Topic Using games to improve young learners in teaching English vocabulary at Five Stars English School.

The graduation thesis named “Using games to improve young learners in teaching English vocabulary at Five Stars English School”. The aim of this thesis was going to find the importance of using games in teaching English vocabulary class for young learners. Consequently, the findings of this research find the fact of using games in teaching at Five Stars English School and support for teachers to realize the importance of teaching vocabulary through games to attract young learners. From now on, the better ways can be found to improve teaching English vocabulary with games at Five Stars English School.

GRADUATION THESIS

Instructor

Nguyen Thi Kim Chung –M.A

Student

Dang Thi Thien Kim

ID: 97011400915

Major

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Topic Using games to improve young learners

in teaching English vocabulary at

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  

I would like to express my gratefulness to the following people for their invaluable contribution

to this study project First and most important, I would like to show my heartfelt gratefulness and appreciation to my conscientious instructor – Ms Nguyen Thi Kim Chung for her zealous instruction, invaluable advices as well as supporting throughout these months

Second, I honestly give a special thank for my lecturers, who instructed me from 2014 to 2019

I learnt a lot from them Even though there were several difficulties, variance, inconsistent ideas…, all lecturers encouraged me and my classmates very much Those years might be the most memorial distance of time when I wanted to review

Third, I also give my distinctive thank for my internship unit – Five Stars English School, Thu Duc Campus and their students as well as my University – The Saigon International University for supporting me

Last but not least, I would like to give my infinite gratitude to my family and friends My project would not be perfectly done without your help

COMMENT

Advisor’s Signature

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2

COMMENT 3

ABSTRACT 7

CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION 8

1 Rationale 8

2 Research goals 9

3 Research questions 9

4 The scope and limitation of the study 9

CHAPTER II : LITERATURE REVIEW Error! Bookmark not defined 1 Definition 10

1.1 Definition of games 10

1.2 Definition of vocabulary 11

1.3 Definition of young learners 12

2 Teaching methods 13

2.1 How vocabulary is learned? 13

2.2.1 Teaching English to young learners 14

2.1.2 Teaching English vocabulary to young learners 15

2.2 Teaching vocabulary by using game 15

2.2.1 Games as the teaching activity 16

2.2.2 Why using games? 16

2.3 How to use games? 16

3 Positive effects of using games in teaching vocabulary 17

4 Negative effects of using games in teaching vocabulary 18

5 The importance of games in teaching vocabulary to young learners 18

6 Games that can be used in teaching vocabulary to young learners 19

CHAPTER III : METHODOLOGY 21

1 Research method 21

2 Research tools and data collection 22

2.1 The English school 22

2.2 Participants and time 22

2.3 Data collection instruments 22

2.4 Data collection procedures 23

2.4.1 Data collection 23

2.4.2 Collect the result of the pretest and post-test 23

CHAPTER IV : FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 25

1 Findings 25

1.1 Findings from interviewing teachers who are teaching English in Five Stars English School 25

Chart 1: How often do you use games in your teaching? 25

Chart 2: Do you think games are useful in your teaching ? 26

Chart 3: Do you think that games may cause some difficulties in your teaching ? 27

1.2 Findings from classroom observation at Five Stars English School 28

1.2.1 Games are used at 90% in class when teaching English vocabulary 28

Chart 4: Young learners’ attitude when they play games 28

Chart 5: Young learners’ reaction while teacher is conducting his or her teaching 29

Chart 6: Young learners’ attitude when playing games with teacher’s evaluation 30

Chart 7: Effects of games with teacher’s evaluation 31

1.2.2 Games were used few in English vocabulary class 32

Chart 8: Young learners attitude when they present the class 32

Chart 9: Young learners’ reaction with teacher’s requests 33

Chart 10: Young learners’ attitude when answering teacher’s requests with teacher’s evaluation 34

1.2.3 Games were used 50% in English vocabulary class 35

Chart 11: Young learners’ attitude when they attend class used 50% of games 35

Chart 12: Young learners’ behavior in class used 50% of games 36

37

Chart 13: Young learners’ attitude according to teacher’ evaluation in class used 50% of games 37

1.3 Findings from young learners’ pretest and post-test scores of three classes 38

1.3.1 90% of games are used in English vocabulary class 38

Chart 14: Young learners’ pretest and post-test points in class 38

1.3.2 Games are used few in English vocabulary class 39

Chart 15: Young learners’ pretest and post-test points in class 39

1.3.3 Games are used 50% in English vocabulary class 40

Chart 16: Young learners’ pretest and post-test points in class 40

2 Discussion 40

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 42

1 Conclusion 42

2 Recommendation 43

REFERENCES 45

APPENDIX 47

ABSTRACT

  

The graduation thesis named “Using games to improve young learners in teaching English vocabulary at Five Stars English School” The aim of this thesiswas going to find the importance

of using games in teaching English vocabulary class for young learners Consequently, the findings

of this research find the fact of using games in teaching at Five Stars English School and support for teachers to realize the importance of teaching vocabulary through games to attract young learners From now on, the better ways can be found to improve teaching English vocabulary with games at Five Stars English School

CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

In global trend today, English is widely used all around the world, this is the reason why we cannot deny its importance They are achievable to reach for the civilized world as well as exchange cultures between countries English is also measure for considering many other things for example application into companies or studying abroad, etc Besides, English is a background for you to have a better life

English has evident been the world’s most popularly used and widely spoken language nowadays and the demand to learn English for kids has raised arithmetic progression with this growth It is this popular use that has determined it like one of the most effective languages in the world and for this reason many parents want their children learning English like a second language

As a result, English is very important for their children Nowadays, teaching methods change to respond with the change of society Furthermore, the need for suitable teaching methods and

teaching quality are stronger than ever now Therefore, the present method of teaching foreign

language has changed the direction of teaching into the indirection of learning The learners are learned English in an actual environment, they can work in pairs or small groups to carry out concrete tasks in there Learners have chance to show their opinions or emotions and ask questions with teacher if they do not understand any problems

This study is performed the use of games like a useful tool in teaching English vocabulary for young learners It is very helpful to improve learning English vocabulary For this reason, the study named “A study on using games to improve English vocabulary to young learners at Five Stars English School”

2 Research goals

Nowadays, using games in education is no strange If teachers and young learners use too much mother tongue and do not use teaching aids, young learners have less chances to practice skills and the class can be boring with young learners In teaching, it is difficult for teachers to perform their intentions, teachers and young learners are puzzled, lack of self-confident when taking part in teaching and learning activities In addition, the period becomes uninteresting, young learners are not feel highly enthusiastic to participate This means the aims of learning and teaching English will be restricted This research was executed to concentrate on the reality of using games in teaching English to improve young learners at Five Stars English School

3 Research questions

This study addresses two research questions:

1) What is the reality of using games in teaching English vocabulary to young learners at Five Stars English School?

2) What can be done to maximize the effect of teaching English vocabulary through games at Five Stars English School?

4 The scope and limitation of the study

Young learners who are learning at Five Stars English School are like students at the primary school When they start to learn English, they have few English vocabulary However, this research only investigates young learners at Five Stars English School Because of the deficiency of experience and the time is limited, it is not easy to cover all of respects of the problem concretely Hence, this research just focuses on the fact of using games in teaching English vocabulary at Five Stars English School and some offers to improve teaching vocabulary

CHAPTER II : LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Definition

1.1 Definition of games.

Xun Ge & Dirk Ifenthaler stated:

Games are those intentionally designed for the purpose of education, or those entertainment

games that have incidental or educational values Games are designed to help people

understand concepts, learn domain knowledge, and develop problem solving skills as they

play games

[Xun Ge & Dirk Ifenthaler, 2017]

According to Jones (1980) by rival or cooperate following to a set of rules, one player or more could play in a game Rogers (1981) stated that gaming is target-determined, rule-governed and rival that has attract the learners Gibbs (1981) said that games as an activity performed by co-operating or rivaling with the people who provide the decision and want to obtain their goals according a set of rules Games are self-contain activities that have starting and an ending with a winner who determines the end of the game (Rixon, 1981) Games ask co-operation with members

in his team and rival in another players or team While playing game, young learners ought to use the language and repeat forms that help in improving and expanding their skills Player could use words, body language, mime and manners between participants which get funny and unanticipated (Rixon,1981)

1.2 Definition of vocabulary

Vocabulary is about a collection of words, word meanings or phrases alphabetically defined or arranged Besides, that is even about a sum of words employed by language, group, individual or

in a field of knowledge

Vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words we teach in the foreign language

However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than just a single word: for

example, post office, and mother-in-law, which are made up of two or three words

but express a single idea A useful convention is to cover all such cases by talking

about vocabulary, items “rather than words” (Ur, 2003, p 60)

The vocabulary words are commonly involved by nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs

The vocabulary is considered as a complex of meaning and form Vocabulary is not

concerned, but it is latent which vocabulary is necessary to communicate Vocabulary is

more momentous than grammar due to we have a speech within the vocabulary, do not

have a speech within right grammar Words are source of communication and a wide

vocabulary ameliorates all fields such as reading, listening, writing and writing

Vocabulary is the integral part to study any language All languages relate to words

Relied on some scholars’ point of view about vocabulary Rubin and Thompson (1994,

p 79) assumed that no one can read, speak, write or understand any foreign language but

for any words For this reason, vocabulary learning is an important factor to expert a foreign

language “Vocabulary permeates everything language learners or language teachers do

in an English language class, whichever skill or language point is being practiced”, Taylor

(1992, p.30) said

* Meaning of teaching vocabulary:

Instruction in vocabulary involves further than looking up words and using the words in sentences or speech

1.3 Definition of young learners

Young learners are known as the children studying in primary school, are from five or six years old to the end of primary level In contrast, the age of young learners is a dispensable index of how grown-up they are Philips (1993) claimed that these factors consist of sex, surroundings, culture, and family can effect on the maturity of children Besides, their growth ought to be totally considered Some of them develop fast, and others in another side Teachers should be conscious

of all young learners’ changing because teachers can decide activities used during their teaching process Decision of teachers must be depended by their knowledge about interests, behaviors and circumstances of children instead of children’s physical age

This thesis is focus on young learners who are agreed to belong with the beginner level Halliwell (1992) said that young learners determine within interpretation, without understanding the real meaning of words They take pleasant and interested making fun of what they say and do

According to Yetenberg (1990), he described young learners to have some matters with discriminating the real world from an imaginary world It’s difficult for young learners’ teachers

to understand their fact of awareness and deal with it Young learners prefer working accompany with others to working alone, especially they are playing and working In addition, they learn by using behaviors, body movements and apes Moreover, children often do not have long attention span, thus teachers need to concern with this when selecting and designing activities for their young learners to be participated in It is necessary to praise them because they will add motivated when teachers help their enthusiasm

Phillips (1993) believed that children are comprehensive learners if they are learned in a very small age They answer to the significance that base the language without anxious about several words or sentences Philips emphasized that teachers need concretize the activities for children so

as to clean what their teachers await from them The tasks teachers give for young learners must

be funny which young learners might easily achieve the targets set for them In addition, the tasks would rather be fostering and exciting in order to young learners might feel pleased with what young learners have done

Moreover, Slattery (2001) mentioned about some traits of young learners They are moony, curious and dynamic They grow as personals very fast and enjoy daily and reiteration Young learners study by imitating, listening, watching and doing something Because they often do not concentrate on a long time, they need many kind of activities Besides, they told about what they did and set meanings in their mother tongue which helps them to learn

2 Teaching methods

2.1 How vocabulary is learned?

David Wilkins claimed that no grammar, no communication; no vocabulary, no communication Young learners always have some movement as they begin learning to speak instead of categorizing skills, Thornbury said in 2002 Consequently, they construct more complex

ideas They know that some kind of words are similar to the mother tongue as antonyms and

synonyms and others while this period

To teach English vocabulary to young learners, instructors can use many methods and instructions Teachers can use visual things as a good method to instruct learning vocabularies They ought to listen to their teachers’ words and repeat it in a correct way The other way is called