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Social Sciences and Humanities Issue (English)
Date Published:
05/04/2026
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Phan, N. T., & Tran, Q. T. (2026). Investigating teachers’ practices of using role-plays to develop primary school students’ English communication skills in An Giang Province. Dong Thap University Journal of Science, 15(3), 58-72. https://doi.org/10.52714/dthu.15.3.2026.1785
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Investigating teachers’ practices of using role-plays to develop primary school students’ English communication skills in An Giang Province
Main Article Content
Abstract
Developing English communication skills is crucial for primary school children and role-play is seen as an effective method to achieve this goal. However, how to apply role-play effectively in English classes remains a challenge. The study aims to investigate primary school teachers’ use of role-plays and explore how English teachers use role-plays to develop primary students’ English communication skills in the English classrooms. A mixed-methods design was employed, using surveys with 103 English teachers, semi-structured interviews with 6 teachers, and classroom observations with 6 teachers at primary schools in An Giang province. Based on the data collected from classroom observations, teacher interviews, and survey responses, the findings revealed that most teachers employed effective strategies when using role-play in teaching to develop primary students’ English communication skills in English classrooms. The findings can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the role of role-plays in addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by globalization in education and beyond. Thus, pedagogical implications can be suggested for the need to support English teaching in the curriculum and to develop primary students’ English communication skills at primary schools in An Giang province, as well as in Vietnam.
Keywords
Communication skills in English, primary schools, role-plays.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
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Turner III, D. W. (2010). Qualitative interview design: A practical guide for novice investigators. The qualitative report, 15(3), 754. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1178
Togimin, N., & Jaafar, H. (2020). Role play activities: An innovative approach to teaching speaking skills in an ESL classroom. LSP International Journal, 7(2), 19-36. https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v7.16310
Vani, R., Mohan, S., & Ramkumar, E. V. (2022). A study on ameliorating Indian engineering students’ communication skills in relation with CEFR. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(6), 1172-1180. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1206.17
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (Vol. 86). Harvard university press.
Van Ments, M. (1999). The effective use of role-play. London: Kogan
Zakaria, N., Hashim, H., & Yunus, M. M. (2019). A review of affective strategy and social strategy in developing students’ speaking skills. Creative Education, 10(12), 3082-3090. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1012232
Argyle, M. (2013). Bodily communication. Routledge.
Burgoon, J. K., Manusov, V., & Guerrero, L. K. (2021). Nonverbal communication. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003095552
Bovée, C. L. (2008). Business communication today. Pearson Education India.
Barry, A. M. (1997). Visual intelligence.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9780791495841
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Byrne, D. (1986). Teaching oral English. Longman Publishing Group.
Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative (Vol. 7). Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. SAGE Publications.
Emerson, L. (2021). Writing guidelines for business students 6e. Cengage AU.
Guffey, M. E., Loewy, D., & Griffin, E. (2021). Business communication: Process and product, Brief Edition. Cengage Canada.
Gurak, L. J., & Lannon, J. M. (2019). Strategies for technical communication in the workplace. (4th ed.). Pearson.
Green, S. B., & Salkind, N. J.(2003). Using SPSS for windows and macintosh (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Gardner, R. C. (2004). Attitude motivation and second language learning. In A. M. H.
Harasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L., & Turoff, M. (1995). Learning networks: A field guide to teaching and learning online. Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.
Hashim, H., & Isa, I. S. (2012). Students’ anxiety level towards speaking in English: Malaysia polytechnic experience. 2012 IEEE Symposium on Business, Engineering and Industrial Applications, 595-599. https://doi.org/10.1109/isbeia.2012.6422957
Harmer, J. (2001). Book review : The practice of English language teaching. RELC Journal, 32(1), 135-136. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368820103200109
Horner, D., & McGinley, K. (1990). Running simulation/games: A step-by-step guide. In D. Crookall & R. Oxford (Eds.), Simulation, gaming and language learning (pp. 33-45). New York: Newbury House Publishers.
Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT Press.
Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. (2020). Reading images. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003099857
Kim, H. J., Shin, M. S., & Chang, H. J. (2020). Self-perception early childhood teachers of the importance of communication skills. Journal of speech-language & hearing disorders, 29(1), 105-110. https://doi.org/10.15724/jslhd.2020.29.1.105
Kodotchigova, M. A. (2002). Role play in teaching culture: Six quick steps for classroom implementation. The Internet TESL Journal, 8(7). http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kodotchigova-RolePlay.html
Ladousse G.P. (1987). Role play. Oxford University Press.
Lucas, S. E., & Stob, P. (2020). The art of public speaking. McGraw-Hill.
Locker, K. O. (2000). The state of the journal, 2000. Journal of Business Communication, 37(1), 111-113. https://doi.org/10.1177/002194360003700108
Lester, P. M. (2006). Book Review: Toni Schlesinger: Five flights up and other New York apartment stories. Visual Communication Quarterly, 13(4), 256-257. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15551407vcq1304_6
Livingstone, C. (1983). Role play in language learning. Longman Publishing Group.
Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Milroy, E. (1982). Role-play: a practical guide. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.
MOET, (2018). English language curriculum for general education. Hanoi: Education Publishing House. Available from http://moet.gov.vn/
Nestel, D., & Tierney, T. (2007). Role-play for medical students learning about communication: Guidelines for maximising benefits. BMC Medical Education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-7-3
Plano Clark, V. L. (2016). Mixed methods research. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(3), 305-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1262619
Paneerselvam, A., & Mohamad, M. (2019). Learners’ challenges and English educators’ approaches in teaching speaking skills in an ESL classroom: A literature review. Creative Education, 10(13), 3299-3305. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1013253
Procter, P. (2000). Cambridge International Dictionary of English.
Ramos, F. B. R. (2002). ESL students’ perceptions of role-play activities. West Virginia University.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009024532
Schriver, K. A. (1997). Dynamics in document design: Creating text for readers. John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
Turner III, D. W. (2010). Qualitative interview design: A practical guide for novice investigators. The qualitative report, 15(3), 754. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1178
Togimin, N., & Jaafar, H. (2020). Role play activities: An innovative approach to teaching speaking skills in an ESL classroom. LSP International Journal, 7(2), 19-36. https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v7.16310
Vani, R., Mohan, S., & Ramkumar, E. V. (2022). A study on ameliorating Indian engineering students’ communication skills in relation with CEFR. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(6), 1172-1180. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1206.17
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (Vol. 86). Harvard university press.
Van Ments, M. (1999). The effective use of role-play. London: Kogan
Zakaria, N., Hashim, H., & Yunus, M. M. (2019). A review of affective strategy and social strategy in developing students’ speaking skills. Creative Education, 10(12), 3082-3090. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1012232
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