IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH GAMES FOR 11th GRADE STUDENTS AT YEN PHONG n0 2 HIGH SCHOOL

35 Table 4.5: Students’ attitude towards necessity and importance of using games in teaching English speaking skills?. Based on the fact, the classroom teacherand the writer would like t

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

NGUYEN THI SAC

IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS

AT YEN PHONG N0.2 HIGH SCHOOL

(Cải thiện kĩ năng nói Tiếng Anh thông qua các trò chơi cho học sinh khối 11

tại trường THPT Yên Phong số 2)

M.A THESIS

Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2020

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

NGUYEN THI SAC

IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS

AT YEN PHONG N0.2 HIGH SCHOOL

(Cải thiện kĩ năng nói Tiếng Anh thông qua các trò chơi cho học sinh khối

11 tại trường THPT Yên Phong số 2)

M.A THESIS (APPLICATION ORIENTATION)

Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201

Supervisor: Assoc Prof PhD Hoang Tuyet Minh

I, the undersigned, declare that this thesis is the result of my ownresearch for the Degree of Master at Thai Nguyen University and thatthis thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university

or tertiary institution

Thai Nguyen, 2020 Student

Nguyễn Thị Sắc

First of all, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor,

Ms Hoang Tuyet Minh for her wholehearted assistance Without her advice,comments, and corrections, it would have been impossible for me to fulfill thethesis

Besides, students at Yen Phong No.2 high school are people to whom I want

to send my grateful thanks

Last but not least, I am willing to show my deepest thanks to my family andfriends who encouraged and supported me a lot

One of the most challenging tasks facing any language teachers is to capturestudents’ interest, and therefore, keep them in high learning spirit Meanwhile,English speaking skills are a hard skill which can sometimes be frustratingespecially students To realize this situation, the teachers are supposed to find outteaching ways corresponsive to students’ needs and wants The study, in that light,lays a focus on students’ improvement in English speaking skills through games.The study was conducted in the form of an action research with the research toolsbeing observational note, pre-test, post-test 1, post-test 2 and survey questionnaire

to collect data Then the data from observational note and tests were exploited tofind out the improvement in students’ English speaking skills And the data fromsurvey questionnaire was used to find out students’ attitude when using games inspeaking lessons Through the results of the teacher’s observation, the pre-test, post-test 1 and post-test 2, it can be concluded that games could help improve students’English speaking skills The results collected from the questionnaires showed thatmost of the students expressed their positive attitudes towards the games carried out

in teaching English speaking skills

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale for the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study 2

1.3 Research question 2

1.4 Scope of the study 2

1.5 Design of the thesis 3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 The Nature of Speaking 4

2.1.1 The Definitions of Speaking 4

2.1.2 The place of speaking among the four language skills 5

2.2 Games 6

2.2.1 Definition of games 6

2.2.2 Role of games to improve the student’s speaking skills 7

2.2.3 Benefits of using games 8

2.2.4 The importance of games 9

2.2.5 Kinds of games in language teaching and learning 10

2.2.6 How to play games 12

2.2.7 The Relationship between Games and Speaking skills 13

2.2.8 Using Games in the Speaking Class 14

2.3 Review of previous studies 16

2.4 Summary 17

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19

3.1 The setting of the study 19

3.2 Participants 19

3.3 The Method of the Research 19

3.4 The Procedure of Action Research 21

3.4.1 Identifying problems 21

3.4.2 Planning the action 22

3.4.3 Implementing the action 22

3.4.4 Observing the action 23

3.4.5 Reflecting 23

3.5 Data collection instruments 23

3.5.1 Observation 23

3.5.2 Pre-test and post-test 24

3.5.3 Questionnaire 25

3.6 Data collection procedures 26

3.6.1 Teacher’s diary 26

3.6.2 Pre-test and Post-test 26

3.6.3 Questionnaires 26

3.7 Data analysis procedures 27

3.8 Summary 28

CHAPTER 4: RESUTLS AND DISCUSSION 29

4.1 Research question 1: To what extents do games improve students’ speaking skill? 29

4.1.1 The Result of Post Observational Note 29

4.1.2 The Result of pre-test and post-test 29

4.2 Research question 2: What are learners’ attitude when using games in speaking lesson? 32

4.3 Summary 37

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 38

5.1 Conclusion 38

5.2 Implications and suggestions for teaching and learning English 39

5.2.1 Implications 39

5.2.2 Suggestions for teaching and learning English 40

5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further study 41

5.3.1 Limitations of the study 41

5.3.2 Suggestions for further studies 41

REFERENCES 43

APPENDICES 46

APPENDIX 1 46

APPENDIX 2: SCORES 49

APPENDIX 3: STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE 55

APPENDIX 4 57

APPENDIX 5: GAMES APPLIED IN THE PROCESS 59

LESSON PLANS OF TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL 59

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 4.1: The students’ responses to the question 33

Table 4.2: Students’ responses to the question 33

Table 4.3: Factors interfere in the students’ speaking skill when the class was taking place 34 Table 4.4: Learners’ attitude when the teacher use games in teaching speaking lesson? 35 Table 4.5: Students’ attitude towards necessity and importance of using games in teaching English speaking skills? 35 Table 4.6: Students ‘ activeness while playing games 36

Figure 3.1: Dialectic Action Research Spiral 20

Figure 3.2: Simple Action Research Model 55 (from MacIsaac, 1995: p53) 21

Figure 4.1: The Improvement of Speaking Skill’s score 31

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale for the study

Speaking is one of the basic language skills that have to be mastered byEnglish foreign learners due to its significant and its use for communication It isvery important to be able to speak English regarding that it is the most commonlyaccepted language in the world so that it will be very beneficial for those whocomprehend it not only to improve their knowledge and skills but also easier forthem to get a job More than that, they will not find it difficult to communicate andinteract with people around the world when they travel (Gard & Gautam, 2015)

From the observation and teaching process done by the researcher with the

11th grade students at Yen Phong No.2 high school, lack of students’ speakingproficiency is the problem Their vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are lowwhich make them unable to say something during the speaking class Related to thecompetence of the students speaking skills, there are some indicators which showthat they do not speak accurately

First, in language teaching class, they rarely answer the question given by theteacher orally Second, they also speak with a lot of pauses Third, they getdifficulties to find the appropriate words to create sentence or expression Fourth,dealing with the vocabulary mastery, for instance when the teacher asks the

meaning of seldom, never, several of them cannot answer them Fifth, in

grammatical item when the teacher explains recount text, she asks the past form of

the words bring, and think, the students do not understand Another difficulty is

found in speaking material The teacher has to translate all the sentences first beforeexplaining what kind of expression it is

Other indicators are shown in the classroom atmosphere During the teachinglearning process, the students are not enthusiastic and interested in joining teachingactivities Only a few students have great willingness to speak up voluntarily They

do not enjoy the lesson When all the students speak together, it gets too noisy and

they just end up chatting in their own language Moreover, when the time ofteaching and learning conducted after break time, they look tired and show lowmotivation to follow the teaching and learning process If there is a dialogue, theteacher asks them to complete it and read it in front of the class This techniquecannot enhance their speaking proficiency Based on the fact, the classroom teacherand the writer would like to improve English speaking skills by using games.

There are several reasons why they can improve the students’ speaking skills.First, they help the teacher to create context in which the language is useful andmeaningful (Wright, 1997: ii) Second, enjoyment of games is not restricted by age

It is generally accepted that young learners and adult are very willing to play games.According to Chen (2000), games make the learners more willing to ask questionsand think creatively about how to use English to achieve the goal

The reasons mentioned above lead me to my choice of the research title:

“Improving English speaking skills through games for 11 th grade students at Yen Phong No.2 high school”

1.2 Aims of the study

This study aims at helping the 11th grade students improve their speakingskills through language activities and get the basic knowledge of speaking skillswith higher requirements for the next graders To realize the above aim, this studyelaborates on:

- Identifying whether games can improve students’ speaking skills

- Exploring 11th grade students’ attitude towards the teacher’s use of games

in speaking lesson

1.3 Research question

The research is conducted to address the following questions:

1 To what extents do games improve students’ speaking skill?

2 What are learners’ attitude when using games in speaking lesson?

1.4 Scope of the study

There are so many different material resources and researchers that require alot of time and effect while my personal experience is limited Therefore, this study

can only focus on study games in studying English speaking skills for the 11th gradestudents at Yen Phong No.2 high school In the process of teaching, taking lessons,learning experiences, and studying book materials, I have noticed many types of gamesthat can fit into each specific lesson in English textbooks English 11 Since then, I havebravely composed some warm - up and after - speaking sessions with popular gamessuch as question and answer game, matching game, word game, guessing andspeculating game Through the implementation process, it can be clearly seen theatmosphere was much more lively, students were ready to take a new lesson in the newenvironment - the English environment I hope that this study is a good referencematerial for all students who wish to get higher speaking skills.

The number of students involved 11th grade students, especially the students

of class 11A2 It involves one class, consisting of thirty- four students; sixteen girlsand eighteen boys

1.5 Design of the thesis

This thesis is divided into five chapter The following is short descriptionabout what each chapter contains

Chapter 1 – presents the rationales for the study, the aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope of the study and the design of the study.

Chapter 2 – provides the theoretical background of the study, including the nature of speaking, games Besides, review of previous studies are also stated.

Chapter 3 – demonstrates the research methods applied in the study with details on how and why these methods were implemented in the research Besides,

this chapter presents the data collected and analyzed from teacher’s dairy,questionnaire as well as from the pre – tests and post – tests

Chapter 4 – demonstrates the results and discussion of the study, which answer the two research questions.

Chapter 5 – summarizes the main issues covered in the paper It presents the

summary of major findings, the implications, limitations as well as suggestions forfurther studies

References and Appendices are presented in the last part of the thesis

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Nature of Speaking

2.1.1 The Definitions of Speaking

Speaking is a kind of bridge for learners between classroom and the worldoutside (Hadfield, 1999:7) It is vehicle par excellence of social solidarity, of socialranking, of professional advancement and business It is also a medium throughwhich much language is learnt…, (Bygate, 1997: vii) To know the languagelearners can speak, it is necessary to get them to actually, say something To do thisthey must act on knowledge of grammar and vocabulary The application of thisknowledge can be realized by speaking practice

Besides, New Webster Dictionary (1994: 932) states that speaking is an act

to express idea, feelings, and thought orally It is also called oral communication.According to Syakur (1987: 5), speaking is a complex skill because at least it isconcerned with components of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency.Speaking is an act that is done naturally by people in their life Sometimes theyshare their problem to someone they believe in They have a freedom to expresswhat they want to say

Language is a tool which is used to communicate with other One of the ways isspeaking Speaking here means individual’s ability in expressing the idea According toOxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, speaking is making use of words, knowing andbeing able to use language: expressing oneself in word, making speech, while is theability to do something well Therefore, the writer can infer that speaking proficiency isthe ability to perform linguistic knowledge in actual communication The ability toexpress our idea, feeling, thought and need orally

As speaking is to communicate, it generally becomes main goal of learning inlanguage People learning the language certainly wants to speak it It means when someonewants to master a certain language being learned, the first language skill he wants toacquire is speaking, because it will make them able to practice it with other people

2.1.2 The place of speaking among the four language skills

The aims of language teaching courses are commonly defined in relation to thefour language skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing Depending on thelanguage user’s activity, Widdowson (1978:57) groups them into receptive andproductive ones Reading and listening belong to receptive skills, whereas speaking andwriting are classified as productive skills Speaking and writing are called productiveskills because they involve language production Nevertheless, Penny Ur in her book

titled “A course in language teaching”, indicates:(…) of all the four skills (listening,

speaking, reading and writing), speaking seems intuitively the most important: peoplewho know a language are referred to as “speakers” of that language, as if speakingincluded all other kinds of knowing; and many if not most foreign languages learnersare primarily interested in learning to speak (Ur 1996:120)

The author emphasizes the importance of speaking and also the fact that itinvolves quite a vast knowledge of different language aspects, ergo, speaking may beperceived as a complicated process Furthermore, speaking seems to be one of the mostdifficult skills students may possess since it requires first and foremost a great deal ofpractice and also exposure Nowadays, many people identify fluency in speaking withthe most desirable ability in their target language, for being able to talk smoothly with anative speaker very often proves the actual linguistic level Teaching the otherproductive skill, namely writing, tends to be called the process approach because focus

is on what writers do and not on what is being produced “Those teachers who advocatethe process approach pay attention to various stages that any piece of writing goesthrough (Harmer: 2001: 257)” The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skilland hence must be exercised; additionally, writing involves composing letters, essays,etc in relevance to the sets of given rules

In sharp contrast to productive skills, listening and reading are the ways inwhich people extract meaning from what they hear or see Learners do not need toproduce language on their own; rather, they receive and understand it Indeed,Widdowson (1978: 57) also names receptive skills as passive skills, whilst writing

and speaking are called active skills People process various messages from themedia, such as radio, television and then activate listening comprehension invarious communicative situations According to Dakowska (2005: 212) “listening isinvolved in all areas of our life, both public and personal.” Taking part in aconversation requires not only the ability to talk in the target language but alsocautious listening to a partner Similarly, reading results in understanding when aninteractive process goes between a reader and a text.

Interestingly, not only can these four skills be divided in terms of producing andreceiving information, but, as shown in the paragraph above, the skills may also beclassified according to the medium of communication “Speaking and listening are said

to relate to language expressed through the aural medium and reading and writing aresaid to relate to language expressed through the visual medium” (Widdowson 1978:57) In other words, speaking and listening are held when sounds are being produced,whereas the other two skills are concerned with visual perception In this case, it is theway of communicating information that is emphasized

2.2 Games

2.2.1 Definition of games

Many different definitions of games have been made so far

According to Jill Hadfield (1996: 4) a game is an activity with rules, a goaland an element of fun He also said that there are two kinds of games: competitivegames and co–operative games A competitive game is games in which the player

or teams race to be the first to reach the goal And co – operative games are games

in which players or teams work together towards a common goal

Chen (2005) also said in his journal that the benefits of using games inlanguage learning are promote communicative competence, create a meaningfulcontext for language use, increase learning motivation, reduce learning anxiety,encourage creative and spontaneous use of language And construct a cooperativelearning environment

In teaching and learning activities, there are many activities to develop

speaking skill One of them is games Games have a purpose beyond the production

of correct speech, serves as a good communicative activity The aim of all languagegames for students is to use the language However, during the game play learnersalso use the target language to persuade and negotiate their way to desire the result

Games offer students a fun and relaxing learning atmosphere When studentsjoin in games, anxiety is reduced and speech fluency is generated, socommunicative competence is achieved

Games activities are an excellent way of motivating learners to speak Gamesintroduces of competition into language-building activities In other words, gamescreate a meaningful context for language use The competitive atmosphere alsomakes learners concentrate and think intensively during the learning process

Language learning should be enjoyable Games help make it so Thestudents acquire a great deal of language by concentrating and listening intensively,but unconsciously Much of our mother tongue competence is gained through usinglanguage in play

2.2.2 Role of games to improve the student’s speaking skills

Some people think that games are often considered as an end of term activity

or something to fill in last five minutes of a lesson However, games are not justtime – filling activities but have a great educational value In fact, they arebecoming an indispensable activity in language syllabus because they play vitalroles in speaking teaching and learning

According to Richard-Amato (1996: 10), even though games are oftenassociated with fun, we should not lose sight of their pedagogical values,particularly in foreign language teaching and learning Games are effective as theycreate motivation, lower students’ stress, and give language learners the opportunityfor real communication Hansen (1994:118) also agreed that games are highlymotivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity toexpress their opinions and feelings

Wright, Betteridge, and Bucky (1983: 1) point out that, “Games help and

encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.” Clearly, games canprovide powerful and meaningful practice of language Moreover, games can befound to give practice in all skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking), in allstages of the teaching and learning and for many types of communication.

Certainly, games can be related to language learning Language games canadd fun and variety to conversation sessions if the participants are fond of games Inaddition, games are especially refreshing after grammar activities Also a game is awonderful activity to break the routine of classroom drills by providing relaxationwhile remaining within the framework of language learning A game can in fact bestimulating and entertaining In the same way, according to this, Byrne (1984, p 99)stated “the maximum benefit can be obtained from language games if they form anintegral part of a program, at both the practice and production stages of learning.Used in this way, they provide new and interesting contexts for practicing languagealready learnt –and often for acquiring new language in the process”

One of the purposes is to introduce an element of competition in the Englishclass But we agree with Byrne (1984, p 99) when he stated, “We do not wish thestudents to become excessively competitive, but we want to recognize that thecompetition provides a valuable force to a purposeful use of language” This isbecause we are looking for students to develop their speaking skills by avoiding afrustrating situation in the classroom

In summary, games are useful and effective tools that should be applied inspeaking lesson

2.2.3 Benefits of using games

There are many benefits of using games in the classroom According to Kim(1995, p 1), suggests some benefits:

• Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class

• They are motivating and challenging

• Learning a language requires a great deal of effort Games help students tomake and sustain the effort of learning

• Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing, listening and reading.

• They encourage students to interact and communicate

• They create a meaningful context for the language user

• They increase the student’s proficiency (Deesri, 2002, p 3)

• Games help and encourage many students or learners to sustain theirinterest and work on learning a language; also they can be found to give practice inall the skills, in all the stages of the teaching learning sequence and for many types

of communication (Wright et al, 1984, p 1-2)

• Games can help teachers to create contexts in which language is useful and meaningful (Wright et al, 1984, p 1-2)

2.2.4 The importance of games

Games play a great importance in learning a foreign language They canmake students to be good communicator, games as motivator; also they can increasestudent’s proficiency in learning foreign language

- Games and communication

The teacher uses games in the classroom not only for making students enjoy

or to spend their time, but for helping them to know how to communicate withothers as Hadfield (1984) states that “games provide an opportunity for realcommunication” (p 4) As well as students need opportunities to practice Englishand communicate well in the classroom Hedge (2000) confirm that “students needplenty of opportunity to practice the language in situations which encourage them tocommunicate their needs, ideas and opinions” (p 44- 45) When teachers applygames in the classroom, they should concentrate on the communication rather than

on the correctness of the language Hadfield (1984) supports that “the emphasis inthe games is on successful communication rather than on the correctness of thelanguage” (p 4)

Simply, using games in the classroom can help students improve theircommunication and speak freely in the classroom

- Games as motivator

Motivation in learning a foreign language is useful and important because ithelps students to have a good communication According to Harmer (2001, p 51)motivation as “some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things inorder to achieve something” This means motivation encourages students to act andparticipate in the classroom

- Games increase students' proficiency

Using games in the classroom gives students the opportunity to acquire thelanguage and communicate well Moreover, games make students good in thevocabulary also they help them to reduce their grammatical mistakes As Deesri(2003) confirm that “using games in the classroom gives students the ability topractice the language because they are given situations and have the chance to usereal communication Also, students drill and practice grammatical rules and otherfunctions” (p 3) The Teachers should use the games in the classroom in order toincrease the competency of their students

2.2.5 Kinds of games in language teaching and learning

Different writers have different classification of games Lee (2000, p.65)classifies games into ten kinds: structure games, vocabulary games, spelling games,pronunciation games, number games, listen-and-do games, read-and-do games,games and writing, miming and role-play, and discussion game However,McCallum (1980, p 74) categorizes games for language learning into seven kinds:vocabulary games, number games, structure games, spelling games, conversationgames, writing games, and role-play and dramatics From these two writers’division, we have five main kinds of games: vocabulary games, structure games,writing games, reading games, and games for developing speaking and listeningskills Each kind of game focuses on a language component or a skill, so whenchoosing games, one of the factors that teachers have to consider is the aim of thelesson As mentioned above, the language games chosen in this study must serve thepurpose of improving English speaking skills

Therefore, the researcher chose the following classification of games provided byWright, Betteridge & Buckby (1984):

 Picture Games: Most of these games involve the learners in the relative free

use of all language at their command They involve comparing andcontrasting pictures, considering differences or similarities and possiblerelations between pictures

 Psychology Games: These games let us work with the human mind and sense.

They involve telepathy, visual perception, characters, imagination andmemory They also encourage the students' concentration and language use

 Magic Tricks: Language can sometimes be exemplified in a concise and

memorable way through a magic trick These tricks always attract attentionand invite comments

 Sound Games: Sound effects can create in the listeners an impression of

people, places and actions There is a demand for the listeners to contributethrough imagination This inevitably leads to individual interpretations andinteractions as well as the need to exchange points of view and to expressideas and opinions

 Card and Board Games: These games can be adaptations of several

well-known card games and board games like snakes and ladders

 Word Games: These games are used for spelling, meanings, using words for

making sentences, words in contexts and word for categorizing according togrammatical use Students, in many cases, have to communicate in fullsentences, give new ideas and argue at the same length

 True-false Games: In these games someone makes a statement which is

either true or false The game is to decide which it is

 Memory Games: These games measure the players' ability to remember

different events which, in turn, leads to discussion, in which opinions andinformation are exchanged

 Caring and Sharing Games: These games pretend to encourage students to

trust and get interested in others They have the participants share personal feelings and experiences with other class member.

 Guessing and Speculating Games: In these games someone knows

something and the others must find out what it is There are many gamesand variations based on this simple idea

 Story Games: These games provide a framework for learners to speak as

well as write stories and share them with classmates

In this study, below kinds of games were used in speaking lessons becausethe researcher thinks these games are useful in order to encourage the students’participation, and develop the students’ speaking skills taking into account thegames’ characteristics and learners’ attitude when engaged in games

1 Incomplete definitions game Find someone who…!

3 Memory game Slap the board

4 Guess and speculating game Taboo

5 Caring and sharing Let me know about you

6 Story game Retell a story

It is clear that the classifications of games depend on each type of games whichconcentrates on a language item or a skill for the purpose and the content of the lesson.Using different games to learn grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation can facilitatestudents to study English successfully, because learning through fun make the studentshighly motivated to speak and participate in the classroom Thus, it is very necessaryfor teachers to choose the most appropriate game for each lesson so that these gamescan bring a large number of benefits to both students and teachers

2.2.6 How to play games

We know that each game suggests which form of class organization isappropriate Grouping pair and group work are very important if each learner is to

have sufficient oral practice in the use of the language Wright (1997:5) said thethere are many ways to play games, namely:

a Pair work

This is fast and easy to organize; it provides opportunities for intensivelistening and speaking practice Pair work is better than group work if there arediscipline problems Indeed, for all the reasons we often prefer to organize games inpair or general class work

b Group work

Some games require four or six players, in these cases group work isessential Membership of groups should be constant for the sake of goodwill andefficiency Many teachers consider it advisable to have a group leader However,there is much to be said for encouraging a reticent learner by giving theresponsibility to him or her The leader’s role is to ensure that game or activity isproperly organized and to act intermediate between learners and teachers

2.2.7 The Relationship between Games and Speaking skills

Based on the previous underlying theory, the writer assumes that usinggames can improve junior high school students’ speaking skills There are severalreasons why games can improve students’ speaking proficiency Firstly, as we haveseen games can be used to improve the learner’s command of particular items oflanguage: sound, vocabulary, spelling, and grammatical function

According to Byrne (1997:100) games, especially traditional language gamesare effective because the learners are so involved in playing game that they do notrealize that they are practicing language items or functions

Secondly, games are also kinds of activities that encourage learners to speak

In classes, shyness and lack of willingness to speak English in front of peers is avery common problem One way to deal with this is to get learners to talk about theproblem and agree on a solution Games also can be used to provide the learnerswith opportunities to use language rather than simply practice it These gamesconcern in fluency By using games, the learners have the opportunity to express

their ideas, feelings, and thought orally By using games, it encourages students tointeracts and communicate, as the writer said the goal of teaching speaking iscommunicative efficiency Learners should be able to make themselves understood,using their current proficiency to the fullest They also should observe the socialand cultural rules that apply in each communication situations.

2.2.8 Using Games in the Speaking Class

Teaching speaking is hard work, especially in teenagers’ class Thepersonalities of students play a large role in determining how quickly and correctlythey will accomplish the goal Teenagers often do not comfortable using English inthe classroom, because they feel self-conscious doing so Teenagers are verysensitive, they feel silly speaking a language in which they know they are makingmistake, speaking English is difficult, it is not fun

Nevertheless, learning language should be enjoyable Every opportunity forspeaking in the classroom should be taken, it is by trying to communicate thatstudents realize their need for language and by speaking they increase their fluencyand opportunity One of the ways to accomplish the goal is by using games Gower(1995:110) said that Games are particularly useful with younger learners but aregenerally popular with students of all ages, especially if they appreciate how theycan help them improve their English

Angkana Deesri states that competition in games can stimulate andencourage students to participate in the activity since naturally they want to beat theother teams

Games are including in creative or freer communication Some games ratherthan being amusing, encourage students to use their knowledge of the world aroundthem rather than linguistic knowledge, which brings the world into our classroom.The description is based on Gower says:

“The students are given the opportunity to experiments, to see how far they cancommunicate in situations where all the choices of language used are made by thepeople speaking; to practice the fluent use of language they know In general, these

activities both increase the students’ motivation, since the students talk for themselves,and help bridge the gap between rather artificial world of the classroom, with itscontrolled language practice, and the real world outside” (Gower, 1995:101).

One of ways to practice speaking in class is using pair work task and group workactivities Related to games, they are included in group activities Cross (1991:54) said thatsimple guessing games can be played in group He also said that easy ones to use are who I

am thinking of? What’s my profession? And Guess what I did?

2.2.8.1 Teacher’s role when implementing games

Previous studies have demonstrated that the implementation of games inlanguage classes bring many learning advantages to the students In order to obtainthe benefits that the implementation of games can offer, there should be idealconditions for the learners to use the language actively when performing game-activities In agreement with Greenall (1984) classes with games allow students topractice what they have acquired, while feeling safe with the atmosphere of games,which means students can act more spontaneously when performing those activities

2.2.8.2 Feedback in speaking class

Giving feedback is one of the most important responsibilities of the teacher

By giving feedback the teacher can help the students evaluate their success andprogress According to Gower (1995:163) forms of feedback are giving praise andencouragement; correcting; setting regular test; having discussion about how thegroup as whole is doing; giving individual tutorials

When giving feedback on oral or written work, always be on the lookout forpositive points to comment upon For example:

a successful communication – where students have expressed themselvesclearly (and been understood by others)

b accurate use of grammar points recently learned

c use of new vocabulary, appropriate expressions

d good pronunciation

e good use of fluency strategies in conversation

The way giving feedback in speaking class especially pairs or group work ismonitor by moving round the class and listening to the students, make a note oferrors, and then give correctness after the activity.

From the explanation above, it can be concluded that feedback is necessary

in teaching speaking class Feedback shows the students’ mistake and together withthe teacher, the students evaluate their mistake Feedback also gives students achance to analyze their success and progress

2.2.8.3 How to use games in teaching English speaking skills?

Using games when teaching speaking skill to students require trainedteachers in playing and mastering the linguistic part of the language Rixon (1981)stated that understanding games will support teachers in finding and creating gamesthat make their learners learn while they play

Halliwell (1992) stated that teachers have to provide students with acommunicative atmosphere so that they could express themselves Besides, becauseusing language in any activity is unpredictable, teachers have to encourage them toactively construct language for themselves That is the reason why games are vitaland useful They both are fun and create the wish to interact with each other andcreate predictability

Another noticeable thing is that not all games fit the classroom environment,

or all groups of students In fact, it is good for teachers to keep in mind whenselecting a game that a recipe for a good educational game is one that balances bothfun and challenge (Steve Sugar.1998 p xvi)

It can be seen that in order to gain the most from games, it is important thatsuitable games are chosen Whenever a game is to be organized, the factors such as thenumber of students, proficiency level, cultural context, should be taken into account

2.3 Review of previous studies

There are certain studies conducted in various classrooms that can help usbetter explain our interest in games

In her study about interacting in English through games, Ariza (2001)

conducted a project with second grade students in order to encourage oral participation

in English through the use of games This project intended to help shy and slowstudents improve their oral production Through the implementation of this project shecould conclude that role plays and dramatizations are good activities for developingspeaking in a fun and interesting way because these help students to use the language incommunicative situations that are related to their lives In her study, “Growing self-esteem and discovering intelligences though oral production,” Ochoa (2002) noticedthat there was a big lack of security and self-confidence in her students They expressedvia different data-gathering instruments their fear when speaking in front of the class

At the end of the project, Ochoa concluded that self-confidence is a factor that reallyinfluences the way students learn and perform their activities inside the classroom Theexperiences students live inside the schools have to be meaningful for their lives Thecreation of a good atmosphere inside the classroom is important for getting participants

to develop a communicative competence

Mora & Lopera (2001), in their project called “Games in the classroom:more than just having fun”, stress that game and fun activities have always been one

of everybody’s favorite things to do in class, both for teachers and students sincegames can contribute to the development of a series of skills and competencies.They think that games in a classroom are useful and even necessary Gamespromote socialization, group work, and the creation of values; it implies mutualrespect and cooperation

After reviewing the previous studies, it can be seen that most of theresearchers spend time researching the role of games in teaching speaking skills

In fact, what I intended to do in my thesis was to use games as the best way

to motivate students’ speaking production by following a systematic process inwhich I could observe the learners oral progress during the title application

2.4 Summary

Games encourage the students to active in the classroom, entertain them,teach the language naturally, and promote fluency They should be used because

they help students see the beauty in a foreign language and not just problems of theforeign language itself Many advantages of games can overcome the speakingproblems The competition of games gives students a natural opportunity to worktogether and communicate using English with each other Furthermore, byintegrating playing and learning, they practice the learned linguistic knowledge in ameaningful context Based on the background above, the writer chooses teachingspeaking by using games.

In conclusion, games are a technique which can develops students fluency intarget language, promotes students to speak or interact with others in the classroom,increases motivation and makes the teaching learning process more enjoyable

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the research questions are raised again The information about the setting of the study, participants, research types, data collection instruments, data collection procedures, data analysis methods will be described in details.

3.1 The setting of the study

The study was conducted at Yen Phong No.2 high school located in YenTrung commune, Yen Phong district, Bac Ninh province The school is spaciouswith four floors and thirty classes Each class has at least twenty–five students Allclasses are equipped with projectors and intelligent boards

In terms of teachers, there are eight teachers of English They are graduated from University, most of them are masters They teach 18 lessons per week Each lesson lasts 40 minutes Teachers are active to choose their own teaching methods

as long as they find students satisfied with their teaching and make progress

Concerning about students, they are at A1 or A2 level

3.2 Participants

This study focuses on 11th grade students at Yen Phong No.2 high school.The sample group was composed of thirty-four 11th grade students in total with theproportion of 47% (16) female and 53% (18) male, from Yen Phong No.2 HighSchool All of the participants completed 8 years of mandatory English education(from grade 3 to grade 10) According to the syllabus, they have three periods ofEnglish each week In English lessons, most of students are not interested inlearning English speaking skills Most of them find it a boring and difficult activityand do not want to spend time on it This is the reason why the author wishes tocarry out this action research with the hope to change the present situation

3.3 The Method of the Research

The method used in this research is classroom action research There arevarious definitions of action research stated by some experts

Nunan (1992) states that action research is a form of self – reflective inquiry

carried out by practitioners Action research aim at solving problems, improvingpractice, or enhancing understanding He also suggests action research procedurewhich includes seven steps: Initiation, Preliminary investigation, Hypotheses,Intervention, Evaluation, Dissemination and Follow-up.

Mills (2000, p.6) states that action research is any systematic inquiryconducted by teachers, principals, school counselors, or other stake holders inteaching or learning environment to gather information on how their particularschools operate, how they teach, and how well their students learn He haspresented a four-step action research process which he terms “dialectic actionresearch spiral” which is shown in figure 1

Figure 3.1: Dialectic Action Research Spiral.

This model was described by Mills as teachers did research with the purpose

of helping both teachers and students He also said this model was dynamic andresponsive one which can be adapted to different contexts and purposes

Meanwhile, Carr and Kemmis in Burns (1999, p.30) state that actionresearch is simply a form of self-reflection which was undertaken by participants insocial situation in order to improve their own practices

Similarly, according to the model of Kemmis and Mc Taggart in Burns(1999, p.32), the implementation of the classroom action research includes foursteps: identifying problems and planning the action; implementing the action;observing the action; and reflecting the result of the observation

MacIsaac (1995) developed a simple model of the cyclical nature of thetypical action research process (Figure 2) There are two cycles and each cycle hasfour steps: plan, action, observe and reflect.

Figure 3.2: Simple Action Research Model 55 (from MacIsaac, 1995: p53)

In this study, the researcher would adopt the action research model byKemmis and Mc Taggart in Burns (1999, p.32) because the researcher recognizedthat this model would be fine and practical

3.4 The Procedure of Action Research

In this study, the research followed the action research procedures suggested

by Kemmis and Mc Taggart in Burns (1999, p.32) which included four steps:identifying problems and planning the action; implementing the action; observingthe action; and reflecting the result of the observation

3.4.1 Identifying problems

Based on the observation and experience from teaching English at Yen Phong

No.2 high school as well as discussions with the learners and the colleagues, theresearcher found out that one of learners’ biggest problems is English speaking skills.

3.4.2 Planning the action

As stated above, English speaking skills was mainly focused on in this term,

so games were used with the purpose of improving 11th grade students’ Englishspeaking skills Games were used for starting the lesson, checking speaking andpracticing speaking This plan was shown in detail on the basic of the course anddemonstrated Based on the purpose of each game in each lesson the researcherplanned to choose suitable game in order for the students to get the most benefits

3.4.3 Implementing the action

Firstly, the researcher grouped the students The researcher asked thestudents to count on and two in a sequence manner and the students with the samenumber would gather in the same group Next, the students could be asked tochoose name for their group to be written on the white board to record their scores

In case of there was an uneven number of the student, for example, five students,one group would have three students and the others have two Group techniques ofthis kind would help to create a cooperative and competitive atmosphere among themembers of the groups

Secondly, it was important to explain the game to students in order toachieve the desired outcome and fulfill the goal behind its implementation Whenimplementing games the researcher gave the clear explanations and instructionsabout games so that the students could understand how to play and practice Englishspeaking skills This was considered to be an integral part because if the researcherdid not explain the rules and instructions of the game, choosing games as a methodwould be a waste of class time There would be outcomes if the students did notknow what to do and they would be bored very fast

Thirdly, the researcher monitored while the students were taking part in thegame The researcher observed and write down information about the students such

as how actively the students join the games, the number of the students playing thegames as well as the number of the students who do not play the games

3.4.4 Observing the action

In order to increase the validity and the reliability, the researcher asked thestudents to do the post-test as well as questionnaire The post-test was given to thestudents to check improve English speaking skills after games were used to teach inspeaking lesson The questionnaires were also given to students in order to explorestudents’ attitude when games were used in lessons

3.4.5 Reflecting

In order to access the learning English speaking skills, the researcher usedtests, questionnaire to see how the games affect the improving English speakingskills of students The tests proved that games led the high scores of the studentswhen the games were used or not The questionnaire provided the researcher withthe learners’ attitude toward English speaking skills

Using games to teach English speaking skills, the research could recognizesome positive things as well as negatives things When the students were tired, gameswere considered to be good tool to motivate them The students took part in the gamesexcitedly and actively However, there still existed the negative thing when the gameswere used in the lesson When the students played the games, it would take time, so ifthe teacher did not control the time, there would not be enough time To promote theeffectiveness of the games, the teachers should pay attention to how to choose thegame, how to organize the game and how to control the time

3.5 Data collection instruments

In order to increase the validity and reliability of the study, the researcher triangulated the research instruments by observation ; a pre-test, post-test 1, post-test 2 and questionnaires

3.5.1 Observation

Observation is one of the very important methods for obtaining comprehensivedata in qualitative research especially when a composite of both oral and visual databecome vital to the research A writer obviously needs an audio-visual recorder for acomplete collection of such comprehensive record By the use of

observation strategy, researchers are able to obtain firsthand information aboutobjects, and eventful happenings like durbar and festivals The possibility ofdistorting facts and records are reduced to the barest minimum.

From this type of instrument, we can classify observer into two types Thoseare participant observer and non-participant observer In participant observer, theresearcher lives as a member of the subjects of the study while observing andkeeping notes of the attributes of the subject that is being researched so that he candirectly experience, the phenomenon being studied Meanwhile, in non-participantobserver, the researcher does not live as a member of the subjects of the study Theresearcher watches the subjects of his or her study, with their knowledge of hisstatus as a researcher, but without taking an active part in the situation under study

3.5.2 Pre-test and post-test

This technique provides two kinds of test which are pre-test and post-test.Pre-test was conducted before the implementation of the actions and the post-testwas conducted after the implementation of the actions The pre-test and the posttest

were in the form of performance tests (see Appendix 1) They were used to measure

the students’ speaking skills on the topics taught Then the researcher and the ratersassessed the students speaking performances using speaking rubric The data of thepre-test and the post-test were collected in the form of students’ score The result ofthe post-test was calculated and compared with the result of the pre-test

Here it is speaking rubric:

Table 3.1: The Speaking Test Scores

4 Speaks fluidly, few or Speaks clearly, Varied old and Strong grammar

no breaks accurate new vocabulary and very limited

acceptable

3 Speaks mostly fluidly, a Speaks clearly, Varied old Moderately

Score Aspects

few long breaks attempts accurate vocabulary, but strong grammar

pronunciation limited new and several

In this type of data collection, there are two types of questionnaire Those arestructured questionnaire and unstructured questionnaire Structured questionnaire isdescribed as closed form because the questions are basically short, requiring therespondent to provide a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response, or checking an item out of a list ofgiven responses Questions that require yes or no answers are also termed asDichotomous questions It may, also be multiple choice options from which therespondent selects the answer closer to their own opinion The respondent's choices

are limited to the set of options provided Meanwhile unstructured questionnaire istermed as open-ended or unrestricted type of questionnaire calls for a free response

in the respondent's own words The respondent frames and supplies the answer tothe question raised in the questionnaire

In this study, structured questionnaire was used to collect data because the use

of structured questionnaire has a close relationship with quantitative analysis The use

of structured questionnaires in social research was pioneered by Francis Galton and is

Questionnaires were conducted in a simple way to order for the students toget easy to give the answers These seven questions are aimed to investigate

students’ attitude when games were used in speaking skills (see Appendix 3).

3.6 Data collection procedures

3.6.1 Teacher’s diary

During the lessons, the researcher spent time observing The information inthe diary could be ensured to be truthful since the researcher collected it just afterfinishing the activity As a result, the researcher managed to reflect on the gamesused on that day The games were effective or not The students were interested intaking part in the games or not? What are the reasons?

3.6.2 Pre-test and Post-test

The researcher carried out the pre-test on September, 1st 2019 and the test were given after each cycle at 11A2 room at Yen Phong No.2 high school.Thirty-four participants had fifteen minutes to do the test To ensure objectivity,another teacher would be verifier in the students’ tests The tests were constructed

post-by the researcher and had been moderated post-by the professional leader From theresults of the tests, the researcher could see the scores of the pre-test in comparisonwith the scores of the post-test

3.6.3 Questionnaires

Questionnaires were administered to the students from group 11A2 of YenPhong No.2 High School Each respondent was handed a copy of the questionnaire,

and asked to answer all the question items in the questionnaires However, in order

to increase the quality and quantity of participant response, the researcher: (1)announced the questionnaires to all the respondents in advance, sent a printed leaflet

of the study purpose and nature and few sample items, and invited participation, and(2) explained the purpose and the potential significance of the research once again,and the rationale for the sample, assured the confidentiality of their answers, andmonitored questionnaire completion process

3.7 Data analysis procedures

In analyzing the qualitative data, the researcher analyzed the result ofobservation done during the teaching – learning process by using constantcomparative method as suggested by Glasser and Sratus The data analysis process

of constant comparative method includes four steps (1967: 105-113), as follows:

1 Comparing incidents applicable to each category

It is started by coding each incident in the data into as many categories ofanalysis as possible Some categories will be generated, some from the languageand data of the research situation

2 Integrating categories and their properties

The constant comparative units change from comparison of incident withincident to comparison of incidents with properties of the category that resultedfrom initial comparison of incidents Diverse properties will start to becomeintegrated

3 Delimiting theory

Here the theory is delimited and generalized more as continued to makeconstant comparisons against it The number of categories will be reduced Then,the researcher only needs to code enough to fulfill the properties of the categories.The categories were evaluated and the theory are emergent by moving on to newcomparison groups

4 Writing the theory

The researcher possesses coded data, a series of memos, and a theory The

discussion in this memo provides the content behind the categories which becomethe major themes of the theory.

The quantitative data is analyzed by using descriptive statistic It is used toanalyze data from the result of the teaching learning process It is done to comparethe students’ speaking skill before and after the action or the result of pre-test andpost-test The mean of the pre-test and the post-test can be calculated with the formulas as follows:

in which:

x = means of pre-test scores

y = means of post-test scores

N = the number of sample(Sumanto, 1995: 210)

3.8 Summary

Throughout the chapter, the methodology of the study, which is acombination of qualitative and quantitative methods, was fully shown First, theresearch context, the participants and materials were clearly described, and after thatthe reasons for choosing an action research was stated Following with thosesections was the thorough description of data collection instruments Also, thechapter was finally concluded by a full account of the methods and procedure ofdata analysis

CHAPTER 4: RESUTLS AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the data collected from tests and reflections are analyzed and explained in detail to provide the answers to the two research questions Furthermore, the findings of this study will be thoroughly discussed.

4.1 Research question 1: To what extents do games improve students’ speaking skill?

4.1.1 The Result of Post Observational Note

Several things are related to the implementation of games were shown by theobservational notes There might always be strengths and weaknesses Each of themwas always discussed comprehensively by teacher and researcher so that it could bethe material for future evaluation At the end, all these shortcomings could beovercome As an example, at the beginning of the action the teacher still haddifficulty in several things such as time management and class control but then soonafter that he corrected his mistake so that it did not happen again in the next phase

From the students’ side, at first they looked confused, ashamed and afraidwhen they were asked to speak They still had difficulties in expressing their ideas,opinion and thoughts, and they were still hard to pronounce the new vocabulariesand also less motivated to play the games Those problems were discussed andanalyzed then games came as a solution so that problem could be overcome.Therefore, the researcher can barely say that games have given positive impact onteaching learning process

4.1.2 The Result of pre-test and post-test

As mentioned above, the pre-test and post-test were used before and after

intervention (see Appendix 2) in order for the researcher examine whether games

help improve student’s English speaking skills From the results of the pre-test andthe post-test it can be concluded that the results helps answer the first question thatgames help students improve English speaking skills

The mean score of the pre-test and the post-test with four aspects werecomputed according to the following formula: