1

THE EFFECTS OF ROLE-PLAY ON STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE

AND MOTIVATION TO SPEAK AND INTERACT
IN THE ESL CLASSROOM

BOJEESWARI D/O BOSAN

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the

Requirements for the award of the degree of

Master of Education in

Teaching English as a Second Language(TESL)

Faculty of Education

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

JUNE 2013
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DECLARATION

I declare that this research report entitled “The Effects of Role-play on Students’
Attitude and Motivation to Speak and Interact in the ESL Classroom” is the result of
my own research except as cited in the references. The research has not been
accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted in candidature of any
other degree.

Signature :

Name : Bojeeswari Bosan

Date : June 25, 2013

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Beloved father MR. Bosan for his love,

My Beloved sisters and brothers for their love and care,

Mr & Mrs Ravindren, Mr & Mrs Rajan, Mr & Mrs Jaya Kumar,

Miss Sarala Devi and Mr Saravana Kumar.

Good friend of mine R. Sheila Devi for her support

And

Mr Selva Kumar for his support and encouragements,

Not forgetting

All my friends for their prayers.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Om Guru Bharma, thanks to the Almighty God because of His shower of

blessings, I am able to complete this study within the given time and successfully.

Firstly, I wish to express my greatest and sincere appreciation to my

supervisors Puan Zanariah binti Md Saleh and Associate Professor Dr. Norazman
bin Abdul Majid for their comments, guidance, patience, motivation and support in
the pursuance of this research.

I would also like to thank my examiners Associate Professor Madya Dr.

Abdul Halim bin Abdul Rauf and Puan Haliza binti Jaafar for their constructive
comments and feedbacks for the improvement of this research.

My gratitude also goes to my beloved family members for their endless love,
support, encouragement and prayers.

BOJEESWARI BOSAN
2013
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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of role-play activities

on students’ attitude and motivation towards speaking and interacting in the ESL
classroom. This experimental research adopted a mixed methodology where data
were obtained by using questionnaire, observation and interview. The questionnaire
was adapted from several studies. The data obtained from the questionnaire were
analyzed using SPSS 20. Observations were done on both the control and
experimental group based on the checklist designed by the researcher. The
experimental group which underwent the role-play activities were video-recorded
and the recordings were analyzed using Transana 2.22. Interviews were conducted
to gain further insight on students’ opinion of the role-play activities. The
respondents of this research consisted of 28 Year 4 students from one primary school
in the Johor Bahru district. The findings of the study showed that role-play activities
did have significant effects in motivating students to speak and interact in the ESL
classroom. Students also perceived role-play activities to be beneficial in helping
them to improve their speaking ability through the use of the language and
enhancing their interaction in class. Thus, it is recommended that ESL teachers
adopt this approach in order to improve students’ communicative and interactive
skills.
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ABSTRAK

Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk mengkaji kesan aktiviti main
peranan terhadap sikap dan motivasi pelajar untuk bertutur dan berinteraksi di dalam
kelas Bahasa Inggeris. Kajian ini adalah berbentuk eksperimen dimana instrumen
yang digunakan adalah soal selidik, pemerhatian dan temubual. Soal selidik yang
digunakan telah diadaptasi daripada beberapa kajian lepas. Data dari soal selidik ini
akan dianalisis dengan menggunakan SPSS 20 manakala pemerhatian keatas
kumpulan eksperimen dan kumpulan kawalan dijalankan dengan berpandukan
senarai semak yang telah dibentuk oleh penyelidik. Aktiviti kumpulan uji kaji telah
dirakam dan data dianalisis menggunakan Transana 2.22. Temubual juga telah
dijalankan untuk mengetahui pandangan pelajar terhadap aktiviti main peranan ini.
Seramai 28 orang pelajar Tahun 4 dari salah sebuah sekolah rendah dari daerah
Johor Bahru dipilih sebagai responden untuk kajian ini. Hasil dapatan kajian
menunjukkan bahawa aktiviti main peranan ini dapat meningkatkan tahap motivasi
pelajar unuk bertutur dan berinteraksi didalam kelas Bahasa Inggeris. Mengikut
pendapat pelajar, aktiviti main peranan ini dapat meningkatkan mutu atau kualiti
mereka bertutur dan berinteraksi di kelas Bahasa Inggeris. Oleh yang demikian guru
Bahasa Inggeris disarankan untuk menggunakan aktiviti main peranan ini di dalam
kelas Bahasa Inggeris supaya pelajar dapat meningkatkan kebolehan mereka untuk
bertutur dan berinteraksi di dalam kelas.
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CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

DECLARATION ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEGEMENT iv
ABSTRACT v
ABSTRAK vi
CONTENTS vii
LIST OF TABLES ix
LIST OF FIGURES x
LIST OF ACRONYMS xi
LIST OF APPENDICES xii

1 INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Background of the Study 2
1.2 Statement of the Problem 3
1.3 Conceptual Framework 6
1.4 Research Objectives 8
1.5 Research Questions 8
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1.6. Significance of The Study 9

1.7 Scope of Study 9
1.8 Definition of Terms 10
1.9 Conclusion 12

2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

2.0 Introduction 13
2.1 Communicative Language Teaching 13
2.2 Second Language Acquisition Theories 15
2.2.1 Affective Filter Hypotheses 15
2.2.2 Social Interaction 16
2.3 Attitude and Motivation 17
2.3.1 Attitude and Language Acquisition 17
2.3.2 Motivational and Language 18
Acquisition 19
2.4 Speaking and Interacting 20
2.4.1 Students’ Speaking Ability 20
2.4.2 Factors Affecting Language 21
Learning
2.5 Role Play In The ESL Classroom 23
2.6 Conclusion 25
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3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction 26
3.1. The Research Design 26
3.2 Respondents 28
3.3 Research Instruments 30
3.3.1 Questionnaire 30
3.3.2 Observation 32
3.3.3 Interviews 33
3.4 Research Procedures 33
3.5 Data Analysis 38
3.6 Conclusion 39

4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.0 Introduction 41
4.1 Research Question 1: What are the Students’
Attitude and Motivation Towards Speaking
and Interacting in the ESL Classroom
(Control Group)? 42
4.2 Research Question 2: What are the Effects
of Role-play Activities on Students’ Attitude
and Motivation to Speak and Interact in the
ESL Classroom (Experimental Group)? 48

4.2.1 Findings from the Questionnaire 48

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4.2.2 Finding from the Observation 57

4.2.2.1 Observations Made on the

Control Group 58

4.2.2.2 Observations Made on the

Experimental Group 62
4.3 Research Question 3: What are the Students’
Perceptions Towards the Role-play Activities? 68
4.4 Conclusion 76

5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

5.0 Introduction 77
5.1 Summary of the Findings 78
5.2 Pedagogical Implication 79
5.3 Limitations of the Study 80
5.4 Recommendation for Further Research 81
5.6 Conclusion 81

REFERENCES 83

APPENDICES 90- 129

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LIST OF TABLE

TABLE NO. TITLE PAGE



3.1 Information about the Respondents 29
3.2 Role-play Activities 35
3.3 Research Procedure 37
3.4 Details of Data Analysis 39

4.1 Questionnaire with Motivation and Attitude Items 42

4.2 The Mean for Each Question Before and After 3
Weeks of Activities for Control Group 44
4.3 Summary of Mean According to the Attitude and
Motivation Questions for Control Group 47
4.4 The Mean for Each Questions Before and After 3
Weeks of Activities for Experimental Group 49
4.5 Summary of Mean According to the Attitude and
Motivation Questions for Experimental Group 51
4.6 Checklist and the Group Activities 58
4.7 Item 8 – Checklist 7 59
4.8 Item 8 – Checklist 9 59
4.9 Item 4 and 5 – Checklist 7 60
4.10 Item 8 & 9 – Checklist 9 61
4.11 Item 8 & 9 – Checklist 10 61
4.12 Role-play Activities 63
4.13 G1S1 Involvement in the Conversation 64
4.14 G1S3 Involvement in the Conversation 65
4.15 G2S7 Involvement in the Conversation 66
4.16 G2S9 Involvement in the Conversation 67
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4.17 Interview Question 1 68

4.18 Interview Question 2 69
4.19 Interview Question 3 70
4.20 Interview Question 4 71
4.21 Interview Question 5 72
4.22 Interview Question 6 73
4.23 Interview Question 7 74
4.24 Interview Question 8 75






























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LIST OF FIGURE

FIGURES NO. TITLE PAGE

1.1 Conceptual Framework 7

3.1 Triangulation of Research Data 27

4.1 Two Tailed T-Test 53

4.2 T-Test for Pre-Test and Post Test for Control Group 54

4.3 T-Test for Pre-Test and Post-Test for Experimental Group 55

4.4 T-Test for Post-Test for Control and Experimental Group 56

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LIST OF SYMBOLS

CA Communication Apprehension

CLT Communicative Language Teaching

ELT English Language Teaching

ESL English for Second Language

EW20 English Within Twenty Minutes

KBSR Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah

L1 First language

L2 Second Language

MBMMBI Memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu Dan Memperkukuhkan

Bahasa Inggeris ( To uphold Bahasa Melayu and to
strengthen the English Language)

SLA Second Language Acquisition

SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.
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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX TITLE PAGE

A Questionnaire 90
B Observation Checklist 97
C Interview Questions 99
D1 Week 1 : Group 1 (Activity) 101
D2 Week 1 : Group 2 (Activity) 103
D3 Week 2 : Group 1 (Activity) 105
D4 Week 2 : Group 2 (Activity) 107
D5 Week 3 : Group 1 (Activity) 109
D6 Week 3 : Group 2 (Activity) 111
E1 Week 1 : Group 1 (Transana) 113
E2 Week 1 : Group 2 (Transana) 116
E3 Week 2 : Group 1 (Transana) 119
E4 Week 2 : Group 2 (Transana) 122
E5 Week 3 : Group 1 (Transana) 124
E6 Week 3 : Group 2 (Transana) 127
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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

English is considered as a second language (L2) in Malaysia. It is taught at

all levels of education and it is essential for learners to master the language as it is an
international language which is spoken globally. The English Language Teaching
(ELT) emphasizes on the acquisition of the four basic language skills which are
reading, writing, listening and speaking. Speaking is “the process of building and
sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbol in a variety of
context” (Chaney, 1998: 13). By speaking with others, we are able to share
knowledge and information with one another.

Spoken English is very important for all level of learners as we could judge a
person’s English competence and his English knowledge through his speaking
competence. According to Bygate (1987), speaking needs more attention due to its
usefulness in the learner’s current and future lives. Therefore, it is very important
for the learners to learn how to speak English.

Motivating the learners to talk in class is one of the best ways to help them
learn English as a Second Language (ESL). Seliger (1977) emphasized that, the
more the learners talk, the better they learn. Hence there is a need for ELT teachers
to create conducive learning environment for the learners to feel comfortable to use
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the language in the ESL classroom. In other words, ELT teachers have to create a
platform for the learners to practice the language and enable them to interact with
one another. ELT teachers have to give close attention on applying different
teaching approaches in their teaching for better output from the students.

1.1 Background of the Study

English is one of the compulsory subjects in primary and secondary schools

in Malaysia. Students in primary schools had been taught this language since they
were in kindergarten. However after many years of learning the language students
still could not achieve an acceptable level of competence in English.

There are two main reasons why some students are still not proficient in
English. Firstly, Bahasa Melayu is considered as the main medium of
communication in Malaysia and also in the classroom. Learning English is not much
emphasized and therefore, students tend to neglect the importance of learning
English as they have limited exposure to this language. Students only have three to
four learning hours of English per week in school. Ambigapathy (2002; 2006) and
Zaira Abu Hasan (2008) claimed that English is not perceived as an important
medium for communication as the students use Bahasa Melayu both for academic
and personal interactions and as a result students do not consider learning English is
important.

Secondly, the development of speaking skills has not been greatly

emphasized in the curriculum where more priority is given to the teaching of
reading, writing and grammatical skills. According to Razianna Abdul Rahman
(2005), these are the skills that are tested in the Malaysian schools national
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examinations. Hence students pay more attention on improving these skills (reading,
writing and grammatical skills) compared to speaking skills.

Another reason for students not being able to speak good English is due to
the interference of the first language (L1). As stated by Ambigapathy (2002) and
Nambiar (2007), the interference of Bahasa Melayu contributes to the wrong usage
of grammar, morphology and syntax which occurs during direct translation.

The Ministry of Education had launched many programmes to improve the

standard of English language among the students. One of the new programmes
introduced by the Ministry is “To uphold Bahasa Melayu and to strengthen the
English Language” or in Bahasa Melayu it is known as “Memartabatkan Bahasa
Melayu Dan Memperkukuhkan Bahasa Inggeris” (MBMMBI). The aim of this
program is to give importance to both languages and improve the students’
proficiency level especially in speaking skills which focuses on “Entertainment in
Learning”. In other words, English teachers have to conduct their teaching in a more
fun and creative way which can reduce students’ anxiety level and attract them to
learn English.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The New Primary School Curriculum or in Bahasa Melayu it is known as

“Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah” (KBSR) is the guideline for the Malaysian
primary school education system. The objective of KBSR is to equip students with
basic skills and knowledge of English to ensure that students can communicate
orally or in written form (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 2001). One of the aims
of KBSR is to produce students who can speak and understand simple spoken
English and respond to it appropriately.
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One of the ways to enhance students’ speaking and their interaction skills is
through student-centered activities. However not many ESL teachers especially
those in the primary schools are adopting this approach due to several constraints
such as classroom management and time constraint where they need to finish the
syllabus on time and prepare the students for the public examination. As a result the
teachers resorted to the traditional teaching method which is teacher-centered
(Ministry Of Education, 2003) and communication and interactions skills among the
students are not given much priority.

Attitude is also one of the factors that play a role in language learning among
the students (Spolsky, 1969). Spolsky emphasized that attitude is the inner character
of a person that leads him or her to react positively or negatively towards something.
Students with negative attitude will never show positive achievement on learning to
speak a language. Negative attitude can cause the learners to lose interest towards
learning the language as it can produce an obstacle in the learning process and
prevent them from obtaining new L2 knowledge. Some of the problems faced by the
students in the ESL classroom are anxiety, afraid of making mistakes, low self-
confidence and shyness which are related to attitude.

Some students are afraid to use the English language when they have to
speak in public because they do not want their peers to laugh at them as this can lead
to social embarrassment especially when they make mistakes (Jones, 2004). They
do not want their peers to laugh at their weakness in handling this language in
public. This anxiety can have negative effects on language learning (Oxford, 1990;
Jones, 2004; Von Worde, 2003 and Turula, 2004). Anxiety prevents the students
from successfully speaking the L2 language. According to Noor Hashimah Abdul
Aziz (2007), learners feel very nervous when speaking in English and she also
concluded that the learners face difficulty to express themselves in English.
Students tend not to produce a good oral performance when they are nervous or
afraid as their anxiety level is high and their self-confidence is very low. Having self
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confidence is very important for the students to perform well in the given task as
anxiety and self confidence are related to one another. Less anxiety and high
confidence level can lead to good oral performance (Oxford, 1990; Jones, 2004; Von
Worde, 2003 and Turula, 2004).

Self-confidence involves having confidence in oneself and abilities.

According to Heyde (1979), high self confidence can be positively correlated with
oral performance. The higher their self confidence, the better students will perform.
On the other hand, highly anxious students will deal with L2 language differently,
depending on their confidence level.

In the ESL classroom, it is important that students have high motivation and
positive attitude towards the English Language. Gardner and Lambert (1972),
explained that motivation and attitude are related closely to the successful learning
of a second language. According to the linguistic language experts, the higher level
of motivation and more positive attitude will produce a more successful second
language learner. Many students are not motivated to speak in the ESL classroom
due to their own attitude, classroom setting, teaching method, teaching material,
their background knowledge of English Language and L1 interference.

Hence, motivating students to learn to speak a language is the best method to

create a positive attitude of oneself towards the target language. As stated by Seliger
(1977), the more the learners talk, the better they learn. Thus teacher must ensure
the environment of the classroom to be more conducive and safe for the students to
react appropriately. The teachers must conduct classroom activities that motivate the
students to engage in the activities. They need to create more opportunities for the
students to speak the target language by providing collaborative work, authentic
materials and tasks, and shared knowledge. Activities that enhance the students to
participate actively are recommended to be conducted in the classroom, for example
activities that are related to their real life situation such as role-play activities. Thus,
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it is the purpose of this study to investigate the effects of role-play on students’

attitude and motivation towards speaking and interacting in the ESL classroom.

1.3 Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of this study is shown in Figure 1.1. This

conceptual framework shows the important keys concepts of this research study.
The main key concept in this research study is communicative language teaching
(CLT). There are many ELT methods that are encompassed in CLT. This research
study focused on role-play activities as a tool to motivate the students to speak and
interact in the ESL classroom.

The second key concept is role-play. Role-play is an activity in which the

group members are given a situation and vocabularies that are related to the
situation. They have to discuss the situation and then role-play the situation in front
of the class. This activity is student-centered and the teacher plays the role of a
facilitator.

The third key concept is effects. In this research the effects of role-play
activities on students’ attitude and motivation in speaking and interacting in the ESL
classroom will be investigated.

The next key concepts are attitude and motivation. These two words are
related to each other and affect the students’ performance in language learning.
Highly motivated and positive attitude students can lead to good oral performance.
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The last two concepts are speaking and interacting. The research focused on
the impact of role-play activities on students’ attitude and motivation to speak and
interact in the ESL classroom.

CommunicativeLanguageTeaching(CLT)

Methodadopted

Roleplayactivities

Speak Interact
AttitudeandMotivation

Figure 1.1: Conceptual Framework

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1.4 Research Objectives

The research objectives of this study are:

1.4.1 To investigate students’ attitude and motivation towards speaking and

interacting in the ESL classroom (Control Group).

1.4.2 To determine the effects of role-play on students’ attitude and motivation to

speak and interact in the ESL classroom (Experimental Group).

1.4.3 To examine students’ perception towards the use of role-play activities.

1.5 Research Questions

There are three research questions addressed in this study:

1.5.1 What are the students’ attitude and motivation towards speaking and
interacting in the ESL classroom (Control Group)?

1.5.2 What are the effects of role-play activities on students’ attitude and
motivation to speak and interact in the ESL classroom (Experimental
Group)?

1.5.3 What are the students’ perceptions towards the role-play activities?
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1.6 Significance of the Study

There are several benefits of the study. Firstly the findings of the study
would be able to determine the impact of role-play activities on student’s attitude
and motivation to speak and interact in the ESL classroom. Furthermore, through
the findings of the study, the benefits of using role-play in the ESL classroom can be
highlighted.

Recommendations can also be made to ESL teachers to adopt this teaching

approach as it can help students to use the language and develop their
communicative competence apart from making language learning more fun and
enjoyable.

1.7 Scope of Study

This study investigated on the effects of role-play activities on students’

attitude and motivation to speak in English and interact in the ESL classroom. The
respondents of the study were 28 students from one primary school in Johor Bahru
district and they are in Year 4. The respondents have studied English for three years
since they were in Year 1. The English Language proficiency of the respondents
was determined based on the final year English Language examination result when
they were in Year 3.
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1.8 Definition of the Terms

In the context of this study, there are several terms and concepts that are
important and they are defined as follow.

1.8.1 Communicative Language Teaching

Communicative language teaching (CLT) makes use of real-life situations

that necessitate communication. The teacher sets up a situation that students are
likely to encounter in real life. The fundamental idea of the CLT approach is the
communicative competence (Hymes, 1972). Students have to learn the usage of the
language properly and not really focusing on the linguistic structures and grammar
rules. Littlewood (1981) described the CLT as an approach give efficient
concentration to functional as well as structural aspects of language. One of the best
ways of practicing functional aspects that are related to real life is through role-play
activities.

1.8.2 English as a Second Language

English as a Second Language (ESL) means English taught to learner

whose first language or mother tongue is not English, but they live in an English-
speaking country and they need English to communicate in daily life situations
(MacMillan English Dictionary, 2002).

1.8.3 Motivation

Motivation can be described as a feeling of enthusiasm or interest that makes

one determined to do something to achieve goals (MacMillan English Dictionary,
2002). It is a process that involves goals, physical or mental activity, and is both
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instigated and sustained (Pintrich & Schunk, 1996, pp 4-5; Williams,1997).

Motivation can be a reason to increase someone’s spirit to reach out their target.

1.8.4 Attitude

Attitude means, someone’s opinions or feelings about something especially

as shown by their behavior. Gardner (1985) points out that attitude is an evaluative
reaction to some object or idea, inferred on the basis of the individual’s beliefs or
opinions about the object or idea.

1.8.5 Role-play

According to Richards and Rodgers (2001), role-play refers to a game that the
teachers and the students play in carrying out learning task as well as the social and
interpersonal relationship between the respondents. On the other hand Najizade
(1996) defines role-play as an activity for bringing real language situations which
can help the learners to acquire the language.

1.8.6 Effects

According to MacMillan English Dictionary (2002), effects cause a change

that is produced in one person or thing by another person or thing.

1.8.7 Speaking

Speaking is an action that involves producing, receiving and processing

information in spoken language to conveying the information or expressing one’s
thoughts and feeling (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997).
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1.8.8 Interaction

Interaction can be defined as an activity of being with and talking to other

people and the way that people react to each other (MacMillan English Dictionary,
2002).

1.9 Conclusion

This chapter has emphasized the main issues that are related to the study.
Hopefully the findings of the study will bring benefits to both the students and the
teachers in the ESL classroom.