THE ROLE OF GAMES IN EFL SECONDARY SCHOOLS SPEAKING CLASSES: A STUDY IN NAZIMIYE

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to shed light on the role of educational games in teaching speaking to 8th grade students and students' views on the subject. A total of 18 students, 7 boys and 11 girls, participated voluntarily in the study, which used a mixed methodology combining qualitative and quantitative analysis. The pre-test and post-test given to the students at the beginning and end of the game experience, respectively, were graded using a rubric. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to analyze the results. The mean values of the pre-test and post-test varied significantly and there was a significant difference between the test results. Field notes were kept to make the process more understandable. At the end of the teaching process, 18 participating students completed a questionnaire consisting of 15 questions using a 5-point Likert-type scale. The questionnaire data were analyzed and the results revealed the students' positive attitudes towards the use of games in EFL classes. Finally, a six-question semi-structured interview was conducted with nine student volunteers. The interview data were analyzed using a coding technique (thematic coding). The data results from all the instruments have revealed that games had a beneficial effect on 8th grade EFL speaking lessons.