SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐỒNG NAI
Đơn vị : THPT Ngô Quyền
___________________

Mã số: …………………..

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM
Người thực hiện: Trần Văn Nghĩa
Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu:
Quản lý giáo dục
Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn
Phương pháp giáo dục
Lĩnh vực khác:
Có đính kèm:

Mô hình

Phần mềm

Năm học:

Phim ảnh

2012-2013

Hiện vật khác


SƠ LƯỢC LÝ LỊCH KHOA HỌC
__________________________
I. THÔNG TIN CHUNG VỀ CÁ NHÂN

Improving High School Students’ Written Competence Through
Teaching Grammar in Context


SỞ GD & ĐT ĐỒNG NAI

CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM

Đơ Đơn vị: THPT Ngô Quyền

Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phúc

- ---------

______________
Biên H òa, ngày 15 tháng 4

năm 2013

PHIẾU NHẬN XÉT, ĐÁNH GIÁ SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM
Năm học: 2012-2013
Tên sáng kiến kinh nghiệm: Improving

High School Students’
Speaking Skill Through Role- play
Họ và tên tác giả: Trần Văn Nghĩa

Đơn vị (Tổ): Tiếng Anh

Lĩnh vực:

Tốt
Khá
Đạt
XÁC NHẬN CỦA TỔ CHUYÊN MÔN
(Ký tên và ghi rõ họ tên)

THỦ TRƯỞNG ĐƠN VỊ
(Ký tên, ghi rõ họ tên và đóng dấu)



Ngo Quyen High School

School Year:2012-2013

_______________

Action Research Proposal

Research Title:

Improving High School Students’ Speaking Skill
Through Role- play

Researcher : Tran Van Nghia
Due Date : 15 May 2013


Improving High School Students’ Speaking Skill Through Role- play


industrial zones and to do international trading. Most foreigners use English to
communicate with their colleagues, office workers, local residents; and English is a
very important foreign language for people at work and young students in the
province.


In this province, there are fifty high schools with the responsibility for teaching and
training students to become competent English users so that they can continue their
higher studies at universities or get employment in the industrial zones. Therefore,
most teachers and parents are aware of the social needs of English as well as the
importance of English to real-life communication. In fact, many people in the
province try to study English in order to have better jobs in multi-national companies
or corporations and to get promotions in their careers.
Among the high schools in the province, Ngo Quyen High School is one of the
prestigious ones in Bien Hoa City, the commercial heart of Dong Nai Province, where
I have been working as a teacher of English for over 20 years. Each year, this school
has over one thousand students who are good at various subjects, such as
mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology, but their oral communication skills are
not good enough. Like students in other high schools in Vietnam, the students in this
school have to take English as a compulsory subject in the curriculum and study it
three periods a week (1 period = 45 minutes) for 34 weeks a year. The course aim,
according to the curriculum, is to help the students develop the four language skills:
listening, speaking, reading and writing.
In informal discussion with many grade 10 and 11 students, I know that they really
want to learn English for communication, especially oral communication. However,
they have very few learning strategies, especially strategies for improving speaking
skills. Contrary to my expectation, what they often do in the speaking class is to copy
vocabulary and language structures the teacher already writes on the board. They then
translate everything into Vietnamese before completing exercises and tasks in their
textbooks, or answering the teacher’s questions based on reading texts. I am also

Finally, the study will investigate students views on role-play activities.
In this action research, I would like to apply what I have acquired in order to improve
teaching practices at my school and other schools in the province. In my own
experience of teaching and from what I have read in some very useful books during
the time I have learned in Singapore, I believe that role-play will help my students
learn speaking more effectively. More importantly, there is a great need for changes to
be made in the teaching of speaking in my school.


This study will be of great value to the principal, vice- principals, students and
teachers in Ngo Quyen High School. As a researcher, I do have a role to play in
improving both standards and the quality of teaching and learning English in my
school. My expectation is that the research will help teachers in my school make a
change in teaching English, particularly in speaking skills. Last but not least, the
findings will be passed on to teachers in other high schools in my home province. This
research will make a valuable contribution to the teaching and learning of English in
Dong Nai, an industrial and commercial province where there is a tendency to apply
new English teaching methods in order to promote students’ spoken communication.
The research focus will be formulated into the three questions as follows :
1. What is the effect of role-play on the development of Grade 10, 11 students’
speaking skill?
2. How can role play be used effectively in speaking classes ?
3. What are students’ views or opinions on role-play?
Literature Review
The purpose of the study, as presented above, is to investigate the effect of role-play
on the development of students’ speaking skill. The first thing that will be discussed is
a brief review of literature concerning the definition of role-play and simulation. The
second part will look at the advantages of role-play to teaching speaking . Next is an
analysis of disadvantages of role-play; and finally there will be a short discussion on
effective ways of using role-play in teaching speaking.

interview ) as if they were doing so in the real world ,either as themselves in that
meeting or aero-plane, or taking on the role of a character different from themselves
or with thoughts and feelings they do not necessarily share’. He also adds that
simulation and role-play can be used to encourage general fluency, or to train students
for specific situations especially where they are studying ESP. Similarly, Littlewood


(1992,p.91) emphasizes that “The concept “role” is a useful one because it can link
what takes place in the classroom with what takes place outside it”.
Apparently, role-play can make classroom activities more natural and interesting.
Brand and Donato (2001) stress that if we assign students roles or allow them to
select the ones that are different from their own life roles we help them to understand
others’ points of view. They also state that conversely, role-playing their own life
roles may help them and other classmates to look more objectively at themselves and
their situations. According to Dave Willis and Jane Willis (2007), the advantage of a
role play is that it mirrors our life. They explain that if students are assigned trainee
travel agents, they can see themselves dealing with customers, answering questions
and helping to solve their problems.
In contrast, role-play has some problems that should be considered. According to Ur
(1996) some teachers’ attitudes to role-play vary due to their personalities and
backgrounds. Some teachers are enthusiastic, but others are reluctant to use role-play.
She suggests that we, as researchers, should help those teachers get familiar with
using role-play by trying out an activity with them as an introduction to the unit. Also,
we must clarify that role-play activities can contribute to oral fluency. Dave Willis and
Jane Willis (2007) also point out the disadvantage of role-play that a role play
imposes an unnecessarily heavy load on students. It asks them not only to solve the
problem, but also to act out a role while doing this. In recommending how to solve the
problems, they suggest that teacher should take students through a sequence in which
they first solve a problem, then learn to play a role, and finally learn to solve problems
while playing a role. They emphasize that by doing this, teachers can separate out the

Then a situation or situations to be role played should be selected. For every role-play
situation, dialogs should be provided (by the teaching materials or by the teacher) or created
by the students themselves.
STEP 3:Teach the Dialogs for Role Plays
The teacher needs to teach the vocabulary, sentences, and dialogs necessary for the role play
situations. The teacher needs to make sure the students know how to use the vocabulary,
sentences and dialogs prior to doing the role play activities, otherwise, the teacher should
allow students to ask how to say the words they want to say.
STEP 4: Have Students Practice the Role Plays


Students can practice in pairs or in small groups. After they have played their own roles a few
times, have them exchange roles. That way, students can play different roles and practice all
of the lines in the role play. When students are confident enough to demonstrate or perform in
front of the class, the teacher can ask them to do so for their classmates.
STEP 5:Have Students Modify the Situations and Dialogs
Once students have finished and become familiar with an original role play situation, they
can modify the situations and/or dialogs to create a variation of the original role play.
STEP 6: Evaluate and Check Students' Comprehension
Finally, the teacher will evaluate the effectiveness of the role play activities and check if
students have successfully comprehended the meanings of the vocabulary, sentences and
dialogs. There are several ways to do student evaluations. Students can be given oral and
listening tests relating to the role plays. Example oral tests can include the following.
Students are asked to answer some simple questions related to the role plays.
Students are asked to reenact the role plays.
Students are asked to translate the role plays into their native language if necessary
For listening tests, beginning students can do simpler tasks such as: "listen and circle", "listen
and number", "listen and match" types of questions. For more advanced students, they can be
asked to write the words, lines, and/or dialogs in the role plays. They can also be asked to
create and write variations of the role plays. Teachers can also evaluate students'


-Percentage

11 students’ speaking

English

- Transcription


skill?

proficiency:

2. How can role-play be

Intermediate-

used

Site : Ngo Quyen

effectively

in

speaking classes ?

High


development of speaking. Data collection will be discussed with the principal and
vice-principal of the school.
● Data collection
My research will be conducted with three different methods for data collection. The
first thing I will do is to prepare open-ended questions for the survey that I am going


to carry out. A questionnaire seeking students’ attitudes to role-play, their views of
their own abilities and perception and awareness of what role-play is about.
Then , I will interview the four teachers in my school. The second thing I will do is
that I get my students to fill the questionnaire I have made to find a better way to
teach and learn speaking. The next thing I will do is that I make a lesson plan in which
role-play is made use of. The purpose of the questionnaire and the interview and
classroom observation will be clearly explained to the students before the research
starts
●Questionnaire
As a questionnaire may play a central role in the data collection process, a welldesigned questionnaire is needed. To do this, I have to make a draft plan, then consult
my colleagues for some questions on the topic. I want the questionnaire to be
informative and appropriate to the subjects. Before conducting the questionnaire, I
will pilot it in another group that shares the same similarities to the sample. The
designed questionnaire is anonymous so that the students do not conceal their feelings
when they give comments on their teacher and his or her teaching. The questionnaire
which uses closed-and open-ended questions covers different kinds of students, their
views on role-play. The questionnaire will be in Vietnamese because the students may
not clearly understand all the items typed in the survey.
Interview
Interviewing is chosen as one of the three main methods of data collection. By asking
4 teachers questions about views or opinions on using role-play and the approaches of
teaching speaking. It will take an hour for each interview. In order to make the
interviewees comfortable, the place for the interview and the purpose of the interview

the experimental group to produce better developed spoken English than the control


group in the post-test, in terms of the following features: fluency, language function
,organization of the spoken discourse. I hope the teaching of speaking with role-play
can really increase the experimental group’s self-awareness through observing and
clarifying feelings and thoughts. Besides, some low-motivated students may also get
benefits from the approach of speaking with role-play.
Significance of the study
The study of the effect of role –play on the development of students’ speaking is
important for several reasons. First, understanding relationship between the students’
speaking problems and the use of role-play helps to improve their speaking
competence. Second, the researcher has opportunities to set up members of reflective
teachers who can help other teachers to solve the speaking problems of students at the
same levels. Finally, this is the first time I conduct a research proposal on productive
skills, so the research findings will also help the administrators to have new policy in
teaching and learning English in the school. The research on using role-play in
teaching speaking is manageable and will support my professional development .The
results of the research will provide high school teachers in Vietnam with valuable
suggestions on whether role-play should be included in speaking classes. More
importantly, speaking well can facilitate other skills, such as writing and listening.
The research will bring about improvements in my own teaching practices and
implement some changes in my school.
Conclusion
In Vietnamese high schools, role play is really a worthwhile learning experience for both
students and teachers. Not only can students have more opportunities to "act" and "interact"
with their partners who try to use the English language, but also students' English speaking,
listening, and understanding will improve. Role play lightens up the atmospheres and brings
dynamism in the classroom. Students learn to use the language in a more realistic, more
practical way. A a result, they can become more aware of the usefulness and practicality of



Appendix 1

Students’ Survey
( QUESTIONNAIRE )
The purpose of this questionnaire is to investigate students’ views or opinions on
role-play. Your responses will provide important information that helps the
school in planning better ways to teach speaking. Altogether there are 20 items
in the questionnaire.
Do not write your name on the questionnaire
Please indicate your views /attitudes to the following areas by circling the
appropriate number.
A. How often would you like the following teaching methods in your class ?
1. Never
2. Occasionally
3. Sometimes
4. Usually
5. Always

1. Doing exercises

1

2

3

4


2

3

4

5

5. Playing a role

1

2

3

4

5

6. Listening to the lecture

1

2

3

4



No

5. Role-play helps me a lot in learning speaking

Yes

No

6. Others (please specify)…………………………………………………..

C. How would you like to study speaking English ?
1. I do not like it at all
2. I do not like it very much
3. This is O.K
4. I quite like it
5. I like it very much

1. Working only by myself
2. Working in one large group

1
1

2

2

3


4

5

5. Discussing with others

1

2

3

4

5

6. Others (please specify)…………………………………………………..
D. What topics would you like to discuss in a speaking class ?
Put a tick in the box that describes what you like.
1. Work and jobs
2. Friends


3. The environment
4. Fashion
5. Diseases
6. Sports
7. Students’ life
8. Others (please specify)……………………………………………………
E. To what extent would you like the following areas in your speaking lesson ?

5

3. Pronunciation

1

2

3

4

5

4. Dialogue

1

2

3

4

5

5. Monologue

1


1. What language skill do you think is the most important in English teaching?
Why ?
……………………………………………………………………………………….
2. What do you think some of speaking skills of the students are?
……………………………………………………………………………………….
3 . What do you think some of speaking skills of the students are?
……………………………………………………………………………………….
4. What techniques and activities would you use to improve students’
interactional skill and transactional skill ?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
5. In your opinion, what is the purpose of role-play?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
6. What difficulties would you encounter when carrying out role-play activities?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
7.Do you know how your students feel when they conduct role-play?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
8. How often would you use role-play in class?


.
………………………………………………………………………………………
….
9..When using role-play, what kinds of tasks do you like to teach the class ?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
10. How would you know whether role-play work or not?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
11. What kind of preparation do you usually need for using role-play in speaking
class?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

dominant.
3. The teacher gives illustrations or
examples.
4. The teacher demonstrates how to play a
role.
5. The teacher shows interest in students'
work.
6. The teacher is cheerful and friendly.
7.The teacher uses various and effective
techniques.
8. The teacher gives explanations to
students’ questions about playing a role.
9. The techniques are appropriate for each
stage of the role-play activities.

Control
Group
……….


10. The teacher sometimes takes part in the
activities.
11. The teacher organizes the activities
well.
12. The students negotiate with each other
to get information all the time in their given
roles.

13.The students are flexible when taking
their roles.