Résumé:
Achieving oral language proficiency is perceived as one highest objective in Foreign
Language Teaching, and role play is a technique that is used to develop and assess oral
students’ proficiency. The aims of this study are twofold: to investigate whether role plays
are an effective teaching technique. It, also, aims at finding out whether students are
capable to perform role plays, using the aspects of accuracy, fluency, content, body
language, tone of voice and turn taking appropriately. It is, then, hypothesized that that if
teachers use role plays frequently in their teaching, then the students are expecting to have
a good level in playing roles. In order to test this hypothesis, two means of research were
used; a classroom observation and teacher questionnaire. Classroom observation was
conducted to assess third year students’ ability to perform role plays in the department of
English. A questionnaire was administered to 5 teachers of Oral Expression to explore their
attitudes towards the effectiveness of role plays and students’ ability in performing them.
The results revealed that most of the teachers consider role plays as an effective teaching
technique and that they usually use it in their classes. In addition, students face difficulties
in performing role plays; students’ ability differ regarding the aspects mentioned above.
The analysis of the research findings, therefore, supports the hypothesis of the present
work. On the basis of these findings, some pedagogical recommendations are suggested
