Teachers and learnerss attitudes towards the use of games in teaching grammar at dong thanh high school

In order to help the students to see language classes, especially grammar lessons more interesting, and to achieve more from games, a research has been carried out to find the answer to

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

A”

TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES

TOWARDS THE USE OF GAMES IN TEACHING

GRAMMAR AT DONG THANH HIGH SCHOOL

of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts (TESOL)

Submitted by Pham Thi Truc Ha

Supervisor

Ly Quyet Tien, PhD

Ho Chi Minh City, September 2011

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis

Ho Chi Minh City, September 2011

PHAM THI TRUC HA

My special thanks are reserved for my TESOL2 classmates, who shared the happiness and difficulties with me during the course I will never forget the time I studied with them, as siblings in a nice family

I am also grateful to Dong Thanh High School in Can Giuoc District, Long An

Province, the principal, the English teaching staff, and the students in the academic year of 2010-2011 at Dong Thanh High School, whose willingness, enthusiasm, and

encouragement supported me so much

Last but not least, words cannot reveal my appreciation to my father and my late

mother Without their endless love and devotion, I could never overcome all the

difficulties facing my life I will love them forever

ABSTRACT

This thesis attempts to investigate teachers’ and learners’ attitudes at Dong Thanh High School towards the use of games in teaching English grammar At the same time, some grammar games for high school, some problems with their solutions are recommended

To find out the answer about the attitudes of high school teachers and students towards grammar game use, a quasi-experiment was implemented in two classes of the tenth graders at Dong Thanh High School After four months, two grammar lessons in each month, the pre-test and post-test scores were compared to prove the positive attitudes, the change of attitude of the high school learners, and the effectiveness of using games

in teaching grammar Beside the experiment, questionnaires were also carried out to 7 teachers and 754 students of this school The data collection and analysis from these questionnaires were the answers for the attitudes of the high school teachers and learners to the effective application of games in teaching and learning language grammar

From the study findings, valuable implications and recommendations were raised to get high school teachers to employ games more regularly and effectively in teaching grammar Further research was suggested with the hope to call for the investigating of

` the different kinds of games and methods for language grammar teaching

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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2.1.3.1 Deductive and inductive approaches .cccccesessessseesesseseees 10 2.1.3.2 Situational approach .c.ccccscssssssssesesesestescscsesssssscseeseeseseees 12 2.1.3.3 Task-based approach - s + + ss+s+t+E+EsEEtErEsEsrsrssssrs 13 2.2 An Overview about ZaMES .ccccssessessesssssssessessesesaesussesscsessesscessrsstsesssseeseneesees 15

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2.3.2.1 Benefits of games in teaching and learning English

grammar at high schOOl c5 55 52s s52 s+sszs+ss+ss+ 20 2.3.2.2 When and where games fit into ateaching programme 22

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY., 5 2 S222 S3 E2% 3x E vực ưu 24 3.1 Hypotheses -LScL tt HH nh HH HH HT HH HH ng ng sec 24 lĩc “TU 0U: Cờ HT xu sncocgnonoonlaoeooeeeoiesososssnrisrerdissssrdsltivbsiseebsssseeideofsiskiassaee 24

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4.1.1.2.1 The importance of grammar to high school students 37 4.1.1.2.2 Games and high school students’ attitudes

towards learning through øames - aT

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4.1.2.2.1 Games and their necessity for teaching 4] 4.1.2.2.2 High school teachers’ attitudes towards teaching

grammar With QaMes cccscsccsesscecessesseeceeeees 42 4.1.2.2.3 The problems of game application 43 4.1.2.2.4 Teachers’ experiences about teaching English

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LIST OF TABLES 18Pl€ 2.1: 510160153 niplish nhì TY c.cecceesoonidndoaa ad gl8504594042x5x5552566s4ccgyks Ze TaBle 4.17 Stuideris” English ability cac 4 00s 0600041656565 se 36 Table 4.2: Students’ English grammar ability << 5+ s£+ss+s£+s+zss+ssssx2 36 Table 4.3: Students’ imterest in grammar leSSONS sccciiscceccscscosscstcscesesececststevacseceseoees 37

Table 4.4: Students’ opinions about proportion of grammar application 37

Table 4.5: Students” opinions about proportion of game attraction 38

Table 4.6: Students’ opinions about proportion of frequency use in class 38

Table 4.7: Students” opinions about proportion oftime use in cÏass 39

Table 4.8: Students” opinions about proportion of game heÏp .-. - - 39

Table 4.9: Students” opinions about proportion of game fypes - - - - 40

Table 4.10: Students’ feeling when teachers use games to teach English grammar TH OS at nr ve csnenneninveetieranrecnarncededvanshesmecndocchiand oatovanlaugn GU inn Anon 40 Table 4.11: Teachers? interest in prammar teaching . - 5-5 + sex szs+s 41 Table 4.12: Teachers’ thought about grammar lesSOTS - ¿2 5 5 55s zs+s 41 Table 4.13: Teachers’ opinions about the frequency of game application 4]

Table 4.14: Teachers” opinions about proportion of game attracfion 42

Table 4.15: Teachers’ opinions about proportion of game help in teaching grammar 42 Table 4.16: Teachers’ opinions about proportion of frequency use in class 42

Table 4.17: Teachers” opinions about proportion of time use in cÌass 43

Table 4.18: Teachers’ opinions about game problerms «+ ss<s+ssxz 44 Table 4.19: Teachers’ opinions about game problem solutions - «+ 44 Table 4.20: Teachers” opinions about øgames used -s - 5s xxx £sszxex2 45 Tale 4.217 Pre-teat’S Sore analysis , 00cs.essistsiseskscasaastorsentsantendacaeebsccecesoeestoe 47 Table 4.22: Post-test’s score analysis .ccccsesesesesesessssssescssessscstscssscscscssssesseenseenes 48 Table 4.23: Paired satniples correlations scsssssiscsssigsssscsssaseciesasseisoesdeseseesevesciaiteoniinse 51 Table 4.24: Experimental students’ opinions bout proportion of grammar interest 53

Table 4.25: Experimental students’ opinions about proportion of game interest Table 4.26: Experimental students’ opinions about proportion of frequency use in

23

LIST OF CHARTS

CHẾN.d.1 LH G01111811RÙDH1 Ö0Í GB seeaiesaisoasblosagvD00230012x5sesasvSSAsudisssavedkbsfutusa 49 Chart 4.2; Class 10.7ˆs score distribution co 2616161 165413146426s66 49 Chart 4.3: The class 10.14”s score distributiOn . -« «+ << + +sseseeseexe 50 Chart 4.4: The comparison Of gratnitniar SCOtGS iicsicsscsceccccversiesecssanssesactscescscttereseveess 50 Chart 4.5: The comparison of bad scores between two ørOUpS - ‹ «<-‹- 52 Chart 4.6: The comparison of good scores between tw øTOUpS - - -‹- 52

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background ofthe Problem

High school students would easily feel bored with grammar lessons because they are in the habit of learning by heart its rules, most of which they have gotten passively through the teacher's explanations and quickly forget some days later In learning a foreign language, however, grammar plays an important role It is one of the elements that link the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing all together In order

to communicate well in a foreign language, students should understand and should know how to use it accurately As a result, many techniques, including teaching with games have been employed in schools In order to help the students to see language classes, especially grammar lessons more interesting, and to achieve more from games,

a research has been carried out to find the answer to the question, "Would teachers and students at high schools like teaching and learning English grammar through games?" Most of the teachers at high schools have used games in their classes to warm up

before new lessons, to make fun or to relax Therefore, they do not make full use of

games which can be used to teach different aspects of English, such as language skills, vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation, effectively Moreover, new textbooks, set by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) from 2008, are designed to focus on four skills and language focus which contains grammar lessons In addition, since English is not learners’ mother tongue and is not used every day, they appear being lacking in motivation without which English lessons are considered endless during forty-five- minute periods Although they realise the importance of grammar in learning English, they tend to be too lazy to prepare their lessons, do homework, or even speak in English, they study it passively just for marks and examinations, they forget almost all of what they have just learnt some days before The reasons for this

are that they first find the teacher's method, Grammar-Translation method, with which grammar points are presented deductively, boring Second, students usually get new grammar rules from their teachers during classroom lessons in just a short time, only three periods a week Therefore, they have little time to practise those points at class Some of them might even master those rules but are not able to use them in real situations Third, students do not want to take risks in applying what they have learnt inside and outside their class As an English teacher, I usually wonder if there are any ways for students to enjoy English, especially grammar lessons, and how to motivate them to learn as well as to use grammar lessons in the best ways, since motivation is

“one of the key factors determining success in foreign or second language learning” (Dornyei & Csizer, 1998) Moreover, “Students said that they liked the relaxed atmosphere, the competitiveness and the motivation that games brought to the classroom.” (Nguyen & Khuat, 2003)

How to solve this problem: how to keep in their mind what they have learnt during as well as after classes and how to motivate them in studying and using English grammar actively and self-consciously Nguyen and Khuat (2003) were also on their way to find the answer for their question, they has stated that

In recent years, communicative language teaching (CLT) has been applied in Vietnam and from our own experience it has shown its effectiveness in teaching and learning language CLT is an approach that helps students be more active

in real life situations through the means of individual, pair and group work activities It encourages students to practice the language they learn in meaningful ways

And in their solution, they mentioned that in a CLT classroom, playing vocabulary games is one of the activities which require students to actively communicate with their classmates, using their own language Grammar also needs to be taught

communicatively in a more pleasant ways While many English centers including VUS (Vietnam USA Society English centers), ILA centers (International Language Academy), have been making full use of games in teaching this language successfully, how do high school students and teachers, especially at remote regions, think about using games in grammar lessons?

Last but not least, many researchers have been investigating the use of games in language classes such as

Huynh Chi Xuan Huyen , 2007 in “The use of Language games to teach English grammar to non-majored students at An Giang University” (AGU) exploited the reality of using language grammar to teach English grammar to non-majored (NEM) students at An Giang University, and he found that most teachers and students had positive attitudes towards language as well as language games They also acknowledge the usefulness of grammar games to their teaching and learning

In ‘Using games to promote girls' positive attitudes toward technology’ Richard Van Eck and his colleagues at the AIM Lab at the University of Memphis designed a two- semester curriculum to test the concept of using video games in the classroom They encouraged their students to play and design their own games during these semesters They learnt that Students' problem-solving efforts in both game play and game design during this study

‘Using games to improve memorization of words meaning in the teaching of speaking

to DMI First-year students of HCMC University of Industry’ written by Huynh Thanh Nhut in 2007 Through a quick question, word tests and an interview, he tried to persuade the effectiveness of communication games in class and investigate the extent

to which games could help DMI First-year students of HCMC University of Industry to

memorize word meaning better The result of the study showed that communication games were really effective in helping to solve the problem of word meaning memorization of DMI First-year students of HCMC University of Industry After learning new words with games in class, their memorization of word meaning became better as they could identify more meaning of the challenging new words in the test

Nguyen Vu Thuy Tien in ‘The use of games in teaching vocabulary’ attempted to search the effectiveness of games in teaching vocabulary, students’ involvement in games as well as the possibility of game using to the variety of learners A quasi- experiment was implemented in two classes of English minor at Huflit University After the eight week quasi-experiment, the pretest and post-test scores were compared

to prove the effectiveness of using games in teaching Besides, the questionnaire and interviews were also carried out to teachers and students of different Universities and language centers The data collection and analysis from the questionnaire and interviews were the answers for students’ involvement and possibility of game using to the large variety of learners These results indicated that the students who learnt vocabulary through games gained better scores and that the learners were interested in learning through games

All of the above investigators just paid attention to using games in universities whose time is not so limited and curriculum is not as heavy as that of high schools In fact, high school students must study twelve subjects at the same period of time, and too much in a teaching period of forty-five minutes while the students at the university can choose the number of subjects they will follow in a semester, and each of their lessons

is not restricted in only forty-five minutes

1.2 Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is (1) to research the teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards the use of games in teaching grammar at some high schools in the remote regions, and (2) to give suggestions so as to motivate high school teachers to apply games to teaching English grammar effectively

2 What are their responses to grammar game application?

1.4 Significance of the study

As an English teacher, I would like to do this research first for myself to improve my teaching grammar with the use of games Second, it is also helpful to other high school teachers in the remote region who want to bring fun and effect to English grammar classes The students, especially the students at the distant high schools, will be motivated and interested when learning grammar; the teachers can improve the students’ chance, memory and use of English grammar points Grammar games help them to create the cooperation and competition in the classroom as well as close relationships among the students and the teachers Finally, the study may provide the teachers at some high schools in the distant areas with an additional technique in teaching English

1.6 The study background

The study was carried out at a public high school named Dong Thanh which is 17 kilometers far from Can Giuoc town and located in the far-off rural area of Long An province The school was built and separated from a secondary school in 2009 with 18 classrooms equipped with blackboards, lights, electric fans, without projectors There are from 42 to 48 students in a classroom which is 6 meters wide and 8 meters long The students in this school come from the farmer families most of whom are very poor and often busy with their work outside To them, it is the teachers’ duty to educate their children, who must study a lot at school with many subjects including Mathematics, Literature, Biology, History, Geography, Chemistry, Physics, English, Civics, Technology, Information Technology and Physical Education They have no chance to practice English with foreigners during their school- years The number of English teachers is seven, aged from 23 to 40 Most of them are young, enthusiastic and responsible English is one of the major subjects that students are obligatory to learn with the Standard English textbook set by The Ministry of Education and Training within three forty-five-minute periods a week and 37 weeks a school year During the time, students are asked to learn and practice four skills as listening, speaking, reading and writing, grammar and pronunciation However, they must take the national high

school graduation examination which consists of grammar points, pronunciation and reading, no listening and speaking Consequently, teachers and students teach and learn English for exams, which is too boring

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

In chapter 2, the literature on the central issues associated with using games in English pedagogy is reviewed in order to set up a theoretical framework for the current study The first part of this chapter examines the areas which relate to the research questions

in terms of grammar and its role in language teaching and learning This section also brings out the approaches in grammar teaching The second part revises the relevant concepts of language games (the definition of ‘game’, game categorization and their advantages in language teaching), studies and articles deal with classroom games; using games in teaching English grammar dealing the relevant research, and finally games used in teaching grammar at high school

2.1 Grammar

2.1.1 The theory of grammar

There are different points of view on the theory of grammar According to Ur, (1996)

‘Grammar is defined as ‘the way words are put together to make correct sentences’ (p75) Particularly, ‘Grammar is a set of rules that define how words (or parts of words) are combined or changed to form acceptable units of meaning within a language’ (p.87) In Thornbury’s view point, ‘ a grammar is a description of the rules that govern how a language’s sentences are formed.’ (1999, p1) Larsen-Freeman, (2001) considered that the term “grammar” has multiple meanings It is used to refer both to language users’ subconscious internal system and to linguists’ attempts explicitly to codify — or describe — that system (p.34) Traditionally, grammar was divided into 2 aspects: descriptive grammar which describes how a language is actually spoken and/or written and prescriptive grammar which states rules for what is considered the best or most correct usage Many traditional grammars are of this kind

Descriptive grammar ‘was a systematic way of approaching the study of linguistic facts’ and prescriptive grammar ‘came to be seen as a means to lay down and maintain linguistic excellence’ (Garner, n.d.)

Then Grammar is split up into two types: formal and functional grammar ‘Formal grammar is a grammar that is formal studies language from the point of view of rules it is these rules that become the focus of teaching and learning.’ (Love, 2003, p1) Larsen-Freeman, (2001) insists ‘Formal grammars take as their starting point the form

or structure of language, with little or no attention given to meaning (semantics) or context and language use (pragmatics).’(p 34) When we study grammar, indeed, we master not only its form, but also its meaning and use, which formal grammars give

little or no attention Conversely, a functional grammar is not concerned with rules, but

with the nature of meaning, and how meaning is constructed in language It seeks to explain why the linguistic form is more appropriate than another in satisfying a particular communicative purpose in a particular context In this respect, Love, (2003) indicates that the functional approach tries to identify the way language is used in different social contexts in order to satisfy human needs and goals

2.1.2 The role of grammar in language teaching

The place of grammar in the teaching of foreign languages causes disputes Some researchers think it is unnecessary because one’s learns his or her mother tongue without studying grammar Others confirm its significance in language learning In fact, Ur, (1988) asserted that ‘There is no doubt that a knowledge — implicit or explicit

— of grammatical rules is essential for the mastery of a language.’ (p4) Grammar has played an important role to teachers who teach English with Grammar- translation method since knowing a language means knowing its grammar Most of them took grammar as the starting point for instructions Grammar-Translation courses followed a grammar syllabus and lessons typically began with an explicit statement of rule,

followed by exercises involving translation into and out of the mother tongue Even today when communicative approach is preferred, grammar still helps, for ‘it is taught consistently as a means to improving mastery of the language, not as an end in itself.” (Ur, 1996, p 77-78)

2.1.3 Approaches to grammar teaching

Grammar can be introduced in a number of approaches based on the methods the

teacher applies

2.1.3.1 Deductive and inductive approaches

Grammar can be taught inductively or deductively (Thornbury, 1999) Deductive approach, with which learners are taught rules and given specific information about a language, then apply these rules when they use the language, may be found in the Grammar-Translation Method When students study grammar in this way, it is important for them to learn about the form of the target language Deductive application of an explicit grammar rule is a useful pedagogical technique On the contrary, when the purpose of language learning is communication, learners should learn to think in the target language with the Direct Method and communicative approach with which grammar is taught inductively (learners are presented with examples and they figure out the rule or generalization from the examples) An explicit grammar rule may never be given

Grammar can be introduced in a number of ways, or we can show students grammar evidence and ask them to work out for themselves how the language is constructed We will also want to provide opportunities for students to practice different grammar points, and we may want to use games to make such practice more engaging (p.210)

For instance, teaching Present Perfect and Past Tense

The present perfect

The present perfect relates past time to present time It has three main uses

1 To express unfinished past

Example: I’ve lived here for five years

2 To express an experience that happened some time in your life

Example: I have been to Australia

3 To express the present importance of a past event

Example: I have lost my credit card

The simple past

The simple past refers to the definite time in the past

Example: I saw her yesterday morning

In deductive teaching, the teacher may show students a picture of a pair of old and new shoes, and ask questions to elicit the answers from students

How did the shoes look a few minutes ago?

Expected answer: They were very dirty

How are they now? — They are clean Why is that?

Expected answer: He has just cleaned them

The teacher gives the students many more sentences, elicits the different between Past Simple and Present Perfect from the students

2.1.3.2 Situational approach

Grammar is sometimes taught through situations With the situational approach, a three-phase sequence, known as the PPP cycle, was often employed: Presentation, Practice and Production In the first stage, the new grammar structure is presented, often by means of a conversation or short text, and the teacher explains the new structure and checks students’ comprehension of it Students practise using the new structure in a controlled context, in the second stage, through drills or substitution exercises Students; in the third stage, practise using the new structure in different contexts, often using their own content or information, in order to develop fluency with new pattern ( for example, when teaching articles, in the first stage the teacher introduces a short text titled ‘The Rules of the Games’)

The Rules oƒ the Game Chess is a game for two players Each player begins with a set of sixteen white or black pieces Some chess sets are plain, but some are very unusual The players take turns moving their pieces on a board with 64 squares Each type of piece moves in a different way The Queen is the most powerful piece, but the King is the most important The primary goal in chess is to checkmate your opponent’s King The game

is over when a King cannot avoid capture

The teacher has the students underline the nouns with articles, explains how and when

to use the articles, then checks the students’ comprehension by giving some sentences

in which articles are used In the second stage, the teacher has the students practise using the articles in a controlled context through drills:

1 In chess, pawns move one square at a time

2 Chess is interesting game

3 The white Queen begins on white square

Finally, the students practise using the articles in different contexts with their own information to enhance their fluency with these articles

2.1.3.3 Task-based approach

Task-based is one of many approaches to the teaching of English grammar With this approach, language learners are given a task to perform and only when the task has been completed, the teacher discusses the language that was used, making corrections and adjustments which the students’ performance of the task has shown to be undesirable There are three basic stages: the Pre-task, the Task cycle and the Language Focus In the Pre-task stage, the teacher explores the topic with the class and may highlight useful words and phrases, helping students to understand the task

instructions During the Task cycle stage, the students perform the task in pairs or small groups while the teacher monitors from a distance, and the students then plan how they will tell the rest of the class what they did and how it went In the end, the teacher sets some language-focused tasks, based on the texts students read or on the transcripts of the recordings they hear, then the teacher conducts practice activities as needed, based on the language analysis already on the board, or using examples from the text or transcript To illustrate this point on teaching past tenses, in the pre-task, the teacher has the class to match the broken sentences:

2 They were walking to the cinema last in the park

sentences above from the students In the end, the teacher gives language-focus tasks,

based on the sentences students write; then the teacher conducts practice activities,

such as tense using, sentences completion and multiple- choice

2.2 An overview about games

2.2.1 Game definitions from different points of view

Wright, Betteridge and Buckby (2006) defined the word ‘game’ as ‘an activity which

is entertaining and engaging, often challenging, and an activity in which the learners play and usually interact with others’ (p.1) Also, Rixon (1981) coded Gibbs’ definition of a game as ‘an activity carried out by cooperating or competing decision-

makers, seeking to achieve, within a set of rules, their objectives’ (p.3) Additionally,

Richards, Platt and Weber (1985) make a clearer definition that game in language teaching is ‘an organized activity that usually has the following properties: (a) a particular task or objective; (b) a set of rules; (c) competition between players; (d) communication between players by spoken or written language.’ (p 118)

2.2.2 Language game categorization

There are some different classifications of games from many writers Indeed, games can be used to teach different skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing and language focus: pronunciation and grammar Therefore, there are many kinds of games which are classified according to purpose such as ‘Games for language learning’ by Andrew Wright and his accompany who sorted games as Icebreakers and warmers, mainly speaking, mainly listening, mainly writing, mainly reading, mainly vocabulary and spelling, mainly grammar, and solo games, and typed basing on their characteristics as Rinvolucri (1984) who categorized games into four types namely competitive games

in which players or teams race to set the highest goal, especially, Whisper Circles,

Match and Catch the Riddle, Find the Differences, Bingo, Noughts and crosses,

Auction, Snakes and ladders, Find who, Grammar monopoly, collaborative sentence- making games, for example, Rub out and replace, Memorising structures, Awareness activities, mainly Animal habits, My view of you, Brain storming structures, From puzzle to punishment, Our lives, and grammar through drama, particularly The shout in the circle, Same and different, From word to story Hadfield (1999) explains two ways of classifying language games First, she divides language games into two types: linguistic games which focus on accuracy, such as supplying the correct antonym and communicative games which focus on successful exchange of information and ideas, such as two people identifying the differences between their two pictures being similar to one another but not exactly alike The second taxonomy that Hadfield uses to classify language games has many more categories As with the classification of games as linguistic games or communicative games, some games will contain elements of more than one type, such as sorting, ordering, or arranging games, information gap games, guessing games, search games, matching games,

labeling games, exchanging games, board games, and role play games

2.2.3 The advantages of games in language teaching

There are many strong points of games in language teaching and learning

In the view of Wright, et al (2006), people must work laboriously, continuously and for a long time to learn a language In this respect, they find games helpful for encouraging learners to maintain their interest and work, teachers to create contexts in which the language is useful and meaningful Games also provide learners with intense and meaningful practice of language because ‘The learners want to take part and in order to do so must understand what others are saying or have written, and they must speak or write in order to express their own point of view or give information’ (p.2) Lee (1995, p35) lists several main advantages when games are used in the

‘motivating and challenging’, ‘effort of learning’, ‘language practice in the various Skills’, ‘interact and communicate’, and ‘a meaningful context for language use’ Furthermore, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen & Khuat Thi Thu Nga (2003), who studied about the use of games in teaching vocabulary, wrote “Games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners interested These create the motivation for learners

of English to get involved and participate actively in the learning activities.” Also, according to Ersoz (2000) '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.’ Arif Saricoban and Esen Metin, authors of

"Songs, 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 continue to explain that grammar games help children not only gain knowledge but be able to apply and use that learning

Besides, Lewis, (1999) (as cited in 'Using Games in an EFL Class for Children’ by Yin Yong Mei and Jang Yu-jing Daejin University ELT Research Paper Fall, 2000) gave the reason why games should be used in class time as follows (1) games are fun and children like to play them Through games children experiment, discover, and interact with their environment; (2) games add variation to a lesson and increase motivation by providing a plausible incentive to use the target language For many children between four and twelve years old, especially the youngest, language learning will not be the key motivational factor Games can provide this stimulus; (3) the game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the children It brings the target language to life; (4) the game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant children;

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(5) through playing games, students can learn English the way children learn their mother tongue without being aware they are studying; thus without stress, they can learn a lot; (6) even shy students can participate positively

2.2.4 Studies on classroom games

Several researchers in the world have studied the use of games in learning and teaching language (Wright et al., 2006; Rixon, 1981; Eck, 2006, YU, 2005) All of them thought that games brought a more positive classroom atmosphere and a supportive spirit As teaching-learning strategies, games are fun and create a non-threatening learning environment that encourages interactions between students and teachers, enhances communication and team work, encourages active participation and enables students to demonstrate and apply previously or newly acquired language knowledge and skills

Lee (1995) mentioned six helpful advantages of using games in the classroom such as (1) welcome break from the usual routine of the language class; (2) motivation and challenging; (3) help of making and sustaining students’ effort of learning; (4) provision of language practice in the various skills; (5) encouragement of students’ interaction and communication; (6) creation of a meaningful context for language use

In the study ‘Fun games and activities for pronunciation and phonetics classes at University’ (1997), Makarova used vocabulary games including crosswords, hangman

or bingo for pronunciation practice, which was one of the greatest challenges in academic environment about teaching phonetics and pronunciation

In Vietnam the researchers throughout the country have also studied about the games in

were significantly better, and they are really interested in learning through games (Nguyen Vu Thuy Tien, 2006; Huynh Huu Hanh Nguyen, 2007)

Huynh Thanh Nhut (2007) demonstrated that communication games were really

effective in helping to solve the problem of word meaning memorization of DMI First- year students of HCMC University of Industry In his view, after learning new words with games in class, their memorization of word meaning became better as they could identify more meaning of the challenging new words in the test

2.3 Games in teaching grammar

2.3.1 Studies on teaching grammar through games

There are a number of experts who have been contributing to using games for grammar teaching, such as Rinvolucri (1984); Venon (2008), Saricoban and Metin (2000) In particular, Shu-jun YU (2005) reported that games provided with welcome communication-rich grammar practice activities, fun, a non-threatening learning environment, improvement and grammatical accuracy Students had positive attitudes towards the use of grammar games;

Huynh Chi Xuan Huyen(2007) confirmed that using grammar games in English classes makes teaching and learning English grammar fun and effective; Similarly, Nguyen Thi Bach Yen (2010) asserted the benefits of the use of games in grammar classes at

high school, such as the students’ interest and retention were stimulated, and their four

language skills, especially their listening and speaking, improved; and Nguyen Thi Cam(2010) concluded in her research that games helped students enjoy learning English grammar, promote interaction among students and improve their grammar

awareness;

In ‘Applying Board Games to teaching grammar practice at high school in Binh Duong province’, Luong Bich Hong (2009) pointed out the effectiveness of the application games in teaching grammar practice so as to overcome the potential difficulties facing teachers in dealing with grammar practice and some obstacles in grammar teaching, such as the stresses on cognitive in put of the Grammar-translation method and deductive application of rules, the out of date design of the text book, the class size, the

limit of time, etc

These previous researchers have contributed to easing grammar lessons for the variety

of ages and levels Additionally, they not only proved grammar games so helpful to language teaching and learning, but they also showed students’ positive attitudes towards the use of grammar games in classroom It is necessary to have a specific research about the attitudes of teachers and students in application of grammar games especially for high school students in the far-off rural areas in order to enhance those who have positive attitudes to use games in teaching grammar lessons, and at the same time to encourage those whose attitudes are negative to change their attitudes toward games and accept teaching English grammar through games as one of the helpful techniques in the classroom

2.3.2 Games used in teaching grammar at high school

2.3.2.1 Benefits of games in teaching and learning English grammar at high school High school teachers seldom use games to teach grammar for many reasons First, they think that games are for fun, thus they just employ games for warm-up or activities outside the classroom Second, it is a waste of time to play games because they have only forty-five minutes in each class Third, playing games in classroom makes a lot of noise and easily annoys their neighborhoods Conversely, many experienced textbook

and methodology manuals writers have argued that games are not just time-filling activities but have a great educational value Lee (1979) holds that most language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct forms Games also prove helpful in the classroom Accordingly, Jennrich (2007), Wright et al (2006) and Harmer (1988) emphasize the advantages of using games in class that they allow the students to practise and interiorise vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively due to their motivation of playing games outside desk work Plus, fun learning games ‘give learners the opportunity to experience the language in use in contexts that are meaningful and enjoyable, and to practise using them over and

over again This helps the learners to understand, remember and, later, to re-use the

language.’ (Wright et al., 2006, p120)

Shelley Vernon in Teaching Grammar with Fun Learning Games (an article for teachers) insists on how games help in teaching grammar:

The game can be a listening game to allow the students to repeatedly hear a new grammatical structure in use, or it can be a speaking game to allow practise of the grammar once it has been absorbed through listening beforehand There are degrees of difficulty with speaking games from basic

repetition in a fun context to more creative sentence creation for revision or

more advanced practise once the basics have been mastered

Additionally, Rinvolucri, (1984) had the opinion about the advantages of Grammar Games that games give students individual responsibility for what they think the grammar is about, teachers freedom of finding out what the students actually know without being the focus of their attention And Larsen-Freeman (2000) insisted that

Grammar is perhaps so serious and central in learning another language that all ways should be search for which will focus student energy on the task of

mastering and internalizing it One way of focusing this energy is through the release offered by games (p3)

According to HUI Li-jun and JIN Guo-cheng, interesting games are ‘invaluable’ to students who can have a break and at the same time are allowed to practise language skills Games motivate students highly because they are ‘amusing’ and ‘challenging’ Furthermore, they give learners ‘meaningful’ and ‘useful’ language in ‘real contexts’ Games also encourage learners a great deal to build team spirit in study

2.3.2.2 When and where to fit games into a teaching programme

Some teachers believe that games are for fun and entertainment Consequently, they use them only for warm-up activities in order to get students into the lesson at the beginning or to fill the free time at the end Instead, games can be employed in many activities and almost at every stage as confirmed Saricoban & Metin, (2000) ‘Games and problem-solving activities, which are task-based and have a purpose beyond the production of correct speech, are the examples of the most preferable communicative activities.’ Then they said that games are generally used after the presentation, in the practice part, because such communicative tasks can only be handled after mastering sufficient grammar and lexical points Besides, games are designed to get students to practise a grammar point within a context

Also, according to Larsen-Freeman, (2000) if games are properly designed, they give students valuable communicative practice and enjoyableness Rinvolucri, (1984) who had the own view about where the games fit into a teaching programme, stated that games should be used diagnostically before presenting a given structure area to find out how much knowledge of the area is already disjointedly present in the group, after a

grammar presentation to see how much the group have grasped, and as revision of a grammar area In addition, Rixon (1981) confirmed ‘three main stages’ for learners to master a new language — such as, presentation of the new language item, controlled practice and communicative practice where games can be used effectively

Not all games are suitable for all students; especially, for high school ones because of the language course, the subject matter, their complexity and the time Hence they should be adapted to suit or acceptable to the high school students’ needs

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

of games in teaching grammar at high school

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the research design and method of investigation To do this, it first describes the research site, next gives an account of the sampling selection, then justifies the types of data needed to answer the research questions, and finally sketch the analytical framework employed to analyse the data after their collection Specifically, the design of the questionnaires to collect data is closely based on the conceptual framework shaped in the previous chapter

In order to achieve the research goal, we focused on the perception and attitudes of our students and teachers as well as what they gain through their learning and teaching English with grammar games The plan involved conducting different kinds of games

in our lessons so that we could see how students react to this method of learning grammar

3.1 Hypotheses

The researcher supposed that when learning students’ and teachers’ attitudes at Dong Thanh High School towards the use of games in grammar learning and teaching, she thought she could encourage her colleagues to accept teaching English grammar through games as a helpful technique in the classroom, raise the students’ interest in studying grammar, change their attitudes to grammar lessons as well as games, and help them make progress in this subject Upon on that supposal, the researcher suggested the design for the study

3.2 Study design

For over four months many games were applied in a class of 43 students aged 15 or 16

at Dong Thanh High School, Long An province to learn from learners' reactions

whether they liked games or not and if games could help improve their grammar Another way to gather data was from survey questionnaires which were designed for

754 students of different levels and 7 English teachers at Dong Thanh High School to research their attitudes towards studying and teaching grammar through games, problems and progress in their process of learning grammar

3.2.1 Population

The population involved in this research consisted of teachers and students who had difficulties in learning and teaching English grammar in Dong Thanh High School in the distant country In particular, two tenth-form classes in each of which there were

43 students aged 15 or 16 took part in the quasi-experiment These students also filled

in the questionnaire before and after the experiment Besides, 754 students who were from different classes in grade ten, eleven and twelve, from 15 to 19 years old, and seven English teachers in the same school completed the questionnaires

3.2.2 Instruments

3.2.2.1 Quasi-experimental research

Quasi-experimental research is ‘concerned with studying the effects of specified and controlled treatments given to subjects usually formed into groups’ (Seliger, 1995:149) The quasi-experiment in this research was conducted to measure the effects of the use

of grammar games in teaching and learning English at high schools The participants were chosen randomly from the fourteen tenth-grade classes in Dong Thanh High School during the academic year of 2010-2011

Although class 10.7 as an experimental class was slightly worse than class 10.14, the

controlled one at first, the two classes shared the same characteristics

a Both of them were studying in grade ten, with the same number of students who were nearly the same age and have learnt English since the sixth form

b Most of them rather young, dynamic but not good at English

This method of data collection was chosen because of its visibility, convincible and conductibility For Seliger, (1995) insists it is ‘ more likely to have external validity’ ,

‘it is easier to gain access to subject populations and thus easier to conduct .’ (p149)

As two McDonough (1997) mentioned in their book about experiments, they said that

‘the feature’ of ‘external validity’ was ‘a prized attribute of good experimentation’

(p165)

In this quasi-experimental research, the pre-test mean and standard deviation of the two classes were found, calculated and compared to find out the similarity in the two classes At the same time, The T pre-test was calculated and the result was 3.131 to prove that the experimented class was worse than the controlled class before the experiment

In order to prepare for the experiment, for 16 weeks (4 weeks in the first semester from

the 6" to 31" of December, 2010, 12 weeks in the second semester from January 3" to

March 31%, 2011) during which one grammar lesson was taught every two weeks, one 40- minute grammar lesson (5 minutes for pronunciation) was taught each week (APPENDIX C), the experimented class learnt English grammar through games (Table 3.1), and the other one learnt grammar with traditional methods After 8 grammar lessons, a post-test was done by the students of the two classes Both pre-test and post- test were, as usual, designed five parts including Reading, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Grammar and Writing (APPENDIX E)

Because of and in spite of Match end Catch

Conditional sentence type 1 - Mabg on Catch

Conditional sentence type 2

It is/was not until that - Whisper Circles

14 Will vs going to Will: making predictions - Guessing Games 29

Table 3.1: Games applied for the grammar points

In this study, the researcher chose many games used as a additional teaching activities for grammar points during eight weeks (Table 3.1) Those games are introduced by the

researchers who has gathered a great deal of information from teachers in many different countries concerning their experience of using games with their students, and

by the teachers who have been making full use of games in their English grammar teaching

Game 1: Bingo

Level: Beginners to Advanced; Age: Children to adult; Time: 10 minutes

This kind of game is used to teach many grammar points, such as tenses, determiners, parts of speech (Wright et al, 2006), tenses, irregular verbs, opposite-adjective (Woodward, 1997), article, superlative, relative clause, phrasal verbs (Hadfield, 2003), prepositions, conjunctions (Jones, 1995), any language (Rixon, 1981)

This game is used to facilitate introductions First of all, the teacher copies a card with nine or sixteen phrases which consist of students’ description for each player Next, Players circulate to find group members who match descriptions in the bingo squares When a match is found, the player writes the name of the individual in the square Different names must be used in each square When a player has filled a row with names, she/he yells “Bingo”

‘Bingo-type games can solve some of the problems presented by large classes’ (Rixon,

1981, p54)

Game 2: Using Signals (Present perfect)

Level: Intermediate to Advanced; Age: 9 to adult; Time: 10 minutes

This game is used to practise the present perfect (Woodward, 1997) The teacher divide the class into groups of 3 or 4, write a list of signal words on the board Example: