EDUCATION RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
The effectiveness of game playing activities helps students retain English vocabulary
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Vocabulary is a key element in the second language class. Without vocabulary, no message is conveyed. In communication, vocabulary plays an important role, it requires learners have to acquire many of the words and know how to use them to communicate effectively.
Although Vietnamese students realize the importance of learning vocabulary, they neglect in some English courses. In a vocabulary lesson, a vast amount of teaching time is consumed by explanation and definition, classroom blackboards are often littered with masses of new lexical items, and students compile page upon page of word-lists that they rarely have chance to practice. Obviously, vocabulary arises in the classroom regardless of the chosen activity, and in spite of any conscious design on the teacher’s part. As the result, most students, not just those with learning problems, rarely retain the meaning of vocabulary items. That is why, for most students, learning vocabulary in language lessons is time of failure and disappointment in which they gradually feel boring, often resorting to misbehavior in the classroom and a gradual rejection of the work that the teacher is doing for them. Nguyen & Khuat (2003) state that students study the second language, vocabulary learning is regarded as boring because of remembering unfamiliar vocabulary and their learning habits.
With the increasing emphasis on vocabulary in foreign learning, nowadays, various vocabulary teaching methods have been introduced to help students to retain vocabulary items. And it is my experience, as a teacher of English, that vocabulary has to be presented in a way that helps students find language lessons, especially vocabulary lessons more interesting and comprehensible for them to learn, I have chosen the topic: The effectiveness of game playing activities helps students retain English vocabulary.
Game playing activities not only can help reinforce students’ vocabulary, grammar, but also can create a non- stressful and effective learning atmosphere. This paper will aim to investigate the effectiveness of game playing activities in English teaching in my College.
1.1. Background of the school and the students.
As a teacher of English for non-major English students at Viet Hung Industrial College (VIC), I can clearly see the present situation of students’ English knowledge and vocabulary at VIC. The students’ ability to use English for communication is still limited. This is due to: the students’ level of English when entering college is low and of mixed ability. Many of the students come from the rural areas, they did not have a lot of chances to practice English at the high school. Some of them have learnt English for the three years or seven years at the high school where only written English is taught. Therefore, they can hardly ever communicate in English. They often feel shy because of poor English knowledge and vocabulary. As a result, the teachers often find it confusing to teach to improve individual skills for the students. Thus, my school has used basic material to teach, that is: New English File – Elementary. This material integrates four skills, it helps students revise knowledge and practice skills, which is important to their career.
1.2. The aims of the study.
The study aims to investigate the effect of using game playing activities in teaching and learning English vocabulary at VIC.
It is also to find out the students’ interest and progress toward game playing activities in lessons.
1.3. Research questions.
1. Are game playing activities effective in teaching and learning English vocabulary at Viet Hung Industrial College?
2. How do the students react upon the use of games in lessons?
1.4. The scope of the study.
There are a lot of activities that help students to retain vocabulary. However, in this study I would focus my research on game playing activities in term of English vocabulary teaching and learning in order to help students at VIC to learn vocabulary effectively.
1.5. The significance of the study.
It is hoped that the findings of the study will be useful for the researcher as well as other teachers at VIC to help students’ vocabulary retention be effective. It is also hoped that students and teachers will have a good habit of using interesting and active activities in teaching and learning vocabulary at VIC.