The impact of scripted role-play on enhancing speaking abilities of grade seven students at lebanese private schools

Several approaches have been used to enhance speaking skills for English foreign language learners. Among these approaches is the role play. This study aimed to investigate the impact of implementing scripted role play technique for a period of seventeen weeks on the development and improvement of oral skills and attitudes of eighth graders at a private school in Lebanon. The participants of the study were 56 learners divided into two classes (30 in the treatment group and 26 in the control group). The lessons were given two hourly three time s a week. At the end of each lesson learners in the treatment group were asked to perform unscripted role-play activities whereas those in the control group did not have any such activities. Speaking pre and post tests were given to both groups to check the development of their speaking skills. Through a qualitative- quantitative approach, the research confirmed the efficiency of applying unscripted role play technique on the development of sub-speaking skills especially fluency and lexical resources. The correlation between unscripted role play technique with accuracy and pronunciation of the speakers was not very significant. Implications for learners, teachers, curriculum designers and future researchers were issued to develop more fluent and motivated English second language learners.