Tsatsani Aggeliki, “Using Games to Motivate and Assess Young EFL Learners' Vocabulary and Grammar Skills.” Tsatsani Aggeliki, “Using Games to Motivate and Assess Young EFL Learners' Vocabulary and Grammar Skills.”
Young Learners
Young learners and their characteristics
Language learning theories: child development and play
- Piaget’s theory on language learning and play
- Vygotsky’s theory on language learning and play
- Bruner’s theory on language learning and play
His work seeks to highlight the fact that language learning is primarily the product of 'social interaction' (Bouniol therefore places emphasis on the importance of teaching and mediation, especially at the first stages of children's lives. It is clear that there are many overlaps are, but also diverse points that underlie the above theories, both in terms of language learning and play.
Assessment: a theoretical framework
- Definition of the term ‘assessment’
- Principles of assessment
- Validity
- Reliability
- Utility
- Discrimination and practicality
- Washback effect
- Types of assessment
- Summative versus formative
- Traditional versus alternative assessment
- Types of alternative assessment
- Conferences
- Portfolios
- Self-assessment
- Peer-assessment
- Observation
- Role-plays
- Games
- Should young learners be assessed?
- Criteria for the assessment of young learners
- Assessment of young learners: the official EFL
- Research on alternative assessment in young learners’ class
The following characteristics, however, indicate the differences between the two types of assessment. In this section, we will look at several studies conducted with a class of younger students that used one of the types of alternative assessment mentioned above.
Games in EFL
- Benefits of using games in an EFL class
- Types of classroom games
- Games as assessment tools
- Assessing young learners’ vocabulary: the role of games
- Assessing young learners’ grammar: the role of games
Andrews (2004), Dickins and Rixon (1999) underline the role that games can play in boosting students' motivation to learn the target language or take tests. Furthermore, when assessing young learners' grammatical skills, we need to find realistic contexts in which to incorporate our testing activities.
Research methodology
- The Rationale and Aims of the Present Study
- Research questions
- Research Design
- Participants
- The Research Tools
- The qualitative method
- The teacher interviews
- The class observations
- Focus group discussions
- The Teaching Intervention
- Class 1-Teaching intervention session
- Class 2-Teaching intervention session
- Class 3-Teaching intervention session
- Class 4-Teaching intervention session
According to the classroom observation, the aims of the two previous lessons in class 1 were twofold: (1) to learn and practice the use of sense verbs with appropriate adjectives and (2) to practice the use of present continuous (especially questions and answers) revise. forms). The final winner was the team with the most points collected at the end of the game.
Research Findings
- Data analysis
- Research findings: Teachers’ views and practices on using games as
- Results based on Teachers’ interviews
- Results based on class observations
- Research findings coming from the teaching intervention: Effectiveness of
- The effect of using games to assess on young learners’ feelings
- The effect of using games to assess young learners’ grammar
- Τhe negative effect of using games to assess
- Research findings: Learners’ views on using games to be assessed
- Learners’ general feelings on games played
- Learners’ views on individual versus team playing
- Learners’ feelings when winning/losing
- Difficulties and problems faced during games
- Learners’ views on assessment through games
The purpose of individual interviews conducted with primary school English language teachers was to investigate teachers' opinions regarding assessment practices in junior high school classrooms and the use of games as an assessment technique. As previously stated, of the four teachers interviewed for the purposes of the current research, only T3 admitted to using games quite often in her classroom to assess language skills. The main difficulty encountered was the fact that not infrequently the students reacted and made noise, interrupting the flow of the activity.
Based on the researcher's reflections as illustrated in the comments included in the checklist sheets and journal entries, most of the games played to assess the young students had a positive impact on their feelings and attitudes towards testing. Among the positive elements related to the assessment of grammar and vocabulary skills, it is worth noting that in the game 'Find your star', 'the student who gave the instructions spoke in English' and 'the students made an effort to use the target language to achieve their goal", while the game "Tic-Tac-Toe" showed that students can use and understand "vocabulary about directions and areas of interest on the map...very successfully". Among the positive aspects of implementing games in the assessment of young students, the current research came out with valuable comments on the problematic aspects of these innovative practices.
In 'Relay Game' the researcher makes a point of the problems that have arisen due to misunderstandings of instructions. The vast majority of the students who answered the specific question welcome the idea of using games as an alternative method of assessing their language skills.
Discussion
Discussion
In addition, as teachers suggest, assessment through games can help reduce test anxiety because the tasks are hidden behind the challenges and motivational goals of the game (Dossena, 1995). After observing their classroom practices, it was found that only one of the teachers (T3) actually intended to use games for assessment. Judging from the results, it is quite difficult to see that in practice the students seemed really engaged and focused on the objectives of the games played by the teacher, while she gave clear instructions and was ready to help whenever needed.
Finally, it is worth considering the fact that the teacher gave the students additional hints to further help the students, which probably compromises the reliability and validity of the games used as assessment techniques. Regarding the second research question, which was whether games could be used effectively to assess young learners' grammar and vocabulary skills, the results show that provided the games used for assessment are designed according to certain principles, testing vocabulary and grammar skills can actually be effective. The general conclusions that can now be drawn from the games played are also that the games used for assessment can actually help the instructor get a lot of valuable feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of the students and allow him/her to make the necessary changes, whenever necessary.
Other problems, such as not understanding the instructions or even insufficiently teaching the test material, can also have the effects mentioned above. From a cognitive perspective, the game-based testing activities used for assessment must be relevant to the curriculum objectives and cognitively appropriate to the level of the students (Andrews, 2004) to ensure the credibility of the results.
Pedagogical Implications
However, most important of all, the use of motivating games, which challenge the imagination and fantasy of young learners, can definitely provide teachers with a safety net towards effective assessment that keeps students engaged and satisfied throughout. the whole procedure.
Limitations of the study-Suggestions for further research
The ultimate goal of this dissertation has been to highlight the importance of implementing a test-centered approach in which young learners can play and have fun with the foreign language while being assessed. The implementation of game-based assessment has not only been effective in gathering reliable assessment data about young learners' grammar and vocabulary skills, but has also contributed to fostering positive feelings and attitudes in young learners towards English language learning and assessment. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/missgrice/jerome-bruner-play-thought-language (last accessed February, 2019).
Retrieved from https://web.edu.hku.hk/f/acadstaff/412/2013_Innovation-in-language-teaching-and-learning.pdf (last accessed April, 2019). Retrieved from http://www.schools.ac.cy/klimakio/Themata/Anglika/conf_semin_workshops/games.p df. 2010). Taking it all in: observation in classes. In Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, R. Tsatsani Aggeliki, 'Using games to motivate and assess young EFL learners' vocabulary and grammar skills'.
Sprogindlæring Autonomi Revisited Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching Vol. 2005) Kvalitative forskningsmetoder: A Data Collector's Field Guide. 2009) Designing a Qualitative study In Bickman L.and Rog D.J.(eds), The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods (s.214-253).
The Cross-thematic Curriculum Framework for Primary Schools
Teachers’ interview questions
Does the way you assess your students affect your relationship with them? Yes, No/how. What do we mean by using the term 'alternative assessment'? (If not, after the interviewer has briefly explained this, the interviewee is asked the following question: Would you use it in your young students' classroom? If so, how often do you do it? you use them and which Do you want to assess students' skills?
Do you think it is effective to use games as assessment tools in the classroom of young learners?
Class observation sheet
Checklist criteria sheet
Transcripts from focus group discussions
Tsatsani Aggeliki, "Using Games to Motivate and Assess Young English Language Learners' Vocabulary and Grammar Skills." 14 attended, 4 were absent from class).
Focus group discussion questions
If your teacher told you that starting this semester you will not be assigned a grade (10/9/8 or A/B/C etc.), how would you feel. While playing this game(s), we actually assessed what you have understood/learned based on grammar and vocabulary from the previous lesson(s). Do you like the idea of being tested on your vocabulary and grammar through games instead of traditional tests.
Teaching intervention: games used to assess
They have to look at the pictures and write down the names of the places. Two students from the team come up to rearrange two jumbled sentences in 2 minutes. Are you assessing young students. especially students...who were in 5th or 6th grade in elementary school and also in 4th grade.
Mmm because I have to go into about ee what. what they acquired and what they didn't, what they understood and what they didn't. as far as students of the 3rd grade are concerned. If so, how often do you use it and which students' skills are you interested in assessing? yes there are certain times when i assessed their performance through games to see if they understood or not what we talked about mmm. What do we mean by using the term 'alternative assessment' (If not, after the interviewer briefly explains, the interviewer is asked to the.
Just a little demanding on the part of the teacher-researcher to prepare it.
Transcripts from teachers’ interviews
I don't actually rate them to.erm. to give them a grade or to see hm. That's why I try to do it as often as possible, especially if I have a classroom that is not very big, because it's easier for me to control things, help student. through my projects I usually test writing skills, communication skills because they have to communicate with each other. Of course, they would prefer to be assessed through games, mainly because they cannot understand what is going on, that they are being assessed in any way. and because it takes all the pressure off and they're excited about it.
Checklist Criteria sheet (completed)
Does it link word elements?(word . grouping) √ Yes, under the 'umbrella' form: sense verbs and their accompanying adjectives. Simple past and past continuous to describe an action that was previously interrupted by a sudden event.