CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the setting of the problem of the study. Then the research questions that the study based on are listed. The purposes as well as the scope of the study are also reported. The last part of this chapter presents the brief outline of the research.
Background Considered as an international language, English is as the bridge which links people together, helps them closer and understand each other more easily. Particularly, in the globalization nowadays, English becomes more and more important. It is a fundamental condition to get a good job, to catch up with the development of the society in every field, especially in the science and technology. Therefore, learning English as a second language is more and more paid attention, especially as for the young learners.
As Scott (1998) mentions, the importance of teaching English to young learners has been especially emphasized in the recent years. Teaching English to the adults has many problems, but the adult learners are aware of their study, they have purposes of learning. However, young learners are different from the adults, because they are still developing cognitively, linguistically, physically and emotionally (Moon, 2005). They have not been aware of their learning yet, they even do not really know why they should learn English.
In fact, young learners do not have clear purposes to learn English like the adults. Moreover, they cannot maintain their attention too long nor understand all the complex rules and theory; therefore, young learners are easy to feel bored if they do not find any interests in the learning process. In addition, because the social competition is fierce, the parents expect their children to be the best. The students’ burden of study is heavy, their pressure is increasing gradually and they are tired of 1 learning.
Thus, it is necessary to find a suitable way to keep students’ interest and help them learn English more effectively and comfortably. Among a lot of strategies teachers have used, using games is considered as one of the most effective ways to teach young learners English better.35) said: There is a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. This is a misconception. It is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time.
One of the best ways of doing this is through games. There is the fact that most learners enjoy games, especially the young learners. Playing games is the nature of the children, they “love to play, and learn best when they enjoy themselves” (Scott & Ytreberg, 1998, p. Games help students recycle new language aspects naturally, and games can be fun, competitive, challenging or relaxing, especially to children.
There are many reasons to use games in teaching young learners such as games relieve tension for the child, games increase their interest, games help young learners feel better about themselves or games help them retain new information for a longer period of time, etc. As Chan & Lin (2000) emphasized students’ motivation and confidence could be enhanced in the process of playing games when they achieved the learning goal in a relaxing environment. Moreover, using games in teaching can maintain the attention of students more easily because having fun will satisfy an inborn predisposition towards attentiveness in human subjects (Deesri, 2002). The game is also a useful tool to improve children’s vocabulary acquisition in a natural way (Angelova & Levoka, 1995).
Kuo (cited in Briody, Shang & Wang, 2011) also further mentions that games have always been a popular tool in an English class to create interest and wake uninterested students up. Obviously, using games in teaching English is always supported by the English teachers and learners all over the world. 2 In the mainstream of the whole world, the teaching and learning English at the primary schools is paid special attention. The teaching of English at primary schools has been expanded nationwide, initially from big cities to many other towns, localities and even to rural areas.
On August 17th, 2010, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam made the announcement N.4919/BGDDT- GDTH about the direction for the school year 2010 - 2011 applied for primary school. According to this latest regulation, students at primary schools will learn English from grade 3 to grade 5 and at least 2 periods per week. The requirement of the Moet to English teaching at the primary schools is to develop the communicative ability for children through the variety of teaching activities. Therefore, the teachers also try their best in designing activities, applying visual aids and technology in teaching, finding the more effective ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning English.
Although games have been used in the teaching English to young learners for a long time, they are really paid attention in recent years. Many studies have been carried out to investigate the effectiveness of using games teaching English to young learners, and most of the results showed that games are always approved by both teachers and learners. However, because of the difference in learners’ characteristics, the lack of teaching facilities as well as the limited of teaching time, most of the teachers always want to explore the effective ways to choose and use games in the teaching English to young learners efficiently. Thua Thien Hue is one of the first provinces to be chosen to teach English at primary schools.
English teachers in Hue usually have chances to gain more experience and improve their teaching through the training courses held annually. The teaching aids such as computers, projectors, video, etc. are always useful for their teaching and using games seems indispensable. But how the teachers at the primary schools in Hue choose and use games and whether their choice and use of games are suitable in order to help the young learners learning English better or not.
To solve this problem, the researcher carried out the study to explore the teachers’ 3 choice and use of games in teaching English to young learners at some primary schools in Hue city. Topic “An investigation into teachers’ choice and use of games in teaching English to young learners at some primary schools in Hue city” 1. Aims of the study This study is carried out with the aims of exploring the teachers’ perception on using games in teaching English to young learners. In addition, the research also discovers the ways teachers in some primary schools in Hue city choosing and using games in their teaching English to young learners in reality.
Basing on the finding results and suggestions from the teachers, some possible solutions will be recommended in order to make the teachers’ choice and use of games in teaching English become more beneficial to young learners. Research questions In order to fulfill the research aims, this study was conducted according to the following research questions: 1. What are teachers’ perceptions about the role of games in teaching English to young learners? 2. How have games been chosen and used to support teaching English to young learners at some primary schools in Hue City? 3.
What are suggestions for choosing and using games? 1. Significance of the study Up to now, there have been many researches about the effectiveness of using games in teaching English in general and teaching English to children in particular. 4 However, most studies mainly focused on the benefits of using games in teaching English as well as exploring the difficulties using games in teaching process. This study, therefore, is supposed to gain some insights into the specific area that the teachers’ choices and use of games in teaching English to young learners.
Besides investigating the teachers’ perceptions on choosing and using games in teaching English to young learners, this study also explored the way that teachers choose and use games in teaching English to young learners in reality. It is expected that this study can contribute further useful ideas to the primary teachers so that they can select and use games in teaching English more effectively. Scope of the study This study conducted in some primary schools with 30 teachers and 100 students from some primary schools and foreign languages institutions in Hue: Tran Quoc Toan, Quang Trung, Phu Cat, Phu Hoa, Phu Thuan, Phu Binh, Thuan Thanh, Thuan Loc, Le Loi and Vietnam – America English Center. Brief outline of the thesis The thesis consists of five chapters as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter presents an introduction to the briefly main contents of the whole thesis.
It includes the background of the study and explains the reasons why the researcher chooses this area for this study. Then the research questions, scope of the study and structures of the thesis are stated. Chapter 2: Literature Review and Theoretical Background In this chapter, the related studies are briefly summarized and analyzed. Then, the researcher provides some theoretical background which provides some definitions of games, defines the young learners, mentions the effectiveness of using games as well as indicates the ways to choose and use games in teaching English to young learners effectively.
5 Chapter 3: Methodology Chapter 3 presents the methodology based on which the study was carried out. To do this research, both qualitative and quantitative are chosen. The participants, the instruments and data collection procedures as well as the tool using to analyze the data are also presented. Chapter 4: Findings And Discussion This chapter has presented an analysis and discussion of the results from investigating teachers’ choice and use of games in teaching English to young learners at some primary schools in Hue city.
The result will be analyzed basing on the research questions and presented in tables and charts. Chapter 5: Conclusions And Implications The last chapter deals with the study summary, implications for the teachers and administrators, some limitations of the study and suggestions for further study. 6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND This chapter divides into two main parts. The first part reviews the critical points of current knowledge which relate to the field of study.
The second part will give some theoretical background of the study which includes the definition of games, the characteristics of games for young learners as well as the reasons to use games in the classroom. In addition, the classification of games, ways to choose appropriate games and when games should be used will be presented. Review of the previous studies Using games in teaching English in general, and teaching English for children in particular is now very popular. Many researches are conducted to investigate the advantages of using games, the impact of using games as well as the ways to use games in teaching English effectively.
Concerning to the effectiveness of using games in teaching English, Chirandon, Laohawiriyanon & Rakthong (2010) reflected that students had significantly improved in vocabulary knowledge and ability to communicate. Moreover, students also had positive attitudes towards learning English through games. Regarding these results, they recommended that using games in teaching English was beneficial to beginners especially those in primary schools for young learners. Focusing mainly on the students at the primary schools, Briody, Shang & Wang (2011) carried out the research with 50 students from the elementary schools in Taiwan.
The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the usage of games and students’ English proficiency. They found that students had significant improvements in their learning motivation and vocabulary acquisition. Moreover, students’ anxiety levels due to peer pressure were reduced when the 7 lessons included games. Games, therefore, have a great effect on the learning English of the young learners and it should be used in the teaching English to young learners more frequently.
Not just investigating the effectiveness of using games in teaching English in general; many researchers have deeply examined the impact of using games on the specific skill.