The Development of English Vocabulary Learning Achievement through a Learning Method Using Games of Grade 1 Students

Abstract

The objectives of the study were 1) to compare the English vocabulary learning achievement of students before and after using a game-based learning method, and 2) to study students’ satisfaction toward the use of the game-based learning method. The research design was a quasi-experimental study using a one-group pretest-posttest design. The population consisted of Grade 1 students at Muslim Santitham Foundation School, Mueang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The sample comprised 33 students from Grade 1/3 at the same school, selected by simple random sampling using a lottery method, with the classroom as the sampling unit. The research instruments included: 1) four lesson plans using the game-based learning method, which yielded an average content validity score of 4.91 and an average suitability score of 4.95, 2) The English vocabulary achievement test consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions, with an item-objective congruence of 1.00, difficulty indices ranging from 0.40 to 0.75, discrimination indices ranging from 0.30 to 0.60, and a reliability coefficient of 0.78 and 3) The satisfaction questionnaire on the game-based learning method, with a validity index of 1.00 and a reliability coefficient of 0.84. Data analysis employed mean, standard deviation, and paired sample t-test. The results showed that: 1) students’ posttest scores (𝑥̅ = 9.09, S.D. = 0.834) were significantly higher than their pretest scores (𝑥̅ = 2.48, S.D. = 1.149) at the .01 significance level (t = 27.742, p < .01), and 2) students expressed the highest level of satisfaction with the game-based learning method (𝑥̅ = 4.86).