| dc.description.abstract | Playing games has predominantly gone from just entertainment and an outlet for children to have fun, to seeing the learning opportunities for which the games can be used. This thesis used a mixed-methods approach to find out how gaming helps with developing oral skills and confidence to talk in English, where three teachers and four students were interviewed, as well as a survey with 69 respondents was conducted. The data from the interviews and the survey were discussed up against relevant background theory. The conclusion was that gaming has many advantages that can be exploited in learning under specific guidelines. Confidence rises with oral skills, which many students use during their gaming sessions. As a result, their oral skills are also enhanced through the students' communication with other players in English. Some students still preferred gaming at home because it felt unnatural to talk to their classmates in a different language than what they were used to. Nevertheless, teachers will have to adapt the positive learning opportunities that gaming can provide, into a classroom setting with teacher supervision.
With the right motivation, these students can show their English skills differently than they would be able to in the classroom if they were allowed to enter the comfortable gaming world where they are used to speaking to others in English daily. Many students may be silent for a lot of the class but then show how good their oral English is at certain times during a lesson. When asked what they do in their free time, gaming seemed like the lead cause of this effect, and it is, therefore, important for the development of the language, not only for them but also for others. | |
