Tài liệu Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng trò chơi để dạy từ vựng tiếng anh cho học viên trẻ tại trung tâm mỹ việt anh

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHỆ ĐỒNG NAI BÁO CÁO TỔNG KẾT ĐỀ TÀI NGHIÊN CỨU KHOA HỌC CẤP TRƯỜNG A STUDY ON USING GAMES TO TEACH ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR YOUNG LEARNERS AT MY-VIET-ANH CENTER NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI ĐỂ DẠY TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC VIÊN TRẺ TẠI TRUNG TÂM MỸ-VIỆT-ANH Mã số: TR:2020-06/NN-SV Chủ nhiệm đề tài: Bùi Thị Thanh Như Đồng Nai, 5/2021 THÔNG TIN KẾT QUẢ NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỀ TÀI NGHIÊN CỨU KHOA HỌC CẤP TRƯỜNG (dùng cho Báo cáo tổng kết đề tài) 1. Thông tin chung: - Tên đề tài: A Study on Using games to Teach English Vocabulary for Young Learners at My-Viet-Anh Center (Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng trò chơi để dạy từ vựng tiếng Anh cho học viên trẻ tại trung tâm Mỹ - Việt - Anh) - Mã số: TR:2020-06/NN-SV - Chủ nhiệm đề tài: Bùi Thị Thanh Như Điện thoại: 0784707470 Email: [email protected] - Đơn vị quản lý về chuyên môn Khoa Ngoại Ngữ - Thời gian thực hiện: Tháng 9/2020 đến tháng 1/2021 2. Mục tiêu: Dựa trên tình hình thực tế của trung tâm ngoại ngữ và người bắt đầu học tiếng Anh, bài nghiên cứu đưa ra các giải pháp cụ thể là sử dụng trò chơi để dạy từ vựng tiếng Anh cho người mới học. Bài nghiên cứu cho thấy sự phát triển từ vựng, hấp thụ từ vựng cũng như sự hào hứng khi học từ vựng mới thông qua trò chơi. Học viên đón nhận và trung tâm ngoại ngữ Mỹ - Việt - Anh chấp nhận giải pháp để ứng dụng vào thực tiễn. Giúp người bắt đầu học tiếng Anh tự tin và sử dụng được từ vựng trong việc nói tiếng Anh lưu loát. 3. Nội dung chính: Giúp người học tiếp thu hào hứng từ mới tiếng Anh một cách tốt nhất.. 4. Kết quả chính đạt được (khoa học, đào tạo, kinh tế-xã hội, ứng dụng, ...) Học viên đạt được vấn từ cần thiết của môn học, sẽ đóng góp vào sự vận hành và sử dụng được tiếng Anh trong giao tiếp hàng ngày và đóng góp vào sự phát triển của xã hội. DANH SÁCH THÀNH VIÊN THAM GIA STT HỌ TÊN ĐƠN VỊ VAI TRÒ 1 Bùi Thị Thanh Như Khoa Ngoại Ngữ Chủ nhiệm đề tài 2 Phạm Thị Thanh Tuyền Khoa Ngoại Ngữ Thành viên 3 Nguyễn Văn Đức Khoa Ngoại Ngữ Thành viên CONTENT Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 1 I. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 2 1. Background of the study ............................................................................................... 3 2.Purpose of the study ....................................................................................................... 3 3.Research question .......................................................................................................... 3 4.Outline of the study ....................................................................................................... 4 5.Significant of the study .................................................................................................. 4 II. Literature review ......................................................................................................... 5 1. Defining and describing games ..................................................................................... 5 2. Who are young learners ................................................................................................ 6 3. Teaching vocabulary for young learner ........................................................................ 6 4. Teaching vocabulary using Games ............................................................................... 7 III. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 9 1. Participants of the study ................................................................................................ 9 2. Method of data collection ............................................................................................ 9 3. Research question ......................................................................................................... 9 4. Research design ............................................................................................................ 9 5. Method of data analysis .............................................................................................. 11 6. Ethical consideration .................................................................................................. 12 IV. Results and Discussion ............................................................................................. 14 1. Result .......................................................................................................................... 14 2. Discussion ................................................................................................................... 18 V. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 19 1. Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 19 2. Challenges .................................................................................................................. 19 References........................................................................................................................ 21 Appendix: ........................................................................................................................ 22 Abstract Students at this level are just starting their academic careers. School may be intimidating for some of the students in your class so, in order to encourage everyone to participate, it is important to make your lessons relaxed and fun. Students will be learning very basic material but you can design creative lessons that get students moving around and speaking with one another. Young learners are generally very enthusiastic about songs, especially if they can sing along, and active games. Be sure to provide lots of encouragement and positive feedback. I want to create a safe, stress-free environment that everyone can enjoy learning in. Reaching proficiency in a new language, especially English, is quite challenging for learners. However, this doesn't have to be tedious and tedious all the time. Learning English can be very enjoyable when your learning style is integrated with fun and comfort. Nowadays, you can learn English through the media, movies or even play games. Any subject can become boring if we just apply a boring, repetitive method of learning. This creates an ineffective learning model that will slow your progress. The research was conducted at My-Viet-Anh’s Center by interviewing students and teachers. The results show that games could help the learners quickly memorize the vocabulary, help them focus more on the lessons, build relationships and motivate them to learning English. Key words: English vocabulary, using games, young learner. 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Currently, in Vietnam, many parents have needs for their children to get acquainted with English very early. Because they realized that English is of great importance to today's life. So the demand for teaching and learning English is huge. Using games to learn vocabulary in teaching makes students more receptive, because it helps to develop thinking, creating, memorizing, more active, students can communicate comfortably. While playing a game, students do not voluntarily memorize new vocabulary and grammar materials (Beisenbaeva, 2014) [1]. Teaching young learners is very difficult compared with teaching teenagers or adults because young learners get distracted very fast. Children love to have fun and play, so teachers should choose suitable teaching methods that cater to children’s nature. Games are one of the methods that could be used in order to avoid boredom in the classroom. They have a special role in any foreign language teaching. Both students and teachers will benefit from including games during class time. Furthermore, teachers may achieve all the educational outcomes through applying the use of games especially when teaching vocabulary. Although language structure is considered “the skeleton of the language,” it agreed that vocabulary is “the vital organs and flesh” (Harmer, 1991) [2]. Vocabulary is the basic part and a key element to learn any language. Teaching vocabulary through the use of games has become crucially important for English language learners because they sustain enjoyment and interest in learning and encourage using the language in a fearless and creative manner. 2 1. Background of the study According to Beisenbaeva (2014) [1], vocabulary learning has been considered a boring subject for a long time and the way of learning traditional vocabulary only by writing and memorizing has proved ineffective. Meanwhile, the game is also considered a time-filling activity in most English classes. It is believed that games are just for entertainment and they have little effect in teaching and learning. However, our research shows that games can contribute to vocabulary learning as they can give students the opportunity to learn, practice and review English in a pleasant atmosphere. Playing games through games helps us to memorize vocabulary when it is repeated many times. The method of teaching English through games is very new and easy to absorb, unlike the old teaching method which is boring and difficult to develop. My-Viet-Anh's Center's brought the game into practice and achieved success. Games are a useful tool for learning vocabulary. Teaching English through games is the perfect solution to exploit all of these developing behaviors in a fun and enjoyable way, making your lesson exciting while your students learn. English as a second language. 2. Purpose of the study ➢ To find out if using games to teach English vocabulary would promote English vocabulary acquisition and motivate for learners at My-Viet-Anh’s Center. ➢ To examine the influence of using games to learn English vocabulary at My-VietAnh's Center. 3. Research question ➢ To what extent do games affect very young learner's motivation when learning the English language? ➢ To what extent does the use of games influence vocabulary acquisition? 4. Outline of the study The study consists of the following main sections: 3 ➢ Chapter 1- Introduction: The first chapter gives background and the need of the study. It shows the reasons for choosing the topic, the problems, aim of the study, and the structure of the research as well. ➢ Chapter 2- Literature Review: This chapter focuses on an overview of many previous research at four main points: Defining and describing games, Who are young learners, Teaching vocabulary for young learner, Teaching vocabulary using Games. ➢ Chapter 3- Methodology: This chapter reports the context settings, data collection procedures of questionnaire, interview and class observation; data analysis process, and ethical issues ➢ Chapter 4- Results and Discussion: This part works on the demonstration of the findings collected from questionnaire, interview and class observation. Moreover, it also explores the meaning of the results and interprets the results to evaluate the innovation and then give some suggestions and the limitation of the research. ➢ Chapter 5- Conclusion: This chapter wraps up the thesis with main insights and gives some recommendations for further research and practice. 5. Significant of the study The results of research on game use in teaching suggest that it may be helpful for English teachers at My-Viet-Anh's Center and teachers at other language centers or schools. and some recommendations are made with the desire that English teachers can help their students not only learn vocabulary effectively, but also motivate them to learn English. Terrell and Krashen (1983) proven that games, games qualify as an acquisition activity since they can be used to give comprehensible input. Students are normally interested in the outcome of the games, and in the most cases the focus of attention is on the game itselt and not the language forms uesed to play the game. 4 Chapter 2 Literature review In 2003, the language acquisition specialists of the Asian EFL Journal [3] conducted research on this. The results showed that the learning efficiency increased significantly when combining learning and playing. Students interviewed during the study gave very positive feedback. They really like the relaxed atmosphere it offers. These students also feel more enthusiastic and motivated to learn. This has been further corroborated by teachers observing and finding that students seem to acquire knowledge more quickly and memorize information longer using game-based English learning instead of infusion system. 1. Defining and describing games As far as definition of a game is concerned, Okoń (1992: 64) [8] perceives it as a variant of a play that depends on sticking to strict rules and achieving a determined outcome. Byrne (1986: 100), in turn, defines games as a form of play governed by certain rules or conventions. Moreover, Toth (1995: 5) provides a more expansive definition explaining game as follows: A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun. There are two kinds of games: Competitive games, in which players or teams race to be the first to reach the goal, and co-operative games, in which players or teams work together towards a common goal. The emphasis in the games is on successful communication rather than on correctness of language (Toth 1995: 5). In addition to the definition a greater insight into the nature of games can be provided by looking at an array of basic features they have. Following Juul 2002 in Whitehead (www1) [4], games reflect the following characteristics: ➢ Games are based on rules. ➢ Games have variable, quantifiable outcomes. ➢ The outcomes of games might have a positive or a negative value. 5 ➢ Games provide a degree of challenge which means that learners need to make effort in order to achieve a given objective. ➢ Students taking part in a game attach a significant importance to its outcomes – they ➢ know that a player will be the winner and happy if a positive outcome happens, and loser and unhappy if a negative outcome happens. Negotiable consequences: the same game [set of rules] can be played with or without reallife consequences. 2. Who are young learners? Young learners are agreed to be children from five or six years old who are in the first year of elementary schooling to twelve years old of age. However, the age of children is not necessarily an indicator of how mature they are. Philips (1993) stated that there are several factors influencing the maturity of children. These factors include their culture, sex, environment (city or rural), and parents. Also, their development should be taken into consideration. Some children develop very fast, and others might need more time. A good teacher of young learners should be aware of all their differences because understanding them can help teachers deciding on activities to be used in their teaching processes. In other words, teachers’ decision must be influenced by his or her knowledge of the children’s attitudes, interests, and circumstances instead of their physical age. 3. Teaching vocabulary for young learner In order for children to acquire English, they have to experience and hear the language when they are small. In general, it is agreed upon that they learn languages better than adults because children have more time for learning, and do not have any worries or responsibilities. Also, they are better at learning any language when they are exposed to it naturally for a long-term. English is taught to young learners at elementary (primary) level for several reasons. According to Brumfit, Moon and Tongue (1991), children need to be exposed to the language and its culture from an early age in order to grow up with tolerance and understanding for others. 6 Vocabulary is one of the components of a language, besides sound system, grammar and culture. Students who want to learn a target language, in this case English, of course have to learn those elements. Young learners need to pay attention to some elements of English language such as pronunciation, spelling, structure, and vocabulary. To master English skills, students must know the vocabulary of the language i.e. a list of words with their meaning because it supports their skills’ improvement (Linse, 2005). In order to speak and write English, children need to learn one to two thousand words (Cameron, 2001). Teaching vocabulary plays an important role in language acquisition because the mastery of vocabulary will help students master all the language skills- speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Vocabulary will make students practice the structure more easily. It is useful for students in order to communicate in daily life and will strengthen belief that English can be used to express the same ideas or feelings they express in their native language (Finocchiaro, 1974:38). In the teaching of English vocabulary to young learners, teachers are expected to have the skills of language in simple English. In other words, the teaching of English aims at giving introduction to the language, which means that the teaching processes have to utilize the existing context of situation. Teachers have to do this because teaching English to children is different from adults, especially in vocabulary teaching. Teachers should try to give as clear as possible the explanation of the meaning of the words being taught by using a technique. Nation (1928:27) states that a good vocabulary teaching technique has the following things: (1) It interests the learners. (2) It makes the learners give attention to the form meaning or use of the words. (3) It gives a chance for repetition. It affirms that choosing carefully and correctly the vocabulary which appropriate for children is the important things for teachers to consider. 4. Teaching vocabulary using Games Halliwell (1991) [5] argued that due to the creative language skill young learners bring into the classroom, teachers have to provide them with a communicative atmosphere where they could express themselves. Also, because the language used in any activity is unpredictable, teachers have to encourage them to actively construct language for themselves. That is why games are important and useful. Not only they are fun, but also 7 they create the desire to communicate and create predictability. Using games when teaching vocabulary to young learners require trained teachers who involve children in playing and mastered the linguistic part of the language. Rixon (1981) [6] stated that understanding games will help teachers in finding and creating games that make their students learn while they play. 8 Chapter 3 Methodology In this study, quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Definitely, these methods are different significantly. However, there is a tendency for researchers to practice more than one research method in a paper. According to Hinchey (2008), it is possible for researchers to apply three methods in each study which is named triangulation so that researchers can avoid ambiguity in their study. Moreover, Garbarino & Holland (2009) point out that the connection of both qualitative and quantitative research methods can help researchers have accurate prediction as well as appropriate ideas classification. 1. Participants of the study The participants were divided into 2 groups, Group 1 being young learners and Group 2 being the teachers at My-Viet-Anh's Center. ➢ Group 1 is My-Viet-Anh’students from 6 to 13 years old. The classes chosen are English for children and teenagers ( Cambridge) class. The researchers randomly selected 50 students of it. ➢ The second group of the study is the teachers of My-Viet-Anh's Center that used games to teach English vocabulary to younger students. 2. Methods of Data Collection In the study, questionnaire, class observation and semi-structured interview were used as evaluation instruments to collect the data for dealing with two research questions. 3. Research question ➢ To what extent do games affect very young learner's motivation when learning the English language? ➢ To what extent does the use of games influence vocabulary acquisition? 4. Research Design 9 Steps of the study Participants Technique Data Step 1 - Researchers Observation classes Making notes about the Pre-research activities during the teaching learning process 50 Students Step 2 - Panel survey (see Appendix 1) Implementation Identifying the students’ opinion after implementing the research 3 Teachers Teachers Interview Transcript of interview (see Appendix 2) result (PLS Smart/ SPSS) Transcript and summarize of interview Data Collection and observation result Students (PLS Smart/ SPSS) Transcript of survey result ➢ Step 1: Pre-research (only teaching by GTM) - Before going into class, we had a little chat to get information about how interesting games are when they study with research subjects and teachers. - In the classroom, we observe and record in great detail the students' expressions, knowledge, and interaction. In order to create a suitable survey questionnaire. - After the class, we stayed to test the students' memorization when the teacher only taught the traditional method (GTM) without the game. - After that, we stay to get information from teachers about the advantages and disadvantages of teaching without games. 10 ➢ Step 2: Implementation ( using games) - The first day: + Teachers have difficulty in choosing games and integrating vocabulary while teaching, unable to control enough teaching time. + Students are extremely excited, active but lost control. This leads to the disorder of the classroom and the inability to fully implement the teacher's plan. + Vocabulary performance is not improved, teachers face many difficulties, and have not yet fully applied the advantages of the game. + The survey results are not satisfactory for students, teachers also describe many difficulties when we interview. - 1 week later: + Teacher has mastered the selection of games and integration of vocabulary + Students have obeyed the law and the teacher's control + The efficiency of learning vocabulary quickly and correctly is getting higher and higher, accompanied by the excitement of learning vocabulary + The survey got good results with the students, when interviewing the teacher, we gained a lot of experience in using games when teaching vocabulary. ➢ Data collection: -We collected the data 3 times: before, during and after the research. - Data 1 and 3 are extremely far apart, with a great improvement of both students and teachers. - We use the methodology and data synthesis tools: PLS Smart,/SPSS to make the research more accurate and objective. - The number of earned income after each time clearly shows the effectiveness of the research. 5. Methods of Data Analysis: This part shows the process of analyzing and synthesizing the achieve data from questionnaire, interview and observation to make a close and organized interpretation to answer the research questions. 11 For the questionnaire data, PLS Smart/SPSS software was used to process the collected information. PLS Smart/SPSS method analyzes data and synthesizes results, through the following factors: research variable (construct), measurement variable (item), observed variable (manifest variable/observed variable)- which are variables, directly measured proxy variable, containing raw data; structural model (also known as inner model), measurement model (also known as outer model); exogenous latent variable, endogenous latent variable; The error term, the error part (residual). Firstly, the feedback on the questionnaire were coded by assigning a numerical value each (Yes =1, Maybe=2, No=3). Then, all the data was inputted accurately into the PLS Smart/SPSS spreadsheet by typing the code of the selected response for each question in the cell under that question's header. This software was used to calculate the numbers input into percentages output of response items for each question. Based on the percentages output, the students' attitudes and opinions toward learning English vocabulary through Games were determined. For qualitative data from observation and interview, the observational notes and interview records and transcripts were review many times and some important information were noted down as well. The interview data was produced to get feedback from different point of views of the students and teachers. 6. Ethical consideration: According to Bryman and Bell (2007) [7] the following ten points represent the most important principles related to ethical considerations in dissertations: • Research participants should not be subjected to harm in any ways whatsoever. • Respect for the dignity of research participants should be prioritised. • Full consent should be obtained from the participants prior to the study. • The protection of the privacy of research participants has to be ensured. • Adequate level of confidentiality of the research data should be ensured. Anonymity of individuals and organizations participating in the research has to be ensured. Any deception or exaggeration about the aims and objectives of the research must be avoided. 12 Affiliations in any forms, sources of funding, as well as any possible conflicts of interests have to be declared. Any type of communication in relation to the research should be done with honesty and transparency. Any type of misleading information, as well as representation of primary data findings in a biased way must be avoided. 13 Chapter 4 Results and Discussion This chapter objectively reports the findings depending on the research method. The purpose of this study is to show the effect of the method of bringing games into vocabulary teaching on students. Data from the research is done by Qualitative, Quantitative method, Experimental method and Data collection method through questionnaires and observations. According to the data collected, this chapter presents the results clearly. It also provides discussion of problems and weaknesses as well as proposed solutions. 1. Result Step 1: Observation (50 students & 3 teachers) - Teacher’s activities: ➢ Teacher have to prepare the tools of game, make a plan to organize the game. ➢ There are always warm-up activities by organizing games before entering the lesson and review the vocabulary of the previous lesson. Teacher graded and corrected the homework - Student’s activities: Participating in the game, state your opinion to receive stars. - Kind of games: ➢ Rolling box ➢ Passing game ➢ Slap the board ➢ Find the same picture ➢ Guessing word ➢ Bingo ➢ Arange the letters 14 Step 2: The result of panel survey (50 students) Question Answer Percent (%) Do you like the way teachers Yes/ Maybe 85% 10 69,4% teach vocabulary through games? (*1) How many vocabulary do you learn today? How many vocabulary do you 7 students: 5 remember? (*2) 13 students: 6 17 students: 7 5 students: 8 5 students: 9 3 students: 10 Do you think it easy to learn Yes 100% All 100% English through games? (*3) What games do you like? (*4) The result of interview (3 teachers) Question Is it easy to using games to Answer Percent (%) No 100% Yes 100% teach English vocabulary for students? (*A) Do you like the way students learn vocabulary through games? (*B) 15 Is the number of English Yes 100% All 100% vocabulary which students learn through games more than learn in the normal teaching? (*C) What games do you like to teaching? (*D) Students are asked to evaluate the importance of using games to learn vocabulary in language learning in general and English in particular (Question 1). From the student's answers via questionnaires, almost 85% of the students agree and maybe, 100% agree that they like to apply this method to learning English. As can be seen from the chart below, 0% of students disagree with this idea and no student completely disagrees with this idea. In fact, 85% of students consider it a neutral opinion. There are students who do not really care about the need for this approach but only have a minority of views. The result of panel survey (50 students) 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1 2 Answer 3 4 Percent 16