The use of language games to motivate 10th form students to learn writing at Kim Anh High School = Việc sử dụng trò chơi ngôn ngữ nhằm tạo động lực thúc đẩy học

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



HỨA THỊ THANH HÀ


THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES TO MOTIVATE 10
TH

FORM STUDENTS TO LEARN WRITING AT KIM ANH
HIGH SCHOOL

VIỆC SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI NGÔN NGỮ NHẰM TẠO ĐỘNG
LỰC THÚC ĐẨY HỌC SINH LỚP 10 HỌC VIẾT TẠI TRƢỜNG
TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG KIM ANH

M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English Methodology
Code: 60.140.111




HANOI – 2013

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES



HỨA THỊ THANH HÀ


THE USE OF LANGUAGE GAMES TO MOTIVATE 10
TH

FORM STUDENTS TO LEARN WRITING AT KIM ANH
HIGH SCHOOL

VIỆC SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI NGÔN NGỮ NHẰM TẠO ĐỘNG
LỰC THÚC ĐẨY HỌC SINH LỚP 10 HỌC VIẾT TẠI TRƢỜNG
TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG KIM ANH)

M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English Methodology
Code: 60.140.111
Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, Dr.



HANOI – 2013

i
DECLARATION

I, Hứa Thị Thanh Hà , declare that the thesis entitled “The use of language games to
motivate 10th form students to learn writing at Kim Anh High school” reports the
result of the study conducted by myself. The minor thesis is submitted to the
Faculty of Post-graduate studies, ULIS, Hanoi for Degree of Master in TESOL. It
has not been published anywhere.





Hứa Thị Thanh Hà

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In the first place, I would like to send my sincere thanks to my supervisor – Dr.
Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Vice - Director of Institute for Education Quality Assurance,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for all her valuable guidance, helpful advices,
recommendation, and encouragement during the time I tried to complete this minor
thesis. Without her, I would not have followed the right direction for the
accomplishment of this research.
Second, my deepest thanks go to ten teachers of English and 89 tenth form students
at Kim Anh High school who were so generous and willing to help me with the
questionnaires and interviews.
Third, I would like to thank all the teachers of the Faculty of Post-Graduate studies
for their valuable lectures on which my minor thesis was laid the foundation.
Last but not least, I would like to express my biggest love and thankfulness to my
family for their unconditional contributions during my thesis.

Hứa Thị Thanh Hà


iii
ABSTRACT
In ELT, language games have long been proved to be a valuable source of
motivation, one of the keys to success of language acquisition. Aiming at
investigating the use of language games as a motivator to students' learning writing,
this study was conducted with two sets of survey questionnaires and interviews as
the main instruments. The study looked at the current situation and difficulties when
teachers applied language games to stimulate students to learn writing. Ten teachers
and 89 tenth form students at Kim Anh High school took part in the study. The
result reveals positive attitudes from the participants toward the use of language
games to motivate students to learn writing. Language games are applied frequently
to motivate students, mostly in warm up stage within 6 to 10 minutes. Students
often play games in two teams or groups with the common ones such as crossword,
hangman and matching. Most of the teachers are pleased with their use of language
games and most of the students take part in the activities enthusiastically. However,
there remain some difficulties facing the teachers and students while language
games are used as a motivator in writing lessons. Based on the findings, some
pedagogical implications are provided for the improvement of writing teaching by
motivating students via language games.

iv
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1 The benefits of using language games to motivate students to learn
writing

Table 2 Teachers' preparation for the use of language games in writing lessons
Table 3 Students' performance in the games according to the teachers'
viewpoint
Table 4 The difficulties facing teachers when using language games to
motivate students to learn writing
Table 5 Teachers' suggestions on how to use language games to motivate
students to learn writing
Table 6 The benefits of using language games as a motivator in writing lessons
according to students' viewpoint
Table 7 The difficulties students meet when playing language games in writing
lessons
Table 8 Students' suggestions for teachers' using language games to motivate
students to learn writing
Figure 1 Teachers‟ keenness on using language games to motivate students to
learn writing
Figure 2 The usefulness of using language games to motivate students to learn
writing in teachers' viewpoint
Figure 3 The frequency of using language games to motivate students to learn
writing
Figure 4 Stages at which language games are used in writing lessons
Figure 5 Time for using language games to motivate students to learn writing
Figure 6 Kinds of language games to stimulate students to learn writing
Figure 7 Class organization when language games are used to motivate
students to learn writing
Figure 8 Teachers‟ activities before conducting the games

v
Figure 9 Teachers‟ activities while students are playing the games
Figure 10 Teachers‟ activities in the post playing stage
Figure 11 Teachers‟ feeling pleased with their use of language games to

motivate students to learn writing
Figure 12 Students' interest in teachers' using language games in writing lessons
Figure 13 Students' attitudes towards the usefulness of language games in
motivating students to learn writing
Figure 14 Teachers' frequency of using language games to motivate students to
learn writing according to the students
Figure 15 Students' participation in language games in writing lessons
Figure 16 Stages at which language games are used in writing lessons according
to the students
Figure 17 Time for using language games to motivate students to learn writing
according to the students
Figure 28 Class organization when language games are used to motivate
students to learn writing according to the students
Figure 19 The teachers' using other teaching aids when they apply language
games in writing lessons


vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ELT English Language Teaching
EFL English as Foreign Language
TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language
VNU Vietnam National University, Hanoi
ULIS University of Language and International Studies

vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
Declaration i
Acknowledgements ii
Abstract iii
List of tables and figures iv
List of abbreviations vi
Tablle of content vii
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the study 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research question of the study 2
4. Scope of the study 3
5. Methods of the study 3
6. Design of the study 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Writing and writing teaching 4
1.1.1. Definitions 4
1.1.2. Approaches to writing teaching 5
1.1.3. Processes in teaching writing 6
1.1.4. Factors affecting students' performance in writing lessons 8
1.1.4.1. Student factors 8
1.1.4.2. Teacher factors 9

viii
1.1.4.3. External factors 10
1.2. Language games 11
1.2.1. Definitions 11
1.2.2. Roles of language games 12

1.2.3. Types of language games 13
1.2.4. Methods of using language games 14
1.2.4.1. When to use a game? 14
1.2.4.2. Which games to use? 15
1.2.4.3. How to run a game? 16
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. The context of the study 18
2.2. Participants of the study 18
2.3. Data collection instruments 19
2.3.1. Survey questionnaires for teachers and students 19
2.3.2. Interviews with teachers and students 19
2.4. Data collection procedure 20
2.5. Data analysis methods 20
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
3.1. Survey questionnaires 21
3.1.1. Survey questionnaire for the teachers 21
3.1.1.1. The attitudes of the teachers towards using language games to
motivate students to learn writing 21
3.1.1.2. The current situation of teachers‟ using languagegames to motivate
students to learn writing at Kim Anh High school 22
3.1.1.3. Teachers‟ difficulties when using language games to motivate students
to learn writing 28

ix
3.1.1.4. Teachers‟ suggestions on using language games to motivate students
to learn writing 29
3.1.2. Survey questionnaire for the students 30
3.1.2.1. The attitudes of the students towards their teachers' use of language
games to motivate them to learn writing 30
3.1.2.2. Students' viewpoint on the current situation of using language games

to motivate students to learn writing at Kim Anh High school 33
3.1.2.3. The difficulties students meet when teachers use language games to
motivate them to learn writing 36
3.1.2.4. Students' suggestions for teachers' using language games to motivate
students to learn writing 37
3.2. Interviews 38
3.2.1. Interview with the teachers 38
3.2.2. Interview with the students 40
PART C: CONCLUSION
1. Summary of findings 41
2. Pedagogical Implications 42
3. Limitations and recommendations for further studies 43
REFERENCES 44
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire for the teachers I
Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire for the students VII
Appendix 3: Interview questions for the teachers and the students XV
Appendix 4: Interview with the teachers XVI
Appendix 5: Interview with the students . XIX
Appendix 6: Data collected from the survey questionnaire for the teachers XXI
Appendix 7: Data collected from the survey questionnaire for the students XXVI

1
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the study
In second language learning, language games have long been proved to be
not just time-filling activities but have a great educational value. "Games can lower
anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely." (Richard-Amato, 1988,
p.147). They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students
more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings (Hansen, 1994, p.118).

They also enable learners to acquire new experiences within a foreign language
which are not always possible during a typical lesson. In the easy, relaxed
atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and
better (Wierus and Wierus, 1994, p.218) Further support comes from Zdybiewska,
who believes games to provide a model of what learners will use the language for in
real life in the future (1994, p.6). In short, games are used not only for mere fun, but
more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language lessons, thus
leading toward the goal of improving learners' communicative competence.' Games
ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages.
In Vietnam, there have been many studies on using language games in
teaching and learning English. However, few researchers investigated the
application of language games to motivate students to learn writing. Writing, by its
nature, may not make it attractive to students or teachers as a classroom activity. In
reality, most teachers follow what the tasks in the textbook require, and do nothing
more about it. They just ask students to do the written exercises after giving simple
suggestions or encourage them to mimic model texts. For students, most of them
find no reason to learn writing as it is not included in the national examination
format and they may have rare opportunities to write in English in real life. Because
of limited background knowledge, they often feel bored when doing written work,
especially when lacking support and motivation from teachers.
The situation is even worse at Kim Anh High school where students have
low English proficiency. Except for some good students, the rest are not interested

2
in learning English in general and writing in particular. They find writing difficult
and boring so they do not try to learn this important language skill. For the teachers,
teaching writing appears to be a challenge. Sometimes this important skill is
neglected as teachers find writing quite a daunting prospect in their classes.
It is obvious that stimulating students to learn writing is absolutely vital as
motivation is one of the keys to success of second language acquisition. Language

games have not successfully applied to writing lessons at Kim Anh High school yet.
All the above- mention reasons have inspired the author to conduct the study
" The use of language games to motivate 10
th
form students to learn writing at
Kim Anh High School"
2. Aims of the study
The study is aimed at investigating the situation of using language games to
motivate 10
th
form students to learn writing at Kim Anh High School. Following are
the specific objectives:
 The attitudes of the teachers and students towards using language games to
motivate students to learn writing
 The use of language games to motivate students' learning writing
 The difficulties that the teachers and students meet when language games are
used to motivate students to learn writing
Based on the findings, some suggestions and implications are provided for
the improvement of writing teaching by using language games as a motivator
3. Research question of the study
To achieve the aim, the study plans to answer the following question:
What is the situation of using language games to motivate 10
th
form students
to learn writing at Kim Anh High School?
To answer this question, the answers to the minor questions were sought for:
 What are the attitudes of the teachers and students towards using language
games to motivate students to learn writing?

3

 What games are used to motivate students to learn writing at Kim Anh High
school? And how are they used?
 What are the difficulties the teachers and students cope with during stimulating
student to learn writing via language games?
4. Scope of the study
The study focuses specifically on using language games to teach writing to
10
th
students at Kim Anh High school. So the study limits itself to the teaching and
learning writing only, and the subjects of the study are non- English majors
studying English 10 at Kim Anh High school.
5. Methods of the study
The major methods employed in this study include:
 survey questionnaires were answered by teachers and students to find out the
situation of using language games as a motivator in writing lessons
 interviews were conducted to get better insights into their ideas towards the use
of language games
6. Design of the study
This paper is divided into three main parts:
PART A is the INTRODUCTION which presents the rationale, the aims, the
research question, the scope, the methods and the design of the study.
PART B is the DEVELOPMENT which includes three chapters. Chapter 1,
LITERATURE REVIEW, deals with some theoretical background that is relevant
to the purposes of the study: teaching writing and language games. Chapter 2,
METHODOLOGY, investigates the situation of using language games at Kim Anh
High school through the analysis of collected data. Chapter 3 is the FINDINGS
AND DISCUSSIONS which are concluded from the data analysis.
PART C is the CONCLUSION which includes the summary of findings,
pedagogical implications as well as limitations of the study and recommendations
for further research.

REFERENCES and APPENDICES are provided in the last pages of the study.

4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Writing and writing teaching
1.1.1. Definitions
In language teaching, writing is one of the four language skills (reading,
speaking, listening and writing) that a learners is expected to master. Many linguists
have tried to give definitions of writing.
Byrnes (1991, p.1) sees writing from the lowest level - letters to the higher
and higher levels of performance - words, sentences and discourses and as strategies
to obtain a final product of " making marks on the flat surface of some kinds."
Candlin and Hyland ( 1999, p.107) define writing as " an engagement in a
social process, where the production of texts reflects methodologies, arguments and
rhetorical strategies constructed to engage colleagues and persuade them of the
claims that are made." In the opinions of Murray (1978,p.29) and Perl (1979, p.43),
writing is " a creative discovery procedure characterized by the dynamic interplay
of content and language: the use of language to explore beyond the known content".
However, cognitive view considers writing as decision-making process
(Flower and Hayes,1981). When writing something, the writer has to decide what to
begin with, whether to include or leave out an idea, what information to place, etc.
Writing is essential for language learners to acquire a language. It is used as
assessment; as an aid to critical thinking, understanding and memory; to extend
students‟ learning beyond lectures and other formal meetings; to improve students‟
communication skills; and to train students as future professionals in particular
disciplines. Raimes (1983) states three ways in which students can learn better
through writing. First, writing reinforces their grammatical structures, idioms and
vocabulary. Second, writing gives them a chance to try the language learnt. Last but
not least, writing can help motivating learners to learn new languages.

Nevertheless, writing is not a simple skill to master from the language
teachers' point of view. Tribble (1996, p.11) stresses that writing "normally requires

5
some forms of instruction" and that "it is not a skill that is readily picked up by
exposure." Ur (1996, p. 161) said that most people acquire spoken language
intuitively whereas written form is in most cases deliberately taught and learned.
Writing is "a process that occurs over a period of time, particularly if we take into
account the sometimes extended period of thinking that precedes creating an initial
draft" (Ferris, 1993, p.10)
In brief, writing is a difficult but important productive skill for language
learners to acquire. Writing teaching, thus, needs to be taken into consideration.
1.1.2. Approaches to writing teaching
Raimes (1983 presented various approaches to teaching writing as follows:
a) The Controlled to Free Approach:
In 1950s and early 1960, the audio- lingual method dominated second
language learning which emphasized on speech and writing through mastering
grammatical and syntactic forms.
Here, the students are given sentence exercises, and then paragraphs to copy
or manipulate grammatically. These controlled compositions then followed by
correction of errors, so that it can lead to the free composition. Overall, this
approach focuses on accuracy rather than fluency.
b) The Free Writing Approach:
This approach stresses writing quantity rather than quality. This focuses on
fluency rather than accuracy. It is based on the principle that if once ideas are there,
the organization follows.
c) The Paragraph Pattern Approach:
This approach focuses on organization by copying the paragraphs or model
passages. It is based on the principle that in different culture or situations, people
construct and organize communication with each other in different ways.

d) The Grammar-Syntax Organization Approach:
This approach stresses on simultaneous work on more than one composition
feature. It is inclusive here that writing cannot be seen as composed of separate

6
skills which are learned sequentially. So, students must be trained to pay attention to
organization while they also work on the necessary grammar and syntax.
e) The Communicative Approach:
This approach focuses 'on the purpose of writing and the audience for it.
They are given some tasks where they have to behave as writers so that they can
learn by doing it. Why am I writing this? Who will read it?
Thus, this approach is quite functional in nature, which can provide the
actual experience to the learners.
f) The Process Approach:
This approach shows the shift from product to process which shows: How do
I write this? How do I get started?
Here, the students are trained to generate ideas for writing, to think of the
purpose, audience, and ways of communication and so on.
In fact, it is a developmental process from generating ideas to expressing
them, drafting, redrafting, organizing and so on. This process of writing can have
three stages like: Prewriting, Writing and Post-writing (Revising or Redrafting).
As 'there is no one way to teach writing, but many ways" (Raimes, 1983, p.
6-11), teachers should find an appropriate method or integrated ones to teach
writing for specific students.
1.1.3. Processes in teaching writing
During the seventies of the 20
th
century, while the product approach received
a lot of criticism, many teachers at the forefront of the development of the process
approach have proposed methodologies emphasizing the creatively and

unpredictability of writing (Tribble, 1996, p.37). In the process approach, the
teaching of writing has begun to move away from a concentration on the written
product to an emphasis on the process of writing. All writers make decisions on
how to begin and how to organize the task. Therefore, they do not write on a given
topic in a restricted time and hand in the composition for the teacher to correct. The
role of teachers, therefore, is as education facilitators.

7
As described in Zamel (1983, p.147) and Raimes (1985, p.231), in the
process approach, the process of writing is seen as a recursive and complex process.
In other words, although there are identifiable stages in the process of writing,
writers can still revisit any of these stages many times before a text is completed.
According to Graham Stanley (2007, p.16), although there are many ways of
approaching process writing, it can be broken down into three stages:
 Pre - writing
The teacher needs to stimulate students' creativity, to get them thinking how to
approach a writing topic. In this stage, the most important thing is the flow of ideas,
and it is not always necessary that students actually produce much (if any) written
work. If they do, then the teacher can contribute with advice on how to improve
their initial ideas.
 Focusing ideas
During this stage, students write without much attention to the accuracy of their
work or the organization. The most important feature is meaning. Here, the teacher
(or other students) should concentrate on the content of the writing. He or she can
raise the questions “Is it coherent? Is there anything missing? Anything extra?”
 Evaluating, structuring and editing
Now the writing is adapted to a readership. Students should focus more on form
and on producing a finished piece of work. The teacher can help with error
correction and give organizational advice.
Obviously, the process approach has made great improvement in practical teaching

in comparison with the product approach. A teacher who adopts the approach will
try to respect the learners‟ cultural background and avoid the imposition of ideas or
language behavior. The teaching and learning materials which make use of these
approaches typically attempt to encourage creativity in very practical ways.
It is necessary to provide a supportive environment for the students and be
patient. In the long term, teachers and students will start to recognize the value of a
process writing approach as their written work improves (Stanley, 2007: 9).

8
1.1.4. Factors affecting students' performance in writing lessons
Students „performance in writing lesson can be affected by a variety of
factors originating from students, teachers and other external factors. In the
following sections, some of the major factors will be discussed.
1. 1.4.1. Student factors
The main factors originating from students‟ side that may affect students‟
participation in classroom activities include students‟ learning styles, students‟
motivation and students‟ language levels.
Students’ learning styles
Different individuals may have different learning styles, prefer different
kinds of work, and expect different degrees of care and attention from the teacher. It
is obvious that if teacher realizes the differences among the individuals in the class,
he can plan appropriate activities and the students will join in the lesson actively.
Students’ motivation
Regarding the issue, Lightbrown and Spada (1999) consider motivation a
complex phenomenon and define it in terms of two factors: learners‟
communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second language community.
According to Harmer, the sources of motivation are diversified. They may
derive from the society we live in, significant others like parents or old siblings, the
teacher and the method. Among these sources, the teacher and the method may be
of the most importance. For the teacher, his or her attitudes and enthusiasm help

create a positive classroom atmosphere. For the method, it means involving both
teacher and students‟ confidence shown in the way of teaching and learning. If
either loses this confident motivation, the chance of success in learning a language
will be very small.
Downs (2000) also points out some conditions that help increase students‟
motivation. He says that motivation increases when students feel acknowledged and
understood, when students are confident they can succeed, when language has a
communicative purpose, and when students take responsibility for their learning.

9
Clearly, motivation plays an important role in the success of language
learning. It can be concluded with certainty that the degree of motivation is directly
proportional to the level of involvement in common and particularly in students‟
performance in writing lesson. To be more concrete, the more motivated students
are, the more actively they will participate in the lesson.
Students’ language levels
Harmer (2001) claims that in a class where students‟ language levels are
different, teacher may have some difficulties choosing a suitable teaching method,
language and activities used in class. Some techniques and exercises are suitable for
some students but less appropriate for others. The limitation in the students‟
language levels can directly affect their participation however much they like the
activities. Teachers, therefore, should take some issues into consideration such as
choosing interesting topics, creating interest in the topic, activating schemata,
varying topics and genre and providing necessary information.
1.1.4.2. Teacher factors
Students‟ writing performance can be affected by teachers‟ factors including
teaching methods, teachers‟ knowledge and teachers‟ instructions.
Teachers’ teaching methods
There have been many teaching methods in teaching writing through out the
history of ELT. In writing lessons, teachers‟ teaching methods are focused on the

ways teachers design appropriate activities to motivate students to write as well as
the ways that the teachers elicit writing tasks. In order to have a suitable method, the
teacher should bear in mind the factors such as learners' learning styles, teaching
purposes and other available classroom conditions. Choosing an inappropriate or
not being flexible in applying methods to a certain class may have negative effects
on students‟ participation.
Teachers’ knowledge
In the study What makes a good teacher, Breach (2005) points out that most
students believe that the teacher is a fountain of knowledge and their main

10
responsibility is to pass on that knowledge to students. Knowledgeable teachers are
those with high language ability and general knowledge of the field expertise. Not
only should teachers be fluent, accurate English speakers but they should also be
certain of the topic they are going to conduct. According to Underwood (1987), the
more knowledge a teacher can apply to his lesson, the more interested his students
will feel in the learning activities.
Teachers’ instructions
Complicated instructions are another major problem that often makes giving
instructions very time – consuming. In the class, if the students do not understand
the teachers‟ instructions, they do not react anything. Ur(1996) provides several
very useful recommendations: The first step is to prepare what you are going to say,
and if possible, even to write it down. Then the teacher needs to ensure the class‟s
attention. Next, he should give the information more than once. Make sure that the
language is brief and clear, and then follow it up with demonstrations. Giving
effective instructions is not easy as it is a skill that can only be gained with proper
learning and frequent practice.
1.1.4.3. External factors.
Time limitations
Clearly, time limitation is an external factor affecting students' performance

in writing. If teachers, for some reasons, do not prepare the materials well enough,
they will realize the failure of not having appropriate time for writing activities. In
some large classes with a number of students whose English knowledge are limited,
it often takes much more time to conduct these activities. This leads to the
confirmation of the teachers‟ role in planning the lessons and assume suitable time
procedure for writing tasks.
Classroom and materials restraints
According to Williams and Burden (1997), we can not underestimate the
importance of appropriate environmental conditions for learning to take place as an

11
understanding of the ways in which aspects of the environment affect learning is
vitally important for language teachers and learners.
Underwood (1987) claims that both the teacher and students are responsible
for creating a good learning atmosphere which consists of some characteristics such
as giving a sense of purpose or the teachers should ensure that English is spoken.
Balancing fluency and accuracy or using appropriate language are the two necessary
elements in creating a good classroom atmosphere. Underwood also mentions the
effects of encouragement as well as students‟ involvement on the improvement of
students‟ English learning. Finally, tests and extracurricular activities are also
considered as important parts of increasing learning atmosphere in the classroom.
1.2. Language games
1.2.1. Definitions
The term 'game' is defined briefly by Hadfield (1984) as "an activity with
rules, a goal and an element of fun." And according to Gibbs (1978), "a game is an
activity carried out by cooperating or competing decision markers, seeking to
achieve, within a set of rules, their objectives." This means games are forms of
entertainment derived from a set of rules, typically with a known goal to be reached.
Games can be in the form of physical activities, mental or a mixture of the two.
Games can be classified as cooperative, solitaire or competitive.

A language game also shares the similar characteristics with the ordinary
game. However, language games means games related to language. If ordinary
games help to improve different aspects such as intellectual ability and patience,
language games help to develop language skills. When playing language games,
learners not only have fun but can also practice English enjoyably, which helps to
motivate students. Greenal(1984) gives his opinion of language game as " one kind
of activity which is used to consolidate language already taught or acquired and
occurs during the free stage of a lesson or during occasions such as English club
meetings. He states that a language game "is used whenever there is an element of
competition between individual students or teams in a language activity."

12
To sum up, a language game is not just for fun but the skills needed are
heavily weighed on the language side. So, language games must be carefully
selected by teachers to serve the purpose.
1.2.2. Roles of language games
According to many researchers and educators, motivation is one of the keys
to success of language learning. Motivation, as pointed out by Gardner (1985),
involves desire to learn a language, intensity of effort to achieve this, and attitudes
toward learning the language. It is obvious that motivation to learn a second
language refers to the extent to which the individual tries to learn the language
because of a desire to do so and the satisfaction experienced in this activity. Thus,
those motivated to participate actively in class usually get good study results.
Developing motivation is not easy because it is something very personal.
However, Lightbrown and Spada( 1999) state that: " If we can make our classrooms
places where students enjoy coming because the atmosphere is supportive and non -
threatening, we can make a positive contribution to students' motivation to learn."
And language game is an important source of motivation and it is often
considered as the first step to draw learners' attention to an EFL environment (Vale,
1995). In most of the games, en element of competition between individuals or

teams is a strongly motivating factor. It is the most important reason why all
learners are immensely happy or absorbed in playing games. Greenal(1984) says
that language games provide free and spontaneous practice of the language in
conditions lying halfway between the controlled content of the formal lesson and
the real life situations outside classroom.
With a view to creating an enjoyable learning environment, language games
should be used to motivate students in writing classes for the following reasons:
 Games provide interest to what students may not find interesting.
 Games may lower anxiety and stimulate students to join in the games positively.
 Games can be used to change the pace of a lesson and so maintain motivation.
 Games add variety to the range of learning situations.

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 Games help teachers to create contexts in which the language is meaningful and
useful so that students have chances to communicate to each other freely.
 Games can give 'hidden' practice of specific language points without students
being aware of this.
 Games provide active learner-centered learning so that students are active in the
games. While students have the leading roles, teachers work as facilitators.
1.2.3. Types of language games
Each linguist has his own way to classify language games. Hadfield(1987)
divides language games into linguistic games and communicative games. While
linguistic games focus on accuracy, communicative games focus on successful
exchange of information and ideas. He also classifies them language games into
many more categories as follows:
 Sorting, ordering or arranging games. For instance, the students have a set of
pictures and they number the pictures to make a complete story
 Information gap game: In such games, one student has access to the information
which is not held by the other student, and this student must acquire the
information to complete the task successfully. Information gap games can

involve a one-way information gap or a two-way information gap.
 Guessing games: In these games, someone knows something and the others have
to find out what it is.
 Matching games: Participants need to find a match for a word, picture or card.
 Puzzle- solving games: The participants in the game share or pool information in
order to solve a problem or a mystery.
 Role play games: Role play can involve students playing roles that they already
play in real life or roles that they do not play in real life .
In short, there are many types of language games for teachers to apply in
teaching language but choosing the most useful in certain lessons in order to
stimulate students and develop their skills depends on the wise use of the teachers.
1.2.4. Methods of using language games

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To students, language games may be used purely for fun. However, teachers have to
consider when to play a game, which game to play and how to run a game in order
to make the best use of the game and connect them with the target language.
1.2.4.1. When to use a game?
According to Wright, Betteridge & Buckly (2005), " games can be found to
give students practice in all the skills: reading, writing, listening or speaking in all
stages of the teaching/ learning sequence and for many types of communication."
Hadfield (1987) also stated that "games can be used at any stage of the lesson once
the target language has been introduced and explained. They serve both as a
memory aid and repetition drill and as a chance to use language freely."
In short, "a game should not be regarded as a marginal activity filling in odd
moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do" as Lee (1979)
observed. Games should be "an integral part of the language system" (Hadfield,
1990) and they can be used "at any stages of the lesson, provided that they are
suitable and carefully chosen" (Rixon, 1981.)
As in writing lessons, the post stage is usually for giving feedback, language

games are likely to be used as warm up activities when not only students have a
relaxed atmosphere to refresh themselves but they are also provided with necessary
expressions and structures as well as ideas for the writing lessons.
1.2.4.2. Which games to use?
Not all kinds of games can be applied in writing lessons. Therefore, the first
thing teachers need to decide is the main aim of having a game. Which language
items will be taught? Which game is the most appropriate for delivering these
items? Language games should be chosen when they can give students both fun and
educational meaning. The adapted should be relevant to the content of the lesson.
Level of the games is another factor that the teachers should take into
consideration. Part of the appeal of games lies in the challenge, but if the challenge
is too great, some students may become discouraged. Teachers also need to make
sure the games should allow chances for both bright and not-very-bright students.