A Study of Kindergarten 2 Students’ English Phonics Achievement and Their Perceptions towards the Use of English Phonics Online Games at St. Mark’s International School, Thailand
Keywords:
English Phonics Achievement, Kindergarten 2 Students’ Perceptions, English Phonics Online Games.Abstract
This study aimed to compare the Kindergarten 2 students’ achievement in English Phonics before and after the use of English Phonics online games and to find out their perceptions towards such games. Eleven Kindergarten 2 students of St. Mark’s International School in the academic year 2015-2016 participated in the two-month study. This research used a mixed method design. A one-group pretest-posttest experiment was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference in the students’ English Phonics achievement before and after using English Phonics online games. In addition, an interview on how the students’ perceived the use of English Phonics online games was done. Analyses showed that Kindergarten 2 students’ English Phonics achievement was very good before the use of online games, and it increased to excellent after the use of online games. Paired Samples t-test revealed that there was a significant difference between the pre- and post-tests scores of Kindergarten 2 students before and after using English Phonics online games at the level of 0.05. The interview results revealed that: 1) all Kindergarten 2 students had positive perceptions towards the use of online games in English Phonics; 2) the students had positive perceptions towards the use of English phonics online games because the games helped them learn how to spell and read and featured animations, colorful and attractive common objects, and interactive/hands-on and game/challenge components. Based on the findings, the use of online games in English Phonics is recommended in teaching and learning English Phonics, especially for young learners. Further relevant studies are also recommended.
References
Banchero, S. (2013). Now teachers encourage computer games in class. The Wall Street Journal.
Benson, T., Bredosky, C., Hester, E., & Singleton, J. (2004). The impact of the help me 2 learn phonics
game in the early childhood classroom.
Bizymoms. (1997). Online gaming history.
Byron, T. (2008). Safer children in a digital world.
Cherry, K. (2016). Self-Efficacy: Why believing in yourself matters.
Chuang, T., & Chen, W. (2009). Effect of Computer- Based video games on children:
An experimental study. Educational Technology & Society, 12 (2), 1-10.
Couse, L.J., & Chen, D.W. (2010). A tablet computer for young children? Exploring its viability for
early childhood education. Journal of Research on Technology in Education Vol. 43 Number 3p.75.
Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches (3rd ed.). L.A., California: SAGE.
E learning (2015). Educational games.
Gillani, B. (2003). Learning theories and the design of e-learning environments.
Lanham, Maryland, United States of America: University Press of America,Inc.
Ibrahim, R., Yusoff, R., Omar, H., & Jaafar, A. (January 2011). Student’s perceptions of using educational games to learn introductory programming. Computer and Information Science Vol. 4, No. 1.
Lin, G., Tsai, T., & Chien, P. (2011). Computer games functioning as motivation stimulants.
International Conference on Computer Assisted Language (CALL) in 2011.
Liu, E., Lee, C., & Chen, J. (2011). Developing a new computer game attitude scale
for Taiwanese early adolescents. Educational Technology & Society, 16 (1), 183-193.
McLeod, S. (2010). Zone of proximal development. Simply Psychology.
Metis Associates (2014). Evaluation of Starfall Kindergarten Curriculum in Roaring
Fork School District.
Nikolopoulou, K. (2007). Early childhood education software: Specific features and
issues of localization. Early Childhood Education Journal vol. 35 No. 2.
Ntuli, E., & Kyei-Blankson, L. (2012). Teacher assessment of young children
learning with technology in early childhood education. International
Journal of information and Communication Technology Education, 8(4), 1-10, October- December 2012.
Ornstein, A., & Hunkins, F. (2009). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues
(5th Ed.). Boston, United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc.
Philips, M. (2010). Playing games online is just fun and entertainment. Articles factory.
Popp, H.M. (2006). How research guided the development of Chall-Popp phonics.
Sahrir, M.S., & Alias, N.A. (September 2011). A study on Malaysian language learners’ perception towards learning Arabic via online games. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies Volume 11(3).
Schurman, K. (2015).What is online gaming?
St. Mark’s International School. (2016). Early Years Program English Curriculum.
Tuzun, H., Soylu, M., Karakus, T., Inal, Y., & Kizilkaya, G. (2008). The effects of
computer games on primary school students’ achievement and motivation in geography learning. Computer & Education.
Wang, F., Kinzie, M., McGuire, P., & Pan, E. (2009). Applying technology to inquiry-based learning in early childhood education. Early Childhood Educational Journal (2010)37:381-389