vietnam national university, hanoi university of languages AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY of post-graduate studies ---------- HOÀNG THỊ THU HOÀI Using language games to motivate the first year students in speaking classes at Thai Nguyen Medical College (Sử dụng trò chơi ngôn ngữ để khích lệ sinh viên năm thứ nhất Trường Cao Đẳng Y Tế Thái Nguyên trong các giờ học nói) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 HANOI, 2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ………………………………………. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ……………………………………………. iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS …………………………………….… v TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………. vi PART A: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………….
Rationale for the study …………………………………………………. Aims of the study ……………………………………………………. Scope of the study ……………………………………………………. Organization of the study ………………………………………….…… 3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT ……………………………………………… 4 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………….
A brief description of speaking ……………………………………… 4 1. What is speaking skill? ………………………………………. Characteristics of a successful speaking activity ………………. Problems with speaking activities ……………………………….
Principles in teaching speaking according to CLT approach …… 7 1. A brief description of language games ……………………………… 8 1. What are language games? …………………………………. Features of a quality game ……………………………….
Types of language games ………………………………. Some opinions on using games in teaching and learning process 12 1. Language games as a motivator for students to speak ………. Summary ……………………………………………………………… 15 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY ……………………………………………… 16 2.
The context of the study ……………………………………………… 16 2. An overview of the research site. The course book ………………………………………………. Description of the students at TMC.
Description of the teachers at TMC ……………………………. Data collection instrument …………. Data collection procedures…. Presentation of statistical results …………………………………….
Pre-task survey questionnaire ………………………………………. Presentation of the data ………………………………………. Post-task questionnaire ………………………………………. Presentation of the data ……………………………………….
Summary ……………………………………………………………… 29 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS ………………………………………………. Achievements from the questionnaire ………………………………… 30 3. Challenges in applying language games in teaching and learning……. Sub-conclusion ………………………………………………………… 33 CHAPTER 4: SUGGESTIONS ON USING LANGUAGE GAMES TO 34 MOTIVATE STUDENTS IN SPEAKING CLASSES ………………….
Which games to use? …………………………………………………. When to use a game? ……………………………………………. How to run a game? ………………………………………………. 35 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Limitations and recommendations for further study …………………….… I Appendix 1: PRE - TASK SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ………………. I Appendix 2: POST - TASK SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ………………. V Appendix 3: GAMES APPLIED IN SPEAKING LESSONS ………………. IX vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com List of abbreviations CLT: Communicative Language Teaching.
EFL: English as a foreign language TMC: Thai Nguyen Medical College 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com List of tables AND CHARTS Table 1: Data collected from pre-task survey questionnaire. Chart 1; 2: Students‟ attitudes towards English learning Chart 3; 4: Students‟ attitudes and perspectives towards speaking lessons Chart 5: Students‟ opinions on the speaking topics in the course book Chart 6: Students‟ participation in speaking lessons Chart 7: Students‟ reasons for unwillingness to speak Chart 8: Students‟ preferences of teacher‟s techniques in speaking classes Table 2: Data collected from post- task survey questionnaire Chart 9: Students‟ attitudes towards language games applied by the teacher Chart 10: Students‟ participation in language games Chart 11: Students‟ participation in speaking lessons Chart 12: Benefits of using language games in speaking lessons Chart 13: Students‟ preferences for teachers‟ activities for the use of language games in speaking classes. Chart 14: The frequency of applying language games 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale for the study In the globalization age today, English is considered as the most important mean of international communication.
Therefore, promoting oral skills in order to respond to the students‟ needs for effective communication is one of the important strategies of teaching and learning English in recent years. Among the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) of English learning, speaking is considered the most important skill for the purpose of communication. It is believed that speaking plays a vital role since it is the step to identify who knows or does not know a language. Pattison (1992) confirms that when people know or learn a language, they mean being able to speak the language.
Similarly, Ur, (1996) shows that people who know a language are referred to as “speakers” of that language as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing. However, teaching and learning speaking today does not meet the study objectives. English teaching now in general and teaching speaking in particular is still far from satisfactory. Although teachers have made great efforts to provide students with chances to improve their speaking skills, how to teach and learn speaking effectively is still a challenging question to both teachers and students at many colleges and universities.
At Thai Nguyen Medical College (TMC), all students are non- English majors who specialize in many different fields such as Nursing, Pharmacy, Midwifery, etc. Most students find speaking especially important yet most challenging one. For most of them, it is difficult to speak English naturally. As a result, in speaking lessons, they often feel bored and frightened.
How to motivate and encourage students to speak is really necessary, and is a big question to almost teachers. Also, teaching techniques exploited during a speaking activity, for example, role plays, simulations, discussions, etc. do not bring much effectiveness. Thus, it is necessary to find an effective technique used in teaching speaking.
Moreover, in language teaching, language games have proved themselves as an important factor which can 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com create more chances and interest 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. 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. 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 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 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.
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 including pre-task survey questionnaire and post task survey questionnaire is for 90 first year students non - English majors from two classes of Thai Nguyen Medical College, both specialize in Nursing. All comments, remarks and recommendations given in the study are based on the data analysis.
Organization of the study This minor thesis is composed of three parts as follow: Part A -INTRODUCTION. In this part, the rationale, the aims, research questions, as well as scope of the study, methods of the study and also its design are presented. This part includes 4 chapters. Chapter 1 deals with some theoretical background that is relevant to the purpose of the study: speaking skill and language games.
Chapter 2 investigates the situation of teaching and learning speaking and the feasibility of using language games in teaching speaking to the first year students non- English majors through the analysis of collected data. Chapter 3 consists of some findings concluded from the data analysis. Chapter 4 provides some suggestions on using language games as well as some sample language games exploited during all stages of speaking lessons. In this part, the summary of the study, limitations of the study and suggestions for further study are mentioned REFERENCES and APPENDICES are presented in the last pages of the study.
5 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter provides the essential review of the related literature and studies which are meaningful in carrying out this study. In this chapter, the author discussed issues and aspects concerning to the topic of the study. The concepts and ideas relating to speaking skills have been discussed. Moreover, the most important thing mentioned in this study is an overview of language games which has also been introduced basing on some typical definitions by some different researchers and educators.
A brief description of speaking 1. What is speaking skill? According to Nunan (1991: 39) “speaking is the single most important aspect of learning a second language or foreign language, and success is measured in term of ability to carry out a conversation in the language”. It can be inferred from Nunan‟s viewpoint that speaking is a very important skill among the four basic ones. The term „speaking” catches much attention of linguistics.
Therefore, many definitions have been offered to this term so far. Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving information (Brown, 1994b). Chaney and Burk (1998: 13) also argue that “speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts”. Referring to speaking or communication in language teaching and learning, Brown (1994b) affirms that interaction is the heart of communication; it is what communication is all about.
Bygate (1997: 115) emphasizes that “interaction is the use of language for maintaining communication between participants” and “interaction skills are the skills of deciding what to say, when to say it and how to say it clearly”. Therefore, in speaking process, learners are required to know not only how to produce specific points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary (linguistic competence), but also when, why and in what ways language is produced ( sociolinguistic competence). 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Nguyen and Nguyen (2001) state the two main aspects of speaking skill including “accuracy” and “fluency”. It is said that accuracy involves the correct use of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Whereas, fluency is described as “the ability to keep going when speaking spontaneously”. In order to get the message across language learners need to make use of whatever knowledge, resources and abilities they‟ve got, regardless of grammatical and other mistakes. They also need to employ different strategies such as the use of natural-sounding “incomplete” sentences “I went out last night. Did you? With whom?”; the use of common expressions like “Never mind/I see”; the use of fillers and hesitation devices “Well, let me see”; the use of communication strategies such as for clarifications such as “Pardon?” “What do you mean?