VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

HOANG TRUNG DUC

AN ACTION RESEARCH ON THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES
IN TEACHING GRAMMAR TO FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF
NON-MAJOR ENGLISH AT UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM

(Nghiên cứu hành động đối với việc sử dụng trò chơi ngôn ngữ trong giảng dạy
ngữ pháp cho sinh viên không chuyên Tiếng Anh năm thứ nhất tại trường
đại học ở Việt Nam)

M.A. MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01

HANOI-2020


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

HOANG TRUNG DUC

AN ACTION RESEARCH ON THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES
IN TEACHING GRAMMAR TO FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF
NON-MAJOR ENGLISH AT UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM

1.3. The scope of the study .................................................................................. 3
1.4. Research question ......................................................................................... 3
1.5. The significance of the study ........................................................................ 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................. 4
2.1. General overview of English grammar .......................................................... 4
2.1.1. Definitions of grammar ........................................................................... 4
2.1.2. The importance of grammar in teaching and learning .............................. 5
2.1.2.1. Grammar has the role of an enabling skill ......................................... 5
2.1.2.2. Grammar has the role of meaning conveyance .................................. 7
2.1.2.2. Grammar has the role of an instrument of sentence making............... 8
2.2. Genneral overview of language games .......................................................... 9
2.2.1. Definitions of language games ................................................................ 9
2.2.2. Types of language games in teaching English grammar......................... 10
2.2.3. The advantages of application of language games in teaching ............... 13
2.2.4. Effective ways to make games work in a language class ....................... 16
2.3. Previous studies ........................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 25
3.1. Subjects of the study.................................................................................... 25
3.2. Research design ........................................................................................... 26

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3.2.1. Definitions of action research ................................................................ 26
3.2.2. The precedures of action research.......................................................... 27
A SAMPLE LESSON PLAN ............................................................................. 31
3.2.3. The instruments for collecting data ........................................................ 36
3.2.3.1. The questionnaires .......................................................................... 36
3.2.3.2. The interview .................................................................................. 37
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................... 40

APPENDIX 1: SAMPLES OF GAMES ............................................................... I
APPENDIX 2: PRE-TREATMENT QUESTIONNAIRE .................................... V
APPENDIX 3 : POST-TREATMENT QUESTIONNAIRE ............................ XIII
APPENDIX 4: GAMES USED IN THE STUDY ................................................. I

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DECLARATION
I certify that this minor thesis entitled “An action research on the use of
language games in teaching grammar to first-year students of non-major English
at university in Vietnam” is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Arts is the results of my own work, except where otherwise
acknowledge and that this minor thesis or any part of the same has not been submitted
for higher degree to any other university or institution.

Hanoi, August - 2020
Signature

HOÀNG TRUNG ĐỨC

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Professor, Dr. Hoàng
Văn Vân for his invaluable advice, instructions and correction, excellent suggestions
and constant encouragement while conducting this research so that I could complete
my thesis effectively.

methodology, the language games will be considered to raise the result of language
teaching and learning. By raising the motivation of learning process, the effectiveness
of learning will be increased. In order to evaluate if language games could increase
the effectiveness of grammar learning for first-year students of non-major English at
AOF, the topic chosen is: “An action research on the use of language games in
teaching grammar to first-year students of non-major English at university in
Vietnam”
The findings from this study indicated that language games increased the
effectiveness of students’ learning English grammar. Through the enhancement of
motivation, the language games raised students’ interest and attitude towards
learning. Additionally, language games raised students’ cooperation in classroom
having good influence on classroom atmosphere. These positive results offer
suggestions for the application of language games in teaching English grammar for
first-year students of non-major English at AOF. These results bring much more
opportunities for the analysis of the increase in the teaching grammar for students at
universities in Vietnam.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CLT

Communicative Language Teaching

ULIS

University of Languages and International Studies


Students

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LIST OF TABLES, GRAPHS

LIST OF TABLES
1.

Table 1

Types of games suitable at the three stages of teaching
new language

2.

Table 2

The action plan in this thesis

3.

Table 3

The sample lesson plan of teaching grammar with the use
of language games

4.



Graph 5

The lecturers’ support of learning english grammar

6.

Graph 6

The classroom cohesion of learning english grammar

7.

Graph 7

The importance of learning english grammar.

8.

Graph 8

The students’ difficulties in learning english grammar

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the study
Apparently, English grammar is an important composition of English
proficiency. The effective English grammar learning will result in the increase of other

number of activities with a set of rules and regulation for the purpose of gaining
specific objectives in particular section. Through the application of language games
in teaching English grammar, the students’ interest in learning was increased
significantly and resulted in the development in the attention of learning. Therefore,
the effectiveness of learning English grammar through language games might be
raised sharply. Furthermore, the practice of preparation for attentive lesson plan will
play significantly role in the success of the students’ learning.
In a nutshell, grammar is quite a difficult category for both English lecturers
and learners. To make grammar study simpler, one of the ways is to use language
games. To verify whether learning grammar by language games is effective or not,
the author chooses the following topic: “An action research on the use of language
games in teaching grammar to first-year students of non-major English at
university in Vietnam”
1.2. The aims of the study
The main aim of the study is to study whether the application of language
games will raise the effectiveness of learning English grammar for first-year students
of non-major English at AOF. In order to gain that aim, some of specific aims will be
implemented:
- The thesis will study the literature review of grammar and language games
and find out the general definition of grammar and languages for the analysis.
Furthermore, from the research related to grammar and language games, the thesis
will point out the reason for the choice of this study in first-year students of nonmajor English at AOF.
- The thesis will apply the adequate method for the implementation of study
and analysis the findings. Moreover, the thesis will point out some suggestion for
futher studies.

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1.3. The scope of the study

of understanding are listed below:
According to Macquarie Dictionary: “Grammar refers to the features of a
language (sounds, words, formation and arrangement of words, etc.) considered
systematically as a whole, especially with reference to their mutual contrasts and
relations” (Macquarie, 1997)
According to Longman Dictionary: “Grammar refers to the rules by which
words change their forms and are combined into sentences” (Longman Dictionary of
Contemporary, 2003)
Those definition mentioned that the term grammar related to the association
with verb paradigms and rules of linguistics and written language regulated by a set of
sentence structures. The definition of Macquarie Dictionary and Longman Dictionary
indicated the connection between grammar with rules and regulation. As such,
learners have to master a lot of rules to learn grammar well. In addition, if the
grammar involves a set of rules, this reflects that these rules are fixed. That is, there
is no flexibility in the grammar structure.
According to Ur: “Grammar refers to a way a language manipulates and
combining words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of meaning” (Ur,
1988)
According to Larsen-Freeman: “it is not helpful to think of grammar as a
discrete set of meaningless, decontextualized, static structures. Nor is it helpful to
think of grammar solely as prescriptive rules about linguistic form, such as injunctions
against splitting infinitives or ending sentences with prepositions. Grammatical
structures not only have (morphosyntactic) form, they are also used to express
meaning (semantics) in contextappropriate use (pragmatics).” (Larsen-Freeman,

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2003)
According to the view of Larsen-Freeman, grammar has a range of flexible

good command of grammar is vital for effective communication. More to the point,
the way one expresses himself during communication gives off hints as to one’s
knowledge and education. Whether we like it or not, we are judged by the way we
speak. A correct use of grammar on all occasions will make people perceive you
as a well educated person. By contrast, if one’s usage of grammar is weak, then the
impression formed by others will be a very poor one and they might take you to be
poorly educated.
The second skill in which grammar monopolizes a great role in is writing.
Grammar governs the mechanisms of writing and ensures that it can be easily
understood by all. A person may have splendid ideas and distinctive perspectives
which would make great changes in the world. Nevertheless, if this person lacks
the aptitude to fluently and accurately express these ideas, they wouldn’t matter at
all and would not even entice others’ attention. Had the greatest writers in history
like Dickens or the Indian spiritual leader Gandhi been terrible users of grammar,
their ideas would not have reached the world and would not have lived decades
after their demise. To exemplify the status grammar has in writing, syntax governs
word order in a sentence. Imagine reading an English sentence in which words are
arbitrary placed. It would clearly be impossible to understand. Punctuation also
helps the reader to pause or switch to a new thought. So often we find errors of
punctuation and syntax that change the meaning of the sentence; we then need to
go back and re-read, perhaps several times, in order to find out what the writer
actually meant, a waste of time and effort.
The function of grammar does not extend only to the written and spoken
forms; it rather exceeds that to be also an underlying component in listening and
reading. The role of grammar pertains not only to one’s production but also to one’s
understanding and perception. When the student already knows grammar, it makes
it considerably easier for him/her to process what they hear and not dwell on it
because they are not sure what it really means. A lecturer, for instance, asks a

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the meaning of the words of which it is composed and partly by its grammatical

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meaning.
Punctuation is also another way in which grammar contributes to meaning.
When having a face-to-face conversation, we use intonation, voice patterns and
body language to express exclamations or questions. However, when reading, we
don’t have these useful tools so we rely on the punctuation to help us figure out
what the writer means. Punctuation has also the capacity to change the meaning of
a sentence. Making mistakes at the level of punctuation leads to ambiguity. This
sentence for instance: ‘A woman without her man is nothing’. This sentence could
be punctuated to have an utterly different meaning. A woman: without her, man is
nothing. While in the first sentence, women are worth nothing without men, the
second is the total opposite. Punctuation is a powerful tool. It helps maintain
consistency and ease understanding. Being punctuation a sub- branch of grammar,
this shows the importance and influence grammar has over meaning in particular
and language at large.
To delve into more details regarding the role of grammar in conveying
meaning, we must have a look at the linguistic branch that is concerned with
meaning that is semantics. The latter is the study of the meaning of words and
sentences. The discipline in question studies the interpretation of individual words.
People pick up the meaning of words subconsciously at first, but then as they
grow more adept with language, more complex meanings emerge.
2.1.2.2. Grammar has the role of an instrument of sentence making
Grammar, after all, is a description of the regularities in a language, and
knowledge of these regularities provides the learner with the means to generate a
potentially enormous number of original sentences. A decent mastery of the
grammatical rules, gives the person the potential or rather the ability to manipulate

2004).
According to Kevin Maroney: “A game is a form of play with goals and
structure” (Maroney, 2001). This attitude showed a slight difference from Allery’s
attitude. This attitude added one more attribute to the definition of games namely
goals. Goals refer to game targets which eventually lead to language learning targets
According to Clark Abt: “A game is an activity among two or more
independent decision-makers seeking to achieve their objectives in some limiting

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context. This attitude was estimated to be the combination of the characteristics and
the objectives of the games. The players should use the mental logic to make the
decision based on the regulation of the game. This requires the participants must think
more before making the choice. This is very suitable for the application in the
teaching foreign language for students. (Abt, 1987)
According to Rixon: “Game in general consists of playing governed by
rules”. By looking at games in general as well as from games specially designed for
teaching, Rixon picks out the features that would be useful in language teaching and
to see what other features would be less useful or even a waste of time. (Rixon, 1981)
According to Greenal: “Game is considered as whenever there is an element
of competition between individual students or teams in a language activity”. This
attitude refers to the characteristic of competition – a remarkable characteristic of
games. This one will lead to the motivation resulting in the increase in the preference
and satisfaction of students in learning foreign languages. (Greenall, 1984)
From my point of view: “Games refer to a set of activity used for gaining
objectives. Language games refer to games used in teaching and learning foreign
language with suitable objectives”
2.2.2. Types of language games in teaching English grammar
According to McCallum there are seven classifications of games:Vocabulary

sequence of events. Then asks students to think of several favorable and unfavorable
events that might occur as the players proceed.
- Discussion: Activities can be a springboard for discussion or questionnaires.
According to Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby language games can be
classified into eight sections depending on each family type. The family name is often
a verb summarizing the essential way, which engages learners in the game. The
authors state that games can take one of the following forms: (Wright, 2005)
- Care and share: Learners feel comfortable in those games when sharing
personal information with other learners.
- Do: move, mine, draw, obey: The learner is expected to do something nonverbally in response to a read or a heard text.

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- Identify: discriminate, guess, speculate: The learner is tested to recognize
something hard to distinguish about something, and then contrasted with the
certainties.
- Describe: The learner is tested to depict something to an alternate learner, by
talking or composing. The other learner can do something objectively or subjectively,
conveying his or her sentiments and affiliations.
- Connect: compare, match, group: The learner is challenged to connect,
examine, match, or group various items of information. The items can be pictures or
texts. He or she uses language to describe or comment on the pairs of data.
- Order: The learner is challenged to put various bits of information into a
hierarchy of quality and importance, subjectively or objectively. Or to put texts,
pictures, objects, into a development sequence.
- Remember: The learner tries to remember something and then communicate
what he or she has retained
- Create: The learner is challenged or invited to make a story, write a poem,
or produce some other kind of material using their imagination.

they learn, but also provide intensive and meaningful practice of language. With the
use of meaningful practice as games, the lecturer can create various contexts in which
students have to use language to communicate, exchange information and express
their own opinions (Wright, 2005). The need for meaningfulness in language learning
has been accepted for some years. If students are amused, angered, challenged, or
surprised, the context is clearly meaningful to them. Thus, the meaning of the
language they listen to, read, speak and write will be better remembered. Further
support comes from Hadfield who believes that games provide as much concentrated
practice as a traditional drill and more importantly, they provide an opportunity for
real communication and thus constitute a bridge between classroom and the real
world (Hadfield, 1998)
Secondly, Language games create motivation: Games are highly motivating
and entertaining, and they can ‘lower anxiety’, give shy students more opportunity to
express their opinions and feelings (Hansen. 1994). Therefore, learners can perform
what they know, what they are familiar with and what they are able to produce. From
the researches of Uberman (1998), Nguyen & Khuat (2005), we can realize the

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enthusiasm of their students in learning through games. In most of the games, an
element of competition between individual learners or teams is a strong motivating
factor. It is the competition that stimulates students to produce required language
items as correctly as possible in order to achieve success.
In addition, using language games helps reduce stress in the classroom. When
students have to face unfamiliar or difficult structures, words, text and even
concentrate on long intensive practice without any change, there will be little benefit
from learning in such an intensive way in the long run. Thus, a change is always
necessary in the situation. While language is a hard work and effort is required every
moment and must be maintained over a long period of time, games are considered

to communicate or to work by themselves. The lecturer only keeps the role of an
observer or an instructor. He drops his role as director of games and becomes more
of a monitor and language format. The lecturer no longer controls what learners have
to say. Rixon asserts that lecturers should be there as “a source of information” to
give suggestions or rephrase something to make it clearer to other players. In other
words, games are part of general movement away from a lecturer-dominated
classroom and promote active learner-centered learning (Rixon, 1981).
Fifthly, Language games provide immediate feedback: After lecturers present
any new language item, they want to know how much knowledge their students have
achieved and how much they have missed. The popular way of checking students’
acquisition is by testing. However, tests always take time. By using games, lecturers
can receive information about their teaching, but in a quicker way. To explain this
David and Hollowell (1989) state as follows: “Most overburdened lecturers have
experienced the problem of waiting too long to hand back students’ papers, to be
effective, feedback must follow performance. Most of the games provide almost
immediate feedback to students since in most cases winning and losing will depend
on how well the students perform” (David, 1989).
By observing students work or perform their knowledge, lecturers can
recognize students’ strengths and weaknesses as well as their gaps in the process of
their acquisition. Besides, using games in learning also facilitates various interactions
in the classroom. Rixon offers different patterns of interaction through playing
games: lecturer-the whole class, lecturer-group, lecturer- individual, individual-

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