An action research on the use of language games in teaching grammar to first year students of non major english at university in vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES HOANG TRUNG DUC AN ACTION RESEARCH ON THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES IN TEACHING GRAMMAR TO FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF NON-MAJOR ENGLISH AT UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM (Nghiên cứu hành động việc sử dụng trị chơi ngơn ngữ giảng dạy ngữ pháp cho sinh viên không chuyên Tiếng Anh năm thứ trường đại học Việt Nam) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI-2020 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES HOANG TRUNG DUC AN ACTION RESEARCH ON THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES IN TEACHING GRAMMAR TO FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF NON-MAJOR ENGLISH AT UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM (Nghiên cứu hành động việc sử dụng trị chơi ngơn ngữ giảng dạy ngữ pháp cho sinh viên không chuyên Tiếng Anh năm thứ trường đại học Việt Nam) M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 Supervisor : Prof HOÀNG VĂN VÂN HANOI-2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS i DECLARATION .i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF TABLES, GRAPHS v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 The aims of the study 1.3 The scope of the study 1.4 Research question 1.5 The significance of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 General overview of English grammar 2.1.1 Definitions of grammar 2.1.2 The importance of grammar in teaching and learning 2.1.2.1 Grammar has the role of an enabling skill 2.1.2.2 Grammar has the role of meaning conveyance 2.1.2.2 Grammar has the role of an instrument of sentence making 2.2 Genneral overview of language games 2.2.1 Definitions of language games 2.2.2 Types of language games in teaching English grammar 10 2.2.3 The advantages of application of language games in teaching 13 2.2.4 Effective ways to make games work in a language class 16 2.3 Previous studies 22 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 25 3.1 Subjects of the study 25 3.2 Research design 26 i 3.2.1 Definitions of action research 26 3.2.2 The precedures of action research 27 A SAMPLE LESSON PLAN 31 3.2.3 The instruments for collecting data 36 3.2.3.1 The questionnaires 36 3.2.3.2 The interview 37 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 40 4.1 The results of questionnaires’ analysis 40 4.1.1 The students’ motivation of learning English grammar 40 4.1.1.1 The students’ enjoyment of learning English grammar 40 4.1.1.2 The students’ effort of learning English grammar 41 4.1.1.3 The students’ capability of learning English grammar 42 4.1.2 The role of classroom atmosphere of learning English grammar 43 4.1.2.1 The peer support of learning English grammar 43 4.1.2.2 The lecturers’ support of learning English grammar 44 4.1.2.4 The classroom cohesion of learning English grammar 45 4.1.3 The importance of grammar and grammar instruction 46 4.1.3.1 The importance of learning English grammar 46 4.1.3.2 The students’ difficulties in learning English grammar 48 4.1.3.3 The students’ methods of learning English grammar 49 4.2 The results of interviews 50 4.2.1 The students’ motivation through language games 50 4.2.2 The classroom atmosphere through language games 51 4.2.3 The students’ suggestion through language games 52 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 53 5.1 Summary and conclusion 53 5.2 Limitations of the study: 55 5.3 Suggestions for further study: 55 REFERENCES 57 ii APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: SAMPLES OF GAMES I APPENDIX 2: PRE-TREATMENT QUESTIONNAIRE V APPENDIX : POST-TREATMENT QUESTIONNAIRE XIII APPENDIX 4: GAMES USED IN THE STUDY I iii DECLARATION I certify that this minor thesis entitled “An action research on the use of language games in teaching grammar to first-year students of non-major English at university in Vietnam” is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts is the results of my own work, except where otherwise acknowledge and that this minor thesis or any part of the same has not been submitted for higher degree to any other university or institution Hanoi, August - 2020 Signature HOÀNG TRUNG ĐỨC i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Professor, Dr Hoàng Văn Vân for his invaluable advice, instructions and correction, excellent suggestions and constant encouragement while conducting this research so that I could complete my thesis effectively Secondly, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the lecturers of the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University for for their valuable lessons and precious support Thanks to their lessons as well as needed support, I could overcome enormous obstacles of research implementation Besides, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to my colleagues and my students at Academy of Finance – Ministry of Finance who have participated in this research and many others who supported me during my study Last but not least, I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to my parents and relatives for the constant support and thorough understanding Their great encouragement and love have helped me to overcome the difficulties during my study Without these support, assistances and encouragements, this thesis would not have been completed ii ABSTRACT The research on the application of language games in teaching English grammar to first-year students of non-major English at Academy of Finance, Hanoi, Vietnam (AOF) aims to evaluate the effectiveness of language games in teaching English grammar Grammar is an essential part of English proficiency English grammar has a significant influence on the foundation of other skills Nevertheless, the grammar teaching at AOF revealed several issues that induced the disappointment of the learners Learners find grammar lessons to be frustrating and not want to study It seems to have a negative impact on the outcome of learning and teaching as well If there are no changes to the teaching approach, the quality of learning English grammar will be drastically reduce And this would weaken the reputation of educational institution in term of language teaching and learning Through the exchange with some speacilists in linguistics and language methodology, the language games will be considered to raise the result of language teaching and learning By raising the motivation of learning process, the effectiveness of learning will be increased In order to evaluate if language games could increase the effectiveness of grammar learning for first-year students of non-major English at AOF, the topic chosen is: “An action research on the use of language games in teaching grammar to first-year students of non-major English at university in Vietnam” The findings from this study indicated that language games increased the effectiveness of students’ learning English grammar Through the enhancement of motivation, the language games raised students’ interest and attitude towards learning Additionally, language games raised students’ cooperation in classroom having good influence on classroom atmosphere These positive results offer suggestions for the application of language games in teaching English grammar for first-year students of non-major English at AOF These results bring much more opportunities for the analysis of the increase in the teaching grammar for students at universities in Vietnam iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT Communicative Language Teaching ULIS University of Languages and International Studies AOF Academy of Finance, Hanoi, Vietnam L2 Second Language GE Genneral English ESP English for Specific Purposes IM Intrinsic motivation EM Extrinsix motivation T Lecturer Ss Students iv LIST OF TABLES, GRAPHS LIST OF TABLES Table Types of games suitable at the three stages of teaching new language Table The action plan in this thesis Table The sample lesson plan of teaching grammar with the use of language games Table The questions in interview section LIST OF GRAPHS Graph The students’ enjoyment of learning english grammar Graph The students’ effort of learning english grammar Graph The students’ capability of learning english grammar Graph The peer support of learning english grammar Graph The lecturers’ support of learning english grammar Graph The classroom cohesion of learning english grammar Graph The importance of learning english grammar Graph The students’ difficulties in learning english grammar v APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: SAMPLES OF GAMES Bingo (Source: http://www.onestopenglish.com) Level: elementary Players: one caller (the lecturer) and any number of Bingo players Timing: 15 minutes Main language: the comparatives and the superlatives Description: The players each have a card ruled into a number of sections Each section contain a sentence relating to one of the above grammatical points (the comparative or superlative) Each player’s card is different from those from the others The caller calls out the sentence with the same meaning with the sentence in the players’ cards If a player has that sentence on his/her card, he covers it The first player to cover all his card shout “Bingo” and is the winner Materials: Sets of bingo cards and list of items written on a small card, which caller picks up and reads at random Noughts and crosses (Source: http://www.onestopenglish.com) Objectives: By the end of this lesson, Ss will be able to use the past simple irregular verbs correctly to the exercises and solve communicative tasks Players: pair work Timing: 10 minutes Description: Lecturer puts a grid on the slide with nine verbs Tell Buy Be Put Take Sell Make Speak Give I Lecturer tells students the rules of game: Ss work in pair One student copy the grid in his/ her notebook One student is “Noughts” (O), the other is “Crosses” (X) One student starts S/he chooses a word and makes a sentence with that verb in the past simple tense If the sentence is correct, s/he puts his/ her mark (O/X) in that square The first students to get three-in-a- row (across/down/ diagonally) win the game T goes round class to observe T calls on some Ss read out their sentences, and other Ss give comments Arranging objects in a picture (Source: http://www.onestopenglish.com) Language point: practicing using preposition of place: in, on, behind, in front of… Level: Elementary Time: minutes How to use the game: Divide class into pairs (A & B) Give each student his/her respective pictures They are not allowed to look at each other’s pictures Explain that student A has got the complete picture about objects inside an office and student B has got an incomplete picture with some missing objects and a picture of the objects Student B asks student A where the individual items go E.g B: I’ve got a vase of flowers Where does it go? A: Put it on a small table Student B, then, draws the objects on his/her picture Once the students have finished the game, they will compare their pictures to see if they are the same Coffee potting (Source: http://www.onestopenglish.com) II Language point: use of tenses (simple present, present continuous, the present perfect, past tenses) in question forms, time adverbial Level: elementary Time: 10-15 minutes Lexical area: Action verbs How to use this game: Write down a verb or a verb phrase, such as “do business” on a piece of paper and ask a student to stand in front of class to be the challenger Explain that the class must guess what he has written They should ask the challenger questions using the imaginary verb to coffee-pot as a normal regular verb in place of the verb to be guessed, making sure it is in the correct verb tense form Give this example to help the students: Verb phrase: go to work Q: you often coffee-pot? A: Yes, regularly Q: are you coffee-potting now? A: no, I’m not Q: have you coffee-potted this week? A: yes, three times Q: you like coffee-pot? A: yes, I Q: you coffee-pot in the evenings? A: No, never Q: how you often coffee-pot? A: by bus To encourage maximum student participation, questioning can proceed round the class as quickly as possible Any student who wishes to guess may interrupt the flow of questions, but if his guess is wrong he cannot have another one The student who guesses correctly takes the next turn III Geography quiz (Source: http://www.onestopenglish.com) Language point: asking about and making comparisons Level: intermediate Time: 8-10 minutes Lexical area: geographical features and regions, comparative adjectives How to play this game: Divide class into pairs (A&B) give each student their respective task sheets They must not look at each other’s Explain to the students that they each have the same quiz Tell them to individually read the questions and using the information they are given to indicate their answers with a tick Give a time- limit, eight to ten minutes for this part of the game Tell the students to take turns to read a question aloud, then ask what their partner thinks about and by reference the information given, find out which answer is correct Choose a student in the class with task sheet A and demonstrate how the game will work, for example: T: Which continent is larger, Africa or Asia? What you think? S: I think Africa is larger What you think? T: I think Asia is larger? How large is Africa? S: It’s 30,240,000 square miles T: And Asia is 44,390,000 square miles S: So you are right Asia is larger Monitor the students as they the game At the end of the game, T asks the students to count up how many questions they answered correctly IV APPENDIX 2: PRE-TREATMENT QUESTIONNAIRE In order to support the accomplishment of this thesis, please choose the number that matches your attitudes and experience ( “3” means “Agree”, “2” means “Unsure”, “1” means “Disagree”) and circle the number you chose / Để phục vụ cho việc hoàn thành luận văn sinh viên yêu cầu trả lời câu hỏi quan điểm kinh nghiệm đồng ý; không chắn không đòng ý I The questionnaires of motivation of learning English grammar/ Phần câu hỏi động lực học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh I.1 The questionnaires of enjoyment of learning English grammar/ Phần câu hỏi ưa thích học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh The most interesting subjects that I am interested in is Genneral English/ Một môn học mà tơi thích Tiếng Anh A B C My classmates are people who I like to have discussion with English grammar/ Bạn bè lớp đối tượng mà tơi thích thảo luận ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh A B C I study English grammar harder than other subjects/ Các môn học khác không chăm học ngữ pháp tiếng Anh A B C The dedication of time for the study English grammar is worthwile/ Việc dành thời gian cho việc học ngữ pháp tiếng Anh quý giá A I hope B to learn C more English and its’ grammar / Tơi hi vọng học nhiều tiếng Anh ngữ pháp tiếng Anh A B C When studying English, I always feel that time passes quickly/ Khi học tiếng Anh cảm thấy thời gian trôi qua nhanh A B C V The interesting is always a part of materials used in the English class / Sự thú vị phận tài liệu sử dụng lớp học tiếng Anh A B C I.2 The questionnaires of students’ effort of learning English grammar/ Phần câu hỏi nỗ lực sinh viên việc học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh The contents of English grammar are often discussed by our class/ Các nội dung ngữ pháp tiếng Anh thường thảo luận lớp A B C When I have problems with learning English, I often ask someone for the advice/ Khi tơi có vấn đề với mơn tiếng Anh, thường hỏi ý kiến để xin lời khuyên A B C The required assignments in the English courses are always accomplished with my efforts / Những tập giao khóa học tiếng Anh làm cách chăm A B C Learning English hard is always my philosophy, No matter what the examination results are/ Học tập chăm quan điểm cho dù kết A I B would like C to spend more time learning English / Em mong muốn dành thêm thời gian học tiếng Anh A B C The correction of English is often used in my English learning/ Sự sửa chữa tiếng Anh thường xuyên dùng việc học tiếng Anh A B C In case I not to understand English grammar, I know how to solve it/ Trong trường hợp không hiểu ngữ pháp tiếng Anh biết cách xử lý A B C VI I.3 The questionnaires of capability of learning English grammar / Phần câu hỏi khả học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh The result of Genneral English made me satisfied/ Kết học môn tiếng Anh làm tơi cảm thấy hài lịng A B C Our classmates always believe in me that I can help them study English /Những người bạn lớp tơi có niềm tin với tơi việc tơi giúp đỡ họ học tiếng Anh A B C My ability of using English grammar is good/ Khả sử dụng tiếng Anh tốt A B C I always believe in the ability of learning English well, No matter what my English ability is./ Tôi tin tưởng vào khả học tiếng Anh tôi cho dù kết tiếng Anh A B C Genneral English course with the materials made me feel quite easy/ Tiếng Anh với tài liệu cho thấy dễ A B C The English exercises motivate me to make a great effort in accomplishment/ Những tập tiếng Anh tạo động lực cho nỗ lực cao để hoàn thành A B C The content taught in class does not make it difficult for me to understand/ Nội dung dạy lớp khơng làm tơi cảm thấy khó khăn việc hiểu A B C VII II The questionnaires on classroom atmosphere/ Phần câu hỏi không khí lớp học II.1 The questionnaires on peer support of learning English grammar/ Phần câu hỏi giúp đỡ bạn lớp việc học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh Helping each other in learning English is always done in the classroom among members./ Sự giúp đỡ việc học tiếng Anh thực lớp học thành viên A B C The experiences of English learning are often shared in my class/ Kinh nghiệm học tiếng Anh thường chia sẻ thành viên lớp A B C My classmates care about our progress in English when we study together/ Các bạn lớp em quan tâm đến tiến môn tiếng Anh chúng em học A B C My classmates care about my correct use of English grammar/ Các bạn lớp quan tâm đến việc sử dụng ngữ pháp tiếng Anh chuẩn xác A B C My classmates care about my feeling about learning English/ Các bạn lớp em quan tâm cảm nhận em việc học môn tiếng Anh A B C My classmates praise me when my performance in English is good/ Các bạn lớp em biết khen em em đạt kết tốt môn tiếng Anh A B C My classmates expect me to have a good performance in English/ Các bạn lớp em mong muốn em có kết tốt mơn tiếng Anh A B C VIII My classmates encourage one another to study English more diligently/ Các bạn lớp em đông viên lẫn để học môn tiếng Anh chăm A B C My classmates are satisfied with their own performance in English/ Các bạn lớp em hài lòng với kết họ mơn tiếng Anh A B C 10 The activities used in learning English make us more familiar with one another/ Các hoạt động sử dụng để học môn tiếng Anh làm chúng em thân quen A B C 11 My classmates get along better when studying English together/ Các bạn lớp em tiến học môn tiếng Anh A B C II.2 The questionnaires of the lecturers’ support of learning English grammar/ Câu hỏi trợ giúp giảng viên việc học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh sinh viên The lecturer cares about the classroom management when we learn English/ Giảng viên ln ý đến kiểm sốt lớp học chúng em học môn tiếng Anh A B C Lecturer often offers us opportunities to practice speaking English/ Giảng viên thường hay cho chúng em hội thực hành nói tiếng Anh A B C The lecturer helps us to study more efficiently/ Giảng viên giúp đỡ chúng em học tiếng Anh hiệu A B C The lecturer praises our performance when we make progress/ Giảng viên khen kết học chúng em chúng em có tiến A B C IX The lecturer encourages us to discuss our problems and learn together/ Giảng viên khuyến khích chúng em thảo luận vấn đề học tiếng Anh A B C The lecturer values our feelings when we learn English/ Giảng viên quan tâm đến cảm nhận chúng em chúng em học tiếng Anh A B C The lecturer often praises our responses during English classes/ Giảng viên thường khen ngợi câu trả lời chúng em học tiếng Anh A The B lecturer C is friendly during the English class Giảng viên thân thiện học tiếng Anh A B C II.3 The questionnaires of classroom cohesion of learning English grammar/ Câu hỏi liên quan tới gắn kết lớp việc học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh I have important experiences in learning English from my classmates/ Em biết kinh nghiệm quan trọng việc học tiếng Anh từ bạn lớp em A B C My classmates have the same attitude to the study of English/ Các bạn lớp em có thái độ học môn tiếng Anh giống A B C When encountering difficulties in learning English, we help one another/ Khi gặp khó khăn học tiếng Anh, chúng em thường hay giúp đỡ lẫn để vượt qua A B C To learn English together will enable us to get along better/ Học tiếng Anh giúp chúng em tiến A B C X My classmates find it interesting to learn English/ Các bạn lớp em nhận thấy việc học tiếng Anh thú vị A B C My classmates would like to follow the rules for the English activities decided in class together/ Các bạn lớp em thấy thích thú tuân theo luật chơi hoạt động tiếng Anh sử dụng lớp A B C If one classmate has not participated in some activities, the others help him to catch up/ Nếu bạn lớp em khơng tích cực tham gia vào số hoạt động lớp bạn khác thường hay giúp đỡ bạn tiến A B C III The questionnaires on the importance of grammar and grammar instruction / Câu hỏi tầm quan trọng ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh định hướng việc học III.1 The questionnaires on the importance of learning English grammar/ Câu hỏi tầm quan trọng học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh Understanding English is obtained through the learning of grammar / Việc hiểu tiếng Anh đạt qua việc học ngữ pháp A B C I often gain high scores in the tests’ results through learning grammar/ Tôi thường đạt điểm cao kết kiểm tra thông qua học ngữ pháp A B C The ability to speak English well will increase from studying grammar/ Khả nói tiếng Anh giỏi tăng lên từ việc học ngữ pháp A B C Learning grammar can help me to write English/ Học ngữ pháp tiếng Anh giúp em viết tốt tiếng Anh A B C XI Learning grammar can help me to read English/ Học ngữ pháp giúp em đọc hiểu tiếng Anh A B C Learning grammar can help me to study English well/ Học ngữ pháp giúp em học tốt môn tiếng Anh A B C Learning grammar is essential to eventual mastery of English/ Học ngữ pháp cần thiết để giúp em thành thạo môn tiếng Anh A B C III.2 The questionnaires of students’ difficulties of learning English grammar/ Câu hỏi khó khăn việc học ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh We need to learn grammar because English is not our native language Chúng em cần phải học ngữ pháp bời tiếng Anh khơng phải tiếng mẹ để chúng em A My B English study C may be better if I not learn grammar Việc học tiếng Anh em tiến em học ngữ pháp A 3 B Grammar C impedes my English learning Ngữ pháp làm cản trở việc học tiếng Anh em A B C Learning grammar makes me less interested in learning English/ Học ngữ pháp làm giảm thích thú học mơn tiếng Anh em A B C III.3 Methods of learning grammar/ Các phương pháp học ngữ pháp tiếng Anh The English lecturer needs to teach English Giáo viên tiếng Anh cần phải dạy ngữ pháp tiếng Anh lớp A B C XII grammar in class It is necessary to learn grammar gradually from elementary grammar to advanced grammar/ Cần phải học ngữ pháp từ ngữ pháp sơ cấp đến ngữ pháp bậc cao A B C Systematic teaching from the lecturer can help me to learn English well Việc giáo viên giảng dạy có hệ thống giúp em học tiếng Anh A B C APPENDIX : POST-TREATMENT QUESTIONNAIRE These questions are similar to appendix but will be given to students after the action plan is conducted for the estimation of the changes in the support of language games in teaching / Những câu hỏi giống phụ lục số đưa tới sinh viên sau việc dạy học phương pháp sử dụng trị chơi ngơn ngữ tiến hành xong nhằm đánh giá thay đổi tính hiệu việc áp dụng phương pháp XIII APPENDIX 4: GAMES USED IN THE STUDY Games Grammar Functions feature Bingo Language skills Past simple Describing the history of people Listening, Regular and or places speaking, irregular verbs Describing about work reading, Comparatives Giving opinions writing Superlatives Marketing First conditional Discussing ideas Adjectives Describing a product Adverbs Noughts Past simple Describing the history of people Listening, and irregular verbs, or places Crosses Present perfect Describing Irregular verbs experience Present perfect vs Interview for a job speaking, about work writing Past simple Describing Adjectives Describing a product Listening, pictures Adverbs Marketing speaking, writing Comparing Comparatives Describing about work Listening, pictures Superlatives Giving opinions speaking, reading, writing Geography Comparatives Describing about work Listening, Quiz Superlatives Giving opinions speaking, reading, I writing Arranging Prepositions of Asking, giving directions Listening, objects in a places speaking, picture writing Coffee Past simple potting present perfect vs Describing work experience Interview for a job Listening, speaking, writing II ... for first- year students of non- major English at AOF, the topic chosen is: ? ?An action research on the use of language games in teaching grammar to first- year students of non- major English at university. .. more information for the application of action plan in teaching The Academy of Finance, Hanoi, Vietnam – AOF under the Ministry of Finance and under the state management of the Ministry of Education... language games in teaching English grammar to first- year students of non- major English at Academy of Finance, Hanoi, Vietnam (AOF) aims to evaluate the effectiveness of language games in teaching English