HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

NGUYEN THI THANH HUONG
USING SHORT ACTIVITIES AND GAMES IN THE
POST- SPEAKING STAGE TO INCREASE GRADE 11A4
STUDENTS’ INTERETS
AT CHAN MONG HIGH CHOOL, PHU THO PROVINCE
THE GRADUATION PAPER
Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Phu Tho, 2015
i
HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HƯỜNG
USING SHORT ACTIVITIES AND GAMES IN THE
POST- SPEAKING STAGE TO INCREASE GRADE 11A4
STUDENTS’ INTERETS
AT CHAN MONG HIGH CHOOL, PHU THO PROVINCE
(Sử dụng các hoạt động và trò chơi ngắn ở phần cuối bài
dạy kỹ năng nói nhằm tăng hứng thú học tập cho sinh lớp
11A4 trường THPT Chân Mộng, tỉnh Phú Thọ)
THE GRADUATION PAPER
Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
SUPERVISOR: HOANG THI VAN YEN, MA
Phú Thọ, 2015
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me great help
during the completion of my study.

1.2. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and the importance of
speaking skill
5
1.3. Stages of teaching speaking 6
1.3.1. Pre- speaking stage 6
1.3.2. While- speaking stage 6
1.3.3. Post- speaking stage 7
1.4. Motivation 7
1.4.1. Definition 7
1.4.2. Motivation in classroom setting 7
1.5. Speaking activities 8
1.5.1. Factors of a successful speaking activity 8
1.5.2. Problem with speaking activities 9
1.5.3. Solutions to the problems with speaking activities 10
1.6. Short activities and games 11
1.6.1. The role of short activities and games in language teaching and
learning process
11
1.6.2. Principles of using short activities and games in speaking class 2
1.6.3. Common types of short activities and games used for the post-
speaking stage
12
Chapter 2: Methodology 16
2.1. Overview of the survey 16
2.1.1. Aims of the survey 16
2.1.2. Participants and setting 16
2.2. Description of the questionnaire surveys 17
2.2.1. Teacher’s survey 18
2.2.2. Students’ survey 18
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APPENDIXES
v
LIST OF TABLES
List of tables Page
Table 2.1: The teachers’ attitude toward speaking skill 21
Table 2.2: The teachers’ attitude toward the post- speaking stage 21
Table 2.3: Teachers’ spending time on the post- speaking stage 23
Table 2.4: Difficulties of teaching the post- speaking stage 23
Table 2.5: The frequency of using short activities or games in the post-
speaking stage
23
Table 2.6: Kinds of short activities or games used in the post- speaking
stage
24
Table 2.7: The students’ attitude toward speaking skill 25
Table 2.8: Students’ attitude toward speaking lesson 26
Table 2.9: The students’ views toward the post- speaking stage 26
Table 2.10: The reasons which make students less interested in class 27
Table 2.11: The frequency of taking part in the short activities or games in
the post- speaking stage
28
Table 2.12: The Level of the Students’ familiarity with each short activity or
game
28
Table 2.13: Students’ opinions about the goals of using short activities and
games in the post- speaking stage
29
Table 2.14: Students’ interest in the experimental teaching lessons 30
Table 2.15: Students’ attitude toward the short activities and games 30
Table 2.16: The benefits of using short activities and games in the post–

thesis will be useful for teachers and students at Chan Mong High school in learning
and teaching the post- speaking stage.
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PART1 A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
English nowadays has become a required subject of all study levels in
Vietnam. Among four language skills, speaking is regarded as the most important
one for face-to-face communication. However, there is a fact that both the teachers
and the students have not paid enough attention to speaking skill. In a speaking
lesson, teachers often focus more on the pre- and the while- speaking stages than
the post- speaking stage. As a result, the students’ interests are reduced at the end of
the lesson.
Additionally, motivation is perhaps the key that leads to consecutive success
in the learning process, especially in second language achievement. So, maintaining
the students’ interest during the lesson is very important. If the students do not have
motivation, they cannot get the best result from learning. Usually, the students have
more interest at the beginning of the lesson. After doing many exercises and taking
part in speaking activities in the pre- speaking and while- speaking stage, the
students often feel tired, even bored in the post- speaking stage. Therefore,
motivation in the post- speaking stage is very important for speaking lessons.
Short activities and games are supposed to increase the students’ interest in
the post-speaking stage. But in fact, many teachers still do not highly appreciate the
importance of short activities and games in the post- speaking. In addition, they lack
effective ways to motivate the language learners. However, this study does not aim
at measuring students’ motivation in learning speaking but helps increase their
interests in speaking lessons through short activities and games in the post-
speaking stage.
These above reasons have motivated the author to conduct this study with the
hope that this study will provide teachers of English in general and teachers at Chan
Mong High School in particular a better understanding of using short activities and

environment in classroom for the learners. The study also finds out how we can
achieve the goal of effectiveness when applying language games in teaching and
learning English. In addition, the writer also suggests some activities and games that
can be used in teaching speaking English speaking skill effectively.
Nguyen (2011) suggests that teachers should be more active in using
classroom activities to help students recover lexical language items. Some of the
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most common speaking activities are games. According to the writer, some games
are highly motivating, competitive, and fun. They also bring a relaxed atmosphere
and create more opportunities for students to practise. With games, students will
enjoy themselves, be stimulated and get involved in speaking. As the result, they
can learn new lexical language items faster and remember better.
3. Research purpose
For the reasons mentioned above, the thesis has been done with the aims to:
•Investigate the real situation of teaching speaking skill at Chan Mong High
school.
•Study the effects of using short activities and games in the post- speaking
stage at Chan Mong High school.
•Make some suggestions and implications to integrate short activities and
games into post-speaking stage of speaking lesson.
4. Research questions
The study aims to answer the following questions:
• What are the teachers and students’ attitudes towards the post- speaking
stage and speaking skill in Chan Mong High school?
• How do short activities and games in the post- speaking stage work in
English speaking classes at Chan Mong High school?
5. Methodology
5.1. Research Methods
To carry out the study, the following methods have been used:
Investigating methods: The aim of this method is to study the real situation

speaking stage to increase grade 11A4 students’ interest at Chan Mong High school,
Phu Tho Province.
8. Structure of the study
The thesis consists of three main parts:
PART A: INTRODUCTION
PART B: MAJOR CONTENT
Chapter 1: Literature review
Chapter 2: Methodology
Chapter 3- Recommendations and suggestions for using short activities and
games in the post- speaking stage
PART C: CONCLUSION
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PART B: MAJOR CONTENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. The nature of spoken language
Spoken language is language produced by clear sounds, as opposed to
written language. Many languages have no written form, only have spoken form.
Oral language or vocal language is produced with the vocal tract, as opposed to sign
language, which is produced with the hands and face.
In spoken language, much of the meaning is determined by the context. This
contrasts with written language, in which most of the meaning is provided by the
text. Spoken language tends to convey subjective information, including the
relationship between the speaker and the audience, whereas written language tends
to convey objective information.
According to Vanderkevent (1990) there are three components of speaking:
1.1.1. The speakers
Speakers are those who produce sound. They express opinions or feelings to
the hearers. So if there are no speakers, no opinions or the feelings will be stated.
1.1.2. The listeners
Listeners are those who receive the speaker’s opinions or feeling. If there are

According to Brown (2009), a perfect teaching speaking lesson has to follow
three following stages:
1.3.1. Pre- speaking stage
Pre- speaking begins before students actually speak. Pre- speaking activities
involve thought, reflection then provide opportunities for students to plan and
organize for speaking.
Pre - speaking has some purposes such as choosing speaking topic,
determining purpose, audience and format.
1.3.2. While- speaking stage
While- speaking engages students in interactions with peers and other
audiences. Students who have been provided with supportive, environments and
opportunities to prepare for their informal and formal speaking experiences are
more likely to have the confidence to “go public” with their ideas and information.
Some purposes for while- speaking are to express personal feelings, ideas or
viewpoints; to tell a story; to entertain or amuse; to describe; to inform or explain;
to request; to inquire or question; to classify thinking; to explore and experiment
with a variety of ideas and to converse and discuss.
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1.3.3. Post- speaking stage
Post- speaking is a time for reflection and setting goals. Following speaking
experiences, both formal and informal, it is important to have students reflect upon
their performance. Their reflection should include the teacher, who can help them
set personal goals for improving their speaking skill abilities.
1.4. Motivation
1.4.1. Definition
There are many definitions of motivation and one of them is: “Motivation is
the process whereby goal-directed activity is instigated and sustained” (Schunk et
al., 2004).
Motivation is considered as a process rather than a product. As a process, we
do not observe motivation directly but rather we infer it from actions. Motivation

not have a positive home environment or if the home situation doesn't provide
appropriate levels of nutrition and/or sleep, students attend school with a
disadvantage and a lack of motivation because of physical or emotional problems.
1.5. Speaking activities
1.5.1. Factors of a successful speaking activity
Speaking in a second or foreign language has often been viewed as the most
demanding of the four skills. When attempting to speak, learners must concentrate
on their thoughts and encode their ideas in vocabulary and syntactic structures of
the target language. According to Kathleen and Savage (1993), depending on the
formality and importance of the speech situations as well as their own personal
linguistic propensities, the learners may also attend to monitor their output
(speaking skill).
Sharing this idea, Ur (1996) indicates the four following prerequisites of a
successful speaking activity in the classroom:
Learners talk a lot: during speaking skill activities, learners should have
chances to talk a lot to develop their oral skill.
Participants are even: all learners are involved in the activities and their
distribution for speaking chance are the same.
Motivation is high: all the leaners are interested in talking and positively
participate in speaking activities.
Language is of an appropriate level: this means that the language used by
teachers and learners to express their ideas and thoughts is understandable to others.
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Thus, from the factors mentioned above, it can be inferred that teachers
should take the factors into consideration when teaching speaking skill.
1.5.2. Problems with speaking activities
Speaking is a productive skill. It is done by using the voice to point out the
meaning to other people. Speaking activities includes many aspects such as:
vocabulary, grammar, interaction, body language, etc. The differences in the
categories above lead to different types of speaking that we produce.

these problems with speaking activities.
1.5.3. Solutions to the problems with speaking activities
Teaching English as a second language means being able to solve problems
students may have in acquiring certain language skills. In order to solve the problem
of learning and teaching speaking skill, Ur (1996) offers the following solutions:
Group work: Group work increases the amount of time available for oral
practice and allows more than one student to benefit from speaking time. Working
in groups also lowers the inhibitions of shy students who are not comfortable
speaking in front of the whole class.
Easy language: Simple language makes it easier for students to speak for
longer without hesitation and gives them a sense of accomplishment. Essential
vocabulary can be pre-taught or reviewed before the activity enabling students to
fill-out their speech with more interesting sentences and rich language.
Interesting topic: Choosing a topic according to the interests of the class
ensures student motivation. If the material and task instructions are presented
clearly and enthusiastically, students will be more likely to meet the challenge set
for them.
Clear guidelines: Stating clearly what is expected from each student is
essential in ensuring that everyone in the group contributes towards the discussion.
Appointing a leader to each group to regulate participation is a way to make sure
that dominant students leave discussion opportunities open to more reserved
students. Feedback exposes the results of the discussion and motivates each student
to follow the guidelines.
English monitors: Teacher might appoint one of the groups as the monitor
because a monitor can be appointed to each group to remind students not to speak
their mother tongue. A lack of classroom management and discipline will encourage
students easily comeback to use mother tongue as soon as they have problems.
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Therefore, the best way to keep students speaking the target language is that the
teacher should be there as much as possible, reminding them and modeling the

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and interact with them. This brings learners a feeling of security because they feel
easier to speak.
Finally, short activities and games such as working in groups, in pairs or
singing etc. create a relatively safe environment for making mistakes a long with
relaxed atmosphere, for there is little error correction or distract attention.
Moreover, students have a lot of fun when they learn with communicative activities.
This reduces their stress and anxiety about their performance.
In conclusion, short activities and games can both bring about proficiency
and greatly improve communicative competence.
1.6.2. Principles of using short activities and games in speaking class
Besides some principles that Ur (1996) has discusses, there are some things that
teachers should remember when using short activities and games:
Good preparation: Careful prepared short activities or games is one key to
maintain the control of the class and the interest of the students. To have a good
preparation, teachers should know for sure the purpose of using the activities or
games, how to carry out it and how it is carried out the most effectively for the
activities and games.
Simple activities and games: It means they last short time and easy for
students to understand.
Good class organization: Teacher should divide class into small groups or
teams and must be sure that there is a balance in the level students in each group.
In short, teachers should understand and pay attention to these principles
before using short activities and games in speaking class.
1.6.3. Common types of short activities and games used for the post- speaking stage
There are various short activities and games that can be used for the post-
speaking stage. However, John and Dougill (1987) introduced some activities such
as Discussion, Role Play, Information Gap, Storytelling, Interviews, Reporting,
Playing Cards and Picture Description because of their typical characters and
usefulness.

student and a teacher, though a teacher can certainly demonstrate the activity. The
two students will be asking each other questions to which they don’t know the
answer; these questions are called referential questions (a question to which the
person asking does not know the answer).
The goal of the activity is for the students to discover certain information,
whether about the other person or related to a specific activity. These activities help
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move the students from working in a more structured environment into a more
communicative environment; they are expected to use lots of the target language,
and in the process discovering where they have gaps. Knowing where these gaps are
gives them a direction in which to improve.
1.6.3.4. Storytelling
Storytelling involves having students retell stories or text selections that they
have listened to or read. It encourages students to actively speak up, improve their
vocabulary, and train their pronunciation and fluency. It allows the students to
communicate well using a foreign language they are learning. It also helps students
express ideas in the format or beginning, development, and ending, including the
characters and setting of a story.
1.6.3.5. Interviews
Interview is an effective technique in teaching speaking. Student can conduct
interview on selected topics with various people. Moreover, students can interview
each other and “introduce” his or her partner to the class.
Interview poses a number of advantages. Conducting interviews with
partners gives students a chance to practice their speaking ability not only in class
but also outside and help them become socialized. Moreover, interviews in pairs or
in groups not only contribute an atmosphere of healthy competition in a non-
stressful situation but also provide immediate feedback for the learners.
1.6.3.6. Reporting
Students are asked to watch a specific program on a specific channel. Then,
the students could be asked to report back what they have seen and express their

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CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY
In the previous chapter, the researcher has given the literature review about
the nature of spoken language, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), stages
of teaching speaking, motivation, speaking activities and some short activities and
games used for post- speaking stage. In this chapter, the researcher provides an
overview about the subject of the study, the description of the questionnaire surveys
which consists of three questionnaires: one for the teachers and two for the students,
and then analyzes the data.
2.1. Overview of the survey
2.1.1. Aims of the survey
In order to meet the need of the learners, English teachers are largely
challenged by the matter how to make speaking lessons more effective.
Communicative ability is main goal of teaching and learning speaking skill at High
schools in general and in Chan Mong High school in particular. However, this aim
is not always achieved. To deeply understand the reasons why, the research would
like to investigate the teachers and students’ attitudes in Chan Mong High school
towards the speaking skill as well as the post-speaking stage, and how the short
activities and games in the post- speaking stage work in English speaking classes of
English at Chan Mong High school.
2.1.2. Participants and setting
The study is carried out in the second semester of the school year 2014- 2015
at Chan Mong High school, Doan Hung District, Phu Tho Province. The subjects of
the study consist of two groups: six English teachers and thirty six students of 11A4
class at Chan Mong High school.
2.1.2.1. The teachers
The questionnaire survey for teachers is conducted with total six English
teachers during six weeks at Chan Mong High school.
All of the teachers graduated from Universities. They are between 24 to 45
years old. One of the teachers has just taught for 1 year, three of them have been

embarrassed. The teachers and the students are free to give impartial answers
because the confidentiality is ensured by not mentioning students and teachers’
name. This is very important since it supplies some exact and valuable information
for this study.
The last reason for this choice is that questionnaire survey is money saving.
The collector only spends little money on the preparation.