VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES LÊ PHƯƠNG LAN THE APPLICATION OF COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES
TO DEVELOP SPEAKING SKILLS FOR 10
TH
GRADERS
IN SON TAY HIGH SCHOOL-HANOI

(ỨNG DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG GIAO TIẾP ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG NÓI
CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT SƠN TÂY-HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR THESIS
Field : ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Code : 601410 HANOI, 2011
iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
ACCEPTANCE PAGE
i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ii
ABSTRACT
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
iv
LIST OF TABLES
vii
ABBREVIATIONS
viii
INTRODUCTION
1
1. Rationale of the study
1
2. Aims of the study
2
3. Research questions

14
1.3.3.1. Communication games
14
1.3.3.2. Songs
15
1.3.3.3. Discussion
15 v

1.3.3.4. Problem solving
16
1.3.3.5. Simulation and role-play
17
Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY
18
2.1. RESEARCH SETTING
18
2.1.1. An overview of Son Tay High School
18
2.1.2. The teachers of English in Son Tay High School
18
2.1.3. The students in Son Tay High School
18
2.1.4. The current situation of English teaching and learning in Son Tay
High School
19
2.2. RESEARCH METHODS
20

35
CONCLUSION
37
REFERENCES
39
APPENDIX 1
I
APPENDIX 2
III
APPENDIX 3
V

vi

LIST OF TABLES Page
Table 1
Information about Teachers’ CLT training
22
Table 2
The teachers’ time of using communicative activities.
22
Table 3
Kinds of communicative activities teachers usually use in
their English teaching process.
23
Table 4
Major obstacles teachers encounter when they apply

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ABBREVIATIONS
TEFL : Teaching English as a Foreign Language
CLT : Communicative Language Teaching
EFL : English as a Foreign Language
M.A : Master of Art
colleagues: “Students seem so quiet and lazy during speaking lessons. It is very difficult to
make them participate in speaking activities”. Therefore, the idea of doing something
useful for my colleagues and students has urged me to conduct the research.
Another reason why the study was carried out lies in my love for teaching
speaking. By doing the study, I can know more about the challenges in teaching and
learning speaking skills so that I can find relevant techniques along with activities to
improve my teaching speaking at Son Tay High School.
The above reasons have inspired me to conduct a study on “The application of
communicative activities to develop speaking skills for 10
th
graders at Son Tay High
School-Hanoi” with the hope to make a little contribution to the quality of teaching and
learning speaking skills for Grade 10th at Son Tay High School. 2

2. Aims of the study
The aims of the study are to address the following issues:
 The difficulties that teachers and students face in the process of teaching
and learning speaking skills;
 The application of some useful communicative activities to improve
English speaking ability for 10
th
graders.
3. Research questions
To achieve these aims, the following two research questions are addressed:
1. What communicative activities can make the speaking lessons more effective?
2. What obstacles have the teachers and students faced in their speaking lessons?
4. Scope of the study

Chapter 4 gives recommendations for more effective application of Communicative
Activities in developing students’ speaking skills.
The third part is the conclusions of the study. 4

usually alone and not in direct contact with the audience. As a result, they do not receive
immediate feedback from the reader and sometimes get no feedback at all. Native speakers
constantly make “mistakes” when they are speaking. They hesitate and say the same thing
5

in different ways and they often change the subject of what they are saying in mid-
sentence. A piece of writing, however, with mistakes and half-finished sentence, etc.
would be judged by many native speakers as illiterate since it is expected that writing
should be “correct”. From the point of view of language teaching, therefore, there is often
far greater pressure for written accuracy than there is accuracy in speaking. Apart from
this, writers can not use intonation, stress or body language. They also often feel under an
obligation to achieve accuracy and precisions, because written language is more permanent
than spoken language.
Another different characteristic of written and spoken language is in the overall
structures of spoken and written texts (Burns, 1997). Written texts are usually logically
organized with a distinct beginning, middle and end structures. It is generally possible for
readers to predict quite easily how the text is likely to be structured. Spoken texts, on the
other hand, are more open-ended and dynamic with one utterance leading to another.
Speakers also tend to change their topic of conversation during the talk. Therefore it is
difficult for the speakers and listeners to predict the exact direction the interaction will
take.
Finally, spoken and written languages are grammatically different. According to
Halliday (1989) in Burns (1997), written language is more lexically dense while spoken
language is more grammatically complicated. Writers tend to use lexical words such as
nouns or noun groups, speakers tend to use verbs and grammatical words such as pronouns
and conjunctions or linking words such as "and", "but" and "because" to produce clauses.
1.1.2. Implications for teaching
Understanding the characteristics of spoken and written language, the linguistic
similarities and differences is very important for language teachers to have an appropriate
approach to teaching reproductive and receptive skills. The followings are factors that EFL

listener rather than an instructor who tends to stop them to correct mistakes. By intervening
students for correction, the teacher may discourage students from attempting to express
their ideas in English. Since one of the features of spoken language is speech does not
require a high level of accuracy like writing, learner mistakes should be tolerated until they
are given feedback at the end of the activity. This helps bring about the concept of self-
confidence, which is very important in promoting learners’ speaking skills.

1.2. TEACHING SPEAKING
1.2.1. The speaking needs and goals of language students
One of the aims of most of the language programs used by teachers today is to
develop spoken language skills, and most programs aim to integrate both spoken and
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written language. However, the emphasis given to speaking in a language program varies
according to the needs and goals of the students and the focus of the course.
According to Burns (1997), decisions about teaching speaking will inevitably
depend on the learners’ goal and their needs in developing speaking skills. The most
important starting point when deciding how to teach speaking is to gather background data
about students such as age, language background and previous language learning, their
goals, needs and the contexts in which they will need to use English. It also involves
assessing their current level of spoken language competency or proficiency. Sheils (1993)
has suggested that the development of communicative ability has to be related to the needs
of learners. They have both immediate and potential communicative needs. They need to
know how to express their own meanings in the here-and-now of the classroom as they
share knowledge, experiences, interests, opinions and feelings. Learners also need to be
prepared to use the language for real communication outside the classroom.
Burns (1997) has also shown that in deciding what spoken language to include
in a program, it is valuable to investigate the students’ purposes and goals for improving
their speaking skills. This can be done through interviews, individual and class discussions
and through class surveys.

of this approach in language learning is on the knowledge of grammar and on applying this
knowledge in the process of translating from one language to another. One of the central
features of the approach was the presentation of the new language through individual
sentences which exemplified grammatical points. A typical lesson would include the
presentation of a new grammatical point, a list of new vocabulary items to be learned and
practice sentences for students to translate.
The grammar-translation approach placed considerable emphasis on accuracy and
stressed the production of complete sentences. As the approach was based on written
grammatical sources, the teaching of speaking was, in effect, neglected and teaching itself
took place through the medium of the learner’s first language. This approach also
encouraged a word-by-word construction of sentences, which ignored meaning and often
produced unnatural sound in sentences. One of the main goals of this approach was to
develop skills that would allow learner to read the works of great literature or to experience
the intellectual discipline of studying and analyzing grammatical structure.
Richards and Rodgers (1986) has shown that in the first half of the twentieth
century, the theories of American structural linguists such as Bloomfield (1993) and Fries
(1945) gradually replaced the more traditional approaches of classical humanism and the
structural approach became influential in language teaching. And it was considered one of
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the most common approaches to teaching speaking and listening. This approach was based
on the view that language is acquired by stimuli and imitation. It was an approach which
gave a much greater emphasis to speaking than the previous grammar-translation approach.
This approach to teaching focuses on audio-lingual method of imitation, repetition and
response. Burns (1997) has also shown that, on the one hand, this approach to teaching
speaking and listening forms habits of speaking with good intonation and correct grammar.
Learners were trained in correct speech-patterns and expected to practice them. There was
a strong emphasis on repetition and on building up of linguistic items through drills and
exercises which focused on grammatical structures and patterns. On the other hand, this
approach places little interest in the context for speaking. Learners’ activities involved

and learning in many parts of the world. One of the major benefits of communicative
language teaching (CLT) is that it has brought about a more comprehensive view of
teaching and learning. CLT emphasizes the development of learners’ ability and
willingness to use the target language appropriately and accurately for the purposes of
effective communication (Shei1s, 1993). However, this is not to imply that the
communicative approach has been universally accepted and practiced.
Methodologies based on communicative approach to teaching speaking tend to
focus on spoken language use rather than the form of the language. This has meant that in
the classroom the teacher has been encouraged to focus on activities which will get
students speaking and attention has been paid to providing them with the means to interact.
As a result, there was often little guidance given to teachers on how to integrate a focus on
the form of spoken language.
1.2.3. Principles for teaching speaking
Attitudes toward teaching have changed somewhat since the nineteenth century.
This is particularly true of the last twenty-five years which have seen a change of focus
from “language structure” to “language use”. In the area of speaking, researchers have put
increasing emphasis on “natural speech”. That is to say there has been a shift in focus from
the product of speaking to the process involved.
The governing principle for the processes involved is to give students more and
more opportunities “to use language as they wish, to express their own ideas so that they
become aware that they have learnt something useful to them personally, and thus they are
encouraged to go on learning” (Byrne, 1987:2). However, teachers may help students
progress through several steps. First the teachers present new language to the students, then
they must practice the new language in a controlled way. Finally students can try to use the
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language they have learnt in free or creative speech. For this purpose, teaching spoken
language should start from the early stage of learning.
Learner training for speaking aims to raise students’ ability to use language they are
learning as much as possible to help them “to make the best use of the little they know”

1.3. COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES
1.3.1. What are communicative activities?
According to Harmer (1991), whatever activity the students are involved in, if it is
to be genuinely communicative and if it is really promoting language use, the students
should have a desire to communicate. If they do not want to be involved in communication
then that communication will probably not be effective. The students should have some
kind of communicative purpose, in other words they should be using language in some
way to achieve an objective. Then their attention should be centered on the content of what
is being said or written and not the language form that is being used. So, communicative
activities are the ones which involve learning through using language for a communicative
purpose.
In communicative activities, the students will have to deal with a variety of
language (either receptively or productively) rather than just one grammatical construction.
While the students are engaged in the communicative activity the teacher should not
intervene, which means he/she should not correct mistakes. This would undermine the
communicative purpose of the activity. The teacher may of course be involved in the
activity as a participant, and will also be watching and listening very carefully in order to
be able to conduct feedback.
Thus for non-communicative activities there will be no desire to communicate on
the part of the students and they will have no communicative purpose. In other words,
where the students are involved in a drill or in repetition, they will be motivated not by a
desire to reach a communicative objective, but by the need to reach the objective of
accuracy.
Harmer (1991) has summarized those points in a figure called “The communicative
continuum”:

NON-COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES

COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES
* no communicative desire

involves them in a varied use of language.
1.3.2. Purposes of communicative activities
According to Littlewood (1990), communicative activities have been designed to
provide an opportunity for learners to produce language that they have recently learnt. The
followings are some contributions that communicative activities can make to language
learning:
They provide “whole-task practice”: While non-communicative activities provide
training in the part-skills, communicative activities provide practice in the total skills,
sometimes called “whole-task practice”. Learning to swim, for example, usually involves
not only separate practice of individual movements (part-skills), but also actual attempts to
swim short distances (whole- task practice). In foreign language learning, our means for
providing learners with whole- task practice in the classroom is through various kinds of
communicative activity structured in order to suit the learners’ level of ability.
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They improve the motivation: The learners’ ultimate objective is to take part in
communication with others. Their motivation to learn is more likely to be sustained if they
can see how their classroom learning is related to this objective and help them to achieve it
with increasing success.
They allow natural learning: Many aspects of language learning can take place
only through natural processes, which operate when a person is involved in using the
language for communication. If this is so, communicative activity (inside or outside the
classroom) is an important part of the total learning process.
They can create a context which supports learning: Communicative activity
provides opportunities for positive personal relationship to develop among learners and
between learners and teachers. These relationships can help to “humanize” the classroom
and to create an environment that supports the individual in his efforts to learn.
1.3.3. Types of oral communicative activities
Different linguists have had different ideas on the distinction of communicative
activities. Littlewood (1990) distinguishes them into two main categories, which he calls

whole class sings together. Songs allows maximum participation by every student in both
listening and speaking. Additionally, music makes a nice change from standard textbook
and it is good for developing students’ instincts about intonation and rhythm. Eken (1996:
46) states that songs can be used:
• to present a topic, a language point, lexis, etc;
• to practice a language point, lexis, etc;
• to encourage extensive and intensive listening;
• to stimulate discussion of attitudes and feelings;
• to encourage creativity and use of imagination;
• to provide a relaxed classroom atmosphere and
• to bring variety and fun to learning.
In order to choose a suitable song, the teacher should keep in mind that (1) Songs
must be a reasonable length, range, and rhythm. (2) Song should have repetitive lyrics or
chorus which is easy to learn. This allows slower students to follow. (3) The emotional and
conceptual content of a song should be appropriate to the age and maturity of your
students. (4) Songs must be pedagogically appropriate to the lesson. (Quan: 2004).
As demonstrated, songs are valuable in language teaching and learning. The teacher is
obliged to successfully integrate songs into a language lesson.
1.3.3.3. Discussion
In this type of activity students “have to pool the information in the discussion”
(Littlewood, 1990: 27). The discussion may be about a proper problem, addiction, for
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example or about a given controversial proposition such as “People who buy fur coats
should pay a 100% tax”. Students have to prepare arguments either in favor of the
proposition or against the proposition.
Sheils (1993) has indicated the value of discussion activities as follows:
“Discussion activities involve learners in personal and fluent use of the target
language. They require them to reflect, to evaluate data or arguments, to listen
carefully to others, to have an open mind and to develop the skills and expressions

1.3.3.5. Simulation and role-play
According to Harmer (1991), the idea of a simulation is to create the pretence of a
real-life situation in the classroom: students “simulate” the real-world. Thus we might ask
them to pretend that they are at an airport, or we might organize them to get together to
plan an imaginary reunion. What we are trying to do artificially of course is to give
students practice in real-world English. Students are asked to adopt a specific role in this
situation. In some cases, they may simply have to act as themselves. In others, they may
have to adopt a· simulated identity.
There is some controversy about the usefulness of simulations, particularly where
students are asked to play roles, but many teachers feel that they have certain advantages
because students do not have to take responsibility for their own actions and words. In
other words, it is the character who speaks, not themselves. It has certainly been noticed
that some shy students are more talkative when playing roles.
Littlewood (1992: 49) says: “ simulation and role-play are well-established as
techniques for organizing controlled, pre-communicative language practice, which
prepares students later to take part in fully spontaneous interaction”.
Bygate (1987) states that role-play may be allocated in several ways:
Role-play controlled through cued dialogues.
Role-play controlled through cued situations and goal.
Role-play controlled through cues and information.
Role-play in the form of debate or discussion.
This type of activity could be used for students at different levels of proficiency in
term of complexity of activities. Ladousse (1987: 7) has shown: “Role-play is one of
communicative techniques which develops fluency in language students, which promotes
interaction in the classroom, and which increases motivation”.

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2.1.3. The students in Son Tay High School
The majority of students in the study at Son Tay High School are aged from 15 to
18. Most of them come from urban areas and they have learnt English since they were at
19

primary schools. Therefore, their English proficiency is some how better than students
from rural parts due to the availability of opportunities to attend part-time English courses.
Among them, there are a large number of students who are really interested in learning
English and want to develop their ability in using English. In contrast, the other part of
students is lowly motivated. They tend to regard English as less important than other
subjects and they study English only in order to pass the examinations.
2.1.4. The situation of English teaching and learning in Son Tay High School
2.1.4.1. The syllabus of teaching and learning
At Son Tay High School, English is one of the compulsory subjects in the
curriculum. The syllabus and the textbooks for English including “Tieng Anh 10”, “Tieng
Anh 11”, “Tieng Anh 12” are prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training.
English curriculum for grade 10th students is divided into two semesters with a
total of 105 periods, 3 periods per week. Each period is 45 minutes long.
The textbook which is currently used for teaching and learning English for grade
10th at Son Tay high school is “Tieng Anh 10” which was designed following
communicative approach. The textbook consists of 16 units with 5 parts in each unit
arranging as follows: reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus in which a
variety of exercises and tasks was compiled for practice. Also, there exists a consolidate
unit after every 3 units. The objective of these units is to examine how well the students
have achieved in the previous units.
2.1.4.2. The teaching and learning English speaking skills
It has been accepted that students’ communicative ability is the proper aim for
language teaching. This makes teaching and learning speaking skills seem to be an
important part in any English course. Like many other high schools in Vietnam, teaching
and learning speaking skills at Son Tay High School are affected by some constraints such