Abstract

Vocabulary has been always neglected in most of foreign language classrooms. Many strategies, techniques and activities were suggested to make vocabulary acquisition easier and sustained. Games are one of these tools offered to help in learning and teaching vocabulary. Since beliefs are the core of every discipline that deals with learning and behavior. It is important to understand what teachers and students think of games, in other words what are their beliefs towards games. This study explored student and teacher beliefs about using games in learning vocabulary in the Arabic as a Foreign Language classroom. The study aimed to answer three research questions. The first investigated students’ beliefs towards the use of games in learning vocabulary in the AFL classroom. The second explored teachers’ beliefs towards the use of games in teaching vocabulary in the AFL classroom. And the third aimed at detecting any variations between students’ and teachers’ beliefs. The study adopted a mixed-methods applied design. The research involved 97 participants; 88 students from different disciplines learning Arabic and 9 teachers teaching Arabic in the 2015 spring semester at University of California, Berkeley. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through their responses to a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire, close-ended questions, and open-ended questions. Results of this study showed that students and teachers share many general beliefs about using games in learning vocabulary. However, student and teacher beliefs also differed at times. The study discusses the importance of addressing the mismatch of student and teacher beliefs about this pedagogical practice. The research also suggests that there may be a gap between beliefs and actual practice. Findings and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Department

Applied Linguistics Department

Degree Name

MA in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language

Graduation Date

2-1-2015

Submission Date

January 2016

First Advisor

Al Essawi, Raghda

Committee Member 1

Soliman, Iman Aziz

Committee Member 2

Aboelseoud, Dalal

Extent

103 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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