USING GAMES IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS

1 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY DANG THI PHUONG THAO USING GAMES IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 60 14 01 11 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: Assoc.Prof.Dr.Ngo Dinh Phuong Nghe An, 2017 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hearby acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true and have not published elsewhere Author Dang Thi Phuong Thao ii ABSTRACT The study attempted to examine effects of using games in teaching vocabulary for primary schools students It aims to find out students’s difficulties in learning this comprehensive skill, their expectations of teacher’s methodology as well as their attitude towards using games Both qualitative and quantitative research methodology were utilized in this study The data was collected through the proficiency pretest and posttest, questionnaires, interviews The participants of the research include eighty six students, forty two females and forty four males at Vinh Univerity Pedagogical Practice School in Nghe An Province were selected and assigned into two groups Learning is one of the primary activities of students in the classroom Successful learning is only on the right way to lead the process Good learning atmosphere and method can guide the students to learn more meaningful To accomplish such conditions, teachers must create various and attractive methods for the class.What should a teacher if their students get bored? Using varitype games can be an alternative solution to handle this problem Games, as a matter of fact, can help and encourage many students to sustain their interest and work By this paper, the writer wants to share experiences about “how effective games to teach English vocabulary” One of the best ways of doing this is through games Games can help the teachers to create contexts in which the language is useful and meaningful In the whole process of teaching and learning by games, the students can take part widely and open-mindedly To win the games each student or group should competitively answer the questions addressed by the teacher or other students or groups In order to so they must understand what the teacher or others are iii saying or have written, and they must speak or write in order to express their own point of view or give information The English instruction in elementary school is intended to endorse the mastery and development of the four basic abilities and skills The need to use various instructional media will be able to help students to increase their English vocabulary Teaching vocabulary is clearly more than just presenting new words It also includes a decision that words should teach the basic of how frequently they are used by speaker of the language The words are most commonly used are those a teacher should teach first But commonly and usually the way of teaching makes the students lazy and bored The teacher needs something different to make students interested, because mostly students are very easy to get bored Therefore, teacher needs something interesting which can make motivate them It is based on the characteristics and attitude of the children that they are curious and often seek something that the teacher notices them and shows appreciation for what they are doing So, to motivate them teacher needs something new that can stimulate their curiosity With the current analysis on communication in teaching language, using games appears to hold a solution for many teachers The communication activities somehow involves in a varied use of language It had been found in many schools that teachers use games activities as their teachingaid The students really appreciate any kind of activities which provide excitement and fun It will be easy to understand and practice English The writer chooses games as the simple illustrated media to facilitate students’ method of learning, as we know children learn while playing games It is easy to be understood and comprehended by students However, learning English vocabulary using games has an important role for elementary teachers and students The first, as students, they have strong and good motivation to deepen English language The second, they are easy to accept the iv English language because they learn by playing game The third, teaching English vocabulary using games can help teacher in teaching learning process Finally, they (teacher and students) can teach and learn English vocabulary using games v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Above of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my beloved supervisor Associate Pro.Dr Ngo Dinh Phuong for his invaluable support, patient guidance and encouragement he gave me and my research I also wish to send my sincere thanks to the students of the classes I taught in order to experiment amd gather information for my survey questionaire and interview Without their enthusiastic contribution, this study could not have been successful I am indebted to my friends, my classamates, as well as my colleagues for their invaluable comments and criticism and also for their continued interest and encouragement Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my family members who are always beside me, creating favorable conditions and supporting me both spiritually and materially to complete this thesis vi TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study 4 Research Questions Significance of the study Organization of the study .5 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .6 I Introduction II Literature review .6 III Theoretical Background Vocabulary .9 3.1 Definition of vocabulary 10 3.2 Types of vocabulary 11 3.2.1 Listening Vocabulary .11 3.2.2 Speaking Vocabulary .11 3.2.3 Reading Vocabulary 11 3.2.4 Writing Vocabulary 12 3.2.5 Receptive vocabulary 12 3.2.6 Productive vocabulary .13 3.2.7 Active vocabulary 13 vii 3.2.8 Passive vocabulary 13 3.3 The importance of vocabulary 13 3.4 Games to teach vocabulary in primary schools 15 3.4.1 Games 15 3.4.2 The effects of using games on English vocabulary learning 15 3.5 Psychology features of primary students 17 3.5.1 Social and emotional development 17 3.5.2 Intellectual development: 18 3.6 How to teach vocabulary in games to primary students: 19 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .22 Introduction 22 Research methods 22 Participants 23 Research Instruments 23 4.1 Vocabulary pretest: .24 4.2 Interviews 24 4.3 Questionnaires 25 4.4 Vocabulary Posttest 26 4.6 Lesson Plans .27 Data Analysis 27 Data Collection Procedures 27 Summary .28 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .29 Introduction 29 Student’s interest in learning English ( Question 1, Appendix) 29 Teachers’ and students’ opinion toward the role of English vocabulary: 30 viii Students’ and teachers’ difficulties in learning and teaching vocabulary .31 4.1 Students’ difficulties to memorize the new words in a lesson (Question 3, question 4, appendix 1) .31 4.2 Teachers’ opinion on the difficulties their students can face while learning vocabulary (Question 6, appendix 2) 32 4.3 Teachers’ difficulties when teaching vocabulary for primary students (Question 5, appendix 2) 33 4.4 The teachers’ and students’ opinion on currently used techniques in learning vocabulary (Question 6, appendix and question 3, appendix 2) 34 Tips are applied to help learning English vocabulary 35 5.1 The ways students often apply in memorizing words 35 5.2 The tips teachers use to help their students memorizing new words in class .37 The comparision of efficiency between games and other techniques in teaching vocabulary 38 Effects of games on student’s vocabulary .39 7.1 Effects on vocabulary test results .40 7.2 Effects on students’s motivation 45 8.Some suggested games in teaching English vocabulary in primary schools in Nghe An .46 8.1 Crossword 46 8.2 Word order 48 8.3 English quiz 48 8.4 Word search 51 8.5 Guess the word 52 8.6 Call My Bluff / Two Truths and A Lie 53 8.7 Erase a Word .53 8.8 Hangman 54 70 71 72 73 74 75 Appendix 3: Vocabulary posttest 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 Appendix 4: Application Unit 8: Mealtime (First Friends 2) I Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will able to know some actions, the sounds of some words and how to communicate II Language contents: a Vocabulary: cheese , chicken , fish , juice , potato , rice , salad , soup b Structures: I have got………… She has got……… He has got………… III Teaching aids: Cassette player, book, pictures IV Procedures: Contents Teacher’s activities Students’ activities I/ Warm up: ( 5’) - Greeting - Greeting - Greeting - play a game “ slap the - Have students play a game - Listen the rule boad” “ Slap the board” - Play the game Teacher stick some vocabulary on the board: bed, wardrobe, pillow, blanket.2 groups will stand and listen Which group can touch the II/ Presentation: (28’) word quicker will be the + Baz , Tess, and winner their family - Show the picture in the + In the kitchen 83 1/ Listen and say: class book on page 46 on the + Getting their food board, ask students some + Chicken , soup , - New words: : questions about picture: salad , rice , fish ,juice cheese , chicken , fish , + Who is in the picture ? ,potatoes,cheese juice , potato , rice , +Where are they ? - Open the book salad , soup +What are they doing ? Yes + What kind of food can you - Look, listen and see ? repeat Have students open their book on page 46-47 In group food , is there any food good for health ? - Repeat Transcript : - Introduce some food by - Listen Listen and say using pictures - Have the class repeat: : Soup , salad , juice , cheese , chicken , fish , juice , - Listen and point cheese , fish, rice potato , rice , salad , soup ,potato, chicken - Call some students repeat - Play the recording for - Listen and repeat students to listen all the way through - Repeat - Play the rocording, pause after each word for students - Listen and point to 2/ Listen and find: to point to the pictures on the correct picture on Transcript : their books their book Listen and find - Replay, pause after each - Listen 84 word for students to repeat Cheese , chicken , fish , - Call some students repeat juice , potato , rice , salad , soup - Listen , find and - Say these words in random: point “Soup , salad , juice , cheese , III/ Home work: ( 2’) fish, rice ,potato, chicken ” - Guide students to point to the correct picture while listening - Review the words - Play the rocording, pause and repare the next after each word for students part to find the pictures on their books -Write in the - Ask students to review the words they have just learnt, repare the next part ( page 46-47) -Practice writing new words lines -Prepare for new lesson notebook ... his or her vocabulary 3.4 Games to teach vocabulary in primary schools 3.4.1 Games Teaching games are the ways which are used by teachers to present information to be learned The teaching resources... expectations of primary students in Nghe An province toward teaching English vocabulary Research methods The study aims at investigating the effects of games on studying vocabulary of primary students. .. ones will find studying very frustrating All the aforementioned reasons urge the author to carry out the study entitled “ Using games in teaching English vocabulary to primary school students? ??