Promoting oral participation in middle school with the use of games

Abstract

This document, Promoting Oral Participation in Middle School with the Use of Games, analyzes the implementation of game-based learning strategies to encourage oral participation among third-grade secondary school students during English lessons. The study emerged from classroom observations and a diagnostic assessment, which revealed that most students demonstrated low levels of English proficiency, limited vocabulary, fear of making mistakes, and reluctance to communicate in the target language. These factors negatively affected their confidence and willingness to participate in oral activities.

To address this issue, a pedagogical intervention was designed based on the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach and the Presentation–Practice–Production (PPP) methodology. Interactive games such as Pictionary, Guess Who, and Find Someone Who were implemented to create meaningful opportunities for communication while reducing students’ anxiety. The proposal was supported by Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories, particularly Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis, as well as the contributions of Harmer, Vygotsky, and Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby, who emphasize the importance of interaction, motivation, and communicative practice in language learning.

The results showed that games requiring creativity, collaboration, and active interaction, such as Pictionary, significantly increased students’ motivation, confidence, and oral participation. In contrast, activities that relied more on reading and individual work generated lower levels of engagement. The study concludes that the effectiveness of game-based learning depends not only on the use of games but also on their pedagogical design and their ability to promote authentic communication. Finally, the document highlights the importance of evaluating not only participation but also students’ linguistic development, including vocabulary, pronunciation, accuracy, and fluency, to demonstrate meaningful progress in English language learning.