THE USE OF SPIN AND SPELL GAME IN IMPROVING SPELLING OF ENGLISH WORDS AMONG

YEAR 3 PUPILS
By:
LIM CHING WEI
AZIZAN BIN ARIFFIN
chingweilim92@gmail.com
azizan6@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Spelling is an important skill which students must acquire before they could excel in the speaking, listening, reading
and writing skills. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether the use of Spin and Spell game can improve the
spelling of English words among Year 3 pupils. The research participants in this study consisted of 18 pupils of Year 3
Bestari. This research is based on the research model by Kemmis and McTaggard. The data for this study was
collected using pre and post-tests, document analysis and pre and post-interview. The results obtained from this study
showed that Spin and Spell game was able to improve the performance of the research participants in their ability
to spell English words. Spin and Spell game also had helped these participants to memorize words spelling. To
conclude, the spelling game is a successful and interesting alternative to improve pupils spelling ability.
Keywords: Spin and Spell, Language game, Spelling of English Words
ABSTRAK
Kemahiran mengeja adalah sangat penting dan mesti dikuasai sebelum pelajar dapat menguasai kemahiran bertutur,
mendengar, membaca dan menulis. Justeru itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji sama ada penggunaan permainan
Putar dan Eja dapat membantu murid Tahun 3 untuk meningkatkan kemahiran mengeja perkataan dalam Bahasa
Inggeris. Kajian tindakan ini melibatkan 18 orang murid Tahun 3 Bestari. Kajian ini dijalankan berdasarkan model
Kemmis dan McTaggart. Data dikumpulkan melalui ujian pra, ujian pasca, analisis dokumen, pra dan pasca temu
bual. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan bahawa permainan Putar dan Eja dapat membantu murid Tahun 3 untuk
meningkatkan kemahiran mengeja perkataan dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Permainan Putar dan Eja turut membantu
para peserta untuk menghafal ejaan perkataan. Secara kesimpulannya, penggunaan permainan mengeja adalah
sebuah alternatif yang berjaya dan menarik dalam memajukan kemahiran mengeja bagi para pelajar.
Kata Kunci: Putar dan Eja, Permainan Bahasa, Kemahiran Mengejar Perkataan dalam Bahasa Inggeris
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
English is taught as a second language in all Malaysian primary and secondary schools. The mastery of English is
essential for pupils to gain access to information and knowledge written in English. Spelling being a small aspect of
writing is often disregarded by both the pupils and also the teachers whereas there is a definite need for good spelling
in the written communication. The ability to spell correctly is critical for success in education activities. This is
because spelling errors may distract a reader from intended message. According to Hook & Jones (2009), spelling also
helps to build fluency and automaticity which facilitate reading and writing skills. To be more specific, one of the
objectives of teaching English is to enable the pupils to spell common sight words correctly (Ministry of Education
Malaysia, 2010). In order to enhance pupils engagement in English, it is hoped that teachers are able to use the
stipulated words in oral and written form. Teachers are also encouraged to use the words from the word list in their
various forms as this will allow pupils to acquire a myriad of words by the end of their primary schooling years.
1.2 Reflection of Past Teaching
During the 2nd phase of practicum, I was assigned to a national type Chinese primary school in Sungai Bakap where
most of the pupils could not converse in English language fluently due to the environment and their family
background yet they can understand simple instructions in English. They were using their mother tongue when
communicating with their friends and teachers. The headmistress assigned me to teach English language to Year 2
Merah which consisted of 31 pupils (14 boys and 17 girls). During the teaching and learning process, I found out that
some of the pupils did not manage to write the spelling of the words correctly although it have been exposed to them
during the teaching and learning sessions. When I asked pupils to do the exercises in their activity book, they could
not really recognize the vocabulary. They tend to misspell words. Besides, they would omit certain alphabets in the
word. When I conducted a dictation task by asking pupils to write down the words that I read out aloud, most of them

would just spell it based on the sound of the words. This was clearly due to the impact of lack of knowledge on how to
spell those words correctly and insufficient drilling in order to help them remember the vocabulary.
2.0 Focus of Investigation
2.1 Issues of Concern
Spelling is a persons ability to spell word. It is an important aspect in language learning which helps the pupils to
express ideas, feeling, think or information to people clearly and accurately. Writing accurate spelling also adds to the
quality of overall writing texts. Scott (2011) confirms that spelling carries an impact on the quality of pupil writing,
but at the same time, it helps pupils to understand how words work at the level of sound, structure and meaning. In
spite the fact, during the teaching and learning process, I noticed that most of the Year 3 Bestari pupils had trouble in
memorizing the English vocabulary from time to time. They could not really spell the English words correctly
although I have introduced and explained the meaning of each new word when they read the text. They tend to forget
it and asked again and again the spelling of the vocabulary when they needed to complete the exercise or task given.
As I reflected over the teaching and learning process, I have come to the conclusion that they cannot really recognize
the vocabulary because they were not given enough drill or practice about the vocabulary. The teaching and learning
of English vocabulary involves only giving lists of vocabulary items and asking the pupils to memorize them.
Sometimes, the teachers just gave them explanations about the components they taught then asked the pupils to open
bilingual dictionary and found the meaning of the words. The teacher did not try to stimulate the pupils interest,
motivation and enjoyment in learning. As a result, pupils are demotivated and bored in learning English vocabulary
and the spelling.
2.2 Review of Related Literature
The research focus of this action research was to use Spin and Spell game to improve spelling of English words.
Based on my teaching experience, the problem of pupils low vocabulary mastery and memorization of English words
spelling might be caused by several factors. First, pupils tend to be interference from their first language in the process
of writing in English. Second, a lot of teachers use poor or monotonous teaching method which cannot challenge
pupils to learn the spelling of vocabulary. Third, the absence of media used in teaching vocabulary also makes pupils
consciousness and motivation to learn vocabulary low. Therefore, in the process of teaching and learning English as a
second language, teacher should be creative in finding the interesting ways to teach effectively and efficiently in the
classroom. In line with that, Ali (2012) state that pupils will not achieve success in learning unless they enjoy the
process. There are so many interesting and enjoyable ways that can be used in teaching spelling of English words to
the pupils. One of the ways to improve the pupils spelling ability is through language game. Juul (2005) states that
games are rule-based activity that has variable, quantifiable outcomes. It is a powerful tool for teachers to use in
teaching pupils about values, social skills and vocabulary. According to Iin (2012) the use of songs and game in
teaching vocabulary can improve the pupils vocabulary achievement and could involve the pupils in the process of
teaching and learning activity. Nesamalar (2005) also mentioned that language games can remove boredom without
sacrificing repetition that is necessary for successful learning if language element.
3.0 Research Objective and Research Questions
3.1 Research Objective
This research aims to investigate whether the use of Spin and Spell game can improve the spelling of English words
among Year 3 pupils.
3.2 Research Questions
Does the use of Spin and Spell game improve the spelling of English words among Year 3 pupils?
4.0 Research Participants
The participants in this action research are the Year 3 Bestari pupils of a national type primary school (Sekolah
Kebangsaan) in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. The school is located at rural area, where English language is not their first
language. The class consists of twenty seven Malay pupils (12 boys and 15 girls), most of whom were weak in
remembering new words and poor in spelling common words correctly. However, only eighteen pupils were chosen as
the research participants due to the poor attendance in the class during the implementation of the three interventions.
The pupils had a very high absentees and sometimes they were absent for few days. These eighteen pupils were often
present during all the three interventions.

5.0 Implementation of Action

The purpose of this action research is to study the effectiveness of using Spin and Spell game in improving spelling
of English words among Year 3 pupils. The whole implementation of the use of Spin and Spell game in improving
spelling of English words among Year 3 pupils was continuously carried out for five weeks. In the first week, a pretest was conducted to find out the pupils pre-existing ability in mastering vocabulary before they are taught by using
Spin and Spell game. Then, the pupils were interviewed to identify the problems faced by the pupils in mastering
English vocabulary and to figure out what kind of strategy used by pupils in spelling the English words before
undergoing the intervention. In the second week, I started to implement the first intervention in the class. In the prewriting stage, I introduced the spelling rule of doubling a final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel. I
also modelled and drilled eight vocabularies that use the spelling rule mentioned. During the while-writing stage, I
implemented the Spin and Spell game. A briefing on how to play Spin and Spell game was given so that every
pupil understand the rules and are used to it. To play, pupils took turn to spin the wheel and spell the words where the
pointer indicated in their own respective groups. After that, I distributed a worksheet to every pupil. Pupils were
required to fill in the blanks with the correct words in order to complete the worksheet. The worksheets were collected
and marked for further analysis. During the post-writing stage, I dictated eight preselected words used in earlier steps
of the lesson. Pupils were needed to write down the spelling of the words that have read aloud by me in their exercise
book.
For the third week, I carried out the second intervention. During the pre-writing stage, I taught pupils
another spelling rule of English words using i before e, except after c, or when sounded as a. Firstly, eight
vocabularies that use the spelling rule above were introduced by me. Then, I provided each groups of four pupils with
the wheel in order to allow pupils to spell the English words through the Spin and Spell game. The worksheet was
given to every pupil after they have played Spin and Spell game in order to measure pupils ability in spelling
English words that have been taught throughout the lesson. Pupils were required to complete the sentences by filling
in the blanks. During the post-writing stage, a dictation also was carried out after the pupils have mastered a total of 8
vocabularies. While for the fourth week, spelling rule of dropping the final e before a suffix beginning with a vowel a,
e, i, o, u but not before a suffix beginning with a consonant were introduced during the pre-writing stage (Refer to
Appendix F). Next, I read and explained the meaning of 8 vocabularies that use the spelling rule. Pupils repeated the
vocabularies after me. During the while-writing stage, I carried out the spelling game Spin and Spell. Pupils spun the
wheel and spelled the words correctly in groups. After that, I distributed worksheet to pupils. Pupils completed the
sentences with the vocabularies that they have learnt. During the post-writing stage, I dictated preselected words used
in earlier steps of the lesson. Pupils wrote down the spelling of the words that were read aloud by me in their exercise
book.
After implementing all the interventions, I carried out a post-test in the fifth week to examine whether or not
the Spin and Spell game that was carried out effectively improves pupils vocabulary mastery. For the post-test, I
distributed test paper that were similar to the pre-test questions and asked the pupils to answer the questions in the test
paper given. Then, I marked the test papers and recorded the results obtained in a record book. The scores obtained
from pre-test and post-test were compared and tabulated it in a bar chart. Other than that, a post-interview was carried
out to know the pupils responses toward the learning of the spelling of English words through Spin and Spell game.
During the interview session, I taped record the entire interview and take notes at the same time. Then, the tape and
notes were reviewed, occasionally writing down direct quotes that are deemed especially relevant. The tapes are kept
as a record, but are not transcribed word for word.
6.0 Data Collection
Data was collected from three sources. A pre-test was designed in order to know the pupils initial ability in mastering
English vocabulary before the treatment given and a post-test was given in order to know the pupils ability in spelling
of English words after the teaching research started applied. The document analysis (pupils worksheet) was used to
measure the improvement of pupils ability in spelling of English words that have been taught in every intervention.
The interview that was used in this research was in the form of semi-structured interview questions. The purpose of
conducting pre-interview was to know the problem faced by the pupils in mastering spelling of English words and the
post-interview was carried out after the post-test, which was intended to know the pupils response toward the
application of the use of Spin and Spell game.

7.0 Data Analysis and Interpretation

7.1 Pre and Post-Test
8
6
Number of research participants 4
2
0

Pre-test
Column1
0123456789
S core

Figure 7.1: Pre-test and post-test scores

The results, as shown in Figure 7.1 above, indicate that the overall post-test scores is higher than the pre-test scores.
However, there was 1 research participant who did not answer any of the questions in his pre-test correctly. On the
other hand, in the post-test, he was able to score 3 marks. There was a difference in his scores and it is indicated that
the research participant obtained higher scores in the post-test in comparison with his pre-test.
7.2 Document Analysis
10
8
6
Number of Participants

Intervention 1
Intervention 2
Intervention 3

4
2
0

012345678
S core

Figure 7.2. The scores obtained by research participants during Intervention 1, 2 & 3.
Figure 7.2 present the scores obtained by the research participants when they had completed the worksheet given
during Intervention 1, 2 and 3. Most of the research participants were able to score higher mark during the third
intervention because Spin and Spell game was able to help them in improving their ability to spell English words.
7.3 Pre and Post-Interview
Before the action implementation, 9 research participants found difficulty answering the questions. They could not
answer the questions because they did not know how to spell the words. There were 8 research participants who were
positively confident and answered yes. However, there was 1 research participant who gave uncertain answers of
neither yes nor no. He was likely to be unsure of his own ability. In spelling words, the research participants
might use certain strategies of which they themselves were not aware of. 15 of the research participants were familiar
with the usage of visual skill in spelling new words. They look at the word and memorise the word pattern. There
were 3 research participants admitted using auditory strategy in spelling new word. They listen to the pronunciation of
the words and then try to spell it out. For the post interview, among the 18 research participants, everyone claimed that
they felt excited and happy for being able to participate in the Spin and Spell game. They showed great interest in
the Spin and Spell game. Most of the reasons given by research participants on the ability to spell the words after
playing Spin and Spell game revolved around the fact that Spin and Spell game aided them to learn more to spell
the words. All of the 18 research participants agreed that the spelling game was beneficial in learning new words.

7.4 Findings
Based on the item analysis, the results clearly showed that research participants agreed on the Spin and Spell game
was able to improve the spelling of English words as Spin and Spell game help them to improve their spelling
ability and memorisation of new vocabulary. First of all, the analysis from the pre-test and post-test results was clearly
showed that there were improvements done by all of the research participants. Before I started to conduct the
intervention, it was found that the mean score of pre-test is 4 which indicated that the research participants English
vocabulary knowledge was at a low level. They may not have enough knowledge on spelling of English words.
However, after implementing the intervention, the research participants showed improvement by getting higher marks
in their post-test performances. The mean score of the research participants increased from 4 in the pre-test to 6 in the
post-test. This means that students had an improvement in English vocabulary knowledge due to the fact that they
were given the treatment of the use of Spin and Spell game in the English class.
Secondly, the data collected from the pre and post-interview also revealed that all the research participants
had great interest in the Spin and Spell game. From the aspect of stimulating interest, I found that all research
participants agreed that Spin and Spell game enhanced their interest in learning the spelling of English words. It
helped pupils in boosting their motivation to learn and embarked their interest in utilising the vocabulary. Regardless
of any task given, interest was definitely one of the key factors. With interest implanted, participants improvement
was anticipated. They looked forward to each time of the intervention for they were able to play the game again. Thus,
from the explanation above, it proved that Spin and Spell game was able to enhance Year 3 pupils ability in spelling
of English words.
Thirdly, the document analysis data also supported the statement research participants made in the interview
where Spin and Spell game helped to improve in ability to spell English words. Based on the results obtained from
analysing pupils worksheet, I was able to observe that the research participants were able to use the Spin and Spell
game in remembering the spelling of English words. They were able to spell the words correctly and they can answer
the questions. The findings also showed that research participants who did mistake in spelling of English words during
the first intervention also improved. They only made minor errors in third intervention as they have gained the
benefits from Spin and Spell game.
8.0 Reflection and Suggestion for Further Studies
Based on this research, I had identified a few limitations that could be overcome during the implementation of my
research. The first one would be the research involved a small-scale classroom only. It would be beneficial to
reproduce this research in a large-scale of population. If I investigate this matter into a large-scale, the result might be
different and more reliable as there will be more participation from pupils for this research. It would also be helpful to
have a group of pupils from a variety of different cultural background where some of the pupils would be with and
some-without a spelling problem. That way it would be possible to compare if the Spin and Spell game works
effectively for all the primary school pupils in Malaysia. The second limitation of the research was time constraint,
which resulted in insufficient drilling. Since the research was carried out during the English lesson where, one hour
was used to implement the intervention and collect data. This left me with only 15 minutes to drill the research
participants to use the spelling rules during the spelling of English words. It would be more helpful if I would be able
to conduct the intervention on a long term basis. In such a short time the pupils were able to show improvement
towards spelling of English words which in turn helped them in their learning. Hence, it would have created a bigger
impact if I were to conduct the intervention on a long term basis in order to help the pupils to master all the spelling
rules for Year 3.
References
Ali, S. A. (2012). The Effect of Games on EFL Learners Voabulary Learning Strategies. International Journal Of
Basic And Applied Science, 1(2), 252-256. Retrieved from Open Access Library database.
Hook, P. E., & Jones, S. D. (2009). The importance of automaticity and fluency for efficient reading comprehension.
Retrieved 3 March 2015 from: http://wwwspellingcity.com/fluency.html.
Iin, E. S. (2012). Improving Pupil's Vocabulary Using Song and Game. English Education Study Program Language
And Arts Education Department Teachers Training And Education Faculty Tanjungpura University 2012.
Juul, Jesper (2005) Half-Real, Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge, The MIT Press.
Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2011). Standards-based Primary School Curriculum. Retrieved 18 March 2015 from,
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/ documents/englangdevstnd.pdf.
Nesamalar Chitravelu, S. S. (2005). ELT Methodology : Principles and Practice 2nd Edition (pp. 241 -257). Shah
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