GAME-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN ENHANCING SEVENTH-GRADE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY RETENTION

Abstract

According to the current Basic Education Core Curriculum in Thailand, lower
secondary learners are expected to possess proper knowledge of vocabulary, which is one of
the crucial pillars of good communication skills. However, the decline in seventh-grade
students’ scores on vocabulary retention indicates a need for improvement. In an effort to
address this problem, game-based learning strategies were adopted to determine their effects
on students’ English vocabulary retention. To address the research problem, this study was
designed to examine students’ vocabulary retention immediately after participation and
fourteen days later, and to investigate their satisfaction with the game-based activities. Forty
seventh-grade students from a public school in Pathum Thani, Thailand were selected as
research participants. The instruments used included a post-test and a satisfaction
questionnaire. The findings showed that game-based learning activities can enhance students’
retention of vocabulary, as their retention rates immediately after participation and fourteen
days later showed statistical dissimilarity. Moreover, the students reported the highest level of
satisfaction with game-based learning activities.