INTRODUCTION
Research questions
- What are the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards using language games to teach vocabulary?
- To what extent have language games been used in teaching and learning vocabulary?
- What are the problems faced by the teachers and students when teaching and learning vocabulary through language games?
Scope of the study
The research has been conducted in a primary school in Hanoi The research aims at investigating attitudes of teachers and students towards using language games The researcher would like to discover how vocabulary games are applied to teach and learn new words in the English learning classes and difficulties faced by the teachers and students The study has been conducted with the participation of 106 fifth-grade students of Van Con Primary School in Hanoi.
Methods of the study
This study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods Data collections for analysis originate from the teachers and the students at the primary school by instruments:
It is hoped that the findings of the study will be useful to the teachers of English as well as provides the teachers with the benefits of using language games in teaching language, especially teaching vocabulary It will help the teachers to realize their students‟ attitudes towards using language games to improve vocabulary The study also suggests the ways of using games in lessons
The study is divided into five chapters:
Chapter 1 – “Introduction” provides the rationale for the study, aim and objectives of the study, scope, methodology and structure of the study
Chapter 2 “Literature review” provides overview of theoretical background of attitude, vocabulary, brief views of language games and benefits of using language games in teaching and learning vocabulary
Chapter 3 “Methodology” describes an overview on setting, textbook, instruments used in the survey In addition, the details of teachers and students at the primary school are supplied
Chapter 4 “Data Analysis and Discussion” is related to collecting the data from Van Con Primary School in Hanoi and analyzing the data to find out the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards using language games in teaching vocabulary to primary learners In addition, the data is collected in order to find out game sources preferred by the teachers, and some difficulties faced by the teachers and students as well as suggestions for choice of suitable games to teach vocabulary
Chapter 5 – Conclusion – sums up what has been studied, provides some recommendations for the teachers and students and points out the limitations of the thesis, and suggestion for further studies.
Structure of the study
This chapter is to aim at providing a theoretical background to the study The review of the issues related to the study is included: definitions, role of the attitudes in language learning In addition, an overview of language games, including their definitions, role in language learning, as well as vocabulary with their definitions, role in language learning will be mentioned clearly
2.1 Attitudes in teaching and learning foreign language 2.1.1 Definition of attitude
In general, attitude can be understood as people‟s responses to a certain thing In fact, there are many researchers have different definitions of attitude from various aspects Specially, they distinguish language attitude from general attitudes that language attitudes are precisely about language (Faso, 1984: 148) It can be understood that the language attitude refers to people towards language
According to Rayan and Giles (1982), language is “any affective, cognitive and behavioral index of evaluation reactions towards different language varieties or their speakers” So, attitude is the way to feel, think and behave to different languages in a certain situation
Similar to the above-said opinions, Gardner (1985) also states that “an individual‟s attitude is an evaluation reaction to some referent or attitude object on the basics of the individual‟s beliefs or options about the referent”
It leads that people‟s belief or perception can cause favorable or unfavorable attitude to an object
On the basis of Gardner‟s argument, Wenden (1991) scrubs general definition of the attitude He classifies attitude into three components: behavioral, cognitive and affective The behavioral aspect of attitude
LITERATURE REVIEW
Attitudes in teaching and learning foreign language
In general, attitude can be understood as people‟s responses to a certain thing In fact, there are many researchers have different definitions of attitude from various aspects Specially, they distinguish language attitude from general attitudes that language attitudes are precisely about language (Faso, 1984: 148) It can be understood that the language attitude refers to people towards language
According to Rayan and Giles (1982), language is “any affective, cognitive and behavioral index of evaluation reactions towards different language varieties or their speakers” So, attitude is the way to feel, think and behave to different languages in a certain situation
Similar to the above-said opinions, Gardner (1985) also states that “an individual‟s attitude is an evaluation reaction to some referent or attitude object on the basics of the individual‟s beliefs or options about the referent”
It leads that people‟s belief or perception can cause favorable or unfavorable attitude to an object
On the basis of Gardner‟s argument, Wenden (1991) scrubs general definition of the attitude He classifies attitude into three components: behavioral, cognitive and affective The behavioral aspect of attitude mentions the way one person behaves in a certain situation The cognitive component is shown in beliefs, ideas, and opinions about the attitude The affective component indicates the feeling of “like” or “dislike” the objects or surrounding contexts These components are relevant and they always appear whenever a person has an attitude
In addition, Baker (1992: 10) defines attitude as “a hypothetical construct used to explain the direction and persistence of human behavior”
So, from the point of view, attitude is the way which human people act and behave in the specific situation to the object
In summary, from the above-said definitions indicated that, attitude can be seen as emotion affecting the behaviors of human beings All people‟s reaction and responses to certain things depend on attitude to this language
Hence, attitude is an important factor in learning second language
2.1.2 The role of attitudes in language learning
In consideration of the role of attitude in learning language, a lot of studies have indicated that there is a reciprocal relationship among teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes Attitudes towards a specific language might be either positive or negative In fact, that both positive and negative attitude decides success or failure in learning language
It is said that those have positive attitude towards the target language might obtain higher proficiency in language learning As stated by Gardner and Lambert (1972) in the study, positive attitude toward a language can strengthen students‟ proficiency
Besides, Karahan (2007: 84) states that “positive language attitudes let learners have positive orientation towards learning English” He believes that the students get more active in the processing of learning when they have
Games in teaching and learning language
From the above-said views, attitude is regarded as one of the most essential factors influencing on the students‟ achievement in language learning It is obvious that language learners get many benefits when they own positive attitudes Hence, it is crucial to explore students‟ attitudes towards the target language to enhance their positive attitudes and reduce their negative ones
2.2 Language games in teaching and learning language
In general, games are forms of fun; they are physical activities or mental activities or mixture both of them According to Ludwig Wittgenstein‟s game term, it refers to the linguistic practices around the use of words, pragmatics that determine the meaning of the particular word in the particular situation Actually, games are a great way to learn all sorts of things about English These games are for English language learners, or native speakers who are addicted to word games Further, according to Rixon
(1974), “a game consists of play governed by rules” And Gibb (1974) said “a game is an activity carried out by cooperating or competing decision markers, seeking to achieve, within a set of rules, their objectives”
Therefore, there are different definitions of games, but its normal target is to create funny activities in order to motivate learners in learning vocabulary effectively
Games used in English classes are regarded as one type of games entitled language games According to Hadfield‟s viewpoint (1996), language games as activities with rules, a goal and an element of fun Based on the above-said definition, games help teachers generate language learning activities Learning language is a hard job, and learning new words becomes more and more difficult Students must master its meaning, pronounce and know how to use them Of course, learning language will take a long time
Language games can help students feel interested, motivate to learn naturally
In addition, language games allow the teachers to create the contexts in which words are meaningful, students can remember new words for a long time and save time in learning
Language games are considered as task based according to Lewis
(1999, p.5), language game is a tool to help students achieve their language goals To participate in a language game, the teachers must provide a set of rules that guide students to understand their actions ad strategies
Also, according to Richard-Amato (1996), even though games are often associated with fun, we should not lose sight of their pedagogical values, particularly in second language teaching Games are effective because they provide motivation, lower students‟ stress, and give them the opportunity for real communication
Furthermore, language games maybe carried out by a group, a pair of learners, and of course they are competitive Students‟ task is obtaining prize, goal to beat other groups According to Greenal (1984), language games are regarded as “activity which is used to consolidate language already taught or acquired and occurs during the free stage of lesson or during occasions such as English club meeting
In short, language games can be used any stage of lesson to present new words or check old words in order to help student remember and retain vocabulary better and longer Language games are physical, mental or used both, and participants are groups or individuals or pairs and game rules must clear a certain goal Besides, word games enable learners to pronounce clearly and correctly that help others understand them and follow
Language learning can be a hard task and sometimes it can be stressing
Continuous effort is required to properly understand, pronounce and manipulate a new language Therefore, games are considered as very relaxing and effective tools for teaching and learning a language because they create motivation, lower stress for students, and provide the opportunity for real communication to learners
According to Hadfield (1999), language games are used into 2 categories - linguistic and communicative games He stated that linguistic games emphasis on accuracy, for instance, it provides the right synonyms and antonyms In contrast, communicative games presume successful interchange of information and ideas Actually, games have an excessive academic value and it can be used in the classroom to make learners use the language in place of thinking about learning the right forms Games encourage learners to work together, be creative, cooperative and impulsive in using the language in a significant way Students want to participate in activities to play games and are normally relatively competitive
Language games have many more categories in viewpoint of Hadfield
(1999) As with the classification of games as linguistic games or communicative games, some games will contain elements of more than one type:
Sorting, ordering, or arranging games
For example, students have a set of cards with different products on them, and they sort the cards into products found at a grocery store and products found at a department store
In such games, one or more people have information that other people need to complete a task For instance, one person might have a drawing and their partner needs to create a similar drawing by listening to the information given by the person with the drawing Information gap games can involve a one-way information gap, such as the drawing game just described, or a two- way information gap, in which each person has unique information
These are a variation on information gap games One of the best-known examples of a guessing game is 20 questions, in which one person thinks of a famous person, place, or thing The other participants can ask 20 Yes/No questions to find clues in order to guess who or what the person is thinking of
As the name implies, participants need to find a match for a word, picture, or card For example, students place 30-word cards, composed of 15 pairs, face down in random order Each person turns over two cards at a time, with the goal of turning over a matching pair, by using their memory
These are a form of matching, in that participants match labels and pictures
The terms role play, drama, and simulation are sometimes used interchangeably but can be differentiated (Kodotchigova, 2002) Role play can involve students playing roles that they do not play in real life, such as doctor, while simulations can involve students performing roles that they already play in real life or might be likely to play, such as customer at a restaurant Dramas are normally scripted performances, whereas in role plays and simulations, students come up with their own words, although preparation is often useful
In summary, the researcher has just provided some types of games to help the teachers design suitable games for each lesson as well as basis for the researcher to study the next steps
2.2.3 Benefits in using language games to teach vocabulary
Vocabulary in teaching and learning language
Vocabulary was defined as “the words we teach in the foreign language.” It was recognized as “a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word: for example, post office and mother-in-law, which was made up of two or three words but express a single idea” in the view of Ur
(1996:60) In addition, the viewpoint of Pyles and Algeo (1970: 96) is that
“vocabulary is the focus of language with its sound and meaning, which interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds” It is referred that the vocabulary is very important in the process of learning languages in general and especially in learning foreign languages in particular
Moreover, in the view of Morgan and Rinvolucri (1986), “A word is a basic unit of a language denoting concepts, things and phenomena in the society”
In summary, there are different ways of defining vocabulary, each of them presents definition of vocabulary in their understanding, but there is a same point that vocabulary items more than single words Therefore, vocabulary consists of a bigger aspect of language and it is a medium for language learners to express their ideas It is considered that vocabulary is as a means for people to communicate Without words, we are very difficult to transform information
The researcher has provided some definitions of vocabulary in order to prove that vocabulary is interested by the linguistic writers in the world, and is also affirmed to play an important role in learning language That is an urgent topic interested by the researcher in the study process
2.3.2 The role of vocabulary in language learning
According to David Wilkins (1972), “Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” As above said, vocabulary can be regarded as the most important part of a language, to communicate successfully, we need to have vocabulary firstly, maybe we do not use grammar structure fluently, but based on new words provided, audience can still understand what we have said Similarly, McCarthy (1990: viii) emphasizes that: “No matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wider range of meanings, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way” This is why teaching and learning vocabulary can serve the communicative purposes
Clearly, the rich vocabulary helps learners communicate better They have many words to express their ideas and understand others‟ thought The rich vocabulary also promotes four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing
This explains why learning vocabulary is really important Learning vocabulary not only understands its meaning but also understand its forms and usage If someone has sufficient vocabulary, she/he will feel more confident in communicating with others as well as expressing her/his ideas in both oral and written forms Learners know a lot of new words, and know how to use them; they will success in the process of communication
Folse (2004) defined that “the lack of grammar knowledge can limit conversion; lack of vocabulary knowledge can stop conversation”
Undeniably, vocabulary is the essential component of a language, teaching and learning vocabulary should be seriously taken in account when teaching English Therefore, it is necessary to take vocabulary teaching activities as integrated parts of teaching language skills, and as the basis to develop learners‟ language skills
It can be seen that the role of vocabulary in language learning is very important and it is confirmed by linguists in the above definitions This is also the basis for the researcher to carry out the next research steps
2.3.3 How to choose language games to teach effectively
Mei and Yu-jing (2000) affirmed that games are fun and it is important that children like them Through vocabulary games, children experiment, discover, and interact with their environment Through playing games, students can learn English as children learn their mother tongue without being aware they are studying In other words, using games is to help students speak English naturally; thus, without stress, they can learn much even shy students can participate positively Also, they point how to choose a suitable game:
A game must be more than just a fun
A game should involve “friendly” competition
A game should keep all of the students involved and interested
A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself
A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language material
It is possible students wish to play games purely for fun Teachers, however, need more convincing reasons
Teachers should consider which games to use, when to use them, how to link them up with the syllabus, text book or programmed, and how, more specifically, different games will benefit students in different ways The key to a successful language game is that the rules are clear, the ultimate goal is well defined and the game must be fun
In summary, language games are good and useful tools in language teaching and learning that English teachers should use to motivate their students in learning process, especially teaching vocabulary However, to make the advantage of language games‟ benefits, teachers should understand the characteristics of each type of games, and choose suitable ones in order to bring the best effectiveness to their students
In this section, the researcher has provided the ways to choose games to teach vocabulary effectively, namely the ways are given by Mei and Yu-jing
(2000) that helps the researcher design questionnaires for the teachers and students properly
In brief, in this chapter the researcher has reviewed some definitions of vocabulary and its importance in teaching and learning language in general and teaching and learning vocabulary in particular In addition, the issue of games is a great concern The researcher has dealt with some definitions of games, its classification, its benefits brought in the process of use and ways to choose a good game Consequently, the researcher has an overview of game and vocabulary, and can design the appropriate questionnaire in this study
Understanding these things will lead to better analysis in the next chapter.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Context of the study
The textbook Tiếng Anh 5 (English 5) is the third of the three-level textbook series for Vietnamese primary school pupils It is written by Hoàng Văn Vân (General Editor), Phan Hà (Editor), Đỗ Thị Ngọc Hiền, Đào Ngọc Lộc, Trương Thị Ngọc Minh with the collaboration of Ken Wilson (an researcher of MacMillan Education) (2020a, 2020b) The textbook follows the curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education and Training [MoET]
(2018) includes 20 units and 6 reviews Each unit has a common structure of
3 Lessons/Unit and the knowledge consists of 4 parts: Competences, Sentence patterns, Vocabulary and Phonics At each Lesson, students are trained in Listening - Speaking - Reading - Writing skills
The subjects of the study are the students of three classes and the teachers in the primary school The total population is 106 fifth-grade students and aged from eleven to twelve and 5 English teachers at Van Con Primary School The students participating in the study have been learning English for more than two years and the English teachers aged from 25 to 45 have been teaching for many years
The participants for the study are the 106 fifth-grade students from three classes 5A, 5B, and 5C at Van Con Primary School in Hoai Duc There are about 33-36 students in each class They consist of 64 males and 402 females aged from eleven to twelve All these students have been learning English for more two years since they were in grade 5 Most of them have got familiar with English teaching and learning methods at elementary level
They do not know the best way to learn English, especially vocabulary They find it difficult to memorize new words During vocabulary learning activities, it is the teachers who have to talk much and the students are passive to acquire
All the teachers participated are female, they are teaching from 3 rd grade to 5 th -grade students and chosen as informants of the study All these teachers aged from 25 to 40 have been teaching for at least three years Two teachers graduated from the English faculty, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University and the other were trained at the English Department, Hanoi University and Thai Nguyen University They are dynamic and willing to donate their time and energy to English teaching in general and vocabulary teaching in particular They are interested in applying language games in teaching new words.
Data collection instruments and procedures
In order to get in-depth and rich data for investigating the attitudes of teachers and students towards the effective use of teaching vocabulary through games, the study used two methods for data collection: survey questionnaires and interview The survey consists of two questionnaires, one is for the teachers and another is for the students In this minor thesis, the survey questionnaire is the main research instrument used to collect quantitative and qualitative data According to Babbie‟s opinion (1973), the survey is a non-experimental, descriptive research method Surveys can be helpful when a researcher wants to collect data on phenomena that cannot be directly observed Besides, the interview is employed to support the results obtained from the questionnaires
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions for the purpose of gathering information from respondents
Questionnaires can be thought of as a kind of written interview They can be carried out face to face, by telephone, computer or post In addition, A social survey is a method of gathering information about a specified group of people (a „population‟) by asking them questions…A social survey, therefore, can be defined as a technique for gathering statistical information about the attributes, attitudes or actions of a population by administering standardized questions to some or all of its members (Buckingham & Saunders, 2004, pp
The main instrument for collecting data in the study is the questionnaire “Questionnaires are any written instruments that present respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to react either by writing out their answers or selecting from among existing answers” is stated by Brown (2001: 6) Survey questionnaires are always considered one of the most frequently used and effective methods for studying This is reason why the researcher would like to use this method as the main one in my thesis The survey questionnaire is mainly to collect information from the subjects of this research Moreover, it is easy and simple to summarize and report the collected data while the researcher does not spend much time on it
Based on the types of language games as well as the advantages of using language games and Vu Ngoc Long‟s questionnaires (2014), the researcher has designed a survey questionnaire for the teachers on their attitudes when using language games to teach vocabulary The survey questionnaire for the teachers, including ten questions, was delivered to all the five teachers at Van Con Primary School at the ending of December 2019
The survey was divided into three parts The first three questions focus on finding the teachers‟ attitudes towards teaching vocabulary through games
The second four questions aim at investigating the extent of game sources used by teachers to teach vocabulary The two questions are to investigate teachers‟ problems when applying language games in vocabulary teaching
The last question is to collect the suggestions made by the teachers for a better exploitation of games in vocabulary teaching All the teachers are asked to complete the questionnaire and return them in two days They are free to ask for clarification when they are in need The questionnaire consists of both open-ended questions and closed-ended questions, so the informants could provide their answers in a free manner
Same as in designing the teachers‟ questionnaire, based on the types of language games as well as the advantages of using language games and Vu Ngoc Long‟s questionnaires (2014), the researcher has designed a survey questionnaire for the students on their attitudes when using language games to learn vocabulary The students‟ questionnaire, consisting of ten questions, was delivered to the 106 fifth-grade students at the same time of the teacher questionnaire Similarly, the survey for the students covered three parts: The first five questions investigate the students‟ attitudes towards using games in the process of learning vocabulary The second part from question six to question seven is to find out the extent to which language games have been used to in learning vocabulary The final part from question eight to ten aims at to explore the challenges faced by the students when using games to learn vocabulary To ensure that all students understand the questions fully and clearly, the questionnaires were written in Vietnamese All of the delivered questions were handed back to the researcher after two days
Interviews can be defined as a qualitative research technique which involves “conducting intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to explore their perspectives on a particular idea, program or situation.” (Boyce, C & Neale, P., 2006)
There are three different formats of interviews: structured, semi- structured and unstructured
Structured interviews consist of a series of pre-determined questions that all interviewees answer in the same order Data analysis usually tends to be more straightforward because researcher can compare and contrast different answers given to the same questions
Unstructured interviews are usually the least reliable from research viewpoint, because no questions are prepared prior to the interview and data collection is conducted in an informal manner Unstructured interviews can be associated with a high level of bias and comparison of answers given by different respondents tends to be difficult due to the differences in formulation of questions
Semi-structured interviews contain the components of both, structured and unstructured interviews In semi-structured interviews, interviewer prepares a set of same questions to be answered by all interviewees At the same time, additional questions might be asked during interviews to clarify and/or further expand certain issues
From the definitions and characteristics of the two above-said instruments, the researcher has designed the survey questionnaires and interviews in a proper manner for both the teachers and students to get the most reliable data
In this research, apart from the survey questions, the interview is also applied to get more insightful information to supplement the result of the teachers and questionnaires or to interpret responses to questionnaires
Moreover, through the interview, the researcher has the opportunity to ask further information and depth-in understanding of the teachers‟ attitudes as well as experiences in teaching vocabulary via games The interview includes five questions designed by the researcher, based on Nguyen Thi Thoan‟s questionnaire (2014) (open-ended and yes/no questions), conducted by five teachers individually at their class-off, therefore, the researcher can get all the teachers‟ answers without interruption or interval
The data collected from the survey were read through to obtain the overall results They are will categorized and analyzed The results will be shown in tables and charts In each table and chart, there is followed by analysis and discussion The results from the interviews are also exhibited in words The findings from the study will be summed up at the end of this chapter
The data collection includes three stages:
Stage 1: The questionnaires are carefully designed The questionnaires for the students are both in Vietnamese and English but questionnaires for the teachers only in English
Stage 2: The questionnaires were delivered to the students The instruction has been supplied clearly and easily understood to the respondents
The researcher was sure that all the questionnaires had been conveniently completed Besides, after having completed the questionnaires to the teachers, the researcher conducted informal interviews with them
Stage 3: All the data from the questionnaires were collected, encoded in tables and charts to analyzed and compared to have answers to the research questions.
Summary 24
This chapter presents the research methodology as well as the procedure of data collection and analysis to find out the answers to the research questions The chapter gives a full description of methodology to carry out the study As said above, the study takes advantage of questionnaire and teacher interview as the main research instruments because they are extremely suitable for aims of the study The participants of the study are 106 students of three classes and five teachers The characteristics of the participants in the study are fully described in order to help readers understand the present context where the study is conducted In the next chapter, findings of the research and some discussions of the finding will be provided.
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Teachers’ attitudes towards the use of language games in
4.1.1 Teachers’ attitudes towards the use of language games in teaching vocabulary
The first three questions for the survey questionnaire are designed to investigate the teachers‟ attitudes towards the use of language games in teaching vocabulary In this part, the researcher will present the data of each question as follows:
As can be seen from Figure 1, all the teachers at Van Con Primary School said that they often used language games in teaching vocabulary This means that language games are considered one of the very popular types in teaching English classes in Van Con Primary School, and preferred by them
It is hopeful that the application of language will bring interest and effectiveness to their students
Teachers’ use of language games to teach vocabulary
Figure 1: Data collected from the question 1 From the Figure 2 can be seen that, when being asked how interested they are in the application of language games, 100% of the teachers recognized the interest and advantages in the use of games to teach new words The majority of the teachers (60%) said that they were very interested in using games to teach vocabulary in lessons While up to 40% of the teachers felt rather interested In contrast, no of them felt that the use of language games is not useful and interested That reveals that more and more teachers are interested in this method which is regarded as extremely effective in learning new words
Teachers’ interest in using language games to teach vocabulary
Figure 2: Data collected from question 2
As can be seen, Figure 3 shows the teachers‟ evaluation on the role of language games in teaching vocabulary 60% of the teachers thought language games in teaching English were very useful The remaining teachers said that language games were useful Otherwise, none of them thought that language was not useful at all From this result showing value of language games brought benefit to the teachers as well as learners not small at all
Teachers’ evaluation of language games in general
Figure 3: Data collected from question 3
4.1.2 The extent which language games have been used in teaching vocabulary
In this part, there are four questions supplied to investigate the extent which language games are used by the teachers in teaching vocabulary All the data collected from the question will be presented as follows:
Figure 4 shows the teachers‟ frequency of using games to teach vocabulary As can be seen, 80% of the teachers always use language games to teach vocabulary Clearly, the majority of the teachers make thorough teachers sometimes use language games in classroom to reinforce knowledge or motivate the students In contrast, no of the teachers (0%) never uses games in lessons They thought that the employment of the games has brought much benefit to practice as well as reinforce students‟ knowledge
Teachers’ frequency of language games in teaching vocabulary
Figure 4: Data collected from question 4 Table 1 describes the teachers‟ ways of using language games to teach new words and their use frequency of these ways to teach vocabulary In this question, most of the teachers thought that the application of language games is mainly used as cues or prompts to reinforce students‟ knowledge In contrast, half of the teachers sometimes used the language games to present new words This fact reveals that word games have not been really made use of its potentials to support their students in vocabulary learning Actually, few teachers still often perceive games as mere time-fillers
Table 1: Data collected from question 5
Teachers’ ways of using language games to teach vocabulary and its frequency of use
2 help students practice and reinforce new words
Figure 5 presents the teachers‟ responses As can be seen in the figure below, more than half of the teachers (60%) agreed that language games are popular Some of these teachers said there are many different sources to seek for and easy to get a suitable game to teach vocabulary in contexts
Otherwise, other teachers (40%) thought they met difficulty in finding out sources of suitable games in spite of diversity of games Thus, some maybe find language games available whereas, others do not
Figure 5: Data collected from question 6
Table 2: Data collected from question 7
Sources to get games by teachers
Options No of informants Percentage
Table 2 indicates the teachers‟ sources of getting language games to teach vocabulary As can be seen, 100% of the teachers preferred to gather language games from the Internet and textbooks It is possible that language games from these two sources are available, diversified, as well as easy to exploit as well as use in class Besides, 40% of the teachers also know how to exploit from others; they may get from other materials or their own colleagues In contrast, only 20% of the teachers get them from books in the libraries It is probable books from the libraries are not regularly updated, not suitable with the current situation, so they are not preferable
4.1.3 Challenges faced by teachers when using language games to teach vocabulary
The two following questions of the survey questionnaires are supplied to gather the teachers‟ responses to the reasons why they apply language games in teaching vocabulary and some problems they have been facing The below is the detailed data analysis:
Any problem encountered by teachers when using language games in the processing of teaching vocabulary
Figure 6: Data collected from question 7 When being asked “Have you encountered any problems when using language games in the processing of teaching vocabulary?”, the majority of the teachers (80%) admitted they have met some certain problems This is not a surprising response because the employment of language games is actually complicated and consumed much time that requires the teachers to have suitable adjustment and real own experience, efforts as well While 20% of the teachers did not have any obstacles in using games to teach new words
This shows the application of language games in lessons is considered to be very interesting However, some obstacles are existed to the objective extent
Table 3: Data collected from question 8 Challenges faced by teachers in using language games to teach vocabulary
Options No of informants Percentage
Difficulty in finding out suitable games 4 80%
Time-waste when using them 5 100%
As shown in Table 3, there are some possible difficulties when using language games to teach vocabulary In fact, some teachers‟ challenges barrier them from using language games as desired Outstandingly, 100% of the teachers said that using language games was consumed much time
Perhaps, the main reason is that vocabulary lessons are separated and they have to teach vocabulary together with other skills such as listening, reading and grammar They cannot invest much time in teaching vocabulary through language games although they may prepare them carefully While 80% of the teachers affirmed that they have met difficulty in class management and time- waste to prepare It is likely that due to variety of games, it is not easy to choose a suitable game to teach vocabulary in classroom context Besides, they have also faced up to class management in vocabulary teaching Of course, games resulting in noise are understandable, so class management becomes hard for the teachers Only 20% of the teachers are difficult to prepare Possibly, the availability of language games in textbooks as well as in the Internet helps the teachers easy to get them
4.1.4 The suggestions provided by the teachers for using language games in effective manner in teaching vocabulary
This final question provided by the researcher is to get the teachers‟ suggestions for using language games effectively in teaching vocabulary
Some teachers suggest that games be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen At different stages of the lesson, the teacher‟s aims connected with a game may vary:
- Provide a good model making its meaning clear;
- Controlled practice: elicit good imitation of new language and appropriate responses;
- Communicative practice: give students a chance to use the language
- Teachers should prepare the language games carefully before each lesson
- The language games should be clear that each student can understand and follow
- Teachers should spend more time to easily make their own creative language games which may attract students‟ interest more
- Teachers should vary language games in teaching vocabulary instead of using some types of games repeatedly because students will feel bored when playing the same types
- Teachers should encourage their student to work in groups or individuals, especially for students who are less confident in front of crowd
- Teacher should share their colleague to find out the best suitable language games for their students
Discussion
The survey conducted shows that both of the teachers and students at Van Con Primary School have positive attitudes towards using language games to teach and learn vocabulary In general, the fifth-grade students at this school all feel really interested in learning new words through language games In addition, the results show that having fun and creative activities, are highly valued Most of the students said that games are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings Also, the teachers at Van Con Van Con Primary School are aware of the role of language games in teaching vocabulary and language games are currently considered to be their most effective and favorite tool in vocabulary teaching
Besides, the survey shows that the teachers at Van Con Primary School also want to use innovative educational games in the classroom that can increase enthusiasm and motivation for the students It is also a positive, interactive alternative method of teaching and information sharing They always would like to find new in each game to increase students‟ involvement, motivation, and interest For the students, the investigation shows (question 5) that in the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better However, the most of the students want their teachers to present new words on the board, explain its meanings and how to read and use these words This points out that the teachers‟ exploitation of language games in teaching vocabulary is still rather limited As mentioned previously, the teachers mainly apply language games to present new words during their vocabulary learning, whereas they rarely use language games to reinforce new words Therefore, this result seems suitable with the students‟ survey result
In responses of the questions regarding the possible problems faced by both the teachers and students while teaching and learning new words through language games It is summarized that although there are plenteous advantages brought to the teachers as well as the students, some challenges are faced by users when using language games For the teachers, they met a lot of problems as finding suitable games in classroom context, time-waste when using them, difficulty in class management as well To be honest, one of the factors influencing the choice of a game is its length and the time, necessary for its completion, so whenever a game is to be conducted, the number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings are factors that should be taken into account to make the most effective use of games For the students, they felt difficult to understand when using games or they found the application of games confusing and classroom noisy So, the teachers should be very careful about choosing games as well as explain games clearly before asking the students to participate in if they want to make them profitable for the learning process
Apart from the above findings, the researcher realizes the reason why both the teachers and the students are very fond of using language games in lessons For the teachers, it is undeniable that the language games help the teachers teach vocabulary more effectively and make the vocabulary lesson more exciting and interesting Moreover, language games create the motivation for the learners of English to get involved and participate actively in the learning activities For the students, generally games bring in relaxation and fun for them, thus help them learn as well as retain new words more easily Also, vocabulary games bring real world context into the classroom, and enhance students‟ use of English in a flexible, communicative way More remarkably, the researcher also detects some possible factors that prevent the students‟ interest from learning vocabulary (see details in Table 5) By discovering factors influencing the students‟ interest in learning vocabulary through language games, the researcher also strongly provides some further suggestions for her study results, also helps the teachers be aware of their students‟ opinions about the use of language games in vocabulary learning
Moreover, the teachers face certain challenges when teaching vocabulary through language games As a result, they will adjust and try to minimize the obstacles as well as make the best advantages of language games in the process of use
In conclusion, it is showed that both teachers and students have positive attitudes towards using language games in teaching and learning vocabulary
At least 60% of the teachers often use language games to teach new words and they agree that using games in teaching vocabulary is more effective
They think that games can supply word learning with meaningful contexts, so they consider them as extremely effective in teaching new words Moreover, a large number of students like to participate vocabulary games Many of them share that they are willing to join the world games offered by their teachers
These positive ideas towards using games in learning new words makes it practical to use language games to promote vocabulary learning.
Summary
In learning a foreign language, vocabulary plays an important role
Although many methods are introduced and applied to the students, and the employment of language games is also an effective way, they cannot be successful if the teacher does not explain the tasks and roles of students clearly in playing games The main purpose of this study is to find out the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards teaching vocabulary through language games as well as some difficulties faced by the teachers and students The researcher thinks this study is how to develop language for the primary school students, namely for the fifth-grade students with the use of language games in lessons In fact, the survey questionnaires for both the teachers and the students, and the informal interviews only for the teachers show rather positive attitudes towards the use of language games in teaching and learning English in general and teaching and learning vocabulary in particular Additionally, the investigation helped the researcher find out the preferable sources which the teachers often employ with language games
Through the questionnaires, the researcher also discovered the de-motivation from the students‟ interest as well as challenges faced by the teachers Since then, the researcher provided the effective ways of using language games to teach vocabulary for the primary students
It is hopeful the problems will be recovered if the teachers improve by themselves, consults solutions as well as suggestions provided in the study
Also, it is desired that these positive attitudes about the use of language games will be a motivation as a basis to enhance the use of vocabulary games more effectively in the future.
CONCLUSION
Recapitulation
In learning a foreign language, vocabulary plays an important role
Although many methods are introduced and applied to the students, and the employment of language games is also an effective way, they cannot be successful if the teacher does not explain the tasks and roles of students clearly in playing games The main purpose of this study is to find out the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards teaching vocabulary through language games as well as some difficulties faced by the teachers and students The researcher thinks this study is how to develop language for the primary school students, namely for the fifth-grade students with the use of language games in lessons In fact, the survey questionnaires for both the teachers and the students, and the informal interviews only for the teachers show rather positive attitudes towards the use of language games in teaching and learning English in general and teaching and learning vocabulary in particular Additionally, the investigation helped the researcher find out the preferable sources which the teachers often employ with language games
Through the questionnaires, the researcher also discovered the de-motivation from the students‟ interest as well as challenges faced by the teachers Since then, the researcher provided the effective ways of using language games to teach vocabulary for the primary students
It is hopeful the problems will be recovered if the teachers improve by themselves, consults solutions as well as suggestions provided in the study
Also, it is desired that these positive attitudes about the use of language games will be a motivation as a basis to enhance the use of vocabulary games more effectively in the future.
Concluding remarks
It is not undeniable that the use of language games is very important in motivating students to learn vocabulary since they are amusing and at the same time challenging Furthermore, they also encourage and increase cooperation, help to motivate learners, promote communicative competence, and generate fluency in vocabulary learning process However, according to the survey results for the fifth-grade students at Van Con Primary School, the use of language games is actually exploited in vocabulary learning, but they are really not made the maximum advantage of its potentials So, it is recommended that the teachers should diversify and change different types of games when employing them, also enhance the frequency of the more use of word games in lessons, apply suitable approach to each group of students, depending on contexts as well
Moreover, thanks to the data collected from the survey questionnaires and informal interview, both the teachers and the students are found to meet some certain obstacles For the teachers, difficulty in preparing games, class management as well as time waste on using language games in lessons seems to be the most outstanding problems To save time on preparing language games, the teachers should know how to use the selective and suitable games understandably and simply The best way is to collect the game sources from textbooks, from real objects, internet or even from their colleague‟s sharing
In addition, to use language games effectively without much time waste in lessons, the teachers had better try to prepare carefully in advance and teaching time is scheduled in class It is much better that the teachers must practice the chosen games many times at home before going to class with their techniques and experiences To find out suitable games, it is advisable to classify games and aim to use them in each context, then they collect from different source However, these recommendations are for reference only to address teachers‟ immediate difficulties when employing language games with their own efforts It would be better if it is coordinated between the school boarding and the teachers in financial support to help the teachers have more training programs in strengthening the more effective use of language games For the students, some students are still de-motivated from the use of vocabulary games, sometimes they feel confused, even lack of confidence to participate in the games provided by the teachers Probably, this is due to no various types of games or unsuitable ones applied In order to recover the problems, the teachers should remain improving their language games to be more attractive, creative, motivating and flexible in different types of games
Clearly, the funny and relaxed atmosphere created by language games will motivate students‟ learning Most of the learners expressed their wish to learn vocabulary effectively in more interesting ways than the traditional ones that they knew Hence, the teachers should keep in mind in the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better
5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further studies
Although this study provides remarkable findings, it cannot avoid some limitations These limitations still exist due to the researcher‟s lack of study experience
First of all, the researcher‟s practical experience in using language games to teach vocabulary is limited So, the recommendations provided by the researcher are subjectively possible and they are only for reference
Secondly, the study is in a small scope, only conducted in 106 students and 5 teachers at Van Con Primary School Therefore, the conclusion on attitudes towards using language to teach vocabulary will not be generalized
Moreover, the instruments used to collect data are the survey questionnaires and informal interview, it would be better if the observation is applied in this study So, reliability is not really high
In spite of some unavoidable limitations, the researcher, to a certain scope, satisfied the research questions mentioned in the thesis Hopefully, the research would be an interesting source of information for the teachers at Van Con Primary School towards using language games to teaching and learning vocabulary It is desired that the limitations will be dealt in further studies such as on applying language games in grammar teaching and speaking skill teaching
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APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE TEACHERS
This survey questionnaire is designed to aim at obtaining necessary data for the study “Teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards using language games to teach vocabulary: a study at a primary school in Hanoi.” Your assistance in completing the survey will be great distribution and highly appreciated in my thesis All information provided will be kept secret and is only used for my thesis purpose
Thank you in advance for your sincere cooperation
Survey conductor: Hoang Thi Nga, Teacher of English in Hoai Duc
Please tick (√) to fill in the information where appropriate
- How long have you been teaching English? years
1 Do you use language games in teaching games to teach vocabulary? a Yes b No
2 How do you feel when using games for the fifth-grade students? a Very interested b Interested c Neutral d Uninterested
3 What do you think of using language games in teaching vocabulary? a Very useful b Useful c Not useful at all
4 How often do you apply language games to teach vocabulary? a Always b Sometimes c Never
5 How often you used games to:
2 Help students reinforce new words
6 Are games commonly available? a Yes b No
7 Where do you get them from?
8 Have you encountered any problems when using language games in the processing of teaching vocabulary? a Yes b No
9 If yes, what barriers you from using games? (You can choose more than one option) a Difficulty to prepare b Time-consuming to prepare c Difficulty in class management d Difficulties in find out suitable games e Other (please specify)………
10 What suggestions do you provide to use games more effectively in teaching vocabulary?
APPENDIX 2 PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA HỌC SINH
Tên tôi là Hoàng Thị Nga, giáo viên tiếng Anh Hiện tôi đang thực hiện đề tài nghiên cứu về thái độ của giáo viên và học sinh đối với việc sử dụng trò chơi để dạy và học từ vựng tại Trường tiểu học, Hà Nội Bảng câu hỏi điều tra này nhằm mục đích thu thập và ghi nhận ý kiến của các em về một số vấn đề lên quan đến đề tài Rất mong nhận được sự hợp tác nhiệt tình từ các em Xin chân thành cảm ơn
Em hãy vui lòng cho biết ý kiến của mình bằng cách đánh dấu (√) vào ô em cho là thích hợp, hoặc viết câu trả lời vào phần để trống
Em là học sinh lớp: ……….Tuổi: ……… Giới tính: Nam
Em đã học tiếng Anh được bao lâu rồi? năm
1 Em nghĩ gì về vai trò của việc học từ vựng trong dạy ngôn ngữ? a Rất quan trọng c Không quan trọng lắm b Khá quan trọng d Không quan trọng chút nào
2 Em cảm thấy như thế nào khi học từ vựng thông qua trò chơi của giáo viên trên lớp?
3 Em nghĩ việc sử dụng trò chơi để học từ vựng hữu ích như thế nào?
Rất hữu ích Hữu ích Không hữu ích chút nào
4 Em thấy học từ vựng thông qua trò chơi có học dễ dàng hơn và nhanh hơn không?
5 Em có đồng ý rằng thông qua trò chơi giúp em học từ vựng hiệu quả hơn không? a Hoàn toàn đồng ý c Không đồng ý b Đồng ý d Không ý kiến
6 Em đánh giá như thế nào về tần suất sử dụng trò chơi để dạy từ vựng của giáo viên trên lớp?
7 Theo em đâu là cách học từ mới tốt nhất trong các lựa chọn dưới đây? a chơi trò chơi có sự hướng dẫn của thầy cô b Thầy/ cô viết từ mới lên bảng, giải thích nghĩa, và hướng dẫn Em cách đọc và cách dùng những từ đó c Em tự chuẩn bị từ mới và tự học ở nhà
8 Lý do nào khiến em cảm thấy hứng thú với việc học từ vựng bằng các các trò chơi?)
Lý do Hoàn toàn đồng ý Đồng ý
