the use of drama in teaching efl speaking skills to second year efl learners at ho chi minh university of science

In the language teaching and learning milieu, drama is one of teaching techniques which can be conducted in foreign language classroom.. 5 In an attempt to help second year non English-m

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

-

TRUONG THI HUYNH NHU

THE USE OF DRAMA IN TEACHING EFL SPEAKING SKILLS TO SECOND YEAR EFL LEARNERS AT HO

CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School of HCMC Open University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (TESOL)

Ho Chi Minh City – May 2019

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text

of the thesis

This thesis has not been submitted for any degree in any other tertiary institution

Ho Chi Minh City, May 2019

TRUONG THI HUYNH NHU

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RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, Truong Thi Huynh Nhu, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the university relating to the retention and use of Master’s Thesis deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of thesis

Ho Chi Minh City, May 2019

TRUONG THI HUYNH NHU

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to several individuals who make a valuable contribution to the completion of this dissertation Without their great assistance and support, this thesis would not have come into existence

First of all, I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor – Dr Nguyen Hoang Tuan for his precious time and enthusiastic and specific guidance on conducting and writing this dissertation Due to his patience and constant encouragement, I have maintained and nourished

my motivation during the long process to make this thesis possible

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of my lecturers who provided me with invaluable lessons and extensive knowledge that laid the foundation for this work Special thanks are also sent to the academic staff of the Graduate School, HCMC Open University for their unconditional support and timely reminders

I am deeply indebted to my colleagues and students from HCMC University of Science, who willingly helped me with the data collection Additionally, my thankfulness goes to MA Phan Ngo Hoang – the Head of the Department of English Language, who gave me a chance to

do my experiment with the students of the university Also, I never forget each of the students who participated in the study Without their enthusiasm and efforts, this thesis would have never been completed

I am also grateful to Mr Vu Huu Thanh – the lecturer of the Department of Banking, HCMC Open University, who provided TESOL 10 members with practical lessons about quantitative analysis and readily helped us whenever we had questions related to this issue I felt more confident when collecting and analyzing data with statistic knowledge and skills that I learned from him

Finance-Last but not least, my appreciation goes to my family Especially, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my parents and family members for their tacit encouragement during the process of studying and writing this thesis I also want to send many thanks to my parents for their financial support during my studying process

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this present study was to investigate about to what extent EFL students’ speaking skills may be improved through the use of drama Indeed, drama activities are believed to enhance EFL students’ interest in learning English, and as a result, to improve their speaking abilities Additionally, this current study sought to find out the effects of dramatization on students’ attitude towards drama activities in their speaking class

To achieve these goals, the present study employed a quasi-experiment following a pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design The study is undertaken with participations of second year EFL students from the Center of Foreign Languages (CFL) at Ho Chi Minh City University of Science Accordingly, the participants belong to two different groups: Group 1, made up of 30 students, and Group 2, composed of 30 students These two groups were assigned to the researcher to serve as the experimental group and the control group Three measurement instruments were conducted consisting of speaking pre- and post-tests, pre- and post-questionnaires about students’ attitude towards drama activities and semi-structured individual interviews Both groups were tested to evaluate their speaking skills level and the experimental group was given a pre-questionnaire on motivation for learning speaking skills

In continuation, the experimental group followed the learner-centered teaching syllabus based

on drama activities; meanwhile the control group followed the current teaching method

At the end of the experiment, the experimental group was administered a questionnaire to compare their attitude after the intervention and both groups were tested again

post-to measure the development of their speaking skills The quantitative data obtained from these two sources over the period of 5 months (19 weeks) were analyzed using the independent and paired-samples t-tests

The results of the data analysis reveal that the use of drama resulted in more significant improvements in EFL students’ speaking skills than the current teaching method as well as a remarkable increase in their positive attitude towards dramatic activities These improvements started immediately after six-week training of the use of drama and remained continuous after the eight-week practicing in the whole speaking process In addition, the findings of the present study showed that it was possible to enhance EFL students’ attitude positively and maintain a

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rather high level of their speaking abilities by the implementation of the training program enriched with dramatic activities Therefore, it was reasonable to conclude that the use of drama served as a teaching and learning tool brings not only language proficiency but also knowledge of the subject

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

ABSTRACT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF CHARTS xii

LIST OF TABLES xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xv

CHAPTER 1 1

INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background to the Study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 2

1.3 Purposes of the Study 4

1.4 Research Questions 5

1.5 Significance of the Study 5

1.6 Definitions of Terms 6

1.7 Overview of Thesis Chapters 7

CHAPTER 2 8

LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Speaking Skills 8

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2.1.1 Definition of Speaking Skills 8

2.1.2 Importance of Speaking Skills 8

2.1.3 Characteristics of Speaking Performance 9

2.1.4 Principles in Teaching Speaking 9

2.1.5 Goal of Teaching Speaking 11

2.2 Drama Education 13

2.3 Drama Techniques 14

2.3.1 Definition of Drama Techniques 14

2.3.2 Characteristics of Drama Activities 15

2.3.3 Benefits of Drama Activities 16

2.3.4 Limitations of Drama Techniques 17

2.4 Kinds of Drama Activities 18

2.4.1 Mime 18

2.4.2 Role play 19

2.4.3 Simulation 20

2.4.4 Improvisation 20

2.5 Principles of Implementing Drama Activities 21

2.5.1 Students’ Mistake Treatment 21

2.5.2 Learning Environment Settings Establishment 21

2.5.3 Student Apprehension Assurance 23

2.6 Previous Studies 23

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2.6.1 Intervention Studies on Drama Strategies for Developing Learners’

Speaking Abilities and Increasing their motivation 23

2.6.2 A discussion for Implications for the Present Study 25

2.6.3 Conceptual Framework for the Present Study 27

2.7 Chapter Summary 28

CHAPTER 3 29

METHODOLOGY 29

3.1 Research Context 29

3.2 Participants 32

3.3 Research Design 33

3.4 Procedure of the Study 35

3.5 The Training Procedure for the Experimental Group 36

3.5.1 Training Materials 36

3.5.2 Training Stages 39

3.6 Measurement Instruments 44

3.6.1 Pre- and Post-questionnaires (Appendices A.1 and A.2) 44

3.6.2 Pre- and Post-tests (Appendices B.1 and B.2) 45

3.6.3 Semi-structured Interview (Appendix C) 48

3.7 Data Collection Procedure 48

3.8 Data Analytical Framework 50 3.8.1 Research Question 1: To what extent do drama activities affect the students’ speaking skills?

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3.8.2 Research Question 2: What attitudes do the second year EFL

students have towards drama activities in their speaking class? 51

3.9 Chapter Summary 51

CHAPTER 4 52

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 52

4.1 Data Analysis of the Tests 52

4.1.1 Normality of the pre-test and post-test 52

4.1.2 Performance of the Control and Experimental Groups on the Pre-test 53

4.1.3 Control Group’s Performance on the Pre-test and Post-test 55

4.1.4 Experimental Group’s Performance on the Pre-test and Post-test 56

4.1.5 Performance of the Control and Experimental Groups on the Post-test 58

4.2 Data Analysis of the Pre-Questionnaires 61

4.2.1 Self-reported Current Speaking Class 61

4.2.2 Self-reported Speaking Problems 63

4.3 Data Analysis of the Post-questionnaire and the Interview 66

4.3.1 Overall Attitudes on Speaking Learning with Drama Activities

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4.3.2 Specific Attitudes on Speaking Learning with Distinct Types of Drama Activities 78

4.4 Chapter Summary 91

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CHAPTER 5 92

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 92

5.1 Conclusion 92

5.2 Implications 93

5.3 Limitations 95

5.4 Suggestions for further research 95

REFERENCES 96

APPENDICES 103

APPENDIX A.1 PRE-QUESTIONNAIRE 103

APPENDIX A.2 POST-QUESTIONNAIRE 104

APPENDIX B.1 PRE-TEST 106

APPENDIX B.2 POST-TEST 120

APPENDIX C SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW 141

APPENDIX D.1 PRE-TEST RESULTS 142

APPENDIX D.2 POST-TEST RESULTS 144

APPENDIX E.1 TRANSCRIPTS (Vietnamese version) 146

APPENDIX E.2 TRANSCRIPTS (English version) 153

APPENDIX F SCORING RUBRIC 159

APPENDIX G CONCRETE DRAMA ACTIVITIES FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 163

APPENDIX H THE LESSON PLAN FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 186

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APPENDIX I THE LESSON PLAN FOR THE CONTROL GROUP 188

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LIST OF CHARTS Page Chart 4.1: Participation Level in Drama Activity-based Speaking Classes 67 Chart 4.2: Influence Level of Drama Activities on Speaking Performance 68 Chart 4.3: Effects of Drama Activities on Speaking Performance 70 Chart 4.4: The effects of Drama Activities on Learning Psychology 71

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LIST OF TABLES Page

Table 3.1: Learning Content for English Courses 31

Table 3.2: Summary of Participants’ Information 32

Table 3.3: Procedure of the Study 36

Table 3.4: The Course Content for English 4 37

Table 3.5: Description of the concrete activities for the Experimental Group 40

Table 3.6: Main Training Stages and Procedures for the Control Group 43

Table 3.7: Reliability of the Pre-Questionnaire for Total Items (Items 1-16) 45

Table 4.1: Shapiro-Wilk Test of normality 53

Table 4.2: Group Statistics on the Pre-test of the Experimental and Control Groups 53

Table 4.3: Independent Samples T-Test on the Pre-test of the Two Groups 54

Table 4.4: Paired Samples Statistics of the Pre-test and Post-test Scores of the Control Group 55

Table 4.5: Paired Samples t-test of the Pre-test and Post-test Scores of the Control Group 56

Table 4.6: Paired Samples Statistics of the Pre-test and Post-test Scores of the Experimental Group 57

Table 4.7: Paired Samples t-test of the Pre-test and Post-test Scores of the Experimental Group 57

Table 4.8: Group Statistics on the Post-test of the Experimental Group and Control Groups 58

Table 4.9: Independent Samples t-test on the Post-test of the Two Groups 59

Table 4.10: Self-reported Current Speaking Classes 61

Table 4.11: Self-reported Speaking Problems 64

Table 4.12: Preference Level of Learning Speaking Skill with Drama Activities 69

Table 4.13: Overall Benefits of Drama Activities in Speaking Classes 72

Table 4.14: Difficulties in Learning Speaking with Drama Activities 75

Table 4.15: Effects of Mime 79

Table 4.16: Effects of Role play 82

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Table 4.17: Effects of Simulation 86 Table 4.18: Effects of Improvisation 89

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFA Exploratory Factor Analysis

EFL English as a Foreign Language

ESL English as a Second Language

SL/FL the Second/Foreign Language

TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides briefly the background of the study followed by the description of the problems at the research context that leads to the conduction of the study Accordingly, the purposes of the study are also presented together with the research questions The chapter further offers the significance of the study, the definitions of terms related to the topic of the study, and ends with the overview of the whole thesis

1.1 Background to the Study

As teachers, we are currently searching for useful strategies to enhance students‟ motivation and their interest in learning experiences The use of drama is considered as a valuable and effective teaching strategy which is becoming very common in educational contexts (Dodson, 2000) In the language teaching and learning milieu, drama is one of teaching techniques which can be conducted in foreign language classroom Although it is not thought to be a new way for language teaching and learning (Boudreault, 2010), the belief that drama may be a useful device for language education cannot be objected

In addition, according to Hu (2011), Bas (2008), Bengtsson (2009), drama also gives opportunities to students to practice and acquire the target language in a meaningful manner During the dramatic activities, students are allowed to use language for different purposes because students can make use of the language through rich contexts given by these activities (Dodson, 2000; Ho, 2007; Zyoud, 2010) Students are required to react to what they do and say and interact with each other When they act and interact, they are taking advantage of their own personal store of language so as to communicate in meaningful way and thus sending them

Ho (2007) confirms that when students could work with their classmates and speak English to others during the drama activities, they feel less anxious to speak in English Bengtsson (2009) through the findings of her study further explained that it was safer for students to portray the characters other than themselves In particular, shy students can feel comfortable to use and practice the second language in the classroom when they can hide behind the character they are acting

Moreover, the drama activities could also stimulate the students‟ positive attitudes to learn and acquire foreign language as a way of negotiation (Davies, 1990; El-Nady 2000; Miccoli, 2003; Phillips, 2003; Chauhan, 2004; Maley & Duff, 2005; Zyoud, 2010) Drama activities make the students feel more responsible as they are appointed to develop their own script creatively (Zyoud, 2010) This is proven by Ho (2007) and Bengtsson (2009) that the drama activities are motivating Due to the benefits of the use of drama for supporting students‟ speaking skills and motivation, some researchers have attempted to introduce and embed it in classroom practices

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Speaking is one of the most basic skills of human beings It symbolizes the most common and natural form of communication among humans (Ohata, 2005) It

is easier for people to speak than to write, so the main goal which every student studying a foreign language wants to achieve is probably speaking Despite the fact that this goal is essential, there are still a number of factors that hinder students from speaking confidently and naturally (Woodrow, 2006) Some difficulties which students face in conducting communication are such as first they are shy, fear of

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making mistakes, and get obstacles when they express ideas (Woodrow, 2006) Besides that, there is lack of an open and safe learning environment which favors oral activities (Ohata, 2005)

The most serious element which influences acquisition and performances of EFL learners is foreign language anxiety (Zheng, 2008) He described that students often feel embarrassed when they must speak up before class Also, when they utter their ideas and interact with others, they are afraid of making mistakes Besides, it was found in the study of Park and Lee (2005) that low self-confidence or high anxiety levels has influences on students‟ oral performances negatively The fact that they lack of uttering ideas and practicing, or interacting in English may cause them to get stumbling The more they feel shy, the lazier they become when they need to speak English In the study of Chiu, Chang, Chen, Cheng, Li, and Lo (2010), a majority of students revealed that drama activities helped them speak in English better

To sum up, there are many reasons for EFL learners‟ speaking anxiety, such

as fear of public speaking, fear of making pronunciation mistakes (Ohata, 2005), immature vocabulary and limited grammatical knowledge (Woodrow, 2006), unpreparedness (Ay, 2010), shyness, and low self-confidence (Park & Lee, 2005), low participation (Hosni, 2014) This was similar to the situation of teaching speaking skills at Ho Chi Minh University of Science where the present study took place During speaking activities, students seemed to use their mother tongue most

of the time They made little effort when implementing their speaking skills Also, they usually lacked of their confidence, felt reluctant to speak English and even showed their annoyance, bother or no collaboration

Accordingly, many efforts have been made by experts and researchers to find out suitable teaching methods to provide learners opportunities to practice speaking English in its situational environment because language does not occur in isolation but in social contexts Among them, Maley and Duff (2005) have studied the matter

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of drama activities as a method to bring real life into classrooms Their work reveals that drama is a powerful tool in teaching languages, which ultimately develop learners‟ communicative competence

In brief, the first step which was conducted in this study was to try to explore the causes why students have such difficulties and to find some solutions to solve the problems Besides, the teachers need to focus on all the lessons based on the book and the syllabus strictly, and students were seldom given the opportunities of cooperating or possibility of expressing their own ideas They tried their best to involve students in artificial speaking activities but catching their attention and making them speak English was hard Therefore, students acted passively and might feel that they could not be the real protagonists of the classroom Students needed to act, to interact with others, to work in pair and group activities, feel comfortable to move within the classroom space, and to talk about topics which they found interesting and relevant and express their opinions through drama activities

1.3 Purposes of the Study

The aim of the present research paper has been inspired by such reflections with the purpose of finding new stimuli and ways of implementing students‟ speaking skills in order to raise their interest and motivation Students‟ speaking skills are deeply related to their motivation and interest, which was the starting hypothesis of this study

Drama techniques which are used to enhance students‟ cooperation and interaction and to foster their speaking skills in a natural and meaningful way were employed to achieve this objective That is a communication function, such as a debate, a song, a simulation, a role play or so on Students can find a field of application what they learn, it means that, their language is applied, used and created in a real context as it happens in daily life Students are encouraged to learn

a new language in an effective and creative way and they react spontaneously and use their imagination

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In an attempt to help second year non English-major students at Ho Chi Minh University of Science to raise their interest in the classroom and improve their speaking skills, this current study wants to ascertain that the utilization of drama can

be a powerful tool in teaching languages, which ultimately develop learners‟ communicative competence The findings of this study will bring some guidelines

to teachers about how to create an effective learning environment by arousing students‟ interest, creating opportunities for communication in an authentic context and improve their speaking skills There are two research objectives here:

[1] Testify the impact of drama activities on the improvement of second year EFL students‟ speaking skills;

[2] Examine second year EFL students‟ attitudes on the use of drama activities in their speaking lessons

1.4 Research Questions

In order to achieve the above two purposes of the study, the answers to the following research questions should to be sought

Research question 1: To what extent do drama activities affect the students‟

speaking skills at HCMC University of Science?

Research question 2: What attitudes do the second year EFL students have

towards drama activities in their speaking class?

1.5 Significance of the Study

For the national perspective, the significance of the study lies in the following considerations First of all, the study sheds new light on the benefits of incorporating the use of drama into teaching and learning English speaking skills, which has not received much attention in Vietnam although it has been proved effective worldwide in other EFL contexts Second, the study was conducted at HCMC University of Science in the hope that its findings would make significant contributions to positive changes in teaching and learning English speaking skills in

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this university as well as in other Vietnamese EFL contexts Third, the results of the study reveal the effectiveness of the instruction of drama activities on enhancing EFL students‟ speaking motivation – one of the essential factors contributing to the success of the speakers and it is found that drama application significantly contributed to the emotional quality of the foreign language classes It means that the use of drama in foreign language teaching increases positive feelings toward the learning experience Last but not least, the study gives the idea that the teachers should consider the adaptation of dramatic activities and practices to the appropriate level to arouse the students‟ interest in foreign language learning in a university context

1.6 Definitions of Terms

Drama: There exist many definitions of drama in the literature but the following

definition by Holden (1982) is one of the best well-known definitions and is adopted in several research studies It is “any kind of activity where learners are

asked either to portray someone in an imaginary situation” (Holden, 1982, p 7)

Dramatic activities: Dramatic activities are “activities which give the students an

opportunity to use his personality in creating the material in which part of the

language class is to be based” (Maley & Duff, 1979, p 4)

Drama and Motivation: The definition of motivation is commonly conceived as “a

set of goals that guide behavior” (Guthrie & Wigfield, 1999, p 199) Moreover, Dougill (1987) states that “Motivation also come through the nature of the activity itself If the activity succeeds well, we will have inherent motivation If a student is motivated by the creativity of the task, this student will excitedly tell other members

of the group about a good idea for a sketch.” (p 57)

1.7 Overview of Thesis Chapters

The current thesis is comprised of five chapters as follows:

Chapter 1 is the introduction to the present study, including background of

the study and the problem statement, the purposes of the study, the two research

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questions, and the significance of the study and the definitions of related terms are provided

Chapter 2 provides the theoretical background to the study followed by the

review of some previous related studies and the discussion for implication to reveal the research gap that leads to the conduction of the present study

Chapter 3 mentions the research methodology employed for the study,

inclusive of the research design, the research site and the participants, the procedures of the study and the measurement instruments The section of data collection and data analysis to provide answers to each of the two research questions is also presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 presents the results of the study regarding each of the research

questions and the discussion of the findings drawn in the previous sections of the chapter

Chapter 5 provides the summary of the main findings of the study as well as

its limitations Accordingly, the chapter offers some suggestions for further research and implications for further practices

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CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents the theoretical background to the study followed by the review of previous related studies as well as the discussion for the research gap The theory section provides some aspects of the importance of the use of drama in EFL speaking classes that support this study as well as the application of some specific dramatic activities The second section provides summaries of previous intervention studies and their limitations to lead to the discussion to reveal the gap for the conduction of the present study

2.1 Speaking Skills

2.1.1 Definition of Speaking Skills

Speaking is considered as a basic skill which Foreign Language Learners need to master with the three other skills Verderber, Sellnow and Verderber (2012) pointed out that speaking is a means to transform messages They gave us a clear conception on both verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication It is a process

of sending and receiving messages through verbal expressions as well as non-verbal symbols such as facial expressions and gestures In other words, as speaking reflects people‟s personalities and thought, it is an essential skill that should take into

account

2.1.2 Importance of Speaking Skills

The speaking skill was ignored in many language learning classrooms where the traditional approaches of language teaching and learning mainly focused on writing and reading The Grammar-Translation is an example, Richards and Rodgers (2001) point out that reading and writing were perceived to be the important skills, while the skill of speaking and listening received little or no attention In addition, learners are expected to talk more in the classroom, whereas

the teachers will talk less

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When integrated with the other language skills, the importance of speaking is more revealed For example, students can improve their grammar and develop their vocabulary as well as their writing skill through speaking When speaking, students can express their ideas, opinions or feelings; or display the different functions of language through telling stories; informing or explaining; making a request; or conversing and discussing Also speaking is a very important skill in real life Many corporations and organizations seek for candidates whose English is very good for the purpose of communication Hence, the candidate who knows a foreign language can get employed easily in such working places

2.1.3 Characteristics of Speaking Performance

In teaching context, designing speaking activities should mainly focus on accuracy and fluency aspects The assessment of the oral skills is based on these two criteria Accuracy and fluency are of the main traits of this communicative approach and are seen as complimentary for students to accomplish a given task

Even though Richards and Rodgers (2001) mention that “fluency and acceptable language is the primary goal: Accuracy is judged not in the abstract but in context”

(p 153), and this point is clear that the emphasis of communicative language teaching (CLT) is on the communicative process between teachers-learners or among learners

2.1.4 Principles in Teaching Speaking

Although speaking has been a main focus of second language learning and teaching, approaches to teaching speaking skills have been changed significantly in thinking in recent years Shrum and Glisan (2000) mention that speaking in the early 1970s often meant “repeat after the teacher, reciting a memorized dialogue, or responding to a mechanical drill” (p 26)

Nevertheless, nowadays English language teachers are required to teach English speaking skills with the aim of improving students‟ communicative skills, because only by doing that way can students express their ideas and learn how to obey the cultural and social conventions appropriate in each communicative

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context The emergence of building up communicative competence and proficiency

has changed methodology whose effects continue to be seen today (Richards, 1983)

Apart from the linguistic point of view in the term of speaking, one of the most important principles of a good speaking lesson is interaction between students

It means that a successful speaking activity is necessary for a successful speaking lesson However, it might be difficult for teachers to design and teachers ought to get familiar with the basic characteristics of a profitable oral exercise Ur (1996) suggests that learners should be encouraged to speak in the target language a lot even though it is difficult to achieve Nonetheless, it would be possible if creating a speaking activity is filled with students‟ talking time to the fullest Additionally, assigning students into groups is advisable for teachers to promote speaking Working in groups can help learners get more practice as well as more speaking When learners are encouraged to speak, their inhibition will be decreased, but it cannot be avoided that learners tend to use their mother tongue rather than the target language Therefore, teachers often remind their students to use L2 and suggest that one student in each group is advised to monitor their peers and encourage them to use only the target language Brown (2001) also points out that participation contributes to a successful speaking activity All learners should have an equal chance to speak and contributions should be fairly evenly distributed Accordingly, teachers‟ task aims at motivating the less active learners and make sure that all learners get involved equally

Another factor devoted to speaking in a successful lesson is motivation The class faces no efficiency if there is no genuine concentration in doing a speaking task To make learners eager in a lesson, teachers should choose topics that are authentic and suitable for groups of students Topics which teenagers are interested

in may not appeal to adult learners and thus they do not willingly participate in a speaking activity

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The last but not least essential principle, stated by Ur (1996) is the acceptable level of the language used The language level of speaking activities must be within students‟ linguistic level Students are empowered and given the opportunity to clearly express their ideas and opinions through fluent speech by classroom oral tasks

Essentially, the ability to speak a foreign language means having communicative efficiency Unless people could communicate verbally, it is impossible to imagine what life would be like Dakowska (2005) claims that in the field of foreign language teaching speaking is now the most emphasized skill, but unfortunately, speaking is also the most difficult skill to develop in classroom conditions

2.1.5 Goal of Teaching Speaking

Currently, teaching English has been a demanding mission in developing countries in general and in Vietnam in particular A lot of considerable attention has been paid to English in our society for the three following reasons Firstly, there is a necessity of an efficient use of English language proficiency towards the access to scientific and technological resources written in English Secondly, learning English

is useful for the demands of the age of information explosion and using the Internet efficiently Lastly, mastery of English brings good cultural exchanges among countries However, teaching and learning English cannot meet the specific goals (Bagheri, 1994; Saadat, 1995; Zanganeh, 1995)

In Vietnam, there are three levels of schooling which are primary school, secondary school and senior high school English is being taught as a compulsory subject at upper secondary level and at lower secondary level Of course, introducing English at lower levels such as kindergarten has already started by the private sector (Aliakbari, 2005) and learning English continues up to university levels Although learners have spent many years learning English in schools, they are not able to communicate English in the real contexts As a result, in spite of

However, Le (2001) mentions that although Vietnamese English teachers have a positive view of the communicative approach to language teaching, they feel constrained in implementing this teaching method in their classroom For most Vietnamese teachers of English, communicative teaching is way too challenging because of their low English proficiency level, large classes, basic buildings, furnishings, and facilities New understandings and skills need to take into account when applying to new teaching methods Teachers are required to spend more time

on doing additional preparatory work When it comes to teachers in secondary schools, they have little access to ELT resources and materials except textbooks, some practical grammar books, dictionaries and test samples The opportunity for both teachers and students to take part in meaningful interaction is really scarce (Canale & Swain, 1980) Accordingly, teachers find their English fossilized in such

a poor foreign language teaching environment, which causes problems to teachers

in getting meaning across in the target language The prescribed textbook and predetermined syllabuses also make teachers frustrated if they are committed to communicative methods (Le, 2001)

In Vietnam, the national curriculum and the school syllabuses are designed

as well as the implementation of the syllabus and the school final exams are monitored or observed strictly by the Ministry of Education and Training The idea

of the principle “testing only what students have learnt” could be open to misinterpretation, so test writers just test within range of what students have learnt

in the textbook, which will lead to rote, memory-based learning From the aforementioned reasons, the researcher believes that the English teachers should read just themselves in teaching approaches and techniques in order to make

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learners interested in their learning atmosphere and eager practicing English speaking and to enable them to use English without any concern, which leads to a shift in their attitude positively

From the previous document and research studies of experts and language teachers who have applied drama in their teaching, the researcher found that teaching English speaking through drama activities could be effective Khaemanee (2011) suggests that dramatic activities could make the activities meaningful and lively for students and at the same time they have more fun when getting involved

in the activities and also Thongnuan (2011) discloses that students can effectively improve their speaking skills through the dramatic activities because they can express their personal characters such as their emotion, facial expression, tone, acting appropriately and they can use those conversations in real life In addition, Davies (1990) mentions that if the teachers know how to use dramatic activities effectively, they will help reinforce the individuals to develop their communicative skill

Drama activities were introduced in education during the 1970‟s Hay, 2005) Using dramatic techniques in a classroom has a number of benefits, and lots of scholars (e.g., Dougill, 1987; Maley & Duff, 1982) believed dramatic techniques are fun, entertaining and helpful to motivate students‟ learning They contribute to creating a meaningful and interesting environment within the class and they also stimulate students‟ imagination and memory by allowing them to express their past experiences Besides, they provide a number of different functions of language into a real communicative context (Dougill, 1987) In addition, the student

(Ashton-is allowed to express h(Ashton-is or her own feelings, creativity and personality, to be

employed in the language class (Maley & Duff, 1982)

2.3 Drama Techniques

2.3.1 Definition of Drama Techniques

Nowadays, catching students‟ interest and increasing their motivation in class is not an easy task, so teachers use a lot of means to involve students to take part in actively in the learning process There are the so-called “dramatic activities” Drama does not aim only to the performance but also to the process of foreign language teaching (Phillips, 2003)

With a high appreciation of the methodological, drama techniques are based

on the Communicative Approach (Larsen-Freeman, 1990) Students are getting involved in group activities, where they are given the chance to spend more time on speaking with their friends and on negotiating meaning to be understood When the

Why are dramatic activities so powerful in a language classroom context? Let‟s figure out now

2.3.2 Characteristics of Drama Activities

Today‟s teaching methodology admonishes to catch students‟ attention, to be engaging, but let them get involved in their education to the maximum at the same time Despite being seen as an alternative method to the standard, drama has been

an important aspect of teaching a foreign language for many years The use of drama in the language class brings the best opportunities for engaged and active participation for students (Hamilton & McLeod, 1993)

Some language teachers seem to feel reluctant to use drama in class They may not feel creative, do not have much experience, or do not know what to do and how to do; therefore, they will not take risk of trying this teaching method Nonetheless, Butterfield (1989) encourages such teachers to experience this technique due to some of its undisputable benefits of drama

On the other side, some teachers are afraid of using drama because they fear

of losing respect as authorities and educators (Wessels, 1987) However, these teachers ought to realize that when students are taught in a supporting and positive atmosphere, safe and mutual learning environment, their motivation will be enhanced

The accomplishments of drama in a lot of current trends of modern teaching are undeniable One of them is to take away teachers‟ control and give space to the students so that they can manage their own learning and develop their autonomy This idea is also supported by Phillips (1999) as he suggests that “Dramatizing is

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learner-centered so that teacher can use it to contrast with the more teacher-centered parts of the lesson” (p 8) and hence the lesson will become more diverse and active

2.3.3 Benefits of Drama Activities

2.3.3.1 Drama Activities and Student Motivation

Maley and Duff (1982) emphasize the connection between student motivation and drama Drama seems unpredictable because no one knows exactly what will happen during those dramatic activities, what kind of language students will produce or which feelings will be exposed (Maley & Duff, 1982) Moreover, language is just one part of drama Imagination, collaborative work and spontaneous creation are important components in drama activities, preventing their nervous feelings

The movement is another aspect which is useful to enhance motivation While students are speaking, they have to move physically, because that is what we usually do in our normal conversation (Maley & Duff, 1982) They feel more stimulated and interested if they are put themselves in a friendly environment Also, dramatization is an effective tool supporting students in gaining self-confidence when they use a foreign language through a way of experiencing the language in a concrete situation (Dougill, 1987) In fact, as far as students are aware of how they use a foreign language, their motivation will be fostered This means that if students can communicate in the target language, they will feel more motivated, encouraged and successful

2.3.3.2 Drama and Speaking Abilities

It was mentioned that the ability of producing a fluent speech with confidence is considered as one of the main principles of oral communication (Trivedi, 2013) However, even after many years of studying English, students do not feel confident enough to use English outside the classroom in a real communicative situation This is due to the fact that the lesson system is so traditional Students do not have a lot of chances to practice the English language and increase fluency, and also as they do not practice speaking English outside the

of communication during drama activities

In addition, Aldavero (2008) points out how learners improve their collaborative work and self-confidence in the classroom She mentions that students feel more comfortable with the language they use in drama activities, in which students with an advantaged level can employ more complicated dialogues, while weak students just develop simple conversations

2.3.4 Limitations of Drama Techniques

Some students have fixed ideas of what a good teacher is They expect a fixed procedure of teaching with their course book As a consequence of their previous learning experiences, they are accustomed to being passive in class and expect their teacher to be centered These students feel reluctant to participate in speaking activities in general and in dramatic activities in particular In these cases, the effectiveness of drama techniques is limited since drama techniques can work effectively only if the class unites as a cohesive group (Baldwin & Fleming, 2003)

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Besides, most drama activities require acting, which is a big challenge for those who are shy when they must perform in front of their classmates It causes embarrassment and awkwardness among adult learners In some cases, some students may feel inadequate or self-conscious compared to those who are naturally good at performing

In addition, large-sized classrooms can restrain the success of drama techniques in terms of chances for students to take part in the activities Also, students can get disorderly and over-excited and while dramatization is going on, it

is not possible for the teacher to maintain the rigid discipline in the classroom

Moreover, drama is a time-consuming activity, especially with role play and simulation Maley and Duff (2005) stated that it is difficult to set accurate timings for drama activities

Next, dramatic activities also matter They are artificial and the situations are sometimes irrelevant to the learner‟s need Activities may not be suitable to all the class

Furthermore, the use of mother tongue also merges as one of common problems when applying drama techniques in teaching English Maley and Duff (2005) speculated that for drama work, it may be sensible at first to allow a limited use of the first language in discussion

2.4 Kinds of Drama activities

Scrivener (2005) mentions some drama activities which are used commonly

in English Languages Teaching classes and they are described as follows:

2.4.1 Mime

Mime is defined as “a non-verbal representation of an idea or story through gesture, bodily movement and expression” (Dougill, 1987, p 13) It enhances the learners‟ confidence by encouraging them to do things in front of others Mime facilitates students to feel comfortable when they perform in front of their classmates without concern for language It is enjoyable and the teacher can easily employ mime as a warm-up activity whose advantage is its visual component This

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component has a prominent part (Dougill, 1987) In fact, visual associations helping retain language can extremely reinforced memory

Mime can also heighten memory by means of visual association, and recall

of language items (Rose, 1985) Mime can help students revise and reinforce vocabulary items (Dougill, 1987) Even if there is no language used during mime, it will be employed when the teacher needs to explain his or her instructions and students discuss or debate with their pairs or groups (Dougill, 1987)

2.4.2 Role play

Livingstone (1985) defines role play “a classroom activity which gives the student the opportunity to practice the language [which] he may need outside the classroom” (p 6) As Blatner (2009) claims, role plays make students more involved and interested in applying their knowledge to action, dealing with problems, searching for original solutions and valuating alternatives Students are able to develop a variety of abilities, such as self-confidence, initiative, communication and group work Role plays can help students prepare for their communication not only in a foreign language classroom but also in another social and cultural context (Kodotchigova, 2002)

Through role play, students can take prior experience and put it into characters for the play (Wrentschur & Altman, 2002) Furthermore, role plays give students an opportunity to use the language directly by themselves without their teacher‟s manipulation When students feel that they are doing something that is useful and relevant, their motivation will be increased and, as a consequence, they become more involved in their learning process Another benefit commented by Livingstone (1985) is that the possibility of forming mixed ability groups in role plays In fact, based on his or her students‟ characteristics, the teacher will assign a significant role to a student with high confidence and fluency and a less talking role

is given to a more embarrassed student

On the other hand, among practical disadvantages, particularly the teacher often has a difficulty dealing with organization when practicing role plays First of

2.4.3 Simulation

Sometimes a number of scholars find role plays and simulations confusing and they explain these two activities differently (Dougill, 1987) Livingstone (1985) claims that, “simulations need not stick so closely to real life […] brings his own personality, experience and opinions to the task” (p 1)

The function of a simulation is that students are given the opportunity to practice taking on specific roles and improvising within specific situations on the assumption that with practice students‟ role is played more effectively when situations involving similar skills occur in real life (Smith, 1984) In other words, through simulation exercises students can learn how to express in a social situation with the appropriate social functions

2.4.4 Improvisation

Hodgson and Richards (1974) define the term improvisation as “spontaneous response to the unfolding of unexpected situation” (p 78) For example, you are a group of people at a party having a good time In this example of improvisation, you need to decide who you are and what you are doing The main focus is enacting roles, identifying with characters and entering into their inner experience of imagination and fantasy

According to Dougill (1987), this task is not based on rehearsing or a script and no one knows what will be going on during the activity Students feel free to express spontaneity, speak as much as that they want to and can develop their own characters (Trivedi, 2013) Students need to be very creative to do their performance Trivedi (2013) pointed out that improvisation not only enhances

of the teacher is to provide the context and the participants act out their roles spontaneously without any planning Therefore, the level of freedom that students are given during the execution of the creative session is the main advantage of improvisation

2.5 Principles of Implementing Drama Activities

2.5.1 Students’ Mistake Treatment

The teacher should not interrupt students‟ activity in course and should discuss their mistakes later even though the mistakes are concerned This is essential to make students feel comfortable when they take part in the activity,

“react and interact spontaneously” (Maley & Duff, 1982, p 22) without any fear for making mistakes while speaking Therefore, the teacher tries not to interrupt students in mid-flow, or criticize those who are discouraged or need his or her support The teacher has to act carefully

So, how to deal with students‟ errors? A positive approach which is carried out to correct errors is much more effective, since it creates a correct model, but rather the mistake So, first the teacher should give their positive comments and then emphasizes the areas which can be enhanced (Phillips, 2003) This contributes

to making students‟ learning environment more enjoyable which is necessary for the success of the lessons

2.5.2 Learning Environment Settings Establishment

Students might be doubtful and unfamiliar with some activities if they are not used to experiencing drama in the language class, and when they feel confident enough to move around in the classroom and set up a contact with their classmates, they will be able to experiment some tasks which are demanding (Maley & Duff,

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1982) This means that it takes students more time to get used to dramatic activities, and it is important to try to establish a pleasant and friendly atmosphere and not to force them Students find speaking in public embarrassing in a foreign language class, especially if they do not get accustomed to it

The classical classroom environment full of desks and chairs is not the best choice when dramatic activities are conducted (Maley & Duff, 1982) The space is necessary not only for the students‟ movement that the activities require but also for making a contact with each other visually and physically The teacher may ask his

or her students to move the chairs and tables when they are in a competition and they have to move fast and quietly as they can (Phillips, 2003)

As a matter of fact, students need an open space because they communicate not only with words but also with non-verbal communication This will lead to their achievement In this way, students feel free and comfortable without any distractions which are usually caused by desk arrangement in the traditional classroom (Dougill, 1987) Rows of chairs and desks are for order and discipline, compared with an open space standing for “disorder and lack of control” (Maley & Duff, 1982, p 19), which is one of the reasons why a lot of teachers refuse to employ group activities Some teachers find it unpleasant to become familiar with a more open space and unpredictable approach apart from the classic safe routines and structures (Fleming, 2006) Moreover, adults may feel shy and inhibited, whereas younger students might express their enthusiasm and exuberance

How should the students form their own groups? Should the groups be arranged by the teacher or by themselves? Lynch (2001) clarifies that a student with

a high level of proficiency in English might feel reluctant to work with a weaker student Groups should consist of mixed ability when students take part in an activity where the competition is required We realized that classroom environment plays an essential part in dramatic activities A friendly and trustful atmosphere is fundamental since students need to feel secure to take risks within the target language

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2.5.3 Student Apprehension Assurance

Sometimes students can feel reluctant or doubtful about dramatic activities They can be shy or think that doing the exercises is a waste of time if they do not understand the meaning According to Maley and Duff (1982), such students are called “difficult customers” (p 20) and the teacher should pay a little special attention and should not stop the activity, since when working together, the problem often solves itself within the groups Dougill (1987) remarked that the teacher should have a clear purpose in mind in order not to face with student resistance to drama activities when introducing an activity In addition, before an activity, the teacher is responsible for explaining its purpose to his or her students

Like any other form of classroom techniques, the teacher needs to plan drama activities carefully, or the lesson will cause chaos for the teacher (Dougill, 1987) Also, in order to avoid student resistance, the teacher should give students clear instructions and make sure they understand the instructions completely, so using the mother tongue is a good option As we mentioned before, a good way to increase students‟ interest is making changes to the activities and make them enjoyable and unpredictable

2.6 Previous Studies

2.6.1 Intervention Studies on Drama Strategies for Developing Learners’

Speaking Abilities and Increasing their Motivation

To check the relationship between drama and anxiety reduction, Atas (2014) was conducted with 24 students at a high school in Kozan, Turkey The instruments included pre and post-tests, semi-structured pre and post-interviews, and student diaries The findings of the study showed drama positively affected students‟ anxiety, towards speaking Most of the students felt confident while speaking English and overcame the feel of being worse at speaking English

Gill (2013) conducted a study to examine the effects of drama on oral English with the participation of 10 non-English-major students of Bond University

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over the period of twelve weeks The mean-scores showed improvement of the students on their speaking performance at the end of the course

Conejeros and Fernandez (2009) conducted a research on the measurement

of the efficiency and effectiveness of drama techniques in the teaching of English with 36 Spanish speaking students at the Universidad Austral de Chile The instruments consisted of pre-and-post-tests Seeing that the difference between the experimental and the control groups‟ results was not significant, it can be said that drama techniques show to be as efficient and effective as the formal teaching methods in the Chilean EFL classroom

Ulas (2008) from Faculty of Kazim Karabekir Educational, Ataturk University, Turkey carried out a research study to investigate whether language teaching courses that utilize creative drama activities are more efficient in developing oral communication skills in primary school students (N=65) within the experiment (n=32) and control (n=33) groups The findings demonstrated a significant difference between the experiment and control groups‟ oral communication skills, especially in development of pronunciation skills

In Bui‟s (2016) study, a group of Grade 4 students (N= 34) in a rural primary school in Vietnam (Truong Thinh Primary School, Phu Tho Province) was randomly assigned to a control or experimental group Before starting the experiment, both groups were administered questionnaires to measure their initial levels of motivation and their attitudes to learning a foreign language They were also tested to evaluate their speech competence levels The research group followed

a learner-centred syllabus, based on drama activities; meanwhile, the control group continued with their daily routine in the English language class After the four months of the experiment, both groups were administered post-experiment questionnaires to check their levels of motivation and their attitudes Post-experiment speech competence tests were given to both groups to again test the development of their total speaking competences As a result of the drama lesson