T1 112010111 Full text
Teacher’s Perspective on the Use of Games in English
Teaching& Learning Process: A study at Bethany Elementary
School
Abstract
Recently, games are widly used by teachers in teaching and learning
process since games are one of the important tools in EFL as stated by
McCallum (1980) and Mubaslat (2012). Through this study, the writer
investigated the teachers‟ perception toward the use of games in teaching
English for young learners and types of games used by the teachers. This
study was conducted in the first and the second grade of Bethany Elementary
School Salatiga, with two participants of English teachers. Observation and
interviews were used as instruments of data collection. The findings show that
there were six types of games, which are Order; Connect: compare, match,
group; Do: move, mime, draw, obey; Remember; Identify: discriminate,
guess, speculate and Create found used by the teachers. In addition, the
findings also indicate that teachers have positive perception towards games,
since they can contribute to improve the students‟ language skills, build their
grammar understanding, engage the students to learn the lesson, help them to
expand their vocabulary and help the teachers to see the students‟ actual
ability. However, the observed teachers also view that games can be boring
and time consuming. Games are also demanding in terms of background
knowledge and giving difficulty for the teachers to control the classroom
management. Therefore, the observed teachers gave some sugggestion to
minimize the problems.
Keywords: teachers’ perception, games, teaching English.
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For some learners, learning English as a foreign language can be hard because
they need a lot of efforts to understand it. First, lerners need a relatively long time to
learn. For example learners who learn English from elementary until senior high level
takes around twelve years. This is in line with Fotovatnia & Namjoo‟s argument.
They stated, “Foreign language learning is a hard task and a lot of effort is required
every moment and over a long period of time to manipulate, understand, and produce
the target language” (Fotovatnia & Namjoo, 2013, p. 189). Second, they need to go
through series of learning process such as memorizing a lot of vocabularies and try to
learn the grammar. Furthermore, they need to learn to speak, listen and write in
English correctly which are not an easy job.
Due to the quite complicated process, it is not surprising that many learners
face difficulties in their learning process. Fotovatnia and Namjoo (2013) conducted a
study in Iran. The finding revealed that English is considered difficult to learn by the
learners because most of them were lack of motivation and did not have enough
opportunities to take a part in learning process. This caused learning English could be
hard for them. Another research on difficulties in learning English was conducted by
Kyaw and Sinhanety, K (2012). They investigated the vocabulary learning of
Burmese students. The results revealed that the participants had failed to innovate the
best ways that could work efficiently in their vocabulary learning because of the time
limitation, the demands of language course schedule, and the exam-oriented
educational system” (p. 999). Considering that there are many problems in learning
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English, teachers need to find various techniques to the learners in order to minimize
the problems.
One of the techniques that makes the English teaching and learning become
fun and easier to understand is by using games. For example, in teaching vocabulary
of vegetables, teachers can ask them to play a “Shopping Vegetable” game by asking
them to buy some vegetables on the list given in this game, instead of asking the
students to only memorize all words about vegetables. Another example is in
teaching parts of body. Teachers can ask students to sing a song about parts of body.
While singing, the children should touch parts of their body with their hands, such as
head, then shoulders, knees, toes, when they hear each part of the body is mentioned.
By doing such activities, learning English is not necessarily to be hard. Instead, it can
be fun and enjoyable. In line with this idea, Fotovatnia & Namjoo argued that games
are effective and cost-saving method in language education (2013, p. 189).
Besides cost-saving, games are effective and practicable for almost all levels,
they are used not only for junior and senior school high students but also for young
learner. The term „young learners‟ here refers to “Children from the first year of
formal schooling (6 years old, in our case) to 12 years of age” (Korkut and İsisag:
2009). As mentioned by Robin (2012) “Children usually imitate their role models
with spontaneity and enthusiasm and young children actively learn a second language
through games, songs, puppets, stories, projects and other activities” (p. 19). Based
on those definitions about children‟s characteristic above, it can be concluded that
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Teaching English using games to young learners can be effective, since, at those
period of time, young learners are more active physically and cognitively.
The important roles of games have encouraged many researchers in
educational field to explore and investigate the use of games in teaching English as a
second and foreign language. Griva1 and Semoglou (2012) conducted an
experimental study on a game-based project in a Greek experimental primary school
of 2nd grade. They were grouped into an experiment group (game-based classroom)
and a control group. Both groups were given tests consist of word production.
However, different approaches were implemented. The control group was taught by
using PPP (Presentation- Practice-Production) context and the experiment group was
taught by using games. The result showed that the test score of the experiment group
was higher than the control group. The test score of children experiment group who
received English language teaching in a playful context which were taught by the use
of game-based project were higher than those of the control group were taught
English in the convention PPP (Presentation- Practice- Production) context.
Similarly, Azarmi‟s experimental study (2007) investigated the use of adapted
authentic childhood games in two English class of junior high school in Tabriz, Iran.
His experiment was based on six categories taken from the theories of Vygotsky and
Piaget: Risk taking, Motivation, Interest, Emotional intelligence, Time limitation and
making fun of games. As a result, the experiment group learners showed better
performance in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency and problem solving
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skills. Also the experiment group learners performed lessons more voluntarily and
showed great participation and production than the control group learners.
The result of the studies above and the important roles of games in English
teaching and learning have motivated the writer to study the use of games in
Indonesian context, especially at elementary level.In Indonesia, games are used not
only at senior high but also elementary level. Therefore, it is interesting to find out
how teachers in Indonesia view the use of games in their classroom context. This
study aimed at investigating the teacher‟s perspective of the use of educational games
in teaching English at Bethany Elementary School, Salatiga, Indonesia. For that
purpose, this study answers the following questions:
1. What type of games do the teachers use in their English classes?
2. What are the teacher‟s perceptions about the use of games for English
teaching and learning process?
The result of study is also beneficial to make the reader aware about how to
use games appropriately, to maximize the use of games in the English learning.
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This section presents the definition, types, and the strength and weakness of games.
Definition of Game
There are many definitions of games explored by many experts and
researchers. According to Wright, Betteridge and Buckby (2005) game is “An activity
which is entertaining and engaging, often challenging, and an activity in which the
learners play and usually interact with others “(p.1). Games are one of the activities
that teachers use to deliver the materials in entertaining way. Likewise Arikan and
Yolageldili (2011) argue that games are “Student-focused activities requiring active
involvement of learners” (p.221). It can be said that games often become an effective
way to help stimulate students in active participations. The other definition is quoted
by Hadfield (1990; Quotedin Deesri, 2002, p.1) that games is “An activity with rules,
a goal and an element of fun.” It can be concluded that games are activities with
rules and goals to create a fun, entertaining, and engaging atmosphere in the
classroom which stimulate students to participate actively in the classroom.
Types of game
There are eight types of game that can be used for teaching English
(Betteridge, D., Buckby, M., & Wright, A, 2006).
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Care and share
Caring and sharing games are kind of games which encourage the learners to
share their personal information comfortably with other learners. For example
“Getting to know to each other” game. In this game the teacher asks the students to
introduce themselves, for example, I‟m Martine and I like playing football. The next
learner repeats the sentence and adds his or her own information. For example one of
the students says “You‟re Martine and you like football. I‟m Robin and I have a pet
dog”. And so it continues. Getting to know to each other game, is the game which
provides a fun way for the learners to share their personal information by introducing
themselves to other learners.
The second example is “Pass on a sound game”. This game creates a feeling
of sharing and listening to each other. The teacher can ask the learners to pass on a
sound or a word or phrase. The example of sounds and phrases to pass on is the
student says Ba! Ba! Ba! (the fifth Ba spoken slowly and drawn out). Hello. I‟m John.
(Or any sentence produced by the learner).This requires the learners to pay attention
to each other in order to copy exactly what the other person is saying or doing. Based
on the definition of caring and sharing games, this game encourages the learners to
share their thoughts and also to pay attention to other learners.
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Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey
In this game the learner is required to do something non-verbally based on the
text she/ he hear. The teacher can tell a story and encourage the learners to act it out.
For example the teacher says: You’ve got a little cat in a box. Put the box on your
desk. Say, ‘Sit still. Don’t move.’ Now take the cat out of the box, very carefully. Put
it down. ’Show your friend your little cat’. This game includes the learner‟s
participation by doing and obeys the teacher‟s instruction.
The second example is “Listen and draw”. In this game the teacher reads a
description of a person, object, animal, or place. First, the teacher asks the learners to
listen and then draw the description that they have heard. For example “My neighbor
is a very tall, thin, woman. She wears a T-shirt. She has a square face and pointed
nose. She has a long hair. She always carries her little cat in her arms ”. This game
encourages the learners to participate actively by drawing about the description they
have heard.
Identify; Discriminate, Guess, Speculate
In this game the learner is challenged to identify something which is difficult to
identify or to hypothesize about something which is then compared with the facts.
The first example is “Slowly reveal a picture game”. The teacher puts a picture
and hides it in an envelope or a book. Then the teacher shows a very small part of the
picture and asks the learners to identify it. They can discuss it with other learners.
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This makes everyone participate by using the language and expressing their view by
guessing the picture.
The second example is “Flashing a text”. In this game the teacher flashes her
chosen text at great speed. For example, if the teacher uses an OHP, she has to swing
a book between the projector and the screen, giving the learners only a split seconds‟
view of the text between swings. The teacher encourages the learners to guess at what
has been seen. Slowly, the teacher and the learners can build up the complete text
together. The teacher may tell them the topic of the text. For example the text says
„don‟t put all your eggs in one basket‟. This game encourages the learners to identify
the text by guessing the words they have seen.
Describe
In this game the learner is challenged to describe something to another
learner, by speaking or writing, so well that the other learner can do something, for
example, draw a picture. The learner may describe something objectively or
subjectively, communicating his or her own feelings and associations.
The first example is “Describe and draw”. The teacher asks a volunteer to
stand in front of the board. The teacher puts a large picture which all the class can
see, except the volunteer. Next step is inviting the class to describe the picture and tell
the volunteer how to draw it. Then the teacher explains that the aim is to help the
volunteer to make a good copy of the picture.
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Here is an example:
Teacher: What‟s the shape of the picture? Learner 1: It‟s rectangle;
Teacher: Artist, please draw a rectangle
Teacher: What is in the picture? Class: A house…a tree…two people…a dog…some
birds.
Similar with the definition of description game, this game encourages the learners to
participate actively in speaking or writing by describing an object.
The second example is “Describe from memory”. In this game the teacher
shows four pictures to the whole class. Then she/he tells the learners to decide which
picture they want to describe, and not to let anyone else know their choice. Next, the
teacher gives time to think and write the description of it. They should try to identify
which picture has been described. For example it‟s red/green/brown apple. This game
helps the learners to describe the object in English.
Connect; Compare, Match, Group
In this game the learner is challenged to connect, compare, match or group
various items of information, perhaps pictures or text, objectively or subjectively. He
or she uses language to describe or comment on the pairs or groups of information.
The first example is “Bingo game”. Here the teacher shows the learners how
to make a Bingo grid which is written of four items from the board on to their Bingo
grid. If the learners hear a word that they have written in their Bingo grid they should
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cross it out. The first learner to cross out all four items on their list calls out Bingo is
the winner.
The second example is “Bingo grammar”. In this game the teacher makes
sentences in the present continuous indicating physical actions and write them on the
board, for example a woman is smiling. And then the teacher can ask the learners to
make a Bingo grid. The teacher asks the learners to choose any four the sentences and
illustrates them with quick sketches, one in each square. If the teacher calls out the
sentences in random order, the learners should cross out the picture sketched on their
Bingo grid.When a learner has crossed out all of his or her pictures, he or she shouts
Bingo! This game helps the learners in grammatical structure by connecting and
matching the correct sentence of the game.
Order
In this game the learner is challenged to put various bits of information into an
order of quality and importance, subjectively or objectively, or to put text, pictures,
objects, into a developmental sequence, also subjectively or objectively.
The first example is “Jumbled texts”. The teacher asks the learners to make a
group. Then the teacher gives one envelopes jumbled text components to each group,
then ask the learners to read each of the pieces and place them in the correct
sequence. The first group to finish a correct sequence is the winner. According to the
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definition of order game, this game encourages the learners to be able to put the
random words becomes a correct text based on the teacher‟s order.
The second example is “Word by word”. In this game the teacher asks the
learners to make a group, and then asks the first player in each group to say a word.
And then the teacher asks the next learner to add a word. The following learner will
add the words based on the previous word and to say the resulting phrase of three
words. For example learner 1 says „cat‟, learner 2 says „black cat‟, learner 3 says
„black cat climbs‟. Finally, in class discussion the teacher can ask each of group to
read out their completed sentences, and correct the mistakes grammatical structure. In
this game the learners are required to collect the information from the other learner‟s
word and add it with their own thought to make a correct sentence.
Remember
In this game the learner tries to remember something and then communicate
what she or he remembered. The first example is “Running dictation”. In this game,
the teacher gives a text to learner A. And then, learner A should read it, and try to
memorize as much as possible before running back to Learner B. Learner A should
dictate what he/she remembers of the text to Learner B, who will write about what he/
she hears. Learner A can read the text again until the whole text is complete. This
game encourages the learners to memorize and communicate the words with the other
learners.
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The second example is “Vocabulary and spelling game”. In this game the
teacher played the video to the learners about the peoples‟ activities or actions. And
then teacher ask the learners to try to remember what happened or were happening
from the video. Last, the learners will share their observations with the class. This
game required the learners to remember and communicate what they remembered
based on the video.
Create
In this game the learner is challenged or invited to make a story, write a poem
or produce some other kind of material using their imagination. „Challenged‟ might
include those story-making starters in which you stipulate certain features: for
example, you stipulate that a certain tense form must occur very often, or that the
story must be exactly 50 words long. „Invited‟, because sometimes the best way to
stir the creative forces is to „invite‟, „encourage‟, „show interest‟, and so on.
The first example is “Visualize and describe”. In this game the teacher reads a
story to the class, and then asks the students to imagine what they hear. Then the
teacher gives students time to answer the questions about what they saw or heard or
felt. The last, teacher gives each of questions a number and ask them to fill in the
number. Here is an example: “Close your eyes. Imagine you are in the wood. It‟s the
evening time….. (1). (2)…..in the wood there is a house..(3)…….somebody is
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coming out the house”. This game challenges the learners to make their own story
based on their imagination.
The second example is “Bouncing dialogue”. In this game the teacher asks the
learners to work in pairs to create a dialogue between two characters. For example,
one learner can be a parent, the other a teenage child, and the situation is that the
teenager was given permission to come home at midnight, but came home at two
o‟clock in the morning. And then they should read their dialogue silently. This game
encourages the learners to produce their dialogue based on their own story.
Advantages of Games
There are some advantages of games proposed by some researchers. Mubaslat
(2012) stated that games are motivating and challenging. It provides language
practice in the various skills such as in speaking, writing, listening and reading. They
also encourage students to interact, communicate and create in a meaningful context.
It can be said that games become one of the effective way in delivering the lesson
because the learners can develop their language‟s ability in a comfortable way.
The other researcher Lavery, C (2001) affirmed that games help the learners to be
active in the classroom. They can forget that they are studying because they are
learning in a playful context. Indeed, games also involve them in the group learning
and provide an extra practice without creating boredom.
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The other advantages of games are proposed by McCallum (1980). He argued that
games provide immediate feedback for the teacher. It can be used as affirmation,
review, and enrichment. It also promotes equal participation for slow and fast
learners. Games can be suitably applied for all language levels of the students.
It can be concluded that the use of games in EFL teaching have many advantages
for both teachers and students. Games provide motivation, challenge and active
participation for the learners in the learning process. Games can be used in the
various skill of target language, function as reinforcement, review, enrichment, and
also can be adjusted for all language levels of the students
Disadvantages of Games
While some researchers proposed the advantages of games in EFL teaching,
other researchers investigated the weaknesses of games in English teaching.
According to Ting and Li (2012, p.163) using games can be time consuming because
it takes time to play the game. It also requires longer time for teachers to prepare what
to teach. The other disadvantage proposed by Palanova, K (2010, p. 27). She argued
that games are tiring and boring. Because of games need a lot of participation and
time, the students might get tired and bored with all the play. Therefore to concentrate
in serious learning process is difficult. From the disadvantages that have been
explained before, some of teachers can face difficulty in managing the time and
preparing the games.
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Through the advantages and disadvantage of the use of games in EFL
teaching, some researchers point out how to use games in order to minimize the
problem that occurs. A game must be more than just a fun. It should involve
"friendly" competition and keep all of the students involved and interested. It should
encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself,
and furthermore give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language
material.
THE STUDY
This section consists of the context of the study, the participants, research
instrument, and data collection procedure.
Context of the study
This study was conducted in Bethany Elementary School, Salatiga, Central
Java, Indonesia. The main reason the researcher chose this place because games were
actively used in teaching and learning process. Additionally, games become one of
the main strategies used by the teachers to deliver the material.
The Participants
The participants of this study were two English teachers at the first and second
grade of Bethany Elementary School. The selection was based on the following
reasons. First, both of them were the teachers of the younger grade in which games
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are used actively in the classroom. Second, they came from the same pedagogical
background as English educators. Third, they spoke English actively in the
classroom. These reasons helped the researcher to find out their perspectives on the
use of games in English teaching.
The Research Instrument
In this study, the data gathered through observations and interview. The
observations were conducted to find out what kind of games that the teachers used in
their classroom. The observations were conducted six times and they were written in
an observation sheet.
The second instrument was interview. The type of the interview was structured
interview. The aim of the interview was to find out the observed teachers‟ perception
toward the use of games, especially on the advantages and disadvantage from using
games based on the teachers‟ perspective. The interview consisted of five questions
that were constructed by the writer, which were: a) how long have the teachers used
games for teaching English?; b)Why do the teachers use games?; c) What are the
advantages in each types of games for the teacher and the learners?; d) What are the
disadvantages in each types of games for the teacher and the learners?; e) What are
the important points to maximize the use of games?
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Data Collection and Analysis Procedures
The data was collected through some procedures. First the researcher should
prepare the observation sheet and do the observation. In the observation, the
researcher took a note and classified the types of games that the teachers used in their
English class. In addition to that, how each game works or not was also observed by
seeing the teacher and the learners‟ responses while doing the games in the
classroom. As for the data analysis, after the data was obtained, the researcher
counted the frequency of types of games which were used by the teachers. By doing
so, research question was answered.
The next procedure is collecting data from interview. The first procedure was
piloting the questions. This process was needed to prepare the proper questions in
order to get the data needed. The interview was an individual interview and audiotaped. The questions were given to two participants. The language used in the
interview is Indonesian language. The interview began with some questions that
focus on the teachers‟ reason in using games. The questions continued with asking
about their opinion and suggestion on the use of games in their English classes. The
data obtained from the interview was able to answer the second research question
which is: what the teacher‟s perceptions about the use of games in teaching English in
to their students are.
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The statistical data from the observation were counted to get the percentage
which were presented in a form of pie chart. It was aimed to know what types of
games that the participants used. After knowing the types of games used by the
participants, the qualitative data obtained from the interview. The data was classified
into some initial themes that emerged from the answer. It was aimed to know the
teachers‟ perception toward advantages and disadvantages of each type of games they
used.
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
This section discusses the research findings in order to answer the research
questions about “what type of games do the teachers use in their English classes?”
and “what are the teachers‟ perceptions toward the use of games for teaching and
learning process?”
Types of Games that the teachers use and how their games are applied in their
English classes
According to Betteridge, D., Buckby, M., & Wright, A (2006), there are eight
types of games in teaching English, which are Identify: Discriminate, Guess,
Speculate; Order; Connect: Compare, Match, Group, Remember, Do; Move, Mime,
Draw, Obey; Create; Describe; Create and share. Below is the frequency of types of
game used by the observed teachers in their English classes
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Figure 1: The types of games used by the teacher in English class in first and second
grade.
Types of games used by the teachers
Order
16%
33%
Connect: Compare, Match,
Group
Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey
50%
Remember
33%
Identify: Discriminate, Guess,
Speculate
16%
16%
Create
The data shows that the type of games mostly used by the observed teachers
was Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate (50 %). The next types which were
quite frequently used by the teachers was Order (33 %). Connect: Compare, Match,
Group has similar result with Order (33%). As for Remember, Do: Move, Mime,
Draw, Obey and Create, the teachers rarely used them (16%).
Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate
After knowing the frequency of each game used by the teachers, it is more
meaningful then to know how each type of game was used. From the observation, it
was found that the first type, Identify; Discriminate, Guess, Speculate was used
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through “guessing card game”. This game was used by the teacher in reading skill. In
this activity the teacher distributed a yellow and red card to each student. After that,
the teacher asked some questions related to the reading text that they had read before.
The students were required to show a yellow card for the correct answer or statement.
But if the statement was incorrect they should show a red card. For the example the
teacher asked “Do we see a horse sleeping behind the door?” Then the students
showed the red card if they thought it was false and yellow card for the correct
statement. This game helped the students to understand the reading text in a fun way.
It could be seen from their expressions when they could answer the questions and
from their enthusiasms to follow the game.
Order
The second type is Order . The example of this type is arranging jumble
words. The teacher used this game to make the students understand about the
sentence structure easier. In this game, the teacher asked the students to arrange the
random words into a correct sentence. For example, “Gaby/ to wash/ the dishes/
helped”. From this game the students were pushed to review their previous material
about sentence structure in a fun way. They participated actively to arrange the
correct sentence.
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Connect; Compare, Match, Group
The third type is Connect; Compare, Match, Group. The example of this type
was when the students played a bingo game. In this game, the teacher provided some
letters. In the carpet which had been provided, the students should arrange the letters
into a name of animal that was on the reading text entitled “the Grandpa‟s house”. If
they found the word, they should say „bingo!‟ Through this game, the students were
encouraged to give their attention on the reading text in order to be able finding the
words.
Remember
The fourth type is Remember. The example of this type is Chinese whisper
game. The teacher divided the students into two groups. They were asked to make a
line. Then the teacher chose one student as a leader to read the teacher‟s sentence. In
this activity the teacher showed a sentence to the one learner, and then the learner
whispered it to the next learner, and so on. The last person in the group should raise
his/her hand to report what the sentence was. This game is engaging because it
encourages the learners to participate actively.
Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey
The fifth type is Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. In this type of game, the
students played “My turn and your turn”. This game was used to teach reading. In
this reading game, the teacher gave some rules. If the teacher said my turn, she would
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read the text. But, if the teacher said your turn, then the students repeated what the
teacher had said. Again, through this game, the reading lesson is delivered in an
enjoyable way.
Create
The last type is Create. The example of this game was “Weather report”. In
this game, the teacher asked the learners to make a group of two. One learner acted as
a reporter and the other learner acted as a cameraman. In this play, the reporter was
given a short text by the teacher about the weather and she / he should report it to the
cameraman. The learners should change the roles, therefore every student had an
opportunity to read a text and act as a cameraman.
Teachers’ Perception on the use of Game
The discussion of teachers‟ perception is divided into teachers‟ reason for
using games in their English teaching, the teachers‟ perception toward the advantages
and disadvantages of each type of Game and the teachers‟ perception toward the
important points to maximize the use of games.
Teachers’ Reason for using games in their English teaching
The teachers‟ view on why they used games in their teaching can be divided
into two main reasons. The first reason is because games are encouraging. Teacher 1
stated “Children like games because they can get a reward” (source of data:
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Interview, participant 1). This reward motivated them to use English. This view is
matched with the observation. The students looked exited when the teacher informed
that the winner of the game would get some snacks that the teacher had prepared
before as a reward. This game therefore motivated the students to win the game.
The second reason is because game is fun and engaging. “It‟s more fun and
involving students into games activity” (source of data: Interview, participant 1). The
similar statement was also given by another participant, “Through games, the children
will be more interested to learn” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2). The
quotations indicate that the teachers used games because it helped them to create a
fun learning. Therefore, the learners would not get frustrated but would be interested
to learn. The participants‟ reasons are line with Fotovatnia & Namjoo (2013) who
argued that games are not only increase the students‟ motivation, but also change the
stress atmosphere into fun learning.
Teachers’ Perception toward the advantages of Games
Toward the advantages of using games for English teaching and learning process, the
participants‟ views games bring several advantages:
Helping students to improve their language skills (reading, listening, speaking)
This strength was clearly reflected in Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. That was
when the teacher used “your turn and my turn game”. During the interview, the
teacher stated “In this game, the students will get two skills. First, they will listen and
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speak by reading by themselves. I hope, from those two skills, the students will be
more fluent in reading” (Source of data: Interview, participant 1). This statement
shows that this game helps the students improve their listening because they had to
listen when the teacher was speaking. It also improved their speaking skill, because
they had to speak when the teacher said “Your turn”. Furthermore, their reading skill
was improved. When the teachers asked some questions related to the passage, the
students were stimulated to develop their reading skill by answering the questions.
In addition, this advantage was also reflected in Remember. The example of
this game is “Chinese whisper game”. In this game, the learners were asked to
whisper a sentence to other learners in their group. The last person in the group
should raise his/her hand to report what the sentence was. This game required the
students to listen a word carefully. She stated “Teacher will get an advantage because
through this game, the children listening skill will be developed more, so the teaching
process from the teacher work successfully” (Source of data: Interview, participant
1). What the teachers said is understandable because in this game, the students are
motivated listening their friend carefully to win the game. Therefore, their listening
skill can be improved.
Furthermore, the benefit can be found in Create. One of the games is used by
the teacher in this type is “Weather report game”. In this play, the students acted as
reporter and cameramen. The reporter was given a short text by the teacher about the
weather and she / he should report it to the cameraman. Toward this game, teacher 2
25
argued “Through this game, the students will describe the weather given. They will
practice how to speak and describe a thing” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2).
From the statement, this game helped the students to improve their speaking skill.
Based on those statements, it can be said that the use of games in English
teaching provide an interactive learning, so that the learners are able to explore their
reading, listening and speaking skill.
Helping students to build their grammar understanding
The potential of game in helping students to build their grammar understanding
can be found in Remember . Teacher 1 said “This game can be used to teach noun
phrase. Here, the children will hear some words which they have never know before.
It can be applied in a form of noun phrase and a relation between adjective and noun”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 1). To illustrate the teachers‟ view, the
following observation result is probably can help. In the Chinese whisper game, the
students were encouraged to improve their grammar understanding while they were
whispering some words such as white lamp and the big dining room. The statement
directly shows that this game can be used to teach grammar and learn items such as
noun phrase.
The benefit also can be seen in Order , especicially on “Arrange the jumbled
word”. This game encuraged the students to learn the sentence structure. As teacher 1
argued “When they are asked to arrange the random words, they will know that a
26
sentence is consist of a subject, verb and adverb” (Source of data: Interview,
participant 1). The statement indicates that games are able to guide the students to
practice their grammar ability such as the sentence structure.
Engaging the students to learn the lesson
The next standing point of games is engaging the lesson to the students. This
point can be found in several types of games. First is on Connect: Compare, Match,
Group. The benefit on the use of games is not only for the learners, but also for the
teachers. The first teacher stated “Teacher can deliver the material more
interestingly” (Source of data: Interview, participant 1). It can be seen when the
teacher and the students played “matching the pictures game”. The learners were
asked to put the name of words in the correct picture such as lamp, table, chair, which
were sticked in front of the class. From the observation, it was obvious that while the
game begun, all students shouted “hooray” to express their excitement in following
the game. It appeared that this game can motivate the learners to learn the material in
a playful atmosphere. Furthermore, it helps the teacher to make a fun learning, so she/
he will be able to attract their students‟ attention.
That game is engaging can be seen in Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. Teacher 1
stated “This game helps teacher to teach reading becomes more interesting” (Source
of data: Interview, participant 1). The observation and the teacher‟s opinion are
related. By changing the reading turn between the teacher and the students, it helps
27
the teacher to develop the reading material becomes more interesting. If it is
engaging, the students will understand the text easier.
Similarly, the idea of “engaging” can be found in Create. As the teacher 2 said,
“Through this game, the student will not get bored. This game is presented with
weather news report. So, the students have their own experience becoming a reporter”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 2). Based on this statement we can see that
Create makes the learning process become more entertaining. Through the activity of
reporting the weather, the student will not realize that they are learning, therefore they
will not get bored.
Those statements emphasize that games can be used as a tool to create a fun
atmosphere in language learning. It can be a way to help the teacher to design a
creative learning and to motivate the learners to learn in a fun and excitement
environment.
Helping the teachers to see the students’ actual ability
The third merit can be found in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate. As
Teacher 2 experienced “With this game, the teacher will be able to know if the
student can understand or not about the material” (Source of data: Interview,
participant 2). The following observation result probably can help illustrate the
opinion. In the “Guessing a card game”, the teacher asked some questions to the
students related to the reading text that they had read before. If the statement was
28
correct, the students should show a yellow card. But if the answer was incorrect, they
should show a red card. It clearly shows that from this game, the teacher can assess
whether the student understands or not about the material.
That game can help teacher to see the students‟ actual ability is also reflected in
Order . The teacher 2 stated “The teacher will be able to know the students difficulty”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 2). During the observation, the students‟
achievement in understanding the material can be seen, when they were playing
“Filling the blank words”. When they performed in front of the class by filling the
blank words the students‟ ability in spelling can be seen. In this way, the teacher will
be able to assess the students‟ language level.
Similarly, this advantage also can be found in Create. The example of this
type of game is “Weather report game”. The teacher assumed “The teacher will know
whether the student can describe the weather well or not.”(Source of data: Interview,
participant 2). In this point, the teacher will know the students‟ language level by
looking on the way the student describes the weather.
Helping students to improve their vocabulary
Last, the benefit of game is helping students to improve their vocabulary can
be seen in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate. Teacher 2 stated “Children will
be able to know and identify each different word” (Source of data: Interview,
participant 2). The statement indicates this game helps the learners to develop their
29
vocabulary by identifying the different words. The best illustration on the opinion
above can be seen in “Guessing the pictures game”. The students were encouraged to
develop their vocabulary by guessing the pictures about the weather that the teacher
showed. In this game, the students had opportunities to improve their vocabulary.
Such vocabulary improvement could also be found in Order . The example of
this type is “Filling the blank words”. Teacher 2 stated “Games can practice the
students in spelling” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2). While the students fill
the missing words such as SP _ _ N _ (SPRING), it helps them to improve their
spelling ability. Based on the observation and the statement, it indicates that games
can build the students‟ grammar skill, such as in spelling.
To summarize the advantages on the use of games, the table 1 is presented to
classify the benefit in each type of games.
30
Table 1. The advantages of games Order;Connect: Compare, Match, Group,Do:
Move, Mime, Draw, Obey; Remember;Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate;
Create .
Order
Connect:
Compare,
Match,
Group
Do: Move,
Mime,
Draw, Obey
Remember
Identify:
Create
Discriminate,
Guess,
Speculate
1. Building
the
grammar
understand
ing.
1. Engagin 1. Engagin
g
the
g the
students
students
to learn
to learn
the
the
material
material.
2. Practicing
in spelling
2. Helping
2. Helping
students
students
to
be
to
active.
improve
their
listening
3. Helping to
&
assess the
speaking
learners‟
skill.
ability.
1. Building
the
grammar
understandi
ng.
1. Building
the
students‟
understandi
ng.
1. Engaging
students
to learn
the
material.
2. Helping
2. Helping
students to 2. Helping to
to assess
improve
assess the
the
their
learners‟
students‟
listening
ability.
ability.
skill.
3. Helping
students to 3. Helping
students
improve
to
their
improve
vocabulary
their
.
listening
skill.
Teachers’ perception on disadvantages of Games
Apart from the advantages, there are also some limitations on the use of
games which make the games are not maximally used. The disadvantages can be
classified into four.
31
Games don’t always work
Games in teaching English do not always work because of some factors. The
first one is because demanding in terms of background knowledge. For example in
Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate game. According to teacher 1, “Game will
be a problem for the teacher if the teacher doesn‟t have enough patterns or enough
background knowledge” (Source of data: Interview, participant 1). Like in the
guessing pictures game, the teacher should prepare some patterns to be used in the
game. For example, the teachers should have enough background knowledge about
the difference between the weather phenomena, such as spring, winter, autumn,
summer. This statement shows that teachers may face difficulty to lead the game if
they do not have enough background knowledge.
The second problem which make the games do not always work is students‟
lack of confidance in performance. It was found in two types. The first happened
when the students were playing in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate that is
“Guessing Card Game”. In this game the students were asked to show their
understanding on the material by showing the yellow and the red card for true or false
statement. All the students answered them together. Toward this game, teacher 1
stated, “Children will follow the other friends, so their knowledge cannot develop”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 1). It shows that in learning process, the
negative effect that may occur is the students just follow their partner. Moreover, they
didn‟t get an opportunity to perform individually. Such of this rule can make some of
32
the students are not able to show their understanding confidently, because they just
follow the other friends. In this way, the learners may not be able to develop their
language knowledge well.
Time consuming
The second weakness of the language game is time consuming. This has
something to do with duration of the game. It is reflected in conducting Order game.
Here, teacher 2 argued, “The use of game will spend more time, so the learning
process will no bet effective” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2).
This
statement reveals that the use of game can be time-consuming. The clearer illustration
for the statement probably can be seen in “weather report game”. The students were
required to perform their speaking ability as a reporter and cameramen in front of the
class. As the evidence from the observation, some games took a long time because
they should be performed one by one. One performance took around ten minutes. The
teacher should cut the time while they were performed. Such situation probably made
the students did not perform their language ability maximally.
Boring
The next potential disadvantage of game is boring. Teachers 1 said “The
material delivery from the teacher by using this game for the children who are smart
will get bored” (Quotation1). In learning process, the teacher also stated “For the
children who are smart enough, this game is monotone” (Quotation 2). The best
33
example is in Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. When the students played my turn and
your turn game, the students who mastered pronunciation well, they could get bored
because they just copied the teachers sentence.
The teacher added, “If the teacher doesn‟t prepare well or the game that is
given is not interesting, the game will be boring”(Source of data: Interview,
participant 1). Here we can see that to make the game successfully done, the teacher
needs to think how to make the game becomes interesting. If not, the problem which
usually occurs is boredome which will make both of the teacher and the learners
might lose their excitement in learning.
Difficult to control the Classroom management
The last limitation is difficult to control the classroom management. It can be
seen in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate. When the students were playing in
“Guessing the pictures game”, the teacher faced difficulty to control them at the
beginning. They kept talking and there were some students who moved around the
class. The teacher 2 said “The class atmosphere tends to be noise” (Source of data:
Interview, participant 2). Here we can see that the problem that usually occurs when
game is played is the noise which are created by the students. It can be a challenge for
the teacher to control the students to keep following the game.
To summarize the disadvantages on the use of games, table 1 below, is
presented to classify the weaknesses in each type of games.
34
Table 1. The disadvantages of games in Order; Connect: Compare, Match, Group,
Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey; Remember; Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate;
Create .
Order
Connect:
Compare,
Match, Group
Do: Move,
Mime,
Draw,
Obey
Remember
Identify:
Create
Discriminate,
Guess,
Speculate
1. Demanding
1. Demanding
1. Boring
in terms of
in terms of
background
background
knowledge
knowledge
1. Boring
2. Time
consuming
2. Not
2. Not
confidence in
confidence in
performance
performance
2. Demanding
in terms of
preparation
and creativity
3. Difficulty in
assessing
students‟
real ability
1. Demanding in 1. Time
terms
of
consuming
background
knowledge
3. Difficulty in
classroom
management
According to the result of this study, it can be concluded that the use of games
in English teaching, especially in elementary level brings some positive effects in
teaching and learning process. Based on teachers‟ perspective which grown from
their experiences, the use of games is one of the best ways to deliver the material
because it helps students to improve their language skills, builds their grammar
understanding, improves their vocabulary, engages the students to learn the material
and helps teachers to see the students‟ ability. This perspective is in line with
Mubaslat (2012) who stated that games are motivating and challenging. Games
35
provide language practice in various skills such as in speaking, writing, listening and
reading. It is also similar with Nesselhauf and Tschichold‟s view (2002) who arg
Teaching& Learning Process: A study at Bethany Elementary
School
Abstract
Recently, games are widly used by teachers in teaching and learning
process since games are one of the important tools in EFL as stated by
McCallum (1980) and Mubaslat (2012). Through this study, the writer
investigated the teachers‟ perception toward the use of games in teaching
English for young learners and types of games used by the teachers. This
study was conducted in the first and the second grade of Bethany Elementary
School Salatiga, with two participants of English teachers. Observation and
interviews were used as instruments of data collection. The findings show that
there were six types of games, which are Order; Connect: compare, match,
group; Do: move, mime, draw, obey; Remember; Identify: discriminate,
guess, speculate and Create found used by the teachers. In addition, the
findings also indicate that teachers have positive perception towards games,
since they can contribute to improve the students‟ language skills, build their
grammar understanding, engage the students to learn the lesson, help them to
expand their vocabulary and help the teachers to see the students‟ actual
ability. However, the observed teachers also view that games can be boring
and time consuming. Games are also demanding in terms of background
knowledge and giving difficulty for the teachers to control the classroom
management. Therefore, the observed teachers gave some sugggestion to
minimize the problems.
Keywords: teachers’ perception, games, teaching English.
1
For some learners, learning English as a foreign language can be hard because
they need a lot of efforts to understand it. First, lerners need a relatively long time to
learn. For example learners who learn English from elementary until senior high level
takes around twelve years. This is in line with Fotovatnia & Namjoo‟s argument.
They stated, “Foreign language learning is a hard task and a lot of effort is required
every moment and over a long period of time to manipulate, understand, and produce
the target language” (Fotovatnia & Namjoo, 2013, p. 189). Second, they need to go
through series of learning process such as memorizing a lot of vocabularies and try to
learn the grammar. Furthermore, they need to learn to speak, listen and write in
English correctly which are not an easy job.
Due to the quite complicated process, it is not surprising that many learners
face difficulties in their learning process. Fotovatnia and Namjoo (2013) conducted a
study in Iran. The finding revealed that English is considered difficult to learn by the
learners because most of them were lack of motivation and did not have enough
opportunities to take a part in learning process. This caused learning English could be
hard for them. Another research on difficulties in learning English was conducted by
Kyaw and Sinhanety, K (2012). They investigated the vocabulary learning of
Burmese students. The results revealed that the participants had failed to innovate the
best ways that could work efficiently in their vocabulary learning because of the time
limitation, the demands of language course schedule, and the exam-oriented
educational system” (p. 999). Considering that there are many problems in learning
2
English, teachers need to find various techniques to the learners in order to minimize
the problems.
One of the techniques that makes the English teaching and learning become
fun and easier to understand is by using games. For example, in teaching vocabulary
of vegetables, teachers can ask them to play a “Shopping Vegetable” game by asking
them to buy some vegetables on the list given in this game, instead of asking the
students to only memorize all words about vegetables. Another example is in
teaching parts of body. Teachers can ask students to sing a song about parts of body.
While singing, the children should touch parts of their body with their hands, such as
head, then shoulders, knees, toes, when they hear each part of the body is mentioned.
By doing such activities, learning English is not necessarily to be hard. Instead, it can
be fun and enjoyable. In line with this idea, Fotovatnia & Namjoo argued that games
are effective and cost-saving method in language education (2013, p. 189).
Besides cost-saving, games are effective and practicable for almost all levels,
they are used not only for junior and senior school high students but also for young
learner. The term „young learners‟ here refers to “Children from the first year of
formal schooling (6 years old, in our case) to 12 years of age” (Korkut and İsisag:
2009). As mentioned by Robin (2012) “Children usually imitate their role models
with spontaneity and enthusiasm and young children actively learn a second language
through games, songs, puppets, stories, projects and other activities” (p. 19). Based
on those definitions about children‟s characteristic above, it can be concluded that
3
Teaching English using games to young learners can be effective, since, at those
period of time, young learners are more active physically and cognitively.
The important roles of games have encouraged many researchers in
educational field to explore and investigate the use of games in teaching English as a
second and foreign language. Griva1 and Semoglou (2012) conducted an
experimental study on a game-based project in a Greek experimental primary school
of 2nd grade. They were grouped into an experiment group (game-based classroom)
and a control group. Both groups were given tests consist of word production.
However, different approaches were implemented. The control group was taught by
using PPP (Presentation- Practice-Production) context and the experiment group was
taught by using games. The result showed that the test score of the experiment group
was higher than the control group. The test score of children experiment group who
received English language teaching in a playful context which were taught by the use
of game-based project were higher than those of the control group were taught
English in the convention PPP (Presentation- Practice- Production) context.
Similarly, Azarmi‟s experimental study (2007) investigated the use of adapted
authentic childhood games in two English class of junior high school in Tabriz, Iran.
His experiment was based on six categories taken from the theories of Vygotsky and
Piaget: Risk taking, Motivation, Interest, Emotional intelligence, Time limitation and
making fun of games. As a result, the experiment group learners showed better
performance in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency and problem solving
4
skills. Also the experiment group learners performed lessons more voluntarily and
showed great participation and production than the control group learners.
The result of the studies above and the important roles of games in English
teaching and learning have motivated the writer to study the use of games in
Indonesian context, especially at elementary level.In Indonesia, games are used not
only at senior high but also elementary level. Therefore, it is interesting to find out
how teachers in Indonesia view the use of games in their classroom context. This
study aimed at investigating the teacher‟s perspective of the use of educational games
in teaching English at Bethany Elementary School, Salatiga, Indonesia. For that
purpose, this study answers the following questions:
1. What type of games do the teachers use in their English classes?
2. What are the teacher‟s perceptions about the use of games for English
teaching and learning process?
The result of study is also beneficial to make the reader aware about how to
use games appropriately, to maximize the use of games in the English learning.
5
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This section presents the definition, types, and the strength and weakness of games.
Definition of Game
There are many definitions of games explored by many experts and
researchers. According to Wright, Betteridge and Buckby (2005) game is “An activity
which is entertaining and engaging, often challenging, and an activity in which the
learners play and usually interact with others “(p.1). Games are one of the activities
that teachers use to deliver the materials in entertaining way. Likewise Arikan and
Yolageldili (2011) argue that games are “Student-focused activities requiring active
involvement of learners” (p.221). It can be said that games often become an effective
way to help stimulate students in active participations. The other definition is quoted
by Hadfield (1990; Quotedin Deesri, 2002, p.1) that games is “An activity with rules,
a goal and an element of fun.” It can be concluded that games are activities with
rules and goals to create a fun, entertaining, and engaging atmosphere in the
classroom which stimulate students to participate actively in the classroom.
Types of game
There are eight types of game that can be used for teaching English
(Betteridge, D., Buckby, M., & Wright, A, 2006).
6
Care and share
Caring and sharing games are kind of games which encourage the learners to
share their personal information comfortably with other learners. For example
“Getting to know to each other” game. In this game the teacher asks the students to
introduce themselves, for example, I‟m Martine and I like playing football. The next
learner repeats the sentence and adds his or her own information. For example one of
the students says “You‟re Martine and you like football. I‟m Robin and I have a pet
dog”. And so it continues. Getting to know to each other game, is the game which
provides a fun way for the learners to share their personal information by introducing
themselves to other learners.
The second example is “Pass on a sound game”. This game creates a feeling
of sharing and listening to each other. The teacher can ask the learners to pass on a
sound or a word or phrase. The example of sounds and phrases to pass on is the
student says Ba! Ba! Ba! (the fifth Ba spoken slowly and drawn out). Hello. I‟m John.
(Or any sentence produced by the learner).This requires the learners to pay attention
to each other in order to copy exactly what the other person is saying or doing. Based
on the definition of caring and sharing games, this game encourages the learners to
share their thoughts and also to pay attention to other learners.
7
Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey
In this game the learner is required to do something non-verbally based on the
text she/ he hear. The teacher can tell a story and encourage the learners to act it out.
For example the teacher says: You’ve got a little cat in a box. Put the box on your
desk. Say, ‘Sit still. Don’t move.’ Now take the cat out of the box, very carefully. Put
it down. ’Show your friend your little cat’. This game includes the learner‟s
participation by doing and obeys the teacher‟s instruction.
The second example is “Listen and draw”. In this game the teacher reads a
description of a person, object, animal, or place. First, the teacher asks the learners to
listen and then draw the description that they have heard. For example “My neighbor
is a very tall, thin, woman. She wears a T-shirt. She has a square face and pointed
nose. She has a long hair. She always carries her little cat in her arms ”. This game
encourages the learners to participate actively by drawing about the description they
have heard.
Identify; Discriminate, Guess, Speculate
In this game the learner is challenged to identify something which is difficult to
identify or to hypothesize about something which is then compared with the facts.
The first example is “Slowly reveal a picture game”. The teacher puts a picture
and hides it in an envelope or a book. Then the teacher shows a very small part of the
picture and asks the learners to identify it. They can discuss it with other learners.
8
This makes everyone participate by using the language and expressing their view by
guessing the picture.
The second example is “Flashing a text”. In this game the teacher flashes her
chosen text at great speed. For example, if the teacher uses an OHP, she has to swing
a book between the projector and the screen, giving the learners only a split seconds‟
view of the text between swings. The teacher encourages the learners to guess at what
has been seen. Slowly, the teacher and the learners can build up the complete text
together. The teacher may tell them the topic of the text. For example the text says
„don‟t put all your eggs in one basket‟. This game encourages the learners to identify
the text by guessing the words they have seen.
Describe
In this game the learner is challenged to describe something to another
learner, by speaking or writing, so well that the other learner can do something, for
example, draw a picture. The learner may describe something objectively or
subjectively, communicating his or her own feelings and associations.
The first example is “Describe and draw”. The teacher asks a volunteer to
stand in front of the board. The teacher puts a large picture which all the class can
see, except the volunteer. Next step is inviting the class to describe the picture and tell
the volunteer how to draw it. Then the teacher explains that the aim is to help the
volunteer to make a good copy of the picture.
9
Here is an example:
Teacher: What‟s the shape of the picture? Learner 1: It‟s rectangle;
Teacher: Artist, please draw a rectangle
Teacher: What is in the picture? Class: A house…a tree…two people…a dog…some
birds.
Similar with the definition of description game, this game encourages the learners to
participate actively in speaking or writing by describing an object.
The second example is “Describe from memory”. In this game the teacher
shows four pictures to the whole class. Then she/he tells the learners to decide which
picture they want to describe, and not to let anyone else know their choice. Next, the
teacher gives time to think and write the description of it. They should try to identify
which picture has been described. For example it‟s red/green/brown apple. This game
helps the learners to describe the object in English.
Connect; Compare, Match, Group
In this game the learner is challenged to connect, compare, match or group
various items of information, perhaps pictures or text, objectively or subjectively. He
or she uses language to describe or comment on the pairs or groups of information.
The first example is “Bingo game”. Here the teacher shows the learners how
to make a Bingo grid which is written of four items from the board on to their Bingo
grid. If the learners hear a word that they have written in their Bingo grid they should
10
cross it out. The first learner to cross out all four items on their list calls out Bingo is
the winner.
The second example is “Bingo grammar”. In this game the teacher makes
sentences in the present continuous indicating physical actions and write them on the
board, for example a woman is smiling. And then the teacher can ask the learners to
make a Bingo grid. The teacher asks the learners to choose any four the sentences and
illustrates them with quick sketches, one in each square. If the teacher calls out the
sentences in random order, the learners should cross out the picture sketched on their
Bingo grid.When a learner has crossed out all of his or her pictures, he or she shouts
Bingo! This game helps the learners in grammatical structure by connecting and
matching the correct sentence of the game.
Order
In this game the learner is challenged to put various bits of information into an
order of quality and importance, subjectively or objectively, or to put text, pictures,
objects, into a developmental sequence, also subjectively or objectively.
The first example is “Jumbled texts”. The teacher asks the learners to make a
group. Then the teacher gives one envelopes jumbled text components to each group,
then ask the learners to read each of the pieces and place them in the correct
sequence. The first group to finish a correct sequence is the winner. According to the
11
definition of order game, this game encourages the learners to be able to put the
random words becomes a correct text based on the teacher‟s order.
The second example is “Word by word”. In this game the teacher asks the
learners to make a group, and then asks the first player in each group to say a word.
And then the teacher asks the next learner to add a word. The following learner will
add the words based on the previous word and to say the resulting phrase of three
words. For example learner 1 says „cat‟, learner 2 says „black cat‟, learner 3 says
„black cat climbs‟. Finally, in class discussion the teacher can ask each of group to
read out their completed sentences, and correct the mistakes grammatical structure. In
this game the learners are required to collect the information from the other learner‟s
word and add it with their own thought to make a correct sentence.
Remember
In this game the learner tries to remember something and then communicate
what she or he remembered. The first example is “Running dictation”. In this game,
the teacher gives a text to learner A. And then, learner A should read it, and try to
memorize as much as possible before running back to Learner B. Learner A should
dictate what he/she remembers of the text to Learner B, who will write about what he/
she hears. Learner A can read the text again until the whole text is complete. This
game encourages the learners to memorize and communicate the words with the other
learners.
12
The second example is “Vocabulary and spelling game”. In this game the
teacher played the video to the learners about the peoples‟ activities or actions. And
then teacher ask the learners to try to remember what happened or were happening
from the video. Last, the learners will share their observations with the class. This
game required the learners to remember and communicate what they remembered
based on the video.
Create
In this game the learner is challenged or invited to make a story, write a poem
or produce some other kind of material using their imagination. „Challenged‟ might
include those story-making starters in which you stipulate certain features: for
example, you stipulate that a certain tense form must occur very often, or that the
story must be exactly 50 words long. „Invited‟, because sometimes the best way to
stir the creative forces is to „invite‟, „encourage‟, „show interest‟, and so on.
The first example is “Visualize and describe”. In this game the teacher reads a
story to the class, and then asks the students to imagine what they hear. Then the
teacher gives students time to answer the questions about what they saw or heard or
felt. The last, teacher gives each of questions a number and ask them to fill in the
number. Here is an example: “Close your eyes. Imagine you are in the wood. It‟s the
evening time….. (1). (2)…..in the wood there is a house..(3)…….somebody is
13
coming out the house”. This game challenges the learners to make their own story
based on their imagination.
The second example is “Bouncing dialogue”. In this game the teacher asks the
learners to work in pairs to create a dialogue between two characters. For example,
one learner can be a parent, the other a teenage child, and the situation is that the
teenager was given permission to come home at midnight, but came home at two
o‟clock in the morning. And then they should read their dialogue silently. This game
encourages the learners to produce their dialogue based on their own story.
Advantages of Games
There are some advantages of games proposed by some researchers. Mubaslat
(2012) stated that games are motivating and challenging. It provides language
practice in the various skills such as in speaking, writing, listening and reading. They
also encourage students to interact, communicate and create in a meaningful context.
It can be said that games become one of the effective way in delivering the lesson
because the learners can develop their language‟s ability in a comfortable way.
The other researcher Lavery, C (2001) affirmed that games help the learners to be
active in the classroom. They can forget that they are studying because they are
learning in a playful context. Indeed, games also involve them in the group learning
and provide an extra practice without creating boredom.
14
The other advantages of games are proposed by McCallum (1980). He argued that
games provide immediate feedback for the teacher. It can be used as affirmation,
review, and enrichment. It also promotes equal participation for slow and fast
learners. Games can be suitably applied for all language levels of the students.
It can be concluded that the use of games in EFL teaching have many advantages
for both teachers and students. Games provide motivation, challenge and active
participation for the learners in the learning process. Games can be used in the
various skill of target language, function as reinforcement, review, enrichment, and
also can be adjusted for all language levels of the students
Disadvantages of Games
While some researchers proposed the advantages of games in EFL teaching,
other researchers investigated the weaknesses of games in English teaching.
According to Ting and Li (2012, p.163) using games can be time consuming because
it takes time to play the game. It also requires longer time for teachers to prepare what
to teach. The other disadvantage proposed by Palanova, K (2010, p. 27). She argued
that games are tiring and boring. Because of games need a lot of participation and
time, the students might get tired and bored with all the play. Therefore to concentrate
in serious learning process is difficult. From the disadvantages that have been
explained before, some of teachers can face difficulty in managing the time and
preparing the games.
15
Through the advantages and disadvantage of the use of games in EFL
teaching, some researchers point out how to use games in order to minimize the
problem that occurs. A game must be more than just a fun. It should involve
"friendly" competition and keep all of the students involved and interested. It should
encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself,
and furthermore give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language
material.
THE STUDY
This section consists of the context of the study, the participants, research
instrument, and data collection procedure.
Context of the study
This study was conducted in Bethany Elementary School, Salatiga, Central
Java, Indonesia. The main reason the researcher chose this place because games were
actively used in teaching and learning process. Additionally, games become one of
the main strategies used by the teachers to deliver the material.
The Participants
The participants of this study were two English teachers at the first and second
grade of Bethany Elementary School. The selection was based on the following
reasons. First, both of them were the teachers of the younger grade in which games
16
are used actively in the classroom. Second, they came from the same pedagogical
background as English educators. Third, they spoke English actively in the
classroom. These reasons helped the researcher to find out their perspectives on the
use of games in English teaching.
The Research Instrument
In this study, the data gathered through observations and interview. The
observations were conducted to find out what kind of games that the teachers used in
their classroom. The observations were conducted six times and they were written in
an observation sheet.
The second instrument was interview. The type of the interview was structured
interview. The aim of the interview was to find out the observed teachers‟ perception
toward the use of games, especially on the advantages and disadvantage from using
games based on the teachers‟ perspective. The interview consisted of five questions
that were constructed by the writer, which were: a) how long have the teachers used
games for teaching English?; b)Why do the teachers use games?; c) What are the
advantages in each types of games for the teacher and the learners?; d) What are the
disadvantages in each types of games for the teacher and the learners?; e) What are
the important points to maximize the use of games?
17
Data Collection and Analysis Procedures
The data was collected through some procedures. First the researcher should
prepare the observation sheet and do the observation. In the observation, the
researcher took a note and classified the types of games that the teachers used in their
English class. In addition to that, how each game works or not was also observed by
seeing the teacher and the learners‟ responses while doing the games in the
classroom. As for the data analysis, after the data was obtained, the researcher
counted the frequency of types of games which were used by the teachers. By doing
so, research question was answered.
The next procedure is collecting data from interview. The first procedure was
piloting the questions. This process was needed to prepare the proper questions in
order to get the data needed. The interview was an individual interview and audiotaped. The questions were given to two participants. The language used in the
interview is Indonesian language. The interview began with some questions that
focus on the teachers‟ reason in using games. The questions continued with asking
about their opinion and suggestion on the use of games in their English classes. The
data obtained from the interview was able to answer the second research question
which is: what the teacher‟s perceptions about the use of games in teaching English in
to their students are.
18
The statistical data from the observation were counted to get the percentage
which were presented in a form of pie chart. It was aimed to know what types of
games that the participants used. After knowing the types of games used by the
participants, the qualitative data obtained from the interview. The data was classified
into some initial themes that emerged from the answer. It was aimed to know the
teachers‟ perception toward advantages and disadvantages of each type of games they
used.
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
This section discusses the research findings in order to answer the research
questions about “what type of games do the teachers use in their English classes?”
and “what are the teachers‟ perceptions toward the use of games for teaching and
learning process?”
Types of Games that the teachers use and how their games are applied in their
English classes
According to Betteridge, D., Buckby, M., & Wright, A (2006), there are eight
types of games in teaching English, which are Identify: Discriminate, Guess,
Speculate; Order; Connect: Compare, Match, Group, Remember, Do; Move, Mime,
Draw, Obey; Create; Describe; Create and share. Below is the frequency of types of
game used by the observed teachers in their English classes
19
Figure 1: The types of games used by the teacher in English class in first and second
grade.
Types of games used by the teachers
Order
16%
33%
Connect: Compare, Match,
Group
Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey
50%
Remember
33%
Identify: Discriminate, Guess,
Speculate
16%
16%
Create
The data shows that the type of games mostly used by the observed teachers
was Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate (50 %). The next types which were
quite frequently used by the teachers was Order (33 %). Connect: Compare, Match,
Group has similar result with Order (33%). As for Remember, Do: Move, Mime,
Draw, Obey and Create, the teachers rarely used them (16%).
Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate
After knowing the frequency of each game used by the teachers, it is more
meaningful then to know how each type of game was used. From the observation, it
was found that the first type, Identify; Discriminate, Guess, Speculate was used
20
through “guessing card game”. This game was used by the teacher in reading skill. In
this activity the teacher distributed a yellow and red card to each student. After that,
the teacher asked some questions related to the reading text that they had read before.
The students were required to show a yellow card for the correct answer or statement.
But if the statement was incorrect they should show a red card. For the example the
teacher asked “Do we see a horse sleeping behind the door?” Then the students
showed the red card if they thought it was false and yellow card for the correct
statement. This game helped the students to understand the reading text in a fun way.
It could be seen from their expressions when they could answer the questions and
from their enthusiasms to follow the game.
Order
The second type is Order . The example of this type is arranging jumble
words. The teacher used this game to make the students understand about the
sentence structure easier. In this game, the teacher asked the students to arrange the
random words into a correct sentence. For example, “Gaby/ to wash/ the dishes/
helped”. From this game the students were pushed to review their previous material
about sentence structure in a fun way. They participated actively to arrange the
correct sentence.
21
Connect; Compare, Match, Group
The third type is Connect; Compare, Match, Group. The example of this type
was when the students played a bingo game. In this game, the teacher provided some
letters. In the carpet which had been provided, the students should arrange the letters
into a name of animal that was on the reading text entitled “the Grandpa‟s house”. If
they found the word, they should say „bingo!‟ Through this game, the students were
encouraged to give their attention on the reading text in order to be able finding the
words.
Remember
The fourth type is Remember. The example of this type is Chinese whisper
game. The teacher divided the students into two groups. They were asked to make a
line. Then the teacher chose one student as a leader to read the teacher‟s sentence. In
this activity the teacher showed a sentence to the one learner, and then the learner
whispered it to the next learner, and so on. The last person in the group should raise
his/her hand to report what the sentence was. This game is engaging because it
encourages the learners to participate actively.
Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey
The fifth type is Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. In this type of game, the
students played “My turn and your turn”. This game was used to teach reading. In
this reading game, the teacher gave some rules. If the teacher said my turn, she would
22
read the text. But, if the teacher said your turn, then the students repeated what the
teacher had said. Again, through this game, the reading lesson is delivered in an
enjoyable way.
Create
The last type is Create. The example of this game was “Weather report”. In
this game, the teacher asked the learners to make a group of two. One learner acted as
a reporter and the other learner acted as a cameraman. In this play, the reporter was
given a short text by the teacher about the weather and she / he should report it to the
cameraman. The learners should change the roles, therefore every student had an
opportunity to read a text and act as a cameraman.
Teachers’ Perception on the use of Game
The discussion of teachers‟ perception is divided into teachers‟ reason for
using games in their English teaching, the teachers‟ perception toward the advantages
and disadvantages of each type of Game and the teachers‟ perception toward the
important points to maximize the use of games.
Teachers’ Reason for using games in their English teaching
The teachers‟ view on why they used games in their teaching can be divided
into two main reasons. The first reason is because games are encouraging. Teacher 1
stated “Children like games because they can get a reward” (source of data:
23
Interview, participant 1). This reward motivated them to use English. This view is
matched with the observation. The students looked exited when the teacher informed
that the winner of the game would get some snacks that the teacher had prepared
before as a reward. This game therefore motivated the students to win the game.
The second reason is because game is fun and engaging. “It‟s more fun and
involving students into games activity” (source of data: Interview, participant 1). The
similar statement was also given by another participant, “Through games, the children
will be more interested to learn” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2). The
quotations indicate that the teachers used games because it helped them to create a
fun learning. Therefore, the learners would not get frustrated but would be interested
to learn. The participants‟ reasons are line with Fotovatnia & Namjoo (2013) who
argued that games are not only increase the students‟ motivation, but also change the
stress atmosphere into fun learning.
Teachers’ Perception toward the advantages of Games
Toward the advantages of using games for English teaching and learning process, the
participants‟ views games bring several advantages:
Helping students to improve their language skills (reading, listening, speaking)
This strength was clearly reflected in Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. That was
when the teacher used “your turn and my turn game”. During the interview, the
teacher stated “In this game, the students will get two skills. First, they will listen and
24
speak by reading by themselves. I hope, from those two skills, the students will be
more fluent in reading” (Source of data: Interview, participant 1). This statement
shows that this game helps the students improve their listening because they had to
listen when the teacher was speaking. It also improved their speaking skill, because
they had to speak when the teacher said “Your turn”. Furthermore, their reading skill
was improved. When the teachers asked some questions related to the passage, the
students were stimulated to develop their reading skill by answering the questions.
In addition, this advantage was also reflected in Remember. The example of
this game is “Chinese whisper game”. In this game, the learners were asked to
whisper a sentence to other learners in their group. The last person in the group
should raise his/her hand to report what the sentence was. This game required the
students to listen a word carefully. She stated “Teacher will get an advantage because
through this game, the children listening skill will be developed more, so the teaching
process from the teacher work successfully” (Source of data: Interview, participant
1). What the teachers said is understandable because in this game, the students are
motivated listening their friend carefully to win the game. Therefore, their listening
skill can be improved.
Furthermore, the benefit can be found in Create. One of the games is used by
the teacher in this type is “Weather report game”. In this play, the students acted as
reporter and cameramen. The reporter was given a short text by the teacher about the
weather and she / he should report it to the cameraman. Toward this game, teacher 2
25
argued “Through this game, the students will describe the weather given. They will
practice how to speak and describe a thing” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2).
From the statement, this game helped the students to improve their speaking skill.
Based on those statements, it can be said that the use of games in English
teaching provide an interactive learning, so that the learners are able to explore their
reading, listening and speaking skill.
Helping students to build their grammar understanding
The potential of game in helping students to build their grammar understanding
can be found in Remember . Teacher 1 said “This game can be used to teach noun
phrase. Here, the children will hear some words which they have never know before.
It can be applied in a form of noun phrase and a relation between adjective and noun”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 1). To illustrate the teachers‟ view, the
following observation result is probably can help. In the Chinese whisper game, the
students were encouraged to improve their grammar understanding while they were
whispering some words such as white lamp and the big dining room. The statement
directly shows that this game can be used to teach grammar and learn items such as
noun phrase.
The benefit also can be seen in Order , especicially on “Arrange the jumbled
word”. This game encuraged the students to learn the sentence structure. As teacher 1
argued “When they are asked to arrange the random words, they will know that a
26
sentence is consist of a subject, verb and adverb” (Source of data: Interview,
participant 1). The statement indicates that games are able to guide the students to
practice their grammar ability such as the sentence structure.
Engaging the students to learn the lesson
The next standing point of games is engaging the lesson to the students. This
point can be found in several types of games. First is on Connect: Compare, Match,
Group. The benefit on the use of games is not only for the learners, but also for the
teachers. The first teacher stated “Teacher can deliver the material more
interestingly” (Source of data: Interview, participant 1). It can be seen when the
teacher and the students played “matching the pictures game”. The learners were
asked to put the name of words in the correct picture such as lamp, table, chair, which
were sticked in front of the class. From the observation, it was obvious that while the
game begun, all students shouted “hooray” to express their excitement in following
the game. It appeared that this game can motivate the learners to learn the material in
a playful atmosphere. Furthermore, it helps the teacher to make a fun learning, so she/
he will be able to attract their students‟ attention.
That game is engaging can be seen in Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. Teacher 1
stated “This game helps teacher to teach reading becomes more interesting” (Source
of data: Interview, participant 1). The observation and the teacher‟s opinion are
related. By changing the reading turn between the teacher and the students, it helps
27
the teacher to develop the reading material becomes more interesting. If it is
engaging, the students will understand the text easier.
Similarly, the idea of “engaging” can be found in Create. As the teacher 2 said,
“Through this game, the student will not get bored. This game is presented with
weather news report. So, the students have their own experience becoming a reporter”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 2). Based on this statement we can see that
Create makes the learning process become more entertaining. Through the activity of
reporting the weather, the student will not realize that they are learning, therefore they
will not get bored.
Those statements emphasize that games can be used as a tool to create a fun
atmosphere in language learning. It can be a way to help the teacher to design a
creative learning and to motivate the learners to learn in a fun and excitement
environment.
Helping the teachers to see the students’ actual ability
The third merit can be found in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate. As
Teacher 2 experienced “With this game, the teacher will be able to know if the
student can understand or not about the material” (Source of data: Interview,
participant 2). The following observation result probably can help illustrate the
opinion. In the “Guessing a card game”, the teacher asked some questions to the
students related to the reading text that they had read before. If the statement was
28
correct, the students should show a yellow card. But if the answer was incorrect, they
should show a red card. It clearly shows that from this game, the teacher can assess
whether the student understands or not about the material.
That game can help teacher to see the students‟ actual ability is also reflected in
Order . The teacher 2 stated “The teacher will be able to know the students difficulty”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 2). During the observation, the students‟
achievement in understanding the material can be seen, when they were playing
“Filling the blank words”. When they performed in front of the class by filling the
blank words the students‟ ability in spelling can be seen. In this way, the teacher will
be able to assess the students‟ language level.
Similarly, this advantage also can be found in Create. The example of this
type of game is “Weather report game”. The teacher assumed “The teacher will know
whether the student can describe the weather well or not.”(Source of data: Interview,
participant 2). In this point, the teacher will know the students‟ language level by
looking on the way the student describes the weather.
Helping students to improve their vocabulary
Last, the benefit of game is helping students to improve their vocabulary can
be seen in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate. Teacher 2 stated “Children will
be able to know and identify each different word” (Source of data: Interview,
participant 2). The statement indicates this game helps the learners to develop their
29
vocabulary by identifying the different words. The best illustration on the opinion
above can be seen in “Guessing the pictures game”. The students were encouraged to
develop their vocabulary by guessing the pictures about the weather that the teacher
showed. In this game, the students had opportunities to improve their vocabulary.
Such vocabulary improvement could also be found in Order . The example of
this type is “Filling the blank words”. Teacher 2 stated “Games can practice the
students in spelling” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2). While the students fill
the missing words such as SP _ _ N _ (SPRING), it helps them to improve their
spelling ability. Based on the observation and the statement, it indicates that games
can build the students‟ grammar skill, such as in spelling.
To summarize the advantages on the use of games, the table 1 is presented to
classify the benefit in each type of games.
30
Table 1. The advantages of games Order;Connect: Compare, Match, Group,Do:
Move, Mime, Draw, Obey; Remember;Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate;
Create .
Order
Connect:
Compare,
Match,
Group
Do: Move,
Mime,
Draw, Obey
Remember
Identify:
Create
Discriminate,
Guess,
Speculate
1. Building
the
grammar
understand
ing.
1. Engagin 1. Engagin
g
the
g the
students
students
to learn
to learn
the
the
material
material.
2. Practicing
in spelling
2. Helping
2. Helping
students
students
to
be
to
active.
improve
their
listening
3. Helping to
&
assess the
speaking
learners‟
skill.
ability.
1. Building
the
grammar
understandi
ng.
1. Building
the
students‟
understandi
ng.
1. Engaging
students
to learn
the
material.
2. Helping
2. Helping
students to 2. Helping to
to assess
improve
assess the
the
their
learners‟
students‟
listening
ability.
ability.
skill.
3. Helping
students to 3. Helping
students
improve
to
their
improve
vocabulary
their
.
listening
skill.
Teachers’ perception on disadvantages of Games
Apart from the advantages, there are also some limitations on the use of
games which make the games are not maximally used. The disadvantages can be
classified into four.
31
Games don’t always work
Games in teaching English do not always work because of some factors. The
first one is because demanding in terms of background knowledge. For example in
Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate game. According to teacher 1, “Game will
be a problem for the teacher if the teacher doesn‟t have enough patterns or enough
background knowledge” (Source of data: Interview, participant 1). Like in the
guessing pictures game, the teacher should prepare some patterns to be used in the
game. For example, the teachers should have enough background knowledge about
the difference between the weather phenomena, such as spring, winter, autumn,
summer. This statement shows that teachers may face difficulty to lead the game if
they do not have enough background knowledge.
The second problem which make the games do not always work is students‟
lack of confidance in performance. It was found in two types. The first happened
when the students were playing in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate that is
“Guessing Card Game”. In this game the students were asked to show their
understanding on the material by showing the yellow and the red card for true or false
statement. All the students answered them together. Toward this game, teacher 1
stated, “Children will follow the other friends, so their knowledge cannot develop”
(Source of data: Interview, participant 1). It shows that in learning process, the
negative effect that may occur is the students just follow their partner. Moreover, they
didn‟t get an opportunity to perform individually. Such of this rule can make some of
32
the students are not able to show their understanding confidently, because they just
follow the other friends. In this way, the learners may not be able to develop their
language knowledge well.
Time consuming
The second weakness of the language game is time consuming. This has
something to do with duration of the game. It is reflected in conducting Order game.
Here, teacher 2 argued, “The use of game will spend more time, so the learning
process will no bet effective” (Source of data: Interview, participant 2).
This
statement reveals that the use of game can be time-consuming. The clearer illustration
for the statement probably can be seen in “weather report game”. The students were
required to perform their speaking ability as a reporter and cameramen in front of the
class. As the evidence from the observation, some games took a long time because
they should be performed one by one. One performance took around ten minutes. The
teacher should cut the time while they were performed. Such situation probably made
the students did not perform their language ability maximally.
Boring
The next potential disadvantage of game is boring. Teachers 1 said “The
material delivery from the teacher by using this game for the children who are smart
will get bored” (Quotation1). In learning process, the teacher also stated “For the
children who are smart enough, this game is monotone” (Quotation 2). The best
33
example is in Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey. When the students played my turn and
your turn game, the students who mastered pronunciation well, they could get bored
because they just copied the teachers sentence.
The teacher added, “If the teacher doesn‟t prepare well or the game that is
given is not interesting, the game will be boring”(Source of data: Interview,
participant 1). Here we can see that to make the game successfully done, the teacher
needs to think how to make the game becomes interesting. If not, the problem which
usually occurs is boredome which will make both of the teacher and the learners
might lose their excitement in learning.
Difficult to control the Classroom management
The last limitation is difficult to control the classroom management. It can be
seen in Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate. When the students were playing in
“Guessing the pictures game”, the teacher faced difficulty to control them at the
beginning. They kept talking and there were some students who moved around the
class. The teacher 2 said “The class atmosphere tends to be noise” (Source of data:
Interview, participant 2). Here we can see that the problem that usually occurs when
game is played is the noise which are created by the students. It can be a challenge for
the teacher to control the students to keep following the game.
To summarize the disadvantages on the use of games, table 1 below, is
presented to classify the weaknesses in each type of games.
34
Table 1. The disadvantages of games in Order; Connect: Compare, Match, Group,
Do: Move, Mime, Draw, Obey; Remember; Identify: Discriminate, Guess, Speculate;
Create .
Order
Connect:
Compare,
Match, Group
Do: Move,
Mime,
Draw,
Obey
Remember
Identify:
Create
Discriminate,
Guess,
Speculate
1. Demanding
1. Demanding
1. Boring
in terms of
in terms of
background
background
knowledge
knowledge
1. Boring
2. Time
consuming
2. Not
2. Not
confidence in
confidence in
performance
performance
2. Demanding
in terms of
preparation
and creativity
3. Difficulty in
assessing
students‟
real ability
1. Demanding in 1. Time
terms
of
consuming
background
knowledge
3. Difficulty in
classroom
management
According to the result of this study, it can be concluded that the use of games
in English teaching, especially in elementary level brings some positive effects in
teaching and learning process. Based on teachers‟ perspective which grown from
their experiences, the use of games is one of the best ways to deliver the material
because it helps students to improve their language skills, builds their grammar
understanding, improves their vocabulary, engages the students to learn the material
and helps teachers to see the students‟ ability. This perspective is in line with
Mubaslat (2012) who stated that games are motivating and challenging. Games
35
provide language practice in various skills such as in speaking, writing, listening and
reading. It is also similar with Nesselhauf and Tschichold‟s view (2002) who arg