Using online games to enhance grade 10 students’ English vocabulary retention: An action research project at a high school in Vinh Phuc province = Sử dụng trò chơi trực tuyến để nâng cao khả năng ghi nhớ từ vựng của học sinh lớp 10: nghiên cứu hành động tại một trường THPT tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc

Tóm tắt

This study was conducted with the primary purpose of examining the
 effects of online games on vocabulary retention of grade-10 students. In fact,
 there have already been several studies of the effectiveness of online games on
 EFL learners but only a limited number have specifically targeted upper
 secondary students. To address this gap, this action research aimed to examine
 the effects of online game use (Blooket and Wordwall) on rural grade-10
 students' vocabulary retention and their attitudes towards online game use in
 teaching English vocabulary for 10 weeks of the second semester, school year
 2022-2023. For this purpose, two online games namely Blooket and Wordwall
 were used for improving vocabulary retention in a public high school in a
 northern rural area. The study recruited 40 grade-10 students from the same
 class, including 35 females and 5 males. The data for this study was obtained
 by gathering information from a questionnaire and tests (pretest, immediate
 posttest and delayed posttest). SPSS Paired sample t-test was used to measure
 the effects of online games on the vocabulary learning of these grade-10
 students. It was deduced from the findings that there were statistically
 significant differences in the mean scores of pretest and posttests, which
 showed that grade-10 students' vocabulary retention was improved after the
 teacher used online games in class lessons and homework tasks. The study also
 indicates that grade-10 students have a positive attitude towards vocabulary
 learning through online games as they could enhance their vocabulary
 repertoire. Hopefully, the results of this study are helpful and significant for
 teachers and learners in English language teaching and learning process in
 general and English vocabulary learning in particular