Exploring Vietnamese English as a foreign language learners’ interaction in grammar learning via educational games: Benefits and drawbacks

Abstract

Because there is frequent insufficiently understandable input for the acquisition of second languages, grammar is crucial in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) education and different teaching strategies should be used for grammar courses in order to suit the demands of the students and to encourage their enthusiasm in learning. Among the alternative teaching methods for grammar lessons, using educational games is reported as being a useful replacement for the typical teaching procedure following guidance and practice from course books. Educational games can foster connection, engagement, and cooperation in language learning. The study participants include 42 non-English major students at Binh Duong University’s - Ca Mau Campus. The study applied a mixed-method research design to investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks of using educational games to teach grammar, as well as how much interaction learners are likely to experience from these resources. Quantitative findings from descriptive statistics of a 10-item questionnaire revealed that the opportunities to interact with a teacher, friends in group collaboration, competition, and discussion are highly evaluated by the participants. Meanwhile, qualitative findings firstly indicated similar learners’ perception of the use of educational games as the means to enhance classroom interaction; however, the main challenge for using educational games is the imbalance in learners’ proficiency level and the lack of teachers’ control. The study’s teaching implications are associated with learning styles, cultural context, and learning preferences as three potential contributors to the extent to which educational games could improve the level of interaction between students and grammar instructions for EFL learners.