An analysis of advantages and disadvantages of learning speaking online through role play activities among english majored sophomores at faculty of foreign languages of industrial universit

INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ------ GRADUATION THESIS AN ANALYSIS OF ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LEARNING SPEAKING ONLINE THROUGH ROLE

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INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

- -

GRADUATION THESIS

AN ANALYSIS OF ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LEARNING SPEAKING ONLINE THROUGH ROLE PLAY ACTIVITIES AMONG ENGLISH-MAJORED SOPHOMORES AT FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES OF INDUSTRIAL

UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

STUDENT NAME: VO THI THAO DUYEN

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INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

- -

GRADUATIONTHESIS

STUDENT NAME: VO THI THAO DUYEN

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Student’s declaration: I declare that this graduation report is entirely my own work

and does not involve in plagiarism or collusion It also has not been accepted as part

of a submission to another purpose elsewhere I accept heavy penalty for any cheating or plagiarism

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When COVID-19 pandemic has expanded all over the world, online learning is being applied in Faculty of Foreign Languages at IUH Consequently, role play activities in learning speaking skills are also being organized online It is essential to determine some aspects regarding this kind of activities This analysis aimed at finding out advantages and disadvantages of learning speaking online through role play activities Quantitative is the chosen methodology and questionnaire was given to 200 English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH The results showed that role play activities have many benefits which includes helping students improve their speaking skills as well as their attitude toward learning speaking online Nevertheless, English-majored students at FFL-IUH faced some problems when learning speaking online with role play The findings indicated that students’ difficulties can be divided into internal and external drawbacks Internal shortcomings refer to learners’ knowledge and concentration on online speaking classes while external drawbacks relate to problems with online tools After the study, learners are given some advice to overcome the disadvantages Besides, recommendations are also mentioned for lecturers at FFL-IUH to apply role play activities in teaching speaking skills more efficient

Keywords: advantages and disadvantages, online speaking, role play activities

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As a senior at Faculty of Foreign Languages at Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh city, I was given the opportunity to work on a thesis and have a lot of experience writing academic papers I received a lot of support and coaching to assist me overcome any obstacles and finish this

difficult but meaningful time

First of all, I would like to thank the School Board of Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City and the Faculty of Foreign Languages for providing me with several possibilities to complete my thesis in the best possible way

Secondly, I want to show my gratitude to Ms Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan, M.A., my thesis advisor, for providing me with helpful counsel and assistance throughout the thesis process, as well as several fascinating suggestions and error fixes for my graduation thesis This dissertation would not have been feasible without her advice and unwavering support

In addition, I would like to convey my appreciation to English-majored sophomores of the Faculty

of Foreign Languages at Industrial University Ho Chi Minh City Those who took the time to complete my questionnaires Without their help, I would not have been able to finish the surveys Next, I want to thank my group members, Hoang Kieu Diem, Phan Thi Nhu Phuong and Vo Thi Kim Le who have always been friendly, supportive, and quick to assist me

Finally, I must appreciate a number of authors who have published a variety of relevant materials

so that I may now read their works, which have supplied me with a lot of information

In conclusion, I truly want to express my deepest thanks to all people who assisted and encouraged

me to complete my graduation thesis

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Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan, M.A.

Table of contents

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 2

1.2 Research objectives 2

1.3 Research questions 2

1.4 Scope of the study 3

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Definitions of key terms 5

2.1.1 Definition of speaking skills 5

2.1.2 Definition of online learning 7

2.1.3 Definition of role play activities 7

2.2 Results of previous studies 8

2.2.1 Advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online 8

2.2.2 Disadvantages of role play technique in learning speaking online 11

2.3 Summary of previous studies 13

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN 15

3.1 Research site 16

3.2 Participants/Objects 16

3.3 Research methodology and research methods 16

3.3.1 Research methodology 16

3.3.2 Research methods 17

3.4 Procedures 17

3.5 Data analysis 17

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 19

4.1 Findings 20

4.1.1 The general information of English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH 20

4.1.2 The advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online among English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH 24

4.1.3 The disadvantages of role play activities in learning speaking online among English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH 28

4.1.4 Second-year English-majored students’ further perspective about role play activities in learning speaking online at FFL-IUH 32

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4.2 Discussion 34

4.2.1 The general information about English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH 34

4.2.2 The advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online among English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH 34

4.2.3 The disadvantages of learning speaking online through role play activities toward English-majored at FFL-IUH 35

4.2.4 Students’ further perspective regarding role play activities in learning speaking online at FFL-IUH 36

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 37

5.1 Conclusion 38

5.2 Suggestions 38

5.2.1 Suggestions for English-majored students at FFL-IUH 38

5.2.2 Suggestions for lecturers at FFL-IUH 39

5.3.3 Suggestion for FFL’s Executive Board 39

5.3 Limitations of the study 39

5.4 Further study 39

REFERENCES: 41

APENDICES 43

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Table of figures

Figure

Figure 2.1 Components of speaking skills 6

Table

Table 4.1: Number of speaking online periods that 2nd-year English-majored students have

learned per week……….20 Table 4.2: Second-year English-majored students’ interesting topic when learning speaking online through role play activities at FFL-IUH……… 24

Chart

Chart 4.1: The figures of English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH who have learned speaking online 20 Chart 4.2 The figures of apps that English-majored students have used to learn speaking online at FFL-IUH 21 Chart 4.3 The figures of the frequency of practicing speaking skills through role play activities among English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH in online classes 22 Chart 4.4 The figures of English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH who like learning speaking online through role play activities 22 Chart 4.5 Type of role play activities that have usually been applied in learning speaking skills among English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH 23 Chart 4.6 Students’ opinion regarding joining in role play activities can improve speaking ability when learning online at FFL-IUH 25 Chart 4.7 Students’ opinions about advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online

at FFL-IUH 26 Chart 4.8 The figures of frequency of students’ problems when learning speaking online through role play activities at FFL-IUH 28 Chart 4.9 English-majored sophomores’ opinion about disadvantages of role play activities in learning speaking online at FFL-IUH 30 Chart 4.10 Students’ attitude after learning speaking online through role play activities 32 Chart 4.11 Students’ favorite type of role play activities 33

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Chart 4.12 Students’ ideas about the way of participating in role play activities in online

speaking class at FFL-IUH 33

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Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan, M.A 1

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

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1.1 Rationale

Speaking is one of the most crucial skills in learning a new language, especially regarding an international language – English Learners are usually evaluated their language proficiency through this skill because it is a simple and effective way Speaking skills should not be confined to textbook situations, it is important to create real situations for students For that reason, role play,

a technique that requires learners to put themselves in roles and use their language ability to communication, is considered one of the most effective ways to both teaching and learning speaking Certainly, the benefits of this method have already been pointed out in some research Currently, due to the worldwide disease COVID-19, which has resulted in social isolation, online learning has become popular in universities They are applied in a variety of ways to assist students

in their learning process, in addition to traditional schooling Learning speaking skills online has become a challenge; therefore, techniques used in learning speaking skills have changed in order

to be more effective Regarding role play activities, online interaction has replaced face-to-face when these activities has been organized Some new aspects are appearing in both advantage and disadvantage Nevertheless, applying role play activities in learning speaking online is fairly new, few studies have focused on this issue From the above reality, it is necessary to conduct an analysis

of the benefits and shortcomings of role play in learning speaking online

1.2 Research objectives

The purpose of this study is to analyze the benefits and shortcomings in learning speaking online through role play activities that FFL English-majored sophomores have faced Through examining the advantages of role play activities, it is reasonable to conclude that this technique is firmly effective Furthermore, thanks to pointing out the disadvantages that students face when studying speaking online, some suggestions will come up with to overcome the problems; consequently, it

is more and more efficient to apply role play in learning speaking online

1.3 Research questions

The following questions will be answered through the study:

1 What are advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online reported by FFL majored sophomores at IUH?

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English-Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan, M.A 3

2 What disadvantages do FFL English-majored sophomores of IUH face in learning speaking online through role play activities?

1.4 Scope of the study

This study is carried out to describe and examine advantages as well as disadvantages in learning speaking online through role play activities among English-majored sophomores at Faculty of Foreign Language at Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh city Students at FFL-IUH have always facilitated learning in the most dynamic and effective environment In this COVID-19 time, English-majored sophomores at FFL have turned into online learning Moreover, speaking skill is one of their subjects this semester, and role play will be applied in learning this skill For that reason, the study focuses on English-majored sophomores at FFL, their opinions about the benefits and drawbacks of learning speaking online through role play activities will be collected and analyzed

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CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

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2.1 Definitions of key terms

2.1.1 Definition of speaking skills

Communication is the biggest goal when learning a new language and speaking plays an important role in achieving this goal According to Rao (2019), “Speaking skill is the most important skill to acquire foreign or second language learning” (p.8) In acquiring a foreign or second language, speaking is considered the most important of the four primary language competencies

There are many definitions of speaking skills McDonough, Shaw & Misuhara (2013) said that speaking is not the vocal creation of written language; rather, it entails learners mastering a variety

of sub-skills that, when combined, provide an overall proficiency in the spoken language It means that speaking seems to be an integrated skill, it combines the ability to listen and understand the message of the conversation to respond In addition, Harmer (2001, p.269) states that speaking is

“The ability to speak fluently and presupposes not only knowledge of language features, but also the ability to process information and language ‘on the spot’” The author emphasized that speaking requires learners not only the ability to speak smoothly in ‘text-book’ situations, but also in real conversation

In conclusion, speaking skills are described as the skills which allow us to communicate successfully They enable us to convey information verbally and in a way that is understandable to the listeners

Components of speaking skills

One of the most crucial English abilities is the ability to speak As a result, all university students must improve their ability to master speaking skills Each learner must grasp the qualities of speaking performance to develop English Speaking skills effectively Harris (1969) stated that there are five main components of speaking skills: fluency, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and comprehension

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Figure 2.1 Components of speaking skills

According to Hughes (2002, as cited in Leong & Ahmadi, 2017), fluency refers to a learner's

capacity to talk in an intelligible manner to avoid communication interruption because listeners

may lose enjoyment The second one – grammar, which refers to the variety and proper usage of

the learners' grammatical structure, which includes the length and complexity of the utterances as well as the capacity to employ subordinating clauses, is referred to as grammatical correctness In

terms of vocabulary, accuracy relates to the proper selection of words when speaking To truly

learn new English terms, students must first comprehend them and then be able to apply them

appropriately while speaking or writing Regarding pronunciation, the English language has long

been a widely spoken language around the world, yet it is also regarded as a difficult language to pronounce due to its complexity It is difficult to other individuals to understand what you are saying if your English pronunciation is not clear enough Pronunciation errors might lead to serious

misunderstandings Finally, comprehension is just as crucial as the four other aspects of speaking

skills Harris (1969) said that “For oral communication, it certainly requires a subject to respond to speech as well as to initiate it” (p.82) It means that learner must got comprehension in language to

Fluency

Pronunciation

VocabularyComprehension

Grammar

Components of speaking skills

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start as well as reply any conversation Once learners have achieved understanding of a language, they would use it effortlessly

2.1.2 Definition of online learning

Online learning is now a feature of many schools’ course offerings throughout the world, thanks to fast technological advancements This phrase has been seemed to be recognizable by people all over the world now A few experts came up with their definition of ‘online learning’ As Bates (2016, p.2), it is “A form of distance education in which a course or program is intentionally

designed in advance to be delivered fully online” He added that faculty use pedagogical techniques

that are specific to learning in a virtual context for instruction, student interaction, and evaluation

Meanwhile, Mathes (2020) defined in his blog post that “Online learning uses the internet as a

delivery modality to offer thoughtfully designed, quality, student-focused learning experiences, built on proven best practices that create effective interactions between learners, peers, instructors, and content” Online learning, in general, has been distinguished from traditional learning by distance In traditional classes, both students and the teacher have been required to work in class, face-to-face interaction is the main point; in online learning, however, the teacher and learners can

be in different places, at different time Technology devices play a crucial role in connecting them

In conclusion, from the two definitions above, online learning can be defined as a learning methodology in which teacher and learners or among learners have the distance, they will use technology devices to connect each other and learning together

2.1.3 Definition of role play activities

Role play technique has been familiar in learning English, especially speaking skills Several authors have mentioned and determined the definition of role play According to Scrivener (2005:

155, as cited in Kuśnierek, 2015) made the term role play obviously through explaining that “in role-play, learners are usually given some information about a ‘role’ (e.g., a person or a job title)” (p.81) The author of these words pointed out that learners have time to prepare and discuss with the partners, using their own ideas to ‘play the role’ that they are assigned On the other hand, Ladousse (1987, p.6) said that “Role play puts students in situations in which they are required to use and develop those phatic forms of language which are so necessary in oiling the works of social relationships” In summary, from these definitions above, role play can be simply defined as an

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effective technique in which learners ‘play a role’ of a certain character, they can use their ideas to create own sentences for the situations The situations chosen in the activities belong to a wide range of fields, such as economy, science, health, education and so on They could be chosen, depending on the aims of the lesson, the teacher makes sure that the situations they chose serve this point

Types of role play activities

According to Krebt (2017), fully scripted role play, semi-scripted role play, and non-scripted role play are three main types of role play activities In fully scripted role play, the sentences are given, and students must understand and memorize their role The author added that this type involves discussing the model conversation in the recommended textbook to make each item of the language intelligible and easy to remember (Krebt, 2017) In terms of semi-scripted role play, the model conversation will be given to students with some missing words, they must brainstorm and fill in the blanks to complete the assignment Lastly, non-scripted role play is the most interesting one, all the things that students are provided are keywords or topics “Identifying such type of role play

as non-scripted role play, and they argue that non-scripted role play provides a great chance to employ the information of techniques in a certain situation” (Krebt, 2017, p.866) The creativity of learners will be pushed up in this type

2.2 Results of previous studies

2.2.1 Advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online

2.2.1.1 How role play activities have been applied in learning speaking online

It might be considered that how role play can be accomplished in learning speaking without to-face interaction In fact, role play can be brought to life with interactive videos The way to organize role play activities in online learning is not tough thanks to technology devices The process of discussion and preparation has been conducted online via several platforms such as Facebook, Zoom meeting, MS Team, Google meet and so on Learners can perform ‘live’ in class

face-or recface-ord videos

Online Role play examples:

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Example 1: The teacher gives students the topic or situation about “Communication in a

restaurant” Students choose a partner and decide that who will be a customer and the other will be

a waiter/waitress They will take time to discuss and take note the sentences After that, students will practice the conversation a few times before the next class comes Then, in class, they give their performance directly or the teacher will show the product video which was recorded before The whole class will observe the conversation and come up with their comments

Example 2: In speaking class, the topic is “Communication in a hotel” The teacher randomly

chooses some students and gives them the roles Student A will play the role of a hotel receptionist, student B and C will be guests They will be given 5 minutes to prepare After that, they will perform The whole process of role play activities in this situation will be conducted in class

Students do not know the topic before

Role play activities have been simply organized follow those ways In comparison with traditional role play, the progress will not be extremely different except for one feature: online interaction

2.2.1.2 The convenience of learning speaking online

When the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread all over the world, online learning has gradually altered face-to-face learning because of its excellent features In learning English speaking skills, this kind of studying method plays an essential role because these skills have required interaction

a lot Noticing this point, several experts have conducted investigations into the benefits of learning speaking online

Peterson (2021) investigated speaking ability progress of language learners in both online and to-face courses By the way observing the progress learning speaking Japanese of 99 volunteers and analyzing the results, the study found that “although participants in the online course had far less communication with their instructor and engaged with the course content using a completely virtual format, their speaking ability progress was comparable to that of their traditional F2F L2 classroom counterparts” (p.45) Learning speaking online is a slightly new method, however, it was positively perceived by students and improved their speaking skills effectively It means that this kind of learning method has brought a few advantages Meanwhile, Rodrigues & Vethamani (2015) have conducted a study, in which most participants who have been interviewed said that learning speaking online brought convenience and comfort Less noise and distraction were

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face-Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan, M.A 10

mentioned in helping learners focus on their lesson Brenda (2020) also mentioned in her blog that online learning created the most comfortable environment for learners: they can learn at home and choose the best position Moreover, in e-learning, learners can use several resources at the same time For example, when the students get the topic, they can search for vocabulary or structures to talk; as a result, they became more confident, feel free to talk and enhance their speaking skills

2.2.1.3 The benefits of role play activities in practicing English speaking skills

Role play is an effective technique in practicing English speaking skills, for that reason, several researchers have conducted studies into the benefits of using role play in performing speaking First of all, Kumaran (2017) states that because the major goal of role-play is to enable students to communicate, it gives a lot of benefits to students in terms of enhancing their English language skills After conducting an observation in using role play activities, the author summarized that role play does encourage learners to speaking English and this kind of technique has been appreciated by respondents They felt that they can practice speaking in English among their peers freely in role-play activities Meanwhile, Kuśnierek (2015) states that thanks to role-playing learners have the possibility to develop the language which is necessary in social relationships The author emphasizes the importance of role play through implementing an observation that role-play seems to be an efficient speaking exercise and teachers should not forget to implement such an exercise from time to time Furthermore, the students also claimed that they had overcome their fear of speaking they had quite much time devoted only to speaking in the target language

In general, the benefits of role play activities in practicing English speaking skills have been pointed out obviously Students have opportunities to create in real situations, besides, they have chances to thinking in English and reflex Role play gives students a big motivation because this technique is learner-centered, no longer listening to teacher, students decide what they will say, how they say As a result, the achievement followed

2.2.1.4 Advantages of role play in learning speaking online

During COVID-19 pandemic, online learning became more and more popular Role play activities

in learning speaking have also changed from face-to-face to online learning Wulandewi, Kursin

& Hamkin (2021) have conducted their study into role play activities in online learning After some interviews and surveys toward students, they have found that role play activities assist students in

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learning the content and extending their speaking abilities Particularly, they described that thanks

to immerse in the role, students can easily acknowledge the material In addition, learners’ technology skills have been improved significantly In the process of joining role play activities online, they have a great chance to practice those skills Moreover, they said that “the uses of role play method succeed in increasing students’ motivation in English conversation” (p.205) Students eager to play a role and interact with others With different roles, each student will have a different point of view, they feel excited in expressing ideas and discussing with others about the roles Besides, their nervousness and fear seem to be reduced because they just talk to a camera, or they can record before the class instead of live performance compared to face-to-face classes

2.2.2 Disadvantages of role play technique in learning speaking online

2.2.2.1 Shortcomings that students faced when learning speaking online

Online learning has brought many benefits Nevertheless, students still have faced some drawbacks Regarding learning speaking skills, some researchers’ analyses have been carried out

to find out the shortcomings for learners when applying the online study method

A study by Fitriani, Bangdung & Kadri (2020) has pointed out that learning speaking online did not help students improve their oral skills Throughout employing mixed method: quantitative and qualitative; to collect data from participants, the researchers determined students’ perspectives of learning speaking online They realized that

Some of the problems come from the internet connection, available devices, students’ data, and some of them also want to share their idea in the class directly (face-to-face situation) In another hand, the students are more comfortable to study in offline classes rather than online classes It is because the learning environment more interesting (p.9)

The reason for such drawback can be divided into two main types: objective and subjective The internet, devices or students’ data belong to subjective reasons It seemed that students’ situations decided the most, it is challenging for some students to have internet and good devices, especially those who live in underprivileged areas On the other hand, objective reasons included students’ feelings and motivation Some of them desire to express opinions straightly with friends and the teacher Besides, learners said that the offline environment is more interesting than online It has

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shown that online learning has not been considered as a motivation for learners Moreover, in a case study into barriers and benefits of online speaking practice, AlOkaily (2021) has defined two challenges that students faced: technical and motivational challenges The study has shown that students are not as tech-savvy as we might think they are, most of the participants have technical problems However, it is not a tough issue, they have been helped to solve easily Regarding motivational shortcomings, the author has pointed out that students do not feel compelled to complete all the tasks assigned to them right away As a result, learners pick and choose what suits them best, which is usually not very much In fact, this is truly a problem when learning online in general, students tend to delay their assignments, or it is said that they lack motivation Students supposed that they have given more encouragement when face-to-face with their teacher and friends

2.2.2.2 Difficulties of practicing speaking skills through role play activities

According to Harbour & Connick (2005),

Role play is often used as a way of making sense of the theory, of gathering together concepts into

a practical experience And yet, it often goes wrong Why? Because like so many things which are simple on the concept, it can become awfully complicated If used badly in a training environment the role play tool can be ineffective and sometimes even damaging

It means that despite of advantages, role play has some difficulties for students and even teachers

if it was organized in an inaccurate way

In the study, Kumaran (2017) pointed out that besides advantages, role play has some shortcomings: time-consuming, teacher lose control over the lesson and lack of purpose The author said that role play activities need a lot of time for preparation, moreover, it takes the amount of class time to organize In addition, one of the main problems when carrying out role play is that teacher lose control over the class Students are given a part and circumstance to perform in role-playing, but often the objective of the role-playing is generally not specified These shortcomings, however, were not common The simple activities will not take too much time or teacher absolutely control the class in role play by giving the students topic and instruction Besides, the purposes are clear if the topic has been chosen appropriately

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Destriani & Hasim (2019) also state that students meet some difficulties in attending role play activities Limited vocabulary, pronunciation and nervousness are troubles In fact, student have faced these problems in speaking skills They want to express their ideas, but they have no word in their brain Furthermore, they have already known which word is suitable but do not know how to pronounce One of the main issues is that related to psychological problems They have vocabulary and the way to pronounce correctly, however, they have no confidence to speak The shortcomings have been mentioned in the study, however, appearing in many speaking activities, not only in role play

2.2.2.3 Disadvantages of role play activities in learning speaking online

Any activities have own challenges when applying in learning speaking online and they have been analyzed in several studies, role play technique is not an exception According to Wulandewi, Kursin & Hamkin (2021), difficulties of role play in learning speaking online can be divided into two terms: internal and external factors Internal factors related to students’ speaking skills and pronunciation errors These disadvantages have been determined as in all activities when learning speaking, not only role play When lacking language proficiency, students will struggle in their learning process On the other hand, external difficulties regarding students’ technology skills, this can be easily understood because in online learning, technology plays an important role, the process

of role play online require that students use some online tools and platforms For that reason, it can

be a barrier for those who do not work with online tools regularly

2.3 Summary of previous studies

Role play is a common technique that has been applied in teaching and learning speaking for a while The advantages and disadvantages of role play have been pointed out obviously through several investigations The benefits of role play are creating real situations that students can practice their language ability; furthermore, these activities have contributed to encourage students show their skills On the other hand, learners have faced some problems when learning speaking online through role play They are external (technological skills) and internal (learners’ fear and motivation) issues Nevertheless, the previous studies have analyzed the benefits and shortcomings

of learning speaking online and role play activities in studying speaking skills, but they have been researched separately Most of the investigations have been conducted in direct classes or face-to-

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face courses Therefore, the advantages and disadvantages of role play in online speaking class have not been explored much

The COVID-19 pandemic has erupted, forcing school systems all around the world to adapt Online learning has gradually replaced traditional learning When linking two terms: online learning and role play activities in English speaking skills, the point here is that when role play has been applied

in learning speaking online, what advantages learners have gained as well as what disadvantages students have faced when learning speaking through role play activities online In Vietnam, it is hard to find research into this topic because online learning is fairly new This analysis will be conducted to find out the benefits and barriers of the combination of role play technique and learning speaking online, especially toward English-majored students

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CHAP III: RESEARCH DESIGN

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3.1 Research site

This analysis has been conducted at Faculty of Foreign languages (FFL) at Industrial University of

Ho Chi Minh city (IUH) FFL was established in 2004; after a long period of operation and continuous development, it has been one of eight faculties of IUH that has received AUN-QA certificate since 2019 During the COVID-19 pandemic, the training of FFL has been significantly affected in the first semester of the academic year 2021-2022 Implementing social distancing has led to online learning which has not been familiar for most of both lecturers and students at FFL There will be some new advantages as well as disadvantages appearing in the learning process For that reason, this study has been taken place at FFL this semester

3.2 Participants/Objects

The chosen participants are English-majored sophomores who are also known as DHAV16 at IUH In the first semester of the second year, English-majored students at FFL have learned a subject named Speaking 2 This is the time when students started to get used to more advanced speaking contexts or structures, not as simple as in Speaking 1 Lecturers teaching Speaking 2 often organize role play as a speaking activity to help students increase their speaking abilities as well as motivation It is necessary to find out the benefits and drawbacks that English-majored sophomores have faced when learning speaking, especially when changing the form of training to online in this current situation

FFL-3.3 Research methodology and research methods

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mentioned in this study Moreover, this methodology enables statistical comparisons between different groups; thereby, advantages and disadvantages have been compared obviously through statistics Another reason for choosing quantitative methodology is that it has been more convenient

to conduct in this current situation when COVID-19 forces everyone to connect online

3.3.2 Research methods

The chosen methodology is quantitative; therefore, the research method used in this study is questionnaire Questionnaire is the most popular method refer to quantitative methodology It is advantageous because of being conducted in a short time with a large number of participants Questionnaire includes 14 questions which have been divided into four main groups Question number one to seven refer to background information This group of questions will define participants’ information in order to make sure that the objects meet the requirements of the study The second group contains question eight and nine, which will determine the advantages of role play activities in speaking online classes Regarding disadvantages, question number ten and 11 are established to make that point clearly The last three questions 12,13 and 14 are related to further information, which will help researchers have a clear view about participants’ perspectives about the role play activities

3.4 Procedures

The first step to conduct the study is selecting sample After considering, English-majored sophomores have been chosen They have the subject Speaking 2 in this semester at FFL-IUH Role play activities have been applied in this subject to help students practice speaking skills They have experienced and understood most clearly benefits and drawbacks of those activities For that reason, this study aims to collect data from 200 English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH Questionnaire has been set up through an online tool – Google form This form has been given to

a Facebook group of DHAV16 Because of COVID-19, the process of collecting data has been conducted totally online

3.5 Data analysis

The data which was collected in questionnaire has been presented in the form of tables and charts through MS Excel tool and Google form MS Excel is a great tool to create data sheets, besides,

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Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan, M.A 18 Google form gives information in visual charts Thanks to these tools, the statistics have been presented obviously as well as can be effortlessly explained

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CHAP IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

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4.1 Findings

4.1.1 The general information of English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH

Questions 1&2: Have you ever learned speaking skills online? How many periods do you study speaking online per week?

Chart 4.1: The figures of English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH who have learned

speaking online

Table 4.1: Number of speaking online periods that 2 nd -year English-majored students have

learned per week

The pie chart gives information about the proportion of students who have learned speaking online while the table shows the percentage of the number of periods they have learned per week Overall, the figures for students learning speaking online account for a very large majority It is understandable since online learning is the main learning method at FFL-IUH this semester Meanwhile, the proportion of the number of students who have studied speaking two periods per

97%

3%

Yes Not yet

Number of periods per week

1 period/week 30 (15%)

2 periods/week 124 (62%)

3 periods/week 29 (14.5%)

4 periods/week 17 (8.5%)

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week consists of over a half with 62% The percentages of students learning speaking online one period, three and four periods have 15%, 14.5%, and 8.5% respectively It means that all the participants have already learned speaking online for at least one period per week In conclusion, the objects of this study have completely met the requirement that English-majored sophomores have been learning speaking online this semester

Question 3: What apps do you use to learn speaking skills online in class?

Chart 4.2 The figures of apps that English-majored students have used to learn speaking online

at FFL-IUH

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of apps that students have used to learn speaking online In general, Zoom meeting has the highest figure with nearly 140 votes Besides, MS Teams plays the second position with about 115 votes Google meet and other apps account for inconsiderable figures Compared with reality, it is trustworthy because Zoom and MS Teams are the main online platforms that have been applied in learning at FFL-IUH this semester

Question 4: In your online class, how often do you practice speaking skill through role play activities?

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Chart 4.3 The figures of the frequency of practicing speaking skills through role play activities

among English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH in online classes

The pie chart above depicts the percentage of the frequency of practicing speaking skills through role play activities toward English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH Overall, the proportion of the number of students who sometimes learn speaking with role play makes up more than a half Meanwhile, the lowest proportion related to the number of students who have never learned speaking through this kind of activities with 1% Besides, the percentage of the number of students who usually learn speaking through role play comprises 33% The figures of the number of students regarding the reminder parts are insignificant including rarely and always with 9% and 2% respectively Based on the data above, it can be summarized that role play activities have been common in online speaking classes among second-year English-majored students at FFL-IUH Question 5: Do you like learning speaking online through role play activities?

Chart 4.4 The figures of English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH who like learning speaking

online through role play activities

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The pie chart illustrates the percentage of the number of students who enjoy studying speaking online with role play activities It is noticeable that the proportion of students saying “yes” for this question accounts for 88% while the figure of students saying “no” makes up 12% From the statistic above, it can be encapsulated that English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH have an interest in role play activities, especially in learning speaking online

Question 6&7: What kind of role play activities do you usually learn? In your view, which topics are you often interested in speaking when participating in role play activities?

Chart 4.5 Type of role play activities that have usually been applied in learning speaking skills

among English-majored sophomores at FFL-IUH

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Percentage of students’ interesting topic when learning speaking online through role play

Table 4.2: Second-year English-majored students’ interesting topic when learning speaking

online through role play activities at FFL-IUH

The bar chart shows the figures of kind of role play activities which have been conducted in learning speaking online while the table gives information about students’ favorite topic when joining in role play Semi-scripted role play activities has 78 votes Non-scripted role play activities

is at the second position with 76 votes Besides, the number of full scripted makes of 68 votes It can be seen that the disparity among three types of role play activities is inconsiderable, each type has been applied in classes Regarding topic of role play activities, all the selected topics are in the speaking 2 coursebook and the percentages are spread evenly across topics and there is no big difference It means that students enjoy all the topics they have learned in speaking classes

4.1.2 The advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online among majored sophomores at FFL-IUH

English-Question 8: Do you think that participating in role play activities can improve your speaking ability when learning online?

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Chart 4.6 Students’ opinion regarding joining in role play activities can improve speaking

ability when learning online at FFL-IUH

The pie chart gives information for students’ views about role play activities in online speaking classes When they are asked whether joining in these activities improve their speaking ability, the proportion of the number of students saying “yes” has a very large majority Meanwhile, there is only 6% of students suppose that taking part in role play activities do not help their oral skills Based on the percentages above, it can be summarized that role play activities have been recognized

as their benefits in developing students’ speaking ability

Question 9: What are advantages of learning speaking online through role play activities?

94%

6%

Yes No

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Chart 4.7 Students’ opinions about advantages of role play activities in learning speaking online

at FFL-IUH

The bar chart indicates the proportion of students’ opinions about advantages of role play activities

in learning speaking online As can be seen from the chart above, the proportions of students who think that role play activities enhance their motivation and self-confidence have 5.5% strongly disagree, 2.5% disagree, 12.5% neutral, 62.5% agree and 17% strongly agree This benefit of role play has the highest agreement with the percentages of agree and strongly agree is nearly 80% It

14.5 16.5 17 21 18 14.5 19.5 22.5

62.5 60.5 62.5 54 53.5 57.5 55 50

12 15 12.5 17.5 20 18.5 16.5 17.5

6 3.5 2.5 2.5 4.5 4.5 5 4.5

5 4.5 5.5 5 4 5 4 5.5

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

Improve speaking skills thanks to practicing

among variety of situations when joining role

play activities in online speaking class.

Create positively and collaboratively online

learning atmosphere at speaking class (adopts

different perspectives from different roles and…

Enhance students’ motivation and

self-confidence when learning speaking online

through freely creating role play content by …

Improve ICT (Information and communication

technology) skills during the process of

participating in role play activities online

Less nervous and embarrassing compared to

role play in face-to-face class (just talk in front of

camera or in case of recording)

Increase students’ reflex in English (when

working with non-scripted role play activities in

online speaking class)

Be more active and creative in role-play content

(with more online reference resources)

Easy to understand English materials in online

speaking because role play activities simplify the

learning process

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Trang 37

means that when mentioning to role play activities, students considered that those activities give them opportunities to develop their inspiration and assurance when learning speaking online through freely creating content by themselves With role play, especially non-scripted role play, they can freely make the content on their own Consequently, they will not only speak naturally and effortlessly but also increase motivation in learning In another aspect, the figures of student who suppose role play improve their oral skills thanks to practicing variety of situations have 5% strongly disagree, 6% disagree, 12% neutral, 62.5% agree and 14.5% strongly agree The proportion of compliance made of a very large majority, it can be considered that students can develop their speaking ability because role play enquires learners must work well with many situations in real life, they play a role of a character and speak as naturally as possible Meanwhile, the advantage that creating a positive and collaborative online learning atmosphere at speaking classes with 4.5% strongly disagree, 3.5% disagree, 15% neutral, 60.5% agree and 16.5% strongly agree In compared, the percentage of agreement is equal to the previous benefit with 77% in total

It is understandable because the process of role play activities requires learners to work in groups

or interact with others Learners have different opinions about the same role, they will express their ideas; moreover, they will contribute to correct their classmates’ mistakes As a result, a learning environment will be more and more positive as well as collaborative

Regarding the benefit that role play improves learners’ ICT skills, there are 5% strongly disagree, 2.5% disagree, 17.5% neutral, 54% agree and 21% strongly agree Role play activities in online speaking class have been conducted totally by online platforms That is a chance to get more experience for those who have never tried to work with online tools, on the other hand, for those who have known about online platforms, they can practice and improve their skills Besides, the proportions of students who believe that they are more active and creative in making role play content with more online resources have 4% strongly disagree, 5% disagree, 16.5% neutral, 55% agree and 19.5% strongly agree Many students agree that they can easily get access to online reference materials for when learning speaking through role play online Role play in face-to-face classes has limitation because students must think and prepare content by themselves, they can use their smartphone, but it is still difficult because of internet connection problems, not all classroom has enough stable internet system In another aspect, the percentages of students who think that role play helps them easy to understand English materials in online speaking classes include 5.5%

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strongly disagree, 4.5% disagree, 17.5% neutral, 50% agree and 22.5% strongly agree There is 72.5% of agreement in total, role play activities simplify the learning process, learners will acknowledge English context in particular situations As a result, they can effortlessly understand The next position is about increasing students’ reflex in English with 5% strongly disagree, 4.5% disagree, 18.5% neutral, 57.5% agree and 14.5% strongly agree Reflex is a crucial element in speaking ability, in term of working with non-scripted role play activities at online classes, students can practice and improve their reflex because they might be asked surprisingly without preparation Meanwhile, the last benefit of role play activities in online speaking class related to less nervous and embarrassing in compared to face-to-face class contain 4% strongly disagree, 4.5% disagree, 20% neutral, 53.5% agree and 18% strongly agree Most students, especially for those who are often feel shy in face-to-face class supposed that when learning speaking online with role play, their nerve and embarrassment have been relieved because they just talk in front of camera or record the clip with their classmates before the class start

4.1.3 The disadvantages of role play activities in learning speaking online among majored sophomores at FFL-IUH

English-Question 10: How often do you face problems when learning speaking online through role play activities?

Chart 4.8 The figures of frequency of students’ problems when learning speaking online through

role play activities at FFL-IUH

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The pie chart illustrates the proportion of frequency of students’ difficulties when joining role play activities at online speaking classes Overall, the percentage of the number of students who sometimes face problems has a significant proportion with 68% Students who have never met difficulties when learning speaking online through role play activities comprised a tiny fraction with only 1% Meanwhile, students who usually, rarely and always face problems had 21%, 8% and 2% respectively Based on the data above, it can be summarized that the shortcomings in joining role play activities have existed

Question 11: What are disadvantages of learning speaking online through role play activities?

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Chart 4.9 English-majored sophomores’ opinion about disadvantages of role play activities in

learning speaking online at FFL-IUH

The bar chart demonstrates English-majored sophomores’ ideas regarding shortcomings of role play activities in learning speaking online While the disadvantage that students face technology problems when joining role play activities in online speaking class has 3% strongly disagree, 4% disagree, 15% neutral, 50.5% agree and 27.5% strongly agree, the proportions of students who think role play activities in online class limit body language in performing include 3.5% strongly disagree, 4.5 % disagree, 14% neutral, 60.5% agree and 17.5% strongly agree These two shortcomings have the highest and equal percentage of agreement with 78% in total It can understandable because when learning online, difficulties in technology problems is inevitable

10.5 14 15 15 17.5 16.5 18.5 27.5

51 52.5 42.5 49.5 60.5 48.5 49.5 50.5

28 26.5 32 26.5 14 24 24.5 15

6.5 5 6.5 6 4.5 8 4.5 3

4 2 4 3 3.5 3 3 4

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

Be difficulty in discussion and practicing online

with the partner (lack of skills about

technology)

Lack of concentration on other performances

(Not be controlled as a face-to-face class)

Not good at expressing their own feelings and

emotions in role-play activities in online

speaking class.

Lack of motivation to interact compared to

face-to-face role play activities

Limit body language in performing role play

activities in online speaking classes

Difficult to observe other people and give

feedback

Rely on resources on the Internet when

creating role play content (lack of

brainstorming)

Facing technology problems (Wi-Fi Connection,

lack of devices ) when joining role play

activities in online speaking class

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Tiêu đề	An analysis of advantages and disadvantages of learning speaking online through role play activities among English majored sophomores at faculty of foreign languages of industrial university of ho chi minh city
Tác giả	Vo Thi Thao Duyen
Người hướng dẫn	Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan, M.A.
Trường học	Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City
Chuyên ngành	English Language Teaching / English Majors
Thể loại	graduation project
Năm xuất bản	2021
Thành phố	Ho Chi Minh City

Định dạng
Số trang	80
Dung lượng	1,63 MB