Abstract

As English is an international language, more and more people in China have attached great importance to English learning. In the meantime, various problems appear. Among all the problems, the most urgent one is that there is an obvious phenomenon that numerous pupils begin to lose their interest in English learning. The game, as a kind of activity which can meet the children's nature of having fun, has gradually been paid attention to by English teachers in recent years. The game-based teaching approach is widely used in English class in primary schools in China. It is a kind of useful way to arouse children's interest in learning English. However, with the expansion of the use of English game teaching, the increase and complexity of the objects, many teaching problems also arise. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the use of game-based approach in primary English teaching through classroom, observation, interview and other research methods to answer the 2 questions. Firstly, what are the benefits both the teachers and the students can get from the teaching practice of the game-based approach in primary schools? Secondly, what are the problems they are facing after the teaching practice? The results show that, due to the uneven ability of English teachers, there is indeed a lot of problems. The type of game is relatively single, mainly based on role-playing. Limited by time, it is sometimes difficult to carry out. The game is easy to cause the disorder of class and the effect is not so good as expected. It’s difficult to guarantee that all students are involved in the game. Then the author puts forward some suggestions for the future of English game teaching in primary schools, such as the choice of appropriate game theme and rational design of the game, etc. 

Key words: Game-based teaching approach；Primary school English learners；Teaching problems

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the Research-1

1.2 Purpose of the Research-2

1.3 Significance of the Research-2

1.4 Structure of the Thesis-4

2 Literature Review-6

2.1 Definitions of Games-6

2.2 Characteristics of Games-7

2.3 Researches on Games in Foreign Countries-9

2.3.1 Game Teaching before Froebel-9

2.3.2 Froebel’s Game Teaching-9

2.3.3 Game Teaching after Froebel-10

2.4 Researches on Games in China-12

3 Methodology-14

3.1 Research Questions-14

3.2 Participants-14

3.3 Research Methods-15

3.4 Data Collection and Analysis-16

4 Findings and Discussion-17

4.1 Results of the Research-17

4.1.1 Results of the Questionnaire-17

4.1.2 Results of the Interview-19

4.2 Discussions-19

4.2.1Benefits of the Games in Primary English Teaching-19

4.2.2 Problems of English Game Teaching in Primary Schools-20

5 Conclusion-22

5.1 Major Findings of the Research-22

5.2 Implications of the Research-22

5.3 Limitations of the Research-23

5.4 Suggestions for the Future Study-23

Bibliography-25

Acknowledgments-26

Appendix-27

Appendix Ⅰ Questionnaire Questions-27

Appendix Ⅱ Interview Questions-28