The application of simulation technique in improving english speaking skill for first year students in faculty of foreign language in ho chi minh university of industry

Students‟ English speaking learning before the introduction of simulations ··· 23 3.1.1.1.Students‟ attitudes in general towards the current speaking activities... The activities that st

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-

GRADUATE STUDIES *********************

LÊ KIM PHA

THE APPLICATION OF SIMULATION TECHNIQUE IN IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS IN FACULTY

OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

(VIỆC ÁP DỤNG KỸ THUẬT MÔ PHỎNG TRONG VIỆC CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT CỦA KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-

GRADUATE STUDIES *********************

LÊ KIM PHA

THE APPLICATION OF SIMULATION TECHNIQUE IN IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL FOR FIRST- YEAR STUDENTS IN FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF

INDUSTRY

(VIỆC ÁP DỤNG KỸ THUẬT MÔ PHỎNG TRONG VIỆC CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG NÓI TIẾNG ANH CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT CỦA KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111

SUPERVISOR: PHẠM HỮU ĐỨC, PhD.

Hanoi, 2014

First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr.Phạm Hữu Đức, for his encouragement, dedicated guidance and constant assistancefrom the initial stage to the final stage to develop an understanding of the subject,without which this thesis would not have been possible I would also like to express myhearty thanks for his spending precious family time on my call at any time

It is my pleasure to thank the teachers of class DHAV9A and DHAV9B; Ms.Hoàng Lê Thị Tuyết and Ms Lê Ngọc Diệp who facilitated me the most in the delivery

of questionnaires and observation of the students‟ activities

I would like to thank the students of class DHAV9, NCAV7 who helped mepilot as well as fulfilled the questionnaires and interviews

My warm gratitude goes to my family who always believes in me, alwaysrespects my choices and gives me the best support both of spirit and finance

Above all, I thank God, who blesses me with peaceful energy to support me atall time

There is no doubt about the significance of English in today‟s world when thecommunicative abilities become important And one of the challenges is that how tohelp student be able to apply their classroom knowledge in real-life situations to themost extent Simulation is considered as one of the potential activities to wed theoryinto practice and improve students‟ speaking skills

The attempt was to know whether students were engaged in simulation and theirresponses to this activity To serve these purposes, a quantitative research together with

a specific group of 59 first-year students was chosen At the same time, two phases ofquestionnaires, before introducing simulation and after its implementation wereproceeded For the achievements of these purposes, besides 59 freshmen fromDHAV9A, DHAV9B, more methodologies including questionnaires and the interviewswere also employed to help the researcher examine and provide more details to thefindings as statistics and reliable materials for the analyzing phase

The results have found students‟ interest and support for this kind of activities.They got chances to deal with realistic situations in relaxing settings, which not onlyprepared them with practical experience but promised to contribute to the improvement

of their speaking skills Additionally, this paper also provided severalrecommendations for the implementation of simulation, which were withdrawn fromthe research process

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP……….i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……… ii

ABSTRACT ……….iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS……… iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……….viii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES……….ix

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale ··· 1

2 Aims and objectives of the study ··· 2

3 Research questions ··· 2

4 Scope of the study ··· 3

5 Methods ··· 3

6 Organization of the study ··· 4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Simulations ··· 5

1.1.1 Definition of simulations in language learning context ··· 5

1.1.2 Characteristics of simulations ··· 6

1.1.3 Distinction simulations and role-plays ··· 8

1.1.4 Distinction simulations and games ··· 10

1.1.5 The role of simulations in L2 teaching and learning context ··· 11

1.1.6 The limitation of simulations ··· 12

1.1.7 The effects of simulations on students‟ attitudes in language learning

……….13

1.1.7.1 Motivation ··· 13

1.1.7.2 Activeness ··· 14

1.1.7.3 Courage and confidence ··· 15

1.2 Summary of previous studies on simulations in language teaching and learning · 16 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Participants and setting of the study ··· 18

2.2 Data collection ··· 18

2.2.1 Data collection instruments ··· 18

2.2.1.1 Questionnaire ··· 18

2.2.1.2 Interview ··· 19

2.2.2 Data collection procedures ··· 19

2.2.2.1 Piloting ··· 19

a) Piloting the questionnaires ··· 19

b) Piloting the interview ··· 20

2.2.2.2 Main procedure ··· 20

2.2.3 Data analysis procedures ··· 21

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Findings and discussion ··· 23

3.1.1 Students‟ English speaking learning before the introduction of simulations ··· 23 3.1.1.1.Students‟ attitudes in general towards the current speaking activities

v

3.1.1.2.Students‟ improvement of speaking skills in comparison with that of

the last semester ··· 25

3.1.1.3.Students‟ frequency in practicing English speaking skills in daily situations ··· 25

3.1.1.4.Students‟ confidence in bringing English to realistic conversations with native speakers ··· 26

3.1.1.5 Students‟ participation in a variety of activities ··· 28

3.1.1.6 The activities that students feel like to participate in most ···· 29

3.1.1.7.Students‟ choice among various activities: group discussion, class discussion, role play and simulations ··· 30

3.1.1.8 Students‟ expectations in their speaking class ··· 31

3.1.2 The implementation and students‟ responses towards simulations ··· 33

3.1.2.1 Students‟ interest in simulations ··· 33

3.1.2.2 Students‟ responses about the benefits of simulations ··· 35

3.1.2.3 Students‟ self-evaluation about their roles in the simulations 37 3.1.2.4.Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities ··· 38

3.1.2.5 Do the students want simulations to be employed? ··· 39

3.2 Pedagogical implications ··· 39

PART C: CONCLUSION 1 Recapitulation of the study ··· 41

2 Conclusions of the study ··· 41

3 Limitations of the study ··· 42

4 Suggestions for further study ··· 43

vi

Appendix 1:Table 1: Simulation vs Role play IAppendix 2: Table 2: Simulation vs Game ··· IIAppendix 3: Table 3: Summary of previous studies on simulation ··· IIIAppendix 4: Table 4: The practice of speaking skills in real –life situations ··· VAppendix 5: Table 5: Students‟ confidence in communicating with native speakers

··· VI Appendix 6: Table 6: Students‟ participation in various types of activities………VII

Appendix 7: Table 7: The activities that students feel like to participate in

most………VIIIAppendix 8: Table 8: Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities ··· IX Appendix 9: Schedule of classroom observation ……… XAppendix 10: Questionnaire 1 (English version) Speaking activities in classroom before the application of simulations ··· XI Appendix 11: Questionnaire 1 (Viet version) Quan sát hoạt động trong tiết học

speaking……… XIIIAppendix 12: Questionnaire 2 (English version) Students‟ attitudes and responses to simulations ··· XV Appendix 13: Questionnaire 2 (Viet version) Quan sát thái độ của sinh viên về

simulations ··· XVII Appendix 14: Sample lesson plan 1 - Shopping Stands………XIXAppendix 16: Lesson plan 2 - Restaurant Servicesimulations: Making and taking order

in a restaurant ··· XXI

: Faculty of Foreign Language

: Ho Chi Minh University of Industry

: Đại học Anh văn 9: Second Language

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Simulation vs Role play

Table 2: Simulation vs Game

Table 3: Summary of previous studies on simulation

Table 4: The practice of speaking skills in real –life situations

Table 5: Students‟ confidence in communicating with native speakers

Table 6: Students‟ participation in various types of activities

Table 7: The activities that students feel like to participate in most

Table 8: Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities Figure 1: The structure of a simulation

Figure 2: Students‟ attitudes on speaking activities

Figure 3: Students‟ improvement of speaking skills compared to the last semester Figure 4: The practice of speaking skills in real-life situations

Figure 5: Students‟ confidence in communicating with native speakers

Figure 6: Students‟ participation in various types of activities

Figure 7: The activities that students feel like to participate in most

Figure 8: Students‟ choice among discussion, role play and simulation

Figure 8: Students‟ interest in simulation

Figure 10: Students‟ responses about the benefits of simulation

Figure 11: Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities

First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr.Phạm Hữu Đức, for his encouragement, dedicated guidance and constant assistancefrom the initial stage to the final stage to develop an understanding of the subject,without which this thesis would not have been possible I would also like to express myhearty thanks for his spending precious family time on my call at any time

It is my pleasure to thank the teachers of class DHAV9A and DHAV9B; Ms.Hoàng Lê Thị Tuyết and Ms Lê Ngọc Diệp who facilitated me the most in the delivery

of questionnaires and observation of the students‟ activities

I would like to thank the students of class DHAV9, NCAV7 who helped mepilot as well as fulfilled the questionnaires and interviews

My warm gratitude goes to my family who always believes in me, alwaysrespects my choices and gives me the best support both of spirit and finance

Above all, I thank God, who blesses me with peaceful energy to support me atall time

There is no doubt about the significance of English in today‟s world when thecommunicative abilities become important And one of the challenges is that how tohelp student be able to apply their classroom knowledge in real-life situations to themost extent Simulation is considered as one of the potential activities to wed theoryinto practice and improve students‟ speaking skills

The attempt was to know whether students were engaged in simulation and theirresponses to this activity To serve these purposes, a quantitative research together with

a specific group of 59 first-year students was chosen At the same time, two phases ofquestionnaires, before introducing simulation and after its implementation wereproceeded For the achievements of these purposes, besides 59 freshmen fromDHAV9A, DHAV9B, more methodologies including questionnaires and the interviewswere also employed to help the researcher examine and provide more details to thefindings as statistics and reliable materials for the analyzing phase

The results have found students‟ interest and support for this kind of activities.They got chances to deal with realistic situations in relaxing settings, which not onlyprepared them with practical experience but promised to contribute to the improvement

of their speaking skills Additionally, this paper also provided severalrecommendations for the implementation of simulation, which were withdrawn fromthe research process

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP……….i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……… ii

ABSTRACT ……….iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS……… iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……….viii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES……….ix

PART A: INTRODUCTION 7 Rationale ··· 1

8 Aims and objectives of the study ··· 2

9 Research questions ··· 2

10 Scope of the study ··· 3

11 Methods ··· 3

12 Organization of the study ··· 4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.3 Simulations ··· 5

1.1.8 Definition of simulations in language learning context ··· 5

1.1.9 Characteristics of simulations ··· 6

1.1.10 ··· Dist inction simulations and role-plays··· 8

1.1.11 ··· Disti nction simulations and games ··· 10

1.1.12 ··· The

role of simulations in L2 teaching and learning context ··· 11

1.1.13 ··· The limitation of simulations ··· 12

1.1.14 The effects of simulations on students‟ attitudes in language learning ……….13

1.1.7.4 Motivation ··· 13

1.1.7.5 Activeness ··· 14

1.1.7.6 Courage and confidence ··· 15

1.4 Summary of previous studies on simulations in language teaching and learning · 16 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.3 Participants and setting of the study ··· 18

2.4 Data collection ··· 18

2.2.4 Data collection instruments ··· 18

2.2.1.3 Questionnaire ··· 18

2.2.1.4 Interview ··· 19

2.2.5 Data collection procedures ··· 19

2.2.2.3 Piloting ··· 19

c) Piloting the questionnaires ··· 19

d) Piloting the interview ··· 20

2.2.2.4 Main procedure ··· 20

2.2.6 Data analysis procedures ··· 21

xiv

3.1.3 Students‟English speaking learning before the introduction of simulations

··· 233.1.1.9.Students‟ attitudes in general towards the current speaking activities

at class ··· 233.1.1.10 Students‟ improvement of speaking skills in comparison with that

of the last semester ··· 253.1.1.11 Students‟ frequency in practicing English speaking skills in daily situations ··· 253.1.1.12 Students‟ confidence in bringing English to realistic conversations with native speakers ··· 263.1.1.13 Students‟ participation in a variety of activities ··· 283.1.1.14 The activities that students feel like to participate in most ···· 293.1.1.15 Students‟ choice among various activities: group discussion, class discussion, role play and simulations ··· 303.1.1.16 Students‟ expectations in their speaking class ··· 313.1.4 The implementation and students‟ responses towards simulations ··· 33

simulations ··· 33

3.1.2.7 Students‟ responses about the benefits of simulations ··· 35

3.1.2.8 Students‟ self-evaluation about their roles in the simulations 373.1.2.9.Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities

··· 383.1.2.10 Do the students want simulations to be employed? ··· 393.4 Pedagogical implications ··· 39

PART C: CONCLUSION

5 Recapitulation of the study ··· 41

7 Limitations of the study ··· 42

8 Suggestions for further study ··· 43REFERENCES··· 45

APPENDICES

Appendix 1:Table 1: Simulation vs Role play IAppendix 2: Table 2: Simulation vs Game ··· IIAppendix 3: Table 3: Summary of previous studies on simulation ··· IIIAppendix 4: Table 4: The practice of speaking skills in real –life situations ··· VAppendix 5: Table 5: Students‟ confidence in communicating with native speakers

··· VI Appendix 6: Table 6: Students‟ participation in various types of activities………VII

Appendix 7: Table 7: The activities that students feel like to participate in

most………VIIIAppendix 8: Table 8: Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities ··· IX Appendix 9: Schedule of classroom observation ……… XAppendix 10: Questionnaire 1 (English version) Speaking activities in classroom before the application of simulations ··· XI Appendix 11: Questionnaire 1 (Viet version) Quan sát hoạt động trong tiết học

speaking……… XIIIAppendix 12: Questionnaire 2 (English version) Students‟ attitudes and responses to simulations ··· XV Appendix 13: Questionnaire 2 (Viet version) Quan sát thái độ của sinh viên về

simulations ··· XVII Appendix 14: Sample lesson plan 1 - Shopping Stands………XIXAppendix 16: Lesson plan 2 - Restaurant Service simulations: Making and taking order

in a restaurant ··· XXI

: Faculty of Foreign Language

: Ho Chi Minh University of Industry

: Đại học Anh văn 9: Second Language

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Simulation vs Role play

Table 2: Simulation vs Game

Table 3: Summary of previous studies on simulation

Table 4: The practice of speaking skills in real –life situations

Table 5: Students‟ confidence in communicating with native speakers

Table 6: Students‟ participation in various types of activities

Table 7: The activities that students feel like to participate in most

Table 8: Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities Figure 1: The structure of a simulation

Figure 2: Students‟ attitudes on speaking activities

Figure 3: Students‟ improvement of speaking skills compared to the last semester Figure 4: The practice of speaking skills in real-life situations

Figure 5: Students‟ confidence in communicating with native speakers

Figure 6: Students‟ participation in various types of activities

Figure 7: The activities that students feel like to participate in most

Figure 8: Students‟ choice among discussion, role play and simulation

Figure 8: Students‟ interest in simulation

Figure 10: Students‟ responses about the benefits of simulation

Figure 11: Comparison of students‟ attitudes among various speaking activities

PART A: INTRODUCTION

According to Nunan (1991), "Success is measured in terms of the ability to

carry out a conversation in the (target) language.” Richards (1990: 21) also shares the

same idea with Nunan in this case by saying:

“Speaking skills in learning English is a priority for many

second-language or foreign-second-language learners English learners often evaluate

their success in language learning as well as the effectiveness of their

English course on the basis of how much they feel they have improved

in their spoken language proficiency.”

In the international integration, the need for interpersonal communication isindispensable Therefore, English speaking competence is considered as a magic tool indealing with language barrier However, Richard (1990: 122) explains the typicallearners‟ problems in speaking such as speaking slowly, taking too long to composeutterances, being incapable to participate actively in conversation, speakingunnaturally, having poor grammar and poor pronunciation It is commonly seen thatthese difficulties emerge in most English teaching institutes During the teaching time

at HUI, I recognized that such kinds of obstacles also interfered with the teaching andlearning of English as a foreign language (EFL) at HUI Specifically, most of ourstudents are not confident enough to interact in English either in a real setting or inclass Even when they want to express themselves, they are intervened by the lack ofvocabulary or grammar In addition, it takes them much time to think about what theyare going to say

As for speaking to the point, Tansey and Unwin (1969) state: “The context of

learning is not the context in which the knowledge will have to be applied.” It is

These reasons also make sense to English- majored students at HUI Many of themagreed that they did not have many chances to be exposed to practical English speaking

in class What is learnt in class meet a little amount in reality? In most class hours,students study rigid programs, trying to catch up with the curriculum, which have beenexperienced by other FFL students at HUI

This research, therefore, hopefully contributes to students‟ improvements ofspeaking skills and their effective application to meet the requirements in a real world.Moreover, this paper will be a helpful source of materials for the researcher‟s teachingcareer in the near future Thereby, simulation technique caught the researcher‟s interestbecause whereas standardized methods give us insight on how the student might do in

a real setting, “simulations will show us how the student actually performs” (Littlejohn,

1990: 128) Wondering whether simulations can benefit students at FFL of HUI to anyconsiderable extent brings the researcher to this thesis research process

The objectives are drawn up to get clear:

 if students can get along well with this simulations

 what students‟ responses to simulations are

All these findings promise to facilitate English learning and teaching throughsimulations approach, which fulfill students‟ need for realism- a desire to relate to lifeout there beyond the classroom‟s box-like walls” (McArthur, 1983: 101)

3 Research questions

Having explained the problems of the research in the previous part, the

researcher would like to formulate the problems into one question: To what extentare

influences of the application of simulations on first year students’ attitudes in learning English speaking in FFL at HUI? To clarify this question, the more specific questions

are employed as follows:

 To what extent are students interested in simulations?

 What are students‟ responses to simulations?

4 Scope of the study

This research just attempts to address a small number of first year students fromFaculty of Foreign Language at HUI The scale of this research is limited in theseparticipants because of two reasons Firstly, they have made a turning passage fromhigh school to University environment It is known that high school students focusmainly on grammar in English learning From personal experience combining with themajority of my peers‟, when attending University class as majored-English students,most of us are shy and hardly speak English And that might be the similarphenomenon to freshmen in general Secondly, there has not been any surety about theapplication of simulations technique in class In addition, its effectiveness on students

in FFL at HUI not been announced As a consequence, simulations research processwill get priority on carrying out on first year students as an extent of elaborating theeffectiveness of simulations implementation Simulations create new experience forfreshmen in different learning situations Moreover, the application of this approach is

to help first year students build up confidence; get along well with this method in order

to set up a foundation for students to get a momentum in speaking at higher level Inthis paper, the researcher does not expect to study on theapplication of simulations indifferent fields in general for instancetechnology, economics, politics, etc but specifies

in English languageteaching and learning in particular Lastly, the paper does nottry tocover all the four skills in teaching and learning a foreign language,but focuses merely

on speaking skills

5 Methods

This study includes the interview and the survey questionnaires Thequestionnaires are designed to find out the students‟ responses to their speakinglearning state and whether students ever come up with simulations in class Besides,this study also contains the interview from students in order to get deep and reliabledata.

6 Organization of the study

To achieve the aims of the study, this paper is divided into three main parts Theyare INTRODUCTION, DEVELOPMENT, and CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION includes the reasons of choosing the thesis, the aims, the scope, the research questions, the methods and the organization of the study DEVELOPMENT consists three chapters

Chapter 1 presents the theoretical background relevant to the research Firstly,some basic concepts of simulations are introduced Then, the summary of previousstudies is also presented

Chapter 2 is the research methodology In this chapter, I will introduce thesubject of the study, the instruments used to collect data and the procedure of datacollection

Chapter 3 presents data analysis and discussion The data will be analyzedthrough two instruments: questionnaires and the student interview I also interpret thefindings

The last part is CONCLUSION, which is the summary of the findings tofacilitate English learning and teaching through simulations approach This part alsoincludes the limitations of the study as well as some recommendations for furtherstudy

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

Since Viet Nam became the 150th member of World Trade Organization in

2007, the accession will bring abundant opportunities to contribute to the economicdevelopment of Viet Nam More foreign investors have headed for Vietnam and thereexists no debate about the position of English in such an integration context as a magictool for global communication Therefore, English is now a compulsory subject inalmost educational institutes in all over the world and in Vietnam in particular.Learning is one thing, but how to apply that thing to the most extent for realisticpurposes is the matter that inspires the researcher The reality shows that students havebeen learning English for a long time as 7 or 8 years or even more not only in theirschools, universities but in extra classes in language centers However, many of themfind it hard to get along well with English The noble duty of language education ishow to engage students to speak up and prepare them with realistic experiences for theutmost important need of communication

1.1 Simulations

1.1.1 Definition of simulations in language learning context

Educators have been designing, using, evaluating, and writing about simulationsfor more than 40 years There are a lot of definitions on the term “simulations”, amongwhichDougili and Jones‟ (1987) are the very first researchers in this field.According to

Dougili (1987: 21), “Simulations can be defined as a structured set ofcircumstances

that mirror real life and participants act as instructed.” The definition has not

specialized the unique features of simulations However, it is a foundation for furtherresearch to reach the light of simulations In his book: “Simulations in language

teaching” (1982), Jones defines “simulations asreality of function in a simulated and

structured environment.” Thisdefinition shows three essential elements in simulations:

reality of function,simulated environment, and structure

The two definitions have a consensus on “simulated environment”, which meansthe environment in which this kind of activities takes place mimics the setting as in reallife However, Jones‟ explanation shapes a clearer picture to readers about simulations.What make simulations different from other activities are its characteristics

1.1.2 Characteristics of simulations

Essentially, a simulation has three characteristics:

 A reality of function which means the participants in a simulation must step

inside the role they have accepted and act accordingly

 A simulated environment where there is no contact with the real world.

 A structured environment where the participants have all the facts and

information provided for them

To the first feature, participants must step inside the function mentally andbehaviorally in order to fulfill their duties and responsibilities in the situation (Jones,1982: 5) The most important part of simulations is having participants accept thereality of function (role and duties) fully, not thinking they are students but taking therole; otherwise the simulations simply will not work For example, a participant whohas the function of the doctor must examine the patient, communicating effectively to

do the job The role of students in simulations (as cited on Yeonhwan Lyu (2006: 13),therefore, is:

(1) taking the functional roles such as reporter, doctor, customer as a participant

“Taking the functional roles” here means participants fulfill their roles in thesituation based on their practical experiences and personalities They do andmust know the reasons for their behaviors, not just say: ““I was just imitatingthat person I saw on television last night.”

(2) stepping into the event

(3) shaping the event, carrying out their duties and responsibilities.

To come up with the second characteristic, in simulations, a providedenvironment must be simulated In order to fulfill the essential condition of being asimulated environment, there must be no contact between the participants and theworld outside of the classroom (Jone, 1982, as cited on Lyu, 2006: 13) In other words,when space in a restaurant is setting for the simulations, we do not need to provide realstylish tables, chairs or a real restaurant building, yet we simply create a simulatedenvironment representing the restaurant by arranging and decorating the class withsome props like vases of flowers, menus and so forth Likewise, if we need a musiccontest stage, we can move tables and chairs and leave a space on the platform with achalk or marker-decorated board full of musical notes This preparation also engagesstudents in utilizing their aesthetic senses in painting, drawing, decorating and so on.One thing that needs to keep in mind is that only the environment is simulated, but thebehavior of a participant is real

Finally, the environment must be structured It is important that the essential

“facts” of the simulations environment are provided, not invented by the participants,

to preserve reality of function (Jones, 1982: 5) Without structure, it is not a simulationbecause there is no reality of function Participants need more than a single episode inorder that function properly in the simulations, the purposes, the process of theprogram and the relevant documents for the program, etc needed to be provided

In short, these three characteristics contribute to shaping a simulation It isgenerally divided into three phrases: firstly, a stage forgiving the participants necessaryinformation; secondly, the problemsolving discussions, and thirdly follow- up work.Herbert and Sturtridge(1979, as cited in Bygate, 2000: 81) illustrate this in theirdiagram ofstructure of a simulation as follows:

PHASE 1 Information input

Language work based on thetask

The role-cards (if any)The background to the task

Linguistic input Classroom practice of the language of discussion and essential lexis

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

Sub- group discussions

Discussion of the task

Follow upFurther work arising from thediscussions

Follow- upFeed back and evaluation sessionImmediate remedial work

Figure 1: The structure of a simulation

1.1.3 Distinction simulations and role-plays

There is little consensus on the terms used in the “role play” and “simulations” literature Just a few of the terms which are used, often interchangeably, are

"simulations," "games," "role-play," "simulations-games," "role-play simulations," and

"role-playing games" (Crookall & Oxford, 1990a) There does seem to be someagreement

However, the first distinction is that simulation is a broader concept than roleplay Ladousse (1987), for example, views simulations as complex, lengthy andrelatively inflexible, but role playing as quite simple, brief and flexible Simulationssimulate real life situations, while in role playing the participant is representing andexperiencing some character type known in everyday life (Scarcella & Oxford, 1992).Simulations always include an element of role play (Ladousse, 1987)

The second is the criterion of “fact” As Jones, (1980: 10) simulations are notimprovised drama, or episodic role play They are not isolated events played out before

an audience of fellow students/pupils In a professional situation the participants musthave the key facts, and not be asked to invent them For example, “You are thecustomer returning a broken shoe, and you are the shop assistant” In simulations, theessential facts are provided to participants for the functional part such as their sex, age,job, broken shoes while in role plays, participants have to “invent” key facts or “actout” scenes according to provide specific scripts or descriptions alike The customermight take on the role of author and invent the circumstances in which the shoe broken,where, when, and what were the consequences The shop assistant could take on therole of author in order to invent the policy of shop towards disgruntled customers whoreturn articles Participants are encouraged to act according to the script, which isimpossible in simulations, where there is no script There is nothing wrong with this;imagination and improvisation are fine But the thoughts, motives, and tasks of aparticipant in such a role play are quite different from a simulation This is not to saythat participants in simulations never invent “fact”, but they should never be key facts.Invention and acting can sometime occur in a simulation, but this is usually confined to

Thirdly, simulations simulate real life situations, while in role playing theparticipant is representing and experiencing some character types known in everydaylife (Scarcella & Oxford, 1992) Participants in simulations take on roles acceptingduties and responsibilities and function according to their own personalities, instead ofplaying or acting the role Mimicry of “real life” is legitimate for actors in role play anddrama but not for participants in a simulation In the debriefing all participants should

be able reasons for their behavior and not say “I was just imitating that person I saw ontelevision last night.”

As Bambrough (1994: 14) says, simulations are differentiated from other roleactivities in that the roles function within a structure that represents a real worldsituation and the elements of this situation are represents consistently in a dynamic

way (See the table 1 in appendix 1)

1.1.4 Distinction simulations and games

Like simulations, games can be effective learning tools, but some keycharacteristics can be distinguished them from simulations

Firstly, the difference between simulations and games is on the representeddegree of reality of function unlike education simulations, games often involveelements of fantasy and make-believe whereas simulations present reality Secondly,the rules of play in games are likely to be fixed and rigid, unlike the more fluid andoften spontaneous guidelines of simulations

Furthermore, many academic games, such as variations of bingo, are predicated

on a combination of knowledge and luck The luck factor gives all students, even lessable, a chance to win, thus increasing motivation In simulations, the actions of theplayers typically have more predictable outcomes and luck brings no greater chance ofsuccess than it does in real life

Finally, games can also effectively reinforce or increase knowledge orstrengthen skills, in the classroom they typically do so through less complex methodsthan in simulations Often the learning objectives are less clear-cut in games.

Briefly, the four criteria to distinguish games and simulations are the degree ofreality, the rules, the presence of luck and the complexity

The list in table 2 is Jone‟s interpretation of proper terminology that helps us to

understand the distinctions between simulations and other interactive activities ( See

the table 2 in appendix 2)

The games (inappropriate) list is not intended to reflect adversely on thetechniques of games, informal drama and exercises Clear appreciation of boundarylines helps immeasurably in choosing suitable simulations, designing the behavior,including both oral and written skills

1.1.5 The role of simulations in L2 teaching and learning context

According to Wan‟s summery (1990) of advantages: (as cited on Khuc Kim

Lan, 2010: 33) Simulations:

Simulations activities stimulate authentic learner-to-learner conversationalinteraction (Richards, 1985) The activities also develop conversational competence among second language learners

It is where opportunities arise for the learner to use language freely andcreatively

Since simulations activities are more practice/revision activities than teachingactivities, they are useful and more suitable for consolidating and practicing aspects of conversational proficiency than teaching new forms

Simulations bring the outside world into the classroom This could have

affective effects in terms of social interaction and cultural awareness

The use of simulations activities is a break from the usual textbook teaching andthe 'chalk and talk' method of the teacher The students have opportunities to mixaround and to act out different roles The atmosphere in the classroom is less formaland this can reduce tension

 Prepare students for real life and unpredictability:

Real life situations and communication are unpredictable A student may learnall the correct forms of communication but may not know when to use themappropriately Simulations provide opportunities to react to these situations and to givethe students a taste of real life

Gibbs (1974) and Jones (1982) get along well with Wan‟s points (1990) about

the above pros of simulations but one stronger element that is: “It can be used as an

assessment technique.” Oral examinations can make use of simulations where students

are given different roles to play in groups of fours or fives and left to interact on theirown The accuser observes and scores the students based on a marking scheme

1.1.6 The limitation of simulations

A coin always has two sides, and apparently, drawbacks in simulations areinevitable

Selection of suitable simulations:

Some criteria will have to be set before the selection of the appropriatesimulations Factors to be considered include the language level of the learners, thecosts of purchasing or making simulations sets, its relevance to the students and so on.

Role-play and simulations involve a lot of conversation and discussion Thus itmay not be very suitable for low proficiency students who do not have the necessary communicative competence to carry out the activity

A number of things have to be done before a simulation is used in the lesson.The learners have to be clearly instructed and suitable roles have to be designated toindividual learners The teacher has to act as the Controller and once the simulationbegins, the controller should not interfere Therefore, it is important that theinstructions are understood or the simulations may fail There is also a need to 'de-brief'the learners after the simulation is completed This stage is similar to that of anevaluation where the teacher has to comment on the learners' performance in thesimulations This may be a difficult task if there are more than two groups in a class

 Difficulties in monitoring activities:

With so much activity both physical and verbal going on, it is sometimesdifficult for the teacher to monitor a student's performance There is the fear among teachers that the students are having too much fun and that no learning is taking place

In some situations, especially among adult learners, simulations activities cause

a lot of embarrassment, awkwardness and very little spontaneous language use The choice of appropriate roles for different students is thus very important

Since the teacher is not encouraged to correct mistakes immediately so as not todiscourage students, this provides opportunities for learners to produce and practiceungrammatical and inappropriate forms.

1.1.7 The effects of simulations on students’ attitudes in language learning 1.1.7.1 Motivation

Simulations increase motivation Simulations prompt mental and bodily activity.The activities require active participation Concentration is also often required and it isnot easy for a student to stay passive for long Situations are created for the students touse the language meaningfully and this would motivate the students towardsparticipation The less motivated students will be gradually drawn into the activitywhen they see the rest of the group having a good time (Wan, 1990)

Teachers who have used simulations overwhelmingly agree that this method oflearning motivates the students Theall and Franklin (1999), after editing a bookexamining motivation as it relates to teaching, learning, institutional programs, foundconvergence in the current research on motivation They found a “consistent pattern ofemphasis on a group of six factors: inclusion, attitude, meaning, competence,leadership, and satisfaction” (1999: 105) All of the factors are apparent in well-organized simulations All researchers who have looked at motivation agree that it cannot be “imposed” on students They have to somehow get “fired up” It goes withoutsaying that we learn best what we feel a need to know Intrinsic motivation remainsinextricably bound to some level of choice and control ” (Rhem, 1995) Motivation isself- generated since motive arises out of function, the duties, the responsibilities andthe circumstances in which the participants find themselves (Jones, 1982: 10) Whenpeople are intrinsically motivated, they not only experience interest and enjoyment butalso feel competent and self- determining (Deci & Ryan,1985: 34) Deci and Ryan

(1985: 256) also stated, “Being intrinsically motivated to learn improves the quality of

learning and that those conditions that are autonomous and informational will promote more effective learning.”

As Jones (1982: 11) stated, motivation from function and duty is an essentialingredient in a simulations Therefore, no effort to motivate learners will be necessary

as long as learners accept the reality of their functions Motivation may also come fromthe emotional satisfaction or the pleasure of power to make decisions and theenjoyment of interactive excitement

1.1.7.2 Activeness

Fortunately, active learning can play a key role in motivating students.Emphasizing Greenblat‟s (1981) second element, the entire students participating in avariety of roles within an environment designed around the learning objectives of thecourse Petreanek, Corey, and Black(1992: 176) concluded that this participatory

interaction helps students learn through education simulations: “During a simulations

participants unconsciously process all types of information: facts, strategies, outcomes, relationships, feeling, and much more…Learning happens because the students are active and not passive in the process They are able to experiment with various options and interact with fellow students” Moreover, students can share the

leadership with the teacher in simulations, which helps transform the chalk-and-talk

tradition into student-center in classroom Different from traditional pedagogy,simulations give students free and large space to find themselves, exploring theirstrengths as well as weaknesses; the most importantly they know where their passion is

to choose the effective tools in learning No one but they take the handlebar activelysteering their own study and their future

1.1.7.3 Courage and confidence

Here is a perception that it is okay to make errors and keep going A basicreason for using simulations is that mistakes are both inevitable and desirable It is

from their mistakes and want opportunity to improve in the next simulations Thegreater the disaster is, the greater the learning becomes Participants‟ anxiety islowered since there is no teacher in simulations; learners participate in the activitywithout trying to please the teacher or worrying about being correct Making mistakesand even failing the communication are accepted in simulations Learners do not have

to be afraid to fail because communication in simulations does not have to besuccessful to be beneficial In fact, failures are as desirable as success (Jones, 1982: 9).Learners have ample chances to make it work, not make it right, while they negotiatemeanings in simulations By designing the simulations without all of complexities anddistractions of real life, students are able to focus on the instructor‟s intended learningobjectives Instructors can also “design out” negative learning experiences that oftenoccur in actual practice Thus, students in education simulations can take risks withoutfear of harm to real people or real events, and they are free to learn from mistakes

In addition, when learning how to communicate in a target community, realisticexperiences are essential In simulations, subjects/contexts are more meaningful tolearners since they are inside of the simulations Being participants within thesimulations, learners become an apart of the event and involved in real life situationswhere they have to deal with issues to resolve Therefore, the simulations that they are

in are not an “imaginary world” What they perform in the simulations may help them

to visualize what is in real life Thereby, they will feel more comfortable and moreprepared Simulations give them ample opportunities to demonstrate themselves, which

enhance not only motivation but also confidence It is not the “I’ve read it, so now I

know it”, but a type of confidence: it is the “I’ve done it, so I can do it” (Jones, 1982:

12)

Generally, motivation, activeness, courage and confidence are bricks of rightattitudes in learning Once students are facilitated to come at right attitudes in learning,they will shape right strategies as well as positive directions in learning Importantly,