INTRODUCTION
A student’s life would not be complete without examinations, but a teen’s life would not feel complete without video games. Video games provide a sense of escapism which allows them to ‘be away’ and decrease their stress level. According to Crawford (1982), games are a superior mode of escapism because they require the players’ participation, thus giving the players a direct sense of achievement or reward.
Based on a personal observation through the experiences encountered in life, it is obvious that students generally enjoy playing video games rather than studying. What some people failed to realize is that through these video games, a learning activity is conducted, usually without the knowledge of the player himself. According to Gardner (1985), students that are taught under the school system where they learn the theories and able to produce them on the examination paper often could not apply their knowedge practically. Gee (2005) claimed that when playing video games, they would have to ‘do’ the activity themselves. Though this is conducted virtually, students are able to receive experiences from the tasks required in the game, giving them the knowledge on how to apply their knowledge.
With the correct choice of video games, students will be able to improve their vocabulary learning skill. Games that require a small amount of reading to explain the happenings in the game would work wonders in enhancing a student’s language learning. Different jargons are used in different games according to their nature and this allows the students to broaden their vocabulary. For example, a student would be able to acquire jargons on detective work if they play video games such as Sherlock Holmes. Though it could not be denied that some video games bring negative impacts to a student’s mind and attitude, the language learning quality attached to playing video games are too good to ignore. This stresses on the need of a parent’s discretion in choosing which video games are allowed and which are not. Parents should make sure that their children are exposed to the ‘good’ video games. This reasearch paper will discuss on secondary school students’ vocabulary learning skill through the use of video games.
Statement of Problem
Parents nowadays often prohibit their teenagers from spending too much time on video games. They believe that video games bring out negative qualities from their children. What parents may be missing is the benefits that video games bring. Many teenagers learn a lot from video games, especially games such as The Sims™ since it requires a proficient understanding of the language in order to play the game. Our concern is to investigate how secondary school students enhance their vocabulary learning skill through video games
Purpose of Study
This research is conducted in order to investigate how secondary school students acquire vocabulary learning skill through video games.
Research Questions
This study attempts to answer the following questions:
- Are there any differences in the level of vocabulary between secondary school students who play video games and those who do not?
- Are video games give positive or negative effects towards students’ vocabulary skills?
Significance of Study
Through this research, we hope that the world would be able to see the advantages of video games. With the right kind of video games and a watchful parent’s eye, students will be able to gain linguistic benefits from playing video games. If the world realises the asset hidden in a video game, we would be able to enter a new era, where language learning will become a lot more fun and students will never have to be forced to study because of the enjoyment offered by video games. Students will be willing to spend their time learning through the games. Game developers will also be able to create more beneficial games in order to meet the demands of the society.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Title of Article: The Effect of Multimedia Annotation Modes on L2 Vocabulary Acquisition: A Comparative Study
Author’s Name: Khalid al- Seghayer
Journal: Language Learning & Technology
Purpose of study/objectives:
- To examine which of the image modalities; dynamic video or still picture- is more effective in aiding vocabulary acquisition.
Statement of problems:
- Reading a narrative English text with a variety of glosses or annotations for words in the form of printed text, graphics, video and sound, all of which are intended to aid in the understanding and learning of unknown words.
Research Questions:
- Does the mode help the learner to learn the target words best?
Significance:
- Multimedia annotations provide immediate access to the available annotated information in a program including textual, audio and visual annotations
- Provides readers with the desired meaning immediately and allows them to pursue reading without disturbing the reading process.
- Multimedia annotations give access to images.
- Multimedia annotations provide an opportunity for readers to interact with the text making them actively involved in the reading process.
Methodology:
- The participants were asked to fill out the background questionnaire and then given a brief introduction to program, its objectives, and its methods.
- Each participant read the story individually, using the multimedia program which contained multimodal annotations for the more difficult vocabulary items.
- After reading the story, participants were asked to take a vocabulary test.
- Participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire asking them to indicate which type of annotation mode helped them learn the annotated words best.
- Participants engaged in a short interview in which they were asked to indicate whether the particular mode conveyed the meaning of the lexical item.
Participants:
- 30 ESL participants (17 males, 13 females) who were enrolled in the English Language Institute (ELI) at the University of Pittsburgh.
- They can be grouped according to their native language as follows: 13 Arabic, 4 Japanese, 6 Korean, 3 Spanish, and 4 Thai speakers.
- They were selected with regard to their proficiency level and length of time studying English in US.
- The participants had different language backgrounds.
Findings:
- Three instruments were employed in order to reach a conclusion.
- A vocabulary test was administered, questionnaires were distributed, and face-to-face interview was conducted.
- In order to see whether there was a difference on vocabulary scores generated from the three modes of annotation, the Friedman test, a non-parametric analog to a repeated-measures one-way ANOVA was utilized.
- It was found that the vocabulary scores were not all equal across the three annotation conditions using the Friedman test.
- Words with text and video annotations were remembered better than words with text and picture.
- Words annotated with video were reported to be more helpful than other types of annotation. Furthermore, video clips were used as retrieval cue for remembering vocabulary words.
- The overwhelming majority of students’ responses indicated that video annotations provided the best retrieval cue for remembering the meaning of a word.
- The learning outcome measured by the vocabulary test and the participants’ reports favors video over picture annotations.
- According to available data, the dynamic mode (video) is more effective than pictures
- The video clips proved to be more effective in aiding comprehension and retention because they facilitated “conceptualizing language,” that is, linking language form to meaning.
Conclusion
- This study explored the efficacy of multimedia annotations for learning unknown lexical items. The results of this investigation suggest that a video clip in combination with a text definition is more effective in teaching unknown vocabulary than a picture in combination with a text definition.
- Participants learned and recalled more words when the video clip were provided than when pictures were made available.
- The variety of modality cues can reinforce each other and linked together in a meaningful ways to provide an in-depth experience.
Title: A Look at the Research on Computer-Based Technology Use in Second Language
Learning: Review of Literature from 1990-2000
Author: Min Liu, Zena Moore, Leah Graham, & Shinwoong Lee
Area of Research: Computer Use and Second Language Learning
Purpose of the Study:
The goals of this review are (1) to understand how computers have been used in the past eleven years to support second language and foreign language learning, and (2) to explore any research evidence with regards to how computer technology can enhance language skills acquisition.
(1) How have computers been used in second/foreign language learning/teaching for the past eleven years?
(2) Is there any research evidence on how computer-based technology can enhance language skills acquisition?
Methodology
- Review articles that discussed computer technology in second/foreign language learning/teaching in refereed journals, whether they were data-based or not.
- A total of twenty-one journals and 246 articles were selected for this review
- Primary data source was from refereed print-based journals and ERIC documents.
Procedure
- They sorted the articles into the following categories: (1) non-research based, and (2) research based.
- The non-research based category included conceptual discussions and project descriptions on (a) the potentials of computer technology and its use in specific areas, (b) software tools used in certain language skill areas, (c) software design considerations, and (d) computerized language testing.
This research paper review the literature on computer used in second language and foreign language learning from 1990 to 2000. The goals of this review are (1) to understand how computers have been used in the past eleven years to support second language and foreign language learning, and (2) to explore any research evidence with regards to how computer technology can enhance language skills acquisition.
The paper discusses the findings of the review under the following categories: (a) potentials of computer technology and its use in specific areas, (b) software tools used in certain language skill areas, (c) software design considerations, (d) computerized language testing, and (e) research findings from studies using quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies.
Findings from numerous studies suggested that the use of visual media supported vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension, and helped increase achievement scores. The use of online communication tools has proved to improve writing skills in a number of studies. Computer technology holds the potential and offers ways in which teachers can help students improve their oral and listening skills. Ritter (1993), for instance, reported that 92% of the students preferred learning new vocabulary using a computer program since they considered it “good fun”.
Students’ anxiety levels were reported to be lower when they used the technology and when their anxiety level was lowered, students became more active participants in the learning process. Chun (1992) might also add, “We need to develop foreign language software beyond the typical drill-and-practice stage and begin to foster more genuine conveying of messages, negotiation of meaning, and understanding of how form affects communication” (p.263).
Findings
- A significant amount of literature explored the potentials of computer technology with regards to teaching and learning languages more effectively.
- Dunkel (1990) asserted that the possibilities of computer technology as a tool could include increasing language learners’ (1) self-esteem, (2) vocational preparedness, (3) language proficiency and (4) overall academic skills.
- Educators were particularly interested in technology’s interactive capabilities, such as providing immediate feedback and increasing learner autonomy, in addition to the capability of simulating real-world situations via audio, Page – 6 video, and graphics (Chun & Brandl, 1992; Hoffman, 1995/1996; Jones, 1991, Legenhausen & Wolff, 1990).
- The benefits of computer technology included the exploration of the application of certain technologies in specific language areas.
- Chun and Plass (1997) considered the potentials of using video and audio to support text comprehension.
- Computer technology in combination with a conferencing system was considered an effective means of providing goal-directed writing courses tailored to different learning styles (Cornu, Decker, Rosseel, & Vanderheiden, 1990).
- Much of the reviewed literature regarding software tools consisted of (1) a description of one or more pieces of software, (2) a description of how this software was integrated into the learning environment, (3) a description of the effects of the software on students, and (4) possible implications for further study (Alderson, 2000; Chávez, 1997; Derwing, Munro, & Carbonaro, 2000; Greenia, 1992; Hellebrandt, 1999; Legenhausen, & Wolff, 1990; Levin, Evans, & Gates, 1991; Nicholas & Toporsk, 1993).
- Reading and writing were the most frequently addressed skill areas.
- The literature seems to indicate that the greatest need for software development is in the areas of listening and speaking since these two areas were found to be sparsely represented.
- HyperCard, a Macintosh authoring program, was the most often cited tool among software researchers/developers (Borrás, 1993; Donaldson & Morgan, 1994; Evans, 1993; Liu, 1994; Nagata, 1998).
- InterChange is a synchronous discussion tool, which allows users to have real-time written conversations and was originally developed to teach English composition and literature for the native speakers of English (Bump, 1990).
- Word-processing (WP), the most "low-tech” of the tools, “... is perhaps the most accepted and universal use of computers in education today” (Hyland, 1993, p. 21). Typically, word processing software offers such features as spelling checkers, thesauri, dictionaries, style checkers, and grammar checkers (Levy, 1990).
- Speech recognition (SR) software requires a user to produce meaningful linguistic units that are then translated by a speech recognition program.
- The implication for second language classrooms is that a student’s oral abilities can be grammatically analyzed in order to assess oral proficiency levels and to provide students with feedback.
- A number of articles discussed the need to create computer software that is based upon sound pedagogy and language learning theories, while others stressed the importance of applying design principles in developing CALL applications (Allen, & Periyasamy, 1997; Armstrong & Yetter-Vassot, 1994; Collentine, 1998; Masters-Wicks, Postlewate, & Lewental, M., 1996; Oller, 1996; Schwartz, 1995; Van Bussel, 1994).
Title: HARNESSING THE POWER OF GAMES IN EDUCATION
Author: Kurt Squire and Henry Jenkins
Area of Research:
Purpose of the Study:
The researchers wanted to respond to Card’s challenge to think about how games might fit within an educational context.
Methodology
- We present a series of vivid scenarios—some already happening, some pointing toward future developments -that illustrate the pedagogical potential of this rapidly evolving medium.
- These scenarios cut across different game genres, different academic fields, different pedagogical models, and different strategies for integrating games into the classroom.
Procedure
- Survey of some 650 MIT freshmen found that 88 percent of them had played games before they were 10 years old, and more than 75 percent of them were still playing games at least once a month.
Findings
- Inside the various types of games, the students would have the opportunity to being introduced and experience historical and literature elements implemented in the games.
- As Orson Scott Card prophesied, games have tremendous educational potential. A good educational game can enable players to explore ideas in virtual worlds.
- Students draw on that knowledge to solve problems and draw on the challenges of game play to master core geographical or historical principles.
- Good games are about choices and consequences, and good educational games force players to form theories and test their thinking against simulated outcomes.
- The properties and processes of a well-designed game may motivate them to turn to textbooks with the intention of understanding rather than memorizing.
- In Prospero’s Island, we have tried to extend this reflection further, enabling the player to experiment with different readings of a text. Through these conversations about the game, players can become engaged in what Jim Gee has called “critical learning.
- The kinds of learning gains we have seen with game-based learning environments have much less to do with increases in factual recall or the ability to choose correct answers and more to do with making complex ideas accessible to a different kind of student.
- Students’ ability to participate in complex social practices; learn new knowledge; and perform well in novel, changing situations needs to be considered valuable learning.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Sample
For the purpose of this research, a total number of 60 students are used as samples which consisted of both female and male students. The students selected are all 15 years of age and from the same school. The reason for selecting form 3 students is due to the nature of the research which will use computer games as an important variable in the study. The age of participant is suitable with the games challenges and difficulties. The cognitive ability of a fifteen year old are yet to mature and can be easily influenced by their surroundings. Fifteen year old students are still learning new vocabularies to be adopted in their language usage.
Research Instruments
Since the study will focus on the effect of video games towards students’ vocabulary, two video games are selected to be used as the variable. The first one is Age of Empires, a strategy games that focus on the conquest of lands and kingdoms by using the 18th Century Europeans as their background. The second game is TheSims, an interactive game that allows users to recreate the life and role-playing.
Data Collection Method
The participants will be divided into two different groups A and B. Group A will be the group exposed with computer games within the duration of the research while group B will be left without any computer games as stimulus for their learning experience. Both groups will first be tested with a pre-test to evaluate their vocabulary competency. Group A will be asked to spend one hour each day to play with the computer games while group B will be restrained from any gaming activities. After the end of the week, the students will have to undergo another vocabulary test to see whether there are any differences in their score and performances. The study will be continued within duration of one month in which at the end of every week, vocabulary test will be conducted towards both groups of students. The results of the pre-test and all four post-tests will be recorded for further evaluations.
EXPECTED FINDINGS
The research is expected to show a positive stand on the use of video games in vocabulary learning. It can be assumed that the finding of the study will exhibit that students from Group A will demonstrate increasing scores in vocabulary test after each test compared with students from Group B. The hypothesis is that the more students are exposed with video games, the more new vocabularies are instilled to the students’ language capacity.
REFERENCES
Crawford, Chris. (1982). Washington State University Vancouver. The Art of Computer Game Design.
Gardner, H. The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should
Teach. New York: Basic Books, 1991.
Gee, J. P. (2005). Good Video Games and Good Learning. Retrieved May 4, 2014 from www.academiccolab.org/resources/documents/Good_Learning.pdf
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