Enhancing motivation in vocabulary learning via online games: An action research project at a university in Hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐẶNG MINH ANH ENHANCING MOTIVATION IN VOCABULARY LEARNING VIA ONLINE GAMES: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI Tăng cường động lực học từ vựng qua trò chơi trực tuyến: Một nghiên cứu hành động trường đại học Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Major: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI - 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐẶNG MINH ANH ENHANCING MOTIVATION IN VOCABULARY LEARNING VIA ONLINE GAMES: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI Tăng cường động lực học từ vựng qua trò chơi trực tuyến: Một nghiên cứu hành động trường đại học Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Major: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, PhD HANOI - 2019 DECLARATION I certify that the work presented in this research report has been performed and interpreted solely by myself I confirm that this paper is submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the M.A Degree and has not been submitted elsewhere in any other form for the fulfillment of any other degree or qualification Hanoi, 2019 Đặng Minh Anh i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This M.A thesis could not have been accomplished without the invaluable help, encouragement and support form a number of people who I would like to show my sincerest gratitude and appreciation To begin with, I would like to express my greatest and deepest thankfulness to my supervisor, Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, PhD., for her enthusiastic and precious guideline and advice throughout the duration of my thesis Without her instruction and supervision, this thesis could not have reached the fulfillment Moreover, my honest thanks also come to all students for taking part in this study Last but not least, I give my thanks to family and relatives who have always supported me and supplied the best conditions for me to complete this thesis ii ABSTRACT The present thesis was conducted to examine the extent to which the application of Online games could help to enhance the students‟ motivation in learning vocabulary Participants of this study were 28 low-level students in a non-English major university in Hanoi Online games was used as the strategy to enhance students‟ motivation in vocabulary learning This thesis was designed as an action research The whole process of the research was divided into four steps of planning, implementing, observing and reflecting on progress with aims to reduce the problems and to improve students‟ motivation in learning vocabulary The research questions to be addressed in the thesis are: (1) To what extent online games have influences on students‟ motivation in learning vocabulary? (2) What are students‟ opinions towards the application of these games in vocabulary learning Survey questionnaire, semi-structured interview and classroom observation were used as instruments to collect data for reflection throughout the research The results had confirmed the positive effects of online games on enhancing their motivation in vocabulary learning as the level of motivation after the intervention was increase significantly in comparison with that before the intervention In addition, the results indicated that the students had positive opinions towards application of online games in vocabulary learning in all aspects of ARSC model Keywords: action research, vocabulary, motivation, online games, ARSC model iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Research aims 3 Research questions Scope of the study Method of the study Significance of the study Design of the thesis PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary in language learning and teaching 1.1.1 The importance of vocabulary learning 1.1.2 Process of vocabulary teaching 1.2 Motivation in learning vocabulary .8 1.2.1 Nature of Motivation 1.2.2 Kinds of Motivation 1.2.2 Methods to enhance motivation in learning 11 1.2.3 ARSC Motivational Design model 12 1.3 The application of online vocabulary games in EFL classroom 14 1.3.1 Definition and classification of games in language learning 14 1.3.2 The application of games in teaching vocabulary 15 iv 1.3.3 The benefits of online vocabulary games .16 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 18 2.1 Action research 18 2.2 Research design 19 2.3 Participant selection 20 2.4 Materials .20 2.5 Intervention 20 2.6 Instruments 22 2.6.1 Survey questionnaire .22 2.6.2 Semi-interview 23 2.6.3 Observation .24 2.7 The study procedure 24 2.7.1 Identify the problems 24 2.7.2 Action plan 25 2.7.3 Evaluating the plan 27 2.8 Data collection procedure 27 2.9 Data analysis method and procedure 27 2.9.1 Survey questionnaire .28 2.9.2 Semi-structured interview .30 2.6.3 Observation .30 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS 31 3.1 Survey questionnaire 31 3.1.1 Questionnaire on Motivation in learning vocabulary .31 1.2 Questionnaire on the Use of online games 33 3.2 Semi-structured interview 36 3.3 Observation 37 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSIONS .40 PART C: CONCLUSIONS 42 Summary of findings .42 v Implications 42 Limitations 43 Recommendations 43 Reflections 43 REFERENCES 45 APPENDICES 51 APPENDIX A: Pre-intervention questionnaire 51 APPENDIX B: Post-intervention questionnaire 52 APPENDIX C: Survey questionnaire 53 APPENDIX D: Open-ended interview questions 56 APPENDIX E: Teacher observation record 57 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 IMMS scoring guide 29 Table 3.1 Descriptive statistics of students‟ motivation in learning vocabulary .31 Table 3.2 Comparison of motivation between pre- and post-intervention 32 Table 3.3 Scale reliability based on Cronbach‟s alpha 33 Table 3.4 Range of motivation level 34 Table 3.5 Overall mean scores of students‟ evaluation 34 Table 3.6 Numbers of respondents in each level .34 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Action research model 19 Figure 3.1 Descriptive statistics of Pre-test and Post-test on motivation in learning vocabulary 32 Figure 3.2 Percentages of respondents in each level .35 Figure 3.3 Descriptive statistics of Game evaluation in each scale 36 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ARSC Attention, relevance, satisfaction, confident CIS Course Interest Survey CLT Communicative language teaching EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language IMMS Instructional Materials Motivation Survey viii Limitations Although online games were proved to be a useful way to enhance students motivation in learning vocabulary, this application also had some limitations First limitation is derived from the students being unclear of instructions that they were confused and struggled when taking part in the games Consequently, some of them were observed to not keep up with the teaching pace Another drawback of this action is the lack of cooperation among students since individual‟s achievement and competition were emphasized Recommendations Having concluded the result of the research, the writer would like to propose some recommendation that hopefully will be useful for students and other English teachers Firstly, the application of online games cannot be successful if the teacher does not explain the tasks and roles of students clearly in playing games It is important to make students understand the games' rules, how the games went and what procedures they had to follow Consequently, when a correct answer is shown, instead of skipping and move to next questions, teacher should explain and give details about the reasons for choosing that answer Besides, using online games in the classroom sometimes fails due to the lack of cooperation among members of the class Since the game concerns winning and losing, instructors need to inform them of the real purpose of gaming activities What they are supposed to gain more than competition and enjoyment is learning something new such as vocabulary knowledge In further study, the researcher hope to figure out the impacts of other kinds of online games such as survey and puzzle as well as the influences of group work as team player in comparison with individually one which was employed in this study Reflections I as a Teacher Researcher found the process of research in my classroom extremely helpful I was pleased to discover that most of my students were positively affected by the games given to them throughout the weeks the 43 interventions were implemented Although the students started out with relatively low motivation in learning vocabulary, however, I was pleased to note a change in their motivation level after all the interventions were implemented Moreover, I feel that taking a role as an action researcher in my classroom has not only been beneficial for my students, but for me as an educator Motivation of students is a challenge many teachers encounter, especially in the non-English major school setting I have personally struggled with how to address this issue since teaching at this university Having to implement the intervention strategies laid out in our action research plan forced me to reflect on my teaching style and fostered creativity E-learning application such as online games is definitely not always easy to implement, but if used correctly, and the students are willing and receptive, it seemed to be an effective tool to motivate students to value their learning more With this reflective thinking in mind, I would love to continue to apply different types of e-learning tools such as online games as an intervention to impact my future students 44 REFERENCES Allery, L A (2004) Educational games and structured experiences Medical Teacher, 26(6), 504-505 Arnold, J (2000) Affect in language learning 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(2018) Enhancement of performance and motivation through application of digital games in an English language class Teaching English with Technology, 18(1), 77-92 Retrieved from: 49 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1170635.pdf 54 Widodo, H P (2006) Approaches and procedures for teaching grammar, English Teaching:Practice and Critique, 5(2), 122-141 55 Wilkins, D (1972) Linguistics in Language Teaching Edward Arnold 56 Rixon, S (1992) How to use games in language teaching London: Modern English Publications 57 Harmer, J 2001: The Practice of English Language Teaching Third Edition Cambridge: Longman-ELT 58 Schmuck, Richard A 1997 Practical Action Research for Change Illinois: Skylight Professional Devolpment 50 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: Pre-intervention questionnaire Questionnaire on motivation in learning vocabulary Please circle the number for your answer = strongly agree = agree = uncertain = disagree = strongly disagree I am interested in learning vocabulary 54321 I often participate in activities related to vocabulary 54321 I ask someone for advice when I have problems with learning vocabulary It is worthwhile to dedicate more time to study vocabulary 5 I am very satisfied with my performance in vocabulary tasks I believe that I can help my classmates to learn vocabulary I am able to use vocabulary that I have learnt 54321 I find a way to solve a problem, if I cannot understand vocabulary in class I hope to learn more topics and its vocabulary 54321 10 I would like to spend more time learning vocabulary 54321 11 I feel that the materials used in the class are interesting 54321 12 I think that I can understand the vocabulary taught in class 54321 51 APPENDIX B: Post-intervention questionnaire Questionnaire on motivation in learning vocabulary Please circle the number for your answer = strongly agree = agree = uncertain = disagree = strongly disagree I am interested in learning vocabulary 54321 I often participate in activities related to vocabulary 54321 I ask someone for advice when I have problems with learning vocabulary It is worthwhile to dedicate more time to study vocabulary 5 I am very satisfied with my performance in vocabulary tasks I believe that I can help my classmates to learn vocabulary I am able to use vocabulary that I have learnt 54321 I find a way to solve a problem, if I cannot understand vocabulary in class I hope to learn more topics and its vocabulary 54321 10 I would like to spend more time learning vocabulary 54321 11 I feel that the materials used in the class are interesting 54321 12 I think that I can understand the vocabulary taught in class 54321 52 APPENDIX C: Survey questionnaire Questionnaire on the use of Online games in vocabulary learning Please circle the number for your answer = strongly agree = agree = uncertain = disagree = strongly disagree When I first looked at this game, I had the impression that it would be easy for me There was something interesting at the beginning of this game that got my attention The questions of the game was more difficult to understand than I would like for it to be After reading the introductory information, I felt confident that I knew what I was supposed to learn from this game Answering the questions in this game gave me a satisfying feeling of accomplishment It is clear to me how the content of this game is related to things I already know Many of the questions had so much information that it was hard to pick out and remember the important points These games are eye-catching 54321 There were pictures or examples that showed me how this material could be important to some people 10 Completing this game successfully was important to me 54321 11 The quality of the questions helped to hold my attention 54321 12 This game is so abstract that it was hard to keep my attention on it 53 13 As I played this game, I was confident that I could learn the content 14 I enjoyed this game so much that I would like to know more about this topic 15 The questions of this game look dull and unappealing 54321 16 The content of this game is relevant to my interests 54321 17 The way the questions are presented on the game helped keep my attention 18 There are explanations of how to play this game 54321 19 The questions in this game were too difficult 54321 20 This game has things that stimulated my curiosity 54321 21 I really enjoyed playing this game 54321 22 The amount of questions in this game caused me to get bored 54321 23 The content and style of writing in this game convey the impression that its content is worth knowing 24 I learned some things that were surprising or unexpected 54321 25 After playing this game for a while, I was confident that I would be able to pass a test on it 26 This game was not relevant to my needs because I already knew most of it 27 The wording of feedback after answering the questions in this game, helped me feel rewarded for my effort 28 The variety of illustrations, helped keep my attention on the game 29 The illustration of game is boring 54321 30 I could relate the content of this game to things I have seen, done, or thought about in my own life 31 There are so many words on game that it is irritating 54321 32 It felt good to successfully complete this game 54321 54 33 The content of this game will be useful to me 54321 34 I could not really understand quite a bit of the questions in this game 35 The good organization of the content helped me be confident that I would learn this material 36 It was a pleasure to work on such a well-designed game 55 54321 APPENDIX D: Open-ended interview questions Semi-structured interview on use of Online games in vocabulary learning Questions: What did you like the best about the game? _ How did the game relate to learning vocabulary? _ What made you continue to play the game? _ How did you feel about your score at the end of the game? _ 56 APPENDIX E: Teacher observation record Teacher Observation Record Lesson: Week: _ Date and Time: Observations of events: Student’s participation: Comments/Summary: 57