HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY THROUGH GAMES

Abstract

Learning vocabulary is a crucial part of learning the English language. There are several methods that teachers might employ when teaching vocabulary to students, especially high school students. One of these methods is to teach vocabulary more efficiently by utilizing educational games. The investigation in this research focused on learning vocabulary in a high school. The research found students’ perspectives towards the games used to teaching and learning vocabulary to students at Binh Hung Hoa High School in Ho Chi Minh City. The participants were 120 students in Grade 10 and 11 who were between 16 and 17 years old, and all of them were nonnative speakers, and 10 teachers who are in charge of teaching in this school. The writer conducted a case research, questionnaire was delivered to the students at the end of the course to get their perspectives towards learning English vocabulary through games. Besides, 10 teachers were interviewed about using games in teaching English vocabulary. The study found that using educational games as a learning and teaching strategy with young students boosted information acquisition and retention and offered students a chance to understand how their learning was used in the real world. This is also simple and enjoyable for students, allowing them to get familiar with a few words without having to recall them word by word or grow bored. This research advises employing educational games in a more inventive way when teaching vocabulary to students.