USING ‘TURTLE RESCUE GAME’ TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF YEAR

4 PUPILS ON PRESENT VERB-TO-BE

MOHAMAD NUR AL HAKIM BIN HAMDAN

This project is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements

for the degree of Bachelor in Education

Teaching of English as Second Language (TESL)

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU KAMPUS TUN HUSSEIN ONN

APRIL 2018
 SUPERVISOR’S VERIFICATION

“ I acknowledge that I have read this research report and in my opinion this

was sufficient in terms of scope and quality for the certification of the

Degree in Bachelor of Education

Teaching English as Second Language (TESL)”

Signature :……………………………………………………………….

Supervisor’s name : PN NORUL RAFIDAH BINTI HJ. REDZUAN

Date : ……………………………………………………………….

ii
 DECLARATION

“ I hereby declare that this research report is my own work except

for the quotations and summaries of each of which was acknowledged”

Signature :……………………………………………………………….

Writer’s name : MOHAMAD NUR AL HAKIM BIN HAMDAN

Date : ……………………………………………………………….

iii
 DEDICATION

To my mother,

for her never-ending love, prayers and support…

iv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Praise be to Allah for His mercy and blessing that I have managed to

successfully complete my action research report after countless hours of sleepless

nights, struggles and hardships.

I would like to use this golden opportunity to thank my supervisor, Madam

Norul Rafidah binti Hj. Redzuan for her constant support and guidance throughout the

process of carrying out this action research. She had always been supportive and

helpful to me ever since the process of writing my action research proposal.

I would also like to thank my mother, Noridah binti Jusoh for her never-ending

love and indirect support she gave me in going through various struggles and hurdles

throughout the process of completing this action research. The thought of her gives

me the strength I needed.

Not to mention to my coursemates who I always confide in whenever I faced

any problem in completing this research. They are the source of guidance and input I

seek in times of need. Thank you for being there with me until the end.

Special thanks to the teachers, staff members and the pupils of Sekolah

Kebangsaan Seri Pandan for their cooperation and support that they have given for

the purpose of my action research study. Without their assistance, this study will not

be able to be conducted successfully.

Without the love, cooperation, support and guidance that I have received from

them, I will not be able to come this far. Thank you.

v
 ABSTRACT

This research has been conducted to improve the understanding of Year 4 pupils on the usage

of present verb-to-be by using Turtle Rescue Game. The research has been conducted on 10

low proficiency Year 4 pupils. The usage of present verb-to-be was chosen as research focus

due to the pupils’ difficulty in using the correct present verb-to-be after a subject in a sentence.

This difficulty is due to the inability of the pupils to relate to their native language system as

the concept of subject verb agreement does not exist in their mother tongue which is Bahasa

Melayu. Turtle Rescue Game is a multimedia ICT game designed by using PowerPoint where

the pupils will help an adult turtle to search for its baby. In order to find the baby turtle, the

pupils need to match the subjects given with the correct present verb-to-be by clicking on the

words displayed. From this research, it is found that the pupils had improved significantly in

terms of their understanding on the usage of present verb-to-be. They managed to use the

present verb-to-be correctly according to the subject of the sentence. Pupils’ feedback on the

usage of Turtle Rescue Game is very positive and encouraging. Based on the teacher’s

reflective journal, the teaching practice of the teacher in present verb-to-be lesson had

improved drastically after applying the Turtle Rescue Game.

vi
 ABSTRAK

Kajian ini telah dijalankan bagi meningkatkan kefahaman murid Tahun 4 dalam penggunaan

present verb-to-be dengan menggunakan Turtle Rescue Game. Kajian ini telah dijalankan

pada 10 orang murid Tahun 4 yang berbeza kebolehan. Penggunaan present verb-to-be

kepada murid telah dijadikan sebagai fokus kajian kerana murid mempunyai masalah dalam

menentukan present verb-to-be yang patut digunakan selepas sesuatu subjek dalam ayat. Hal

yang demikian kerana murid-murid tidak dapat mengaitkan konsep ‘subject verb agreement’

yang tidak wujud dalam bahasa ibunda mereka iaitu Bahasa Melayu. Turtle Rescue Game

ialah suatu permainan multimedia teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (TMK) yang direka

dengan menggunakan PowerPoint di mana murid akan membantu seekor penyu dewasa yang

ingin mencari anaknya. Untuk mencari anak penyu itu, murid-murid perlu memadankan kata

nama yang telah diberi dengan present verb-to-be yang betul. Hasil kajian ini mendapati

bahawa kefahaman murid dalam menggunakan present verb-to-be telah meningkat dengan

drastik. Murid-murid telah berjaya menggunakan present verb-to-be yang betul mengikut

subjek ayat yang diberikan. Hasil temubual murid mengenai permainan Turtle Rescue Game

adalah sangat positif dan memberangsangkan. Jurnal reflektif guru telah menunjukkan

bahawa amalan pengajaran guru dalam mengajar present verb-to-be telah dapat

ditambahbaik setelah penggunaan Turtle Rescue Game dalam sesi pengajaran dan

pembelajaran.

vii
 CONTENT

SUPERVISOR’S VERIFICATION ii

DECLARATION iii

DEDICATION iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT v

ABSTRACT vi

ABSTRAK vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

LIST OF APPENDICES x

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1-7

Background 1-2

Context 3-4

Reflection of Teaching and Learning 4-7

2.0 RESEARCH FOCUS 8-19

Selection of Research Focus 8-12

Initial Data Collection 12-14

Action 14-19

3.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 20-21

4.0 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS 22-25

5.0 RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION 26-40

Stages of Action 26-29

Data Collection Methods 29-31

Data Analysis Methods 31-39

Triangulation of Data 39-40

6.0 RESEARCH FINDINGS 41-45

7.0 REFLECTION 46-49

8.0 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 50-51

9.0 REFERENCES 52-57

APPENDICES 58-67
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

TABLE 1 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS’ DATA 24

TABLE 2 COMPARISON OF PUPILS’ SCORE IN QUIZ 1 AND 32

QUIZ 2

TABLE 3 FRAMEWORK MATRIX OF SEMI-STRUCTURED 37

INTERVIEW

viii
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE PAGE

FIGURE 1 KEMMIS AND MCTAGGART’S ACTION RESEARCH 14

SPIRAL MODEL (1988)

FIGURE 2 PERCENTAGE OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS’ 25

GENDER

FIGURE 3 STAGES OF ACTION IMPLEMENTATION 29

FIGURE 4 COMPARISON OF PUPILS’ SCORE IN QUIZ 1 AND 33

QUIZ 2

FIGURE 5 COMPARISON OF PUPILS’ MEAN SCORE IN QUIZ 1 34

AND QUIZ 2

FIGURE 6 COMPARISON OF STANDARD DEVIATION OF QUIZ 1 35

AND QUIZ 2

FIGURE 7 METHODOLOGICAL TRIANGULATION 40

ix
 LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX PAGE

APPENDIX A INITIAL DATA COLLECTION - SEMI-STRUCTURED 58

INTERVIEW WITH TEACHERS

APPENDIX B INITIAL DATA COLLECTION - DIAGNOSTIC TEST 59

APPENDIX C DATA COLLECTION METHOD - QUIZ 1 60

APPENDIX D DATA COLLECTION METHOD - QUIZ 2 62

APPENDIX E DATA COLLECTION METHOD - INTERVIEW 64

TRANSCRIPTION

APPENDIX F DATA COLLECTION METHOD - TEACHER’S 67

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

x
 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ESL English as Secondary Language

PISMP Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan

LCD Light Crystal Display

ICT Information and Communication Technolgy

LAD Language Acquisition Device

SES Socioeconomic Status

RP Research Participant

KSSR Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah

xi
 1.0 INTRODUCTION

This section discusses the background of the research, the context of the study and

the reflection of teaching and learning during the researcher’s second practicum in

Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pandan, Batu Pahat.

Background

Since the British colonial era in the 1960s, English language have been taught

as the second language in schools in Malaysia. After several shifts in educational

policy and curriculum reformations, English is now a compulsory subject to be

undertaken by Malaysian children both in the primary and the secondary schools.

Since then, many issues and challenges arise in the teaching of English as second

language in the context of Malaysian classroom.

One of the main challenges is the teaching of grammar in a class of multiracial

pupils with different native language system. According to Debata (2013), grammar is

the study of words and how the words work together”. Wang (2010) defines grammar

as a set of rules in choosing and putting words together to form intelligible message.

Grammar plays an important role in language teaching and without it, language

cannot exist (Wang, 2010). Thus, teaching grammar is an essential tool in any

language teaching setting in order to enhance the pupils’ language proficiency.

Pupils often have the problem to determine the correct present verb-to-be to

be used with the corresponding subject in a sentence. This is due to the interference

of the pupils’ native language such as Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and Tamil which

have an adverse effect on their acquisition of English literacy (Marlyna Maros, Tan

Kim Hua, & Khazriyati, 2007). According to Ambigapathy (2002) and Nambiar (2007),
learners have a habit of referring to their mother tongue language system when trying

to use and understand the target language. Since the concept of verb-to-be is non-

existent in the pupils’ native language, the pupils find it hard for them to assimilate the

new construct to their schemata. Pupils often get confused as to which present verb-

to-be to be used to a certain subject. A study conducted by Nor Hashimah Jalaludin,

Norsimah Mat Awal and Kesumawati Abu Bakar (2008) on a large group of secondary

school students indicated that grammar is the most evident weakness in the students’

ability of using English. Based on the study, the differences in the morphological and

syntactical structure of English language and Bahasa Melayu causes the students to

commit mistakes on the usage of the ‘verb-to-be’ forms.

Besides the linguistic limitation posed by the interference of native language

system, the research conducted by Nor Hashimah Jalaludin et al. (2008) concluded

that English learning environment with not enough facilities for the pupils in using the

language makes the situation much worse. A study conducted by Ambigapathy (2002)

found that the most prevalent teaching technique in an ESL Malaysian classroom is

through drilling by using past-year examination questions, worksheets and exercise

books. This type of grammar teaching method is laborious and monotonous to the

pupils, causing them to lose interest in learning grammar and English as a whole.

Thus, this research was carried out in order to explore ways and means that could

improve Englsih as second language (ESL) on Malaysian pupils in their

understanding of present verb-to-be. The action that was implemented in this study is

a game called ‘Turtle Rescue Game’ which will be discussed further in the later

chapters.

2
Context of the study

I was the researcher for this study. I am a teacher trainee in IPG Kampus Tun

Hussein Onn and currently undergoing the second semester of my fourth year in

Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan (PISMP). My major is English whereas my

minors are Language Arts and History respectively. This research was carried out

during my second practicum which was from 2 July 2017 until 28 September 2017 in

Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pandan. I was assigned to teach Year 4 pupils who later

became the research participants of this study.

The school I had my training is located in Parit Karjo, Batu Pahat. It is

considered a rural school as it is located in the village area. The school has a total

number of 160 pupils. Malay pupils are the vast majority whereas there is only one

Chinese pupil and two Indian pupils. However, all the pupils in the school are Muslims

as the Chinese and the Indian pupils are converts. There is only one class for each

standard with each class consisting around 20 pupils.

There are about 18 teachers in the school, six of them are male and 12 of

them are females. There are only two English optionists in this school and both of

them are females. Due to the insufficient number of teachers in the school, the

teachers have to teach more than three classes of different subjects. One of the

teachers in this school have to teach English for Year 3 class although she is not

major in English.

In terms of facility, the school has a multimedia room which is often be used

by the English teachers to carry out their lesson. The room is equipped with a light

crystal display (LCD) projector and a sound system which the teachers use to show

videos, PowerPoint presentation and play songs. Each desk in the multimedia room

has one set of computer which is readily connected to the internet. The multimedia

room is also where the pupils are able to use Chromebooks – netbooks that are mainly

3
used to access to the internet. Although the school is located in rural area, the

information and communication technologies (ICT) equipment are adequately

provided there with decent internet connection. The school also has other essential

facilities such as library, science laboratory, design and technology workshop and

praying room. All these special rooms are well-managed by the teachers and the

school administrators.

The Year 4 class I was assigned to teach consisted of 22 pupils, 12 females

and ten males with mixed level of English proficiency. The pupils’ performance on

their previous English examination showed a huge achievement gap as their results

ranges from A to E for both English Paper 1 and Paper 2. Pupils who managed to

score A and B were the minority whilst pupils who scored C, D and E were in the

majority. In average, pupils scored slightly better in Paper 1 compared to Paper 2

suggesting that writing was their main weakness in English. The pupils in this class

were mostly shy and timid but seven of them were more outspoken and active during

the teaching and learning process. They mainly used their mother tongue in the class

either while talking to the teacher or among their friends despite the encouragement

given by the teacher to speak in English. According to their English teacher, the pupils

were very weak in grammar particularly subject verb agreement. For the purpose of

this study, 10 pupils from this Year 4 class were chosen as the research participants

of this study.

Reflection of teaching and learning

Throughout the first month that I had been teaching the Year 4 class, I had

noticed that pupils have the least interest in learning grammar as compared to other

components in English such as writing, listening and speaking and language arts.

Normally, the pupils were quite active and responsive when I was teaching English.

4
They were engaged in the classroom activities and showed great interest in

completing their task. However, when it comes to grammar class which was usually

on Thursday, the pupils seemed reluctant to learn and were overall unenthusiastic.

They were nonresponsive when they were asked questions regarding grammatical

items. During presentation stage in which I explicitly explained the rules and examples

of a particular grammatical item to the class, the pupils seemed bored and

uninterested. I tried to combat this problem by making the Powerpoint slides that I

used to explain the grammar rules more colourful and lively by incorporating pictures

and animations but they were ineffective.

The pupils’ lack of enthusiasm in learning grammar was the most prevalent in

present verb-to-be lesson. In the lesson, I had explained the rules of present verb-to-

be by using Powerpoint slides. While I was explaining the grammar rules, I had

noticed several pupils at the back of the class had lost their interest and started to talk

among each other by whispering and passing notes. Some were less disruptive such

as pretending to write notes and playing with their stationeries. Pupils in the front of

the class on the other hand stared at the screen blankly and one of them was caught

daydreaming when I called out his name. After I had explained the rules of present

verb-to-be, I reviewed the lesson by asking them several questions regarding the

grammatical items. The pupils did not manage to answer the questions correctly.

Despite having explained the rules in great detail, the pupils were unable to determine

the correct present verb-to-be to be used after a certain subject in a sentence. Pupils

often did mistake on the usage between ‘is’ and ‘are’. They used ‘are’ to singular

subjects such as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, Aminah and Ali. Whereas for subjects such as ‘you’,

‘we’, ‘they’, or ‘the cats’, the pupils used the verb-to-be of ‘is’. The subject ‘I’ on the

other hand, the pupils usually use ‘is’ instead of ‘am’.

Therefore, I found it imperative to do something in order to improve their

understanding of the usage of present verb-to-be ‘am’, ‘is’ and ‘are’. According to

5
Nayan and Jusoff (2009), students need to master the rule of subject-verb agreement

such as the agreement between a subject and its verb-to-be as it is an important area

in expressing ideas either through writing or orally. After reflecting on the lesson, I had

identified the reason why they could not focus in class and understand the present

verb-to-be rules. It was because I had used the traditional rule-explanation method in

teaching the grammatical items. Although the teaching aids that I had prepared which

was Powerpoint slides were colourful and animated, it did not save the lesson from

the monotonicity that a traditional explanation teaching would cause. I was the sole

active member throughout the teaching and learning process and the pupils were only

the passive recipient of the information, thus making the lesson dull and monotonous.

The pupils lost interest halfway through the explanation as they were not being

involved in the process. Thus, in order to improve their understanding on the topic of

present verb-to-be, I needed to find a way to make the lesson more engaging, fun,

interesting and meaningful for them.

Previously, I had tried teaching reading using games. The pupils’ interest and

engagement level in the lesson were astounding. They were very focused on the task

and were highly competitive as they wanted to beat other groups in that game.

Therefore, I decided to incorporate games in present verb-to-be grammar lesson to

see if I could replicate the result. Luong (2009) had conducted an experimental

research on the application of games in a grammar review lesson. When the

grammatical items are taught using games, Luong (2009) found that there is a

significant improvement on the pupils’ ability to use the grammatical knowledge as

evidently reported in their written and oral tests. I have tried teaching using games

and found that when games are used to teach grammar lessons, the pupils were

exhilarated and paid more attention to the class instead of the traditional teaching

method that I used. Furthermore, they were also actively involved in the class, even

the shy pupils. The class became livelier, fun and enjoyable as they competed with

6
each other to gain the highest score for their group. I have also found that the pupils

performed significantly better in the grammar worksheets that I gave them after the

class.

Thus from my observation, reflection of my own teaching practice and findings

from various studies, I have decided to use games to enhance the pupils’

understanding of present verb-to-be and also to improve my teaching practice to

overcome the pupils’ lack of enthusiasm in learning grammar.

7
 2.0 RESEARCH FOCUS

This chapter will discuss on the selection of research focus which was in improving pupils’

understanding of present verb-to-be by using Turtle Rescue Game. This chapter will also

discuss on how initial data collection had shown the prevalence of the problem among

the pupils. Finally, this chapter will explain on how the action was carried out by using the

Action Research Spiral Model by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988).

Description of Research Focus

The research that I had conducted focuses on improving Year 4 pupils’

understanding of present verb-to-be which are ‘am’, ‘is’ and ‘are’. Based on my

experience during my second practicum in Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pandan, the most

prevalent problem I had identified in my Year 4 pupils in grammar is present verb-to-be.

Almost all of my pupils faced the difficulty of determining the correct present verb-to-be

to be used after the subject of a sentence. This difficulty in determining the correct ‘verb-

to-be’ forms to use is due to the pupils’ inability to relate to their native language system,

since the concept of ‘verb-to-be’ and subject verb agreement do not exist in their mother

tongue (Nor Hashimah Jalaludin et al., 2008). In Bahasa Malaysia, it is not necessary for

verbs to agree with the subject. However in English, it is necessary for the verb to agree

with the subject (Nayan & Jusoff, 2009). I find it imperative to improve the pupils’

understanding of present verb-to-be as Dorn (2000) states that sentences are made up

of words and phrases which are the important items to form meaning which will allow us

to express ideas. Therefore, without proper construction of sentences that applies

grammatical rules correctly, ideas cannot be expressed effectively with the intended

meaning of the sentence.

One of the main reasons that I had found to be the cause of the pupils’ inability to

master the rules of present verb-to-be is the traditional chalk and talk and rule-based

teaching method that I had used. The lesson was mostly centered on me as the teacher

whereas the pupils were merely the passive listener without any active involvement

during the teaching and learning process. According to Tuan and Doan (2003), English

second language learners are often plagued with boredom in English lesson because of

the mundane tasks that they kept on doing over and over again, such as writing notes,

memorising and passively participating in the class by listening to the teacher’s

explanation. According to a study by Walsh and Vandiver (2007), students that are taught

using teacher-centred approach performed worse academically than the ones that are

taught using learner-centred approach. This is because the pupils that were taught by

using the latter approach had an executive role in the classroom, and the teachers only

acted as facilitators in order to allow the students to learn actively.

A learner-centred approach for teaching grammar is needed to improve the pupils’

understanding of present verb-to-be. Teaching using games is one of the teaching

methods that focuses primarily on pupils instead of the teachers. Haldfield (as cited in

Tuan & Doan, 2010) defined game as an activity that has rules, goal and an element of

fun. Haldfield emphasises that games should be integrated as part of the language

syllabus and not just as a filler to kill time. According to Wood (2001), gamification of

grammar teaching is more impactful in attracting the learners’ focus and attention to the

lesson instead of using the traditional method such as reading textbooks and doing

worksheets. According to Avedon and Sutton-Smith (as cited in Juul, 2001) students can

acquire the target language better and more interestedly than any other ways due to the

9
motivation and interaction provided by games. Therefore, I have decided to use games

as the strategy to improve Year 4 pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be as my main

research focus.

The selection of my research focus is through the evaluation of several criterions.

One of them is due to its workability. This research focus is workable in terms of its ability

to improve the pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be. The strategy that I have

identified which is game integrates the usage of visual, audio, and kinesthetic movement.

According to Berman (as cited in Bas, 2008), young learners have the capacity to store

memories better by integrating different types of senses to their learning. Furthermore,

according to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983,2000), there are

eight different kinds of intelligences namely interpersonal, intrapersonal, bodily-

kinesthetic, linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical and

naturalist. Thus, by the integration of audio, visual and movement into the game, my

strategy caters to the different needs and learning styles of my pupils according to their

multiple intelligences in learning English.

Next, the reason that I have selected this research focus is due to its significance.

This research focus is significant in terms of the problem’s prevalence among ESL

learners in Malaysia in general. According to Murcia and Freeman (as cited in Ponmani

& Mekala, 2016), the rules of subject-verb agreement such as the agreement between

verb-to-be and its subject still poses problems for ESL learners despite early exposition

of the rules to them. The rules of verb-to-be are explained to the learners from their early

years of education but they still could not master the basic rule. From the research on

various types of agreement in English that was carried out by Munir (as cited in Nayan &

Jusoff, 2009), he found that subject-verb-agreement especially one that involves the

number of the subject seems to be the most difficult area faced by ESL Malaysian

10
learners. This claim is personally experienced by me as the pupils that I taught have the

difficulty to determine the present verb-to-be to be used for the subject in a sentence.

Thus this research could be of benefit not only to the Year 4 pupils but also to the ESL

learners in Malaysia in general.

This research focus is also significant in terms of the impact it would make on the

teachers’ pedagogical practice. Teachers despite the ever emerging demand for student-

centered lesson, preferred the traditional method of teaching where teachers is the main

giver of knowledge whereas the learners are only the passive participant of the teaching

and learning process (Ahmed, 2013). The implication of this approach is that language

teaching becomes ineffective as in any second language teaching and learning setting,

the focus should be on the learners where they need continuous practice and production

of the language to develop their acquisition and internalization of the target language.

The significance of this research was that it would bring a change in the

pedagogical practice of English teachers in Malaysia in teaching grammar to a more

student-centered approach. Furthermore, this action research will enlighten English

language teachers that learning through games is much more effective in practice and

thus the English language learning in Malaysia will shift towards a more learner-centred,

fun and enjoyable approach instead of the routine and boring rote-based teaching.

Practicality was another reason for my selection of this research focus. The

strategy that I had chosen in order to overcome the problem was by using games. There

are many types of games that can be used in a classroom. I had decided to use ICT

game as it was more interactive and attractive to the pupils. The ICT game was created

and designed by using Microsoft PowerPoint. Microsoft Power Point is an ICT software

that is simple and easy to be used. The user-friendly interface and the customizable

feature of the software made it easy for games to be designed specifically to cater to the

11
different needs and learning styles of the pupils. Since the game is fully created using

ICT, the production cost is negligible. Therefore, it is very cost-effective. It is also much

easier to manage in terms of storage and distribution. I can easily save the game file into

a pendrive or an external hard disk. To avoid the file to be lost due to corrupted data or

other external factors, the file can be uploaded online by using Google Drive or other

website offering cloud storage service. The file can be safely stored for permanent without

the worry that it may be damaged over time. Other teachers who wanted to use the

material can just easily download them to their computers. As such, it is also portable as

I can use the game anywhere and anytime as long as I have the access to a computer.

Last but not least, on the aspect of practicality, my strategy which is PowerPoint-designed

game is easy to be used both by teachers and pupils. With a simple instruction, pupils

and teachers can use the game independently without the need of an instructor or user

manual.

Initial Data Collection

Initial data were collected in order to serve as proof and evidence to my claim on

the prevalence of the pupils’ problem in present verb-to-be. Firstly, I had conducted a

semi-structured interview consisting four questions with one of the English teachers of

Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pandan to gain better insight on how she felt when she was

teaching present verb-to-be. The interview also covered on the teacher’s perception of

using games in the classroom, her experience of using them and if teaching English

through games is effective based on her teaching experience.

From the first question of the interview, it was found that the teacher felt burdened

in teaching present verb-to-be as the content is highly technical and requires the teacher

12
to thoroughly explain the grammatical rules. Furthermore, the teacher also felt worried

while teaching the topic especially for the weaker pupils as it is a difficult area for them to

grasp on. The teacher agreed that the practice of using games is able to improve the

teaching and learning process in the classroom in which the pupils were more active,

engaged and responsive throughout the lesson. The pupils were also highly motivated.

She further commented that based on her experience, teaching using games is highly

effective especially in teaching uninteresting topic such as grammar rules and sentence

structures. However, she said that the disadvantage of using games is that the teacher

needs to be creative and make an early preparation in order to apply the strategy in their

teaching and learning.

Moreover, I had also used diagnostic test to test the pupils’ grammar knowledge

in order to gain the data as to which grammar item that is the most difficult for the pupils.

The diagnostic test consisted of 20 items covering several grammar contents such as

present verb-to-be, present tense, past tense and past verb-to-be. The test was

conducted in order to gain a numerical reading of their understanding on present verb-

to-be.

In the present verb-to-be items, the pupils could not determine whether to fill in

the blanks with ‘am’, ‘is’ or ‘are’ based on the subject of the given sentences. Similarly in

the simple present tense items, the pupils could not tell apart whether to add ‘s’ or not for

singular subjects. The pupils scored a relatively higher marks in the simple past tense

items, indicating that the pupils can differentiate between the present and the past form

of verbs. In the past verb-to-be items however, the pupils showed similar problem as

shown in the present verb-to-be items. From the result of the diagnostic test, it proved

that the pupils have a very low understanding of subject verb agreement in general. For

13
the purpose of this research, I have decided to use present verb-to-be as my research

focus as it is one of the area in subject verb agreement that the pupils were weak on.

Action

The action research model that I use for my research is Kemmis and Mctaggart’s

Action Research Spiral (1988). This model proposes that action research is a series of

cyclical process and is intended to foster an in-depth understanding of a situation

(Goh,2012).

Figure 1. Kemmis and Mctaggart's Action Research

Spiral Model (1988)

14
 There are four steps involved in this model, which are ‘plan’, ‘act’, ‘observe’ and

‘reflect’. ‘Plan’ refers to strategizing ways that can result in improvements of a situation

by carrying out or conducting certain actions (Maxwell, 2003). Methods of data collection

are also planned during this step as the action cannot be implemented without them. ‘Act’

refers to the implementation of the plan whilst recognising the need for flexibility and

judgement (Rose, Spinks & Canhoto, 2015). According to Rose et al. (2015), if the

proposed action cannot be carried out due to certain constraints, it may be necessary to

return to the planning stage. ‘Observe’ refers to the collection of data using various data

collection methods such as interviews, documents, diaries and questionnaire. Data

collected in this step are used as the basis for the next step which is ‘reflect’. Reflection

is the stage where the researcher ‘analyse, synthesise, interpret, explain and draw

conclusions’ (Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988).

For the first stage of this model which was ‘plan’, I had designed a careful and

strategic plan in order to carry out the research smoothly. Several criterions were taken

into consideration in the process of creating the research plan. One of which is the

research problem. The research problem was identified by having initial data collection. I

had administered a diagnostic test to identify the pupils’ weakness in grammar and

conducted a semi-structured interview with the English teacher in order to identify the

research problem. Based on the data that I have collected, it was evident that my pupils

were lacking in their understanding of present verb-to-be.

The second criterion that I have taken into account in planning my research is the

strategy to be used to bridge the gap of pupils’ understanding in present verb-to-be. In

order to find the best strategy to overcome the problem, I had searched for information

from a wide variety of sources and referred to academic literatures written by various

scholars. I had also reflected on my own teaching practice – with my pupils’ individual

15
learning needs in mind – to find out what strategy works and is effective on my pupils.

Thus, after careful consideration and having several literature as my reference, I had

chosen to use games as my strategy to improve their understanding on the topic.

The second stage of the model is ‘act’. During the stage, I had implemented the

action according to the plan that was previously outlined. Firstly, Quiz 1 was administered

in order to collect data on how the pupils perform on present verb-to-be test items before

the strategy was carried out in the classroom. This was done so that I can objectively see

the impact of the strategy on the pupils’ performance.

Next, I had implemented the strategy on the research participants during my

teaching and learning session in the classroom. The strategy was carried out in four

sessions in the span of four weeks with each of the session lasted for an hour. This was

to ensure that the strategy was carried out successfully and effectively, leaving no room

for any technical errors unrelated to the research focus. Throughout the process of

implementing the strategy, I had observed the pupils’ behaviour and engagement in the

lesson and the teacher’s reflective journal was written in order to identify the strengths

and weaknesses of the strategy that was carried out.

In order to measure the pupils’ performance after the strategy was carried out,

Quiz 2 was administered on the following week. Quiz 2 consisted of the same set of

questions as Quiz 1 in order to avoid other external factors such as different difficulty

level between the two quizzes from affecting the test result. A semi-structured group

interview was conducted with the research participants in order to gain first person

perspective on the effectiveness of the strategy in overcoming the research problem.

The third step based on the model is ‘observe’. In this stage all the data that have

been collected in the implementation stage were analysed and scrutinised. Research

16
participants’ score in Quiz 1 and 2 were analysed by using descriptive statistics.

Descriptive statistics represent the quantitative data of the test scores into numerical

value such as percentages, frequency, mean and standard deviation. The teacher’s

reflective journal on the other hand were analysed qualitatively by using content analysis.

Issues contained in the journal were coded into themes for ease of analysis. Lastly, the

interview that was conducted was transcribed and analysed.

The findings that I have found from previous stage are used as the basis for the

next stage, which is ‘reflect’. In this stage, I reflected on the data that I have analysed and

drew conclusions and interpretations of whether the action was successful in achieving

my research objectives. Furthermore, the limitations of the study were also identified to

pave the way for improvement in further research.

The strategy that I had chosen to overcome the pupils’ problem in present verb-

to-be is by using game. The game is a multimedia ICT game which I named as Turtle

Rescue Game. This game fully utilised the ICT tools as it was designed using the widely-

used and multifunctional Microsoft PowerPoint. There are several theories and studies

that support the usage of game in the classroom. The theories that were used as the

basis of this action are Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983) and Krashen’s

Theory of Second Language Acquisition (1982).

According Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983), he proposed that

there are nine types of intelligences and each individual have their own unique set of

intelligence. The intelligences are visual-spatial, linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical,

bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential.

Based on this theory, optimal learning occurs when the content is delivered according to

the pupils’ dominant intelligences.

17
 The usage of Turtle Rescue Game managed to cater to the pupils’ multiple

intelligences. Linguistic-verbal intelligence is catered as the game includes written

element to explain the concept of present verb-to-be, the rules of the game and

instructions. Pupils with musical intelligence will find the game appealing to them as the

game had incorporated some music, songs and sound effects. Furthermore, the game

caters to the pupils with logical-mathematical intelligence as it requires the pupils to think

using their logical reasoning to complete the goal.

Pupils with visual-spatial intelligence will be gratified by the game which includes

colourful visuals and animations. Pupils with interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence

will also benefit from Turtle Rescue Game as the game requires the pupils to

communicate with each other to solve the game’s problem (interpersonal) and also to

introspectively think and strategise how to win the game (intrapersonal). The goal of the

Turtle Rescue Game is to rescue baby turtles that are trapped amongst rubbish littered

on the beach. Pupils with naturalistic intelligence will be very motivated playing the game

as they are interested in nurturing and saving the nature. Lastly, the game also caters to

the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. This is because, to operate the game, the pupils need

to move and click the mouse to perform certain actions. This trains the pupils’ hand-eye

coordination as the pupils need to coordinate the movement of the cursor as shown on

the screen and the movement of the mouse.

The second theory that supports my action is Krashen’s Second Language

Acquisition Theory (1982). According to the theory, there are five hypotheses that were

proposed by Krashen about second language acquisition. My action is based on one of

the hypotheses, which is Affective Filter Hypothesis. Krashen had hypothesised that the

pupils’ affective factors – their motivation, self-confidence and anxiety –acts as a filter

between the language input and their language acquisition device (LAD). Pupils’ low

18
motivation in learning, lack of self-confidence and high level of anxiety heighten their

affective filter, causing them unable to acquire the second language successfully despite

being given comprehensible input.

Based on this hypothesis, it is imperative that a positive and non-threatening

learning environment be provided for the learners in order to lower their affective filter

and aid the acquisition process. Turtle Rescue Game adds fun element to the teaching

and learning process of present verb-to-be. This lowers the pupils’ anxiety to learn the

grammar content. Furthermore, Turtle Rescue Game also boosts the pupils’ motivation

as the game provides a clear and achievable goal for the pupils and at the same time

creates a healthy competition amongst the pupils. Moreover, the pupils’ level of self-

confidence is also enhanced as the game is non-threatening to them. Thus, through the

usage of Turtle Rescue Game, a positive learning environment can be created and thus

the affective filter of the pupils can be lowered. Consequently, this makes it easier for the

pupils to learn and acquire the knowledge of present verb-to-be.

19
 3.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This chapter discusses the objectives that the research aims to achieve and the

fundamental questions that the research intents to answer. Research objectives and

research questions are two main foundations that act as the basis of any research. These

objectives and questions were used as guideline throughout the whole process of

carrying out the research.

Research Objectives:

According to Goh (2012), research objectives are derived from research focus.

My research focuses on the usage of Turtle Rescue Game in improving the pupils’

understanding of verb-to-be. Thus, this action research aims to:

i. find out if the use of ‘Turtle Rescue Game’ improves Year 4 pupils’ understanding

of present verb-to-be.

ii. find out if the use of ‘Turtle Rescue Game’ improves my teaching practice in

teaching present verb-to-be to Year 4 pupils.

Research Questions:

Research questions are the fundamental questions that a research seeks to

answer. Based on the research objectives that were identified, my action research intents

to answer these following questions:

i. How does the use of ‘Turtle Rescue Game’ improve Year 4 pupils’ understanding

of present verb-to-be?

ii. How does the use of ‘Turtle Rescue Game’ improve my teaching practice in

teaching present verb-to-be to Year 4 pupils?

Therefore, this action research study is targeted to achieve the research

objectives that had been outlined and also to seek answers for the research questions.

The next chapter shall discuss how the action was implemented and how the data were

collected and analysed in order to gauge how well the action had achieved the research

objectives and answered the research questions.

21
 4.0 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

This chapter discusses about the involvement of myself as the researcher of the study

and the research participants’ details such as their age, gender, English proficiency,

family background and other miscellaneous information such as their personality and

behaviour in the classroom.

Research Participants

I was the researcher of this research and was directly and actively involved

throughout the whole process of this research. I had administered Quiz 1 on the research

participants. I had also implemented the action on the participants in the span of four

weeks. Quiz 2 was administered after the action was employed. I had also conducted

semi-structured interview on them.

During the practicum, I was assigned to teach Year 4 class. There were 22 pupils

altogether in that class, 10 of them were boys and 12 were girls. Based on their previous

examination results, it can be concluded that the pupils in the class is of mixed ability in

terms of their overall academic achievement and language proficiency in English. There

were about seven pupils that can be categorised as high proficiency pupils, eight pupils

as average and ten as the low proficiency pupils.

The pupils mostly came from low to middle income family as their parents mostly

consisted of labour workers, retirees and self-employed. There were however seven

pupils whose parents were working as professionals such as teachers and administrative

assistants. It can be seen from my observation during teaching and learning that the

pupils who were coming from professional families performed better than those who were

not. This is in line with findings from research by Nikolov (2009) in Hungary which shows
a strong correlation between parents’ level of education and pupils’ achievement in

language learning.

For the purpose of this research, I had chosen ten of the low proficiency pupils in

the Year 4 class that I was teaching as my research participants. Despite their low

achievement in English, the pupils were well-mannered in the class and I never had any

classroom management problem with the class except for some minor misbehaviour such

as being noisy in class and disturbing other friends.

In terms of the research participants’ personalities, they were very introverted as

they prefer to keep to themselves compared to their classmates who were actively

engaged in the classroom and socialising with one another. According to McCrae and

Costa (as cited in Condon & Ruth-Sahd, 2013) introversion is defined as the absence of

traits such as sociability and assertiveness. Furthermore, the participants were also shy

and timid. The pupils were afraid to express their opinion and ideas, despite my constant

insistence on them to speak. This is agreed by Aron, Aron and Davies (2005) who stated

that shy students face the difficulty in having small talk, sharing their feelings and

reciprocating others’ feelings.

The pupils’ language proficiency were very low that they could not even construct

a complete simple sentence either written or orally. Their vocabulary range were also

quite limited as they needed the assistance of the teacher to supply simple words such

as ‘car’, ‘walk’ and ‘buy’ in order to deliver the message that they wanted to convey. When

asked if they had any English reading material at home, the pupils said that there was

none. All of the research participants came from a low income family which explained the

pupils’ lack of exposure to the language at home. Peers, Lloyd, and Foster (2000) had

carried out a survey of children’s language skills which had suggested that children from

low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are more likely to experience receptive

23
and expressive language delay compared to children with middle and high

socioeconomic status.

The pupils’ data was tabulated in the Table 1 below. For ethical purposes, the

name of the research participants will not be revealed but instead were assigned with

pseudonyms such as RP1, RP2, RP3 and so on.

Table 1

Research participants’ data

Participant Gender Age Race Class Level of

proficiency

RP1 Male 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP2 Female 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP3 Male 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP4 Male 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP5 Female 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP6 Female 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP7 Male 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP8 Male 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP9 Male 10 Malay Year 4 Low

RP10 Male 10 Malay Year 4 Low

24
 Percentage of Gender of Research Participant
10%

90%
Male Female

Figure 2. Percentage of Research Participants’ Gender

25
 5.0 RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION

This chapter is divided into four sections which are ‘Stages of Action’, ‘Data Collection

Methods’, ‘Data Analysis Methods’ and ‘Data Triangulation Methods’. The ‘Stages of

Action’ section will discuss about how the action was implemented in the classroom.

‘Data Collection Methods’ explains about the three data collection methods that I have

carried out which were Quiz 1 and Quiz 2, semi-structured interview with the research

participants and teacher’s reflective journal. There are three methods that were used

to analyse the data: descriptive statistics, content analysis and interview transcriptions

which will be further discussed in the ‘Data Analysis Methods’. ‘Data Triangulation

Methods’ section will explain about how the data were triangulated in order to give

them more credibility and validity.

Stages of Action

The action was implemented within the period of four weeks’ time. Before the

action was implemented, Quiz 1 was administered to the pupils in order to gain a

statistical reading on the pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be prior to the

action. After the pupils had completed the test, their test papers were collected for

further analysis of this research.

The action that was used in order to improve the pupils’ understanding of

present verb-to-be for the purpose of this research was ‘Turtle Rescue Game’. ‘Turtle

Rescue Game’ is a multimedia ICT game that was programmed using Microsoft

PowerPoint. In this game, the pupils were required to help an adult turtle character

named Mr. Turtle to find his babies that were trapped amongst plastic rubbish

scattered on the beach. In order to find the babies, the pupils need to match the

subject that was labelled on Mr. Turtle’s shell such as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘Ali’, ‘I’, ‘they’ with

the correct present verb-to-be – either ‘am’, ‘is’ or ‘are’ – that were labelled on three
rubbish in front of him. If the pupils managed to match the subject with the correct

present verb-to-be, the rubbish will disappear and reveal a baby turtle trapped

underneath it. Then, Mr. Turtle and his baby can safely swim back to the ocean.

The action was implemented in the school’s computer lab as the action

requires the access of computer for the pupils to play the game. Before the pupils

could play the Turtle Rescue Game, I had given some explanations and instructions.

A demonstration was made in front of the class using an LCD and a projector screen

to show how the Turtle Rescue Game is used and played. A tutorial video on how to

match the subject with the present verb-to-be was also shown in order to boost the

pupils’ understanding. After I had finished explaining the rules and giving instructions,

I asked two of the research participants to come in front of the class and try the game

with my supervision. The other pupils could see how the game was played by the two

pupils through the display on the projector screen. The pupils were given the

opportunity to ask anything that they did not understand regarding the game.

After all questions had been entertained, the pupils chose their own partner.

The pupils in each pair were assigned as Player A and Player B respectively. Player

A was the main player of the game, while Player B acted as a support whose role was

to help and guide Player A in matching the subject and verb-to-be correctly. One

computer was provided for each pair to use and they were readily accessed to the

Turtle Rescue Game. Once the pupils were ready to play, I gave the signal for them

to start and play the game.

Throughout the process of playing the game, I facilitated and guided the pupils

who were facing difficulty while playing the game. If the pupils made a mistake in

matching the subject with the present verb-to-be, I asked the pupils to refer to the

‘Notes’ section that was provided in the game and gave some further explanation.

This is a type of implicit corrective feedback which according to Lochtman (2002),

refers to the practice of allowing the students to notice the error that they have made

27
and correct it with the guidance of teacher. It has been shown by a study by Havranek

(2002) that implicit corrective feedback had resulted in the students achieving better

score on the test. Furthermore, this is also in line with Vygotsky’s Theory of

Constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978). Constructivism believes that each individual

learners have different zone of proximal development in which teacher as facilitator

needs to guide the pupils to proceed to the next level through a ‘scaffolding’ process

until they are able to proceed with the learning on their own. As such, on the beginning

stage of the implementation of the action, I guided the pupils on using the game one

by one. As time progresses and the pupils get more familiar with the game, I reduced

the amount of guidance given and lastly I no longer guide the pupils and the pupils

progressed on their learning independently.

Once they had finished playing and managed to rescue all of Mr. Turtle’s

babies, the pupils were required to play another session of the game. This time the

role of Player A and Player B were reversed. Player B became the main player of the

game while Player A gave guidance and support to Player B. The roles between

Player A and Player B were switched alternatively every time the pupils played a new

session of the game. This was to ensure that each pupil in the pair was given the

opportunity to use and play the game. The game was repeatedly played for four

sessions to ensure that the pupils had fully internalize and understood the grammar

content that was contained in the Turtle Rescue Game. According to Buyukbay and

Dabaghi (2010), repetition provides an implicit feedback to the learners. Their study

had shown that repetition had helped the study’s participants noticed their error and

made corrections on them.

After every pair had completed four sessions of the game, I held a bonus Time

Attack session. In this session the pupils had to compete with other pairs. The pair

that managed to complete the game the fastest will be the winner. A prize was given

to the winner of the game as a reward.

28
 Lastly, Quiz 2 was administered to the pupils as a measuring tool of the

action’s effectiveness and significance in improving the pupils’ understanding of

present verb-to-be. The pupils’ score from Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 was compared and

contrasted. The analysis of their score will be further discussed in the next chapter.

Quiz 1 was administered to the pupils.

Teacher gives explanation and

demonstration on how to use the Turtle
Rescue Game.

Pupils play the game in pairs. Player A was

the main player of the game whilst Player B
gave guidance and support to Player A.

The pupils played the game in three other

sessions. The roles of Player A and B were
switched alternatively in every new session.

A 'Time Attack' session was held in order to

find the winner of the game. The pair who
managed to complete the game the fastest
wins the game.

Figure 3. Stages of action implementation.

Data Collection Methods

I had used the mixed method of data collection and analysis for the purpose

of this research. According to Wisdom and Cresswell (2013), ‘mixed method’ refers

to the methodology of integrating quantitative and qualitative data within a single

research or study; allowing a more holistic and collegial use of data.

29
 Scores that the pupils obtained from Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 was collected as the

quantitative data for this research. The pupils’ score in those two tests was analysed

and tabulated. Such measure was needed to compare the mean, median and mode

of the two tests so that any improvement on the pupils’ understanding of present verb-

to-be from before the action is carried out to after can be clearly documented and

illustrated. Goh (2012) claims that pre-test and post-test are important data to be

collected. Alessandri, Zuffiano and Perinelli (2017) asserted that collecting data from

a number of different point in time is vital to test the effectiveness of the action after it

was carried out.

Data from Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 helped me in providing the numerical differences

in terms of the pupils’ performance in present verb-to-be before and after the action

was carried out. Since it was taken directly from the pupils’ score, the data is not

affected by the researcher’s interpretations and perceptions which may be biased to

support the action. The reliability of the score difference between Quiz 1 and Quiz 2

is also high, as agreed by Dimitrov and Rumrill (2003). According to them, the

reliability of the gain score between pretest and posttest should not be perceived as

low and researchers should not refrain from them in evaluating change.

Another data collection method that was used is semi-structured interview with

the research participants. The interview aimed to gain an introspective insight of the

pupils’ feeling and opinion on the usage of Turtle Rescue Game. According to

Silverman (2000), interviews provide a deeper and intimate understanding of social

happenings compared to data obtained mainly from quantitative methods. Thus, data

obtained from this method was used to complement the data from the pupils’ score.

I had chosen five pupils from the research participants to be the interviewees.

The pupils were chosen randomly to obtain a neutral and an unbiased view. The

interview was conducted in Bahasa Melayu due to the pupils’ low proficiency in

English. The interview was audio recorded and transcribed by translating the interview

30
verbatim to English. The interview questions consisted of four questions that sought

to gain insight on the pupils’ feeling, pupils’ perception on the effectiveness of the

Turtle Rescue Game, their preferable method of learning grammar and the problems

that they had encountered whilst playing the game. The transcription of the interview

can be referred in Appendix E.

Lastly, the third data collection method that was used is the teacher’s reflective

journal. According to Holly (as cited in Tompkins, 2009) teacher’s reflective journal

consisted the features of logs and diaries. Holly asserts that logs are factual records

of an occurrence whereas diaries describe the writers’ personal experience, feelings

and thoughts. A teacher’s reflective journal links the two features; producing a

document which comprises both the factual recording of happenings in the classroom

and the teacher’s reflective thinking throughout the teaching and learning process.

Furthermore, according to Mills (2014), reflective journals helps teachers to record

events, thoughts and feelings as they happen in the classroom. Teachers will interpret

these journals so that they can improve, strengthen and improvise their teaching

practice for the next teaching event. Through the usage of teacher’s reflective journal

as my data collection method, I can gain an all-rounded view of the implementation of

the action whilst determining the weaknesses that can be improved upon. Schmuck

(2006) suggested that the results of an action research study be combined with the

practice of reflective thinking to allow for the establishment of continual improvement

process for the instructor. Thus, I had chosen this method to be used for the purpose

of validating this research.

Data Analysis Methods

I had used both quantitative and qualitative data analysis method for this

research in order to gain an objective and comprehensive analysis. Quantitative data

that I have collected from Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 was analysed using the descriptive

statistics. Descriptive statistics summarised the quantitative data that I have obtained

31
into numerical value such as percentages, mean and standard deviation. The findings

were illustrated into graph, chart and table to further facilitate the interpretation of the

findings (Goh, 2012). The pupils’ score in Quiz 1, Quiz 2 and the arithmetical

difference between the two was tabulated in Table 2. Furthermore, the comparison of

the pupils’ score was illustrated in a bar chart shown in Figure 4.

Table 2

Comparison of pupils’ score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2

Research Participants Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Difference

(RP) (%) (%) (%)

1 46.7 93.3 46.6

2 43.3 93.3 50.0

3 26.7 86.7 60.0

4 53.3 80.0 26.7

5 43.3 93.3 50.0

6 56.7 83.3 26.6

7 43.3 86.7 43.4

8 36.7 86.7 50.0

9 50.0 90.0 40.0

10 53.3 83.3 30.0

32
 Comparison of pupils' score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2
100
90
80
Pupils' Score (%)

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
RP1 RP2 RP3 RP4 RP5 RP6 RP7 RP8 RP9 RP10
Research Participant

Quiz 1 Quiz 2

Figure 4. Comparison of pupils’ score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2

From Table 2 and Figure 4, it can be seen that the pupils’ performance in Quiz

2 had improved substantially compared to Quiz 1. RP3 had shown the most drastic

improvement which was from 26.7% in Quiz 1 to 86.7% in Quiz 2 which was 60% in

difference. The other pupils also showed a significant improvement from their Quiz 1,

ranging from 26.7% to 60% difference. From the difference between the two scores,

it can be assumed that the Turtle Rescue Game managed to improve the pupils’

understanding of present verb-to-be.

The mean between the two quizzes had also shown positive result. The mean

score was calculated by totalling the number of score obtained by the pupils divided

by the total number of research participants. The mean gave an average reading of

the pupils’ score, providing a general overview of the pupils’ performance in the

quizzes. Figure 5 shows the comparison between the mean score of Quiz 1 and Quiz

2.

33
 100
90 86.7

80
Mean Score (%) 70
60
50 45.3

40
30
20
10
0
Quiz 1 Quiz 2

Quiz

Figure 5. Comparison of pupils’ mean score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2

Pupils’ low mean score in Quiz 1 (45.3%) showed that the pupils had minimal

understanding of present verb-to-be. The mean score of the pupils in Quiz 2 had

improved to 86.7%, a 41.4% in difference. This showed that in average, the pupils’

understanding of present verb-to-be had increased after the action was implemented.

Standard deviation refers to the dispersion of numbers of a set of data from

the mean value (Creswell, 2012). Figure 6 shows the comparison of standard

deviation between Quiz 1 and Quiz 2.

34
 10
8.906
9
8
Standard Deviation 7
6
5 4.718

4
3
2
1
0
Quiz 1 Quiz 2

Quiz

Figure 6. Comparison of standard deviation of Quiz 1 and Quiz 2

Standard deviation of the pupils’ score had decreased from 8.906 to 4.718,

showing that the pupils’ score were dispersed closely to the mean value. The effect

of extreme scores were less impactful to the mean value compared to Quiz 1, giving

the mean a high reliability to represent as the pupils’ overall achievement in Quiz 2.

On the other hand, the data that I have gained from the interview transcriptions

were analysed using the thematic analysis method. According to Braun and Clarke

(2006), thematic analysis is “a method for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns

within data”. This method reduces the extensive qualitative data that had been

collected into several main themes. By using the thematic analysis method, I had

identified several codes that addresses the research questions. The codes were later

categorised into themes by identifying the patterns that emerged from them. This

method helped me in summarising the overabundant amount of data obtained from

the interview into several key themes that I can scrutinize, analyse and draw

interpretations.

35
 Thematic analysis of the data from the interview was done using the

Framework Method matrix. According to Gale, Heath, Cameron, Rashid and

Redwood (2013), Framework Method provides a structure for researchers to

scrutinise data according to cases and themes. The Framework matrix consists of

rows for cases, columns for themes and cell for summarised data.

Table 3 shows the Framework matrix of the semi-structured interviews that

was conducted on five of the research participants.

Table 3

Framework Matrix of Semi-structured Interview

Feeling while Understanding of The effectiveness Problems faced

playing the game present verb-to-be of action while playing the
game
RP1 Happy Understand more Very effective. None
than before Managed to
answer Quiz 2
easily
RP2 Enjoyable Know how to use Effective Misclicked
‘am’, ‘is’ and ‘are’ something and
the screen shows
the next question
before able to
answer
RP3 Not boring. Fun Can remember Effective because Did not know what
easily can still remember to click
the lesson well.
RP4 Wants to play the Understanding Effective None
game again had improved compared to
because the normal lesson as
game was fun it makes the
lesson fun
RP5 Eager because Understand better Effective because Pressed the
hobby is playing compared to love to play keyboard and the
game textbook games screen shows
explanation weird symbols

Based on Table 3 which shows the framework matrix for the semi-structured

interview, there are four themes that were identified: feeling while playing the game,

36
understanding of present verb-to-be, effectiveness of the action and problems faced

while playing the game.

Under the theme of ‘feeling while playing the game’, the pupils had mainly

expressed positive feelings such as happy, eager, not boring and joyful. One pupil

whose hobby was playing game said, “I felt very eager to play the game… I like to

play games at home… it’s my hobby”. This shows that Turtle Rescue Game was

highly relevant to the pupils’ lives as they love and enjoy to play video games.

The theme ‘understanding of present verb-to-be’ was based on the second

interview question which sought to investigate the pupils’ perception of their

understanding of present verb-to-be after playing the game. The pupils gave positive

response to this question. All of the pupils believed that their understanding of said

grammar content had improved as they are now able to know how to use the different

present verb-to-be correctly. Plus RP5 asserted that he could understand the concept

better as the explanation in the textbook was too complicated and lengthy.

Meanwhile, the third theme which was ‘the effectiveness of action’ emerged

from the interview analysis gave a first person’s viewpoint on the effectiveness of

Turtle Rescue Game. All of the pupils were of the opinion that the action was effective

in improving their understanding of present verb-to-be. They gave different reasons

for their claims such as they had better retention of memory on present verb-to-be

after playing the game and that they felt easier to answer the questions in Quiz 2. RP4

asserted that the action was more effective compared to normal lesson because it

made the lesson fun and enjoyable, making him focused and wants to learn in the

class. He said: “Yes, the game is effective. Because… very fun. Normal class boring.

I play with friends and talk. But if play the game…I can focus… I feel want to learn.”

Lastly, for the theme ‘problems faced while playing the game’ I was able to

identify the technical problems that the pupils had faced whilst playing the game.

37
Among them is the pupils’ inability to find the hyperlink to be ‘clicked’. Furthermore,

RP2 said that he had misclicked on the game screen and it caused the game to skip

to the next question. Whereas RP5 whom had pressed the keyboard to see if anything

happens in the game claimed that the game displayed various weird symbols. Mainly,

the problems that were faced by the pupils did not disrupt the process of implementing

the action. I had resolved the issues immediately while the action implementation

process took place. However, for the purpose of further research, improvement on

the game should be made. Suggestions to solve these technical issues will be

discussed in the further chapters.

The teacher’s reflective journal was also analysed using the thematic analysis

method. The reflective journal which was written after the action was implemented

was first read through several times before the main information was categorised into

several codes. Then, the codes were grouped together under three main themes that

I had identified.

The underlying themes that were discovered from the teacher’s reflective

journal are ‘observation during implementation of action’, ‘strength of action’ and

‘weaknesses and problems encountered’ in the classroom. The ‘observation during

implementation of action’ theme that was discovered from the reflective journal

discussed the teacher’s observation of the happenings that occurred in the classroom

during the process of the action implementation. I wrote: “They [the pupils] were

actively engaged in the lesson. I can see from their eyes that were glued to the screen

that the pupils were enjoying the game very much. The pupils who were usually quite

and timid the classroom participate actively in the class. The Turtle Rescue Game

managed to capture their interest and attention to the grammar content being taught.”

From the reflective journal, it can be deducted that pupils’ active involvement

in the lesson was high, suggesting that the Turtle Rescue Game is highly favourable

by the pupils. Furthermore, the game “managed to capture their interest and attention

38
to the grammar content being taught” meaning that the game is an effective tool in

delivering the grammar content as the pupils were highly interested and attentive

compared to traditional teaching method which may bore the pupils and made the

pupils lose their interest.

Furthermore, for the theme of ‘strengths of action’ I had recorded that “pupils

show dramatic improvement in terms of their performance in present verb-to-be

related tasks. They were able to answer the questions that I posed confidently and

without any hesitation after the action was implemented.” This shows that the action

had substantially improves the pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be and the

action was effective to bridge the gap of the pupils’ understanding of the concept.

Through the change of the pupils’ behaviour in class and their performance in

present verb-to-be related tasks, it can be concluded that the action that was

implemented was successful and effective in improving the pupils’ understanding of

present verb-to-be as the research intends to tackle.

The last theme, which was ‘weaknesses and problems encountered’, I had

recorded the weakness that had been identified during the implementation of action

and the problems that the pupils encountered. There were several technical errors

that had been recorded on the journal such as “the pupils had clicked wrongly on the

screen which caused the question displayed to be skipped to the next one”. There

were also pupils “…who did not know which box to click”. Suggestions for

improvement of the action will be further discussed in Chapter 8.

Data Triangulation Method

Triangulation is the practice of using different methods and varied data

sources in a research to provide a holistic understanding of an occurrence (Patton,

as cited in Carter, Bryant-Lukosius, DiCenso, Blythe & Neville, 2014). Data

triangulation was used to review and corroborate research findings; thus improving

39
the research’s credibility and reliability. I had used ‘methodological triangulation’ as

my data triangulation method. According to Denvin (as cited in Carter et al., 2014)

methodological triangulation refers to the use of different methods in collecting data

in order to offset the weaknesses of one method by complementing them with the

strengths of another.

I had used three different methods of collecting data for my research, which

are: pupils’ score in Quiz 1 and 2, semi-structured interview with the pupils and

teacher’s reflective journal. Figure 7 illustrates the data collection method that have

been used in this research. This triangulation method managed to reduce the bias

which may have emerged from any one of the methods used. Furthermore, I was able

to see if the data obtained from one method corroborate and support the findings from

another. Thus, my research had gained more credibility and validity.

Pupils’ score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2

Document analysis on the Semi-structured interviews

teacher’s reflective journal with pupils

Figure 7. Methodological Triangulation

40
 6.0 RESEARCH FINDINGS

This chapter discusses the findings of this research that were based on the research

questions discussed earlier. The findings were found from a combination of both

qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Data that were

collected to produce these findings are from the pupils’ score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2,

the teacher’s reflective journal and interview with the research participants.

Research Question 1

How does the use of Turtle Rescue Game improve Year 4 pupils’ understanding

of present verb-to-be?

Based on the data from the pupils’ score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2, it can be seen

that the pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be had shown a dramatic

improvement. Before the action was implemented, pupils’ score in Quiz 1 were

ranging from 26.7% to 56.7%, which was very low. By examination standard, the

pupils’ achievement grade were C, D and E. This shows that the pupils had a very

limited understanding of present verb-to-be in terms of its concept and usage. They

were not able to determine which present verb-to-be that needs to be used for a

certain subject, leading them to score poorly on the test.

After Turtle Rescue Game was introduced and implemented in the classroom,

the pupils’ score in the same set of questions increased exponentially. The

percentage of difference between the two set of scores were ranging from 26.6% to

60%, and all of the pupils managed to achieve grade A in the test, which was around

80% to 93.3%. One pupil demonstrated a significant improvement as the pupil’s score

had increased by 60%. Mean score of the pupils also had increased from 45.3% to
86.7%, showing that the overall performance of the pupils had increased to a high

level.

Deduction that can be drawn from the data is that the action gives a positive

impact on the pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be. The pupils had managed

to identify which present verb-to-be to be used with the given subject. Lachman (as

cited in Houwer, Barnes-Holmes & Moors, 2013) noted that most textbooks defined

‘learning’ as a change in behaviour caused by life experience. Thus, the pupils’

change of behaviour – from using present verb-to-be wrongly to being able to

proficiently use them – shows that the usage of Turtle Rescue Game had facilitated

the pupils’ learning process.

Furthermore, the increase in pupils’ performance in grammar lesson after

using a game reflects the result of a research done by Yu (2005) who intends to study

the effects of using games in raising students’ grammar accuracy level. The study

which was an experimental study illustrates that using games is effective in increasing

students’ rate of accuracy in grammatical features. The use of game in boosting

pupils’ grammar performance is also supported by Willoughby (as cited in Ishtawi,

2011). The researcher intends to investigate the effectiveness of using grammar-

based dialogue card game on the students’ performance. The research findings

showed a marked improvement on the students’ overall performance in the

classroom.

Data from the semi-structured interview with the research participants shows

that the pupils generally experience positive emotions while playing the Turtle Rescue

Game such as happy, joy and eager. The teacher’s reflective journal had also

recorded a similar account in which the teacher observed the pupils showing positive

attitude whilst the implementation of action took place.

42
 This shows that the usage of Turtle Rescue Game had created a positive

learning environment for the pupils, causing the pupils to experience the positive

emotional expression. This may be due to the nature of games which makes the

learning environment fun and enjoyable. According to Krashen (1982), a positive,

non-threatening environment for second language learners is crucial to lower their

‘affective filter’. Affective filter refers to a figurative filter in the learners’ brains that

filtrates the amount of input that can be absorbed by the learner. Krashen

hypothesised that students’ anxiety and low esteem level caused by unconducive and

non-supportive learning environment raises the affective filter of the pupils, limiting

the learner’s ability to acquire second language. This may explain why Turtle Rescue

Game was effective in improving the pupils’ performance – the element of fun involved

while playing the game had lowered the pupils’ affective filter and thus improved their

learning and understanding.

Furthermore, data from the interview with the pupils also show that the pupils

expresses positive response regarding their understanding of present verb-to-be after

the action was carried out and also their perception of the action’s effectiveness. The

research participants commented that the action had increased their understanding

of the matter and they could still remember the lesson well. This could be due to the

game’s integration of multisensory perception as agreed by Treichler (as cited in

Shams & Seitz, 2008) who states that ‘people generally remember 10% of what they

read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, and 50% of what they see and

hear’. Moreover, according to Bagui (as cited in Shams & Seitz, 2008), classroom

materials that integrate different senses of the learners can facilitate the learning of

facts and concepts.

Conclusively, data from the quizzes, the interview and the reflective journal

had shown that the pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be had increased after

the usage of Turtle Rescue Game.

43
Research Question 2

How does the use of Turtle Rescue Game improve my teaching practice in

teaching present verb-to-be to Year 4 pupils?

The second research question aims to discover how the use of Turtle Rescue

Game improves the teaching practice of teacher when teaching present verb-to-be.

For the purpose of answering this research question, data from the interview and the

teacher’s reflective journal are used.

Firstly, Turtle Rescue Game had helped improving my teaching practice in the

classroom through shifting the centeredness of the lesson from the teacher to the

pupils. As recorded in the teacher’s reflective journal, the pupils were actively involved

in the lesson when Turtle Rescue Game was used. Contrary to the lesson in which I

taught using the traditional method – that is, through explanation the grammatical

concepts and rules – the pupils were more engaged and motivated to learn, even the

timid and shy pupils.

Various education reforms had emphasised on adopting learner-centred

approach to teaching – including the new Malaysian curriculum, Kurikulum Standard

Sekolah Rendah (KSSR) (Government of Malaysia, 2012). This is due to the

unsurmountable evidence to support the movement (Weinberger & McCombs, 2003;

Grimes, 2011).

The use of Turtle Rescue Game helps me in producing a learner-focused

classroom environment and thus improving my teaching practice. This is supported

by Yolageldilli and Arikan (2011) who assert that games are “student-focused

activities requiring active involvement of learners”. The pupils commented that they

prefer learning using games than the usual teaching method that I had used, meaning

that they themselves prefer learner-centred approach over teacher-centred approach.

44
 The data from the interview had shown that the pupils felt more motivated and

focused when using Turtle Rescue Game. The teacher’s reflective journal also

recorded a similar account in which I recorded that the pupils were motivated to

complete the game and compete with their friends. Pupils’ heightened motivation

when using games is supported in other research. Avedon (as cited in Deesri, 2002)

said that games boosts motivation and the students usually get absorbed in

competing with other students. When the pupils’ motivation is high, the pupils will be

focused in the task and more willing to learn as reported in the interview by one of the

research participants.

Lastly, the usage of Turtle Rescue Game had also made the teaching and

learning of present verb-to-be meaningful and purposeful. Previously, as recorded in

the teacher’s reflective journal, the pupils were not able to understand the purpose of

learning present verb-to-be, causing them to take the lesson lightly. However, with

the introduction of Turtle Rescue Game to the teaching of present of verb-to-be, I had

given the pupils a sense of purpose to learn present verb-to-be, which is to win the

game. Albeit the purpose was superficial in the real world context, it motivates the

pupils to learn and grasp the grammar concept fully as they wanted to win the game

and beat their friends. Yolageldilli and Arikan (2011) argues that games help teachers

provide meaningful context to language learning and thus enabling the language to

be learnt subconsciously by the learners.

In conclusion, the usage of Turtle Rescue Game had managed to boost the

Year 4 pupils’ understanding on present verb-to-be. At the same time, the teacher’s

practice in teaching the mentioned grammar content had also been improved. This

claim was supported by the extensive data that was collected and also by previous

research and study that shows the many benefits of teaching using educational

games. Therefore, this research has effectively addressed the research questions

posed and thus the aims of the research were successfully achieved.

45
 7.0 REFLECTION

This chapter discusses the reflection of the action research that had been carried out.

Reflection is an important practice to be done by teachers so that the teachers’

practice can be improved and enhanced upon.

Reflection

Throughout the process of completing this research, there are many new

knowledge and skills that I have acquired. Firstly, I have learnt that research plays a

crucial role in improving the teachers’ practice in class. Research helps the teacher

in identifying the pupils’ weaknesses so that interventions can be carried out in order

to improve the condition. According to Goh (2012) an action research is a diagnostic

and self-evaluative tool designed to produce new ideas and solutions to solve

problems discovered in the classroom.

For the purpose of this research I had identified the pupils’ weakness by

administering a diagnostic test. I had found that the pupils were very weak in their

understanding of present verb-to-be. Therefore, I had strategized, planned and

conduct the action in order to diminish the pupils’ weakness. Without this research, I

will not be able to identify which aspect of English language that the pupils were the

weakest on, and I will not be able to produce a solution to resolve the issue. My

teaching practice would remain stagnant without any improvement and development

whilst the pupils’ understanding on the topic area that they were weak on would

remain unchanged. Therefore, it is imperative for teachers to conduct research so that

the teachers’ practice can be improved whilst in the same time, pupils’ weakness in a

certain aspect in the language can be addressed and solved.

 This research had also equipped me with the necessary skills and knowledge

in writing an educational research. Since this is my first research that I have written,

there were a lot of area which I was lacking in knowledge of, such as how to write a

research, how to conduct the research and how to collect data and analyse the

findings. With the help of my supervisor and colleagues, I have learnt how to write a

good and credible research. I had also acquired the essential skills in writing a

research, such as the skill of critical thinking, reviewing previous literature works and

writing academically.

Furthermore, this research has gained me the insight that learning grammar

can be fun and effective at the same time. Previously, I had the belief that teaching

grammar should be filled with drilling and repetition in order for the pupils to be able

to fully master the grammatical content. After conducting this research, it is evident to

me that contrary to my belief, the element of fun as found in games actually makes

the pupils able to learn better and lowers their affective filter to acquire the grammar

content. Pupils’ score in Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 had shown a remarkable improvement on

the pupils’ understanding of present verb-to-be. Data from the interview and the

teacher’s reflective journal also shared a similar account. The pupils perceived that

their understanding had improved whereas the teacher’s reflective journal had

recorded the pupils’ active involvement in the classroom and their overall

improvement when the teacher was teaching using games. Yu (2005) supports the

findings of this research as his study yields similar result in which the students’

performance increased after using games as a method of instruction. Thus, through

this research I had learnt that I should not limit my grammar teaching to just explaining

the grammatical rules, drilling the pupils with worksheets and homework, and asking

the pupils to memorise the rules. Instead, I should use more educational games to

make my grammar lesson more effective.

47
 This research had also given me the insight that teachers are responsible in

creating a positive and conducive learning environment. Data from this research

shows that pupils’ prefer the learning environment in which they can engage

themselves with. In order to create such learning environment, focus of the classroom

should be shifted from the teacher to the pupils. Traditional teacher-centred approach

to grammar teaching such as giving lectures, explanation, repetition and drilling

causes the lesson to be boring, dull and monotonous as commented by one of the

research participants in the interview. The teacher’s reflective journal also showed

that the pupils immediately lose interest to the lesson when traditional teacher-centred

approach is adopted. The pupils’ low score in Quiz 1 is also an indication of how

teaching grammar using this method is ineffective. This reflects what Walsh and

Vandiver (2007) found in their study: students who are taught using teacher-centred

approach performed worse when compared to pupils who are taught using learner-

centred approach.

Turtle Rescue Game helped make the lesson learner-centred as it encourages

the active involvement and engagement of the pupils. The pupils took charge of their

own learning as they explore and learn about the grammatical content on their own

through the game. The teacher only acts as a facilitator whose role is to guide the

pupils in using the game. Through this method, the pupils were given the autonomy

to take charge of their learning without needing an adult who constantly drills the

pupils on the grammatical structure. As a result, the pupils were more motivated to

learn. This is supported by McCombs (2012) who stated that students’ motivation to

learn relates to whether or not they were given opportunities to be autonomous on

their learning. One pupil reported that he feels more motivated and eager to learn

when using the game compared to when the teacher teaches using explanation from

the textbooks. This is in line with the teacher’s reflective journal which reported a high

engagement level from the pupils when the action was implemented. Thus, this shows

48
that using Turtle Rescue Game is effective in improving the teacher’s practice as it

had shift the lesson from teacher-centred to learner-centred, which consequently

causes the pupils to be actively engaged in the lesson and made them feel motivated

to learn.

Nevertheless, this research is not without its limitations. I had found that there

are several problems during the implementation of the action. The pupils had

encountered some technical error whilst playing the game. A ‘clicking’ error on the

game screen causes the question that was showing on the screen to be skipped to

the next one whereas unclear pictures and boxes made the pupils unsure of where to

‘click’ in the game. These errors could hinder the process of their learning, albeit them

being only a minor technical error. Another limitation which I had discovered through

reflective thinking is that it focuses on a rather limited area of grammar which is

present verb-to-be. Whereas, the pupils also had problems in determining the correct

past verb-to-be for a subject. I had reflected on these limitations and thought of

several suggestions to overcome them. The discussion on these suggestions is

discussed in the next chapter.

In conclusion, this research had enriched me with invaluable experience,

knowledge and skills as a teacher trainee. It had also improved my teaching practice

and in the same time the pupils’ weakness in present verb-to-be was able to be solved

and improved.

49
 8.0 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

This chapter discusses the suggestions that can be applied to the action in order to

make improvements for further research purposes.

Suggestions for further research

There are several limitations of this research that further research can improve

upon in order to produce a more holistic and comprehensive study. Firstly, this

research involves only ten Year 4 research participants from a rural school in Batu

Pahat. Thus, the findings from this research cannot be used as a generalisation to all

Malaysian Year 4 pupils due to the sample size. Although there seems to be a positive

relationship between the use of Turtle Rescue Game and the pupils’ understanding

of present verb-to-be, the sample size was too small for it to be statistically significant.

Further research can extend this study by involving a larger sample size. A

large sample size is crucial for any conclusion regarding the action to be drawn.

According to Faber and Fonseca (2014), a proper sample size makes the research

more efficient as the data are more reliable. The research can also be conducted in

schools which are located in urban areas. Furthermore, the research can also be done

on other Standards, such as Year 5 and Year 6 in order to study whether the

effectiveness of the action is factored by age, maturity or education level.

Another limitation of the study is that the research focus is only limited to a

small area of grammar content, which is present verb-to-be. Based on my personal

experience, the pupils not only have problem in present verb-to-be, but also past verb-

to-be and also subject-verb agreement in general. Further research can address this

limitation by broadening the research focus to encompass other area of grammar

content. Further research may also study on the effects of using games in general in

other English language skills such as listening, speaking, writing and reading.

Furthermore, the pupils faced the issue of technical errors while playing and

using the games. Therefore, improvements and modifications on the Turtle Rescue

Game should be made for further research so that the technical errors will not be

faced again. According to Sicilia (as cited in Ghavifekr, Kunjappan, Ramasamy, &

Anthony, 2016) technical barriers causes the smooth delivery of lesson to be

encumbered. One of the suggestions to modify the game is to make clickable box and

pictures more obvious and vibrant-coloured so that the pupils will not face the problem

of not knowing which box or pictures to click. Furthermore, the pupils will also be less

likely to click wrongly on the game screen as the clickable features were obvious to

them. It should also be stated in the game that keyboard keys should not be pressed

as the game only needs a mouse to be operated. Further research may also conduct

a study in which the Turtle Rescue Game is programmed using different software

such as Scratch and Flash.

Last but not least, it is my hope that the action of this research, Turtle Rescue

Game is not only benefitted to myself and my pupils, but also to all English teachers

and primary ESL learners in Malaysia. The potential of this action to be spread is high

as it only need to be uploaded and shared online. With the widespread use of this

action in the Malaysian ESL classroom, it is hoped that teachers will begin to realize

the hidden power of games and gamification of learning and their positive impact on

the pupils’ learning and also the teachers’ instructional practice.

51
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APPENDIX A: INITIAL DATA COLLECTION - SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW
WITH TEACHERS

Interview Questions:

1. What can you observe in the classroom when you are teaching present verb-to-be
to the pupils?

2. Do the pupils perform well in the classroom when you are teaching present verb-
to-be to the pupils?

3. What do you think of the pupils’ understanding on present verb-to-be?

4. What do you think of using games as grammar teaching tools?

5. Have you tried using games in the classroom? Is it effective to the pupils’ learning?
APPENDIX B: INITIAL DATA COLLECTION - DIAGNOSTIC TEST
DIAGNOSTIC TEST
SK SERI PANDAN
YEAR 4
(30 minutes)
SECTION A : Underline the correct answer.

1. Lions ( hunt / hunts ) for food.

2. We ( read / reads ) newspapers every morning.

3. Ali ( am / is / are ) playing football on the field right now.

4. She ( am / is / are ) writing a letter to her friend at the moment.

5. Look! The cats ( am / is / are ) sleeping under the bed.

6. Lisa ( paint / painted ) her room yesterday.

7. Last Saturday, a thief ( steal / stole ) Lily’s handbag.

8. We ( was / were ) swimming at Sunway Lagoon last Tuesday,.

9. Last night, Ted ( was / were ) playing football.

10. Dad ( was / were ) repairing my bicycle yesterday afternoon.

SECTION B : Fill in the blanks with the correct verb.

1. Moana usually _________________ (exercise) in the morning.

2. Mrs Krishnan _________________ (sew) clothes every evening.

3. They __________ (be) looking for you right now.

4. I ___________ (be) eating right now. Can we discuss this later?

5. You __________ (be) doing your homework now, aren’t you?

6. We _________ (eat) pizza last night.

7. They ___________ (sleep) during the class just now.

8. I _________ (be) talking to Nina on the phone when the doorbell rang.

9. At 11 o’clock last night you ____________ (be) sleeping soundly.

10. They __________ (be) playing when the teacher entered the class.

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APPENDIX C: DATA COLLECTION METHOD - QUIZ 1
QUIZ 1
SK SERI PANDAN
YEAR 4
(1 hour)
Name: _____________________________________________________________

Fill in the boxes with either “am”, “is” or “are”.

1. Ali ___________ playing football on the field now.

2. She __________ writing a letter to her friend at the moment.

3. Look! The cats _________ sleeping under the bed!

4. They __________ looking for you right now.

5. I ___________ eating right now. Can we discuss this later?

6. You __________ doing your homework now, aren’t you?

7. We ___________ waiting for you at the moment.

8. Ali and Aminah ___________ sitting under a huge tree.

9. The children __________ playing in the playground at this moment.

10. He __________ running around the field right now.

√
Fill in the box with ____ or × on the usage of present verb-to-be in the
following sentence.

1. Nita is watering the plants.

2. He are walking to school right now with his friends.

3. I are talking to you right now. Please listen to me.

4. You are smiling very happily today.

5. They is studying in the library at the moment.

6. Sheila is buying food for her sister now.

7. Look! The policemen are chasing after the thief!

8. Ali, Ah Chong and Ravindran am playing video games together at this moment.

9. Look! They are smoking! Let’s tell the teachers.

10. The teachers is looking for them around the school right now.
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Fill in the blank box with the correct present verb-to-be. Then, rearrange the
words to form a correct sentence.

1.
a right book now. I reading

___________________________________________________________________

2. sleeping now. You

__________________________________________________________________.

3.
to at talking her He moment. this

__________________________________________________________________.

4. laughing hard very She now. right

__________________________________________________________________.

5.
match right football We for training now.

__________________________________________________________________.

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APPENDIX D: DATA COLLECTION METHOD - QUIZ 2

QUIZ 2
SK SERI PANDAN
YEAR 4
(1 hour)
Name: _____________________________________________________________

Fill in the boxes with either “am”, “is” or “are”.

1. Ali ___________ playing football on the field now.

2. She __________ writing a letter to her friend at the moment.

3. Look! The cats _________ sleeping under the bed!

4. They __________ looking for you right now.

5. I ___________ eating right now. Can we discuss this later?

6. You __________ doing your homework now, aren’t you?

7. We ___________ waiting for you at the moment.

8. Ali and Aminah ___________ sitting under a huge tree.

9. The children __________ playing in the playground at this moment.

10. He __________ running around the field right now.

√
Fill in the box with ____ or × on the usage of present verb-to-be in the
following sentence.

1. Nita is watering the plants.

2. He are walking to school right now with his friends.

3. I are talking to you right now. Please listen to me.

4. You are smiling very happily today.

5. They is studying in the library at the moment.

6. Sheila is buying food for her sister now.

7. Look! The policemen are chasing after the thief!

8. Ali, Ah Chong and Ravindran am playing video games together at this moment.

9. Look! They are smoking! Let’s tell the teachers.

10. The teachers is looking for them around the school right now.
62
Fill in the blank box with the correct present verb-to-be. Then, rearrange the
words to form a correct sentence.

1.
a right book now. I reading

___________________________________________________________________

2. sleeping now. You

__________________________________________________________________.

3.
to at talking her He moment. this

__________________________________________________________________.

4. laughing hard very She now. right

__________________________________________________________________.

5.
match right football We for training now.

__________________________________________________________________.

63
APPENDIX E: DATA COLLECTION METHOD - INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION

Date : 6th August 2017

Time : 10.20 a.m – 11.15 a.m

Venue : Library

Interviewee : RP1, RP2, RP3, RP4, RP5.

T : Assalamualaikum, children. Today I want to interview all of you about the

Turtle Rescue Game that you had played before this. The information from the

interview will be used for the purpose of my research, is this okay?

RP1 : Yes, sir.

T : Let me start by asking the first question. How do you feel when you were

playing the Turtle Rescue Game?

RP1 : Happy.

RP2 : Enjoyable.

RP3 : Not boring… very fun!

RP4 : I feel I want to play the game again!

RP5 : I felt very eager to play the game… I like to play games at home… it’s my

hobby

T : Second question, what do you think of your understanding of present verb-

to-be after playing the game?

RP1 : I think… I understand more than before.

RP2 : Now I know how to use ‘am’, ‘is’ and ‘are’. Before this I don’t know.

RP3 : I can remember present verb-to-be easily.

RP4 : I think I had improved my understanding… maybe because the game is fun.

64
RP5 : I think… I understand better. Not like when the teacher explain using

textbook.

T : Third question, what do you think of the game? Do you think the game is

effective in improving your understanding of present verb-to-be?

RP1 : Yes… very effective… I can answer Quiz 2 easily.

RP2 : I agree with [RP1], sir. It’s effective.

RP3 : I can still remember about present verb-to-be… so it is effective.

RP4 : Yes, the game is effective. Because… very fun. Normal class is boring. I play

with friends and talk. But if play the game…I can focus… I feel want to learn.

RP5 : I think it’s effective… because I love to play games!

T : Last question, are there any problems you encountered when you were

playing the game?

RP1 : I don’t think I had faced any problem while playing the game.

RP2 : I have one… I clicked something on the screen… but the question got

skipped.

RP3 : Sometimes I don’t know what to click… I couldn’t find the ‘next’ button.

RP4 : No, I don’t face any problems

RP5 : I think… I have pressed something on the keyboard… the game show some

weird icons and sir help me.

T : I think you have pressed the ‘F1’ button. I told you not to do anything with the

keyboard right.

RP5 : Hehe.. sorry, sir.

65
T : Okay, that is all for our interview session for today. Thank you everyone for

your willingness to answer the questions.

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APPENDIX F: DATA COLLECTION METHOD - TEACHER’S REFLECTIVE
JOURNAL TEMPLATE

TEACHER’S REFLECTIVE JOURNAL TEMPLATE

Day

Date

Time

Title

Reflection:

67