VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES LÊ THU HÀ USING GAMES TO ENHANCE SIXTH- GRADE STUDENTS’ GRAMMAR COMPETENCE AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HAIPHONG (Sử dụng trò chơi để nâng cao năng lực ngữ pháp của học sinh lớp 6 tại một trường cấp thcs ở hải phòng) MA. MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HA NOI – 2024 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES LÊ THU HÀ USING GAMES TO ENHANCE SIXTH- GRADE STUDENTS’ GRAMMAR COMPETENCE AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HAIPHONG (Sử dụng trò chơi để nâng cao năng lực ngữ pháp của học sinh lớp 6 tại một trường cấp thcs ở hải phòng) MA. MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231. Võ Đại Quang HA NOI – 2024 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I declare that the minor thesis "Using games to enhance sixth-grade students’ grammar competence at a secondary school in Haiphong" is the result of my own work and has not been submitted in any form for a second degree or diploma in any educational institutions.
I am fully aware that if this report is found to be dishonest, disciplinary actions and penalties may be applied in accordance with the Rules and regulations of the University. Hanoi, 2023 The researcher Lê Thu Hà Approved by SUPERVISOR (Signature and full name) Assoc. Võ Đại Quang Date:. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Associate Professor, Dr.
Vo Dai Quang for the guidance, corrections, excellent suggestions, and constant encouragement throughout the process of conducting this research, which enabled me to effectively complete my thesis. Secondly, I would like to sincerely thank the professors and lecturers at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable lessons and enthusiastic support. Thanks to their teachings, I have acquired the necessary knowledge and tools to carry out this research. In addition, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my colleagues and 6th-grade students at my workplace who participated in this research, as well as many others who supported me during my master's studies.
Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family for their constant support and encouragement. Their boundless love has given me the strength to complete this thesis within the limited time. Without the support, assistance, and encouragement mentioned above, this dissertation would not have been completed. Hanoi, 2023 ii ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to find out the effectiveness of games activities in improving students' grammar competence and understanding of games learning.
The study used an action research method with 34 secondary school students in Hai Phong. This research consists of 2 cycles, in which the researcher observed every lessons during the first cycle and made some changes in the next cycle to further test the impact of games on students’ grammar learning. Data were collected through pre-tests, post-tests, questionnaires and interviews. The results showed that the post-test results of Cycle 2 showed a significant improvement compared to Cycle 1, indicating a positive effect of the games on grammar learning.
In this study, the researcher tried to explore and implement some technology-based games because she understands that at the present time, these games are of great interest to students. In addition to the results of the tests, the data obtained through the questionnaire once again confirmed the effectiveness of applying the game to teaching English grammar. Finally, interview questions also contribute to clarifying students' positive attitudes towards language games. These findings have provided valuable insights for teachers to improve the quality of teaching.
In short, language games create a positive learning environment for students and help improve students' grammar usage. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.
vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Rationale for the research. Aims and objectives of the study. Scope of the study.
Method of the study. Significance of the study. Organization of the thesis. 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.
General overview of grammar. Definition of grammar. The importance of grammar in learning English. Grammar learning for young learners.
General overview of games. Definition of games. Impacts of games on learning. Games implementation for young children.
When to use games. Which games to use. Implementing games in the classroom. Review of the previous studies.
Restatement of research questions. Definitions of action research. Principles of an action research. Models of an action research.
Procedures of the research. The stages of implementing language games in the classroom. Context of the research. Data collection instruments.
Pre-test and Post- test. Data collection procedures. Data analysis methods. 43 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS.
Data analysis of the grammar tests. The first cycle (cycle 1). The second cycle (cycle 2). Data analysis of questionnaire for the students.
Data analysis of interview with the students. The improvement of the students’ grammar competence through games. The attitudes of 6th grade students at a secondary school in Hai Phong towards games-based activities in English-grammar lessons. Limitations of the study.
Suggestions for further study. I APPENDIX 1: SAMPLE OF A LESSON PLAN WITH GAMES. XIV APPENDIX 3 : QUESTIONNAIRES. XX APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW (10 minutes).
XXIII APPENDIX 5: FIGURES. XXIV APPENDIX 6: PHIẾU ĐỒNG THUẬN THAM GIA NGHIÊN CỨU. XXVI APPENDIX 7: PHIẾU ĐỒNG THUẬN THAM GIA NGHIÊN CỨU.XXVII APPENDIX 8: PHOTOS. XXVIII vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 1: The cycles action research by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988).
26 Table 1: Types of games suitable at the three- stage teaching. 16 Table 2: Grammatical features chosen from the English Global Success for grade 6 part 1. 34 Table 3: The results of pre-test and post –test of the first cycle (cycle 1). 44 Table 4: The significant difference of the pretest and posttest mean scores of the first cycle (cycle 1).
46 Table 5: The results of pre-test and post –test of the second cycle (cycle 2) 46 Table 6: The Significant difference of the pretest and posttest mean scores of the second cycle (cycle 2). 48 Table 7: Students’ answers on the interview. 51 arch by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988). 26 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This part provides a comprehensive overview of the research, including the rationale for conducting the research, the aims and objectives of the research, the research questions, the scope and significance of the research, the research methods used and the organization of the thesis.
Rationale for the research The rationale for this thesis is firmly grounded in both theoretical and practical considerations, emphasizing the importance of games in enhancing students' grammar competence. Constructivist learning theory, which emphasizes active participation, teamwork, and real-world experiences as essential components of successful language learning, provides the theoretical framework (Vygotsky, 1978). This theory is supported by games, which give students the chance to work on meaningful tasks, promote active learning, and improve their grammar proficiency. Furthermore, the practical rationale for implementing project-based activities stems from their potential to motivate and engage students.
The passage suggests that students tend to study more effectively when they are in a positive emotional state. Goodman and Goodman (2014) propose that children learn language best in environments that provide opportunities to explore interesting objects and ideas. Games, in particular, are engaging and unpredictable, creating an atmosphere of excitement that facilitates children's discovery of new things and natural learning. Additionally, games promote authentic language use, allowing students to practice English in genuine and meaningful contexts.
Ellis (2016) emphasizes the effectiveness of using games to learn grammar. Language 1 games enable players to communicate using target grammatical structures in a natural and authentic manner. According to Ellis, grammar, when learned through games, becomes more than just a collection of rules without context. It becomes a framework for real communication situations, giving it meaning and relevance.
In summary, the implementation of games to improve sixth-grade students' grammar competence at a secondary school in Hai Phong is strongly supported by both theoretical and practical justifications. This study is anticipated to offer a promising strategy for effectively enhancing students' grammar skills and creating a dynamic and engaging language learning environment. Aims and objectives of the study The main aim of this study is to study the possibility to develop grammar competence of 6th grade students in a middle school through language games in English class. To achieve the above aim, the researcher set two small objectives: (i) To investigate the improvement of the 6th- grade students’ grammar competence through language games at a secondary school in Haiphong.
(ii) To explore the attitudes of 6th- grade learners at a secondary school in Haiphong towards the use of language games in English grammatical lessons. Research questions This study is guided by the two following questions: 1) To what extent do language games help enhance the grammar competence of sixth- grade learners at a secondary school in Haiphong? 2) What are the attitudes of 6th- grade students at a sceondary school in Haiphong towards the use of language games in English grammatical lessons. Scope of the study The scope of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of language games in enahncing grammatical competence of 6th grade students at a secondary school in Hai Phong. The study only focused on 6th grade students at a middle school.
The number of 6th grade students participating in the study was 34 students in the same class. The study will be conducted in 12 weeks. This study is grounded in relevant theories and concepts related to language games and grammatical competence. Method of the study The researcher used classroom action research methodology in this study involving 34 6th grade students in Class 6A2, Hai Phong.
Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and tests were used as research tools. In the pre- and post-tests, students' grammatical skills were measured, while their attitude towards language learning was measured through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Specifically, a set of 12 questions was applied to determine students' perceptions of their grammar ability and the application of language games in grammar lessons. The questions are designed for the researcher to gather feedback on topics such as students' interest in English grammar, the atmosphere of the grammar class, and their difficulties in learning grammar ( see Table 6), The designer of this set of questions uses the Likert scale to generate responses for respondents to choose, ranging from 1 to 5: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neutral (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1).
According to Arslan. (2020), a Likert scale typically consists of some specific statements to which respondents state their extent of agreement and disagreement. By analyzing these responses, the Likert scale allows researchers to convert subjective opinions into quantitative data. 3 Another research instrument option is semi-structured interviews, which were used to better understand students' opinions and feelings about the games used in the grammar lesson.
The interviews were conducted in Vietnamese to ensure clear communication and to ask follow-up questions. The final research tool used was a pre- and post-test to assess students' progress in basic knowledge and grammar skills. The data collected from these instruments allowed the researcher to analyze the effectiveness of game- based learning in improving students' grammar competence. Significance of the study The researcher expects that the results of this study will be beneficial to students, teachers, schools, and other researchers accordingly.
For students, the study aims to help students improve their English grammar competence. For teachers, the research can be used as a means to implement language games in lessons and make teaching and learning more innovative and exciting.