Die gebruik van taalspeletjies as hulpmiddel vir woordeskatuitbreiding in taakgebaseerde onderrigprogram vir taalverwerwingstudente

Date
2020-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Gamification in education is to a certain extend still controversial, because many educators are uncertain about what it entails and whether it is creditworthy in pedagogy (child-focused teaching) and andragogy (adult-focused teaching). This thesis investigates the credibility of gamification as a tool in teaching vocabulary in a task-based teaching program for Afrikaans Language Acquisition students at the University of Namibia. For this research on the use of games in a language acquisition class I firstly undertook a literature review on the affective filter hypothesis, academic boredom and the task-based approach. Larsen-Freeman and Anderson (2011) builds on the affective filter hypothesis of Krashen (1982) when they say that a low affective filter, low anxiety and an atmosphere that builds self-confidence is a condition for language acquisition. Csikszentmihalyi’s (1990) flow theory explains that a good balance between the level of challenge and the level of skill is necessary for flow in which optimal learning takes place. Any unbalanced measure of these two levels will lead to either anxiety (when the challenge is too high) of boredom (when the challenge is too low). Gamification is one possible way to establish flow. The emperical research consists of a qualitative and quantitative study. The instruments which were used in the practical investigation, includes various questionnaires, one for lecturers teaching language acquisition, a reflective questionnaire for both the experimental as well as the control group, and five pre-tests and post-tests, involving vocabulary knowledge as well as questions on their emotional state. Four lecturers completed the questionnaire leading to the conclusion that gamification is a useful tool in language acquisition. The participating students were divided into two groups of respectively eight in the control group and ten in the experimental group. Both groups attended five classes on vocabulary of five themes. The lessons were similar, except for the task phase of the experimental group that was gamified which means that five language games were used. The main conclusion that was made, was that the experimental group’s vocabulary increased with 14% more than that of the control group. Both groups reacted positively on the task-based approach that was taken.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Spelifiëring of gamifcation in onderrig is in ʼn mate nog omstrede, aangesien daar by baie opvoeders onsekerheid bestaan oor wat dit presies behels en of dit in die pedagogiek (kinderonderrig) en die andragogiek (volwassene-onderrig) kredietwaardig is. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die lewensvatbaarheid van spelifiëring as hulpmiddel vir woordeskatuitbreiding in ʼn taakgebaseerde onderrigprogram vir Afrikaanse taalverwerwingstudente aan die Universiteit van Namibië. Vir dié navorsing oor speletjies in ’n taalverwerwingsklas onderneem ek eerstens ’n literatuuroorsig oor die affektiewefilterhipotese, akademiese emosies en die taakgebaseerde benadering. Larsen-Freeman en Anderson (2011) steun op Krashen (1982) se affektiewefilterhipotese wanneer hulle sê dat ʼn lae affektiewe filter, lae angs en ʼn atmosfeer wat selfvertroue aanmoedig, ʼn voorwaarde vir taalverwerwing is. Csikszentmihalyi (1990, 2003 en 2014) se vloeiteorie verduidelik die balans tussen die uitdagingsvlak en die vaardigheidsvlak wat nodig is vir optimale leer, en dat enige wanbalans tussen hierdie twee vlakke aanleiding gee tot angs of verveeldheid wat leer belemmer. Spelifiëring is een metode wat gebruik kan word om die middeweg van vloei te bewerkstellig. Die empiriese navorsing wat vir die tesis onderneem is, sluit ’n kwalitatiewe en ’n kwantitatiewe ondersoek in. Die instrumente wat gebruik is, behels ʼn vraelys vir vreemdetaaldosente, reflektiewe vraelyste vir studente wat deelnemers was in ʼn eksperiment en gevallestudie, sowel as voor- en natoetse, wat woordeskatkennis en emosionele stand betrek. Vier dosente van die Universiteit van Namibië het die vraelys voltooi en uit die kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe data daaruit, is dit duidelik dat spelifiëring ’n nuttige hulpmiddel in taalverwerwing is. Die studente wat deelgeneem het aan die studie, is opgedeel in ʼn kontrolegroep van agt lede en ʼn proefgroep van tien lede. Beide groepe is onderrig in die woordeskat van vyf afsonderlike temas. Die lesse het in alle opsigte ooreengestem, behalwe wat betref die taakfase van die proefgroep wat gespelifieer is, met ander woorde daar is in elk van die vyf woordeskatlesse ʼn taalspeletjie gebruik. Die hoofbevinding was dat die proefgroep se woordeskat met gemiddeld 14% meer gegroei het as in die geval van die kontrolegroep. Beide groepe het emosioneel positief gereageer op die interaktiewe en inklusiewe taakgebaseerde onderrigbenadering.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Gamification in education, Task analysis in education, Language games, Literary recreations, Language acquisition, UCTD
Citation