟s

effective teacher has not been found”. However, it can be admitted that teacher
should be the one that students respect and lay their trust on so that he/she can
encourage the students to involve in the classroom activities. Therefore, every
teacher should be aware to build good personal qualities to become an effective
language teacher.
The teacher‟s methodology referring to the approach or method and teaching
techniques he/she applies to the classroom activities can significantly affect
students‟ participation. The traditional method, teacher-centered one may result in
students‟ passiveness and low level of participation in learning whereas the student-
centered one may make students more active. Moreover, Kayi (2006, Cathard
(1986) and House (1986) suggest that the amount of participation varies according
to the activities the teacher implement. The application of appropriate methods and
activities can increase students‟ activeness and participation in classroom activities.

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1.3.3.3 Physical Classroom factors
Physical condition in classroom including classroom size, facilities such as chair
arrangement, lights and boards may affect students‟ participation either in a positive
or negative way.
Hammer (1992) determined that physical condition had a great impact on students‟
learning as well as their attitude towards the subject matter. It affects learners‟
motivation. Large class size, poor equipment may decrease the effectiveness of
language learning. Le Phuoc Ky (teacher‟s edition, 2002) suggested that the number
of students should be kept small in order that the interaction between students and
students, students and teacher can be maximized.
Disadvantageous classroom factors popularly exist in almost all high schools in
Vietnam where too many students in a class as well as lack of teaching facilities
create trouble to language learning and teaching. Thus, arranging classroom
physical condition is a need if we want to increase students‟ participation in