USING BOTTOM-UP INSTRUCTION AND GAMES TO ENHANCE ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING AMONG GRADE 5 STUDENTS

Abstract

Because young EFL learners benefit from systematic instruction that builds vocabulary from basic language units, integrating a bottom-up instruction with games provides both structured learning and active engagement. The research objectives of this study were: 1) to investigate the effects of teaching English using bottom-up instruction and games to enhance vocabulary learning among Grade 5 students, and 2) to study students’ satisfaction with learning English through bottom-up instruction and games. The study was a one-group pretest-posttest, pre-experimental design. The samples were 23 Grade 5 students from one of the primary schools in Noen Sa-nga District, Chaiyaphum Province. They were selected by using cluster random sampling. The instruments included four lesson plans based on bottom-up instruction, which incorporated games, an English vocabulary learning achievement test, and a questionnaire. The data were analyzed to test whether the pre-test and post-test scores were normally distributed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test. Then, using the mean (M), standard deviations (SD), and Nonparametric statistics, the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was employed.               

           The results of this research showed that the mean post-test score for English vocabulary learning achievement among participants who learned English using bottom-up instruction and games was significantly higher than the pre-test score at the .05 level. The participants’ vocabulary proficiency increased by approximately 80.6% from a mean pre-test score of 10.04 to a mean post-test score of 18.13. The participants expressed positive satisfaction, with an average score of 4.57. This study found that using bottom-up instruction and games effectively enhances vocabulary learning among Grade 5 students.