Using language games to motivate the first year
students in speaking classes at Thai Nguyen
Medical College Hoàng Thị Thu Hoài Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ
Luận văn Thạc sĩ ngành: English teaching methodology; Mã số: 60 14 10
Người hướng dẫn: M.A. Khoa Anh Việt
Năm bảo vệ: 2012 Abstract. This minor thesis was conducted with an attempt to investigate the
effectiveness of language games in teaching speaking to the first year students non-
English majors at Thai Nguyen Medical College. The Thesis is organized in 3 parts:
First, the Introduction presents the rationale, aims and scope of the study, research
questions, method and design of the study. The Development is divided into 4 chapters:
Chapter one provides some theoretical background of related issues concerning the
Speaking Skills as well as Language Games. Chapter two carries out about the research
setting, subjects of the study, the methodology, and the instrument of the study. There
also presents the results of the two survey questionnaires designed to find out the
current situation of teaching and learning speaking to the first year students non-
English majors at Thai Nguyen Medical College as well as the effects of language
games in motivating students to speak. Chapter three provides researcher’s findings of
effectiveness of Language Games in teaching and learning speaking skills. From the
findings of the thesis, it might be concluded that Language games can be used as a
beneficial teaching method to improve students’ motivation in speaking classes
effectively. Chapter four provides some suggestions and implications of using language
games for the improvement of speaking teaching. Finally, the Conclusion summaries

to motivate students to speak. Language games not only banish boredom, provide learners with
enjoyable environment but also supply them with chance to use language and constitute a bridge
between the lesson and the real world (Greenal, 1984)
For all the reasons mentioned above I have decided to choose the topic “Using language
games to motivate the first year students in speaking classes at Thai Nguyen Medical College”
for my minor thesis with the hope that it might be helpful to both teachers and students in
teaching and learning speaking.
2. Aims of the study
The study is carried out in order to:
 Investigate the current situation of teaching and learning speaking to the first year
students who are non-major English students at Thai Nguyen Medical College.
 Explore the effects of language games in teaching speaking to the first year students who
are non-major English students at Thai Nguyen Medical College.
 Provide some suggestions and implications of using language games for the improvement
of speaking teaching at Thai Nguyen Medical College.
3. Research questions
The research is to seek answer to the following questions:
 What is speaking teaching and learning reality to the first year non- major English
students at Thai Nguyen Medical College?
 How can language games help to improve students’ motivation in speaking classes?
 What are the suggestions and implications of using language games in speaking lessons?
4. Scope of the study
For the limitation of time, conditions, and materials, in this minor study, the researcher
focuses specifically on the use of language games in teaching speaking to the first year student’s
non - English majors at TMC. So the study limits itself to the teaching and learning speaking
only, and the subjects of the study are 90 nursing students from two classes studying new
“Headway” course book at Thai Nguyen Medical College.
5. Research methods
In order to realize the aims of the study, quantitative method is used. The survey
questionnaire is used to collect information and evidence for the study. The survey questionnaire

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