An Empirical Study On Digital Game-based Learning In Assisting Junior Middle School Students To Memorize English Vocabulary

With the booming development of Information age and basic educational reformation, there is anincreasingly trend of educational technologies which can be used in the teaching process of foreignlanguages. Under the emergence of Digital Game-Based Learning, it makes the educational ideas ofedutainment becoming true. And Digital Game-Based Learning has provided the resources to the teachingprocess of foreign languages from the innovation and constantly improvement of Digital Game-BasedLearning software. The present thesis combined Digital Game-Based Learning and memory the Englishvocabulary together, to research Digital Game-Based Learning used in assisting junior middle schoolstudents to memorize the English vocabulary effects of meaning and spelling.The present thesis guided by the theory of Marc Prensky’ s Digital Game Based Learning, poses threeresearch questions:1) Does Digital Game-Based Learning in assisting to memorize English vocabularyimprove junior middle school students’ memory English vocabulary effects of meaning and spelling?2)Can students learn some English vocabulary memory strategies within Digital Game-Based Learning inassisting to memorize English vocabulary?3) Can Digital Game-Based Learning in assisting to memorizeEnglish vocabulary improve the junior students’ English Learning interests?There were65junior freshmen participated the experiment, they were divided into two classesrandomly. Class one was the experimental class which combined by33students, and rest of32studentswas in Class two which was the control class. The research held in these two classes and lasted for8weeks.The instruments used in this research were pretest, posttest, timely tests and delay tests, students’questionnaires and an interview. To make sure the students in experiment class can use Digital Game-BasedLearning well, they were trained to use computer and internet before the experiment. And then throughcomparing the tests scores before and after the experiment, analyzing the data of questionnaires andinterview, the results proved that it has feasibility to use Digital Game-Based Learning to assist juniormiddle school students to memorize the English vocabulary.The results of the research are as following:1.Through analysis the data of the pretest and posttest,Digital Game-Based Learning in assisting junior middle school students to memorize English vocabularyhasn’t increased the students’ vocabulary meaning and spelling scores. After using Digital Game-BasedLearning, the scores of the students in experimental class were not higher than control class after theexperiment, but there was a positive effect in STM. The results caused by the proficiency of students’ skills in using computer and internet.2. Students have learnt some vocabulary memory strategies after usingDigital Game-Based Learning in assisting them to memorize vocabulary, they are used the strategies toremember the words after experiment.3. The students’ attitudes towards Digital Game-Based Learning inassisting them to memorize English vocabulary are positive. They like using moderately difficult DigitalGame-Based Learning to remember the words, and after using Digital Game-Based Learning, the students’interests in learning English have increased.The originalities of the thesis lies in its combined the Digital Game-Based Learning and Englishvocabulary memory together, applying the Digital Game-Based Learning into assisted learning after theclass, instead of using it in class. It has a certain influence in increasing the students’ abilities inindependent study. The teacher should combine more Digital Game-Based Learning with the Englishteaching and learning, to improve the students’ interests in English, cultivate independent study abilitiesand increase the scores of English.