The effect of using games on vocabulary of students at tri ton secondary school

To help students find effectivemethods, especially vocabulary leaming more interesting, we conducted action research to find the answer to the question, "Do games help students learnvoca

I consider myself very lucky and honored to have many wonderful people

to lead me to completion of this research proposal Therefore, I wish to express me

indebted gratitude to all of them who have much contribution to the success of my

study

I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Huynh Thi My Duyen, M.Ed., who took time out to guide, to complete my research proposal She

helped me out of trouble and gave me good orientation as well as encouragement

Her valuable feedback and constructive cofirment helped me have a right away toovercome difficulties and complete my study well.

Last but not least, I want to send me special love to my dear family as well

as me close friends for their supports and encouragement during the time of work

COMMENTS

I'ABLE OF CONTENT

LIST OF TABLES

Table l:MajorAspects of Vocabulary .6

ABSTRACT: Today, the goal of foreign language teaching in general andteaching in high school English teachers in particular is that teachers must renew

teaching methods to hain thr: students communication ability through the four language skills, namely: listening, speaking, reading and writing karningvocabulary is a major concern for those who want to learn this language Thepresent study aimed at determination of effect of games on vocabulary gain of

student The students often complain that it is less difficult to learn vocabulary

items for the fust time than to consolidate and remember them Students usuallyfeel bored in vocabulary learning because they have not changed their leaminghabits, such as writing words on paper, trying to leam by heart or leardrg

passively through the teacher's explanations To help students find effectivemethods, especially vocabulary leaming more interesting, we conducted action

research to find the answer to the question, "Do games help students learnvocabulary effectively, and if so, how?" The process of research includes applyrnggames in our owr classes, observing other teachers' classes, and giving students

the tests to check the effectiveness of games in vocabulary leaming and thequestionnaire to find students' attitude in learning vocabulary tbrough games

CHAPTERI INTRODUCTION

Chapter I Introduction descibes the rationale of the study It also states the aims

and significance of the research T'he final section of this chapter is the

organization of the research proposal

modernization and industrialization English has become a compulsory subject in

the curriculum of most of schools in Vietnam

In leaming English, vocabulary plays an important role It is one element

that links skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing all togethff (Nguyen

&Khuat, 2003).People are confident that vocabulary, including not only words but

also their meaning, orthography, pronunciation, context and conjugation, are in the

process of learning a new language Therefore, vocabulary learning is neverredundant.If leamers v/ant to use English successfully, they shouldequipthemselves withknowleclge of vocabulary and should know how to use it

accurately Knowledge of vocabulary is the foundation to help them learn better in

the future

However, in Vietnam, young students complain that it is less difficult to

leam vocabulary items for the fust time than to consolidate and remember them

They keep learning and forgetting When they get new vocabulary, they need

effective methods to collect, learn, remember and consolidate words for retention

and use in the future Thus, it is necessary to help the students retain new words in long-term memory.Currently, the educationalsystem in Vietnam has made

sigtificant changes, especially on educational methods Previously, the educationwas more traditional However, today,education not only is to indoctrinateknowledge in books to students but plso to help them to have compreheusivevision For secondary school students, now, besides the sub_jects such as

Mathematics, Literature, Physics, and so on, they also have to leam English

Unlike other subjects, English is a discipline has its own characteristics.It requiresstudents to be diligent, hardworking, especially to have the passion and excitement

in learning Therefore, the English teaching in secondary school has been put into

increasing demands not only on the level but also on teaching methods In fact,secondary schools students are notinterested in or excited about leaming English

Thus, the question is how to the teachersmake students interest and gain efficiency

in this subject

This problem may be caused by many common reasons related to their English grammar, techniques and activities which are believed to have directeffects on the students' attitude and their vocabulary learning in the learningprocess.Then I noticed that vocabulary leaming through game is a truly optimal

method.Because games are amusing and interesting, they are highly motivating.They can be used to practice lnowledge of vocabulary, then students can leam

other skills better.lr the easy, relaxing atmosphere which is created by usinggames, students remember things faster and better (Wierus and Wierus, 1994).Therefore, I would like to investigate whether the students at Tri Ton SecondarySchool would like to usegames in learning vocabulary or not and how games affecttheir vocabulary leaming This reason has inspired me to conduct a study entitled

"The Effect of Using Games on Vocabulary Learning of Students at Tri TonSecondary School"

1.2 Aims and significance ol'the research

1.2.1 Aims of the research

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of games on

learning vocabulary of students at Tri Ton Secondary School This research isconducted to consider whether the students like vocabulary game on learning ornot Especially, this research aims to investigate how games affect their leamingvocabulary in order to find solutions that can help them to improve their

vocabulary as well as leam ne'w words effectively

1.2.2 Significance of the research

This research touches onhow the students of Tri Ton Secondary School learnvocabulary The findings might be significant to both the teachers and the students

First, the teachers can know their students' attitudes and what games their students

like After that, teachers can give some suggestions or make some suitableadjustrnents for their students, Besides,this research also brings many benefits forstudents Students will enjoy a vocabulary leaming method which can reducestress in classroom, inhibition among shy and weak students, make sfudentsbecome active This study also helps students to focus more on the vocabulary

learning to leam other skills br:tter

1.3 Organization of the research proposal

This proposal includes tlree chapters consisting of (1) Introduction, (2)

Literature review, (3) Research methodology, and (4) Expected outcomes

Chapter one introduces the rationale, the aims and significance of the study

This chapter also presents the organization ofthe research proposal

Chapter two is the review of vocabulary learning, educational languagegames and relationship between playing game and leaming vocabulary The final

part of this chapter is the summary of the literature review

Chapter three focuses on research methodology which will be employed inthis study consisting of the research questions and hlpotheses, the research desip.,

the participants and the instruments of the study The procedure of the research isalso included in this chapter

Chapter four is the expected outcomes

CHAPTERII LITERATTIRE REVTEW

This chapter reviews the literature related to the views of vocabulary learning andeducational language game,s The following aspects are the definitions of

vocabulary learning and principles ofvocabulary teaching This chapter also show

how to use vocabulary games and some of games in vocabulary learning Next,

this chapter presentsrelationship between playing game and leaming vocabulary

Finally, it stotes the summary of the literature review

2.1 Vocabulary learning

2.1.1 Delinition of vocabulary learning

Vocabulary is a set of words in a language which people are familiar.Vocabulary often increases with age It is classified into two types of vocabulary:

active and passive Active vocabulary includes words used in speak and writing.

Passive vocabulary consists of words that a person can realize at the time in

reading or listening

Vocabulary development refers to the knowledge of stored informationabout the meanings and pronunciations of words necessary for communication

Vocabulary development is inrportant for beginning reading when a student sounds

out a word, he or she is also determining if the word makes sense based on his or

her understanding of the word Ifa student does not know the meaning ofthe word,

it is difficult to check for the word that fits Vocabulary development is also a

primary determinant of learning English Readers cannot understand the content

ofwhat not only they are readring but also others are speaking

According to the Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary

(1989,p.1629), "the vocabulary ofa language is the total number of word in it andsomeone's vocabulary is the total number of words in a language that he or she

knows" However, this term lrill be used in a more restricted sense in this paper;

students will limit themselves to what Michael Wallace in his work teaching

vocabulary calls "content words" as opposed to "structure words", and which

would include nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs derived from adjectives

According to Wallace (1988, p.l8), 'structure wortls are almost derived of

meaning when considered in isolation and, therefore, should be considered as part

of the grarilnar of a language'"

According to Ur (19)96), vocabulary has eleven aspects, which aredemonstrated in the table below:

Table 1: Major Aspects of Vocabulary

Spelling What a word looks like S-u-n

Denotation The r:ore meaning that refers

the word to the real world

Nightfall: the close of theday

Connotation

The additional meaning thatshowsi people's emotions andattitudes towards what the word

refers to

Excuse tn she made anexcuse for being late has a

negative meaning

Formality Whether a word is appropriate

to use in certain context

Thank you - thanl<s

nearly'the same

Bright, clever, smart

Antonym Word that mean the opposite Rich vs poor

Hyponym Word that serve as specific

examples of a general concept

Bus, car, lorry, van

Word building How a word is created Sink sinkable

unsinknble

For the pedagogical pu.rpose of this paper, I have chosen to use the termsvocabulary and lexis to refer to individual word (e.g library, school, etc.)

2.1.2 Principles of vocabularry teaching

Erin Lowry, Senior English Language Fellow (2009) shows that there are

four principles for teaching and leaming vocabulary:

Recycling:New words are forgotten if they are not recycled in some ways andmake them into students' long-term memory Through regular recycling, students

can be given opportunities to meet the same vocabulary, embedded in different

contexts

Motivation: Motivation is one of the essential factors in language learning

Motivated learners have a bretter chance of learning vocabulary successfully;unmotivated ones will have a lesser chance of success

Evaluation and assessment: An aspect of language that is judged in theexamination is the range of vocabulary that sfudents have, so they must be able to

use vocabulary they have learrrt effectively in exam situations

Communication:In order to communicate clearly and effectively a good range of

vocabulary is needed.Teachers should plan for studentsin leaming systematically

Step by step, until the studentscan develop ideas in a relaxed runner in bothspeaking and writing, not need to stop and consider the choice of words

Nation and Moir (2008) started another principle For them, there are threeprinciples of vocabulary teaching: "content and sequencing", "format and

presentatiorl" and "monitoring and assessment" Interms of 'content and

sequencing', learners' atteotion to the vocabulary, leaming strategiesand word

frequency are important factors invocabulary learning As for the "presentation and

format", high-frequency worrls should occur in the "language-focusedlearning,

meaning-focused input ar:.d output and frequency development" In

addition,leamers should have the chance to attain depth of vocabulary knowledge

from the"spaced, repeated, and generative retrieval of words" Thus, learners will

be able toproduce words thanks to encountering them frequently Harris and Show

(2004, p.90) also assert that"effective vocabulary teaching' requires creating

opportunities for 'frequent practice".Frequent exposure of vocabulary to learners

with some intervals is regarded as an effective technique for vocabulary leaming

and teaching In the monitoring and assessment stage, teachers make students do atest for recognizing the vocabulary which students should leam (Nation and Moir,2001) Teachersreport their ei,aluation outcomes to sfudents Assessment can be

used to help leamersreflect on their vocabulary learning, and this can help todecide what vocabulary will befocused on (Nation and Moir, 2008) De Groot(2010) summarizes from othror researchersthat a word in its context should be

completely expressed with "the semantic, syntactic, and collocation features of a

word" However, Nation (2008) argues that "vocabularycourse designers" need to

adopt teaching strategies from proper research and reconsiderwrong assumptions(e.g all vocabulary leaming should occur in context, vocabularyshould be

presented in lexical sets, monolingual dictionaries are preferable to

bilingualdictionaries)

Obviously, all of thern affirmed that revision is essential for teaching

vocabulary Previous lessons will be forgotten if students are not recycled it In addition, communication is 'rital because it enriches both spoken and written

language Practice is also indiripensable It helps learners to be hained for effective

self-study

2.2 Educational language games

2.2.1 Definition ofeducational languagegame

Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes,

or which have incidental or secondary educational value Jill Hadfield (1990)defined games as "an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun." Therefore,

the main focus of using game in class is not only to help students to leam moreinterestedly and effectively but also to have fun.Byrne (1995) gave the definition

to games as a form of play governed by rules They should be enjoyed and fun.They are not just a diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of getting

the leamer to use the language in the course of the game

Educational language games is an activity tlat is designed to help peoplelearn about the language to consolidate and develop the knowledge of vocabulary

Besides, it also creates fun leaming environment, enhance collaboration and

competitiveness, and increase leaming motivation for learners In general,

language games mean games related to language If games help to improvedifferent aspects such as intellectual ability, patience, then language games help to

develop language skills

2.2.2.Ways to choose game for classrooms

There are many factors to consider when choosing games for teaching andlearning vocabulary Games must be consistent with the student's level, conditions

of the school environment, space and time of the classroom Teachers must lnow

how to prepare the game Teachers should pay attention to the charackristics of

the students to adjust games accordingly There are students who are very activeand creative, but the others are passive and quiet.Teachers need to be very careful

in choosing the game if they want to make their students conducive in the learningprocess If the teacher wants the game to bring the desired results, he/she mustconform to the two levels of students, or age, and voluntary participation

With these basic criteda, choosing a game should be relatively easy, andonce chosen, should be easily adapted for the students' level in the current aim.

When choosing a game to implement in the English classroorq teachers should

care for the relationship between games and the current aims and goals of thelesson Moreover, strucfural games that practice or reinforce a certain grammaticalaspect of language have to relate to students' abilities and prior knowledge Gamesbecome difficult when the task or the topic is unsuitable or outside the student'sexperience "For stonger students, one should provide more challengrng games,even games which elicit some minimal form of competition For weaker students,

the games should be task centered so that success or failure does not lead todisappointment", (Tyson, 2000) Another factor influencing the choice of a game

is its length and the time necessary for its completion Many games have a time

limit, but according to Siek-Piskozub (1994:43), "the teacher can either allocate

more or less time depending on the students' level, the number of people in a

group, or the knowledge of the rules of a game, etc There are a great number of

language games So teachers have a variety of choices However, "in decidingwhich game to use in a particular class and which games will be most appropriate

and most successful with their students, teachers must take many factors into

account", (Carrier, I 990)

In addition to the above criteria there are several characteristics of the

games that need to be taken into account when deciding on which one to

implement A game must be more than just fun A game should involve "friendly''competition and should keep all of the students involved and interested Also, thegame should have simple, easy to explain instructions and should be able to be set

up and started playing in a relatively short amount of time Longer, more complex

games can be employed Additionally, remember that games serve the purpose of

enhancing the leaming experience of the classroonl not simply fill time Games

should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on thelanguage itself and should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review

specific language material as well They should be employed in the classroom inthe same manner and the same arnount as role plays In this way, by combining

both open ended language exploration drills, the students can feel both good about

their language skills as well as enabling them to practice their language in more

free form environments than normal rote learning implies.The most impodantfactor is that games should be used when they can give students both fun andeducational meaning otherwise they will be a waste of time

2.2.3 When to use game

Hadfield (1990, p.22) suggests that games should be regarded an integral

part of the language syllabus Gu-es

"in contribute to students' skills if they are

incorporated into the classroorn, particularly if they are used to reinforce or

introduce a grammatical rule or structure Rixon (1992, p.10) suggests that games

be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully

chosen Language games used in the classroom are very effective and supportiveactivities in contributing to students' language skills and proficiency Nevertheless,

it can be seen that games are very useful and can be used to develop students'

language learning and also provide the students an opportunity to practice

communication in class Therefore, it is recommended that games should be usedanywhere in English classroom as long as teachers try some games that may be

useful to their students in order to enhance students' proficiency and help themmeet their goals

However, games should not be used too frequently in class Games oftenmake them distracted while leaming practical skills Activities "relax excessive"

like this makes students feel just enjoy the game Therefore, teachers should usethe game in moderation to not affect learning Teachers should apply games to'lrarm up" academic atmosphere when the concentration of classroom reduces

Games also lend themselves well to revision exercises helping learners recallmaterial in a pleasant, entertaining way Some games must be adapted in order to

fit students' language level, natures, and characteristics The most important factor

is that games should be used when they can give students both fun and educationalmeaning otherwise they will be a waste of time

2.2.4 Some games in vocabulary learning

Different writers have different classification of games Each game focuses

on a component language or language skills, so when choosing games, one of thefactors that teachers must consider is the objectives of the lesson As mentionedabove, the language games selected in this study should help students remembermany words

a Word - practicing: With this game, students have the opportunity to "scour" allthe words in their mind They can avoid forgetting words and leam new words

from which others create

b Network: In order to test and review leamed vocabulary in each topic

c Scrambled words: The game helps students rmderstand the meaning of the

words In addition to, students can write the words correctly However, theatmosphere is not exciting It is easy to make students bored ifthey carnot find thewords

d Matching: The purpose of the puzzle to help students from English to

Vietnamese, to answer questions, connected with each other or second half of thepicture with the

e Guessing words: Help students learn vocabulary through speaking and listeningskills

f Rub out and remember: aim to help students remember vocabulary longer

g Chain Game: This game memory training for students, gives students the focus

when done to help the students remember from last longer In addition, studentshave the opportunity to spealg articulate, precise vocabulary

h Synonym and antonym: Apart from the purpose of review, this activity helpsstudents expand vocabulary and remembered long

i Crosswords, puzzles, or qub: As Vera Mello (2001, p.43) explain, crossword

puzzles give students a chance to sharpen their mind In order to solve the

crosswords, they must try to undemtand the terms or sentences used in thecrosswords In other words, they must think, guess and decide as much and as fast

as they can in a limited time Lrcreasingly, their mind will be sharpenedconsiderably This kind is also designed in different structual forms of grammar,vocabulary, pronunciation, etc

j Luclcy numbers: It brings the class a joyful and nervous ahnosphere It helpsremember the meaning of the words However, it takes time

k Nough* and Crosses: After the game, students can remember the meaning of

the words and pronounce thern But the game takes a quite short time, so studentsfeel that it is not enough and not ready to start a new lesson

l Rub out and Remember.' Students understand the meaning of the words.Moreover, the game motivates students to pronounce and memorize the words But

students can remember the words in a short term

These above games can be played in pairs, groups, or with the whole class

They can be card games, board games, pluzzles, and role-play according to the size

of the class or the excitement of the games Games are diverse and techniquesused to carry them are various They can be used at any stages ofa class (Harmer,

1991, p 101) This study only focuses on labeling games in which participantsmatch labels with pictures

2.3 Relationship between playing game and learning vocabulary

A number of researchers (Garins and Redman, 1986; Nation, 1990; Schmitt,

2000; Waring, 2001) have indicated that "when learning vocabulary, if it is not

repeated, forgetting is quite normal and thus practicing and reviewing previouslytaught vocabulary is very important" Moreover, Schmitt (2000) claimed that

"since forgetting is natural and vocabulary leaming is incremental, words arelearnt gradually from numerous exposures" Amy Poremba, associate professor in the UI Department of Psychology said that "the brain may process auditoryinformation differently than visual and tactile information, and altemative

strategies-such as increased mental repetition-may be needed when trying toimprove memory" The results of studies on the retention of the brain have shown

that yonr brain can remember only 35.7%o of the knowledg e after 24 hours Onemonth later, people only remember 21% of knowledge Therefore, to be able to use

a vocabulary proficiency, the students need exposure to it several times In fact, the

brain vocabulary memorize will decrease over time if they do not contact rrewwords regularly

Language researchers have shown many vocabulary practice or leamingactivities In fact, the studies aboutpracticirg and reviewing vocabulary previously

learnedseems that empirical research focusing on vocabulary practice or leamingactivities is lacking and their effectiveness is still under investigated, despiteit isconsidered important Therefore, vocabulary practice or learning activities that aremost frequently suggested in the literature are introduced and discussed

Vocabulary games are often used to raise students' interests in reinforcingpreviously learned words For example, gameJike activities and crossword puzzles

let student of intermediate levels have the chances to use and practice word theyhave learned Vocabulary practice activities for student of different proficiency

levels review and practice vocabulary and suggest that they can be used as

warm-up or end-of-class activities Vocabulary games such as crossword puzzles and