نوع المستند : المقالة الأصلية
المستخلص
University of Sadat City
Faculty of Education
Department of curricula
and Instruction
Abstract
The Effect of Using Role Play VS. Songs on Developing some EFL Speaking Skills of First Year Preparatory Stage pupils
"A comparative research "
أثر استخدام لعب الأدوار فی مقابل الأغانی فی تنمیة بعض مهارات التحدث باللغة
الإنجلیزیة کلغة أجنبیة لدى تلامیذ الصف الأول الإعدادی
" بحث مقارن"
Prepared by
Basema Fawzy El Sayed Ibrahim
An English teacher))
2018
Abstract
The ultimate objective of the present research was to investigate the effect of using role play VS. songs on developing some EFL speaking skills of first year preparatory stage pupils. The sample consisted of ninety pupils; they were selected randomly and divided into three groups with thirty pupils in each: a control group, a role play group and songs group. A pre/ post speaking skills test was developed by the researcher and was used as the study instrument. The study adopted the pre- post control group design. The three groups were pre tested using the assessment tool of the study. Then, the control group was taught using the procedures in the teacher's guide prescribed by the Ministry of Education while the experimental groups were taught using role play and songs. The three groups were post tested using the same assessment tool. The results of the study revealed a significant difference between the mean scores of the control group and the mean scores of the two experimental groups on the post test in favour of the experimental groups. The differences were due to the teaching of the proposed program. On the basis of the study findings, it can be concluded that using role play and songs was effective in developing some EFL speaking skills of first year preparatory stage pupils. In terms of the study findings, appropriate recommendations and implications have been addressed.
Keywords: Role Play, Songs, Speaking Skills, preparatory stage pupils
I . Introduction
Language is the main defining characteristic of human being. it is the main tool in which we can express our ideas , feelings and thoughts. So language is primarily used for communication . it's used for expressing certain function and certain purposes.
Lumana (2006,p.1)defines language as "a system of definite arbitrary symbols combined according to rules of grammar for the purpose of communication". Pupils acquire their language through a variety of social situations . They learn words, sentence pattern , non verbal cues and they grow in their ability to use language through these situation.
English is considered the most widely spoken language all over the world. Nowadays English language represents the most important language in our world. It is the international language spoken worldwide. It is the language of international diplomacy, world trade, tourism, technology, computer, science and entertainment (music, songs, movies…. Etc).
Hamed (2003,p.1) points out that "English is the main foreign language taught and used in Egypt .Its usefulness in politics ,education and commerce is fully recognized". English language has a significant place among other subject matters in the curriculum . One of the main purposes of teaching English as a foreign language is to help pupils to express themselves orally and that means using the language in order to congratulate, apologize or persuade. Oral communication is one of the most necessary language skills for pupils.
English teachers are well aware that teaching pupils to communicate orally in English, freely and correctly is more difficult and more demanding than teaching other language skills. English as any other languages has four skills, Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
Speaking in a foreign language has always been viewed as the most demanding of the four language skills. This is due to the fact that most of our communication with each other often face to face drives us to attempt to speak fluently and correctly.
El Basel (2008, p. 82-85) points out that speaking skill can be developed through some activities and strategies such as Games, Guessing activities, Dialogues, Role play, Songs, Passwords, Language Ladder and Storytelling .
Although speaking skill is a complex, difficult and important skill at the same time, it is still neglected in English language classrooms so it should be enhanced through effective instruction which needs effective environment to enable pupils to speak fluently and interact freely with each other .This effective environment can be represented in many aspects such as songs and role play.
Brown (2006, p.1) states that nursery rhyme and songs may be used in pronunciation practice. Sing "Mary had a little lamb" for example to practice the "L" sound or "Row, Row, Row your boat" to practice the "R" sound. The rhymes can also help a student compare how the words may not look the same but are still homophonic.
Orlova (2003) assures that the main purpose of using songs in an advanced class should be for the development of the students speaking skills and the promotion of their cultural competence.
Blatner (2009, p. 5- 6) views that "Role playing is a methodology derived from sociodrama that may be used to help students understand the more subtle aspects of literature, social studies, and even some aspects of science or mathematics. Further, it can help them become more interested and involved, not only learning about the material, but learning also to integrate the knowledge in action by addressing problems, exploring alternatives, and seeking novel and creative solutions.
Role playing is the best way to develop the skills of initiative, communication in terms, and these are above all--certainly above the learning of mere facts, many if not most of which will be obsolete or irrelevant in a few years--will help these young people be prepared for dealing with the challenges of the Twenty-First Century."
Ningsih )2011, p. 8) views that role–play is very important in teaching speaking because it gives students an opportunity to practice communicating in different social contexts and in different social roles .In addition , it is also allows students to be creative and to put themselves in another person's place for a while. The role-play would seem to be the ideal activity in which students could use their English creatively and it aims to stimulate a conversation situation in which students might find them and give them an opportunity to practice and develop their communication skill.
In brief, role-play is one of the activities to promote speaking. It is a highly flexible learning activity which has a wide scope for variation and imagination. Role-play helps pupils enhance fluency in English language, promote interaction in the classroom and increase motivation. Also, it is very helpful with shy pupils. It gives them an opportunity to take part in the classroom and develop their speaking. Moreover, it makes the teaching /learning process more enjoyable and entertaining. "Enjoyment leads to better learning.
The above mentioned studies assure the low level of the speaking skill. It is under the required level and it should be enhanced by using untraditional methods. The modern trends of methodology encourage using songs and role-play in developing speaking skills because of their usefulness in:
Preparatory schools pupils encounter many problems in their EFL speaking skills. Specifically, this research is conducted to investigate the effect of using role-play versus songs on developing some EFL speaking skills of first year preparatory stage pupils.
Questions of the research :
The research attempted to answer the following main question:
What is the effect of using role-play versus songs on developing someEFL speaking skills of first year preparatory stage pupils?
From this main question, the following sub-questions are derived:
1. What are the speaking skills which are required for the first year preparatory stage pupils?
2. What is the effect of using role-play versus the traditional method on developing some EFL speaking skills of first year preparatory stage pupils?
3. What is the effect of using songs versus the traditional method on
developing some EFL speaking skills of first year preparatory stage pupils?
2. Hypotheses of the research :
To answer the study questions, the researcher tries to test the following hypotheses:
1- There is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group using Role-play and the one using songs on the post administration of the speaking skills test.
2- There is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group using Role-play and the control group receiving regular instruction on the post administration of the speaking skills test in favour of the Role-play group.
3- There is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group using Songs and the control group receiving regular instruction on the post administration of the speaking skills test in favour of the Songs group.
3. Significance of the research :
The current research is significant as it depends on two techniques which are active, enjoyable and motivating. All the pupils participated in the English class. They practice the language freely and confidently. In addition, they enjoyed and entertained which helped them develop their speaking competence.
3.1. Pupils:
The present study might:
- Enhance their speaking skills by motivating them to speak and imitate singers and actors of songs and role-plays.
- Help them to communicate in English and give them more opportunities to practice the language daily in greeting, apologizing, requesting……. Etc.
- Develop different language skills because developing pupils speaking skills will be reflected on other language skills.
- Help slow learners and shy pupils by integrating them in group work which represents a golden chance for interaction in English.
3.2. Teachers:
This study provides EFL teachers with effective means to attract the pupils to listen and practice the second language. For instance, it maximizes the speaking skills development in the classroom through the teacher's integration of role play and songs which are enjoyable tools for practicing the language for both the teacher and the pupils. Role play and songs give the opportunity to correct the pupils' errors while they are speaking.
3.3. Curriculum developers and designers:
As for the educational designers, it pays their attention to the importance of role play and songs in motivating pupils and attracting them to use the second language. To clarify, it helps them in building English curricula based on attractive techniques which are preferred to use collectively. It also directs them to the necessity of the implementation and integration of a variety of activities and strategies to suit the pupils individual differences.
4. The purpose of the research:
The purpose of the current research was to investigate the effect of using role play versus songs on developing some EFL speaking skills of first year preparatory stage pupils. To reach this broad goal, the researcher needed to achieve the following aims:
1- Identifying the speaking skills that the first year preparatory stage pupils need to develop.
2-Determining the effectiveness of the program based on role play and songs on developing prep pupils' speaking skills.
5. Research instruments and materials :
This research prepared and made use of the following instruments:
1- A pre/ post speaking skills test.
2- A speaking skills checklist.
6. Delimitations of the research :
The present research is limited to:
1 - A sample of 90 first year preparatory pupils ( in Ismail Fahmy preparatory mixed school; a governmental school in El Tahrir Educational administration ,El Beheira Governorate ,Egypt) .
2-The following speaking sub- skills:
- Pronunciation
- Vocabulary
- Communication
- Fluency.
3- The content of the proposed program which contains three units ( 12, 13& 14) of the first year preparatory stage pupils' textbook "New Hello". These units were redesigned taught by using role play and songs.
4- The role play and song based program was administrated on the second school term, 2016/ 2017.
7. Definition of terms:
7.1. Role-play:
- Harmer (1998:92) thinks that "Role-Play activities are those where students are asked to imagine that they are in different situations and act accordingly".
- According to the Oxford Dictionary (2015) role play is acting out of the part of a particular person or character, for example as a technique in training or psychotherapy.
In the present research role play can be defined as a technique in teaching English which makes the teaching / learning process active and alive in order to enhance pupils speaking skills and help them speak fluently and confidently.
7.2. Songs:
- Based on Oxford dictionary (2005), songs can be defined as a short
poem or other set of words set to music or meant to be sung.
Ashour (2015, p. 10) defines songs as a natural, choral language activity with rhythm, rhyme and melody. It is a real life activity which can be brought into the classroom. It is a way to pronounce words through printed words or listening equipment, which can be read to learners who listen with the purpose of acquiring language in an easy, simple and funny way.
In the present research songs defined as a short piece of music with words sung together and used as a technique of teaching and learning to improve the academic performance of pupils especially their speaking.
7.3. Speaking:
- Tharwah (2008, p. 9) defines speaking skill as the ability to speak English as a foreign language which involves pronunciation, stress, grammar and special vocabulary of language in normal communicative situation.
- Safein (2012, p.19) defines the speaking as an interactive process that includes certain skills such as giving oral presentation , making suggestion, making request and giving advices that foster oral fluency of the prospective teachers of English through the use of at least five types of intelligence .
In the present research speaking defined as the ability of first year prep stage pupils to speak EFL fluently and accurately to express what he/ she wants or means using his/her own words.
II. Review of Literature and Related studies
To support this research, the researcher does a literature review related to the topic of this research which is about Role play, Songs and Speaking skills.
Definition of Role play:
Role play is a simulation exercise where person take on assumed roles in order to act out a scenario in a contrived setting .The learners or participants can act out the assigned roles in order to explore the scenario, apply a skill ( may be communication, negotiation, debate etc) experience the scenario from another viewpoint , evoke and understand emotions that maybe alien to them. It helps to make sense of theory and gathers together the concepts into a practical experience.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2013) Role playing is the acting out of a behavioral role or assumed character , as in therapy or education to expand awareness of differing points of view , or in certain games.
Role play can also be defined as a strategy in which students are required to act specific roles through saying, doing and sharing (Altun,2015 as cited in Alabsi 2016,p.228).
In the current research Role play can be defined as a communicative technique in teaching English which makes the teaching /learning process active and alive in order to enhance first year prep stage pupils' speaking skills and help them to speak fluently and confidently.
In conclusion, Role play can be a quite simple and brief technique to organize so, it differs from simulations which are complex, lengthy and relatively inflexible events. Role play is a highly flexible technique. It can be used in various and different fields as in therapy, education, amusement and games. In Education, it is appropriate for teaching various subjects such as languages, history, even math and science can be taught using Role play technique.
Significance of Role play in teaching speaking:
One of the most important difficulties in teaching EFL speaking skills is the limited time of exposure to language and Role play as an active learning strategy is considered as the key factor to speed up the language learning process. It is the medium which enables pupils to get an idea about different situations through various activities taken from the scenario of real life.
Role play is really a worthwhile learning experience for both the students and the teacher. It lightens up the atmospheres and brings liveliness in the classes. Students learn to use the language in a more realistic, more practical way. Thus they can become more aware of the usefulness and practicality of English (Huang 2008,p.3).
According to Ladousse (2004,p. 6) Role play uses different communicative techniques and develops fluency in the language, promotes interaction in the classroom and increases motivation. Peer learning is encouraged and sharing of responsibility between teacher and the learner in learning process takes place. Role play can improve learners' speaking skills in any situation and helps learners to interact. As for shy learners, Role play helps by providing a mask where learners with difficulty in conversation are liberated. In addition, it is fun and most learners will agree that enjoyment leads to better learning. Finally, Role play is characterized by simplicity, brief, flexibility, imitation and imagination. That's why it has an ultimate importance in teaching / learning process and it can improve and enhance many various skills. It allows pupils to make mistakes in a safe and non threatening environment. It improves pupils' creativity and imagination. It is used to reinforce learning process.
The objective of role play:
Ladousse (2004,p. 6) stated that the overall aim of Role play is to train students to deal with the unpredictable nature of language. The objective of Role play is to develop communication skills by putting students into communicative situation. The realistic communicative situation gives students new experience in using the target language they have learned (Sari 2011,p. 15).
Reviewing the related studies revealed that Role play has several purposes which can be summed up as follows:
- Role play provides pupils with great opportunities to practise on different real life situations ( e.g. the doctor in his clinic, a teacher in his classroom, a salesman etc).
-It helps teachers to explore their pupils desires and interests. - Role play can help pupils to understand themselves and the others. - It helps them to enrich their vocabulary, organize their ideas and express these ideas orally. - The ultimate goal of using role play is to enable every pupil becomes responsible for his own learning . Role play is an effective technique to make the learning process concentrates on learners not teachers (learner-centered learning). - Role play aims to encourage the pupils, increase their motivation , help them to gain self confidence and encourage cooperation & team work.
Afidallah (2015,p. 22)stated that the goal of using Role play in teaching speaking is to improve students' skill without making them anxious and afraid of trying to speak English. Eventually, the objective of Role play is to put the pupils into a realistic communicative situation so as to discover weak areas in their learning and give them additional practice. We can conclude that the main aim of Role play is communication and this is the same objective of teaching speaking which means that Role play can be used effectively in developing speaking skills. Moreover, in teaching speaking Role play aims to encourage thinking and creativity; let students develop and practice new language and behavioral skills in a relatively non-threatening setting , create the motivation and involvement necessary for learning to occur.
Reasons of using Role play:
Undoubtedly, learning happens when activities are engaging and memorable. Many researchers such as( Budden 2006 -Badr 2009 –Saini 2011 –Limbu 2012- Orlova 2014 , Bouaziz 2015 &Alabsi 2016 ) advocate the use of Role play in teaching EFL speaking skills for the following reasons:
1 - First of all, Role play engages learners in activities that bring realism to their learning and help them to apply it in real situations which means that it helps pupils to use the knowledge they taught in different social context which leads to better communication in English. Alabsi (2016,p. 229) mentioned that Role play can be used as a means of achieving a wide variety of outcomes such as , the acquisition of knowledge, application of knowledge to develop further understanding and skills and attitudinal change. 2- Secondly, one of the most important causes of using Role play is that it enables pupils to explore their values and appreciate the consequences of their values based action ( Downing,1994 as cited in Limbu 2012, p. 1).
3- Thirdly, Role play helps to move beyond any comfort zones and helps bring on attitudinal change through different viewpoints too. It helps to develop all domains of learning, cognitive ( knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective ( emotional) (Kumar2011,p.2). 4- Fourthly, it enables pupils to manage conflict and to identify options and solutions.
5- Role play is a motivational and effective EFL in general and speaking in particular as it involves activities through which pupils could gain different experience related to their life and other social situations which help them to become more open from their rigid behavior. Pupils get much wider range of language opportunities during Role play activities because the world of the classroom is broadened to include the outside world.
6- During the preparation of Role play ,pupils can gain back their self confidence and acquire fluency in the target language . Role play can also enrich their vocabulary because after giving them the selected topics , they chose the words and phrases of their own. Saini( 2010,p. 19) views that Role play technique can develop students fluency in target language, promotes students to speak or interact with others in the classroom, increase motivation and makes the teaching learning process more enjoyable. 7- students who will at some point travel to an English- speaking country are given a chance to rehearse their English in a safe environment . Real situations can be benefit from the practice . Mistakes can be made with no drastic consequence (Budden 2006).
At last, Role play can be used as an effective tool to help pupils regain confidence. In English speaking classes, it is important for the pupils to comprehend the situation to communicate effectively outside of the classroom. Role play is the medium which enables pupils to get an idea about different situations through varied activities taken from the scenario of real life.
Music and Songs were used by people to pass on to the next generation their experience, their work, their stories, their way of life, their conquest, their culture and any more. Plato, one of the world's greatest minds said: Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, And a life to everything.
Howard Gardner said " it is not how intelligent you are, but how you are intelligent". No two students learn in exactly the same way. In any classroom, there will be a mixed learning styles, and one student may use more than one style depending on what the task or the topic is. Gardner distinguished eight styles of learning , and students in his aural/musical category will have a lot of benefits from learning through songs. This is to say that learners with other learning styles cannot benefit from songs. Of course they can, because in the activities we develop with songs, we can dance and act( physical learning style), read, draw and do puzzles( spatial intelligence) tell stories and write (verbal learning style).
Definition of songs:
There are a lot of definitions of songs, some of these definitions are:
In the present research songs can be defined as" a short piece of music with words sung together and used as a technique of teaching and learning to improve the academic performance of pupils especially their speaking skills".
The importance of using songs in TEFL:
Music and songs are elements of each human society. They show many aspects of its culture, the relationship to the past, the faith, the fun and the anxiety of its people, the hopes and the view of the future. Thus, they are an essential part of foreign language learning. Here we describe the significance of using songs in English classroom.
Harmer( 2001,p. 242) states that music is a powerful stimulus for student engagement precisely because it speaks directly to our emotions while still allowing us to use our brains to analyze it and its effects if we so wish. Songs are a useful resource for English teaching because they are funny. They can amuse and entertain. Songs can change the atmosphere in a classroom. They can make a satisfactory connection between the world of leisure and the world of learning. They promote mimics, gestures etc .associated to the meaning.
Using songs and rhymes in teaching English as a foreign language is very significant. The importance of using songs in TEFL is due to a lot of reasons:
1- A familiar way of language acquisition: children grow up with songs and rhymes and develop their first language by them. Songs and rhymes are the first experienced parts of communication in the children's mother tongue. Analogous to the development of the mother tongue, songs support foreign language acquisition from different points :
-Music, rhythm and rhymes produce a positive live feeling.
-They motivate to be learn and to be active.
-Children do not understand all words but do not feel inhibited.
-Rhythm supports vocabulary and structure learning.
2- The holistic approach: Songs and rhythm stimulate the hemispherical interaction. Busy with songs the left hemisphere(vocabulary, structure of the language) and the right hemisphere (rhythm, feelings, mimic, gestures, senso motoric……..etc) work together and make learning more effective. The holistic approach also means that songs are connected with other learning and living areas like sports, literature, music and so on.
3- Motivation by songs and rhymes: pupils' motivation to learn largely depends on the teaching methods and teacher's personality. If the teacher skillfully uses songs, the pupils usually are highly motivated.
4- Provision of meaningful vocabulary: Songs present a lot of linguistic material in a natural linguistic context. Thus, they support the monolingual and contextual approach in teaching a foreign language. Besides, songs provide many possibilities for constant repetition and revising as important mechanisms of the language acquisition.
5- Support for phonetic development: Songs can be used as remedy for the wrong pronunciation. Practising intonation through reciting rhymes and poems is mostly funny and very effective.
6- The cultural aspects: Songs give pupils a great chance to know parts of foreign culture . It satisfies children's natural curiosity about everything new. Being familiar with songs in a foreign language , pupils feel closer to the foreign culture and its language(Geyer 2001,p.4-5).
The merits of using songs in EFL classroom:
Songs are one of the most captivating and culturally rich resources that can be used in language classroom. Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities. They are precious resources to develop student's abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing. They can also be used to teach a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, adjectives and adverbs.
Using songs in EFL classroom can successfully affective learning through providing a harmonious classroom atmosphere, reducing student's anxiety, fostering their interests and motivating them to learn the target language. Students will regard English songs as part of entertainment rather than work and thus find learning English through songs amusing and relaxed( Shen 2009,p. 90).
Songs can contribute positively in language learning. ESL learners have a lot of benefits from using songs in classroom. Mol(2009) summed up these benefits in some points as follows: 1- Socio-emotional growth: Singing songs in and with a class is a social act which allows learners to participate in a group and express their feelings, no matter what their English is like.
2- Physical development: Songs provide a great opportunity for young learners to move around, clapping, dancing and playing instruments, stimulate memory, which makes it possible for learners to hear chunks of language as they sing and use them in different situation later.
3- Cognitive training and culture literacy: Using songs again and again in the classroom develops "automaticity" skills which means learners get to know, to say and to produce language rapidly without pausing. In addition, songs can shed light on interesting musical traditions in countries.
4- language learning : Songs will help learners become familiar with word stress, intonation and the rhythm with which words are spoken or sung. They also help memorization.
Speaking is an interactive process which involves receiving ,processing and producing information that's why we can say that speaking process looks like a computer .If we insert correct and accurate inputs –after processing these inputs – we should get outputs at the same level of correction and accuracy .
Speaking is an essential skill which should be mastered with other language skills . Speaking is a complex process of sending and receiving messages through the use of verbal expressions but it also involves non verbal symbols such as gestures and facial expressions. ( Kouicem 2010 , p.27).
Definition of speaking:
According to Torkey (2006.p.30-31) speaking is the secondary stage students' ability to express themselves orally , coherently, fluently and appropriately in a given meaningful context to serve both transactional and interactional purposes using correct pronunciation ,grammar and vocabulary and adopting the pragmatic and discourse rules of the spoken language .
On her part Dorgham (2011,p.13) defines speaking as an individual ability of each student that helps him to transfer information to others and express his feelings ,attitudes ,impressions ,beliefs and ideas according to his mentality level(intelligence).
In the present research speaking defined as" the ability of first year prep stage pupils to speak EFL fluently and accurately to express what he / she wants or means using his / her own words".
Out of these definition , speaking is the most demanding skill among other language skills. It is a significant human activity for one's success in life. It is an essential tool required for daily communication. Speaking is the basic skill that language learners should master with the other language skills as it is the prime medium through which people can express their opinions, thoughts and feelings so it deserves more attention.
The importance of speaking:
Speaking is the most significant skill among other language skills( listening ,reading and writing ). It is the only way through which can illiterate people communicate with each other and can transfer their ideas , feelings ,emotions etc .It is the key to communication .
According to Hamed (2003,p.1) speaking has always been viewed as the most demanding of the four language skills . This is due to the fact that most of our communication with each other is conducted through speaking .
Speaking skills have been found to be a fundamental skill necessary for a person's success in life . speaking skills cover a wide range of interaction from engaging in simple conversation to formal public speaking . (El Basel 2008,p.74).
Safein (2012,p.88) views that speaking is the most important skill in our daily life . It is the bridge that helps people to convey their feelings , emotions , thoughts , ideas or even their anger to other people . Illiterate people do not find any other mean to convey and transfer their ideas except through speaking as they are naturally unable to write .
The desire to communicate with others often face – to – face ,drives us to attempt to speak fluently and correctly . Speaking communicatively is a vital process by which people exchange information and express their thoughts and feelings. Also, effective and fluent speaker can gain the attention of the audience and hold it till he completes his speech.
Speaking is not only important inside the classroom but also it is very important outside the classroom . speaking English fluently occupies a great possession in many life rubrics such as (travel ,study ,work abroad …. Etc) .
The importance of speaking is more revealed with the integration of the other language skills .for instance, speaking can help students to develop their vocabulary and grammar and then improving their writing skills . with speaking , learners can express their personal feelings , opinions or ideas , tell stories , inform or explain , request , converse and discuss , i.e. through speaking , we can display the different functions of language . speaking is very important outside the classroom as well . so , speaking is not only important for the career success but it is also important for all modern life fields such as (travel ,study ,work abroad …… etc) ( Kouicem 2010 ,p.29 ,30) .
Speaking skill is a matter which needs special attention . It is a foundation of all language development and , therefore , the foundation of all learning . When we develop our pupils' speaking skills, actually ,we develop the language as a whole.
III Methodology of the research
The present chapter is devoted to introduce the experimental part of the research. It shows the description of design, tools and the subjects of the study, focusing on their validity, reliability and their administration or the procedures which were followed to conduct the study.
Research Design and Variables:
This research followed the quasi-experimental design. The pupils were assigned to a control group and two experimental groups. The experimental groups pupils received training throughout the suggested program based on role playing activities and songs for developing their speaking skills. On the other hand, pupils in the control group received regular instruction. All the groups were administrated by a pre- post speaking test. The independent variable of the present research include Role play and Songs whereas the dependent variable is pupils' EFL speaking skills. Research Sample:
A sample of 90 first year preparatory pupils were randomly selected from one of Beheira governmental preparatory schools, namely Ismail Fahmy preparatory mixed school, in the school year 2016- 2017. ( 30 pupils in the first experimental group, 30 pupils in the second experimental group and 30 pupils in the control one). The researcher attempted to control some variables to make sure that the three groups were equal. These variables were:
Program Duration:
The program lasted for 8 weeks in the second term of the academic year 2016/ 2017, four periods a week. Every period lasted 45 minutes. The first session was an introductory one through which the researcher tried to be friendly enough to encourage pupils to participate in the program.
Research Instruments:
The present research aims to develop speaking skills by using role play and songs. Therefore; the researcher used the following tools:
1- A speaking checklist to determine the speaking sub skills necessary to the first year preparatory pupils.
2-A pre- post speaking test to measure first year preparatory school pupils' speaking skills and its rubric scale.
IV. Findings and Discussion
Results:
1- The results of the research revealed that:
2- 1- There is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group using Role-play and the one using songs on the post administration of the speaking skills test.
3- 2- There is a statistically significant difference at 0.01 between the mean scores of the experimental group using Role-play and the control group receiving regular instruction on the post administration of the speaking skills test in favour of the Role-play group.
4- 3- There is a statistically significant difference at 0.01 between the mean scores of the experimental group using Songs and the control group receiving regular instruction on the post administration of the speaking skills test in favour of the Songs group.
Recommendations:
According to the results of the research, the following recommendations are offered:
1- Recommendations to curricula designers and decision makers:
The researcher suggested the following recommendations to the curricula designers and decision makers:
v To design courses based on songs and role play.
v To enrich the Egyptian curricula with different songs that tackle different skills of English language.
v To integrate a lot of active learning techniques in the English curricula.
v To design curricula based on the pupils' centered approach which allows group work, which has its effect on developing their speaking skills.
2- Recommendations to supervisors:
The researcher suggested the following recommendations for supervisor:
v Training courses should be provided for EFL teachers to give them practice on the use of role-play and songs in the learning process.
v To emphasize the importance of using songs and role play on developing different language skills especially speaking skills.
3- Recommendations to EFL teachers:
v EFL learners should be encouraged to use role-play and songs to enhance their speaking proficiency.
v To use songs and role play to create a motivating learning environment.
v Pupils should be offered enough opportunities to practice speaking on a daily basis for authentic purposes (i.e. to greet, describe, apologize, invite and so on).
v To take into consideration pupils' individual differences. Therefore, they should vary their strategies and activities to suit all the pupils in English class.
v Maximizing the amount of pupils'’ talking time is necessary.
v To encourage group work to let dominant and shy pupils work together so that they have opportunities to share and learn from each other.
v To create an enjoyable, relaxing and motivating atmosphere inside the classroom.
v To adopt songs and role play to enhance pupils participation and interaction.
v Teachers should be aware of the speaking skills necessary for pupils at each stage so that they can develop and evaluate these skills properly.
v teachers should include in their lesson plans a variety of materials in order to improve and practice the development of the four language skills.
3.Suggestions for further studies:
In the light of the present study results, the following studies can be
suggested:
6.Investigating the impact of using role play on developing pupils' fluency.
References
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