The Effect of classroom games on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL Learners’ Vocabulary enhancement

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English Language Department

The Effect of classroom games on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL Learners’ Vocabulary enhancement

Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Abstract

The Main aim of this study was to help learners learn vocabulary items more productive and with more ease. Therefore games were the tool to test the theory at hand. Memorizing vocabulary items have always been a very hard and time consuming matter. Students struggle to memorize long lists of vocabulary items and finally end up not remembering most of them after a short time. The first goal of this study was to see if teaching vocabulary through games can affect the learning ability of pre-intermediate students. In addition, the second aim of the study was to see if teaching games through vocabulary items can in fact motivate students toward learning the vocabulary items of another language or not. The method of this study was a type of quasi-experimental in nature, and the data was gathered in quantitative form. All the subjects participated in this study were the pre-intermediate students of private Tarbiat high school in Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchistan, Iran. 40 subjects were selected and were equally divided into two groups. All of the subjects were male and between 12 to 13 years old. In this research the researcher took a pre-test of 40 vocabulary items to determine subjects’ proficiency level. Later it was determined that both groups were homogeneous. A Post-test of similar vocabulary item was conducted as well. It showed the effects of the treatments and the differences between the two groups. Pre-test and post-test were the same in nature. The Delayed Post-test was taken Two weeks after the post-test. It was administered to both groups as a delayed post-test in order to measure the subjects’ long term retention. Subjects of both groups took the delayed post-tests unexpectedly. They didn’t know there were going to be another test. To determine the subject’s motivation a questionnaire comprising of 5 questions was administered along with an interview of 6 subjects. 2 subjects who got the best marks after post-test, 2 subjects who got medium and 2 subjects who got the lowest marks were selected. After analyzing the obtained data, no significant difference was found between the two groups on posttest, as both programs made progress in the subjects.  In the end after analyzing the data the mean score of experimental group on delayed posttest was 16.35. In comparison to the control group who got 12.8 on delayed-posttest, the experimental group made a significant progress. Hence, it implies that after two weeks, the experimental group had retained the vocabulary taught through instructional games better than the control group taught through regular techniques of teaching vocabulary. Therefore, the subjects in the experimental group have made a significant progress compared with the outset of the study on delayed post-test.  After analyzing the questioner it was understood that students were motivated and preferred to participate in the games, it encouraged them to participate, co-operate with each other, and enjoy while learning. Playing games improved student’s self-confidence and motivated them toward learning another language.

Keywords: Instructional games, Vocabulary Learning, Traditional methods, Retention