scholarly journals Improving ESL Learners’ Grammar with Gamified-Learning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harwati Hashim ◽  
Karmila Rafiqah M. Rafiq ◽  
Melor Md Yunus

Aligning with the Industrial Revolution 4.0, an abundance of high-tech inventions has embarked their pavements in the educational field. Despite being under the 21st-century umbrella, the English language proficiency of Asian learners is still a few steps behind. Undeniably, most of the English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in Asian countries face challenges in learning ESL grammar. Grammar has been an intricate component to master due to its nature of complexity. This study aimed at exploring the effectiveness of using online language games in improving ESL learners' grammar. A total of 30 students in a secondary school were involved in this research. The research design of the quasi-experimental method was used, employing the pre and post-test. Data were analyzed using percentages to compare the results after three interventions of gamified-learning known as Socrative, PowerPoint Challenge Game, and Kahoot! The main findings indicated that learners’ scores on the grammar post-test showed a significant increase from the pre-test. The improvements can be seen in the grading system, whereby, no participant obtained a grade D and E in the post-test as compared to the pre-test. Hence, the results depicted that gamified-learning is effective in teaching grammar to ESL learners.

Author(s):  
Nur Hazirah Che Ithnin ◽  
Farhanahbinti Mohamad Fikray ◽  
Noor Zainab Abdul Razak

This study examines the effectiveness of using Wiki as a platform to enhance EL learners’ writing skill in English language. In particular, the aim of this research is to examine learners’ performance in composing English language essays as well as to identify the challenges which the students faced throughout the process of writing through Wiki. This study involved the respondents from secondary school who were in Form 2 and it consists of three levels of language proficiency which the researchers have identified. Specifically, the research data is collected through writing assessments (pre-test and post-test). For pre-test and post-test, the website selected as a platform was ZOHO Wiki which is a free user friendly online server designed for collaborative writing. The data from pre-test and post-test was analysed according to the marks obtained. Particularly, the research findings showed that students positively show an encouraging improvement in their English language essays and writing skill. Besides, some   challenges on the Wiki website and technological related issues that occurred during the process of Wiki mediated writing have also been identified such as difficulties in terms of Wiki tools software, technological related problem, collaborative writing issues, and other relevant challenges related to the research topic. In addition, the pedagogical implications, limitations as well as recommendations on the future research which are relevant to the present study are discussed and elaborated. In short, collaborative learning through Wiki provides learners with an interactive platform for writing English language composition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 314
Author(s):  
Aasia Nusrat ◽  
Farzana Ashraf ◽  
Rabea Saeed

The objective of the current research is to investigate the effect of instructors and peers’ oral feedback on the written English accuracy of ESL learners. In this quasi-experimental study, 90 participants are assessed on three distinct forms of feedback (i.e., instructor’s oral metalinguistic feedback along with indirect written feedback, peers’ oral interaction along with indirect written feedback and no feedback) for writing errors of three types (i.e., verb tense, preposition, and articles). The participants are assessed three times; pre-test, an immediate post-test and delayed post-test. ANOVA demonstrates that learners receiving instructors’ oral metalinguistic feedback along with indirect written feedback outperform those who receive peers’ oral interaction along with indirect written feedback and no feedback in two out of three linguistic forms in subsequent writing. The findings of the study suggest that employing oral metalinguistic instructors’ feedback along with written feedback in the Pakistani language learning context can help learners improve their English language learning. Consequently, language efficiency may improve overall academic performance and success ratio in academia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
Mutia Khaira

Arabic mufradat is an element of various language elements, where the richness of vocabulary is part of the indicator of language proficiency. In reality, vocabulary learning often encounters obstacles, therefore choosing the right media is part of an effort to overcome the existing difficulties. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of the puzzle in improving Arabic vocabulary skills. This study was conducted with a quasi-experimental approach where data were obtained through pre-test and post-test. Based on the results, the use of puzzle games as learning media was effective to improve mufradat skills.


Author(s):  
Shaukat Ali ◽  
Saddam Hussain ◽  
Iftikhar Ali

This study exploits John Milton's poems "On His Blindness, and "Methought I Saw My Late Espoused Saint" for teaching speaking skills to ESL learners. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design consisting of a treatment group (TG) and a comparison group (CG). CG was taught through conventional language text whereas TG was treated with the aforementioned poems. The main focus of the study was to observe the language learning behavior of the students of both TG and CG during language learning activities. The study therefore employed observation field notes beside the speaking type pretest and posttest as tools of data collection. The thematic analysis of the observation field notes indicated that the students of TG were confident, motivated, involved in, and excited about the language learning activities. On the contrary, the students of the CG were found to be hesitant, passive, and demotivated during the language learning venture. Consequently, the students of TG performed significantly better than that of CG on the posttest. The study recommends that poetry should be utilized for teaching the English language in general and speaking skills in particular.


Author(s):  
Eric Shepherd Martin

This paper details the development and validation of a listening self-efficacy instrument for EFL/ESL learners with beginner- to-intermediate-level English language proficiency. Self-efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to perform a task successfully, is believed to determine how likely individuals will be to cope with difficulties relating to the task domain (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, or writing), and to sustain their effort in spite of obstacles (Bandura, 1997). To date, few instruments have been developed to evaluate English L2 listening self-efficacy. The instrument presented here was distributed among a sample of first- and second-year Japanese university students (N = 121), and, unlike most previously developed questionnaires, was validated through the use of Rasch analysis. The results of the administration of the questionnaire showed that learners' responses differed predictably and considerably, thereby suggesting the utility of the instrument for future use by EFL/ESL practitioners.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prisla Devi Krishnan ◽  
Melor Md Yunus

Emphasis on English language proficiency and digital literacy among Malaysian students in schools have been given utmost priority in the Malaysian Education Transformation (2013 – 2025). With the introduction of Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), (Council of Europe, 2001) the emphasize for low proficient students to acquire vocabulary knowledge is crucial for them to move progressively into the next band as stated in the CEFR global scales. Yet, concerns arises as how the implementation of (CEFR) will impact the low proficient students with almost none to limited vocabulary acquisition. This poses an extremely high risk of these students being left far behind as English is a second language to most students. Thus, the aim of this study is to use blended learning to expand the vocabulary acquisition among low proficient students and enable them to move progressively in the CEFR band. The mixed method study employed questionnaires, face to face interviews, pre and post test and observations to collect data from 20 low proficient students aged 14 from a semi urban secondary school. Data collected were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The study found that using blended learning not only enhances low proficient students vocabulary count in CEFR English but it also promotes autonomous learning and understanding of sentence structures. Hence, the use of blended learning proves to be a crucial alternative for low proficient students to enhance their vocabulary knowledge and understanding of sentence structures through digital literacy that is capable of motivating and challenging them to achieve their highest potential.


Author(s):  
Lydia Zeta Donald Stavy ◽  
Frankie Subon ◽  
Norseha Unin

This study seeks to examine the impact of using language games on students’ vocabulary retention. Six language games were chosen for this study; (1) describe it, (2) matching pairs, (3) jigsaw puzzle, (4) board rush,(5) ball games and (6) true or false. The rationale for choosing six different games is based on the understanding that students require at least five to sixteen exposures to learn a new word (Nation’s, 2001) foreffective vocabulary retention. For this study, vocabulary retention is the ability to keep or retain the new words that are taught for the duration of two weeks. The Pre-test and post-test were used to measure the vocabularyretention of the students. Prior to the pre-test, all 64 participants were taught for two weeks using the conventional teaching method by getting students to look words up in the dictionary, write definitions, and use the words in sentences (Basurto, 2004).For this traditional teaching, the eight new words were chosen from unit 10 of the text book for grade three of Malaysian elementary schools. For the next stage, the students weretaught eight new words from unit 11 of the same text book. After two weeks of teaching using the above six games, the students were given the posttest. The findings revealed that there was a significant difference invocabulary retention between the pre-test and post-test. The participants were able to retain significantly more words in the post-test than in the pre-test. In fact, they achieved better results in the post-test (M=63.45) than in the pre-test (M=58.71). This study reveals that language games can help to boost the students’ vocabulary retention if they are given a chance to learn and practice English language in a fun learning environment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustapha Boughoulid

The increase in the needs of the English language learners (ELLs) and their endless demands in terms of achievement and proficiency in all the educational systems all over the world urged teachers and educators to call for new teaching strategies that sound more adequate and appropriate in the classroom. The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model emerged as one of the worldwide prominent teaching methods that guarantee the ELLs success, especially when it has to do with the understanding of the content and language learning meanwhile. With its diverse culture and prominent engagement in terms of education, Morocco represents a fertile field for the implementation of the SIOP Model that has proven in different contexts its adequacy in helping ELLs achieve proficiency. This study is about a quasi-experimental research that is implemented in an urban school known for its diversification in terms of mother tongue, socio-economic status, gender, and background. Given these different circumstances of the learners, the findings reported after the adoption of the SIOP Model as a teaching approach showed that it is a reliable and adequate teaching method in terms of content and language proficiency. The use of wh-questions as key indicators to measure the learners’ capacity of understanding and responding correctly throughout the experiment phase showed the superiority of the ELLs in the SIOP classes in contrast to the learners in the mainstream classes. This superiority is embodied, especially in terms of the high scores obtained in providing correct answers in a short duration of time. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0726/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (25) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Armas Pesantez Paul Rolando ◽  
Armas Pesantez Washington Geovanny ◽  
Salazar Calderón Edison Hernán ◽  
Guadalupe Bravo Luis Oswaldo ◽  
Orozco Yánez Gabriel Isaac

The purpose of the current research was the implementation of didactic audiovisual and communicative resources through a virtual classroom for the teaching-learning of English language, aimed to the first level students Languages School at Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo due to the lack of didactic material helping in the development of activities and tasks into the classroom. This fact impedes teachers and students reaching a higher level in the English Language teaching-learning process, this situation made necessary the implementation of resources adaptive to the pedagogical context and planned through a content manager or virtual classroom. The current research is quasi experimental, bibliographic, documental and descriptive which was applied to a sample where it was necessary to consider an initial knowledge diagnose before applying the communicative and audiovisual resources, then it was necessary to carry out an evaluation at the end of it. It was also necessary to use a set of activities based on communicative and audiovisual resources framed within the micro curriculum guidelines with schedules and contents that were evaluated through questionnaires and a checklist. The instruments for collecting information allowed obtaining data in both pre-test and post-test. These qualifications were compared through a statistical test that allowed concluding that the use of the mentioned resources improved the English language teaching, at the same time it was possible to recommend its use within the curriculum for the First Level of the Languages Major.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Nesreen Saud Alahmadi

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of using the mind mapping strategy on learning vocabulary for Saudi Learners. Fifty female students from the English Language centre at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia were selected to participate in this study. All students were homogenous in terms of their English language proficiency. The students were performing at the intermediate level of the English language. Their level of English language proficiency was determined by the Oxford Placement Test. Participants were divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. Twenty-five students in the experimental group were taught vocabulary using the mind mapping strategy for six weeks. The control group was taught using traditional methods of vocabulary teaching, such as memorising. To test the effectiveness of the mind mapping strategy, two types of tests were applied for both groups: a pre-test and a post-test. At the end of the treatment, the results of the post-test showed a significant improvement in Second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition by Saudi learners in the experimental group. The findings of this study indicate some important implications for L2 learning, such as that mind mapping facilitates vocabulary learning by increasing the knowledge and the acquisition of the meanings of the vocabulary words used. It also helped with the vocabulary learning process by increasing the level of the motivation of Saudi students in learning new words.


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