1.1 Background of The Research
1.1 Background of The Research
1.1 Background of The Research
INTRODUCTION
learners, they must make efforts to understand, adapt, and to use a new language.
The effort should be maintained at every moment and over a long period.
expect children to enjoy the learning process through play. As stated by Paul
through games is far motivated to learn and to internalize the new English word,
expression, and pattern than a child who receives the new knowledge before the
game. In line with this condition, games are needed to help and encourage learners
to sustain their interest and work. Games also help teachers to create contexts in
which the language is useful and meaningful. It is also supported by Paul's (2003)
statement that games are not simply for practicing language targets. He also added
Games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some
time left at the end of a lesson. However, as Lee (1979, p.3) observes, a game
should not be regarded as a marginal activity filling in odd moments when the
teacher and class have nothing better to do. Games ought to be at the heart of
teaching foreign languages. Rixon (1981) suggests that games be used at all stages
of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen.
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Games also help learners recall material in a pleasant, entertaining way. All
authors referred to in this article agree that even if games resulted only in noise
and entertained students. They are still worth paying attention to and
contributions to the field of language learning, such as the use of games in the
learning process and the better way to learn a language through games.
According to Paul (2003), games are one of the best ways to make children
feel deeply involved in the lesson. It is also suitable for one of the characteristics
of young learners provided by Scott and Ytreberd (2004), that young children love
to play and learn best when they are having fun through the play. Children will be
learning. The teaching process usually consists of several phases. Sheils (1988, as
cited in Errey's articles (2012) in TEFL Boot camp articles 2011) mentions phases
framework, the teaching process is divided into three phases named pre-activity,
Sheils (1988) explains that the pre-activity is the first phase of teaching in
which the teacher can build a learning environment to raise the interest of learners
in the lesson, to activate the prior knowledge of learners and to prepare learners
for the language that can be necessary to perform the main task. The next phase is
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whilst activity which is the main phase of delivering teaching materials. In this
phase, the teacher can engage learners in the main tasks including oral or written
tasks. The last phase is the post-activity. This phase includes the reflection of the
ideas and language produced during the main activity and language drill.
Learners usually try to judge the first impression of the lesson in the pre-
activity phase. They will be engaged in the lesson when the teacher can raise their
interest. The teacher can use games itself as proposed by Evans (1979), that games
are entertaining and exciting for learners by the competition and suspense of the
outcome and the winner of the game. Games may be designed to activate prior
learners should take part to understand what others say or write and also force
learners to express their point of view or give information. In this case, games
give a chance for learners to experience the language rather than to study the
language. The other advantage of using games is that they provide repeated
occurrence and use of a particular language form. In other words, games provide
meaningful drills that allow learners to have better absorbency in receiving the
lesson. It is because meaningful drills allow the learners to involve the emotion
and the meaning of the language. In line with the importance of learners'
comfortable feeling to each other and also to improve their self-confidence which
can make them focus on the language lesson, Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby
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(2006) claim that games are considered as a way of warming people and help
The aim of the research to investigate the types of games used by the teacher
conducted to find out the advantages of implementing those games and this
research has the aim to know difficulties in implementing the games as warming-
following questions.
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1.4 Significant of the Research
hopefully can get some good impact of this research. For the teacher, this research
may give them more information about the use of games in the learning process
and the advantages of the games. The students are more interested in learning
English using games, there is some information that the teacher will get, namely,
teachers are more creative in making and using new games, then the lessons are
easier to apply using games. And other researchers are finding new information
In line with the identification of the significance, the focus of the research
was on teaching English using Games activity. The decision was taken by
English which could motivate the students to learn English so they could
The qualitative approach was used because it allowed the researcher to study
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games in a natural setting and interpret its advantages and difficulties.
teaching process. In line with this, Creswell (2007) stated that the natural setting
study was selected as the research design by investigating the types of games used
sources of information such as observation and interview and reported the result
in a case description.
1.6.2 Participant
The Participant involved in this study were one of the English classes in
junior high school and an English teacher. The selection of participants is based
on the claim of a teacher who uses several types of games in his teaching as a
warming-up activity. Then the researcher will observe and interview the teacher
and students.
employed to collect the data. Classroom observation was used to get in a brief
the kind of games that occurred. Observational notes were compiled to support the
data gained from observation video. The instruments were used to answer the first
research question. The second instrument is an interview. the interview was used
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to get information from the teacher to find out the advantages and difficulties that
were faced by the teacher. This instrument was done to complete the information
analyzed in three steps, namely (1) identification, (2) categorization, and (3)
interpretation. The data gained from observation sheets and observation videos
were identified by identifying the characteristics of games that were used by the
teacher as warming up activities for the students. After the identification step, the
data were interpreted to answer the research question about the types of games
classrooms.
To comprehend underlying the title of this paper, some terms had been
clarified as follows:
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1.7.1 Game in the EFL is a natural means for children to understand the world
around them. Therefore, it should be part and parcel of their learning,
including the learning of foreign languages (Rooyackers, 2002).
1.7.3 Young Learners are students who are studying in Elementary or Senior
High School aging 7-15 and they are studying English as a second
language for about one up to four years. In other words, we may say that
Young Learners are English foreign language learners, aging 9- 17.
(Purmaningsih 2011, Etty Maryati Hossein )