Using grammar games to improve the 12th graders’ grammatical competence an action research project at a high school in nghe an

Factors affecting the choice of grammar games in improving high school students’ grammatical competence 14 2.4.4.. The role of using grammar games in improving high school students’ g

Nghe An – 2018

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

VINH UNIVERSITY

TRẦN THỊ NGHĨA

GRADERS’ GRAMMATICAL COMPETENCE: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A HIGH

SCHOOL IN NGHE AN

MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION

Nghe An – 2018

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

VINH UNIVERSITY

TRẦN THỊ NGHĨA

GRADERS’ GRAMMATICAL COMPETENCE: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A HIGH

SCHOOL IN NGHE AN

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Code: 8140111

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

SUPERVISOR: HUỲNH ANH TUẤN, Ph.D

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findings discussed

in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates, and have not been published elsewhere

Author

Tran Thi Nghia

1.4 The significance of the study 3

1.6 Organization of the study 4 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND

2.1.1 History of grammar teaching 5

2.2 Approaches to grammar teaching 8

2.3 Grammatical competence 10

2.3.2 The importance of grammatical competence 11

2.4.2 What is the definition of grammar game? 14

2.4.3 Factors affecting the choice of grammar games in improving

high school students’ grammatical competence 14

2.4.4 Advantages and disadvantages of using games

17

2.4.5 The role of using grammar games in improving high school

students’ grammatical competence

18 2.5 Using grammar games in language teaching 19

2.5.4 How to use grammar games in class successfully 21 2.6 Review of related studies 23

Appendix 6: Scoring Rubric of the students’ writing XIII

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure1 Action research cycles by Kemmis and Mc Taggart 28 Table1 Scoring Rubric of Grammatical Competence 40 Table2 The table of data showing the students’ progressing score in grammatical competence after being taught through grammar games 47 Table3 Table of data showing the students’ responses in learning grammar through grammar games 50

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I especially would like to express my endless gratitude to

my supervisor, Dr Huynh Anh Tuan, for his helpful encouragement, constructive comments and precious advice at all stages of the development of this graduation paper There is no doubt that the study would be impossible to be accomplished without his constant assistance I would also like to express my appreciation to all lecturers at department of post graduate studies of Vinh university for the

knowledge, guidance and encouragement they give during my study

I also address my gratitude to the principal of the high school for giving me permission to conduct the research in the school and the English teachers for help, assistance and cooperation Many thanks are also given to the students of grade 12A10 for being cooperative during the research

My sincere thanks also go to my beloved family who always become my motivation especially to finish this thesis

Finally, I realized that this thesis is still far from being perfect Therefore, any criticisms, ideas and suggestions for the improvement of this thesis are highly appreciated

ABSTRACT

The objective of this research was to improve grammatical competence of the

12th graders of a high school by using grammar games

To carry out the research, the Classroom Action Research is used The researcher conducted two cycles and there are each cycle four elements (planning, action, observation and reflection) in each cycle In order to have the data, the researcher used instruments of observation, interviews, questionnaires and the students’ achievement in the pre-test and post-test to support the data collected Qualitatively and quantitatively are two ways of presenting the data obtained

The research findings showed that the grammar games were effective in improving the grammatical competence of the students in the class This can be seen in the improvements among the students after each cycle, specifically the rise

in the students’ mean scores in the test results: 48, 97 in the pre-test and 68,3 in the post-test The effectiveness of using grammar games in improving the students’ grammatical competence was also recognized based on the students’ responses that showed their positive attitudes to the teaching method

1.1 Rationale

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, learning a language is not only a great interest, but also an increasing demand for most people That’s the reason why English now becomes a compulsory school subject in many schools and universities To master English, students need to be good at four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing However, to have a good ability of all the four skills above, needless to say, it is obliged for learners to have a good grammatical competence, which means that learners have to understand English grammar clearly and use it effectively

When students are in 12th grade, they have been learning English for some years Of course, they have learnt many aspects of grammar such as tenses, passive voice, conditional sentences…(English 10); or infinitive, gerund, reported speech, relative pronouns…(English 11) However, there is a fact that most of 12th graders make a lot grammatical mistakes when using English This urges the researcher to have a look back at the way of teaching English grammar at school In many English classes, the teacher often teaches grammar in traditional way First, the teacher gives out the form and use of the grammatical point Then, the teacher gives some examples or asks students to give some examples using the grammar point After that, the students are asked to do some exercises relating to the grammar point Finally, the teacher gives the feedback to the students’ answers This way of teaching may help save time but it may not help the students in retaining the grammar points The students only pay attention to doing exercises correctly at the time they are asked to do but they may not remember the grammar points some weeks later Moreover, doing exercises in textbooks or given by the teachers gives students very few chances to communicate with each other in class, which means that they do not have opportunities to use grammar points they have learnt in other skills such as speaking and listening that are very important in learning languages This is also one of reasons that make students find it difficult to retain the grammar lessons

In contrast, by using grammar games, the teacher will motivate students to use language in a natural way This is necessary for students to retain the grammar points easily Moreover, grammar games help students to use English appropriately not only inside but also outside the classroom

Mario Rinvolucri (1984:3) stated:

―Grammar is perhaps so serious and central in learning another language that all ways should be searched for which will focus students energy on the task of mastering and internalizing it One way of focusing this energy is through the release offered by games‖

Games in general and grammar games in particular are very useful in teaching and learning English grammar because it not only encourages, but improves and teaches students’ ability in using English fluently as well This has given the researcher the desire to give out the research study: ―Using grammar games to improve the 12th graders’ grammatical competence‖ I think this study is necessary and the result of using games in teaching grammar will bring many practical benefits to the students

In consideration of these problems, as an English teacher, I really want to clarify the topic here with my knowledge and my supervisor’s guidance to analyze, understand the situation of teaching and learning English grammar at a high school

in Nghe an; the application of games in teaching grammar for the 12th graders at the school Thanks to it, I will find out lessons, experiences for myself and make a small contribution to enhancing the effectiveness in teaching this subject

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

This study is aimed at investigating the potential effectiveness of using grammar games in improving students’ grammatical competence at a High School

in Nghean To be specific, the objectives of the study are:

- To see how effective it is to use grammar games to improve students’ grammatical competence

- To investigate the attitude of the students when using grammar games in grammar lessons

- To find out the problems the students and the teachers encounter when using grammar games in grammar lessons

1.3 Research questions

The study will attempt to find out the answers to the following research questions:

1.3.1 To what extent does the use of grammar games improve the

12thgraders’ grammatical competence?

1.3.2 What are the students’ attitudes to the implementation of grammar

games to improve their grammatical competence?

1.3.3 What problems do the teacher and students encounter when using

grammar games to improve the students’ grammatical competence?

1.4 The significance of the study

Carrying out this study, the researcher finds out some consequences

Firstly, the study helps the researcher have a chance to improve the teaching skills Through the study, the researcher can adapt the lesson more easily, which helps create more and more interesting lessons

Secondly, the study also helps the students to improve their grammatical competence The students have opportunities to take part in interesting and useful activities that helps them increase their ability of using English in a natural way

Thirdly, the study can play a small role in improving the result of the learning and studying of the teachers and the learners at the school where the studied is implemented

1.5 Scope of the study

Due to limited time and experience, this study focuses on how the students’ grammatical competence can be improved by using grammar games

The study was limited to teach English language textbook TiengAnh 12 which is in use in the high schools

The study was applied in the school year 2017-2018 by implementing

grammar games

1.6 Organization of the study

This study has five main parts as follows:

Chapter 1 – Introduction which provides readers with overall information

about the research including the rationale for the study, aims and research questions, significance, scope, methodology as well as the organization of the study

Chapter 2 – Theoretical background which deals with two major concepts,

namely, in the hope of providing theoretical background for the following chapters

Chapter 3 – Methodology which discusses the methods used to find out the

answers to the research questions

Chapter 4 – Research findings which present some crucial findings based on

the analysis and synthesis of the data collected

Chapter 5 – Conclusion and implications which summarize the main contents

of the study, indicate summary of findings, and give out suggestions for further research

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND

LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Grammar teaching

2.1.1 History of grammar teaching

It is known that there have been different approaches of teaching grammar Looking at grammar from different points of view, we can see that the choice of grammatical method is really wide

Initial stage of teaching grammar proceeded from the same time when Latin was taught at school That means learning a language through grammatical rules and mainly translation Speaking played a second role In the 19th century, grammar

- translation method appeared Richard and Rodgers (2001, p7) describe that later

or, in the 19th century, reform movement against grammar – translation method was established This movement was initiated because of the need for new methods and approaches There were a lot of innovations in language teaching and oral proficiency was supported Some writers supported the way children use to learn a native language (first language acquisition) and many of them also considered teaching language in a context as very important A big progress came with establishing phonetics because it helped to understand how speech process works

In 1886, IPA (The International Phonetic Association) was established and among other things, one of its arms was to upgrade the way of language teaching An inductive approach to teaching grammar started to be more and more significant

In the early 20th century, new researches relating to language teaching were carried out Linguists in the USA pointed out that there is not just one method that could give a lot of benefits In the 1920s and 1930s, a basis of audio-lingualism and oral approach theory was set From 1960s on, many new methods and approaches arose and each of them were specific by its goal, the way language is taught, different teaching techniques, etc

The creative stage of developing methods and approaches was from the 1950s – 1980s Many new methods as well as approaches come out during that

period of time and teachers were aware of the fact that the choice of appropriate method is necessary for high-quality language teaching (Richards and Rodgers, 2001)

2.1.2.Grammar and methodology

According to Larsen-Freeman (2000, p IX) ―A knowledge of methods is part

of the knowledge base of teaching‖ That is the reason why it is very important for teachers to know methods that can be used suitably in the classroom when teaching grammar Larsen-Freeman and Anderson’s book (1986) also gives a description of techniques and principles in language teaching They mainly wanted to set a list of different language teaching methods for the teachers They emphasized that the methods of practices change in time They gave out the case when teachers were for many years told that they should not use a native language of the pupils in the lessons and also translation was criticized ―The motivation for this advice was to maximize students’ opportunities to use the language they were studying‖ (1986, p4)

On the other hand, Richards and Rodgers (1986, p10) claim that in some situations it would be more efficient to use learners’ native language and it is also suggested that such a big adherence to the target language makes language teaching isolationist and the teachers and students are not able to create a connection between languages

2.1.3 Development of grammar methods

There have been many changes in grammar methodology in the history Here is an overview of the most significant methods

1 Grammar translation method

For centuries, grammar was taught in a very traditional way and the main focus was on written form of language and grammar was seen as a set of rules By knowing these rules, one would also know the language This method is sometimes called ―the classical method‖ because it was first used in Latin and Greek lessons, both of them as regarded as classical languages (Larsen-Freeman 2000:11)

Hall (2011:81) explains that GTM requires language learners to pay attention

to grammar items in isolation This way of teaching has been criticized for the lack

of developing learners’ communicative abilities and focusing too much on the written form of language That is the reason for a change the ways of teaching grammar

2 Direct method

This method was invented at the end of the 19th century and the core of this method was active and spontaneous use of language in the classroom and spoken language (only target language was permitted) There is a big difference between Grammar Translation Method and Direct Method That is the use of learners’ L1 because in the direct method, no translation is allowed at all ―In fact, the Direct Method receives its name from the fact that meaning is to be conveyed directly in the target language through the use of demonstration and visual aids, with no recourse to the students’ native language‖ (Larsen – Freeman 2000:23)

Some writers even claimed that using only the direct method in the lesson was counterproductive A significant prejudice against using mother tongue in language teaching was created with expansion of the direct method And this prejudice remained in existence for many years after (Harmer, 2007, p.64)

3 Audio-lingual method

In the 20th century, the focus started to shift even more from writing to speaking because the need for being able to speak languages grew during the World War II Audio-lingualism was invented largely in North American This method was influenced by a belief that in order to use a language fluently, one must spent much time repeating oral drills (Yule 2010:190) The behaviorists believed that learning a language is a matter of habit information The goal was automaticity, hence patterns were memorized and initiated so many times that students knew them by heart Mimicking the teacher and repeating the tape recordings was vital for acquiring proper pronunciation and creating structural patterns (Johnson 2013:

166 – 167); Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991:55) but it can be rather demotivating for language learners

4 Communicative language teaching

Communicative language teaching (CLT) emerged approximately in the 1970’s, at a time when language learners were viewed as individuals with their own communicational needs The most important component of this approach was the use of language; grammar was moved away from the centre of a language-learning course (even though it still remained as a part of the language syllabus Thus, the goal of communicative language teaching was to get the learners to use the language appropriately in real-life situations outside the classroom In class, they practiced performing certain functions that were all done with a communicative intention in mind and because of that, students used the target language a lot during the lesson and usually worked in small groups

Another progress of this method was the fact that language was not used out of context So the learning was more effective (woods, 1995, p.64)

Thornbury (1999, p.22) mentions there were some extreme followers of CLT who totally rejected grammar rules and instruction and stayed against grammar based syllabuses because they believed in natural acquisition of language

2.2 Approaches to grammar teaching

There are many approaches teachers can choose from but it is always important to select the one which is in accordance with learners’ abilities, age and experience And there are other factors influencing the choice of suitable approach, for example the relationship between the teacher and learners, (which is essential in communicative approach) It is also known that adherence to just one approach leads to the fact that learners are not motivated to study so it is best to use the combination of more approaches in the lessons Approach is in comparison with method more the theoretical and it is directly connected with aim Method then gives a teacher possibility to apply particular approach in practice

2.2.1 Deductive approach

In comparison with inductive approach, deductive (or rule-driven learning) approach is more traditional This method of teaching grammar pays much attention

or instruction before practice The teacher gives the learners an in-depth explanation

of a grammatical concept and then provides its examples Students will encounter the same grammatical concept in their own writing After the lesson, students are asked to practice what they have just been shown in a mechanical way through exercises given by the teacher This approach is more ―comfortable‖ for the teacher The learners get a clear explanation without time wasting However, it is true that learners are not active and motivated Especially, young learners could be depressed

if the lesson started with grammar presentation Demonstration is more memorable for them than just an explanation Another problem may be insufficient meta- language which is needed for grammar explanation (Thornbury, 1999 p.30)

2.2.2 Inductive approach

Inductive approach (or rule-discovery learning) involves presenting several examples that illustrate a specific concept and expecting students to notice how the concept works from these examples This method of teaching results from learners’ need to look for patterns in the language that should be a sign of every good learner Woods (1995, p.77) adds that learner ―attends to the form in a particular way, constantly analyzing, categorizing and synthesizing‖ There is no explanation of the concept beforehand and learners try to find how the language works in a more natural way during their own reading and writing Thornbury (1999, p.49) explains that ―induction, or learning through experience, is seen as the ―natural‖ route to learning‖ The main goal of the inductive method is the retention of grammar concepts, with teachers using techniques that are known to work cognitively and make an impression on students’ contextual memory

As deductive approach, also this approach has its pros and cons Inductive approach is more natural so the rules of grammar are more memorable for the pupils It increases learner’s motivation and autonomy However, it is necessary for

teachers to prepare his lesson more carefully Moreover, there may be some pupils for whom this may not be a convenient approach

According to Jim Scrivener (1994, p.114), deductive approach is described as

―PPP‖ which is an abbreviation for presentation, practice and production Language

is divided into ―manageable bite-sized chunks‖ and then one by one taught by a teacher It is logically arranged so the learners begin with easier grammatical patterns and then the difficulty rises gradually In the inductive approach, learners are taught in the way that they are exposed to a large amount of language It is based on students’ intelligence, experience and ability to analyze Scrivener concludes that there are many teachers who use both methods in their language teaching

2.3 Grammatical competence

2.3.1 Definition

There are different cognitive model of grammatical competence For instance, cognitive model of grammatical competence of students is an abstract mapping of the verbal and grammatical means of the psycholinguistic mechanism of thought production in communicative and cognitive activity This means that together with the cognitive model, the transformation of thought is done through verbal realization and the same thought can go through multiple transformations and interpretations through various grammatical structuring Any thought can be expressed verbally in several ways

In the most general form, grammatical (linguistic) competence was defined by

N Chomsky, as theoretical and practical knowledge of a limited number of correct sentences It can be assumed that the grammatical competence in the context of learning a foreign language is a set of theoretical knowledge (rules) and language skills that are necessary and sufficient for students to construct sentences, to understand them, to monitor grammatical errors, to pass judgments about right and wrong linguistic forms, and to perform language testing tasks

Another point of view about grammatical competence is that the native

speaker’s grammatical competence, i.e., his knowledge of his language, subsumes three primary kinds of linguistic ability: syntactic, semantic and phonological The first refers to the ability to combine words together so as to form grammatical sentences, the second to the speaker’s intuition about the semantic well-formedness

or ill-formedness of sentences, and the third to his intuition about the phonological well-formedness of sentences or ill-formedness and phonological structure of sentences in a language (Radford, 1988:3-7)

Moreover, grammatical competence remains concerned with mastery of the language code (verbal or non-verbal) itself Thus included here are features and rules of the language such as vocabulary, word formation (morphology), sentence formation (syntax), pronunciation, spelling and linguistic semantics (Yoshida, 2003:3)

According to Bachman (1990), grammatical competence is the ability to organize language on the sentence level There are four levels of the sentence The first is the vocabulary that is all the words and ―lexical items‖ of a language and their meanings A lexical item could be one word, or it could be several words that combine to have one collective meaning For example, ―put up with‖ is ―lexical item‖ composed of three words, but it has one meaning: ―endure‖ The second is the morphology that is the study of the structure of words of a language via the study the morphemes of a language and how the morphemes come together to form words The third is the syntax that is the proper order of words in a sentence The fourth is the phonology that is the study of the sounds of a language

2.3.2 The importance of grammatical competence

Communication is an integral part of our daily life, we cannot live in an isolated society without any interactions Communication is a process used to express ideas and feelings or used by people for giving information, it involves sharing of ideas and information between one person to another Communication is

a learned skill, to express themselves well and successfully, people must learn how

to communicative effectively

In ―Theoretical Bases of Communicative Approaches to Second Language Teaching and Testing‖ (Applied Linguistics, 1980), Michael Canale and Merrill Swain identified that grammatical competence which includes knowledge of phonology, orthography, vocabulary, word formation and sentence formation is one

of four components of communicative competence That is the reason why to obtain effective communication people should pay attention to grammar Grammar is very important because it helps enhance accuracy This means grammar rules can help learners develop a habit of thinking logically and clearly and will become more accurate when using language Proper use of grammar is a sign of respect, both for speakers and listeners For speakers, speaking clearly means they take time to polish themselves with a good impression from the listeners A person with a good grammar skill can form negative impression on the first meeting and this may last for a long time For listeners, a proper use of grammar shows that their thought is concerned Speakers do not want them to waste time trying to figure out what they are saying

2.4 Grammar games

2.4.1 What is the definition of game?

Game can be described as a play which is governed by a set of rules Games bring certain kind of experience and for that reason information is easier to remember Some author describe that games bring a meaningful communication to the lessons Moreover, they can focus on all the four basic skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening) and they can be used for learners of any age

The games are often used at the beginning of the lesson as a ―warm-up‖ activity or at the end of the lesson when there’s time to left However, Uberman (1998, online) claims that it is right to use the game at any stage of the lesson Betteridge, Buckby and Wright (1983, p I) indicate that the stage of the teaching sequence is not deciding factor for the choice of the game

When using games in the classroom, it is helpful for teachers to have a fulfilled understanding of the definitions of games, which usually are defined as a form of play concerning rules, competition, and an element of fun Teachers should also take into account the advantages of games: the ability to capture students' attention; lower students' stress; and give students the chance for real communication Lastly teachers need to consider how to use games appropriately in the classroom It is important to choose a suitable time and integrate them into the regular syllabus and curriculum However, because of the limitations of the syllabus, games often cannot be used, as much as they should be Therefore, it may

be difficult for teachers to try to add some games in class in order to improve students' English proficiency of the target language Some teachers think that language games are a waste of time and prefer not to use them in classroom since games sometimes have been considered only for its one element that is fun In fact, games can provide English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) students more than that Among several strategies used to improve students' proficiency such as visual aids, CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning), drama, role-play, and so on, games are another useful strategy to promote students' language proficiency (Richard - Amato, 1996) This paper aims to give a clear understanding of what games are and why and how games are used in the classroom Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target Language WellChosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills Games are highly motivating since they are 5 amusing and at the same time challenging Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts They also encourage and increase cooperation "Games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used

to practice many types of communication." (Ersoz, 2000) Language games are not activities mainly aimed to break the ice between students or to kill time 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 learner to use the language in the course of the game Similarly, Jill Hadfield (1990) defined games as "an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun." There are a great number of language games So teachers have a variety of choices However, in deciding which 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

2.4.2 What is the definition of grammar game?

A ―grammar game‖, is essentially any technique for memorizing or practicing

a particular aspect of grammar – be it verb conjugations, sentence structure, spelling and punctuation, or any other intimidating feature of your target language – that is

at least slightly more fun than rote memorization or ―look, cover, write, check‖ The category could include group games that you play in a classroom or with a language partner, grammar review games played on-line or on your phone, or even grammar practice games that you play in your head in spare moments

2.4.3 Factors affecting the choice of grammar games in improving high school students’ grammatical competence

There are many factors affecting the choice of grammar games However, the researcher paid most attention to four following criteria: topic and objectives of each lesson, students’ language level, time allowance and teaching aids

Firstly, the most important factor having an influence on the choice of a game

is students’ language level The reason is that if the activity is under or above the students’ language level, the students may lose their interest when they find out that the activity is too easy or too difficult to be accomplished The game then is just a waste of time and effort

Secondly, the game which is chosen must suit the particular objectives of the lesson The game should be related to the topic taught in the lesson as well and it should be well-integrated in the schedule Another point is that the learners have to

be convinced that games are useful for them If they consider the game unnecessary, the result will be unsatisfactory

Thirdly, the factor must be considered carefully is time allowance for the activity Every game has its principles and the language skills are improved mainly

by repetition Consideration of time is very important – we need time for preparation and for the game itself Teacher should have some spare time because something unexpected can happen during the activity and we are not always able to say how much time the learners will need to complete the task This is not usually problem of experienced teachers who know their students

Last but not least, teaching aids (cards, pictures, flashcards, etc.) for the game should also take a great deal of attention A game that is interesting but hard to find the materials to be carried out also should be eliminated

It can’t be denied that the particular games are fun and entertaining for learning However, that’s not the point of using games in the classroom The point

is to learn and to take something away from the session That’s the reason why we should be careful about choosing games if we want to make them effective

―Teachers need to consider which games to use, when to use them, how to link them

up with the syllabus, textbook, or program and how more specially, different games will benefit students in different ways‖ (Khan,J.1996) A grammar-focus ESL game must be both fun and educationally sound If we are not sure about which kind of grammar-based games are suitable for the ESL classroom, we can consider the following questions:

1 Does the grammar game aim at practicing any skill? Which skill is it?

2 What is the aim of using the game?

3 What kind of games does the game belong to? Is it a strategy game or a communicative grammar game?

4 Does the grammar game suit the learners’ ages?

5 Does the game suitable for the learners’ levels?

6 Are all learners connected with the grammar game?

7 Are the students interested in taking part in the game?

Besides, we can also ask ourselves:

1 What concrete grammar points are we going to introduce or practice through the grammar game?

2 Is it possible to keep control over the class while playing this particular game?

3 Do we need any special materials to play this grammar game? If we do, is it easy for us to have the special material?

4 How will we be able to maintain student progress and keep the learners on track when taking part in this particular game?

5 How long does it take us to organize this game?

6 At which point of the lesson will we incorporate the grammar game?

7 Are the rules clear? How will we successfully explain the game without too much teacher talking time?

Before the final decision, of choosing the game, a teacher should be aware of many other facts like possibility of realization, particular group of learners, and willingness of the participants

When choosing a good game for the lesson, teacher should also take into consideration the proportion of luck in a game It should not be the most important factor but on the other hand it brings a kind of excitement into the game, (Rixon, 1981)

Betteridge et al (1983, p.4) put emphasis on challenge in implementation of the game They even call it the ―essential ingredient’ of a game because when the powers of learner are ―appealed‖ then he/she is motivated to think and speak It is also crucial that the learners are absolutely familiarized with the game they are asked to play Generally, teachers are advised to illustrate at least a part of the game

or write instructions on the blackboard so that the learners can see it

One of the most significant factors influencing the whole course of the game

or activity is learners’ motivation, Harmer (2007, p.98) emphasizes that ―for most

fields of learning motivation is essential to success‖ Motivation is an abstract concept which is quite difficult to define Ur (1991, p.274) suggests that motivated learners can be described as eager or disposed to put their effort in the activity According to her, motivation is closely connected with achievement (or success) and it is teacher’s role to strengthen learners’ motivation in the lesson Ur (1988, p.15) also states that the interest then arises from motivation and it is also very important for successful activity learners without interest are bored so they cannot concentrate and this situation can lead to disciplinary problems On the other hand, attentive learners are eager to put their effort in the activity which leads to success

2.4.4 Advantages and disadvantages of using games

Rinvolucri (1984, p.4) indicates that games usually do not require a lot of preparation and they are highly effective at the same time He comes up with a few advantages of using grammar games in the lessons

The first one is that ―the student have to take individual responsibility for what they think the grammar is about‖ (1984, p.4) It is also a great opportunity for the teacher to find out what his/ her students learned in the lesson without excessive attention The students are not aware of the fact that they learn grammar and do serious work The last advantage is that everybody in the classroom is intensively involved in the activity

Bob Obee (1999, p6) describes in a few points why it is good to use games: to provide purposeful contexts in which to use language

to stimulate interaction

to promote variety of attentive focus in classroom activity

to engender enthusiasm

because games are fun

Games have not got just advantages but also some disadvantages which can be for example an increased level of noise in the classroom, long time for preparation

or too much time for the game itself Games can make the pupils distracted and sometimes a teacher might have problems to choose a suitable game for the learners

grammatical competence

Many people would say that games are just for amusement but in fact it is not true They can function as a very meaningful practice of language Betteridgeet all(1983, p I) explain how important games in language learning can be and mention that games give the learner encouragement to continue in their study which

is essential Additionally, ―many games provide repeated use of language form and its frequent use during a limited of time (Betteridge et all, 1993, p I)

The main reason of grammar game is to integrate practice of grammar in a motivating way One of the most usual features of a game is the competition between the players although some games are based more on cooperation than on competition which is also important to develop

Games are connected with ―relaxed‖ atmosphere and even the shy students have opportunity to express themselves more than in ordinary school activities Uberman (1998, online) nicely concludes that games ―encourage, entertain, teach and promote fluency‖

Arif Saricoban and Esen Metin, authos of ―Songa, Verse and Games for Teaching Grammar‖ explain how and why games work for teaching grammar in an ESL classroom They say, ―Games and problem-solving activities…have a purpose beyond the production of correct speech, and are examples of the most preferable communicative activities‖ They go on to explain that grammar games help children not only gain knowledge but be able to apply and use that learning as well

Additionally, games have the advantages of allowing the students to ―practice and internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively‖ (Shelley Ann Vernon, 206) Therefore, it is important that teacher should not see games as time- fillers that does not have any linguistic purpose or tool designed for fun only but integrate them into their grammar teaching In addition to these, Mc Callum (1980) explains that there are many advantages of games such as the fact that they:

8 Focus students’ attention on specific structures, grammatical patterns, and vocabulary items

9 Can function as reinforcement, review and enrichment

of the students in the classroom but it is not such a big problem Pair work can be done either with two or three students (Watcyn – Jones, 2000)

2.5.2 The role of the teacher

Teacher can have many roles in the class and the most difficult task is to find balance between them, extremes are not considered to be good in any case Woods (1995, p.69) distinguishes three main area of teacher’s position: controlling role, non-intervention role and managerial role Teacher can then act as an informant, organizer, manager, security provider, responder etc Moreover, it is teacher’s responsibility to overall organize the course and encourage learners Teacher can have also different roles when playing a game, in some games teacher’s role is to be

a leader who dominates the class; sometimes she/ he is just monitoring the class According to Peter Watcyn – Jones (2000, p.VI), teacher should be mainly a coordinator of the classroom activity She/ he has also other responsibilities as preparing the materials, instructing (clearly) the students and finally evaluating pupil’s work It is obvious that during the activity teacher is observing the pupils and trying to monitor them Klippel (1984, p.8) explains that in some activities teacher can decide to join the pupils Sometimes it is even necessary to take part in the activity – for example in a case of pair work when there is an odd number of

participation during the activity can also contribute because the ―distance‖ between the teacher and learner can be decreased

When joining the pupils, teacher should be still in a role of a supervisor and should correct them which might be a bit problematic because teacher is not able to observe the performance of several students at the same time Moreover, not all games and activities can be played with the participation of the teacher

Klippel (1984, p.8) also suggests that a teacher should not correct pupils’ error and mistakes too frequently because it could be frustrating for them and it could disrupt pupils’ conversation It is better to help the pupils when they ask for help (for example during the activity or game) Correction of mistakes is mainly influenced by the type of exercise or task If the exercise is success-oriented, teacher should correct the mistakes If it is focused on communication it is not so requisite Teacher can for example make notes of pupils’ mistakes during speaking activity on

a piece of paper and then mention them when the activity is over Pupils can realize the mistakes they did and it is also a kind of feedback for them

Beteridge et al (1983, p.6) even claim that the teacher ―should never interrupt

a game which is flowing successfully in order to correct a mistake in language use‖ Finally, the role of the teacher is also determined by the method used in the classroom Richards and Rodgers (1986, p.23) indicate that in some methods,

teacher is a person that cannot be omitted and the course of the lesson is hugely dependent on him as a main source of knowledge and organization (for example in the classical Audiolingualism) On the other hand, there are methods in which the role of the teacher is quite insignificant and teacher’s initiative is limited

2.5.3 The role of the learners

Not only a teacher has a certain role, also learners are significant if not the most important participants of language learning Learner’s contribution in the learning process is partly influenced by the approach which teacher supports For example inductive approach instigates more activity in the learner than the deductive one We can observe learner roles from many points of view It can be for example according to the type of activities learner is involved in, influence on other

Learner can be seen as a processor, performer, initiator, problem solver etc (Richards and Rodgers, 1986)

Different methods perceive the role of the learner differently For example audiolingualism was quite criticized because it neglected the learner and his abilities Richards and Rodgers (1986, p.23) claim that ―newer methodologies customarily exhibit more concern for learner role and for variation among learners‖ Linguists turned their attention more to learner’s responsibility for the course of the lesson and the result of their work and effort Learners should be also monitoring their progress and co-operate with their classmates Teacher is not the only source

of learning; pupils can learn from their own mistakes and enrich themselves by their classmates (especially when doing a pair work or group work) The older pupils are, more independent they should be This statement should be applied for all the activities and dealt with in the lesson (Richards and Rodgers, 1986)

2.5.4 How to use grammar games in class successfully

Firstly, when using grammar games in class, we should figure out how to organize the class We also need change the activities because if we keep using the same game in a long period of time, the learners will soon start losing interest

Secondly, we should be careful when we use activities that require fine motor skills It means that we importantly pay attention to our expectations for activities that require fine motor skills Our learners may be just learning to write their in their own languages This is not the best tine to expect them to write in a foreign language as well Make sure the activities appeal to all sorts of learning styles, so even when we are using games to teach grammar we will want to vary the types of things we expect the students to do For example, for preschool and early elementary graders, stick to games that use talking, listening, looking and moving For middle and high elementary, we can continue to use games that use talking, listening, looking and moving and add in some games that use writing and reading

Thirdly, to make games become a useful tool for teachers and learners, it’s better to operate the class with utmost respect, both to and from learners Teachers should first understand how the game is played, then explain its roles to the learners

Finally, the time when to use the games also plays an important part in teaching grammar Lee (1979,p.3) proposes that ―Games should not be regarded as

a marginal activity, filling in odd moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do‖ From this point of view, we see that games should be put into the center of classroom teaching and they should not be treated as a merely warm up activity

Additionally, when studying on using games in teaching grammar, Rinvolucri (1990) clarifies that a game can be used in any of these stages while using them as part of grammar instruction:

1 before presenting a given structure, especially to find out diagnostically how much knowledge is already known by the teacher

2 after a grammar presentation to see how much the group have grasped

3 as a revision of a grammar area Thus, teachers should use the games at the suitable time depending on each lesson

to make them more efficient and useful

2.6 Review of related studies

Relating to this research, there have been some studies in Vietnam and in the world

The study ―The effects of Communicative Grammar Teaching on Students’ Achievement of Grammatical Knowledge and Oral Production‖ was written by Pham Vu Phi Ho (HCMC Open University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and Nguyen The Binh (Le Hong Phong Junior High School, Ninh Thuan province, Vietnam This research was designed to examine whether an intervention of CLT application in grammar teaching towards junior high school students’ achievement

of grammatical knowledge and oral production would be effective as well as their positive attitudes in relation to the grammar teaching method For this purpose, the writers used data collected from student questionnaire and pre-test, post-test to answer two research questions:

1 Does communicative grammar teaching affect students’ achievement of grammatical knowledge and oral production?

After carrying out the research, the writers drew some conclusions

First, the finding on research question 1 reveals that, being instructed grammar with CLT, the students achieved better outcomes not only in form but in function Second, from the finding on research question 2, the writers can see that , in addition to the students’ improvement in both grammar competence and ability to use grammar communicatively, communicative grammar lessons did get positive attitude from the students

Another study relating to my research is the one titled ―Effectiveness of Using Games in Teaching Grammar to Young Learners‖ which was written by Gülin YOLAGELDİLİ, Arda ARIKAN The primary aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of using games in teaching grammar to young learners from the points of view of Turkish EFL teachers working in primary schools

For this aim, the following research questions were addressed in the study: (1) What are Turkish EFL teachers’ beliefs about the pedagogical value of using games in foreign language classrooms?

(2) What are the teachers’ attitudes towards using games in grammar

be physically active; moreover, they are imaginative and creative and they learn subconsciously Therefore, teaching young learners requires a special effort and

consider some factors such as deciding on which game to use and the time to use the game in their classrooms Besides, teachers have some other important roles such as making the necessary preparations about the game, organizing the class, and running the activity as smoothly as possible Hence, for a game to become pedagogically successful, it is important that teachers should be aware of their roles and all the other factors affecting the success of a game‖

Besides two studies above, there are also school, There are some others studies involving in the research such as ―The application of games in teaching grammar with reference to Tieng anh 10 textbook at HaTrung high school, Thanh hoa‖,

―Using Games to Improve Students' Communicative Ability‖ written by Deguang Zhu North China Institute of Science and Technology, Yanjiao, Beijing-east, China

…

Thus, there have been a number of studies on the effectiveness of games in teaching grammar Nevertheless, no researchers have examined the practice of using grammar games to improve the 12th graders’ grammatical competence at a high school in Nghean This has given the researcher the desire to carry out a research study on this issue

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology of the study It discusses the research setting, the participants of the research, the research design, the research procedures, the data collection instruments, the data collection procedure, and the data analysis

3.1 Research setting

3.1.1 An overview of the high school where the research was done

This upper secondary school is situated in one of the districts in Nghe an province Founded in 1999, it has an enthusiastic and experienced team of teachers, administrators, and support staff At present, there are 36 classes with over 1,500 students, divided into three different levels: 10th, 11th, and 12th grades

The school’s Board of Directors have always encouraged and supported the teaching and learning of the English Language at the school The classrooms are well-equipped with modern facilities for learning English, such as computers and projectors There are two specialized rooms where English learners can develop their language skills more effectively

However, there are many problems which need to be solved: the books and materials for students in the library are limited, there is no projector or TV in each classroom

However, despite some disadvantages, they have been successful teachers -

not only developing their own language skills, but improving their teaching methods There is an atmosphere of collegiality and support among the faculty and administrators, and they often share our teaching experiences in the hope that they can learn from each other There is always room for improvement, and they strive to make themselves more effective professionals

3.1.3 The students

Most of the students in this Upper Secondary School are living in the surrounding rural areas—where their families are employed in the agriculture sector They are required to study 13 compulsory subjects, so they spend little time learning English Though they have been studying English for many years, most of them are not really good at English In each class, there are only a few students really learning English—and it is those few who are interested in learning it! The majority of the students usually forget most the things they have learned as soon as their testing period is over because they do not define the importance of English in their future Once the students lose their motivation for learning, the quality of their classroom experience rapidly declines

3.1.4 The English Language syllabus

Our school’s 12th Grade English Language textbook ―TiengAnh 12‖ It is a traditional textbook structured with a priority towards theme-based or topic-based learning models There are sixteen units In each unit, there are five lessons (Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Language Focus)

The content of the book relates to the themes with which all students will be familiar such as social lives, sports, work, leisure activities …… For each topic, related vocabulary and word studies are presented communicatively

Some tasks in the text book are difficult while some others are not really challenging This disparity requires teachers to creatively motivate students by adapting exercises to their interest levels

3.2 The participants of the research

The participants of the research were the students of class 12A1 at a high

school in academic year 2017/2018 The total students are 40 that consist of 25 female and 15 male students The researcher chose these students as the participants because the researcher believed that most of the students had not achieved the criteria in grammatical competence and they need to improve their grammar

3.3 Research design

This research is a Classroom Action Research (CAR) Action research is an action that is done by the teachers to improve the teaching and learning process in their classes This research consisted of 2 cycles and each cycles consisted of 4 elements The researcher used the scheme of action research designed by Kemmis and McTaggart as follow:

Figure 1 Action research cycles by Kemmis and McTaggart

Based on the model above, the first step is planning In this step, the

researcher found some problems in classes Then, after planning the actions, the

researcher took actions to solve the problems While taking actions, the researcher also observed the teaching learning process to know the effect of the actions This is also the stage where the researcher collected information as much as possible related to the implementation of the actions The last step was reflection where the researcher evaluated and reflected on what she had done In this research, the researcher used grammar games to improve the grammatical competence of grade

12 students in a high school in Nghean

female in class 12A1 of a high school were asked to write an essay (see Appendix

4) They were told that their writing was not assessed and that they should try their

best and not consult dictionary or anyone else When they finished writing, the teacher collected their paper and measured their grammatical competence by giving marks basing on the prepared rubric After understanding the problems, the researcher made necessary preparation including lesson plans and teaching aids for implementing teaching with the grammar games

b Action

After having good preparations, the researcher took actions by implementing grammar games in the teaching learning process of grammar There were two meetings in this circle

1 First meeting

Unit 1: Language Focus

Grammar Points: The past simple and the present perfect

Time: 35 minutes

In order to help the students revise the past simple and the present perfect, the researcher asked the students to play game 1 The researcher divided the class into four groups and gave each group one poster The researcher asked the students to do the tasks as follow:

Group 1: write the formation of the past simple

Group 2: write the usage of the past simple

Group 3: write the formation of the present perfect

Group 4: write the usage of the present perfect

When the time was up, each group was asked to present their ideas and the researcher elicited the comments from the students Finally the researcher gave the feedback and gave good marks to the group that had completed the task well and fastest

To help the students to practice exercise 1, game 2 was organized The researcher called the first student to answer the first sentence When the students did well his/her task, he/she had the right to choose the other student to do the next sentence and so on Then the researcher gave comments

To help the students to practice exercise 2, game 3 was carried out The class was divided into four The researcher gave each group the cards in which there are letter A, B, C The researcher let the students discuss the exercise in some minutes The researcher read the number of the questions, each group has to decide the answer and raise the card (A, B or C) that corresponded with the answer The group that raised the card first and had the right answer would get one point The group having the most point would be the winner

In order to give more practice to the students, the researcher asked to play game 4 The researcher draw a table on the board, like this:

0

x

The researcher divides the class into two teams: team 1: Noughts, Team 2: Crosses The researcher asks the students from two teams to make sentences using the past simple or the present perfect When the student gave the right answer, their team got one nought or cross and the student standing near the board ticked it on the table The team made a line of noughts or crosses first would be the winner Then the researcher gave comments

2 Second meeting

Unit 3: Language focus

Grammar point: Reported speech

Time: 35 minutes

In order to help the students revise the reported speech the researcher asked the students to play game 1 called Gossip about the teacher (from Begem Tonyali) The researcher asked the students to think about 10 things they want to know about their teacher and asked the questions, which were written on the board The class was divided into 2 groups The first group left the class and waited outside The first group members took turn in asking the teacher the questions and wrote down the answers Then, they left and the second group did the same thing However, what they did not know was that the teacher was honest and gave correct answers to only one group, but lied to the other It was a good idea not to tell them beforehand Then, students pair off as 1st and 2nd group partners The activity went like this and one of the students told his partner ―I asked the teacher how old she was and she told me she was 16.‖ Then the other partner goes ―I asked the same questions, but she told me she was 36 Etc…until all the questions were reported Here they had to pay attention to the usage of the reporting verbs and had fun in