VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Lê Thị Hạnh

USING DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE
THE EFL STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT
DONG NAI TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

HANOI, 2019


VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Lê Thị Hạnh

USING DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE
THE EFL STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT
DONG NAI TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

Field: English Language
Code: 8220201
Supervisor: Bùi Thị Thục Quyên, Ph.D.

HANOI, 2019


DECLARATION BY AUTHOR

timely guidance and useful comments.
I would like to convey my sincere appreciation and thanks to Mr. Đặng
Nguyên Giang, Ph.D. and the staff of the Department of Foreign Languages,
Graduate Academy of Social Sciences for granting me the honor of writing this
thesis as well as their assistance and most valuable supports.
I also would like to express my colleague and my students to help me with
valuable data for the study.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my beloved family and
friends who always support me during the progress of conducting and finishing
this thesis.

ii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
DECLARATION BY AUTHOR

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ii

ABSTRACT

vi

LISTS OF FIGURES


1.5. Scope of the study

2

1.6. Research methods

3

1.7. Structure of the study

3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

4

2.1. Speaking skill

4

2.1.1 Definition of speaking

4

2.1.2 The importance of speaking

5

2.1.2. Problems with speaking activity


2.4. Assessing speaking skill

14
iii


2.4.1. Oral tests

14

2.4.2. Speaking proficiency testing criteria

14

2.5. Motivation

19

2.5.1. Definitions

19

2.5.2. Types of motivation in language learning

20

2.5.3. Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning

21


30

3.3.3. Step 3: Implementing the action

31

3.3.4. Step 4: Observation

31

3.3.5. Step 5: Reflection

31

3.4. Data collection instruments

32

3.4.1. Survey questionnaires

32

3.4.2. Class observation

33

3.4.3. Oral tests

33


38

4.1.4. Students' preferences for types of discussion activities

38

4.2. Survey questionnaire 2: Student’s attitude toward discussion

40

activities after implementation the action
4.2.1. Level of interest in learning speaking lessons

40

4.2.2. Students' attitude in speaking lessons

41

4.3. Class Observation Findings

42

4.4. Students' speaking proficiency

45

4.4.1. Results of Pre-test

45


57

5.2 Concluding Remarks

58

5.3. Implication

58

5.4. Limitations

59

5.5. Suggestions for Further Studies

60

REFERENCES

61

Appendix 1: Survey questionnaires

I

Appendix 2: Class observation sheet

IX

activities in speaking lessons, oral tests were also used as a data collection
technique.
The results of the study show that discussion activities helped increase most
of the students’ motivation in speaking lessons. In addition, the findings of the
study also reveal that after using discussion activities in speaking lessons, some
of the students could improve their scores in the post-test. Although there was
not too much change, it was proved that discussion activities played a certain
role in improving the students' speaking proficiency.

vi


LISTS OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1. Kemmis and McTaggart's action research spiral

28

Figure 4.1. Students' levels of interest in English speaking lessons

38

and discussion activities
Figure 4.2. Students' difficulties in learning speaking English

40

Figure 4.3. Students' preferences for types of discussion activities

41


19

Table 3.1. The schedule of the action implementation

32

Table 4.1. Students’ speaking opportunities during speaking lessons

39

Table 4.2. Students' level of interest in learning speaking lessons

42

Table 4.3. Students' feelings in speaking lessons

43

Table 4.5 Overall class motivation scores for all students

45

Table 4.6. Results of Pre-test

48

Table 4.6.a. General Results of Pre-test

48



LISTS OF ABBREVIATION USED IN THE THESIS

EFL: English as a Foreign Language
DNTU: Dong Nai Technology University

ix


CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
It is clear that speaking is one of the most important skills among
other foreign language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Even
when learners are good at vocabulary, grammar or listening they still cannot
speak well. With the mission “to become an applied university, to train quality
human resources in order to meet the needs of socio-economic development
and international integration” (from www.dntu.edu.vn), English is one of
priority subjects at Dong Nai Technology University.
As a teacher at Dong Nai Technology University, I found that speaking is
so hard for non-native English Foreign Language students. The teacher also
noticed that they did not know how speak English well and they were
embarrassed to practice. And they are always afraid of making mistakes in
speaking English and keep silence during the lessons. So, how to stimulate
them to be active in the speaking classes is a difficult question to answer. To
find the answer to this question, it is necessary to investigate what motivates
and de-motivates students in English learning in general and in speaking in
particular.
For the mentioned reasons, I would like to conduct a study on “Using
Discussion Activities to Improve the EFL Students’ Speaking Skills At Dong
Nai Technology University (DNTU)”. The study is to investigate what

do research on random samples of 25 students at DNTU in Dong Nai with
two types of discussion activities: comparing and ideals from the central
theme. The students are non-English majored students. The study is
conducted in the second semester of academic year 2018- 2019 with 2 months.
The study focuses on examining the effectiveness of using discussion
activities in increasing motivation in learning speaking skill and exploring
how much discussion activities can increase speaking proficiency of the
students.

2


1.6. Research Methods
In order to achieve the aims, action research procedures are used in the
study. The data will be collected via survey questionnaires, class observations,
and oral tests.
1.7. Structure of the Study
In addition to the references and appendices, the thesis is composed of
five chapters:
Chapter one:

Introduction - presents the rationale, the aims, the

significance, the scope, and the organization of the study.
Chapter two: Literature Review - provides a theoretical basis for the study,
and the review previous researches on using discussion activities to promote
students’ motivation in learning speaking.
Chapter three Methodology - includes the methods and procedures used in the
study, which consist of survey questionnaires, classroom observation and tests.
Chapter four: Findings and Discussions - deal with the findings drawn out

curriculum, engage learners in communication and require the use of such
communicative processes as information sharing, negotiation of meaning, and
interaction”. (Richard and Rodgers, 1986: 165).
To summarize, different researchers have different definitions of the word
“speaking”, however, they all agree with one very important feature of

4


speaking. Speaking is one of the most important skills of all the four language
skills because individuals who learn a language are referred to as the speakers
of that language (Ur, 1996).
2.1.2 The Importance of Speaking
Among the four skills in English (speaking, listening, writing, and
reading), speaking skill is one of four skills in English (speaking, listening,
writing, and reading) which plays an important part in helping learners learn a
language effectively. Flohr and Paesler (2006) points out that speaking skill is
the most important one in learning a foreign language. Flohr and Paesler
(2006) also emphasize that "the focus in learning a foreign language is on
communication activities and expressive abilities and the goal is to become a
fluent speaker."
Pattison (1992) confirms that when people know or learn a language,
they mean being able to speak the language. More than this, speaking is
regarded as the first step to confirm who knows or does not know a language.
Ur (1996) shows that people who knows a language are referred to as
“speaker” of that language as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing.
According to Brown, G and Yule, G (1992) point out that speaking plays
an ever important role in a very transactional intention, that is, to make clear
what they want to say.
To many language learners “mastering the art of speaking is the single

speech attracts.
Nothing to say
When learners do not have anything to say due to the lack of knowledge
and low language proficiency or no motive to express themselves beyond the
guilty feeling. Even if they are not inhibited, you often hear learners complain
that they cannot think of anything to say. They have no motive to express
themselves beyond the guilty feeling that they should be speaking.
Low or uneven participation
When only a few participants dominate discussion at a time in a large

6


group meanwhile others speak little or not at all. In some cases, some students
have not any chance, intentionally or unintentionally, to speak for a long time.
Only one participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be heard. In a large
group this means that each one will have only very little talking time. This
problem is compounded by the tendency of some learners to dominate while
others speak very little or not at all.
Mother tongue use
Learners often share the same mother tongue and abuse it in second
language learning class because they feel the native language is easier to use
and it is not natural to speak to other in a foreign language. In classes where
all, or a number of, the learners share the same mother tongue, they may tend
to use it because it is easier. In addition, they feel unnatural to speak to one
another in a foreign language and they feel less ‘exposed’ if they are speaking
their mother tongue. If they are talking in small groups it can be quite difficult
to get some classes, particularly the less disciplined or motivated ones, to
keep to the target language.
In conclusion, speaking is considered as one of the most challenging skills

motivation is one of the most important variables in successful language
learning. Teachers can do a lot to increase and maintain the motivation of
students by the types of tasks that they organize in class. Students are eager to
speak, when the topic is interesting or there is a clear objective that must be
reached. Again, great care should be taken to make sure the task is in line with
the students' ability to deal with the task. If the task is too easy, the students
may think it is childish and thus lose interest.
Language is of an acceptable level. Learners express themselves in
utterances that are relevant, easily comprehensible to each other and of an
acceptable level of language accuracy. In a successful speaking task, the
language is at the right level. The task must be designed so that students can
complete the task successfully with language that they have. If the students
lack too much vocabulary, the task will become frustrating and the students

8


are likely to give up or revert to the native language.
In practice, however, few classroom activities succeed in satisfying all the
criteria mentioned above. Therefore, language teachers should make great
efforts to employ a variety of effective techniques to create some of the
mentioned-above criteria. The two discussion activities applied in this study comparing and layout problems, can help increase students' participation in
speaking tasks, and language used in these activities is of an acceptable level
because it is based on what they have learned in the lessons
2.3. Discussion
2.3.1 Definition of Discussion
According to Byrne D. (1980) defines discussion as “any exchange of
ideas and opinions either on a class basic, with the teacher as mediator, or
within the context of the group, with the students talking among themselves”.
Gulley (1960, p. 4) states that discussion occurs when a group with group


focusing on task-centred discussions Ur (1981, p. 25) suggests that the
activities should be divided into three sections - brainstorming, organizing,
and compound.
2.3.2.1. Brainstorming Activities
Brainstorming is the techniques whereby members of the group let loose a
hail of possible solutions or suggestions, in random order as they occur to
them. There are some common activities as the following ones:
● Guessing Games
Guessing is one of the simplest and most well-known brainstorming
activities that exist, and is very easily transformed into a group discussion
game. There are always two sides, called here the 'knower(s)' and the
'guesser(s)'. The guessing game lends itself to use by classes whose English is
comparatively limited, since it is based on the simplest types of utterances:
simple questions or statements, brief phrases, single words.
● Finding connections
The thinking basis here is the search for common denominators or links
between different items. Unlike guessing games, these activities are
unsuitable for the very earliest stages language learning; they can be used
only with students who have a wide enough vocabulary to cope with the very
extensive imaginative invention required, and who have a reasonable mastery
of the tense system.
● Ideas from a central theme
This in a way is the converse of the process of finding connections.
Instead of the students being given elements and looking for a common base,
the base is given and related elements sought. The language needed may be
very simple, hence some variations of this exercise are suitable for elementary
levels.

10


for

younger

or

more

11

elementary

classes

while

the


sentence-sequence for older or more advanced ones.
● Priorities
A specific application of the concept of ordering is that of defining
priorities. The language used consists mostly of comparisons, and lower-level
classes may benefit from a little practice in comparative and superlative
constructions beforehand.
● Choosing candidates
This is another exercise which requires assessment and comparison, but
here participants are asked to choose only one item for a certain purpose.
Many different language functions may be needed and the number of different

a subject and thinking a little how she would tackle it, the teacher has
virtually nothing to prepare for this activity. Nor are there any particular
structures or lexical items which need revising with the students.
● Surveys
Most students are familiar with opinion polls or surveys, so they are easily
adapted for use in this type of discussion. In order for this to be done in the
classroom, the sources of information or the population samples to be taken
are limited to the actual members of the class.
● Planning projects
Some discussion activities are often used in speaking class at DNTU.
They are guessing games, layout problems, debate or detecting differences.
The two discussion activities used in this study are comparing and ideals from
the central theme. The students were supposed to work in small groups and
then discuss with the whole class. The first activity is comparing which may
have some disadvantages including the relative lack of participation.
Therefore, to increase students' involvement in the activities, the researcher teacher divided that her class into at least 6 groups. This activity is suitable
for the students whose low level at English. Moreover, holding the character
of the students the researcher chose the activities because the students can

13


prepare at the class only.
2.4. Assessing Speaking Skill
2.4.1. Oral Tests
Sárosdy (2006, p.146) states that "testing speaking ability is an important
aspect of language testing, but it is very difficult to test, as it is a complex
skill, moreover speaking skills cannot be separated from the listening skills in
many tests of oral production. This interdependence of the speaking and
listening skills makes it difficult to analyze precisely and reliably what is