Employing kahoot game to improve first year students’ english grammar accuracy an experimental research at an engineering university in the north vietnam

1.VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
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NGUYỄN THỊ THƠM

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EMPLOYING KAHOOT GAME TO IMPROVE FIRST YEAR
STUDENTS’ ENGLISH GRAMMAR ACCURACY:
AN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AT AN ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY IN THE NORTH VIETNAM
SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI KAHOOT ĐỂ TĂNG CƯỜNG ĐỘ CHÍNH XÁC
NGỮ PHÁP TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT:
MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU THỰC NGHIỆM TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC
KỸ THUẬT TẠI MIỀN BẮC VIỆT NAM

M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi - 2018

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VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
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NGUYỄN THỊ THƠM

EMPLOYING KAHOOT GAME TO IMPROVE FIRST YEAR

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STUDENTS’ ENGLISH GRAMMAR ACCURACY:
AN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AT AN ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY IN THE NORTH VIETNAM
SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI KAHOOT ĐỂ TĂNG CƯỜNG ĐỘ CHÍNH XÁC
NGỮ PHÁP TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT:
MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU THỰC NGHIỆM TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC
KỸ THUẬT TẠI MIỀN BẮC VIỆT NAM

M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01
Supervisor: Trần Thị Duyên, Ph.D

Hanoi - 2018

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DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of

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this thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for a degree to any other
universities or institutions.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my

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supervisor, Dr. Tran Thi Duyen for her invaluable assistance, constructive
criticism, and encouragement without which my thesis would not have been
accomplished.
Secondly, I am thankful to all the lecturers and staff of the Post-Graduate

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Department of University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam
National University for their scientific knowledge, guidance and enthusiasm
during my course.
My sincere thanks also go to my friend - Mrs Nguyen Thi Thu Ha and her

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students for their substantial support for the data collection for this study.
In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to my friend – Mrs. Bui

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Hong Van who helped me to proofread and edit my writing.
Last but not least, I owe my deep thanks to my family and friends who have

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helped and encouraged me while I was conducting the research.

NGUYEN THI THOM

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ABSTRACT

Grammar learning plays an important role in second language acquisition.
Games have been considered an effective tool for enhancing English teaching
and learning process. The paper aims to study the use of Kahoot game for
enhancing the effectiveness of English teaching and learning process at one
University in Hanoi and investigate students’ attitude of 1st-year students
toward Kahoot game at this University. In order to conduct the study, three
data collection tools were employed: (1) tests, (2) questionnaires and (3)
interviews. The research results show that the employment of Kahoot game
help improve the students’ grammar accuracy. In addition, most of the
students indicated positive attitudes towards the use of Kahoot game in
English lessons and it seems that the integration of Kahoot game could help
increase the students’ learning motivation. It is hoped that the study can be a
useful source of reference for teachers and practitioners who are looking for
ways to improve their teaching of English language, especially English
grammar, to support learners.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ........................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................ ii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES .............................................................. x
PART I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................... 4
1.1. Grammar..................................................................................................... 4
1.1.1. Definition of grammar............................................................................. 4
1.1.2. The roles of grammar in ELT ................................................................. 6
1.1.2.1. For-grammar perspectives.................................................................... 6
1.1.2.2. Against-grammar perspectives............................................................. 7
1.1.3. The methods of teaching grammar.......................................................... 8
1.1.3.1. Grammar-Translation Method ............................................................. 9
1.1.3.2. Direct method ....................................................................................... 9
1.1.3.3. Audio-lingual ..................................................................................... 10
1.1.3.4. Communicative Language Teaching ................................................. 11
1.2. Games ....................................................................................................... 12
1.2.1. Definition of games ............................................................................... 12
1.2.2. Advantages of games ............................................................................ 13

1.2.3. When to use games................................................................................ 14
1.2.4.Review of previous related studies. ....................................................... 15
1.5. Summary of the chapter ........................................................................... 16
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY............................................................... 18
2.1. The English teaching at Engineering University ..................................... 18

iv

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2.2. The current textbook Topnotch 2 (version 3) in use at Engineering
University and its grammar ............................................................................. 19
2.3. Employing Kahoot games in teaching grammar ...................................... 20
2.3.1. The background of Kahoot ................................................................... 20
2.3.2. Creation of quizzes in Kahoot ............................................................... 21
2.3.3. How to play Kahoot in the classroom ................................................... 22
2.3.4. Effects of using Kahoot games to teach English Grammar .................. 24
2.4. The setting of the study ............................................................................ 27
2.5. The participants ........................................................................................ 28
2.6. Data collection instruments ...................................................................... 28
2.6.1. Pre-test and post-test ............................................................................. 28
2.6.1.1. Pre-test ................................................................................................ 28
2.6.1.2. Post-test .............................................................................................. 29
2.6.2. Survey questionnaire ............................................................................. 30
2.6.3. Interview................................................................................................ 30
2.7. Data collection procedure ........................................................................ 31
2.8. Data analysis ............................................................................................ 31
2.9.Summary of the chapter ............................................................................ 32

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................... 33
3.1. Test results................................................................................................ 33
3.2. Questionnaire results ................................................................................ 37
3.3. Interview Results ...................................................................................... 42
3.4. Discussion ................................................................................................ 45
PART 3: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .................................. 48
1. Major findings ............................................................................................. 48
2. Limitations .................................................................................................. 49
3. Implications ................................................................................................. 49
4. Suggestion for further research ................................................................... 50
v


REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 51
APPENDIX .................................................................................................... 54
2. Aim of the study ............................................................................................ 2
3. Research questions ........................................................................................ 2
4. Method of the study ...................................................................................... 2
5. Significance of the study ............................................................................... 2
6. Structure of the thesis .................................................................................... 3
1.1. Grammar..................................................................................................... 4
1.1.1. Definition of grammar............................................................................. 4
1.1.2. The roles of grammar in ELT ................................................................. 6
1.1.2.1. For-grammar perspectives.................................................................... 6
1.1.2.2. Against-grammar perspectives............................................................. 7
1.1.3. The methods of teaching grammar.......................................................... 8
1.1.3.1. Grammar-Translation Method ............................................................. 9
1.1.3.2. Direct method ....................................................................................... 9
1.1.3.3. Audio-lingual ..................................................................................... 10
1.1.3.4. Communicative Language Teaching ................................................. 11

1.2. Games ....................................................................................................... 12
1.2.1. Definition of games ............................................................................... 12
1.2.2. Advantages of games ............................................................................ 13
1.2.3. When to use games................................................................................ 14
1.2.4.Review of previous related studies. ....................................................... 15
1.5. Summary of the chapter ........................................................................... 16
2.1. The English teaching at Engineering University ..................................... 18
2.2. The current textbook Topnotch 2 (version 3) in use at Engineering
University and its grammar ............................................................................. 19
2.3. Employing Kahoot games in teaching grammar ...................................... 20
2.3.1. The background of Kahoot ................................................................... 20
2.3.2. Creation of quizzes in Kahoot ............................................................... 20
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2.3.3. How to play Kahoot in the classroom ................................................... 21
2.3.4. Effects of using Kahoot games to teach English Grammar .................. 22
2.4. The setting of the study ............................................................................ 23
2.5. The participants ........................................................................................ 24
2.6. Data collection instruments ...................................................................... 24
2.6.1. Pre-test and post-test ............................................................................. 24
2.6.1.1. Pre-test ................................................................................................ 24
2.6.1.2. Post-test .............................................................................................. 25
2.6.2. Survey questionnaire ............................................................................. 26
2.6.3. Interview................................................................................................ 26
2.7. Data collection procedure ........................................................................ 27
2.8. Data analysis ............................................................................................ 27
2.9.Summary of the chapter ............................................................................ 28
3.1. Test results................................................................................................ 29
3.2. Questionnaire results ................................................................................ 33

3.3. Interview Results ...................................................................................... 37
3.4. Discussion ................................................................................................ 40
1. Major findings ............................................................................................. 43
2. Limitations .................................................................................................. 44
3. Implications ................................................................................................. 44
4. Suggestion for further research ................................................................... 45
REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 46
APPENDIX ..................................................................................................... 49
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DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ........................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................ ii
vii

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ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................. x
PART I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................... 4
1.1. Grammar..................................................................................................... 4
1.1.1. Definition of grammar............................................................................. 4
1.1.2. The roles of grammar in ELT ................................................................. 6
1.1.3. The methods of teaching grammar.......................................................... 8
1.2. Games ....................................................................................................... 12
1.2.1. Definition of games ............................................................................... 12
1.2.2. Advantages of games ............................................................................ 13

1.2.3. When to use games................................................................................ 14
1.3. Employing Kahoot game in teaching grammarError!

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1.3.1. The background of Kahoot ................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.2. Creation of quizzes in Kahoot ............... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.3. How to play Kahoot in the classroom ... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.4. Effects of using Kahoot game to teach English Grammar............. Error!
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1.4.Summary of the chapter ............................................................................ 15
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY............................................................... 18
2.1. The English teaching at Engineering University ..................................... 18
2.2. The current textbook Topnotch 2 (version 3) in use at Engineering
University and its grammar ............................................................................. 19
2.3. The setting of the study ............................................................................ 27
2.4. The participants ........................................................................................ 28
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2.5. Data collection instruments ...................................................................... 28
2.5.1. Pre-test and post-test ............................................................................. 28
2.5.2. Survey questionnaire ............................................................................. 30
2.5.3. Interview................................................................................................ 30

2.6. Data collection procedure ........................................................................ 31
2.7. Data analysis ............................................................................................ 31
2.8.Summary of the chapter ............................................................................ 32
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................... 33
3.1. Test results................................................................................................ 33
3.2. Questionnaire results ................................................................................ 37
3.3. Interview Results ...................................................................................... 42
3.4. Discussion ................................................................................................ 45
PART 3: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .................................. 48
1.Major findings ............................................................................................ 46
2.Limitations ................................................................................................... 47
3.Implications .................................................................................................. 47
4. Suggestion for further research ............................................................... 48

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REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 51
APPENDICES ............................................................................................... 54
APPENDIX I ................................................................................................... 54
APPENDIXII .................................................................................................. 60
APPENDIX III ................................................................................................ 64
APPENDIX IV: ............................................................................................... 66

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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

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Table 3.1: The pre-test results of the control and experimental group ........... 34
Table 3.2: The post-test results of the control and experimental group ......... 36
Table 3.3: Descriptive statistics for the pretest and post-test of the
experimental and control groups. (Max score = 100) ..................................... 37
Table 3.4: Participants’ attitudes towards Kahoot (percentage) ..................... 38
Table 3.5: Means of five dimensions .............................................................. 41

Figure 2.1: Research procedure....................................................................... 32

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Figure 3.1: Student’s attitudes towards the Kahoot game by mean................ 42

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grammar
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PART I: INTRODUCTION

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1. Rationale

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English has become an important mean of international communication and

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an essential tool for international integration. Therefore, the demand for
learning English is increasing, especially in Vietnam where English is one of
the main subjects at school, and among the compulsory subjects of the
entrance exams to a number of universities. At Engineering University, the
teaching and learning of English play an important part in the educational
program. In particular, students will not be allowed to learn their major
subjects if they do not meet the requirement in terms of English proficiency.
To facilitate English learning, students and teachers are equipped with good
learning condition and various technological devices such as fast and reliable
internet access in the classroom, laptops for individual students and teachers,
projectors, speakers, etc. Given the importance of English to their study, most
of the students are trying their best to learn English. However, many students

claim that they feel bored with grammar lessons and do not spend time on
learning them because the structures, tenses are difficult for them to
remember. In the search for an effective method to help students learn English
grammar, the researcher found that Kahoot game has the potential to help
students learn English grammar well; especially the game can help students
consolidate and memorize the structures and their usage. Taken into
consideration the good teaching and learning facilities at Engineering
University as well as the students’ learning needs, the researcher believes that
employing Kahoot game could be a workable solution for the teaching of
English grammar there. Thus, the researcher decided to conduct a research on
the issue. The research is entitled “Employing Kahoot game to improve first1


year students’ grammar accuracy: An experimental research at an Engineering
University in North Vietnam”.
2. Aim of the study

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The study aimed to investigate:

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 the effects of Kahoot game on first year students’ English grammar

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accuracy.
 students’ attitudes toward the use of Kahoot game in the English

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grammar class.
3. Research questions

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The research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answer to the

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following research questions:
3.1. What are the effects of Kahoot game on first year students’ English

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grammar accuracy?
3.2. What are students’ attitudes toward the use of Kahoot game in the

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English grammar lessons?
4. Method of the study

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This study will be an experimental research. The researcher will use three

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types of data collection tools: Pre-test and post-test to measure the effects of
Kahoot game on students’ grammar accuracy and survey questionnaires and
interviews to investigate the attitude of the student toward the Kahoot game
To protect the confidentiality of the university and participants, a speudoname
is used this study instead of the real name of the university and participants
are numbered from S#1 to S#25 for both control and experimental groups.
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5. Significance of the study
The study is significant in terms of the research results and the research
design employed. Since improving the effectiveness of English language
teaching and learning has become one of the major concerns for English
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language teachers, researchers and policy makers, the findings of the study
will contribute significantly to the field of English language teaching.The
study can be used as a reference for teachers and practitioners who are
searching for an effective way to teach English grammar. In addition, the
experimental research design employed in the study could also be used as a
reference for teacher researchers who would like to carry out research in their
own educational contexts.
6. Structure of the thesis

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The thesis is organized as follows:

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PART I: INTRODUCTION - introduces the rationale; aims of the study;

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research questions; methods of the study; significance of the study; and the
thesis structure.
PART II: DEVELOPMENT – the main part of the study, consists of three

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chapters: Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW– reviews and presents relevant
theories and studies to the study. Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY – describes
the setting of the study, the participants, the research questions, methods, and
instruments. Chapter 3: RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION –
presents an analysis of the data and discusses the findings of the study.
PART III: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

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PART 2: DEVELOPMENT

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CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
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1.1. Grammar

1.1.1. Definition of grammar
Concerning the terms “grammar”, several researchers have attempted to
define it. Apparently, depending on one’s theoretical orientation, different

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people define grammar differently.
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (as cited in Harmer, 1987,
p.1) defines grammar as “the study and practice of the rules by which words

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change their forms and are combined into sentences.” There are two basic
elements in this definition: the rules of grammar; and the study and practice of
the rule. Here grammar constitutes a subset of rules relating to word
formation (morphology) and sentence formation (syntax). While Huddleston
(1984) shares a similar view when seeing grammar as consisting of
morphology and syntax. According to him, morphology deals with forms of
words while syntax deals with the ordering of the words to form sentences. As
can be inferred from two definitions above, grammar is conventionally seen
as the study of morphology and syntax of sentences.
Cobbett (1984) regards grammar as “constituting rules and principles that
help a person to make use of words or manipulate and combine words to give
meaning in a proper manner. It concerns with form and structure of words and
their relationships in sentences”. In addition, Fromkin and Rodman (1998)
defined “ The sounds and sound patterns, the basic units of meaning such as
words and the rules to combine them to form new sentences constitute the
grammar of a language”(p.14). There are several similarities between the two

above-cited definitions. The first thing is that according to these authors,
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grammar is assumed to be a guide through which words are put together to
make correct sentences. Secondly, grammar is composed of rules not only
relating to word formation (morphology) and sentence formation (syntax) but
also concerned with the meaning of the sentence (semantics) and the sound
system (phonology) within a language. However, one drawback that all four
definitions above (in both the first and categories) have in common is that
grammar has been concerned almost exclusively with the analysis at the level
of the sentence. I am in favor of Widdowson (1990) with the claim that
“grammar is not just a collection of sentence patterns signifying nonsense”
(p.81).
Besides, for Thornbury (1999), grammar does not just rule on how to combine

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words at the sentence level, but it also takes into account the role of context in
which a sentence is made. He says that “when we process language we are not
only trying to make sense of the words and the grammar, we are also trying to
infer the speaker’s (or writer’s) intention” (p. 6). Moreover, Hughes and
McCarthy (1998) view grammar as discourse, not as the sentence and coined
the term discourse grammar. They argued that “grammatical statements that
do not take account of such contextual features are inadequate and unable to
support grammar teaching effectively.” (p.265).

For the purpose of the study, I use the definition of Richards, Platt, and Platt

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(1992) in their Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied
Linguistics:
Grammar is a description of the structure of a language and the way in which
linguistic units such as words and phrases are combined to produce sentences
in the language. It usually takes into account the meanings and functions these
sentences have in the overall system of the language. It may or may not
include the description of the sound of a language. (p.161)
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In this definition, grammar is viewed as descriptive, which refers to the

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structure of a language as it is actually used by speakers and writers.
Moreover, this definition shows both linguistic and social features of
grammar as it refers to not only rules to make correct sentences but also
meanings and functions of such sentences in the language, which is necessary
for the teaching and learning of foreign language.
1.1.2. The roles of grammar in ELT

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Along the history of second language teaching, the role of grammar has been

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an issue of controversy. According to Richards (2002), it is “perhaps the most
controversial issue in language teaching” (p.145). Thornbury (1999) asserts
that “in fact, no other issue has so preoccupied theorists and practitioners as
the grammar debate, and the history of language teaching is essentially the
history of the claims and counterclaims for and against the teaching of
grammar” (p.14). The debate has brought about an extreme split of
attitudes, namely, those who hold that grammar should receive a central
attention in language teaching and those who hold that grammar should not
be taught at all.
1.1.2.1. For-grammar perspectives
Many scholars in the field of language teaching and learning emphasize the
role grammar plays in language learning. For instance, Savignon (1991), one
of the leading advocates of communicative language teaching, emphasizes
that “communication cannot take place in the absence of structure, or
grammar” (p. 268). In agreement with Savignon, in their communicative
competence model, Canale and Swain (1980) clearly view grammar as one
component of communicative competence and without grammar, learners can
communicate effectively only in a limited number of situations.
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After reviewing ideas on the role of grammar teaching, Nunan (1991) came to

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a conclusion that "grammar exists to enable us to 'mean', and without
grammar it is impossible to communicate beyond a very rudimentary level.”
Furthermore, Wilkins (as cited in Nunan, 1991, p. 152), one of the architects
of communicative approach to language teaching, also points out that
“acquiring the grammatical system of the target language is of central
importance, because an inadequate knowledge of grammar would severely
constrain linguistic creativity and limit the capacity for communication”.
The list of supporters of grammar is still going on. Long and Richards (1987)

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assert that grammar plays a central role in the four language skills and
vocabulary to establish communicative tasks. Brown (2007) points out that
“grammatical competence occupies a prominent position as a major
component of communicative competence” (p. 348)
For Palmer (1984), the central part of a language is its grammar, and this
should be of “vital interest to many scholars in the field of language teaching

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and learning emphasize the role grammar plays in language learning. For

instance, Savignon (1991), one of the leading advocates of communicative
language teaching, emphasizes that “communication cannot take place in the
absence of structure, or grammar” (p. 268). In agreement with Sauvignon, in
their communicative intelligent educated person. If it has not been of such
interest, then the fault must be in the failure to recognize its importance within
this essentially human activity”(p. 9).
1.1.2.2. Against-grammar perspectives
Due to the fact that many language learners know the grammar rules of a
language well, but they cannot communicate effectively in that language
(Hinkel & Fotos, 2002), several scholars do not believe that grammar
teaching will have any impact on communicative purposes and therefore
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neglect it. Prabhu (1987), for example, believes that the development of
competence requires the creation of conditions in which learner engage in an
effort to cope with communication, not a systematization of planned
grammatical input.
The strongest advocate of this view is Krashen (1983, 1987), who is famous

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for his learning and acquisition hypothesis and his Monitor theory. Based on
his learning and acquisition hypothesis, Krashen argues that from learning the
learners obtain conscious knowledge of grammar which is not responsible for
actual L2 performance. On the other hand, the acquisition is the underlying

process which is responsible for the actual performance and this can only
happen unconsciously through natural exposure to comprehensible inputs.
What’s more, according to his Monitor theory, consciously-learned grammar
can only function as monitoring and monitoring overuse will only disturb the
flow of production. Consequently, this grow-up holds that formal and
conscious study of grammar should be strongly rejected if the objective of
learning the language is productive competence. However, Krashen has
received many strong criticisms from other researchers as his acquisition
theory seems to be merely based on his own observation without supporting
evidence.
In conclusion, grammar plays a very important role in language teaching,

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even though there was a time when grammar was severely rejected, but as
Richards (2002) says, in recent years grammar teaching has regained its
rightful place in the language teaching and “grammar is too important to be
ignored” (p. 145). Therefore, the debate is now not on whether grammar
competence is important but rather on how to teach grammar.
1.1.34. The methods of teaching grammar

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Along the history of language teaching methodology, different teaching

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methods have perceived grammar differently, especially its role and its

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teaching methods. In this study, the researcher intends to present the teaching
of grammar in four major teaching methods, namely the GrammarTranslation

method,

Direct

Method,

Audio-lingual

Method,

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and

Communicative Language Teaching approach.

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1.1.34.1. Grammar-Translation Method
The Grammar-Translation Method derived from traditional approaches to the

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teaching of Latin and Greek in the nineteenth century. This method used
grammar as the starting point for instruction. The class under this method
began with explicit grammar rules presentation, followed by practices
involving translation into and out of the student’s mother tongue (grammar is
taught deductively). Students’ native language is the language of instructions
and mistakes and errors must be avoided at any cost. The syllabus used was
the structural syllabus Richards and Rogers (2002). Briefly, in this method
grammar is considered essential in foreign language teaching and there is an
attempt to teach it in an organized and systematic way. The best point of this
method is that it helps learners produce grammatically correct sentences and
is easily used in large-sized classes; however, learners taught with this method
find it difficult to communicate in real life and tend to be passive recipients of
knowledge.
1.1.34.2. Direct method
The Direct method emerged to challenge the way the Grammar-Translation
Method focused exclusively on written language. The basic premise of the
Direct Method was that one should attempt to learn a second language in
much the same way children learn their first language. The method
emphasized oral interaction, spontaneous use of language, no translation
between first and second languages, and therefore rejected explicit grammar
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teaching. Grammar is taught inductively in the target language by asking and
answering questions between teachers and students in small and intensive
classes Richards and Rogers(2002). An advantage of the Direct method is that

learning in the target language enables students to think in the target
language. Besides, it may be advantageous for a teacher using this method not
to know his students’ native language. However, the complete avoidance of
students’ native language may lead to the misunderstanding of rules and
frustration from students.
1.1.34.3. Audio-lingual
Evolving from the work of structural linguists and behavioral psychologists,
the Audio-lingual approach proposes that language performance consists of a
set of habits in the use of language structures and patterns. Grammar is taught
inductively with little or no grammatical explanations. Dialogues and drills
form the basis of audio-lingual classroom practice. After a dialogue has been
presented and memorized, specific grammatical patterns in the dialogue are
selected and become the focus of various kinds of drills and pattern-practice
exercises. The focus of instruction rarely moves beyond the sentence level
Celce-Murcia(1991). It is important to prevent the learner from making errors
because errors lead to the formation of bad habits. When errors occur, they
should be corrected immediately by the teacher. The strong point of this
method is that students can develop listening and speaking proficiency at the
same time they learn new structures; however, the explicit use of the target
language often leads to time-consuming and students might get bored with
mechanical repetition or become well-trained parrots.

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1.1.34.4. Communicative Language Teaching
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), which views language as an

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instrument of communication, has been the dominant language teaching
methodology since the mid-1970s. There exist two versions of CLT: weak
version and the strong version. The weak version of CLT argues that an
explicit focus on forms has an important –but not primary- role to play in
second language learning and aims at using grammar and vocabulary to
achieve communicative goals. Whereas, the strong version of CLT rejects
grammar teaching when they argue that attention to forms is not necessary;
learner can acquire an implicit understanding of grammar by using the
language in a system of meaningful tasks. Concerning the teaching of
grammar, Celce-Murcia (1988, p.27) introduces four stages of a grammar
lesson in the light of CLT: Presentation, Focused practice, Communicative
practice, and Teacher feedback and correction. In the presentation stage, a
grammar structure is introduced inductively or deductively. In the focused
practice, the learners manipulate the structure in question so as to gain control
of the form for communication. The next stage is communicative practice in
which learners practice the target structure by engaging in communicative
activities such as information gap, role-play, discussion…. Although teacher
feedback and correction is the final stage, it must take place throughout the
lesson as Celce-Murcia (1988, p.28) states that “during the second part of the
lesson, correction should be predominantly straightforward and immediate.
During the third part, however, communication should not be interrupted.
Instead, teachers should take not of errors and deal with them after the
communicative exercises.”
Despite the wide-ranging discussion on different modifications, until now
CLT is considered as the most popular and favored approach to English
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language teaching. In CLT, Kahoot game should be employed in the three last
of the four stages in the introduction of CLT. After the presentation of the
grammar lesson, students can play Kahoot game to practice the rules of
grammar immediately follow the teacher’s instruction, they also can
communicate with each other to discuss in each team mode. However, the
teacher does not need to give feedback to students or correct their errors
thanks to the automatic correction of Kahoot.
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1.2. Games
1.2.1. Definition of games
According to Byrne (1995) gives the definition of games as a form of play

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governed by rules. They should be enjoyed and fun. They are not just a
diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of getting the learner to
use the language in the course of the game. Similarly, Hadfield (1990) defines
games as "an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun." Another
definition comes from Saricoban & Metin (2000) saying that games are
organized according to rules and they are enjoyable.
The main focus of using a game in class is to help students learn and have

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fun. However, to use games in classrooms, it is equally important that before
playing the rules of the games are clearly explained and well understood by
the students. There should be only a few, well-explained rules.
Demonstrations also can be very helpful because it can help students

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understand the game and help them follow the rules. In contrast, they will
misunderstand the purpose of the game and they may not get the benefits they
should from the game.
When playing games, competition is very important because it can stimulate
and encourage students to take part in the activity naturally, they desire to
beat the other teams. Therefore, games motivate learners to acquire
knowledge.
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1.2.2. Advantages of games

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Though games are often associated with fun, we should not lose sight of their

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pedagogical values, particularly in second language teaching Richard-Amato
(1996) said. Games are effective because they provide motivation, lower
students' stress, and give them the opportunity for real communication.
When playing games, students are trying to win or to beat other teams for

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themselves or on the behalf of their team in a natural way. Therefore,they are
so competitive while playing because they want to have a turn to play, to
score points and to win.The students will definitely participate in the activities
in the class,then the teacher is able to introduce students to new ideas,
grammar, and knowledge and so on. For instance, students are so competitive
that they want to finish first and win in the dictation game. It can be clearly
seen that games can attract students' attention and participation, so they can
motivate students to want to learn more. Therefore, it is conclusion that they
can transform a boring class into a challenging one.
There is a high level of stress in the classroom because students have to face

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unfamiliar or unknown grammatical structures, words, texts and so forth.
Therefore, students often feel uncomfortable and insecure in class, which
inevitably affects their ability to learn. As a result, games can help lower their
anxiety, make them feel comfortable, and want to learn more.
Since students play games, they relax and have fun, thus they are playing

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games and want to communicate efficiently. They even do not worry about
making mistakes and do not try to correct themselves in every single
sentence.Therefore, students are free from worry and stress, they can improve
their fluency and natural speaking styles.
Lee (1995) states several advantages when games are used in the classroom,
including “a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class”,
“motivating and challenging”, “effort of learning”, and “language practice in
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