Open AccessESL RURAL PRIMARY STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE AND PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY THROUGH GAMES
Author(s) -
Sulaihah Salim,
Nisha Abd Halim,
S Adnan,
Siti Fatimah Mat Zin,
Nik Nur Fathiha Nik Din,
Aizan Yaacob
Publication year - 2020
Language(s) - English
DOI - 10.32890/pr2020.2.1
Subject(s) - vocabulary , mathematics education , class (philosophy) , test (biology) , psychology , perception , action research , action (physics) , pedagogy , computer science , linguistics , artificial intelligence , paleontology , philosophy , neuroscience , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
This action research investigated the use of games to boost ESL ruralprimary pupils’ motivation to learn English vocabulary. 18 Year 6pupils from a rural school in Gua Musang Kelantan were selectedby using convenient sampling. Multiple methods such as pre–test,post–test, observation, and interviews with teachers and pupils wereused for data collection. This paper highlighted pupils’ voices of theeffectiveness of vocabulary learning as the result of the pre and posttestshowed a significant difference in which pupils have acquiredthe new words effectively and there was an improvement after havinga game-based lesson. The findings indicated that the pupils showedsignificant improvement in their vocabulary scores after using games.Students reported that learning vocabulary by using games was funand interesting, as it increased their motivation to learn the Englishlanguage, helped them to memorise the vocabulary items faster, andincreased their interaction in class. Furthermore, the competitive andrepetitive nature of the game helped in vocabulary retention.