iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv Lists of tables and figures v PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 A brief look into English vocabulary 1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary 1.1.2 Classification of vocabulary 1.1.3 Aspects involved in learning a new word 1.1.4 The status of vocabulary in current language learning 1.1.5 Some reasons for undervaluation and neglect of vocabulary in 10 teaching and learning in the past 1.2 Language games in foreign language learning 11 1.2.1 Definitions of language games 11 1.2.2 Classification of language games 12 1.2.3 The status of language games in language learning 13 v CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 15 2.1 Subjects of the study 15 2.2 Data collection instruments and procedures 15 2.2.1 Data collection instruments 15 2.2.2 Procedures 16 CHAPTER 3: DARA ANALYSIS, DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS 17 3.1 Results and discussion from the questionnaires 17 3.1.1 Results and discussion form pre-task questionnaire 17 3.1.2 Results and discussion from post-task questionnaire 23 3.2 Results and discussion from the interviews 29 3.3 Summary of the findings 31 CHAPTER 4: IMPLICATIONS FOR USING LANGUAGE GAMES IN 33 TEACHING AND LEARNING VOCABULARY 4.1 Choosing appropriate games 33 4.2 When to use language games 34 4.3 Organization of the class 34 4.4 Learner participation 35 4.5 Explanation of language game rules 36 PART C: CONCLUSION 37 Summary of the study 37 Limitations of the study 37 Suggestions for further study 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDICES I APPENDIX I APPENDIX V APPENDIX IX APPENDIX X APPENDIX XII vi LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES Page Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards the role of vocabulary in learning 17 English Table 2: The common ways of presenting new words taught by their 19 teachers Table 3: Students’ main difficulties in learning vocabulary 20 Table 4: Students’ common ways of learning vocabulary 21 Table 5: Students’ opinions about language games used in vocabulary 24 lessons Table 6: Students’ involvement in language games 27 Figure 1: Students’ perspective of learning vocabulary in English lessons 18 Figure 2: Student’s preferences of the way of teaching vocabulary 20 Figure 3: Students’ exposure to language games 22 Figure 4: Students’ opinions about the purpose of language games in 22 teaching and learning vocabulary Figure 5: Students’ feelings about the language games given by the teacher 24 Figure 6: Students’ feeling after taking part in language games 25 Figure 7: Students’ assessment of their vocabulary gained through 26 language games Figure 8: Students’ preferences of ways organizing language games 28 PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale Learning a foreign language is hard work and for most people takes a commitment of time and effort We all know that learning a foreign language mainly involves learning the sound system, grammar and vocabulary of that language It is apparent that vocabulary learning plays a crucial role in language learning as it helps learners to develop the four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing Currently, the long neglected issue of vocabulary acquisition is receiving attention in second language pedagogy A number of research studies recently conducted have dealt with lexical problems of language learners Recognizing the importance of vocabulary in language learning, however, most of English classrooms in Vietnam today in general and at Phuong Nam private lower secondary school where I am teaching English in particular, vocabulary teaching and learning has not been paid enough attention to as it deserves Vocabulary has not been taught separately but mixed with lessons of reading, speaking, writing or listening This causes many difficulties for teachers of English to apply suitable teaching methods Another problem is that even though my students realize the importance of vocabulary in language learning, most of them find it boring and learn vocabulary passively They think that it is simply an activity that teachers introduce new vocabulary and their task is just to copy down the new word and remember its meaning They think they know the word already, but in fact, in many cases, students are not able to use the word they learnt appropriately in different contexts as well as its pronunciation As a teacher of English, in the teaching process, I also realize that when doing tasks in the textbook or doing tests such as fifteen-minute tests, forty-five-minute tests etc, the most common question my students often ask is "Can you tell me what this word means?" Moreover, many of my students often make complains that they learnt a lot of new words, but only a few days later, most of the words seem to fade away in their minds and ask the teacher how they can learn vocabulary effectively and find it an interesting activity In recent years, communicative language teaching (CLT) has been applied in Vietnam and this led to the adaptation of textbooks used in secondary schools which are designed in the light of CLT In CLT classrooms, one of the activities that requires students to communicate actively with their classmates and motivates students is playing language games Regarding these issues, it is important for English teachers to create an effective language-learning environment, in which, the levels of anxiety are low and the levels of comfort are high and which helps to motivate students to participate in learning vocabulary in the language classroom For the above reasons, the researcher decided to conduct the study “Learning vocabulary through language games of 7th-form students at Phuong Nam private lower secondary school” Aims of the study This study is aimed at:  Investigating the current attitudes and main difficulties in learning vocabulary of 7th-form students at Phuong Nam private lower secondary school  Investigating the effectiveness of using language games in their vocabulary learning  Providing some implications for using language games in vocabulary learning, based on the students' feedback to the vocabulary lessons using language games, Research questions To reach the aims of the study, the following research questions were proposed  What are students‟ attitudes towards vocabulary learning?  What are their main difficulties in learning vocabulary?  Is learning vocabulary through language games effective?  What are some implications for using language games in vocabulary learning? Scope of the study The study focuses on investigating the common attitudes and difficulties in learning vocabulary and accessing the effectiveness of using language games in learning vocabulary of 7th-form students at Phuong Nam private lower secondary school Methods of the study In the process of conducting this study, data is collected from survey questionnaires and interviews with students The survey questionnaires consist of two types: pre- task survey questionnaire and post- task survey questionnaire The pre- task survey questionnaire was delivered to the students to find out their attitudes towards vocabulary learning as well as their main difficulties in learning vocabulary The post- task survey questionnaire was administered after six lessons applying language games This questionnaire aims to investigate students‟ reaction to language games and the effectiveness of their learning vocabulary through language games Interviews were conducted with students to cross- check the questionnaire data and collect detailed explanation for the student respondents‟ attitudes related to the topic of the present study Design of the study The study consists of three parts: Part A is the introduction in which the rationale, aims, research questions, scope, methods of the study are presented Part B is the development- the main part of the study There are four chapters in this part Chapter deals with some theoretical background relevant to the study It includes a brief look into vocabulary i.e definitions, classification of vocabulary, aspects involved in learning a new word, the status of vocabulary in current language learning, some reasons for undervaluation of vocabulary in teaching and learning in the past and an overview of language games in language learning Chapter presents the research methodology and deal with the investigation of learning vocabulary through language games This chapter covers the information of subjects of the study, data collection and procedures Chapter goes on with detailed levels of the data analysis, results, discussion and findings of the study Chapter proposes some implications for using language games in teaching and learning vocabulary which is based on the findings of this study Part C is the conclusion, the last part of the study This part summarizes the study, states the limitations of the study and gives suggestions for further study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, some theoretical background of English vocabulary will be briefly presented such as definitions, classification, the status of vocabulary in language learning, aspects involved in learning a word and some possible reasons for undervaluation and neglect of vocabulary in the past In addition, an overview of language games including their definitions, types and roles in language learning will be stated clearly 1.1 A brief look into English vocabulary 1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary Without an extensive vocabulary and strategies for acquiring new vocabulary, learners often achieve less than their potential and may be discouraged from making use of language learning opportunities around them such as listening to the radio, listening to the native speakers, using language in different contexts, reading or watching television (Jack C Richard and Willy A Renandya, 2002) It is true that learning vocabulary is of the utmost importance However, the definition of the word has been, for a long time - a major problem for linguistic theory Up to present, there are various definitions of vocabulary based on different points of view about vocabulary Commonly, we consider vocabulary as all the words of a language or the collection of words one knows and uses According to Fran, L & Jean, O., in education, the word vocabulary is used with varying meanings For example, for beginning reading teachers, the word might be synonymous with “sight vocabulary,” by which they mean a set of the most common words in English that young students need to be able to recognize quickly as they see them in print However, for teachers of upper elementary and secondary school students, vocabulary usually means the “hard” words that students encounter in content area textbook and literature selections For their own, Fran, L & Jean, O define vocabulary as knowledge of words and word meanings in both oral and printed language and in productive and receptive forms Oral vocabulary includes those words that we recognize and use in listening and speaking Printed vocabulary includes those words that we recognize and use in reading and writing Receptive vocabulary includes words that we recognize when we hear or see them Productive vocabulary includes words that we use when we speak or write From Ur‟s view point, vocabulary as the words we teach in the foreign language (1996:60) In short, it is not simple work to give an exact definition of vocabulary For the purpose of this study, the researcher herself most agrees with last one 1.1.2 Classification of vocabulary Basing on different features, vocabulary can be classified in many ways 1.1.2.1 Classification by origin According to the origin of words, we have two types called native words and loan words Loan words are words taken from one language and used in another like abdomen, cookie Native words are words that are not borrowed from another language, but are inherited from an earlier stage of the language like hand, chair 1.1.2.2 Classification by level of usage According to the level of usage, vocabulary can be divided into common, literary, colloquial, slang, technical words Common words or popular words often connect with the ordinary things or activities and make up the biggest part of the vocabulary with its core as basic word stock Stylistically, they are neutral and hence appropriate in both formal and informal writing and speech Literary words are chiefly used in writing, formal and elevated in style like the word purchase/ buy Colloquial words are used mainly in speaking to colleagues or friends and in informal writing Consider the following examples that illustrate the difference between the use of common and colloquial words: John was fired for petty thieving (Colloquial) John was dismissed for petty thieving (Common) Slang words are words of a vigorous, colorful, fictitious or taboo nature, invented for specific occasions or uses or derived from the unconventional use of the standard vocabulary For instance, buzz, knockout Technical words are used in various special fields with functions partly to denote things or processes which have no names in ordinary English, and most remain essentially foreign to outsiders, even to educated native speakers For example psychoanalysis 1.1.2.3 Classification by notion According to the notion, vocabulary consists of two types, function or structural words and content words Function words include categories of words like determiners, conjunctions or auxiliaries which serve as grammatical signals or functional markers They not have lexical meaning and belong to closed system Content words are used to name objects, qualities, actions or states They have independent lexical meanings and belong to the open system 1.1.2.4 Classification by the usage of the word In language teaching, vocabulary can be divided into productive and receptive vocabulary Productive vocabulary generally refers to words which can be produced within an appropriate context and match the intended meaning of the speaker or signer As with receptive vocabulary, however, there are many degrees at which a particular word may be considered part of an active vocabulary Knowing how to pronounce, sign, or write a word does not necessarily mean that the word can be used correctly or accurately reflects the intended message of the utterance, but it does reflect a minimal amount of productive knowledge 1.1.2.5 Classification by the frequency of use In terms of frequency studies of vocabulary, there are two types of vocabulary: high frequency and low frequency vocabulary High frequency vocabulary consists of words that are used very often in normal language in all four skills and across the full range of situations of use It consists of most function words of English and the most common content words The high frequency words are used so often that they make up about 87% of running words in formal written texts and more than 95% of the words in informal spoken texts whereas the low frequency words cover only a small proportion of the running words of a continuous text It is thus very important that teachers are aware of the words that make up the high frequency words of English and that give classroom time to high frequency words 1.1.2.6 Classification by the concept of morpheme Basing on this criterion, there are simple words (i.e words consisting of one root morpheme), 39 Byrne, D 1995 Games: Teaching Oral English Harlow: Longman Group UK Limited Case, D (1990) English Puzzles – 50 Puzzles and Games for Practicing Your English Volumes 1, 2, 3, M & A Thomson Ltd, East Kibride, Scotland Celce-Murcia, M (ed.) (2000) Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language Boston: Heinle & Heinle Coady, J & Huckin, T (1997) Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: A Rationale for Pedagogy Cambridge University Press Granger, C & Plumb, J (1980) Play Games with English Thomson Litho Ltd, East Kibride, Scotland Hadfield, J (1984) Elementary Communication Games Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, UK Larsen-Freeman, D (2000) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching Oxford University Press 10 Lee, W R (1979) Language Teaching Games and Contests Oxford University Press 11 Lewis, M & Hill, J (1992) Practical Techniques for Language Teaching London: Commercial Colour Press Plc 12 Mc Carthy, M (1990) Vocabulary Oxford University Press 13 Nation, P (ed.) (1994) New Ways in Teaching Vocabulary Bloomington, Illinois USA: Pantagraph Printing 14 Schmitt, N & Mc Carthy, M (ed.) (1997) Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy Cambridge University Press 15 Flower, J (1994) Build Your Vocabulary 1, 2, Language Teaching Publications 16 Uberman, A (1998) The Use of Games: For Vocabulary Presentation and Revision from http://eca.state.gov/forum/vols/vol36/no1/index.htm, Vol 36 No 1, January - March 1998 17 Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 18 Wright, A., Betteridge, D & Buckby, M (1984) Games for Language Learning Cambridge University Press Websites http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Deesri-Games.html 40 http://www.allwords.com/word-vocabulary.html http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/Articles/Why_and_How_to_use_Games_in _Class.htm http://www.english-4kids.com/articles/childrenwhylearnarticle.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_game I APPENDICES APPENDIX I PRE-TASK SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE This survey questionnaire is designed for my study “Learning vocabulary through language games of 7th form students at Phuong Nam private lower secondary school” Your assistance in fulfilling the following questions is greatly appreciated Please put a tick () in the given boxes to indicate your choice For some questions, you can choose more than one option Thank you so much for your help What you think about the role of vocabulary in learning English?  A Very important  B Important  C Normal  D Not important What you think about learning vocabulary in your English lessons?  A Very interesting  B Interesting  C Not interesting  D Boring How long you spend learning new words?  A One or two hours a day  B Four or five hours a week  C Rarely  D Never How your teachers often present new words? (you can choose more than one option)  A Translate all new words into Vietnamese  B Use the target language to define new words  C Use visual aids (relia/ pictures)  D Use language games  E Others (please specify)……………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… Do you like the way your teachers present new words?  A Yes  B No  C No idea What is your greatest difficulty when learning new words? II  A Difficult to remember the meaning and the spelling  B Difficult to pronounce words  C Difficult to use words in correct context  D Easy to forget words What is your common way of learning new words?  A Write down new words and their meanings  B Make sentences with them  C Play language games  D Read them aloud many times  E Others (please specify) …………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Have you ever played language games?  A Yes  B Not yet If not yet, please give your reasons why you have never played language games? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 10 What you think about the purpose of language games in teaching and learning vocabulary?  A Relax  B Time-filling  C Make vocabulary learning interesting and effective  D Both A and C 11 If your teacher applies language games in teaching vocabulary, are you willing to join?  A Yes  B No Thank you again for your cooperation! III BẢNG CÂU HỎI ĐIỀU TRA (Trước áp dụng trị chơi ngơn ngữ vào dạy từ vựng) Những câu hỏi sau nhằm phục vụ cho nghiên cứu việc học từ vựng tiếng Anh thông qua trị chơi ngơn ngữ học sinh khối trường THCSDL Phương Nam Mong em vui lòng trả lời câu hỏi sau cách đánh dấu () vào ô trống để rõ lựa chọn em Chân thành cảm ơn cộng tác em! Em nghĩ vai trò từ vựng việc học tiếng Anh?  A Rất quan trọng  B Quan trọng  C Không quan trọng Em nghĩ việc học từ vựng học tiếng Anh?  A Rất thú vị  B Thú vị  C Không thú vị  D Tẻ nhạt Em thường dành thời gian để học từ mới?  A Một hai tiếng ngày  B Bốn năm tiếng tuần  C Hiếm  D Không Giáo viên em thường dạy từ nào? (Em chọn nhiều đáp án)  A Dịch tất từ sang tiếng Việt  B Sử dụng tiếng Anh để định nghĩa từ  C Sử dụng giáo cụ học trực quan (hiện vật, tranh ảnh…)  D Sử dụng trị chơi ngơn ngữ  E Ý kiến khác ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Em có thích cách dạy từ giáo viên khơng?  A Có  B Khơng  C Khơng có ý kiến IV Khó khăn lớn em việc học từ gì?  A Khó nhớ nghĩa cách đánh vần từ  B Khó phát âm từ  C Khó sử dụng từ văn cảnh  D Dễ quên từ học Em thường học từ cách nào?  A Viết nhiều lần từ nghĩa chúng  B Đặt câu với từ  C Chơi trị chơi ngơn ngữ  D Đọc từ nhiều lần  E Ý kiến khác Em chơi trị chơi ngơn ngữ chưa?  A Đã  B Chưa Nếu chưa chơi, em cho biết lý sao? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Theo em mục đích trị chơi ngôn ngữ dạy học từ vựng gì?  A Thư giãn  B Lấp thời gian  C Giúp cho việc học từ vựng thú vị hiệu  D Cả hai ý kiến A & C 11 Nếu giáo viên áp dụng trò chơi ngơn ngữ việc dạy từ vựng, em có sẵn sàng tham gia khơng?  A Có  B Không Cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! V APPENDIX POST-TASK SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE This survey questionnaire is designed for my study “Learning vocabulary through language games of 7th form students at Phuong Nam private lower secondary school” Your assistance in fulfilling the following questions is greatly appreciated Please put a tick () in the given boxes to indicate your choice For some questions, you can choose more than one option Thank you so much for your help Do you like the language games given by your teacher?  A Yes, very much  B Yes  C No  D No idea What you think about the language games given by your teacher in your vocabulary lessons?  A Very interesting and useful  B Interesting and useful  C Uninteresting and useless How you feel after taking part in these language games?  A Relaxed and interested  B Normal  C Boring  D Stressful Do you think that you are more interested in learning vocabulary through language games than through other ways?  A Yes  B No Has your knowledge of vocabulary been improved since you took part in the language games?  A Much better than before  B Better than before  C Not better at all Do you remember new words better and faster due to the relaxing atmosphere in language games?  A Yes  B No How can your classmates help you to learn new words while playing language games? (you can choose more than one option)  A Help you recall the words you learnt but at that time you forgot  B Help you remember words from language games VI  C Help you enrich your vocabulary by giving the meanings of the words you not know  D Others (please specify) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… What you often while playing language games?  A Actively take part in language games  B Join the games only when asked by your teacher  C Join in only when you like  D Others (please specify) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… In what ways you want the teacher to organize language games for students to play? (you can choose more than one option)  A Individual  B Pair work  C Group work  D The whole class 10 How often you like to play language games?  A Often  B Sometimes  C Rarely  D Never 11 In your opinion, what should the teacher to make the use of language games in your learning vocabulary more effective? (you can choose more than one option)  A Teacher should choose language games which are suitable to students’ level  B Teacher should instruct student the rules of language games more clearly  C Teacher should apply various kinds of vocabulary language games  D Teacher should join language games with students  E Others (please specify) …………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you again for your cooperation! VII BẢNG CÂU HỎI ĐIỀU TRA (Sau áp dụng trò chơi ngôn ngữ) Những câu hỏi sau nhằm phục vụ cho nghiên cứu việc học từ vựng tiếng Anh thông qua trị chơi ngơn ngữ học sinh khối trường THCSDL Phương Nam Mong em vui lòng trả lời câu hỏi sau cách đánh dấu () vào ô trống để rõ lựa chọn em Chân thành cảm ơn cộng tác em! Em có thích trị chơi ngôn ngữ mà giáo viên đưa không?  A Có, em thích  B Có thích  C Khơng thích  D Khơng có ý kiến Em nghĩ trị chơi ngơn ngữ mà giáo viên đưa cácbài học từ vựng?  A Rât thú vị hữu ích  B Thú vị hữu ích  C Khơng thú vị vơ ích Em cảm thấy sau tham gia chơi trị chơi ngơn ngữ?  A Thư giãn thú vị  B Bình thường  C Tẻ nhạt  D Căng thẳng Em có cho em hứng thú với việc học từ vựng thơng qua trị chơi ngơn ngữ thông qua cách học khác không?  A Có  B Khơng Kiến thức từ vựng em có cải thiện kể từ tham gia trị chơi ngơn ngữ hay khơng?  A Cải thiện nhiều so với trước  B Cải thiện so với trước  C Không cải thiện chút Em có nhớ từ tốt nhanh bầu khơng khí thư giãn mà trị chơi ngơn ngữ mang lại hay khơng?  A Có  B Khơng Các bạn lớp giúp em học từ chơi trị chơi ngơn ngữ? ( Em chọn nhiều đáp án)  A Giúp em nhớ lại từ mà em học lúc lại quên  B Giúp em nhớ từ từ trị chơi ngơn ngữ VIII  C Giúp em làm giàu vốn từ vựng cách đưa nghĩa từ mà em  D Ý kiến khác ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Em thường làm trị chơi ngơn ngữ diễn ra?  A Tích cực tham gia vào trị chơi ngơn ngữ  B Tham gia trò chơi giáo viên yêu cầu  C Tham gia thấy thích  D Ý kiến khác ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Em muốn giáo viên tổ chức trị chơi ngơn ngữ cho học sinh chơi nào?  A Cá nhân  B Cặp  C Nhóm  D Cả lớp 10 Em muốn chơi trị chơi ngơn ngữ lần?  A Thường xuyên  B Thỉnh thoảng  C Hiếm  D Không 11 Theo ý kiến em, giáo viên nên làm để giúp cho việc sử dụng trị chơi ngơn ngữ hiệu việc học từ vựng? ( Em chọn nhiều đáp án)  A Giáo viên nên chọn trị chơi ngơn ngữ phù hợp với trình độ học sinh  B Giáo viên nên hướng dẫn học sinh luật chơi rõ ràng  C Giáo viên nên áp dụng nhiều trị chơi ngơn ngữ khác  D Giáo viên nên tham gia trò chơi học sinh  E Ý kiến khác ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Xin cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! IX APPENDIX Interview questions What you think about the role of vocabulary in learning English? What you think about learning vocabulary in your English lessons? Through language games, what you think of their role in teaching and learning English? Could you suggest some ideas to the teacher to make language games in your learning vocabulary more interesting? X APPENDIX Interview transcript Question 1: What you think about the role of vocabulary in learning English? Student 1: Learning vocabulary is very important because it helps me understand texts in the textbook and find no difficulty in reading comprehension exercises Student 2: Learning vocabulary is very important because if I know many words, I can listen and speak well Student 3: Learning vocabulary is important because it helps me understand the contents of lessons in the textbook However it is not the most important I think grammar is more important because most of the exercises in the tests I have to deal with grammar Thus I often spend more time studying grammar Student 4: Learning vocabulary is important because it helps me to tests well Student 5: Learning vocabulary is normal I find grammar the most important The teacher often requires students to learn grammar structures Question 2: What you think about learning vocabulary in your English lessons? Student 1: I don’t like learning vocabulary in English lessons It is so boring because my entire task is just look at the board and copy down every new word in my notebooks Student 2: I not feel interested in learning vocabulary This is simply an activity that the teacher writes new words on the board, reads them aloud and students repeat again and again The teacher does not make up other vocabulary learning activities Student 3: I think that learning vocabulary in my English lesson is ok The way the teacher teaches students new words is rather simple but I can learn many new words and know the meaning of words quickly and easily Students 4: Learning vocabulary in English lessons is not really interesting The teacher rarely uses pictures, posters or games to draw students’ attention Student 5: Learning vocabulary is boring I often forget words that I learnt before I hope the teacher can have ways to help us remember new words XI Question 3: Through language games, what you think of their role in teaching and learning English vocabulary? Student 1: Language games help us remember new words better and faster Student 2: Language games make learning vocabulary more interesting Student 3: Before, I thought language games were just for fun but now I think, they make my vocabulary learning become more effective Student 4: Language games create a joyful learning environment Student 5: Language games provide chances for me to use new words that I have learnt Question 4: Could you suggest some ideas to the teacher to make the use of language games in your learning vocabulary more interesting? Student 1: I like the teacher to use many types of language games Student 2: I think that the teacher should let the students play games when they feel tired and stressful by studying a hard lesson on that day Student 3: I think the teacher should explain the rules of language games clearly Student 4: In my opinion, the teacher should arrange good students to be in teams or groups with weak students because if a team or group consists of all smart students, they always become the winners This is not fair and discourages other students Student 5: The teacher should control the noise when students play games XII APPENDIX Sample games used in teaching vocabulary I Slap the board Teaching aids: Toy Hammers, Flash Cards, Candies for prizes Rules: - The teacher divides class into teams Each team sends a representative to the board - The teacher read the word, students stand backwards and use toy hammers to slap the word - Who is quicker is the winner II Hang Man (Hangaroo) Teaching aids: Chalk, board, Candies for prizes Rules: - The teacher divides students into teams, give names to them - The teacher provides word with blanks of numbers of letter (_ _ _ _ _ _) and draw a hanger and a head - Students guess the letter in the word, each right letter gets one point.Each wrong letter gets the appearance of a part of the body - Team can get right words has points III Find the letters Teaching aids: Two boards to hang the letters, sets of letters (A- Z), magnets to stick the boards of letters into the chalk board Rules: - The teacher divides students into teams, give names to them - The teacher spreads sets of letter on tables - The teacher reads the word, the representatives of each team need to find the letter in the set and hang it on the board - Who is right and quicker is the winner IV Apple Pass (Pen box pass) Teaching aids: a pen box or anything Rules: XIII - The teacher gives the pen box to a student and says a word related to the lesson (Topic: Months of a year) - That student needs to give to the other and say a different word concerned to the lesson - Continue giving and saying words till one cannot say - Give penalty for that student like singing or dancing VI Mime the action (Explain the words by using action not saying) Teaching aids: chalk Rules: - The teacher divides class into teams, give a name to each - Each team sends a representative and stands backward to the board - The teacher writes a word, every student in his and her team needs to explain by actions not words till he or she understands and say the word aloud - Who has more right answers is the winner VII Guess the pictures Teaching aids: Pictures on PowerPoint Rules: - The teacher puts shape on the pictures and let students guess by raising hands and answer ... ĐIỀU TRA (Sau áp dụng trị chơi ngơn ngữ) Những câu hỏi sau nhằm phục vụ cho nghiên cứu việc học từ vựng tiếng Anh thơng qua trị chơi ngôn ngữ học sinh khối trường THCSDL Phương Nam Mong em vui lòng... sau nhằm phục vụ cho nghiên cứu việc học từ vựng tiếng Anh thơng qua trị chơi ngôn ngữ học sinh khối trường THCSDL Phương Nam Mong em vui lòng trả lời câu hỏi sau cách đánh dấu () vào ô trống... cho em hứng thú với việc học từ vựng thơng qua trị chơi ngơn ngữ thơng qua cách học khác khơng?  A Có  B Không Kiến thức từ vựng em có cải thiện kể từ tham gia trị chơi ngơn ngữ hay khơng?  A