Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello everybody! In reference to games, can anybody advise me, not on games, but on scholarly articles about how effective games are in teaching language? I would be very grateful-I need the information for my research, & there isn't much! Thanks! Paige.

Yes, I did this in 2000 and found very few books or articles on line. This would be a great area of research. I will try and remember to copy my Literature review and send it along if you would like the next time I am on the computers. If you look up some of Larry Latham's posts, there was a good discussion on using games a long time ago and I think it brought out nicely the dubious dicotomy between those who like games and those who think they are taking time away from learning.

Sally: Yes-Please do! I am really getting concerned-everybody uses games & most people agree they are good for teaching, but I am surprised to see how scanty the research is on this topic. Thank you! Paige.

Here is one discussion we had a long time ago on the topic;

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/v ... sc&start=0

Sally: Thank you-this was interesting. Any thing else you have will be appreciated. Regards, Paige.

Paige - Can I ask for a brief summary of what you have so far?

I use games/activities all the time because they suit me and it's how I enjoy teaching. I think it's less of a matter as to what the teachers uses in the class (games, textbook, role plays, writing, reading...) as compared to the how and why they use these things.

When a game suits the language or I can come up with one then I go that way. If there's no good activity or game for the target language or vocabulary, I go to the worksheets, textbook, simple discussion table, etc.

So much like art, saying creating a picture of a tree, is it better to paint with water colors or oil paints? Should we scetch it? Maybe just a photograph will do? Maybe we could draw it out on the computer so we can animate it? We could just cut this one right out of this magazine and use it. Crayons?

I think it's a matter of function, taste and ability. Better or worse? More effective or less effective? would all be difficult to prove. You'd need two test groups of similar students with similar external stimuli taught 2 different ways by the same teacher and then evaluate after x period of time. Multiply that by 10x test groups and teachers. So without a long, expensive, difficult to manage, difficult to find funding study, I think you're just left with opinions.

Here is the first part of my literature review - the rest I did on Co-operative Games - and my reading list.

Background
The use of games in the English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL) classroom blossomed with the rise of communicative language teaching. (Note: Without attempting to gloss over differences, the term ‘ESL’ is intended to encompass foreign language contexts as well). Application of such games has become, if not an approach, then certainly a strong trend (Harvey 1992). Wright et al. (1979) is one of a number of texts that provided taxonomies of communication games. The variables these writers recognized as important were degree of guidance, linguistic level and participant pattern (whole class, group work, pair work, individual practice). Byrne (1976) subdivided his games into those which practice one structure, those covering a small number of identified structures, and those open-ended games where no specific linguistic expectations are identified. Rinvolucri (1984) is one of a number of texts that concentrated on the first two of these categories. Many games involve information/opinion gap, with communication occurring as this is bridged. It is to be noted how natural such gaps are to the nature of many games (the traditional "Blind Man's Bluff" being a case in point, where the blindfold in effect creates an information gap). The Jigsaw Principle also commonly features in games of this sort.
References
Bossert, S. T. (1988-1989). Cooperative activities in the classroom. Review of Research in Education, 15, 225-252.

Byrne, D. (1976). Teaching Oral English. Harlow: Longman.

Deacove, Jim and Ruth, Family Pastimes, RR#1. Perth, Ontario

Dumouchelle, G. (in progress) The Impact of Teacher Behaviour on Learner-Learner Interaction in the Classroom. Carleton Unversity: Linguistics and Applied Language Studies

Cohen, E. G. (1994). Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for productive small groups. Review of Educational Research, 64, 1-35.

*Gilbert, D. (1998). Child's Play: Playing Games in the EFL Classroom! Taiwan Teacher.
[email protected]

*Harvey, B. (1982). A Communicational Approach: Games II. In R. W. Blair, (Ed.) Innovative Approaches to Language Teaching. Cambridge: Newbury House Publishers, pp. 204-213.

*Hunt, C. (1996). The Cancer of Competition: Some notes and questions. Taiwan Teacher.
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*Hunt C. (1998 ) The Cancer of Competition: Competition in the classroom. Unpublished paper, JALT Conference.
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Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1989). Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

*Klauer, C. (1998). Using Games in Language Teaching: Theory and Practice. TEFL Peru Homepage.
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Orlick, T. (1978). The Cooperative Sports and Games Book: Challenge Without Competition, New York:.Pantheon Books.

Orlick, T. (1982). More Cooperative Sports and Games Book: Challenge Without Competition, New York: Pantheon Books.

Sharan, S. (1980). Cooperative learning in small groups: Recent methods and effects on achievement, attitudes and ethnic relations. Review of Educational Research, 50, 241-271.

Slavin, R. E., (1995). Cooperative learning: Theory, research, and practice. (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Akcan, S., I. Lee and G. M Jacobs. (1999). Annotated Bibliography of Works on Second Language Instruction Related to
Cooperative Learning Specifically or More Generally to Small Group
Activities
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Rinvolucri, M. (1984). Grammar Games. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wright, A. D., Betteridge, D and Buckby, M. (1979). Games for Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Here was another good discussion we had a long time ago.
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/v ... ight=#1023

Here are some articles I found

ERIC #: ED299820

Title: Communication Games--Are They Really Effective?

Authors: Matheidesz, Maria;


Publication Date: 1988-04-00

Abstract: An experiment investigated the effectiveness of communication games in monolingual classes in English as a second language (ESL). It studied the reactions of both teachers and students to the regular use of the games, and the ways in which the games fostered language learning. Four Hungarian teachers of English used the technique with seven groups of teenaged ESL students for whom English was the second foreign language. Eight games were used. Six practiced one language function, describing people, and two were traditional board games. Teachers were encouraged to use the games in any way they chose, and discussed the games often with the experimenter. Class sessions were observed and recorded for analysis and questionnaires were administered to students and teachers. Preliminary conclusions include the following: games have great motivating force; communication games provide good opportunity for natural student interaction in unpredictable situations; this type of game can be used effectively with monolingual groups; error rates are similar to those in controlled practice exercises, but more errors are left uncorrected; teachers do not fully exploit the potential of language games in the classroom; and such games force teachers to change their role and give more time and space for students. Game descriptions/instructions are appended. (MSE)

Using Games in the EFL Classroom
C Klauer - IATEFL ISSUES, 2000

Chinese students' perceptions of communicative and non-communicative activities in EFL classroom
Z Rao - SYSTEM-OXFORD-, 2002 - flcjxnu.com

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