Applying games in reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh 8 (experimental book) : M.A. Thesis. Thesis Linguistics: 814023101

In this study, the author considers with applying games in reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh 8 experimental book.. Research question 1: How does the use of games help studen

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

LE THI PHUONG GIANG

APPLYING GAMES IN REVIEWING VOCABULARY

AFTER UNITS IN TIENG ANH 8 (EXPERIMENTAL TEXTBOOK)

ghi c u việc ng dụ g trò chơi để ô tập từ vựng

sau các đơ vị bài học tro g sách Tiế g A h 8 sách thí điểm))

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

HANOI – 2018

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

LE THI PHUONG GIANG

APPLYING GAMES IN REVIEWING VOCABULARY

AFTER UNITS IN TIENG ANH 8 (EXPERIMENTAL TEXTBOOK)

ghi c u việc ng dụ g trò chơi để ô tập từ vựng

sau các đơ vị bài học tro g sách Tiế g A h 8 sách thí điểm))

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Supervisor: Dr Tran Thanh Nhan

HANOI – 2018

DECLARATION

I, the undersigned, declare that this thesis is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at Viet Nam National University, Hanoi, University of languages and international studies, and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or tertiary institution

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Tran Thanh Nhan, PhD for her wholehearted assistance Without her advice, comments, and corrections, it would have been impossible for me to fulfill the thesis

Besides, students at Hoan Son secondary school are people to whom I want to send my grateful thanks

Last but not least, I am willing to show my deepest thanks to my family and friends who encouraged and supported me a lot

ABSTRACT

There is no doubt that vocabulary plays an essential role in helping students reach their competence in English Therefore, there have been numerous studies of applying different techniques in teaching and learning

vocabulary In this study, the author considers with applying games in

reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh 8 (experimental book) The

study aimed to investigate the effects of games in reviewing vocabulary It was conducted on the basis of both quantitative and qualitative, namely tests, and reflection Tests included 6 tests Each test of 10 questions related to vocabulary in units Reflections were carried out with after 6 tests The result

of the study showed that students’ scores after applying games were higher Also, they were excited with games

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale for the study 1

2 The objectives of the study 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Scope of the study 2

5 Design of the thesis 2

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Vocabulary 4

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary 4

1.1.2 The importance of vocabulary 5

1.1.3 Learning vocabulary 6

1.1.4 Teaching vocabulary 8

1.2 Games 9

1.2.1 Definition of games 9

1.2.2 Roles of games 11

1.2.3 Classification of games 12

1.2.4 How to use games in teaching vocabulary 14

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16

2.1 Restatement of the research questions 16

2.2 The setting of the study 16

2.3 Participants 16

2.4 Research types 17

2.5 Implementation of the Action Research Study 17

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 27

3.1 Research question 1: How does the use of games help students review vocabulary? 27

3.1.1 Results from tests 27

3.1.2 Results from reflections 31

3.2 Research question 2: What games should be used to review vocabulary for 8th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school? 33

3.2.1 Results from tests 33

3.2.2 Results from reflections 35

PART C: CONCLUSION 37

1 Major findings of the study 37

2 Implications 38

2.1 Increasing the time for vocabulary 39

2.2 Frequency of using games 39

2.3 Giving instruction Error! Bookmark not defined 2.4 Using language games in a flexible and appropriate way Error! Bookmark not defined 2.5 Using variety of language games Error! Bookmark not defined 2.6 Using suitable kinds of games Error! Bookmark not defined 3 Limitations of the study 40

4 Suggestions for further studies 41

REFERENCES 43 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: TESTS I APPENDIX 2: SCORES II APPENDIX 3: GAMES APPLIED IN THE PROCESS VI

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 2.1 Sample of test 21

Table 2.2 The action plan 24

Table 3.1: Students’ rank through the mark framework 28

Table 3.2.: Average of test results 30

Table 3.3: Correlation between test 1 and the other tests 30

Table 3.4.: Effects of applying games in reviewing vocabulary 31

Figure 2.1 The cycle of an action research……….19

Figure 3.1: Students’ rank through the mark framework 29

Figure 3.2: Effects of applying games in reviewing vocabulary 32

Figure 3.3: The change in number of vocabulary 33

Figure 3.4: Kinds of games preferred 35

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

Experimental textbooks in general and Tieng Anh 8 in particular

include 12 main units Each unit has seven sections which are Getting started,

A closer look 1, A closer look 2, Communication, Skills 1, Skills 2, and Looking back & Project Each section lasts 45 minutes Reviewing

vocabulary belongs to Looking back & Project lesson, which is then divided

into Vocabulary, Grammar, Communication and Project

Compared to the traditional textbook, the experimental book contains a large number of new words, which poses a major challenge for the eighth graders Besides, the level of difficulty of the words appears beyond the students’ ability, especially those in rural schools Therefore, vocabulary poses a real challenge for them

Traditionally, tests and exams focus on grammar, so teachers mostly teach grammar Learning vocabulary is usually ignored However, when the experimental book is adopted, learners have to take the speaking and listening test It is obvious that without adequate vocabulary knowledge, students cannot speak and listen effectively

Last but not least, after six sections in each unit, students have a chance to review words they learned in the seventh section Nevertheless, the tasks designed do not interest students; therefore, they normally do not complete these tasks As a result, their vocabulary pool cannot increase and they gradually

It is believed that applying games in reviewing vocabulary can be a feasible solution to arouse the learners’ interest and trigger their long-term memory

The reasons mentioned above lead me to my choice of the research title:

Applying games in reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh 8 (experimental book)

2 The objectives of the study.

This study is carried out in order to:

Son secondary school to review vocabulary after units

exploited to make them more enjoyable and productive to the students

3 Research questions

The research is conducted to address the following questions:

1 How does the use of games help students at Hoan Son secondary school review vocabulary?

at Hoan Son secondary school?

4 Scope of the study

The study focuses on using games to review vocabulary after each unit, which means that the students have learned the words in previous sections in the unit Therefore, the types of games to be used in this study may not be applied for introducing new vocabulary or learning vocabulary in general

secondary school, so the games to be designed need to be tailored to the contents of the lessons and the levels of the students The results of the study, therefore, might not be applicable to all the students in other grades

5 Design of the thesis

The study is divided into three parts:

Part A – The Introduction presents the rationales for the study, the aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope of the study and the design

of the study

Part B – The Development consists of three chapters Chapter 1 is the literature review which provides an overview of the theoretical background and the previous researches related to the study Chapter 2, the methodology restates the research questions and describes the setting, the participants, and the research methods of the study Chapter 3, data analysis and the findings are shown

Part C – The Conclusion briefly summarizes the study, gives implications, limitations and makes some suggestions for further studies

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Vocabulary

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary

Vocabulary is a term which is familiar to English teachers and students; however, not all of them know exactly what vocabulary is There are a large number of definitions about vocabulary

Sometimes, linguists themselves are not certain when mentioning the concept According to Hiebert and Kamil (2005:96), “The word vocabulary itself can be confusing Sometimes educators talk about a “sight vocabulary”

or a set of the most common words in English.” Nevertheless, they then stated that because of discussing word meanings, they would use the words

“vocabulary” and “word meanings” synonymously

When considering what it is meant by vocabulary, Schmitt (2000:1) assumed that “The first idea that probably springs to mind is words, a formulation that is admirably adequate for the layperson.” Clearly, in his opinion, vocabulary is not something sublime that is only perceived by experts or professors; in contrast, just an ordinary person with no special knowledge is able to understand words

Ur (1996:60) also gave a definition about vocabulary which was quite short and understandable to people He said that we can describe approximately vocabulary as words taught in the foreign language

According to Mehta (2009:1), “vocabulary can be defined as the words of

a language, including single items and phrases or chunks of several words which convey a particular meaning, the way individual words do.” In other words, vocabulary consists of not only single words but also lexical phrases

or chunks

In summary, vocabulary can be expressed as all the words in a particular language These words can be known and used by a certain common person without unique understandings Moreover, vocabulary includes both single words and phrases

1.1.2 The importance of vocabulary

Vocabulary is one of the most important components of language development Having a wide range of vocabulary helps students with reading comprehension, writing activities as well as speaking and listening ones Without sufficient vocabulary, students may feel confused and challenged when they want to express their thoughts and ideas Shastri (2010:97) stated that “Lack of vocabulary is a major handicap for the learners of English as a second language They fumble for words when they have to express an idea either in writing or in speech.” Obviously, when students do not have enough vocabulary, they have difficulty in writing or speaking things in their mind in

a foreign language although they can convey the things fluently and confidently in their native language

Vocabulary can be considered a key point or a nuclear element in language learning That is, it is surrounded by the other language elements As a result,

it will play an essential role in controlling them as Lewis (1993:89) confirmed that “lexis is the core or heart of language” Shastri (2010:97) went further to argue that the focal part of language learning is created by vocabulary When vocabulary is the core of language, the main task of second language acquisition, all language skills as listening, speaking, reading, and writing cannot go without vocabulary

All language components like grammar and vocabulary are important But,

it is far more difficult to communicate with no vocabulary than with no grammar Wilkins (1972:111) claimed that few things can be expressed

without grammar; however, nothing can be expressed without vocabulary Obviously, it is impossible to produce a sentence if a person does not have the vocabulary that is required to communicate the things the person wishes to say Allen (1983:5) supposed that “Teachers have never doubted the value of learning vocabulary They know how communication stops when learners lack the necessary words They do not believe that the teaching of vocabulary should be delayed until the grammar is mastered.” He also said that teachers must teach most of the vocabulary in English textbooks because without it, no one can speak or understand the language

Vocabulary is the first and foremost important step in language acquisition Besides vocabulary, mastering grammatical structure is really good; nonetheless, native speakers also tend to accept grammatical errors It is necessary to have concentration on the appropriate vocabulary from the beginning Native English speakers can understand utterances with correct vocabulary but not so accurate in grammar rules rather than those with correct grammar rules but not so accurate in vocabulary use The acquisition of an adequate vocabulary is principal for successful second language learning because without an extensive vocabulary, we will not be able to use the grammatical rules we may have learned for comprehensible communication Clearly, the importance of vocabulary is undeniable Therefore, learners need to spend time and effort developing their vocabulary When their vocabulary bank increases, learners can use words effectively and then communicate successfully as Flanigan (2015:3) stated that “our ability to use vocabulary effectively is one of the primary means by which we communicate and connect with important people in our life.”

1.1.3 Learning vocabulary

It is obvious that vocabulary is very important; however, learning

vocabulary in reality is problematic, and the ways to learn vocabulary are not effective enough There are many different opinions about learning vocabulary

Decarrio (2001: 285) stated that words should not be learnt separately or

by memorization without understanding Clearly, when learning words, students should attach them to context so that they can acknowledge word meaning correctly

According to Rohani and Pourgharib (2013:3540), most of the time, foreign language learners tend to forget or misuse new words The reason of this forgetting and misusing is because of many factors Some important ones are not being properly stored of words in student’s minds, their not being practiced enough and not being related to students own experiences and interests

When mentioning factors affecting vocabulary learning, Singleton (2008, p.4-24) also listed some elements They are linguistic features of lexical items, the influence of first and other languages, the incremental nature of vocabulary acquisition, the role of memory in vocabulary learning and acquisition, the organization and development of L2 mental lexicon, the source of vocabulary (exposure to linguistic input), individual learner differences, the role of teacher and vocabulary teaching and strategies

In a study, Thanh Huyen and Thu Nga (2003) stated that many learners of English thought of learning a list of new words with meanings in their native language without any real context practice They looked up words in a bilingual dictionary and even wrote down lines of new words without any idea of the real use of them in context.The authors also gave several factors which made students in general and Vietnamese students in particular become passive in learning vocabulary Firstly, the teacher’s explanation for meaning

or definition, pronunciation, spelling and grammatical functions made students bored They only listened to their teacher when the teacher teaches vocabulary section Secondly, students considered that knowing a new word was to know its basic meaning Thirdly, the words during classroom lessons students learn were in textbooks or given by teachers Finally, Vietnamese students felt risky to apply what they were taught in different contexts

Clearly, English learners have to learn a number of new words However, there are a number of factors making their learning vocabulary ineffective In order to learn and remember new words, learners should join different task-based activities in their classroom Such activities also include vocabulary games which concentrate on supporting learners to develop and use words in different contexts by making the lessons interesting Hence, it is necessary to explore whether learners learn vocabulary effectively through games and how they learn it

1.1.4 Teaching vocabulary

There are numerous techniques in teaching vocabulary According to Gairns and Redman (1986:74), there are three techniques used in the presentation of new vocabulary item The first one is visual techniques including mime, gestures, and visuals such as flashcards, photographs, blackboard drawings, wall charts, and regalia The second one is verbal techniques: (1) use of illustrative situation, (2) use of synonyms and definition(s), (3) contrasts and opposites, (4) scales, and (5) examples of the type The last one is translation It is considered a quick, easy, and effective way of conveying the meaning of vocabulary

There are two main approaches to vocabulary teaching used in the United Arab Emirates: the grammar translation method and the audio – lingual method The first method focuses more on memorizing lists of vocabulary for

translation tasks and for final assessments The main feature of this approach

is that illustrate grammatical rules The other method is the audio – lingual approach, which focuses on attention to pronunciation and intensive oral drilling (OshaSaeed Al Neyadi, cited in Richards and Renandya, 2002)

Haycraft suggests some things about teaching vocabulary One of them is teaching the vocabulary “in spoken form first” to prevent learners from pronouncing the words in the form they are written, placing them in context, and revising them According to Uberman (1998), teachers can use a variety of techniques for consolidating and revising vocabulary They are a choice of graphs and grids, multiple choice and gap filling exercises, synonyms or antonyms to be matched, sentences to be paraphrased, doing cloze tests, visual aids (pictures, photographs, or drawings) He adds that there is also a large variety of word games that are useful for practicing and revising vocabulary after

it has been introduced Numerous puzzles, word squares, crosswords, etc., are useful especially for pair or group work

Obviously, techniques used to present and review vocabulary are various; however, if teachers expect learners to remember new words, it is necessary for them to teach these words in context, help students practice regularly what they have learnt and revise to prevent from forgetting The process of revision

is very important because it help students acquire active and productive vocabularies Teachers must make sure learners have comprehended the new words, which will be memorized better if presented in a memorable way

1.2 Games

1.2.1 Definition of games

Many different definitions of games have been made so far

Lee (1991: 3) defines: “Games in the stick sense, which have a definite

beginning and end, are governed by rules…” Games are closed activities that

have a beginning and an end with a winner who defines the end of the game (Rixon, 1981)

According to Haldfield (1999): “A game is an activity with rules, a goal

and an element of fun… Games should be regarded as an integral part of the language syllabus, not as an amusing activity for Friday afternoon or for the end of the term.” This definition shows the importance of games It is not

merely an activity for only some occasions In fact, teachers can apply it in lessons to arouse students’ interest because it has “an element of fun” He also emphasizes that ““Games can be used at all stages of the progression from controlled to free practice, serving at one end of the range as a memory aid and repetition drill, at the other as a chance to used the language freely and as

a means to an end rather than an end in itself They can also serve as a diagnostic tool for teacher, who can note areas of difficulty and take appropriate remedial action.”

Similarly, Byrne (1995) gave the definition to games as a form of play governed by rules They should be enjoyable and fun They are not just a diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of getting the learner to use the language in the course of the game

Greenall (1990:6) has defined games as one kind of activity which is used

to consolidate language already taught or acquired, and which occurs during the free stage of a lesson or during occasions such as English club meetings

And the term game “is used whenever there is an element of competition

between individual students or teams in a language activity.”

Therefore, games involve many factors: rules, competition, relaxation, and learning, in particular The main focus of using games in class is to help students learn and have fun However, to use games in classrooms, it is equally important that before the game starts, its rules are clearly explained

and well understood by the students There should be only a few, explained rules Demonstrations also can be very helpful because it can help students understand the game and help them follow the rules Otherwise, they will misunderstand the purpose of the game and they may not get the benefits they should have from the game

well-1.2.2 Roles of games

Some people think that games are often considered as an end of term activity or something to fill in last five minutes of a lesson However, games are not just time – filling activities but have a great educational value In fact, they are becoming an indispensable activity in language syllabus because they play vital roles in vocabulary teaching and learning

According to Richard-Amato (1996: 10), even though games are often associated with fun, we should not lose sight of their pedagogical values, particularly in foreign language teaching and learning Games are effective as they create motivation, lower students’ stress, and give language learners the opportunity for real communication Hansen (1994:118) also agreed that games are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings

Wright, Betteridge, and Bucky (1983: 1) point out that, “Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.” Clearly, games can provide powerful and meaningful practice of language Moreover, games can be found to give practice in all skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking), in all stages of the teaching and learning and for many types of communication

Many experts of language teaching methodology agree that playing games is a good way to learn vocabulary According to Thanh Huyen and Thu Nga (2003), student’s seemed to learn new vocabulary more quickly and retain it better when it

was applied in a relaxed and comfortable environment such as while playing ESL games

In the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better (Wierus and Wierus 1994:218) Obviously, games create comfortable atmosphere for students When students learn vocabulary relaxingly and comfortably, they can retain words in a long time

In addition, Uberman (1998) also affirmed the helpful role of games in vocabulary teaching after quoting and analyzing different opinions of experts From her own teaching experiences, Uberman observed the enthusiasm of her students in learning through games She considers games a way to help students not only enjoy and entertain with the language they learn, but also practice it incidentally

While playing, students have fun, relax, exercise, and tease their friends Apart from having fun, students learn at the same time They acquire new vocabulary along with its spelling and pronunciation Students begin to realize that they have to speak or pronounce the words clearly if they want others to understand what they are saying

In summary, games are useful and effective tools that should be applied in vocabulary in classes The use of vocabulary is a way to make the lessons more interesting, enjoyable and effective

1.2.3 Classification of games

Classifying games is not easy since such categories often overlap A good teacher has to have several games on hand at all times Hadfield (1984) explained two ways of classifying language games; linguistic games that focus on accuracy and communicative games that focus on exchanging information

Besides, Hadfield suggested another way of classifying language games which are into more detailed forms:

 Sorting, ordering or arranging games: for e.g give students a set of cards with months, and they have to arrange those cards in order

exchange it with those who do not have it to complete a task

others who try to guess the word

who the criminal is They ask and reply to solve the problem

picture or card

is that they math labels and pictures

category

in real life They might also practice dialogues

Basing on language knowledge and skills that learners need to master, Lee (1979) divided games into:

It is clear that the classifications of games depend on each type of games which concentrates on a language item or a skill for the purpose and the content of the lesson Thus, it is very necessary for teachers to choose the most appropriate game for each lesson so that these games can bring a large number of benefits to both students and teachers

1.2.4 How to use games in teaching vocabulary

Using games when teaching vocabulary to students require trained teachers in playing and mastering the linguistic part of the language Rixon (1981) stated that understanding games will support teachers in finding and creating games that make their learners learn while they play

Halliwell (1991) stated that teachers have to provide students with a communicative atmosphere so that they could express themselves Besides, because using language in any activity is unpredictable, teachers have to encourage them to actively construct language for themselves That is the reason why games are vital and useful They both are fun and create the wish

to interact with each other and create predictability

Another noticeable thing is that not all games fit the classroom

environment, or all groups of students In fact, it is good for teachers to keep

in mind when selecting a game that a recipe for a good educational game is one that balances both fun and challenge (Steve Sugar.1998.p xvi)

It can be seen that in order to gain the most from vocabulary games, it is important that suitable games are chosen Whenever a game is to be organized, the factors such as the number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, should be taken into account

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the research questions are raised again The information about the setting of the study, participants, research types, data collection instruments, data collection procedures, data analysis methods will

be described in details

2.1 Restatement of the research questions

The research question has clearly been shown in part A already Nevertheless, for the sake of highlighting the selected research method, the research question is restated here again:

1 How are games used to help students at Hoan Son secondary school review vocabulary?

at Hoan Son secondary school?

2.2 The setting of the study

The study was conducted at Hoan Son secondary school located in Hoan Son commune, Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province The school is spacious with three floors and nineteen classes Each class has at least twenty–five students All classes are equipped with projectors Among them, six classes are equipped with intelligent boards

In terms of teachers, there are five teachers of English All of them have achieved the certificate of B2 in English They teach 18 lessons per week Each lesson lasts 40 minutes Teachers are active to choose their own teaching methods as long as they find students satisfied with their teaching and make progress

Concerning about students, they are at A1 or A2 level

2.3 Participants

This study focuses on 8th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school

8E took part in the study The number of students in these classes is 26, 25 and 29 respectively All of them started learning English when they were at primary school In other words, they have learned English for 5 years Their knowledge and vocabulary of English are at elementary level Students have three periods of English per week In English lessons, most of students are not interested in learning or reviewing vocabulary Most of them find it a boring and difficult activity and do not want to spend time on it This is the reason why the author wishes to carry out this action research with the hope to change the present situation

2.4 Research types

The study employs action research to investigate how effective the use of games in helping students review vocabulary is and suggest what games should be used The research goals are achieved by means of both quantitative and qualitative methods The qualitative data (reflections from students) was obtained after the quantitative data (tests for students)

2.5 Implementation of the Action Research Study

Whenever teachers identify happening problems in their class, it is their responsibility to find the ways to solve them In these educational situations, action research is certainly a very popular type that teachers in general and teachers of English in particular often employ to carry out their research According to Jonida Lesha (2014:379), “action research is a formative study

of progress commonly practiced by teachers in schools Basically an action research is a spiral process that includes problem investigation, taking action

& fact-finding about the result of action It enables a teacher to adopt/craft most appropriate strategy within its own teaching environment”

Hopkins (1985:32) states that “the combination of action and research renders that action a form of disciplined inquiry, in which a personal attempt

is made to understand, improve and reform practice”

The procedure of an action research obeys step by step As stated by Eileen Ferrance (2000), an action research follows a cycle below:

Figure 2.1 The cycle of an action research

From the cycle, it can be seen that an action research is carried out with five main steps The first step is to identify the problem Then, data is collected through means of interviews, questionnaires, observation and so forth After that, the data is analyzed to find out the problems Designing a plan of action is the next step so that the researcher can make a change and study that change After the interference has been carried out, it is time for the researcher to evaluate its effects to see whether the action worked or not Then, if it had not happened effectively as expected, another method should

be considered to improve the situation

McNiff (2002:71) gave an eight-step model of the action research process They are:

1 Review your current practice

2 Identify an aspect that you wish to improve

3 Imagine a way forward in this

4 Try it out

5 Monitor and reflect on what happens

6 Modify the plan in the light of what has been found, what has happened, and continue

7 Evaluate the modified action

8 Continue until you are satisfied with the aspect of your work

Among kinds of methods, the researcher chose an action research for this study because of the following reasons:

First, one of the most noticeable features of an action research is that it is very situational It means that with specific problems, there are given specific solutions in each context Specifically, this research would be implemented within the context of the teacher’s environment where she are working; therefore, the researcher could be easier to carry out the research, take the advantages of time, students’ natural performance, and directly apply games

on her own students and improve her own teaching methods

The second reason is for the problem-focused nature of action research As observations taken from classes that the teacher had taught during over a year, among many problems, the common one in vocabulary field that students often faced was how to remember vocabulary, and the current classes was not

an exception The teacher hoped to find out one effective solution to improve her classes’ own situation; therefore, the problem-focused nature of action research really suited that purpose

In addition, an action research also brought the researcher a good opportunity to evaluate the intervention to find out the rising problems and

give decision for changing

The researcher’s procedure of the action research is also implemented step by step:

Step 1: Identify the problem

As mentioned, the experimental book has been used in some recent years

It contains a large number of new words, which makes students in general and students in grade 8 in particular really stressful As observations from my own classes through over one- year teaching and the other teachers’ classes, among many problems, the common one in vocabulary field that students often encountered was how to remember vocabulary, and my current classes were not an exception In English lessons, most of students were not interested in learning or reviewing vocabulary Most of them found it a boring and difficult activity and did not want to spend time on it Especially, after six sections in each unit, in the seventh section students had a chance to review words they learned Nevertheless, tasks designed did not interest students They were not into completing the tasks As a result, their number of vocabulary could not increase They became bored with leaning words in particular and English in general The teacher hoped to find out one appropriate solution to improve her own class situation From the things, the author came up with the hypothesis about applying games in reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh 8

Step 2: Plan action

This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods That is, the study was conducted by using two kinds of data collection instruments, namely tests (main method), and reflections (supplementary method) The author planned to apply games in reviewing vocabulary in the seventh lesson

of units, namely Looking back lesson She had intention to begin from unit 2

to unit 6 which was the last units of the first semester Therefore, there were

six tests The tests were tested from unit 2 to unit 6 Designed in a very simple way, each of the test contained a number of ten words which primarily aimed at checking students’ knowledge of word meaning and spelling The ten words only

belonged to Vocabulary part of Looking back lesson Among ten words, there

were five words in English and five words in Vietnamese For English words, students were asked to translate into Vietnamese, and for Vietnamese words, they were asked to translate into English Here is an example of one of the six tests

Table 2.1 Sample of test

This is the first test To see the other tests, go to Appendix 1 There were

four kinds of games applied They were slap the board, hangman, body

language and lucky number Here is the sample of the plan for slap the board

game:

Time: 7-10 minutes

Preparation: a list of review vocabulary words Write the words on the board

in different sizes, colors and directions

Work arrangement: Group work

Vocabulary items: simple, major, costume, unique, activities, rich, poor,

important, ethnic, significant, cultural groups, diverse, traditional, basic

Procedures:

o Divide the class into 3 groups

o Get them to make creative group names

o Give the rule: Each group votes one member to go to the board T speaks a word in English or in Vietnamese Three students slap the word on the board as quick as possible The group who slap the most quickly gets one point Each turn will change members

o The group with higher points wins the game

The first test is not applied with games so that the author can see the

students’ current level The second test is applied with slap the board

Hangman, body language and lucky number are for the third test, the fourth

one and the fifth one respectively The sixth test is not also applied with games, and the tested words in the test are selected from the four previous tests, which aims to check how using games in the previous tests affect students’ remembering words.The tests are tested in the following weeks: