The effects of online games in teaching and learning English vocabulary.

1.0         Introduction

        According to Nguyen and Khuat (2003), many ESL learners believe that learning English vocabulary is boring because they need to remember words and spelling that are new and strange as well as requires them to complete lots of exercises. Usually learners think it is hard for them to engage in such rote learning of vocabulary activities. However, the introduction of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) systems has helped ESL learners in the learning process by offering multimedia so as to seek more participation from learners.

         Schultz and Fisher (1988) argued that game playing is another popular way to engage learners in language learning. The use of interactive games has impacted on the mode of learning (Foreman et al., 2004). Here are the five topics of journal which touch on the use of online language games which consists the elements of CALL in teaching and learning English vocabulary.

2.0         Literature review

2.1         The importance of vocabulary instruction

According to Uzun (2009), vocabulary has always been one of the most important issues related both with teachers and learners of foreign languages. Uzun argued that while without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed (Wilkins 1972:111). Meanwhile, Silverman and Hines (2009) stated that a child's comprehension can suffer if they do not know enough about the words they hear. Apart of that, Channell argued for the need for teaching approaches for vocabulary learning as a separate learning activity since the lexicon that organizes the mental vocabulary in a speaker’s mind appears to be an independent entity in processing (as cited in Florence & Alvin, 2006). Carter (1992, pp. 152–153) also aware ‘the need for much more vocabulary to be taught and learned as a separate activity rather than, say, part of a grammar or reading lesson’. However, Carter did not suggest separating vocabulary learning from communication and pointed to the need for both a static approach (i.e. word semantics) and a dynamic approach (i.e. word usage) in vocabulary teaching and learning. The importance of learning word meanings as well as words in contexts has also been stressed (Allen, 1983; DeCarrico, 2001).

2.2         The advantages of games

Florence and Alvin (2006) in their findings quantitatively and qualitatively have proved that playing online vocabulary games can help learners to learn better, retain the learnt vocabulary longer and retrieve more words, and games that combine language use and play may be better for language acquisition (deHaan, Reed & Kuwada, 2010). Florence and Alvin also add several advantages of games are motivating players (to achieve goals), gratifying the ego (when winning), are fun (through enjoyment and pleasure) and spark the players’ creativity (to solve the gam . In addition, Uzun (2009) believes games can offer environment where education is mostly learner-centred, encouraging for socialization and arousing the winning spirit. According to Wood (2001) investigated the use of learning games as a

learning tool and concluded that game-like formats could be more effective at capturing learners’ attention than traditional media such as textbooks.

2.3         Games versus vocabulary acquisition

Chapelle and Schmidt state that second language acquisition defines the significance of perceiving linguistic information in a media setting, and deHaan believes video games appear to be a medium with diverse features that can hold the language acquisition process (as cited in deHaan, Reed & Kuwada, 2010). Moreover, games are useful to remove nervousness in classes where learners do not feel stress and willing to give full participation in activities as they want to try and produce which result to the smoothness of second language learning process (Uzun, 2009).

3.0         Conclusion

              In a nutshell, I can say that the application of the online games which include the elements of CALL is supposed to be continued. This is parallel to the present world’s technology which views the use of technology as the important thing that can supplement and facilitate the second language learning especially in acquiring English vocabulary.

              From Malaysian contexts, the implementation of CALL programs is evolving. However, the English teachers are encouraged to widen their method of teaching the vocabulary and not only focus on the conventional way which is quite boring and demotivating. There are numerous findings that show the effectiveness of games in learning and teaching English vocabulary. Hence, there is no doubt why the games cannot be conducted in ESL classroom.