Applying Games In Reviewing Vocabulary After Units In Tieng Anh 8 (Experimental Book).Pdf

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* LE THI PHUONG GIANG APPLYING GAMES IN REVIEWING VOCABULARY A[.]

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* LE THI PHUONG GIANG APPLYING GAMES IN REVIEWING VOCABULARY AFTER UNITS IN TIENG ANH (EXPERIMENTAL TEXTBOOK) ghi c u việc ng dụ g trị chơi để tập từ vựng sau vị học tro g sách Tiế g A h sách thí điểm)) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI – 2018 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* LE THI PHUONG GIANG APPLYING GAMES IN REVIEWING VOCABULARY AFTER UNITS IN TIENG ANH (EXPERIMENTAL TEXTBOOK) ghi c u việc ng dụ g trị chơi để tập từ vựng sau vị học tro g sách Tiế g A h sách thí điểm)) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Dr Tran Thanh Nhan HANOI – 2018 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, declare that this thesis is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at Viet Nam National University, Hanoi, University of languages and international studies, and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or tertiary institution Hanoi, 2018 Student Lê Thị Phương Giang i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Tran Thanh Nhan, PhD for her wholehearted assistance Without her advice, comments, and corrections, it would have been impossible for me to fulfill the thesis Besides, students at Hoan Son secondary school are people to whom I want to send my grateful thanks Last but not least, I am willing to show my deepest thanks to my family and friends who encouraged and supported me a lot ii ABSTRACT There is no doubt that vocabulary plays an essential role in helping students reach their competence in English Therefore, there have been numerous studies of applying different techniques in teaching and learning vocabulary In this study, the author considers with applying games in reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh (experimental book) The study aimed to investigate the effects of games in reviewing vocabulary It was conducted on the basis of both quantitative and qualitative, namely tests, and reflection Tests included tests Each test of 10 questions related to vocabulary in units Reflections were carried out with after tests The result of the study showed that students’ scores after applying games were higher Also, they were excited with games iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study The objectives of the study Research questions Scope of the study Design of the thesis PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary 1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary 1.1.2 The importance of vocabulary 1.1.3 Learning vocabulary 1.1.4 Teaching vocabulary 1.2 Games 1.2.1 Definition of games 1.2.2 Roles of games 11 1.2.3 Classification of games 12 1.2.4 How to use games in teaching vocabulary 14 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16 2.1 Restatement of the research questions 16 2.2 The setting of the study 16 2.3 Participants 16 2.4 Research types 17 iv 2.5 Implementation of the Action Research Study 17 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 27 3.1 Research question 1: How does the use of games help students review vocabulary? 27 3.1.1 Results from tests 27 3.1.2 Results from reflections 31 3.2 Research question 2: What games should be used to review vocabulary for 8th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school? 33 3.2.1 Results from tests 33 3.2.2 Results from reflections 35 PART C: CONCLUSION 37 Major findings of the study 37 Implications 38 2.1 Increasing the time for vocabulary 39 2.2 Frequency of using games 39 2.3 Giving instruction Error! Bookmark not defined 2.4 Using language games in a flexible and appropriate way Error! Bookmark not defined 2.5 Using variety of language games Error! Bookmark not defined 2.6 Using suitable kinds of games Error! Bookmark not defined Limitations of the study 40 Suggestions for further studies 41 REFERENCES 43 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: TESTS I APPENDIX 2: SCORES II APPENDIX 3: GAMES APPLIED IN THE PROCESS VI v LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 2.1 Sample of test 21 Table 2.2 The action plan 24 Table 3.1: Students’ rank through the mark framework 28 Table 3.2.: Average of test results 30 Table 3.3: Correlation between test and the other tests 30 Table 3.4.: Effects of applying games in reviewing vocabulary 31 Figure 2.1 The cycle of an action research………………………………….19 Figure 3.1: Students’ rank through the mark framework 29 Figure 3.2: Effects of applying games in reviewing vocabulary 32 Figure 3.3: The change in number of vocabulary 33 Figure 3.4: Kinds of games preferred 35 vi PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study Experimental textbooks in general and Tieng Anh in particular include 12 main units Each unit has seven sections which are Getting started, A closer look 1, A closer look 2, Communication, Skills 1, Skills 2, and Looking back & Project Each section lasts 45 minutes Reviewing vocabulary belongs to Looking back & Project lesson, which is then divided into Vocabulary, Grammar, Communication and Project Compared to the traditional textbook, the experimental book contains a large number of new words, which poses a major challenge for the eighth graders Besides, the level of difficulty of the words appears beyond the students’ ability, especially those in rural schools Therefore, vocabulary poses a real challenge for them Traditionally, tests and exams focus on grammar, so teachers mostly teach grammar Learning vocabulary is usually ignored However, when the experimental book is adopted, learners have to take the speaking and listening test It is obvious that without adequate vocabulary knowledge, students cannot speak and listen effectively Last but not least, after six sections in each unit, students have a chance to review words they learned in the seventh section Nevertheless, the tasks designed not interest students; therefore, they normally not complete these tasks As a result, their vocabulary pool cannot increase and they gradually become bored with learning new words in particular and English in general It is believed that applying games in reviewing vocabulary can be a feasible solution to arouse the learners’ interest and trigger their long-term memory The reasons mentioned above lead me to my choice of the research title: Applying games in reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh (experimental book) The objectives of the study This study is carried out in order to:  investigate the effects of games on helping th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school to review vocabulary after units  make recommendations and implications on how games might be exploited to make them more enjoyable and productive to the students Research questions The research is conducted to address the following questions: How does the use of games help students at Hoan Son secondary school review vocabulary? What games should be used to review vocabulary for 8th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school? Scope of the study The study focuses on using games to review vocabulary after each unit, which means that the students have learned the words in previous sections in the unit Therefore, the types of games to be used in this study may not be applied for introducing new vocabulary or learning vocabulary in general Besides, the study concentrates on the th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school, so the games to be designed need to be tailored to the contents of the lessons and the levels of the students The results of the study, therefore, might not be applicable to all the students in other grades Design of the thesis The study is divided into three parts: Part A – The Introduction presents the rationales for the study, the aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope of the study and the design of the study Part B – The Development consists of three chapters Chapter is the literature review which provides an overview of the theoretical background and the previous researches related to the study Chapter 2, the methodology restates the research questions and describes the setting, the participants, and the research methods of the study Chapter 3, data analysis and the findings are shown Part C – The Conclusion briefly summarizes the study, gives implications, limitations and makes some suggestions for further studies PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary 1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary Vocabulary is a term which is familiar to English teachers and students; however, not all of them know exactly what vocabulary is There are a large number of definitions about vocabulary Sometimes, linguists themselves are not certain when mentioning the concept According to Hiebert and Kamil (2005:96), “The word vocabulary itself can be confusing Sometimes educators talk about a “sight vocabulary” or a set of the most common words in English.” Nevertheless, they then stated that because of discussing word meanings, they would use the words “vocabulary” and “word meanings” synonymously When considering what it is meant by vocabulary, Schmitt (2000:1) assumed that “The first idea that probably springs to mind is words, a formulation that is admirably adequate for the layperson.” Clearly, in his opinion, vocabulary is not something sublime that is only perceived by experts or professors; in contrast, just an ordinary person with no special knowledge is able to understand words Ur (1996:60) also gave a definition about vocabulary which was quite short and understandable to people He said that we can describe approximately vocabulary as words taught in the foreign language According to Mehta (2009:1), “vocabulary can be defined as the words of a language, including single items and phrases or chunks of several words which convey a particular meaning, the way individual words do.” In other words, vocabulary consists of not only single words but also lexical phrases or chunks In summary, vocabulary can be expressed as all the words in a particular language These words can be known and used by a certain common person without unique understandings Moreover, vocabulary includes both single words and phrases 1.1.2 The importance of vocabulary Vocabulary is one of the most important components of language development Having a wide range of vocabulary helps students with reading comprehension, writing activities as well as speaking and listening ones Without sufficient vocabulary, students may feel confused and challenged when they want to express their thoughts and ideas Shastri (2010:97) stated that “Lack of vocabulary is a major handicap for the learners of English as a second language They fumble for words when they have to express an idea either in writing or in speech.” Obviously, when students not have enough vocabulary, they have difficulty in writing or speaking things in their mind in a foreign language although they can convey the things fluently and confidently in their native language Vocabulary can be considered a key point or a nuclear element in language learning That is, it is surrounded by the other language elements As a result, it will play an essential role in controlling them as Lewis (1993:89) confirmed that “lexis is the core or heart of language” Shastri (2010:97) went further to argue that the focal part of language learning is created by vocabulary When vocabulary is the core of language, the main task of second language acquisition, all language skills as listening, speaking, reading, and writing cannot go without vocabulary All language components like grammar and vocabulary are important But, it is far more difficult to communicate with no vocabulary than with no grammar Wilkins (1972:111) claimed that few things can be expressed without grammar; however, nothing can be expressed without vocabulary Obviously, it is impossible to produce a sentence if a person does not have the vocabulary that is required to communicate the things the person wishes to say Allen (1983:5) supposed that “Teachers have never doubted the value of learning vocabulary They know how communication stops when learners lack the necessary words They not believe that the teaching of vocabulary should be delayed until the grammar is mastered.” He also said that teachers must teach most of the vocabulary in English textbooks because without it, no one can speak or understand the language Vocabulary is the first and foremost important step in language acquisition Besides vocabulary, mastering grammatical structure is really good; nonetheless, native speakers also tend to accept grammatical errors It is necessary to have concentration on the appropriate vocabulary from the beginning Native English speakers can understand utterances with correct vocabulary but not so accurate in grammar rules rather than those with correct grammar rules but not so accurate in vocabulary use The acquisition of an adequate vocabulary is principal for successful second language learning because without an extensive vocabulary, we will not be able to use the grammatical rules we may have learned for comprehensible communication Clearly, the importance of vocabulary is undeniable Therefore, learners need to spend time and effort developing their vocabulary When their vocabulary bank increases, learners can use words effectively and then communicate successfully as Flanigan (2015:3) stated that “our ability to use vocabulary effectively is one of the primary means by which we communicate and connect with important people in our life.” 1.1.3 Learning vocabulary It is obvious that vocabulary is very important; however, learning vocabulary in reality is problematic, and the ways to learn vocabulary are not effective enough There are many different opinions about learning vocabulary Decarrio (2001: 285) stated that words should not be learnt separately or by memorization without understanding Clearly, when learning words, students should attach them to context so that they can acknowledge word meaning correctly According to Rohani and Pourgharib (2013:3540), most of the time, foreign language learners tend to forget or misuse new words The reason of this forgetting and misusing is because of many factors Some important ones are not being properly stored of words in student’s minds, their not being practiced enough and not being related to students own experiences and interests When mentioning factors affecting vocabulary learning, Singleton (2008, p.4-24) also listed some elements They are linguistic features of lexical items, the influence of first and other languages, the incremental nature of vocabulary acquisition, the role of memory in vocabulary learning and acquisition, the organization and development of L2 mental lexicon, the source of vocabulary (exposure to linguistic input), individual learner differences, the role of teacher and vocabulary teaching and strategies In a study, Thanh Huyen and Thu Nga (2003) stated that many learners of English thought of learning a list of new words with meanings in their native language without any real context practice They looked up words in a bilingual dictionary and even wrote down lines of new words without any idea of the real use of them in context.The authors also gave several factors which made students in general and Vietnamese students in particular become passive in learning vocabulary Firstly, the teacher’s explanation for meaning or definition, pronunciation, spelling and grammatical functions made students bored They only listened to their teacher when the teacher teaches vocabulary section Secondly, students considered that knowing a new word was to know its basic meaning Thirdly, the words during classroom lessons students learn were in textbooks or given by teachers Finally, Vietnamese students felt risky to apply what they were taught in different contexts Clearly, English learners have to learn a number of new words However, there are a number of factors making their learning vocabulary ineffective In order to learn and remember new words, learners should join different taskbased activities in their classroom Such activities also include vocabulary games which concentrate on supporting learners to develop and use words in different contexts by making the lessons interesting Hence, it is necessary to explore whether learners learn vocabulary effectively through games and how they learn it 1.1.4 Teaching vocabulary There are numerous techniques in teaching vocabulary According to Gairns and Redman (1986:74), there are three techniques used in the presentation of new vocabulary item The first one is visual techniques including mime, gestures, and visuals such as flashcards, photographs, blackboard drawings, wall charts, and regalia The second one is verbal techniques: (1) use of illustrative situation, (2) use of synonyms and definition(s), (3) contrasts and opposites, (4) scales, and (5) examples of the type The last one is translation It is considered a quick, easy, and effective way of conveying the meaning of vocabulary There are two main approaches to vocabulary teaching used in the United Arab Emirates: the grammar translation method and the audio – lingual method The first method focuses more on memorizing lists of vocabulary for translation tasks and for final assessments The main feature of this approach is that illustrate grammatical rules The other method is the audio – lingual approach, which focuses on attention to pronunciation and intensive oral drilling (OshaSaeed Al Neyadi, cited in Richards and Renandya, 2002) Haycraft suggests some things about teaching vocabulary One of them is teaching the vocabulary “in spoken form first” to prevent learners from pronouncing the words in the form they are written, placing them in context, and revising them According to Uberman (1998), teachers can use a variety of techniques for consolidating and revising vocabulary They are a choice of graphs and grids, multiple choice and gap filling exercises, synonyms or antonyms to be matched, sentences to be paraphrased, doing cloze tests, visual aids (pictures, photographs, or drawings) He adds that there is also a large variety of word games that are useful for practicing and revising vocabulary after it has been introduced Numerous puzzles, word squares, crosswords, etc., are useful especially for pair or group work Obviously, techniques used to present and review vocabulary are various; however, if teachers expect learners to remember new words, it is necessary for them to teach these words in context, help students practice regularly what they have learnt and revise to prevent from forgetting The process of revision is very important because it help students acquire active and productive vocabularies Teachers must make sure learners have comprehended the new words, which will be memorized better if presented in a memorable way 1.2 Games 1.2.1 Definition of games Many different definitions of games have been made so far Lee (1991: 3) defines: “Games in the stick sense, which have a definite beginning and end, are governed by rules…” Games are closed activities that have a beginning and an end with a winner who defines the end of the game (Rixon, 1981) According to Haldfield (1999): “A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun… Games should be regarded as an integral part of the language syllabus, not as an amusing activity for Friday afternoon or for the end of the term.” This definition shows the importance of games It is not merely an activity for only some occasions In fact, teachers can apply it in lessons to arouse students’ interest because it has “an element of fun” He also emphasizes that ““Games can be used at all stages of the progression from controlled to free practice, serving at one end of the range as a memory aid and repetition drill, at the other as a chance to used the language freely and as a means to an end rather than an end in itself They can also serve as a diagnostic tool for teacher, who can note areas of difficulty and take appropriate remedial action.” Similarly, Byrne (1995) gave the definition to games as a form of play governed by rules They should be enjoyable and fun They are not just a diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of getting the learner to use the language in the course of the game Greenall (1990:6) has defined games as one kind of activity which is used to consolidate language already taught or acquired, and which occurs during the free stage of a lesson or during occasions such as English club meetings And the term game “is used whenever there is an element of competition between individual students or teams in a language activity.” Therefore, games involve many factors: rules, competition, relaxation, and learning, in particular The main focus of using games in class is to help students learn and have fun However, to use games in classrooms, it is equally important that before the game starts, its rules are clearly explained 10 and well understood by the students There should be only a few, wellexplained rules Demonstrations also can be very helpful because it can help students understand the game and help them follow the rules Otherwise, they will misunderstand the purpose of the game and they may not get the benefits they should have from the game 1.2.2 Roles of games Some people think that games are often considered as an end of term activity or something to fill in last five minutes of a lesson However, games are not just time – filling activities but have a great educational value In fact, they are becoming an indispensable activity in language syllabus because they play vital roles in vocabulary teaching and learning According to Richard-Amato (1996: 10), even though games are often associated with fun, we should not lose sight of their pedagogical values, particularly in foreign language teaching and learning Games are effective as they create motivation, lower students’ stress, and give language learners the opportunity for real communication Hansen (1994:118) also agreed that games are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings Wright, Betteridge, and Bucky (1983: 1) point out that, “Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.” Clearly, games can provide powerful and meaningful practice of language Moreover, games can be found to give practice in all skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking), in all stages of the teaching and learning and for many types of communication Many experts of language teaching methodology agree that playing games is a good way to learn vocabulary According to Thanh Huyen and Thu Nga (2003), student’s seemed to learn new vocabulary more quickly and retain it better when it 11 was applied in a relaxed and comfortable environment such as while playing ESL games In the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better (Wierus and Wierus 1994:218) Obviously, games create comfortable atmosphere for students When students learn vocabulary relaxingly and comfortably, they can retain words in a long time In addition, Uberman (1998) also affirmed the helpful role of games in vocabulary teaching after quoting and analyzing different opinions of experts From her own teaching experiences, Uberman observed the enthusiasm of her students in learning through games She considers games a way to help students not only enjoy and entertain with the language they learn, but also practice it incidentally While playing, students have fun, relax, exercise, and tease their friends Apart from having fun, students learn at the same time They acquire new vocabulary along with its spelling and pronunciation Students begin to realize that they have to speak or pronounce the words clearly if they want others to understand what they are saying In summary, games are useful and effective tools that should be applied in vocabulary in classes The use of vocabulary is a way to make the lessons more interesting, enjoyable and effective 1.2.3 Classification of games Classifying games is not easy since such categories often overlap A good teacher has to have several games on hand at all times Hadfield (1984) explained two ways of classifying language games; linguistic games that focus on accuracy and communicative games that focus on exchanging information Besides, Hadfield suggested another way of classifying language games which are into more detailed forms: 12  Sorting, ordering or arranging games: for e.g give students a set of cards with months, and they have to arrange those cards in order  Information gap games: the one having information have to exchange it with those who not have it to complete a task  Guessing games: a student with a flash card must just mime it to others who try to guess the word  Searching games: for e.g everyone is given a clue to find out who the criminal is They ask and reply to solve the problem  Matching games: participants need to find a match for a word, picture or card  Labeling games: a form of matching games, the only difference is that they math labels and pictures  Exchanging games: students barter cards, objectives or ideas  Board games: “scrabble‟ is one of the most popular games in this category  Role playing games: students play roles that they might not play in real life They might also practice dialogues Basing on language knowledge and skills that learners need to master, Lee (1979) divided games into:  Structure games  Vocabulary games  Spelling games  Pronunciation games  Number games  Listen-and-do games  Games and writing  Miming and role play 13  Discussion games McCallum (1980) gave another classification of games which consists of seven kinds:  Structure games  Vocabulary games  Number games  Spelling games  Conversation games  Writing games  Role play and dramatics It is clear that the classifications of games depend on each type of games which concentrates on a language item or a skill for the purpose and the content of the lesson Thus, it is very necessary for teachers to choose the most appropriate game for each lesson so that these games can bring a large number of benefits to both students and teachers 1.2.4 How to use games in teaching vocabulary Using games when teaching vocabulary to students require trained teachers in playing and mastering the linguistic part of the language Rixon (1981) stated that understanding games will support teachers in finding and creating games that make their learners learn while they play Halliwell (1991) stated that teachers have to provide students with a communicative atmosphere so that they could express themselves Besides, because using language in any activity is unpredictable, teachers have to encourage them to actively construct language for themselves That is the reason why games are vital and useful They both are fun and create the wish to interact with each other and create predictability Another noticeable thing is that not all games fit the classroom 14 environment, or all groups of students In fact, it is good for teachers to keep in mind when selecting a game that a recipe for a good educational game is one that balances both fun and challenge (Steve Sugar.1998.p xvi) It can be seen that in order to gain the most from vocabulary games, it is important that suitable games are chosen Whenever a game is to be organized, the factors such as the number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, should be taken into account 15 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY In this chapter, the research questions are raised again The information about the setting of the study, participants, research types, data collection instruments, data collection procedures, data analysis methods will be described in details 2.1 Restatement of the research questions The research question has clearly been shown in part A already Nevertheless, for the sake of highlighting the selected research method, the research question is restated here again: How are games used to help students at Hoan Son secondary school review vocabulary? What games should be used to review vocabulary for th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school? 2.2 The setting of the study The study was conducted at Hoan Son secondary school located in Hoan Son commune, Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province The school is spacious with three floors and nineteen classes Each class has at least twenty–five students All classes are equipped with projectors Among them, six classes are equipped with intelligent boards In terms of teachers, there are five teachers of English All of them have achieved the certificate of B2 in English They teach 18 lessons per week Each lesson lasts 40 minutes Teachers are active to choose their own teaching methods as long as they find students satisfied with their teaching and make progress Concerning about students, they are at A1 or A2 level 2.3 Participants 16 This study focuses on 8th grade students at Hoan Son secondary school Eighty non – English major 8th form students from four classes: 8B, 8D and 8E took part in the study The number of students in these classes is 26, 25 and 29 respectively All of them started learning English when they were at primary school In other words, they have learned English for years Their knowledge and vocabulary of English are at elementary level Students have three periods of English per week In English lessons, most of students are not interested in learning or reviewing vocabulary Most of them find it a boring and difficult activity and not want to spend time on it This is the reason why the author wishes to carry out this action research with the hope to change the present situation 2.4 Research types The study employs action research to investigate how effective the use of games in helping students review vocabulary is and suggest what games should be used The research goals are achieved by means of both quantitative and qualitative methods The qualitative data (reflections from students) was obtained after the quantitative data (tests for students) 2.5 Implementation of the Action Research Study Whenever teachers identify happening problems in their class, it is their responsibility to find the ways to solve them In these educational situations, action research is certainly a very popular type that teachers in general and teachers of English in particular often employ to carry out their research According to Jonida Lesha (2014:379), “action research is a formative study of progress commonly practiced by teachers in schools Basically an action research is a spiral process that includes problem investigation, taking action & fact-finding about the result of action It enables a teacher to adopt/craft most appropriate strategy within its own teaching environment” 17 Hopkins (1985:32) states that “the combination of action and research renders that action a form of disciplined inquiry, in which a personal attempt is made to understand, improve and reform practice” The procedure of an action research obeys step by step As stated by Eileen Ferrance (2000), an action research follows a cycle below: Figure 2.1 The cycle of an action research From the cycle, it can be seen that an action research is carried out with five main steps The first step is to identify the problem Then, data is collected through means of interviews, questionnaires, observation and so forth After that, the data is analyzed to find out the problems Designing a plan of action is the next step so that the researcher can make a change and study that change After the interference has been carried out, it is time for the researcher to evaluate its effects to see whether the action worked or not Then, if it had not happened effectively as expected, another method should be considered to improve the situation McNiff (2002:71) gave an eight-step model of the action research process They are: 18 Review your current practice Identify an aspect that you wish to improve Imagine a way forward in this Try it out Monitor and reflect on what happens Modify the plan in the light of what has been found, what has happened, and continue Evaluate the modified action Continue until you are satisfied with the aspect of your work Among kinds of methods, the researcher chose an action research for this study because of the following reasons: First, one of the most noticeable features of an action research is that it is very situational It means that with specific problems, there are given specific solutions in each context Specifically, this research would be implemented within the context of the teacher’s environment where she are working; therefore, the researcher could be easier to carry out the research, take the advantages of time, students’ natural performance, and directly apply games on her own students and improve her own teaching methods The second reason is for the problem-focused nature of action research As observations taken from classes that the teacher had taught during over a year, among many problems, the common one in vocabulary field that students often faced was how to remember vocabulary, and the current classes was not an exception The teacher hoped to find out one effective solution to improve her classes’ own situation; therefore, the problem-focused nature of action research really suited that purpose In addition, an action research also brought the researcher a good opportunity to evaluate the intervention to find out the rising problems and 19 give decision for changing The researcher’s procedure of the action research is also implemented step by step: Step 1: Identify the problem As mentioned, the experimental book has been used in some recent years It contains a large number of new words, which makes students in general and students in grade in particular really stressful As observations from my own classes through over one- year teaching and the other teachers’ classes, among many problems, the common one in vocabulary field that students often encountered was how to remember vocabulary, and my current classes were not an exception In English lessons, most of students were not interested in learning or reviewing vocabulary Most of them found it a boring and difficult activity and did not want to spend time on it Especially, after six sections in each unit, in the seventh section students had a chance to review words they learned Nevertheless, tasks designed did not interest students They were not into completing the tasks As a result, their number of vocabulary could not increase They became bored with leaning words in particular and English in general The teacher hoped to find out one appropriate solution to improve her own class situation From the things, the author came up with the hypothesis about applying games in reviewing vocabulary after units in Tieng Anh Step 2: Plan action This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods That is, the study was conducted by using two kinds of data collection instruments, namely tests (main method), and reflections (supplementary method) The author planned to apply games in reviewing vocabulary in the seventh lesson of units, namely Looking back lesson She had intention to begin from unit to unit which was the last units of the first semester Therefore, there were 20 six tests The tests were tested from unit to unit Designed in a very simple way, each of the test contained a number of ten words which primarily aimed at checking students’ knowledge of word meaning and spelling The ten words only belonged to Vocabulary part of Looking back lesson Among ten words, there were five words in English and five words in Vietnamese For English words, students were asked to translate into Vietnamese, and for Vietnamese words, they were asked to translate into English Here is an example of one of the six tests Name: Class: _ Time allowed: minutes TEST Nhiều màu sắc: Thanh bình: Chăn (bò): Cánh đồng lúa: Gia súc: Nomadic life: Collect: Pasture: Vast: 10 Harvest time: Table 2.1 Sample of test This is the first test To see the other tests, go to Appendix There were four kinds of games applied They were slap the board, hangman, body language and lucky number Here is the sample of the plan for slap the board 21 game: Time: 7-10 minutes Preparation: a list of review vocabulary words Write the words on the board in different sizes, colors and directions Work arrangement: Group work 22 Vocabulary items: simple, major, costume, unique, activities, rich, poor, important, ethnic, significant, cultural groups, diverse, traditional, basic Procedures: o Divide the class into groups o Get them to make creative group names o Give the rule: Each group votes one member to go to the board T speaks a word in English or in Vietnamese Three students slap the word on the board as quick as possible The group who slap the most quickly gets one point Each turn will change members o The group with higher points wins the game The first test is not applied with games so that the author can see the students’ current level The second test is applied with slap the board Hangman, body language and lucky number are for the third test, the fourth one and the fifth one respectively The sixth test is not also applied with games, and the tested words in the test are selected from the four previous tests, which aims to check how using games in the previous tests affect students’ remembering words.The tests are tested in the following weeks: o Week 1: Test o Week 4: Test o Week 7: Test o Week 10: Test o Week 14: Test o Week 15: Test 23 THE ACTION PLAN Tests Topic (time) Day Class 8B Wednesday 8E 28/09/2017 Thursday 8D 8E No Unit 3: Slap the Peoples of board 16/10/2017 Monday 8B Viet Nam (7-10’) 17/10/2017 Tuesday 8D 8/11/2017 Wednesday 8E 8D 8B 8E Monday 8D Tuesday 8D 8E Tuesday 8B 27/12/2017 Wednesday 8D 3/1/2018 Wednesday 8E 8D 8B Unit 4: Our Lucky customs number and (7-10’) Unit 5: Viet Nam 9/11/2017 Thursday Body (7-10’) 28/11/2017 Unit 6: Folk tales hangman 26/12/2017 (7-10’) Lesson 27/09/2017 Festivals in language 27/11/2017 Participant countryside tradition Date Unit 2: Life in the Time schedule Games From unit to unit No 4/1/2018 Thursday 80 80 80 80 80 80 Table 2.2 The action plan After the six tests, the author asks participants to write reflections She asks students to write reflections based on three questions: Question 1: What you think about using games in reviewing vocabulary? Question 2: Which games you like most? Why? 24 Question 3: Does your vocabulary increase thanks to playing games? Step 3: Implement action The study was implemented within three months from the end of September to the beginning of January in the first semester of the school year The time was quite long because as the author mentioned above, the tests were carried out in the seventh lessons of each unit (Looking back lesson) Each unit lasted more than two weeks The tests were implemented after the teacher held a kind of games to review vocabulary and asked students to tasks in Vocabulary part For the first test, because no games were applied, the test was carried out after students did tasks in Vocabulary part For the sixth test, the teacher asked students to it without playing games or doing any exercises The time for each game was from seven to ten minutes Each test lasted five minutes She asks them to close all their books to the tests During the five minutes, the teacher observed the class alertly Besides, with the support of camera, the teacher avoided students’ cheating Reflections are implemented after students had finished six tests Students answered three questions in 10 minutes Step 4: Gather data After the author collected tests, each test was put into binder clips The tests were marked carefully They were scored in order from the first test to the sixth one After collecting reflections, the author read them thoroughly Step 5: Analyze results While the data obtained from the the tests was analyzed quantitatively, the data collected from the reflections was analyzed qualitatively The researcher employed the software Microsoft Excel to count levels of mark from to 10, calculate average of test result and the correlation The qualitative method 25 was based on the reflections The researcher collected papers, then analyzed key words, phrases or main ideas to find out how effective games were and which games was the most effective Step 6: Evaluate results Basing on the analyzed results from the tests and the reflections, the author evaluated games’ effects to students’ remembering vocabulary to justify whether the action worked or not Step 7: Next steps Tải FULL (63 trang): https://bit.ly/3KzQOOO Dự phòng: fb.com/TaiHo123doc.net After evaluating results from the tests and the reflections, the author moved to the next step That is, if games were effective as expected, the author would apply frequently them to review vocabulary in Looking back lessons Summary Throughout the chapter, the methodology of the study, which is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods, was fully shown First, the research context, the participants and materials were clearly described, and after that the reasons for choosing an action research was stated Following with those sections was the thorough description of data collection instruments Also, the chapter was finally concluded by a full account of the methods and procedure of data analysis 26 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION In this chapter, the data collected from tests and reflections are analyzed and explained in detail to provide the answers to the two research questions Furthermore, the findings of this study will be thoroughly discussed 3.1 Research question 1: How does the use of games help students review vocabulary? 3.1.1 Results from tests Tải FULL (63 trang): https://bit.ly/3KzQOOO Dự phòng: fb.com/TaiHo123doc.net As stated in the previous chapter, the first research question was answered first by the results taken from the tests Ten words included in each test were taken from Looking back lesson These words were tested after the teacher held games and let students tasks (except from test which was not applied with games and test which was tested without games or exercises As having been said above, the purpose of the first test was to see the participants’ present levels of English proficiency before the action was carried out For the sixth test, the teacher asked students to it without playing games or doing any exercises The words used in the test were the ones having been reviewed by applying games in the second, third, fourth and fifth tests The purpose of the sixth test was to see how the participants’ levels of English proficiency changed after the games were applied to review vocabulary) This meant the students were indeed familiar with these words Therefore, the tests were designed to check whether students remember the experienced words In other words, they were employed to investigate the effectiveness of games in helping students review vocabulary Students’ scores were shown clearly from mark to mark 10 (see Appendix 3) The teacher then counted the number of each mark for each test 27 The author used the mark framework of secondary schools to rank students This was illustrated in the table and chart below: Number of students/percentage (%) Mark Rank Test (U2) Test Test Test Test (U3) (U4) (U5) (U6) Test (U3U6) -