THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI NHAT LE USING LANGUAGE GAMES TO ENHANCE THE MOTIVATION TO LEARN ENGLISH VOCABULARY OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AT POPODOO ENGLISH CENTER IN BAC NINH CITY M.A THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 THAI NGUYEN - 2023 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI NHAT LE USING LANGUAGE GAMES TO ENHANCE THE MOTIVATION TO LEARN ENGLISH VOCABULARY OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AT POPODOO ENGLISH CENTER IN BAC NINH CITY M.A THESIS (APPLICATION ORIENTATION) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 Supervisor: LE THI THU HUONG, Ph.D THAI NGUYEN - 2023 ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ NGUYỄN THỊ NHẬT LỆ SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI NGÔN NGỮ ĐỂ NÂNG CAO ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH TRÌNH ĐỘ SƠ CẤP TẠI TRUNG TÂM ANH NGỮ POPODOO THÀNH PHỐ BẮC NINH LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ (Định hướng ứng dụng) Ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh Mã số: 8220201 Cán bộ hướng dẫn: TS. Lê Thị Thu Hương THÁI NGUYÊN - 2023 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. Degree and has not been submitted elsewhere in any other form for the fulfillment of any other degree or qualification.
Thai Nguyen, March, 2023 Approved by Author’s signature SUPERVISOR Le Thi Thu Huong, Ph. Nguyen Thi Nhat Le i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This M. thesis could not have been accomplished without the invaluable help, encouragement, and support of a number of people whom 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, Lê Thị Thu Hương, PhD., for her enthusiastic and precious guidelines and advice throughout the duration of my thesis.
Without her instruction and supervision, this thesis could not have reached its 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 using language games enhances the motivation to learn English vocabulary of elementary students at Popodoo English center in Bac Ninh city.
Participants of this study were 28 students at Popodoo English center in Bac Ninh city. Language games were used as a strategy to enhance students’ motivation in vocabulary learning. This thesis was designed as 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 student’s motivation in learning vocabulary.
The research questions to be addressed in the thesis are: 1) How do language games affect students' vocabulary learning? – 2) What are the students' attitudes towards the use of games in vocabulary learning? A survey questionnaire, semi-structured interview, and classroom observation were used as instruments to collect data for reflection throughout the research. The results confirmed the positive effects of language games on enhancing their motivation in vocabulary learning as the level of motivation after the intervention increased significantly in comparison with that before the intervention. In addition, the results indicated that the students had positive opinions towards the application of online games in vocabulary learning in all aspects of the ARCS model. Keywords: action research, vocabulary, motivation, language games, ARCS model iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 4 LIST OF TABLES. 7 LIST OF FIGURES. 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
Scope of the study. Method of the study. The significance of the study. Design of the thesis.
6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Concept of language games. Roles of language games. Main types of language games.
Advantages of language games. The Use of Language games. Definition of the vocabulary. Types of vocabulary.
Importance of vocabulary. The importance of vocabulary teaching. Process of vocabulary teaching. Characteristics of young learners.
Definition of Motivation. Kinds of Motivation. Methods to enhance motivation in learning. ARCS Motivational Design Model.
Previous studies on the impacts of using language games in English vocabulary learning. Questionnaire and Interview. The study procedure. Identify the problems:.
Evaluating the plan:. Data collection procedure. Data analysis method and procedure. 41 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS & DISCUSSIONS.
Questionnaire on Motivation in learning vocabulary. Questionnaire on the Use of language games. Semi-structured interview:. Summary of findings.
I APPENDIX A: PRE-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRE. I APPENDIX B: POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRE. II APPENDIX C: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE. III APPENDIX D: OPEN-ENDED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .VI APPENDIX E: TEACHER OBSERVATION RECORD.
VII 6 LIST OF TABLES Table 3. IMMS scoring guide. Relationship of interview questions to the ARCS model. Descriptive statistics of students’ motivation in learning vocabulary.
Comparison of motivation between pre- and post-intervention. Scale reliability based on Cronbach’s alpha. Range of motivation level. Overall mean scores of students’ evaluation.
Numbers of respondents in each level. 46 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3. Action research model. Descriptive statistics of Pre- and Post- intervention on motivation in learning vocabulary.
Percentages of respondents in each level. Descriptive statistics of Game evaluation in each scale. 47 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ARCS Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction CBA Competency Based Approach 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 L2 Second Language 9 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale The importance of language in social interactions is enormous.
People can speak, communicate, and exchange information with one another through this kind of communication. Every country has a unique native tongue. Because English is regarded as a foreign language or the second most spoken language in the world, many individuals decide to study it. Globalization has increased the demand for English.
To overcome language obstacles, it is crucial for everyone to be able to converse in English with foreigners. They would be able to establish closer connections with people from different nations if they could converse with them in English. English is taught in Vietnam's educational system at all levels due to its popularity. The Vietnamese government has made it a policy to start teaching English to primary school students as soon as feasible in order to increase human capital.
In Vietnamese schools, English is taught at all grade levels, including kindergarten through graduate school. For each level, a variety of relatable themes were planned in order to make English more relevant to the lives of the students and to provide them with the knowledge they need to develop the critical thinking and communication skills that would be required for their future work. Learning English involves the development of four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Having a broad vocabulary is really helpful for students who want to develop these skills.
However, a large number of Vietnamese students passively learn vocabulary, although greatly appreciating the significance of vocabulary learning. Several factors could be attributed to this matter. Firstly, they are given explanations of the significance or description, language, grammatical functions, and pronunciation because they initially find it tedious. Additionally, the students lack the necessary learning skills for the traditional technique.
They should concentrate on listening to the lecturer without playing any games. The second misconception among students is that they must 1 only comprehend the meaning of words in order to use vocabulary, disregarding the other functions of words. Third, students merely take in knowledge from teachers or textbooks as passive learners. For example, when there is a new word, the students just ask the instructor to give them the meaning of the word.
As a result, they can have difficulty with other abilities since they can understand a word in the form of writing but not when it is spoken. Vocabulary is one of the most important factors that can assist learners in using English. Vocabulary also helps them convey their thoughts and feelings. Vocabulary is, according to Hatch & Brown (1995) a list of words that speakers use.
Many other academics emphasize the significance of words. McCarthy (1990:8) emphasizes the significance of vocabulary “No matter how well the students learn grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way.” Harmer (1991:153) emphasizes the importance of terminology "If language structure makes up the skeleton of the language, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh." There are ways to motivate students to study vocabulary, including visuals, mime, gestures, visual aids, and games. Students will learn more effectively and have more possibilities to speak in the real world if they study in a joyful and comfortable learning environment. Many scholars appreciate the benefits of games in learning a new language.
Games assist learners to put their energy into language acquisition by presenting them with relevant settings (Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby, 1984). Furthermore, McCallum (1980) noted that games inherently improve student interest and motivation. Avedon (1971, referenced in Deesri, 2000:2) described how games motivate students and make them want to compete in games; they also feel thrilled and do their hardest to play these games. In other words, games encourage students and, as a consequence, they learn.
Crookal (1990) thought that games have a lot of benefits for reducing anxiety and making individuals feel better, so they may feel more confident and calmer, since 2 they feel free and never think about punishment or any negative repercussions of erroneous responses. In terms of teaching, games are also beneficial to instructors. The use of language games in the teaching of a foreign language is one of the most effective strategies for increasing student motivation and determining success in learning their language. They assist and motivate students to study and remain interested in school.
Furthermore, they assist teachers in creating a setting in which language exercise is helpful and intelligible for students. Several investigations have recognized the use of games in vocabulary learning (Neyadi, 2007; Tunchalearnpanih, 2012). Nonetheless, little study has been conducted to demonstrate the usefulness of employing games for vocabulary acquisition for Vietnamese primary school students in Bac Ninh. In reality, many students at primary school in Bac Ninh lack serious vocabulary as well as don’t have enough methods of learning and memorizing vocabulary.
This creates a lot of difficulties for them when learning English and leads to the test results are not high. At Popodoo English Centre, the researcher is in charge of teaching students ranging in age from 5 to 14. They need to arrange the materials for the lesson. Basic English was used as the source of information.
The most basic task is that they research vocabulary to further their English learning skills. Language games are the most effective way to engage young learners in effective vocabulary-learning activities. Students often enjoy some engaging experiences, and using language games as a tool for acquiring vocabulary is a necessity to achieve the main goal of the learning exercise. All of these factors opened the path for the author to conduct the research titled “Using language games to enhance the motivation to learn English vocabulary of elementary students at Popodoo English center in Bac Ninh city”.
The writer hopes that through doing this research, the use of language games will become more prevalent in vocabulary development. Research aims The world has brought foreign languages in general and English in particular plays a bigger role than ever.