The impact of using languae game based instruction on young learners vocabulary retention a quasi experimental study a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in

According to Yolageldili & Arikan 2011, although some teachers of English see language games as time consumer or classroom techniques for fun, games have a special role in any foreign la

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “The Impact of Using Language Game-Based Instruction on Young Learners’ Vocabulary Retention: A Quasi-Experimental Study” is my own work

Except where reference is made in the text of thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma

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

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution

Ho Chi Minh City, 2016

NGUYEN THI THU HIEN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis paper was my maser thesis, and it was the most noticeable achievement for my master study It was the outcome based on my personal efforts;

my supervisor’s timing support, and my colleagues’ assistance

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr Pham Vu Phi Ho, whose insights and thoughtful comments have guided me to do this work, and who has seriously directed me with his competence, generosity, and patience I thank him for his understanding, encouragements, and precious advice Without him,

my thesis completion would not be corrected and submitted on time

I am thankful to the teaching staff and students in Vietnamese American Private School I am grateful to Ms Thuy, the school headmaster for her acceptance

to carry out the experiment I also thank Mr Thanh and Ms Mai, the vice principals, for their encouragements by elaborative advice and technical supports

Finally, my thesis paper would not have been successful without the participation from the students in Class 5A3 and Class 5A4 I thank them for cooperating with me throughout the training program, filling the questionnaire and help in the accomplishment of this work

ABSTRACT

Vocabulary learning is an important and indispensable part of any language learning process It is considered as a difficult task so that teachers try as much as possible to facilitate it for their learners One of the techniques that can be used is integrating language games However, few studies have been conducted to explore the influence of using language games in vocabulary teaching in the real context, especially in Vietnamese American Private School To address this gap, this study especially focuses on examining the impact of using language game-based instruction on the fifth graders’ vocabulary retention at Vietnamese American Private School (VAPS)

The study was conducted in VAPS during the summer course (June to July)

of the academic school year 2015-2016, in district 8, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam The primary aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using language game-based instruction on young learners’ vocabulary retention in primary schools The study involved 39 fifth grade pupils in two classes at VAPS One class consisted of 21 children and was considered as the experimental group; and the second one involved 18 pupils and was considered as the control group The experimental group was exposed to language games in learning vocabulary, whereas the control group involved in lessons without the use of language games The study lasted 6 weeks and involved a pre-test and post-test, interview and questionnaire to participants It was hypothesized that language games would improve pupils’ vocabulary retention and their attitudes towards learning vocabulary were positive

The results of the study highlighted the positive effects of game-based strategy in improving children’s vocabulary retention as well as positive attitudes from the participants These lead to two conclusions that adopting game activities indeed helped the pupils improve their ability to memorize the new words

effectively and their attitudes towards the game-based instruction were positive The study also mentioned several difficulties in applying game activities as well as recommendations for better game treatment Finally, it addressed some implications and called for further research to investigate game-based instruction in a wider context

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIRUGES ix

ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS x

CHAPTER I 1

INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the study 1

1.2 Problems of teaching and learning vocabulary in Vietnam 4

1.3 Statement of the purpose 8

1.4 Research questions 8

1.5 Significance of the study 9

1.7 Overview of the thesis chapters 9

CHAPTER II 11

LITERATURE REVIEW 11

2.1 Vocabulary 11

2.1.1 What is Vocabulary? 11

2.1.2 Kinds of Vocabulary 12

2.1.3 The teaching of vocabulary 15

2.2 Young learners 19

2.2.1 Definition of young learners 19

2.2.2 Characteristics of young learners 20

2.3 Language games 24

2.3.1 What are language games? 24

2.3.2 Types of language games 27

2.3.3 The advantages and disadvantages of using language games 31

2.4 Previous research in using language games in teaching English vocabulary 38

CHAPTER III 47

METHODOLOGY 47

3.1 Research site 47

3.2 Participants 47

3.3 Research design 48

3.4 Procedures of the study 51

3.4.1 Pre-Training Phase 52

3.4.2 While- and Post-Training Phase 52

3.4.3 Training procedures 53

3.4.4 Teaching material 61

3.5 Research instruments 63

3.5.1 Pre-test and post-test 63

3.5.2 Questionnaire 64

3.5.3 Interviews 68

3.6 Data collection 70

3.7 Analytical Framework 71

3.7.1 The statistical tests 71

3.7.2 Descriptive data analysis 72

3.8 Summary of the chapter 72

CHAPTER IV 73

RESULTS / FINDINGS & DISCUSSION 73

4.1 Performance of both groups on pretest 73

4.2 Research question 1: Does language game-based instruction have any effect on pupils’ vocabulary retention? 74

4.2.1 Control group’s performance on the pretest and posttest 74

4.2.2 Experimental group’s performance on the pretest and posttest 76

4.2.3 Experimental group’s and control group’s performance on the posttest 78

4.3 Research Question 2: To what extent language games facilitate learners’ vocabulary learning? 82

4.4 Summary of the chapter 94

CONCLUSION 95

5.1 Summary of the results/ findings 95

5.2 Limitations of the study 97

5.3 Suggestions for further research 98

5.4 Summary of the chapter 98

REFERENCES 99

APPENDICES 106

APPENDIX A: TEST 106

APPENDIX B: SCORES OF PRE- AND POST-TEST OF BOTH GROUPS118 APPENDIX C: POST QUESTIONNAIRE 119

APPENDIX D: DATA ANALYSIS OF POST QUESTIONNAIRE 125

APPENDIX E: INTERVIEWTRANSCRIPTS 128

APPENDIX G: LESSON PLAN FOR THE CONTROL GROUP 143

APPENDIX H: LESSON PLAN FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 153

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Types of vocabulary 151

Table 2 Schedule for the main stages of the research 51

Table 3 Types of language games included 551

Table 4 Structure of a traditional lesson 51

Table 5.Structure of a language games-based lesson 57

Table 6 Selected learning unit 51

Table 7 Themes represented in questionnaire items 67

Table 8.T-test value of vocabulary pretest of experimental and control groups 74

Table 9.Mean scores of vocabulary pre-post-tests for control group 75

Table 10.Comparison between the pre-post-tests of the control group 75

Table 11.Mean scores of vocabulary pre-post-tests of experimental group 77

Table 12.Comparison between the pre-post-tests of the experimental group 77

Table 13.Mean scores of vocabulary posttests of experimental and control groups 79

Table 14 T-test value of vocabulary posttests of experimental and control groups 79

Table 15.Pupils’ general stance on the effect of language games on learning vocabulary 83

Table 16.Games in practicing and remembering vocabulary 85

Table 17 Games and motivation 88

Table 18 Games and anxiety 89

Table19 Pupils’ preference for the use of games 92

Table 20.Pupils’ desire for the use of language games 92

LIST OF FIRUGES

Figure 1 Pre-test and Post-test Design 51

ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

CLT Communicative Language Teaching

EFL English foreign language

EG Experimental group

e.g for example

ELT English language teaching

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

English has become a global language and this is why our society is more concerned about teaching and learning English at early ages However, it is believed that teaching English to school children is not an easy job; it requires a lot of work and preparations Especially, vocabulary plays an important role in learning a foreign language According to Nguyen & Khuat (2003), vocabulary is one element that links the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing all together In order to communicate well in a foreign language, students should acquire an adequate number of words and should know how to use them accurately Similarly, vocabulary is at the heart of oral language comprehension and sets the foundation for domain-specific knowledge and later reading comprehension (McKeown & Beck, 2007; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998) However, a lot of educators face difficulties to teach and to help learners memorize new words; most students have shown no motive to learn and to memorize vocabulary Indeed, many educators have found that students learning a foreign language tend to forget or misuse new words most of the time (Rohani & Pourgharib, 2013) For that reason, it is clear that vocabulary learning is one of the most common problems in L2 learning As Holden (1999) claims that one of the most important issues in second language teaching and learning is vocabulary learning and perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of learning a second language is the retention of learned vocabulary

What is the best way to teach vocabulary has always been one of the controversial issues in language teaching (Coady & Huckin, 1997) For many years, teachers have disagreed about how to include vocabulary teaching in their instructional programs According to Hatch & Brown (1995), there are numerous types of approaches, techniques, exercises and practice that can be used to teach

vocabulary, but teachers should decide what types would be best for their students and their circumstances Some researchers such as Nguyen & Khuat (2003) and Uberman (1998) have shown that students are tired of learning vocabulary in traditional methods such as rehearsing, writing words on papers or learning passively through teachers’ explanations, and this has created severe problems with learning skills Throughout the researchers’ long experience as teachers of English for youngsters, they faced a lot of problems looking for the best way to teach English to children; how to draw their attention and keep it for the whole class period; how to motivate children and encourage them to learn Thus, it is useful to remmeber that teachers should have a good and interesting technique to introduce vocabulary to learners; so that they will be interested and motivated to learn them

It is believed that language games are proposed to solve the problem According to Yolageldili & Arikan (2011), although some teachers of English see language games as time consumer or classroom techniques for fun, games have a special role in any foreign language teaching programme because they facilitate foreign language learning especially for young learners Indeed, Nguyen & Khuat (2003) believe students prefer to learn language in a relaxed environment such as taking part in vocabulary games They believe that in an interesting and communicative class learners can learn 80 percent of what they were exposed to Similarly, Freeman (1986) also emphasizes that learners enjoy language games they enjoys communicative involvement in the classroom He believes that games can provide a healthy and constructive competition Games can encourage learners discovering and voluntary involvement to the learning process, it can also establish

a better bonding between teachers and learners

Furthermore, Yolageldili & Arikan (2011) also claim that with the introduction of communicative language teaching; English language teaching and learning has become much more demanding for teachers and learners just like any other innovation poses challenges for its users They believe that games have

become crucially important for English language learners and teachers not only because they provide enjoyment and relaxation, but also as they encourage students

to use their language in a creative and communicative manner Besides, because the definition of the term “young learners” encapsulates those children between the ages of about 5 years old and 12 years old (Rixon, 1999), it can be suggested that games are a natural part of young learners’ lives

Similarly, people usually enjoy a task if they play an essential part in it (Dornyei, 2001) According to the author, the best way to illustrate this situation is through activities done in the class, and which need a discussion among learners These activities make learners who contribute in them feel interested while those, who do not, feel uninspiring Learners need to practice regularly; otherwise, they will forget For that reason, teachers can resort to interactive techniques for vocabulary revision and consolidation Games, for instance, can be included in revising learned items They also help teachers to create a good atmosphere for optimal teaching learning process Many teachers believe that since learners prefer

to learn in an enjoyable environment; they will respond to and interact with these games (Aslanabadi & Rasouli, 2013) Moreover, using such complementary tools help learners learn many aspects of the language at the same time Most of the time, games can be considered as simple activities, but they are not always an easy task

As it is mentioned above, using games in class is very effective especially for beginners in improving their language As Uberman (1998) stated, games can be considered as an unconscious way of learning In the similar vein, Azarmi (2011) shares the same view that teaching languages by games is one of the best methods for learning foreign languages; as play is the basic means processing information for youngsters, learning new skills and practising old ones should be done by adapting childhood games into the learning situation for getting better results

1.2 Problems of teaching and learning vocabulary in Vietnam

For years, many researchers have confirmed the important role of vocabulay knowledge in learning a foreign language Language ability of learners will be improved overall by vocabulary improvement (Linse, 2006) Nevertheless, vocabulary learning is not always an easy task since learners have to deal with unfamiliar vocabulary during their language acquisition According to Luu (2012), for young learners, perhaps it is less difficult to learn vocabulary items for the first time than to consolidate and to remember them He also claims that young learners often complain that they keep learning and forgeting Most Vietnamese pupils; thus, have faced a lot of difficulties in learning vocabulary and almost learn vocabulary passively even though they realize the importance of vocabulary in learning foreign language

Firstly, according to ‘Tuoitrenews’ (electronic newspaper, July,16th, 2014), in reality most of English classrooms in Viet Nam today, vocabulary lessons were not paid enough attention in order to help students learn new words more interestedly and effectively For example, some teachers of English think highly of the ability of speaking English and ignore the importance of vocabulary They always focus on the four skills in their teaching procedures, this causes many difficulties for learners

to acquire vocabulary Those teachers also admited that they sometimes found it hard to apply appropriate teaching methods As a result, most students have formed

a habit of only learning new words found in their text books or through teacher’s giving or explanation

Secondly, according to To Thu Thuy (personal communication, April, 8th, 2015), the head of English Group who has been teaching English for over 20 years, revealed that most learners find learning vocabulary boring and learn it passively She said that most teachers in the school use conventional methods to teach their students For instance, teaching and doing exercises by textbook, and there is not much interaction between teacher and students It makes students get bored and do

not pay attention at their teacher Moreover, according to an article “Students, parents confused about English study requirements at HCM schools.”, (http://english.vietnamnet.vn/, online newspaper, September, 13th, 2012) claimed that most Vietnamese learners normally learn vocabulary by such traditional methods as listing new words on a notebook and learning them by heart, writing new words repeatedly down on papers, reading new words out loud several times, and so forth As a result, the students are bored with the traditional method which is done by their teacher in language teaching Likewise, teachers often think highly of how to keep words in mind rather than teach them how to learn through games in the relaxed and interesting environment This phenomenon is so common among the primary school that affects the quality of pupils and their interests In addition, the standard method of presenting up to 20 or more new vocabulary words that students are expected to learn at a given time is not an effective way to help the learners develop vocabulary (Gersten & Baker, 2000) These methods seem not to be very effective and interesting ways for acquisition Due to this, students do not reason out the information and do not assimilate what is being taught since they only reproduce what is done and what they learn just lasts a short time

Thirdly, for further clarifying of students’ information, Nguyen Thi Xuan Bich and Tran Sung (personal communication, 5th April 2015), teachers of English who have been teaching English for over 21 years, also shared the same point of view that the problem was also caused by the teaching methods Some of teachers were not creative when teaching the foreign language to children Teachers sometimes made the students get bored and they also felt that the teaching method did not give more chances to them to internalize the words in their memory Moreover, they also claimed that the other problem was classroom situation The classroom situation in learning vocabulary showed that the atmosphere was not alive, with the teachers

domination of teaching vocabulary The students showed low participation in using vocabulary

Fourthly, as a teacher of English, during the reseacher’s teaching process, the reseacher also realizes that when doing tasks in textbooks or doing tests, the most common question that students often ask is “Could you tell me what this word means?” Furthermore, many of the researcher’s students often complained that they learned a lot of new words, but those words seemed to fade away in their minds only a few days later They asked how they could learn vocabulary effectively and could find it an interesting activity In fact, as soon as learners leave the classroom, they enter their native language world where they do not have the opportunity to use what they have learned in English Also, Luu (2012) claims that when English language young learners are acquiring new vocabulary, they need concrete methods

to collect, store, and retrieve words for retention and future use For this reason, teachers should create an appropriate situation which is closer to real world context and learners can enquire vocabulary as much as possible through funny, attractive and interactive activities It is believed that using language games might be a suitable technique Nguyen & Khuat (2003) trust that vocabulary games bring real world context into the classroom, and enhance students’ use of English in a flexible, communicative way Shared reading, Nurdianita (2015) believes that the students always want to learn vocabulary by doing interesting activities which are almost similar to play games They more interest to learn through play than learn monotonously Game are associated with a feeling of happiness Pupils will be attracted by playing a game than listening to their teacher It can be altenative for pupils to study by playing a game

Finally, in recent years, communicative language teaching (CLT) has been applied in Viet Nam and this led to the adaption of textbooks which are designed in the light of communcative language teaching In a CLT approach, learners are required to take part in a number of meaningful activities with different tasks This

is to improve learners’ communicative competence by encouraging them to be the part of the lessons themselves(Nguyen & Khuat, 2003) Newton (2001) refers to this approach as a way that can enable learners to manage their vocabulary meaning and develop their communicative skills at the same time Thus, many experts of language teaching also agree that playing games is a good way to learn vocabulary, especially in CLT class since it requires students to communicate actively with their classmates and motivates them Regarding these issues, it is important for teachers

to create an effective language learning environment, in which, the levels of anxiety are low and the levels of comfort are high and which help to motivate students to participate in learning vocabulary in the language classroom Therefore, games are highly recommended since it can create a meaningful context for language learning process As Uberman (1998) states that “games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely.”, he also believes that after learning and practicing new vocabulary through games, students have the opportunity to use language games in a non-stressful way Wright, Betteridge, & Buckby (2006) come to a conclusion that with the use of games, the teacher can create various contexts in which students have to use the language to communicate, exchange information and express their own opinions

On the whole, it is clear that the demand for determining a practical method to facilitate students’ vocabulary learning is extremely desirable According to Allen (1983), adolescents and adults may enjoy games as much as children do and, if the purpose of a game is explained to them, they will not feel that it is childish In games, “language use takes precedence over language practice” (Allen, 1983) and

in this sense “games bring classroom closer to the real world Each game, by nature, focuses on one or more aspects of English like a grammar point, a vocabulary area,

or a communication skill” (p.73) Games can teach, and there might be no reason why they cannot be included as a part of a lesson Donmus (2010), believed that

“The value of educational games has been increasing in language education since

they help to make language education entertaining” (p.1497) He also claims that

“when games and education are combined, it can be educative and education environments can be entertaining The learners who learned with the use if games, gain positive attitudes and can be more motivated while learning”

Many studies examined the effects of using language games on teaching vocabulary, but few studies consider this issue in the scope of elementary level in Vietnam More importantly, their research contexts are different from the writer’s school situation in which few studied on the same aspects have been found Understanding the benefits of using language games in English language teaching and learning, considering the causes impeding the learning process, and catching up with the new requirement of teaching language reformation, the author found it somewhat suitable to use language games to help learners learn and retain vocabulary effectively Therefore, the researcher decided to make the quasi-experimental study in which the research integrated language game-based instruction into the vocabulary teaching process to train the children in VAPS to examine whether using language games had any effect on their vocabulary learning and vocabulary retention

1.3 Statement of the purpose

Despite numerous studies conducted to investigate the impacts of language game-based instruction on speaking, reading, writing and grammar, few studies have examined the effect of language games on vocabulary teaching and learning, especially in Vietnam, particularly in the researcher’s school Language games are considered to create the enjoyable atmosphere for learners to enhance their motivation in learning vocabulary and improve their ability to memorize the words effectively

1.4 Research questions

The above mentioned situation has increasingly called for the research with the hope to discover the effective approach or technique to teach English

vocabulary The present study tries to meet that need Its purpose is twofold: firstly,

to examine the effects of language game-based instruction on pupils’ vocabulary retention towards language games experimentation, and secondly, to examine their attitudes towards the use of language game-based instruction in classroom

With these aims, it tries to address two research questions as follow:

1 To what extent language game-based instruction have effect on pupils’ vocabulary retention?

2 To what extent language game-based instruction helps learners’ vocabulary learning?

On the direction to respond to these questions, the hypotheses were posed that the use of language games has effect on children’s vocabulary retention and facilitate their vocabulary learning

Overall, the study consisted of two variables: (1) an independent variable, which was the implementation of language games; and (2) a dependent variable, which was the children’s vocabulary retention The study attempted to examine the effect of the independent variable on the dependent one by using a pretest and a posttest to measure the scores

1.5 Significance of the study

The study was conducted with the intention of offering profound insights and understanding of integrating language games into teaching vocabulary as an English teaching technique Moreover, the researcher hoped that teachers at VAPS could adopt an effective method to foster pupil’s active involvement and interactive learning in English classes

1.7 Overview of the thesis chapters

The present study consisted of five chapters The introductory chapter provided the background to the research, explained the rationale of the study,

declared the aim together with the research questions, remarked the noticeable significance of the thesis and the scope of the study was presented finally Next, chapter 2 presented the literature review associated with the definitions and characteristics of vocabulary, young learners, language games and the consideration

of the effects of integrating language game-based instruction on learners’ vocabulary learning and vocabulary retention Then, chapter 3 provided a detailed description of the methodology in the study It presented information about the research setting, the participants, the measures, the research design, data collection and the analytical framework The focus of chapter 4 was placed on the analyzing and interpreting the data collected from the pretest, posttest, the questionnaires and the interviews completed by the participants and the discussion of the study results The last chapter, chapter 5 made the conclusion, implications and recommendation for further research

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

Chapter 1 overviewed the introduction for the whole study This chapter demonstrates the theoretical background of language games as a way to improve learners’ vocabulary learning This chapter is consisted of four parts, including an overview of vocabulary, definition of young learners, the concept of language games, the advantages and disadvantages of using language games in teaching English vocabulary, and previous studies in using language games in teaching English vocabulary

2.1 Vocabulary

2.1.1 What is Vocabulary?

As explained in the background of the study, vocabulary takes such a fundamental role in mastering English as foreign language well Since it is one element that links the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing all together, its definitions relates to various view about its nature and its use

Vocabulary is the total of words in a language; vocabulary is a list of words with their meanings (Hornby, 1995) The Oxford Dictionary defines vocabulary as the body of words used in a particular sphere and as the total number of words that make up a language (2007) In Longman Dictionary (1995), vocabulary is defined

as all the words that someone knows, learns or uses

Neuman & Dwyer (2009, p.27) define vocabulary as “words we must know to communicate effectively; words in speaking (expressive vocabulary) and words in listening (receptive vocabulary)” While Ur (2003, p.56) states: “Vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words we teach in the foreign language However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than just a single word: for example, post office, and mother-in-law, which are made up of two or three words but express a single

idea A useful convention is to cover all such cases by talking about voabulary

“items” rather than “words.” In addition, Burn & Broman (1975, p.83) argue vocabulary as “the stock of words which is used by a person, class or profession to state their idea” Furthermore, Diamond & Gutlohn (2006, p.41) state that

“vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings.” Shared reading, defined by Hatch and Brown (1995) as the term vocabulary refers to a list or set of words for a particular language or words that individual speakers of language might use

From the definitions above, it can be concluded that vocabulary is the total number of words that are needed to communivate ideas and express the speakers’ meaning It is a set/list of words of a particular language including single words, compound words and idioms that individual speakers of a language might use That

is the reason why it is vital important to learn vocabulary Vocabulary in this research is limited into a set/list of English words which is related to the theme that would be taught in the training course

2.1.2 Kinds of Vocabulary

It is important when defining vocabulary to know its types, there are many kinds of vocabulary according to many experts Harmer (1991) distinguishes two kinds of vocabulary The first kind of vocabulary refers to the stock of words which have been taught by the teacher or learnt by the students and which are expected

to be able to use While the second term refers to the words of which the students will recognize when they meet them, but of which they will probably not

be able to pronounce

Vocabulary can be presented in different types according to different purposes (Hiebert & Kamil, 2005) In general, vocabulary is defined as the knowledge of word meaning in its different forms (oral or print) or types (receptive or productive) Similarly, Hatch & Brown (1995) indicate two kinds of vocabulary, namely receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary Receptive vocabulary is words

that learners recognise and understand when they are used in context, but which they cannot produce It is vocabulary that learners recognize when they see or meet

in reading text but do not use it in speaking and writing (Stuart, 2008) While productive vocabulary is the words that the learners understand and can pronounce correctly and use constructively in speaking and writing It involves what is needed for receptive vocabulary plus the ability to speak or write at the appropriate time Therefore, productive vocabulary can be addressed as an active process, because the learners can produce the words to express their thoughts to others (Stuart, 2005)

In the same vein, Nation (2001) states that there are two kinds of vocabulary They are perceptive and productive vocabulary Receptive vocabulary refers to the words that native speakers and foreign learners recognize and understand but hardly ever use It is used passively in either listening or reading Productive vocabulary is utilized actively either in speaking or writing Listening vocabulary is generally larger than speaking vocabulary while reading vocabulary is relatively larger than writing vocabulary Therefore it can be concluded that vocabulary can be presented

in four units They are listening vocabulary, reading vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, and writing vocabulary Reading vocabulary consists of the word found

by people when they are reading While listening vocabulary is the words that people hear and understand when they are talking to others or listening to radio and television Speaking vocabulary includes the words people used in their daily life and conversation The last is writing vocabulary that consists of the word people use in writing essays, reports, letter, etc

In relation to kinds of vocabulary, Nation (2008:13-14) states that there are four kinds of vocabulary in the text as follow:

Table 1 Types of vocabulary

Types of

vocabulary

Numbers of vocabulary

Frequency Coverage of text Implication for

teaching and learning High-

About 123,000

Occur frequently

Occur frequently in most kinds of academic texts

Occur, sometimes frequently in specialized texts

Do not occur very frequently

About 87% of the running words in a text

About 8% of the running words in a academic text

About 8% of the running words in a specialized text

About 2% or more

of the words in any texts

Spend a lot of time on these words Make sure they are learned

If learners are in upper secondary school or in tertiary school

Base on the table above, teachers need to decide which groups of the words that their learners need This is an important decision because it will affect the

amount of learning expected and it will affect the type of learning, receptive and productive

2.1.3 The teaching of vocabulary

It is obvious that learning vocabulary is important as a part of learning English or other foreign languages since learners learn vocabulary first before they master more complex structure Linse (2006, p.17) stated that “learners need to acquire vocabulary learning strategies in order to discover the meaning of new words.” Morgan & Rinvolucri (2004) characterize acquisition of vocabulary as a

“branching process rather than linear one” They write that learning words requires associations that cannot be learnt separately They also describe learning as a social process in which we interchange and share words with the others in order to understand the meaning but also intensive personal process based on our own life experience Therefore, one of the main goals of foreign language learners is to know, use and expand their vocabulary knowledge, so vocabulary teaching and learning is very important Consequently, researchers attempt to investigate strategies that may enhance vocabulary development When teaching vocabulary, several principles should be kept in mind

Cameron (2001) writes down the general principles to help children for learning vocabulary Firstly, teachers can model how to use strategies and draw children’s attention explicitly to aspect of strategy use; for instance, teacher can show how to find clues to the meaning of a new word in a picture Secondly, teacher can teach the sub skill needed to make use of strategies such as to use a dictionary efficiently requires knowledge of alphabetical order and lots of practice with it Thirdly, classroom task can include structured opportunities for using strategies; for example when teacher reads a story, teachers explicitly encourage prediction of the meaning of new word Fourthly, independent strategy used can be rehearsed in classrooms like students can be helped to prepare list of words that they want to learn from a lesson, can show ways of learning from lists and a letter

can be put in pairs to test each other Last but not least, young learners can be helped to reflect on the learning process through evaluating their achievement; for instance, at the end of a lesson, students can be asked how many new words they have learned and which words they needs to learn more about

In the same vein, Brown (2002) proposed some guidelines of communicative instructions in teaching and learning vocabulary The first guideline is allocate specific class time to vocabulary learning The next step is helping students to learn vocabulary in context The third guideline is playing down the role of bilingual dictionaries Encouraging students to develop strategies for determining the meaning of words is considered as the fourth one The last one is engaged in

“unplanned” vocabulary teaching

On the other hand, Hatch and Brown (1995) describe five essential steps in vocabulary learning based on research into learners’ strategies They are: having sources for encountering new words; getting a clear image, whether visual or auditory or both, for the forms of the new words; learning the meaning of the words; making a strong memory connection between the forms and meanings of the words; and using the words Besides, learning vocabulary is a process that always continues Cameron (2001, p.75) states, “vocabulary needs to be met and recycled at intervals, in different activities, with new knowledge and new connections developed each time the same words are met again Looking at the five steps, we can see that each step is in fact something that needs to happen over and over again, so that each time something new is learnt, or remembered.”

Besides, Thornbury (2002) describes teaching vocabulary in two stages - presenting and practicing and he also emphasis the necessity to teach both the meaning and form of the word together When teachers are planning a vocabulary presentation they must take in consideration what the language level of their learners is if they are or are not familiar with the words, how difficult the item is, how difficult is to teach it, or whether the purpose of the vocabulary is production

or recognition The means of presentation can be translation, real things, pictures, action/gesture, definition, or situation “It is not important whether to present meaning first and then a form or vice versa, both of these ways are valid” (p.11) He recommends exposing learners to the words several times repeatedly in different context as well as giving them a chance to retrieve the word from memory to consolidate their knowledge What helps to remember words is when they are taught learnt and used in personally relevant meaning (Thornbury, 2002) Hadfield (1998) says that remembering new words is hard He characterizes words as “very slippery things” He suggests that “in order to retain a word, students have to go through three distinct processes which are fixing the meaning, personalizing it and putting it to the individual store.” (p.4)

The introduction and explanation of the meaning of a lexical item is only the first step (Scrivener, 2011) After that learners need to become familiar with it and eventually get many opportunities to meet the word in different contexts, and finally learn to use it in real language There are many different tasks and activities which teachers can use to practice vocabulary: from matching pictures to lexical items, or matching lexical items to others, to filling in crosswords or diagrams or memory games Slattery & Willis (2001) emphasize connecting new vocabulary with what the learners already know and using visual aids to help them remember the words They also mention memory games which help learners to become familiar with vocabulary in an enjoyable way Ur (2012) emphasizes that learners need to “re encounter” a new word several times to remember it permanently so that in every lesson there should be some work that reviews vocabulary She suggests to link the word to learner’s own life or experience which helps them to remember to display vocabulary on the classroom walls or on the board so the learners can see the words often and to remind new vocabulary in summary time of the lesson In addition, Phillips (1993) writes that young learners learn words quickly but structures are learnt more slowly because the words have immediate meaning and structures do

not so Learners learn holistically and do not think about separate parts of the language “The best way of teaching vocabulary is to illustrate the meaning of the words by pictures, action or real object and to use them in relevant context in order

to be remembered well.” (p.74)

To sum up, vocabulary plays an essential role in language teaching Words are carriers of meaning and the meaning of the word, its form and sound are the most important knowledge which the learners need to know Vocabulary teaching includes vocabulary presentation and practice If we really want to know the word,

we need to be exposed it many times in many different contexts by using different means In young learner classes it is important to use engaging, enjoyable activities

to teach vocabulary One of the useful activities is a language game

Many experts claim that game is a good way to improve vocabulary Through games, students will learn new things other than the usual way of study with books

as the media The game itself makes the students to be more active and competitive by trying to win games that the teacher gives, so the class will have

a more lively atmosphere Learning while playing is a popular activity nowadays, many researchers use games to teach vocabulary, for example Nguyen & Khuat(2003), in the articles they published, they say and describe the benefits of using learning games Based on the viewpoint of their students who states that using games through the class are not monotonous and boring, they become much more vibrant when using games as a learning strategy or method They say in their journal “students who have a desire to learn English to deal with foreign vocabulary for their language acquisition” (p.22)

Furthermore, it is clearly that to remember and to understand the kinds of new vocabulary; the learners must participate and contribute in various activities of the task which is in their classroom Whether it is the task of guessing, exercise illustrates, or making conversation Such activities also include vocabulary games which primarily focused on helping student’s development by using the words

The most important thing is how to make them easier to remember new vocabulary in different contexts by making learning more enjoyable Thus, as English teachers, we need to facilitate and encourage students to learn and practice

to use particular vocabulary again and again through interesting and effective techniques

Therefore, from all of the research, the researcher concluded that, language games is one of the best term to teach the students especially in vocabulary, it made them can understand and memorized some words, because they are really happy to

do that

2.2 Young learners

2.2.1 Definition of young learners

Who is a young learner? The term young learner is interpreted diffrently around the world This term covers a wide range age, this can be anybody from the age of three to the age of eighteen In this part of the thesis young learners will be characterized from a developmental point of view and their abilities and skills as foreign language learners will be described There are different classifications of young learners

In accordance with the book ‘TKT: Young Learners – Handbook for teachers’ (2010) defines a young learner as a child who is in their first six years of formal education, from the age of 6 to 12 The reason for this choice is that the lower limit

of 6 roughly corresponds to the start of formal schooling in many countries, while the upper age of 12 approximates to a time when many children have begun to experience significant cognitive and emotional changes This definition is also broadly in line with Cambridge ESOL’s own definition of 7-12 for its Starters, Movers anf Flyers exams for young learners

Similarly, young learners as children aged 7 – 12 years, as Slattery & Willis (2001) describe According to them “young learners are learning to read and write

in their own language, are developing as thinkers, understand the differences between the real and the imaginary” (p 5) Also, Vágnerová (2000) speaks about

“children of the school age” (p 148) These are learners aged 6 years, when they start their school attendance, to 12 years of age, when they become learners of the second stage of our basic educational system Helus (2009) writes about “younger school age” According to Helus, these children range from 6 to 11 years At this age some developmentally related changes appear in children’s thinking, as Vágnerová (2000) writes Thinking is characterized by respecting fundamental laws

of logic and respecting specific reality, it is concrete and tied to the real experience This stage Piaget called concrete – operational stage “Children explore reality and convince of the truthfulness of verbal facts interpreted by teachers” (pp.148-149) Helus (2009) states that children can follow the speech of the others, distinguish syllables and individual sounds and clearly articulate “They can think logically on

an appropriate level too They are able to cooperatewith their schoolmates and develop their own learning strategies.” (pp 244-245)

As it has been found out, there is no strict definition of young learners according to their age Generally we can say that young learners are children at the age of 6-12 years but the classification differs depending on the different authors and their books All the authors agree that young learners develop as thinkers and learn to understand the difference between real and imaginary word Their thinking

is logical and their own learning strategies are developed What is typical for young learners as for foreign language learners will be discussed in the following part

2.2.2 Characteristics of young learners

As the concept “teaching English to young learners” suggests, age plays a crual role in what we teach and how we teach, since a young learner class is different from an adult and/or a teenager class in terms of the learners’ language learning needs, the language competences emphasized, and the cognitive skills addressed Teaching young learners requires the knowledge of knowing all the

development differences That’s why, it is highly important to point out some characteristics about this age group

In his book “The Practice of English language teaching”, Harmer (2007) points out the characteristics of young learners as follows: young learners tend to respond although they do not understand; they learn from everything around them and they learm indirectly rather than directly Besides, young learners understand mostly when they see, hear, touch and interact rather than from explanations; so they may find abstract concepts are difficult to deal with Furthermore, they generally display a curiousity about the world and an enthusiasm for learning a language They like talking about themselves and respond to learning that uses their lives as a main topic In addition, most young learners love discovering things, making or drawing things, using their imagination, moving from one place to another, solving puzzles However, they have a short attention span; they can easily get bored after 5-10 minutes Therefore, Harmer (2007) suggests that teachers should have a rich repertoise of activities to help young children receive information from a variety of sources and plan a range of activities for a given time period Moreover, they should work with students individually or in groups and need to be aware of the pupils’interests to motivate them Finally, the classroom should be colorful and bright with enough room for different activites

In addition, young childen are already very good at interpreting meaning without necessarily understanding the individual words, they already have great skill in using limited language creatively as Halliwell (1992) clearly states He also shares the same idea with Hammer that young children frequently learn indirectly rather than directly, they take great pleasure in creating fun in what they do and their imagination is ready Above all, young learners take great delight in talking There is a general idea that young learners learn faster and more effectively than older ones Ur (2012) is skeptical about this statement She says that in the context of school-based education younger students are not better than older ones

Harmer (2007) agrees with her claim He admits that young children “have a facility with the pronunciation” (p 81) but apart from pronunciation ability older students seem to be better learners in other aspects of acquisition of foreign language According to him young learners often learn in an indirect way – that means that they take in information from all sides, they learn from everything what happens around them (82), they understand better what they learn when they can see or hear

it, and have a chance to touch and interact with Slattery & Willis (2001) state the same when they say that children’s learning is variable including activities such as watching, listening, imitating or doing things Ur (2012) emphases that “children learn best through implicit learning: imitating, memorizing, acquiring intuitively through repeating exposure and production of enjoyable or interesting activities” (p.258)

What all of the authors point out is the concentration span of young learners and the fact that they find it difficult to abstract concepts, they do not fully understand grammatical rules and explanation about language Their attention span

is quite short so the children need interesting and extremely engaging activities to maintain their attention Ur (2012) suggests that the most useful in their learning is using lots of pictures, stories, games and language play activities that children can enjoy Scrivener (2011) describes young learners as keen, noisy, and curious They want to learn new things, want to have fun, love attention, and like experiment They get easily excited and it can be hard to calm them down They want to use language but do not want to learn its rules “They do not fully realize the importance of learning English but they know that it is fine to do interesting tasks, games and activities.” (p 321.)

Read (2007) establishes a couple of principles that are important to consider when teaching young learners She states that activities need to be challenging which means to be on the appropriate level of their linguistics and cognitive knowledge She argues that too easy activities can lead to boredom and can be de-

motivating She also mentions ‘flow’ which is the feeling that learners experience when learning is successful ‘Flow’ activates and motivates them towards their further learning We should keep in mind that young learners are curious and like finding out about things so we should use it to build up their desire to learn through interesting and enjoyable activities “It must not be forgotten that young learners are also very creative so we should use and develop their imagination, fantasy and creative thinking and bring humor and fun in their learning.” (pp 7-10)

Summarizing the all the facts that have been discussed so far, it can be concluded that young learners are children from 6 to 12 years of their age Concrete logical thinking is typical for them They prefer to explore reality and verbal information through their own experience Verbal thinking develops from understanding of concrete to abstract meaning of the words As language learners they learn better through the context and everything that happens around them Their attention span is not long so the activities should be interesting, challenging and enjoyable

In the light of these characteristics, it is clearly that young learners are a group of students who, out of their natural disposition, seem to be an apparent purpose for existence games as such, language learning games not being an exception For young learners the use of games and fun activities is a necessary part

of a language lesson It is considered as the most effective way to train kids to acquire the vocabulary Also an element of competition is something young learners enjoy and makes them stay interested According to Nolasco & Arthur (1991), “In addtion to the personal change, younger students also anjoy competing with their peers, and introducing a game element is a way of livening up any material” In order to aquire the language, they need to keep repeating the desired part of a target language; they need the repetiton to be enjoyable everytime

For that reason, games a a tool used in a class for young learners on regular bases Taking into consideration the short attention span the young learners have,

the games, as other lesson activites, are usually short and simple On the other hand, with young learners, one game can be used more than once or can be slightly amended to serve its purpose This is due to the fact that small children like things

to be repeated, they like to know what is coming It also enables them to participate with greater confidence and therefore enjoy the game more

2.3 Language games

2.3.1 What are language games?

Because this thesis focuses on the terms “language” and “game” and their meaning and transformation, it is necessary to discuss first what those two terms actually signify By “language” one can mean different things: for example, it is “a set of social conventions about how to combine words, phrases, clauses, and sentences to communicate meaning” (Gee & Hayes, 2011) Besides these rules,

“language” can be viewed as something physical, such as speech, audio recordings and writings (Gee & Hayes, 2011) Moreover, it needs to be noticed that because language has its rules of grammar, people follow them in order to communicate correctly One can learn more about language and its various forms of communicating, such as oral and written language, by communicating with other

people and by studying books about grammar

The definition of “game” is similarly a broad concept A “game” can be said

to be entertainment that simultaneously stresses immersion, interactivity and problem solving, to name a few (Gee & Hayes, 2011) According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a game is an “activity engaged in for diversion or amusement”

or “a gainful activity” This gives a nice insight into the character of a game, that it distracts students into playing: they learn and gain knowledge while they amuse themselves Hadfield (1984) defines games as “an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun” (p.115) Spodek and Saracho (1994) hold a similar opinion that games are “a different kind of playing activities which include specific rules and are well structured” (p.271) Similarly, in 1986, Rixon came up with a definition for a

game; it is “a ‘close activity’, that is, one which ends naturally when some goal or outcome has been achieved There are players who compete or cooperate to achieve that outcome, there are rules which restrict or determine how the players can work towards their ends” A combined definition of these could therefore be that a game has certain rules to follow in order for the participants to compete against each other but also to have fun

According to Uhlířová (2003), the most significant value of the game just in its spontaneity He understands a game mainly as a leisure activity that gives children opportunity to gain some experience in the most natural way, however, he forgets its entertaining character In a game he sees “the source of joy, physical and psychical activity and sensorial stimulus that enrich experience and knowledge of children” (p 29) According to him children must not grow up in isolation, out of the social group Playing games in a group strengthens liveliness and sociability and overall development, it learns to act correctly and independently He realizes significance of games for developing children thinking A game plays the important role not only in intellectual education but also in aesthetic, moral and physical education (Uhlířová, 2003)

Fully realizing the role of a game at school, Komenský (2001) states that learning at school can be as easy and joyful as a game He aslo shares that in a game

“movement, voluntariness, spontaneity and common interest” of players must be applied The game must be well prepared and the rules must be accepted by all players He adds that arrangement and partnership are characteristics of a game and

he emphasizes that each game should be accompanied with pleasant experience when it is played and also after its ending (p 30)

All these principles typical for a game help us to make our teaching effective and unusual which are the requirements in the current education Hence, what is a language learning game? Interestingly there is not a consistent definition of language games in general Owning to different understandings of language games,

researchers have different standpoints and the different definitions of them For examples, Rixon (1986) gives the definition of language games as “in which language provides either the major content or else the means by which the game is played” Greenall (1984) defines language game as one kind of “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” Language games; however, are not activities mainly aimed to break the ice between students or to kill time Byrne (1998) gives the definition to language games as a form of play governed by rules They should be enjoyed and fun They are not just a diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of getting the learner to use the language in the course of the game Therefore, language games comprise many factors: rules, competition, relaxation, and learning, in particular The main focus of using language games in class is not only to help students to learn more interestedly and effectively but also to have fun Nevertheless, to use language games in classrooms,

it is equally important that before playing; the rules of the langauge games are clearly explained and well understood by students There should be a few, well-explained 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 benefits they should from the games

Menhard (1976) describes the features of a good language game that were established by J Dobson According to her a good language game “requires the least preparation, it is easy to play, contains intellectual stimulus and activation, does not take too much time in the lesson, entertains learners but does not release discipline” (p 184) Menhard adds that it is necessary to take also other aspects in consideration The game should be appropriate for the age of learners and their abilities It needs to have appropriate objectives and to be played in specific conditions “It should be entertaining but concurrently contain elements of learning

and language subject matter, so that the learners recognize and understand the learning value of games, it is important to say explicitly why the specific game is played, what they learn while playing it, and afterwards help them to realize it” (p.31)

Moreover, one aspect that is tightly connected to the game: it is the existence

of contest (Read, 2001) She admits that competitive games can show the worse in children and can lead to overexcitement or even aggression, but on the other hand she states that healthy competition between children is very motivating She points

to the fact that competition is a part of a real life and children can, through the game, learn that life is bothabout victory and defeat as well She sees the value of the games in the fact that they help to establish positive attitude towards learning English, they encourage learners to participate, to be active, and stimulate their confidence and self-esteem “Games are very effective for learners with some learning disabilities such as dyslexia or dysgraphia.” (p 10)

In addition to language skills, games also develop learners’ social skills

“They teach them to show willingness, to cooperate in a pair or a group, to take turns, to listen to the others and follow and respect the rules of a game” (Read, 2001,

p 151) In addition, Watcyn-Jones (2001) states that even if the preparation of the language games is quite demanding, it is always worth Learning becomes more active and more learners’ senses can be involved As it can be seen, language games have lots of advantages that can be turned into good account of teaching foreign languages They are effective, motivate and stimulate pupils, generate relaxed atmosphere, and reduce stress In the next subchapter some types of language games will be introduced

2.3.2 Types of language games

As it has been mentioned, there are many aspects for dividing language games They can be divided according to the learners’ age, the level of their language knowledge, the place where they are played, the skills they developed etc., but in

fact all games can be used in any age for practicing any language phenomenon Nevertheless there are many types of games which can be taken in consideration when planning a lesson Therefore, games types are not clearly defined because games can be categorized differently according to the selected criteria According to

“Investigating the Impact of Using Games in Teaching Children English” Jian Wang, Hui-Fang Shang, & Paul Briody, 2011), there are many types of games that can be employed in a contemporary EFL learning environment, it is difficult to classify games into categories because such categories often overlap Therefore, different experts use different ways to classify language games

(Ying-Games are divided according to their “most outstanding features” (Lewis & Bedson, 1999, p.16) They distinguish movement games, card games, board games, dice games, drawing games, guessing games, role-play games, singing and chanting games, team games, or word games They divide games into ‘rousers’ and ‘settlers’ The games that wake up the class and bring adrenalin are called ‘rousers’ They get children excited, have elements of competition, and require movement ‘Settlers’ calm a class down They can be craft activities, writing games, or games which focus on listening

Games are divided according to the skills they develop – whether they develop receptive or productive skills (Read, 2001) However, Hadfield (1984) argues two ways of classifying language games; linguistic games that focus on accuracy and communicative games that focus on exchanging information Further, games can be classified into more detailed forms composed of both linguistic and communicative games Lee (2000) classifies games into ten kinds: structure games, vocabulary games, spelling games, pronunciation games, number games, listen-and-do games, read-and-do games, games and writing, miming and role-pay, and discussion games Similarly, McCallum (1980) categorizes games for language learning into seven kinds: vocabulary games, number games, structure games, spelling games, conversation games, writing games, and role-play and dramatics Combining from

these two writers’ division, we have five main kinds of games: vocabulary games, structure games, writing games, reading games, and games for developing speaking and listening skills “Each kind of games focuses on a language component or a skill, so when choosing games, one of the factors that teachers have to consider is the aim of the lesson” (Luu, 2012)

In the same vein, in his book ‘Beginner's communication games’ in 1999, Hadfield classified games as linguistic games or communicative games, some games will contain elements of more than one type that can take one of the following forms: the first type is ‘Sorting, ordering or arranging games’ In this type

of game, students have a set of cards with different products of them, and they sort the cards into products found at a grocery store and products found at a department store The second one is ‘Information gap game’, in such games, one student has access to the information which is not held by the other student, and this student must acquire the information to complete the task successfully Information gap games can involve a one-way information gap or a two way information gap

‘Guessing game’ is the third type; in these games, someone knows something and the others must find out what it is The forth type of game is ‘Matching games’; as a name applies, participants need to find a match for a word, picture or card

‘Labeling games’ is sorted as the fifth type; these are form of matching, in that participants match labels and pictures The sixth type is ‘Board games’, ‘Scrabble’

is one of the most popular board games that specifically highlight language ‘Search games’ is the seventh type; these games are yet another variant on two-way information gap games, with every one giving and seeking information Find Someone Who is a well-known example Students are given a grid The task is to fill in all the cells in the grid with the name of a classmate who fits that cell, e.g., someone who is a vegetarian Students circulate, asking and answering questions to complete their own grid and help classmates complete theirs The next type is

‘Exchanging games’; in these games, students barter cards, other objects, or ideas

Similar are exchanging and collecting games Many cards games fall into this category, such as children’s card game ‘Go Fish’ The last type is ‘Role play games’; the terms role play, drama and simulation are sometimes used interchangeably but can be differentiated Role play can involve students playing roles that they do not play in real life, such as dentists, while simulations can involve students performing roles that they already play in real life or might be likely to play, such as a 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 Their real aim is not to win or complete a language task but to experience the process and learn from it They may influence people’s attitudes and teach them the understanding of themselves and the phenomenon around as well Besides, these above games can be played in pairs, groups or with the whole class and can be used at any stages of a class

On the other hand, games are organized according to their complexity and relative language difficulty (Toth, 1995), but she adds that the division is flexible and the teachers can adapt the games As we can see there is not some strict division among language games and almost every game can be adapted for any purpose It depends on teachers themselves what type of game is suitable for their learners in terms of their age, level, skills that are to develop, situation, classroom etc Nevertheless if we want the game to fulfill its purpose and aim we should bear in minds the principles established by Read (2001) We must make sure to know how the game works, give clear instructions and demonstrate, teach children interactive language for playing, be fair and firm in following rules, stop the game when children begin to lose interest, monitor but on the other hand show children that they can take their own responsibility

As mentioned above, the language games chosen in this study must meet the purpose of helping learners with vocabulary retention; hence, vocabulary games were chosen in this study Hence, the games will be used in this research are