The use ò language games to motivate the 10th grade students in speaking lesons at le hoan high school

HONG DUC UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT ------ GRADUATION THESIS THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES TO SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE HOAN HIGH SCHOOL Student: Truong Thi Kieu Hung Stude

HONG DUC UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

- -

GRADUATION THESIS

THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES TO

SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE HOAN HIGH

SCHOOL

Student: Truong Thi Kieu Hung Student’s code: 1767010027 Class: K20A – English Teacher Education Faculty of Foreign Languages

Supervisor: Dr Nguyen Thi Quyet

THANH HOA, MAY 2021

an undeniable fact that this paper would have not been completed without her invaluable support

Secondly, I would like to express my particular thanks to all the lectures

of the Faculty whose lectures have enriched my academic knowledge of English during the past four years

In addition, I warmly thank all my friends for their encouragement and precious assistance throughout the process of writing the thesis Their material and spiritual support is a great driving- force for me Especially, I wish to thank students at Hong Duc University for their enthusiastic and effective cooperation in the process of completing survey questionnaire

Finally, I am greatly indebted to my parents, who have encouraged and supported me to fulfill this graduation paper

Thanh Hoa, May 2021

Student

Truong Thi Kieu Hung

ABSTRACT

Many students find speaking as one of the most difficult skills in English Therefore, the researcher wants to motivate the students‘ speaking ability through the suitable teaching method, in this case is Language Games The problem in this research is ―The use of language games can motivate the 10th grade students in speaking lessons at Le Hoan high school in Thanh Hoa in the 2020- 2021 academic year‖ And the object of this research is to find out how language games can motivate the 10th grade students in speaking lessons at Le Hoan high school in Thanh Hoa in the 2020- 2021 academic year Based on the research problem and the relevant theory, the hypothesis of this research is described as follows:

Language games can motivate the 10th grade students in speaking lessons at Le Hoan high school because by using language games method, students become more active in participating in speaking activities in the class

The design of this research is classroom action research The research subjects are the 10th grade students that consists of nearly 90 students in 10A1 and 10A3 Questionnaire, observation and interview are used to obtain the data

Language games motivated students to improve as well as developed speaking skills effectively in peaking English lessons at Le Hoan high school for the 10th grade students

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS vi

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Scope of the study 2

5 Research methods 3

6 Organization of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4

1.1 A brief description of speaking 4

1.1.2 Characteristics of a successful speaking activity 5

1.1.3 Problems with speaking activities 6

1.1.4 Principles in teaching speaking according to CLT approach 7

1.2 A brief description of motivation in learning 8

1.2.1 Definition of motivation 8

1.2.2 Types of motivation 9

1.2.3 Roles of motivation in learning 13

1.3 A brief description of language games 14

1.3.2 Features of a quality game 16

1.3.3 Types of language games 17

1.3.4 Some opinions on using games in teaching and learning process 17

1.3.5 Language games as a motivator for students to speak 19

1.4.1 Factors taken into consideration in applying language games 21

1.4.2 Time of using a game 22

1.4.3 Ways of running a game 22

1.5 Summary 24

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 25

2.1 The context of the study 25

2.1.1 An overview of the research site 25

2.1.2 The English text book of grade 10 25

2.1.3 Description of the students at Le Hoan high school 25

2.1.4 Description of the teachers at Le Hoan high school 26

2.2 Data collection 26

2.3 Procedures of game application in speaking 27

2.4 Data collection instruments 32

2.4.1 Survey questionnaires 32

2.4.2 Classroom observation 32

2.4.3 Interview 33

2.5 Summary 33

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 34

3.1 Achievements of the study 34

3.1.1 Achievements from the questionnaires 34

3.2 Challenges in applying language games in teaching and learning 52

3.3 Remarks 54

PART C: CONCLUSIONS 55

1 A recapitulation of the study 55

2 Limitations and recommendations for further study 56

REFERENCES 57 APPENDICES

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Table 1: Data collected from pre-task survey questionnaire 35 Chart 1; 2: Student‘ attitudes towards English learning 36

Chart 3; 4: Students‘ attitudes and perspectives towards speaking lessons 37 Chart 5: Students‘ opinions on the speaking topics in the course book 38 Chart 6: Students‘ participation in speaking lessons 39

Chart 7: Students‘ reasons for unwillingness to speak 40 Chart 8: Students‘ preferences of teacher‘s techniques in speaking classes 41 Table 2: Data collected from post- task survey questionnaire 43 Chart 9: Students‘ attitudes towards language games applied by the teacher 44 Chart 10: Students‘ participation in language games 44 Chart 11: Students‘ participation in speaking lessons 45

Chart 12: Benefits of using language games in speaking lessons 46 Chart 13: Students‘ preferences for teachers‘ activities for the use of language games in speaking lessons 48 Chart 14: The frequency of applying language games 49

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

In the globalization age today, English is considered as the most important means 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 high schools in Vietnam

At Le Hoan high school, students still face many difficulties in learning English, especially speaking skills when communicating in English 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 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

at Le Hoan high school” for my graduation thesis with the hope that it might be

helpful to both teachers and students in teaching and learning speaking

2 Aims of the study

The study is carried out in order to:

 Investigate the current situation of teaching and learning speaking to the 10thgrade students Le Hoan high school

 Explore the effects of language games in teaching speaking to the 10th grade students at Le Hoan high school

 Provide some suggestions and implications of using language games for the improvement of speaking teaching at Le Hoan high school

3 Research questions

The research is to seek answer to the following questions:

 What is speaking teaching and learning reality to the 10th grade students Le Hoan high school like?

How can language games help to improve students‘ motivation in speaking classes?

 What are the suggestions and implications of using language games in speaking lessons?

4 Scope of the study

For the limitation of time, conditions, and materials, in this minor study, the researcher focuses specifically on the use of language games in teaching speaking to the 10th grade students at Le Hoan high school So the study limits itself to the teaching and learning speaking only, and the subjects of the study are nearly 90 students from two classes 10A1 and 10A3 at Le Hoan high school

5 Research methods

In order to realize the aims of the study, quantitative method is used The survey questionnaire is used to collect information and evidence for the study The survey questionnaire including pre-task survey questionnaire and post task survey questionnaire is for nearly 90 students from three classes 10A1 and 10A3 at Le Hoan high school All comments, remarks and recommendations given in the study are based on the data analysis

6 Organization of the study

This minor thesis is composed of three parts as follows:

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

Part B -DEVELOPMENT This part includes 4 chapters

 Chapter 1 deals with some theoretical background that is relevant to

the purpose of the study: speaking skills 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

10th grade students 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

Part C -CONCLUSION 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

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

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

1.1 A brief description of speaking

1.1.1 Definition of speaking skills

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, 1994) 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 (1994) 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)

Nguyen and Nguyen (2001) state the two main aspects of speaking skills

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?; the ability to paraphrase; the use of useful expression such as ― By the way…/ Anyway…‖ when finishing a topic; and ―Nice taking to… / I must go now.‖ when ending a conversation

Despite the different ideas about speaking definitions, the major components

of speaking are unchanged It means that to improve speaking skills, both accuracy and fluency need considering

1.1.2 Characteristics of a successful speaking activity

Language teachers are always looking for effective activities to use in their classes However, the thing makes an activity successful and teachers know how to

do really works In improving speaking skills of students in the class, Ur (1996: 120) introduces four important characteristics of a successful speaking as follows

possible.

minority of talkative participants but also contributed by all learners In other words, all learners in class have a chance to speak, not only for talkative participants.

to show their voice, to exchange new information

comprehensible and suitable language level to express themselves.

However, in fact, there are few classroom activities that can satisfy all the above criteria Therefore, the teachers should try their best to apply effective techniques to create some of those criteria

1.1.3 Problems with speaking activities

Classroom activities that develop learners‘ ability to express themselves through speaking are an important element of a language course However, designing and controlling such activities are really challenging And learners still have some problems when they want to talk in class Ur (1996) points out the following common problems that tend to occur in a speaking class as follows:

 The first problem is “inhibition” As we know that speaking requires some

degree of real-time exposure to an audience Learners are often reluctant when trying to say something in a foreign language because they are worried about making mistakes, they are afraid of being criticized or losing face in front of the others.

many students complain that they cannot think of anything to say.

 Moreover, “Low or uneven participation‖ is another problem Only one

participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be heard In a large group, each one will have only very little time for talking so this difficult will be doubled if some learners have the tendency of dominating the group, while others speak very little or not at all.

share the same mother tongue, they may tend to use it because it is easier, because they feel unconfident to speak to one another in a foreign language, and because they may feel less ―exposed‖ if they speak their mother tongue.

To sum up, there are a lot of factors affecting the degree of success of speaking activities From Ur‘s point of view above, for a successful speaking lesson, the teachers and learners should be aware of these problems in order to have appropriate and effective solutions to help learners develop speaking skills And to

deal with these problems, Lawtie (2004) suggests that the teachers need to take a closer look at the type of speaking activities in order to make the activities interesting enough to meet students‘ need and create a real need for communication

1.1.4 Principles in teaching speaking according to CLT approach

The main objective of teaching speaking is to improve oral fluency, the ability

to express oneself in an intelligible, reasonable and accurate way and without undue hesitation English learners want to use speech mainly for the two reasons below

Exchanging information is the first important reason The second important one is that they want to maintain good social relationships, that is, for interactional purposes concentrate on sharing personal experiences and opinions Many great efforts have been made so far to find out the major principles of teaching speaking Here are some main principles which are introduced by Ur (1996) as follows:

 Take account of the student as a person: To do so, firstly, the teachers should be sensitive, sympathetic and encouraging Secondly, the material selected should be motivating and suitable to the students‘ ability.

 Reduce anxiety by moving from easy to less easy: It means that the students should be provided a familiar and private environment to practice and they should be helped to take short turns.

 Maintain a careful balance between accuracy and fluency: The teachers should provide practice in pronunciation, word stress, sentence stress and intonation as well as opportunities for fluent use of speech.

 Provide a good model for students to imitate: It requires that the teachers should learn to speak acceptably themselves and consciously teach correct pronunciation and repeatedly use target speech patterns.

 Provide appropriate stimuli for eliciting speech: A variety of sources such

as books, radios, audio and video cassettes, pictures, stories, as well as songs can be used in speaking class.

 Vary classroom interaction modes: The class activities should be various: individual to whole class, in pair work or group work.

 Give clear instructions: While instructing students to the activities, the teachers should speak loudly, slowly and clearly enough to all students.

 Monitor student activity continuously: The teachers should encourage and praise students in time in order to motivate them to join activity actively.

 Prepare well for class: A checklist of things to obtain and a checklist of things

to do should be made carefully before class

 Handle errors sensitively and effectively: Correction mistakes may reduce students‘ motivation, it is suggested that it should not be too prominent It means that the teacher should not correct every mistake at anytime, in anywhere Performances errors and errors that are repeated should be ignored However, it is necessary that the teachers correct errors in structures that need to be used frequently, errors in language that they have just taught or errors that might shock the listeners (e.g mens, tomatos).

1.2 A brief description of motivation in learning

a goal or incentives This is why motivation is refer to as ―the reasons underlying behavior‖ (Guay) Learners assign various meanings and attitudes to academic activities— personal meanings and attitudes that arouse and direct their energies in different ways These associated energizing and directing effects are referred to

as motivation or sometimes motivation to learn

Motivation is the key to success in the teaching-learning process

Motivation, as the name suggests, is what ‗moves‘ us It is the reason we do anything

at all Paraphrasing Gredler, Broussard and Garrison, motivation is defined as

―the attribute that moves us to do or not to do something‖ It is an internal impetus

or drive to do a specific action or behavior (Ryan and Deci) Motivation is a critical component of teaching and learning For teachers, a lack of motivation has long been one of the most frustrating obstacles to students‘ learning Teachers are the key factor in motivating students to engage with learning activities within their specific educational contexts (Ryan and Deci) A teacher whose behaviours reveal a positive attitude and enthusiasm for learning within a specific curricula subject is more likely to have students who develop positive affect and enthusiasm for learning and achievement within the subject (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, and Paris; Tymms, Bolden, and Merrell)

In conclusion, motivation, which is a psychological construct, is also a teaching technique that could be used to enhance learning in the classroom As the quality of students‘ academic achievement continues to fluctuate year in year out, the need to develop strategies for motivating learners to enhance their learning outcomes is imperative

1.2.2 Types of motivation

Based on Self- determination Theory (SDT), learners may be driven to learn by two sources internal and external Generally, there are two main types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

1.2.2.1 Intrinsic motivation

Here stimulus is internal to the person; it can be biological, emotional, spiritual, or social In this case, there are no external rewards The activity is undertaken for self-pleasure and individual satisfaction It may be characterized by curiosity and a desire to meet challenges Intrinsic motivation is driven by an interest or enjoyment which a person feels in a task It is within the individual and does not rely on external pressure Ryan and Deci explained intrinsic motivation

as the choices people make for their own sake without considering any external component, such that they are intrinsically rewarded According to Ryan

and Deci and Niemiec, learners are intrinsically motivated, and engage in activities because of their internal interests, joy, and excitement Matt and Dale stated that intrinsic motivators include fascination with the subject, a sense of its relevance to life and the world, a sense of accomplishment in mastering it, and

a sense of calling to it Harter (in Chow &Yong) explained that intrinsic motivation is the true drive in human nature, which drives individuals to search for and to face new challenges Deci (as cited by Ayub), refers to intrinsic motivation as being in an activity for itself, and the pleasure and satisfaction derived from participation

Intrinsic motivation is an inner force that motivates students to engage

in academic activities, because they are interested in learning and they enjoy the learning process as well (Schiefele in Chow &Yong) Learners‘ abilities are put to the test and they are eager to learn even when there are no external rewards to be won (Chow and Yong) Students with learning goals of seeking understanding for mastery

of science content and skills are said to be intrinsically motivated (Cavallo)

The needs of students can engage them to achieve the learning goals For example, a learner who learns the English Language because he/she needs English skill to communicate in his/her social life, and a learner who needs the knowledge of mathematics in order not to be cheated when purchasing goods from the store may demonstrate a high level of motivation in learning English and Mathematics respectively This is to help him/her master the subject in order

to survive in the social world Seifert and Sutton assert that interest (an affective and intrinsic component) also has a role in increasing the motivation level of students If a student is interested to study Geography, the student may easily reach the learning goal Enjoyment or satisfaction is also important in creasing the motivation of students (Niemiec and Ryan) If the students do not enjoy learning a subject in a class, the material taught will be difficult to be assimilated, so, as stated earlier, intrinsic motivation is created by an individual‘s self-influenced-personal-factors that are needs, interest, and enjoyment This shows that learners can create motivation by their self

Intrinsic motivation is more influenced than extrinsic motivation because intrinsic motivation rises from learner self not influenced by an external factor Gagne and Deci reported that intrinsic needs derive satisfaction from performing the activity itself; from the implementation of an activity without receiving any apparent reward This makes a learner be aware that he/she needs to learn Brown reported that intrinsically motivated activities are ones for which there is no apparent reward except the activity itself Brown added that people seem to engage in the activities for their own sake and not because they need an extrinsic reward

Matt and Dale argued that intrinsic motivation can be long-lasting and self- sustaining Efforts to build this kind of motivation are also typically efforts at promoting students‘ learning Such efforts often focus on the subject rather than

on rewards or punishments Csiksezentmihalyi and Nakamura (in Chow and Yong) stated that intrinsically motivated individuals possess the following characteristics: they engage in both mental and physical activities holistically, they remain highly focused throughout these activities with clearly defined goals, they are self-critical, they self-reflect on their own actions realistically, and they are usually relaxed and not afraid to fail during learning Moreover, a research study done by Stipek (in Chow and Yong) concluded that intrinsically motivated students learn independently and always choose to do challenging tasks They persevere to complete the tasks they have undertaken They integrate their knowledge acquired in school with their experiences gained from outside school They often ask questions to broaden their knowledge and learn regardless

of any external push factors or help from teachers, and they take pride in their work and express positive emotions during the learning process Highly intrinsically motivated students are able to learn new concepts successfully and show better understanding of the subject matter However, efforts at fostering intrinsic motivation can be slow to affect behavior and can require special and lengthy preparation Students are individuals, so a variety of approaches may be needed to motivate different students

To sum up, intrinsic motivation which is one of the popular methods is often

helpful to know what interests one‘s students in order to connect these interests with the subject matter This requires getting to know one‘s students Also, it helps if the instructor is interested in the subject, to begin with

to pass an exam or the possibility of the future level In addition, Marsh defines motivation as an external stimulus that follows as a result of a certain response So, extrinsic motivation is any stimulus that comes from outside of learner, and which drives the learner in the learning process According to Ryan, Deci and Niemiec learners are externally driven to perform an action with an anticipation of some outcome other than the learning itself Chow and Yong posit that extrinsic motivation drives students to engage in academic tasks for external reasons According to Benabou and Tirole, extrinsic motivation promotes effort and performance with rewards serving as positive reinforcers for the desired behavior

According to Matt and Dale, extrinsic motivators include parental expectations, expectations of other trusted role models, earning potential of a course of study, and good grades Matt and Dale argued that extrinsic motivators more readily produce behavior changes and typically involve relatively little effort or preparation The author added that efforts at applying extrinsic motivators often do not require extensive knowledge of individual students Extrinsic motivation typically produces immediate results and requires less effort in comparison to intrinsic motivation (Ryan and Deci) However, extrinsic motivators can often distract students from learning the subject at hand, or independent learning Matt and Dale submit that it can be challenging to devise appropriate rewards and punishments for students‘ behaviors Often, one needs to escalate the rewards and

punishments over time to maintain a certain effect level Also, another problem with extrinsic motivators is that they typically do not work over the long term Once the rewards or punishments are removed, students lose their motivation (Matt and Dale) Extrinsically motivated students tend to focus on earning higher grades and obtaining rewards Lei props this view stating that individuals who are motivated extrinsically rely solely on rewards and desirable results for their motivation This implies that students who are motivated externally are at a greater risk of performing lower academically than intrinsically motivated students Biehler and Snowman (in Chow and Yong) also believed that extrinsic motivational factors can diminish students‘ intrinsic motivation Such observation has also been echoed by Bain who concluded that extrinsic rewards have negative impacts on intrinsic motivation

On the whole, intrinsic motivation may be necessary for the situation here the educational activities are not interesting or enjoyable by nature—serving as a springboard for learning

1.2.3 Roles of motivation in learning

Motivation is important in getting students to engage in academic activities It

is also important in determining how much learners will learn from the activities they perform or the information to which they will be exposed to Learners who are motivated to learn something use higher cognitive processes in learning about

it Motivation to do something can come about in many ways It can be a personality characteristic or a stable long-lasting interest in doing something It is pertinent to note that achieving high level of motivation in the classroom leads to higher levels of understanding, creativity, productivity, and achievement Together these positive outcomes make motivation one of the most important elements of learning (Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative)

Motivating students to learn in school is a topic of great concern for educationist today, and motivating students so that they can succeed in school

is one of the greatest challenges of education Student motivation is an essential element that is necessary for quality education Hadre argued that

motivation is among the most powerful determinants of students‘ success or failure in school In the learning sphere, spurring students‘ motivation to engage in academic activities is part of teachers‘ teaching-learning strategy if the teacher wants to see consistent and quality results For a learner to make an effort there must be a motive Motive simply means a desire, need, urge, or drive to achieve

a certain goal It is that drive which makes one does what one does The motive will also include interests, attitudes, and purposes Seifert and Sutton classified these motives and their sources as motives as behavior change, motives as goals, motives as interests, motives as attributions about success, motives as beliefs about self-efficacy, and motives as self- determination Seifert and Sutton asserts that motives are affected by the kind of goals set by students—whether they are oriented to mastery, performance, failure-avoidance, or social contact They are also affected by students‘ interests, both personal and situational They are affected by students‘ attributions about the causes of success and failure—whether they perceive the causes are due to ability, effort, task difficulty, or luck

To summarize, without proper motivation of learners, learning may not take place, and if learning does not take place, the objective of developing the curriculum may not be achieved Therefore, this literary contribution was primarily designed to acquaint the teachers and educators with strategies for motivating the learners to ensure that the goal of curriculum is achieved

1.3 A brief description of language games

1.3.1 Definition of language games

Language games can be used in language classes There are several definition

of game in general as well as definition of language game in particular First of all, there will be the definition of game When being asked this question, people feel intuitive that they know it but definition is elusive Many educators and researchers have made researches on the use of games and each of them has developed their own concepts and ideas about games

In the Oxford Advanced learners‘ dictionary of current English by Hornby

(2005), Game is an activity or a sport with rules in which people or teams compete

against each other It means that students play game for their own sake, for fun, for

the competitive ambition

Hadfield (1987) says that ―A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an

element of fun.‖ Another definition comes from Saricoban & Metin (2000) saying

that games are organized according to rules and they are enjoyable Similarly,

Rixon (1981) defines ―A game consists of play governed by rules.‖ This is summed

up very well in Gibb‘s definition (1987) of a game as ―A game is an activity carried

out by cooperating or competing decision markers, seeking to achieve, within a set

of rules, their objectives.‖

Although the concepts of game are developed in various ways, all the above mentioned definitions share the same opinion that a game has three main characteristics: A goal or objective; A set of rules which govern a game; Games involve a contest either between players or between players and the goal

Then, language games mean games related to language A language games also share the similar characteristic with the ordinary games However, language games mostly involve in developing and improving language skills Games can help

to enhance different aspects such as intellectual ability, patience, meanwhile language games help to develop language skills While playing language games, students have both fun and opportunities to practice English enjoyably, this helps to

stimulate students Greenal (1984) defines language games as one kind of ―activity

which is used to consolidate language already taught or acquired and occurs during the free stage of lesson or during occasions such as English club meeting…”

And the term game ―is used whenever there is an element of competition between

individual students or teams in a language activity…”

Therefore, the skills needed in games are concentrated on the language side so not all the games are chosen For language teaching purposes, games that are selected must be guaranteed to improve language skills

In conclusion, from the definitions mentioned above, we can put it that language games are activities with the rules, goal, and element of fun carried out by the players‘ cooperation or competition for the language practice Understanding

games in general and language games in particular will help us pick out the features that are useful in language teaching

1.3.2 Features of a quality game

Carrier, (1980:7) emphasizes that “The teachers must take many factors into

account when deciding which game would be most appropriate and most successful with his students at any time” It is explained that if a teacher wants to use a game

for his teaching purpose, he should consider if the game can be used in the lesson and the game is up to the certain standard and meets certain requirements or not

To answer for this question, there are some features of a quality game for speaking class

- The most important function of games is to create meaningful contexts for communication Larcabal, (1992) states that ―We plan games; we must remember that for communication to take place, the players must find it essential to communicate.‖

- The terms ―information gap‖ and ―opinion gap‖ are mentioned to contribute for the success of a game It is obvious that information gap activities force the participants to exchange information so that they can find a solution

- An ―information gap‖ or ―opinion gap‖ need some content Klippel (1984:4) states that, ―Information and opinion gap exercises have to have some content worth taking about Students do not want to discuss the interest which is aroused by the structure of the activity may be reduced or increased by the topic.‖

- The variety of the games teachers use is another important feature of a language game Hadfield, (1990) states: Variety is important in language teaching, and a succession of games based on the game principles The variety of games is essential to attract and interest students during the lessons

- In addition, one of the most important features which help games run smoothly

is that games should be interesting, simple and easy to comprehensive

- According to Wright, Betteridge and Buckby (1983:4), ―Challenge is essential ingredient of a game, which helps to motivate students‖

To sum up, there are different views about features of a good language game However, the element of meaningful contexts, information gap, opinion gap, relevant content and language as well as co-operation would be pondered carefully when the teachers want to compose a good game It is difficult to determine what the best game is because it is affected by many elements such as certain situation, certain students, each teacher and other elements

1.3.3 Types of language games

It is difficult to classify language games into categories because categories often overlap Therefore, each linguist has his own way to classify language games Chamberlain (1981:29) states that most language games fall into the following categories: phonetics games, spelling games, dictionary games, syllable-based games, vocabulary games, sentence building games, games for creativity and free expression However, Hadfiled (1987), states that language games can be divided into two further categories: Linguistic games and communicative games Linguistic games focus on accuracy meanwhile communicative games focus on successful exchange of information and ideas According to Hadfield (1987) language games are also classified into many more categories as follows:

students have a file of pictures with different food and drinks, and they sort the pictures into two topics: countable and uncountable nouns.

while the other has none, and this student must acquire the information to complete the task successfully.

have to find out what it is.

picture or card.

and pictures or images Puzzle-solving games: In these games, the players share or

exchange information in order to solve a problem or to find a mystery.

 Role play games: A role playing game can be as simple a conversation

between two people who each pretend that they are someone else According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ―Role play games are games in which players take on the roles of imaginary characters, usually in a setting created by a referee, and thereby vicariously experience the imagined adventures of these characters.‖

In closing, there have been many types of language games which can be applied

in teaching language in general and teaching speaking in particular However, which games are more useful in certain lessons in order to encourage the students‘ participation, and develop the students‘ speaking skills depends on the wise of the teacher

1.3.4 Language games in teaching and learning process

Teaching language in general and teaching speaking in classroom in particular effectively and successfully requires different types of methods and techniques It depends on the teachers, the students, the syllabus, etc And games are one of the activities that these techniques use Although a lot of researches on the use of educational games in particular have been done, the effectiveness of language games in English language teaching is still controversial among educators and teachers

There are different points of view about the use of games in the ELT classroom According to Hashimoto (1997) these standpoints can be divided into two types The first belongs to those who do not support using games in teaching and learning processes Some teachers who used language in their teaching process but they did not succeed Therefore, many teachers found them ineffective or instructive for the learners so they are reluctant to use games in their lessons That

is, these teachers often perceive games as mere time-fillers, ―A break from the monotony of drilling‖ or frivolous activities rather than an effective teaching technique Ur (1996) reports that once we call a language leaning activity a ―game‖

we convey the message that it is just fun, not something to be taken serious

However, contrary to the point of view mentioned above, many researchers and educators have affirmed that games are not just time-filling activities, but they have a great educational value Hadfield (1987:4) points out that language games

are useful in teaching and learning process: Games should not be regarded as ―An amusing activity for Saturday afternoon or for the end of term‖ but as ―An integral part of the language syllabus‖ Greenal (1984) says that language games provide free and spontaneous practice of the language in conditions lying halfway between the controlled content of the formal lesson and the real life situations outside the classroom A similar opinion is stated by Richard-Amato, who believes game to be fun, but warns against overlooking their pedagogical value, particularly in foreign language teaching In addition, we quite agree to Rixon (1981), the integration of language games and teaching make them an important part of teaching-learning process as games can be integrated with teaching so that they can become a positive part of it rather than a time-filler or, worse, a time-waster

In conclusion, although the effectiveness of using language games in English language teaching is still controversial among educators and teachers, we are favor

of supporters of using games in language lessons We believe that 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) Therefore, a good game provides motivation, fun, and genuine reason for communicating and using language

1.3.5 Language games as a motivator for students to speak

The importance of motivation in second language teaching and learning has been discussed for years In recent years, motivation has become a familiar term in language learning Many different definitions of motivation in foreign language learning have been made

Dornyei (1988) states that motivation refers to the efforts learners make to learn a foreign language Motivation is one of the keys that influence the rate and success of language learning Gardner (1985) also points out that motivation involved desire to learn a language, intensity of effort to achieve this, and attitudes toward learning the language It is obvious that motivation to learn a second language is understood as referring to the extent to which the individual works or tries to learn the language because of a desire to do so and the satisfaction

experienced in this activity Thus, those who are motivated to participate actively in class usually get good study results

And a game is a source of motivation, interest and a game often considered as the first step to draw learners‘ attention to an EFL environment (Vale, 1995) In most of the games, an element of competition between individual learners or teams

is a strongly motivating factor, which stimulates learners to join the game It is the most important reason why all learners are immensely happy or absorbed in playing games The fact that few learners can concentrate on long practice without any chance, and even fewer will actually benefit from learning in such an intensive way

in the long run Therefore, using language games is one of the best ways to create relaxing and interesting lessons in order to maintain pupils‘ motivation

In a word, motivation is an indispensable element in the process of learners‘ acquisition It is a major factor in deciding learners‘ failure or success Success and motivation are correlated: when the learner is successful, he is more motivated to learn It can be said that motivation makes learning more meaningful and effective Developing motivation is not easy because it is something very personal However, Lightbrown and Spada (1999) states that: ―If we can make our classrooms places where students enjoy coming because the atmosphere is supportive and non- threatening, we can make a positive contribution to students‘ motivation to learn.‖ With a view to constituting such a learning environment, using language games in speaking classes seems to be a wise choice for the following reasons:

 Games provide interest to what students may not find very interesting Lee (1979:1)

reports: “…Language games could banish boredom; make for willing learners who

look forward to language lessons…”

 Games may lower anxiety and stimulate shyer students to join in speaking classes positively, especially when games are played in small groups.

 Through games, the teachers can create contexts in which the language is meaningful and useful, so that the students want to participate in and in order to response this they must understand what others are saying and they must speak to

express their own opinions or give information That is to say games bring learners chances to communicate to each other freely.

 Games provide active learner - centered learning Games are learner-centered in that students are active in playing the games and games can often be organized such that students have the leading roles, with teachers as facilitators In this activity, the teacher drops his role as director of the games and becomes more of a monitor and language informants.

In short, many researchers and educators have come to a common conclusion that games are very useful and can be used as a beneficial tool to develop students‘ language learning and also provide the students the opportunity to practice the variety of skills Also, the use of games is of great help to make speaking lessons more interesting, enjoyable, and effective

1.4 Issues of game application in language class

To students, playing language games may be purely for pleasure Therefore,

to make best use of language games and to connect them with the target language, teachers need to consider many issues such as which game to use, when to use games, how to organize a game, etc Some suggestions of exploiting language games as a motivator for students to speak will be mentioned as follows

1.4.1 Factors taken into consideration in applying language games

It cannot be denied the benefits of language games in teaching speaking However, not all kinds of games can be applied So, which games will be chosen requiring careful considerations from teachers and educators In addition, teachers need to have a deep look in to their class situation, their students‘ background knowledge, expectations as well as preferences and what items will be taught The most important factor is that language games should be chosen when they can give students both fun and educational meaning but they will not be a waste of time Carrier (1980) says teachers should first consider the level of the game to fit their students‘ language level They should choose the games that fit the aim of that class

or the content Also teachers should consider students‘ characteristics: Are they young or old, serious-minded or light-hearted, and highly motivated to join the

games? When the games should be used should also be considered carefully

It is not easy to find a game that meets all of the teachers‘ requirements Therefore, some games must be adapted to fit students‘ level, natures and characteristics

1.4.2 Time of using a game

According to Hadfield (1990), ―Games should be regarded an integral part of the language syllabus, not an amusing activity for Friday afternoon or for the end of the term‖ Actually, games play important roles in the language curriculum and the use of games in teaching and learning process is not fixed at any stages Mc Callum, (1980) stated that ―Games can be used in any language teaching situation and with any skills area whether reading, writing, listening or speaking.‖ Similarly, Hadfield (1987) also affirmed that ―Games can be used at any stage of the lesson once the target language has been introduced and explained They serve both as a memory aid and repetition drill and as a chance to use language freely, as a means to an end rather than an end in itself.‖ In addition to that, Wright, Betteridge & Buckly (1983) agreed that ―Games can be found to give practice in all the skills, in all stages of the teaching/ learning sequence and for many types of communication.‖

In short, games can be used at any stages of the lesson, if they are suitable and carefully chosen (Rixon, 1981)

1.4.3 Ways of running a game

 Timing: The teacher need to assume the time of the game before running a game

Lewis and Bedson (1999) suggested that games should last from five to twenty minutes including preparation, presentation, game playing and post playing Teachers never have a game played for so long that it begins to bore the participants

 Level of the games: Level of the games is an important factor deciding the

success of a game Too difficult games make students discouraged; however, too easy ones not only reduce students‘ interest in joining games, but also lower students‘ motivation in speaking classes The chosen and adapted games must be suitable to the content of the lesson as well as create chance for both the strong

and the weak students The most important thing is that even the most appropriate game will become meaningless if they are used again and again in different speaking lessons Thus, it is a good idea that as many types of games should be exploited as possible

 Introducing games: This is the most important stage for paying games When all

necessary facilities are available, it is time for the teacher to make the game work

To start a game, rules of the game which is considered as one of key factors that lead to the students‘ success in playing games should be introduced in advance Each game will need a proper introduction In giving instructions, a few words in mother tongue are sometimes necessary as it would be the quickest way to make everything clear in difficult situations This helps things go quickly and in a right way Moreover, it is advisable that teachers‘ demonstration is the most lively, appealing and effective instruction to motivate students to join in the games

 Organizing games: Language games are used for both fun and language teaching

purposes This goal can be achieved if language games are handled in the right way Games can be organized in various ways Some games are played in pairs or

in groups, some in teams and some with the whole class playing against the teacher Carrier (1985) suggested that ―The setting up of a game can be carried out

as quickly and smoothly as possible.‖ Thus, groups and pairs should be initially formed on students‟ immediate neighbors to avoid unnecessary noise and disruption It is advisable that the teacher‘s role in game, especially in playing stage

is to act as an informant, a consultant, a monitor (Rixon, 1988) whereas the students become the masters of the game

 Scoring: According to Lee (1979: 7), the thing the teachers should take in account

is that ―Psychologically, it is better to give points for success than to false them away for failure, ever if this procedure keeps the scores very busy‖ It is obvious that the students will have the feeling of success and therefore, it will encourage them to take more effort The teacher can create many ways of scoring, which can

be interesting and impressive to the students, but not complicated in order to attract students‘ tastes Lee (1979) and Rixon (1988) suggest some ways of scoring

as follows: noughts and crosses, climbing ladders, climbing the mountain, hangman, and a flight of steps Using interesting method of scoring seems to make

a game more attractive and effective

 Summarizing and commenting: Whatever a game is, students like to hear how

well they are doing to receive encouragement commented on as well as having errors corrected (Rixon, 1998) Thus, it is very important to give remarks and summarize the language points after games However, how to comment what students have done needs considering Positive comments can be made about individuals It is preferable for the teacher to give good remarks in order to stimulate and encourage students to join game activities According to Wright (1983:6), the following praise should be used for example, good, quite good, very good, fine, excellent, well done, good job, etc The negative ones should be kept more general such as: not quite right, not very good, I do not think this one is as good as that one

1.5 Summary

In Chapter I, the author discusses 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 The author of this paper also provides some different opinions on using games in teaching and learning process In addition, the knowledge on using language games as a motivator for student to speak is also mentioned as well

With the hope of helping the teachers exploit language games effectively and successfully to motivate students in speaking lessons, some suggestions when running a game are presented in this chapter

All of above knowledge is aimed at helping this study more clearly and successfully The following chapters will present the investigation, the findings, discussions and suggested solutions to the problems under the light of the above mentioned theories

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

2.1 The context of the study

2.1.1 An overview of the research site

Situated in Tho Xuan, a developing district of Thanh Hoa province, Le Hoan high school is one of the top schools in Tho Xuan district Specially, the duty and mission of Le Hoan high school is training the future talents of the country, Vietnam Most of the students here come from different communes of Tho Xuan Distrcit so many of them live in difficult circumstances with their families; their knowledge is also in different levels At present, there are 30 classes with over 1000 students placed into many different fields The teaching staff composes 58 teachers

of many aspects divided in to the subjects groups All of the teachers have a lot of teaching experiences and good specialist knowledge

2.1.2 The English text book of grade 10

In Le Hoan high school, English subject is taught for students of all three grades Specially, English 10 which is compiled is based on the standard English program of High School of the Ministry of Education and Training This text book consists of sixteen units and six revision lessons for two terms Each unit focuses not only on four different language skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing but also such language elements as pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary Each revision lesson is presented in the form of Test Yourself after having learnt from two to three units Speaking lesson is often introduced in combination as reading or listening lesson in each unit The text book provides students with a variety of topics and speaking activities with the aim of helping students enhance their speaking skills

2.1.3 Description of the students at Le Hoan high school

As mentioned above, most of the students at Le Hoan high chool come from different communes in Tho Xuan District so many of them learn English very hard Although the majority of the students have been studying English since primary or lower secondary schools, their capability of English, especially communicating in English is not very well, even at low level Moreover, as all the students are at Le

Hoan high school, specially the 10th grade, their final purpose is not only English

So their motivation of leaning English is not high Therefore, in the reality, teaching of English in general, and teaching speaking English in particular have encountered a great deal of difficulties

2.1.4 Description of the teachers at Le Hoan high school

At Le Hoan high school, there are seven teachers of English currently working All of them are female ranking from over 30 to 45 Of the seven English teachers were trained in Universities in Vietnam Obviously, the age of the English teachers reveals the fact that many of them were trained in the traditional method- the Grammar-Translation one Few of them have taken retraining courses to improve their English and their teaching method It is one of the biggest difficulties

in adapting Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in their teaching work This may create the hardship for English language teaching in general and teaching speaking skills in particular

2.2 Data collection

The study was carried out through the following steps:

- Two classes of nearly 90 the 10th grade students were taught for 2 months

in the trainee course at Le Hoan high school During the first week the researcher asked them to complete the pre-task survey questionnaire

- Then the researcher adapted speaking activities given in the English text book 10 by providing them with a variety of language games for six weeks Observation was used for following the changes of students in speaking lessons

- After that, to find out the effectiveness of the use of language games in speaking classes, the post-task survey questionnaire was delivered to these ninety students and some students were interviewed

Both of these survey questionnaires were carried out during the class time Before delivering the questionnaires to the students, the researcher spent enough time explaining the aims of the questionnaires, and the requirements of the informants clearly The researcher also stimulated informants to raise any questions if there was anything unclear in the survey questionnaires Then the

students were guided to complete the questionnaires and some students answered some questions in the interview

2.3 Procedures of game application in speaking

2.3.1 Pre- speaking stage

Unit 10: Conversation (Period: 63)

Type of game: Jumbled words

Class management: Group work

Material: Handouts

Time: 5 minutes

Procedure: Teacher asks the students to work in groups of 4 to find out the words from the jumbled letters Teacher calls on students to write down the words on the board, and then asks students to speak out the words

Unit 12: Music

Type of game: Crosswords

Class management: Group work

2.3.2 While- speaking stage

Unit 11: National parks

Type of game: Role- play

Class management: Work in pairs

Material: Text books

Time: 15 minutes

Procedure: The teacher asks students to work in pairs: one plays the role of Nga, while the other plays the role of Nga’s friend Teacher gives an example about

the conversation form about Nga’s excursion before whole class The students can change their roles and make another answers Then the teacher comments students’ conversation

Nga: Last week, my class went on an excursion to Huong pagoda Unfortunately, the excursion turned out to be a disaster

Nga‘s friend: Oh! Why?

Nga: We went there by coach and most of us got carsick.Therefore, we were very tired, we couldn‘t be energetic to visit anything

Nga‘s friend: It sounds very bad I think if your class hadn't gone by coach, we wouldn't have got carsick You and your classmates could have visited many beautiful landscapes

Nga: Of course I also think so

2.3.3 Post- speaking stage

Unit 13: Films and Cinema (Period: 79)

Type of game: Guessing games

Class management: Team work

Time: 8- 10 minutes

Procedure: The teacher divides the class into 2 teams Team A will choose a type of film to describe The students in team B listen carefully and find out type of film which team A is describing If the described type of film is found out within three first words, team B will receive 10 points, within 4 to 5 words, team B will get 5 points However, Team B only receives 2 points if they find out the described film only when they listen over 5 words Team A and B will change their roles when a description finishes In the end, the team who gains more points is the winner

* Example:

Pop music: catchy, young, popular, Blackpink

Period/week Unit Games

- Aim: Provide students with some

nouns and verbs about zoos of the new kind

- Class management: Group work

- Material: Handouts

- Time: 5 minutes

- Procedure: Teacher asks the

students to work in groups of 4

to find out the words from the jumbled letters Teacher calls on students to write down the words on the board, and then asks students to speak out the words

68/ 27 Unit 11:

National parks

Role- play - Stage: While- speaking

- Aim: Practice speaking better

- Class management: Work in pairs

- Material: Text books

- Time: 15 minutes

- Procedure: The teacher asks

students to work in pairs: one plays the role of Nga, while the other plays the role of Nga‘s friend Teacher gives an example about the conversation form about Nga‘s excursion before whole class The students

can change their roles and make another answers Then the teacher comments students‘

conversation

74/ 28 Unit 12:

Music

Crossword - Stage: Pre-speaking

- Aim: Provide students with some

cue nouns to show some names of types of music

- Class management: Group work

- Material: Handouts

- Procedure: Teacher delivers

handouts to the students

Teacher asks the students to work in groups of 5 to find out 5 words hidden in this square The words are horizontal and

vertical

79/29 Unit 13:

Films and Cinema

Guessing games

- Stage: Post- speaking

- Aim: Improve knowledge about types of films

- Class management: Team work

- Time: 8- 10 minutes

- Procedure: The teacher divides the

class into 2 teams Team A will choose a type of film to describe

The students in team B listen carefully and find out type of film which team A is describing If the described type of film is found out

within three first words, team B will receive 10 points, within 4 to 5 words, team B will get 5 points However, Team B only receives 2 points if they find out the described film only when they listen over 5 words Team A and B will change their roles when a description finishes In the end, the team who

gains more points is the winner

2.4 Data collection instruments

In order to get information to fulfill the aims of the study, the main instruments for data collection in this study including survey questionnaires, classroom observation and interview

2.4.1 Survey questionnaires

In this study, two survey questionnaires were conducted because of its convenience and the limitation of scope of this study Survey questionnaires allowed collecting a large amount data in a relatively short time The survey questionnaires consist of the two parts: The first part was pre-task survey questionnaire The second one was post-task questionnaire The two survey questionnaires were designed with close and open- ended questions used for nearly 90 the 10th grade students at Le Hoan high school The data of the survey questionnaires will be discussed according to this target population

2.4.2 Classroom observation

The researcher used classroom observation checklist to have an overview of teaching and learning English speaking at Le Hoan high school, including:

- The atmosphere of classroom during English speaking lesson

- The activities teachers usually use to teach English speaking for students

- The understanding level of students of the lesson

- The interest level of students towards the lesson

- The interaction level between teacher and students in the lesson

2.4.3 Interview

Interview was used to know the effectiveness of the actions In this research, the researcher interviewed the English teacher and the students about comprehensive information related to the teaching and learning speaking process through language games In this case, the data gathering activity was for knowing about the students‘ feeling during the class activity

2.5 Summary

In this chapter, the author presents four main parts which are the context of the study, methods and procedures of game application in speaking lessons In the context of the study, there are an overview of the research site, the English textbook of grade 10 and description of the students and the English teachers at Le Hoan high school Next, the methods include participants and data collection The last is procedures of game application in stages of speaking lessons such as pre- speaking, while- speaking and post- speaking It is the achievements of the survey questionnaire, classroom observation and interview that enable the author to draw out some important findings and discussions which will be discussed more clearly in the next chapter