Effects of Instructional Games on the Vocabulary Learning and Retention of Iraqi Primary School Students

Subject Areas : Research in English Language Pedagogy

Fatemeh  Karimi ¹ (Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran)
Oday  Kareem Shakir Shareef ² (Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran)

Received: 2023-07-24 Accepted : 2023-08-20 Published : 2024-06-09

Keywords: Instructional games, Iraqi primary school students, Vocabulary learning, Vocabulary retention ,

Abstract :

Using instructional games in vocabulary learning is beneficial, but their effects in the Iraqi EFL context have been overlooked. This study investigated the effects of instructional games on Iraqi primary school students’ vocabulary learning and retention. To fulfill the objectives of the study, a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was adopted. The present study's participants were 40 Iraqi primary school students selected based on a convenience sampling. The participants were divided into two groups, one experimental (N= 20) and a control group (N=20). The students in the experimental group (EG) received vocabulary instruction in the form of game-based teaching. The control group (CG) was instructed using conventional teaching procedures. In this study, a textbook (Family and Friends 2) was used as the material, and two tests were utilized as the measurement instruments. It was found that the group of Iraqi primary school students who were instructed through the games considerably outperformed the group of students who received the traditional teaching in the classroom. Furthermore, the results revealed that the Iraqi primary school students who received vocabulary through instructional games had much better vocabulary retention than those who underwent the traditional teaching methods. The findings might have some implications for the material developers and EFL teachers in Iraq.

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