Role-Play: Taking the Line of Least Resistance

Abstract

Today, one of the main concerns in second language acquisition is to learn how to communicate orally with others. So speaking has played an increasingly essential role in second language settings. However, in many universities, ESL students rarely communicate effectively in English with other people. They would rather remain passive when a communicative task is assigned. Such a phenomenon has long left many ESL practitioners defeated. This had prompted the research to ascertain the effectiveness of role-play in eradicating the problem. Using Kolb (1984) model in the ESL classroom experimentally, after fourteen weeks, the outcomes showed that role-play is an effective technique to enhance the learners' confidence and their oral competency.