Online games and vocabulary acquisition
Does it correlate?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33830/ijrse.v8i1-1.15169Keywords:
Vocabulary aquisition, vocabulary, online games, ESL learners, Incidental language learningAbstract
In recent times, it has become common to encounter children and students exhibiting strong English proficiency. One potential factor behind this trend is the extensive exposure the students have to online games. Online game has been a popular form of entertainment as many people view online game as an interesting way to fill their free time and some perceive it as form of socialisation and communication with others. Playing online game is an activity that has become prominent in children and adolescents’ spare time which contributes to a phenomenon where they incidentally learn English language. The aim of this research was to explore the relationship between online games and the acquisition of English vocabulary. A total of 221 respondents from a public university participated in a questionnaire that encompassed various questions, including a brief essay on the topic at hand. The essays were analysed using VocabProfiler in VocabKitchen which is based on CEFR level to determine the level of vocabulary used by the respondents. The findings demonstrated a significant influence of online games on vocabulary acquisition. Consequently, it can be asserted that online games offer a beneficial and motivating platform for students to enhance their second language skills, particularly in the realm of vocabulary improvement.
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