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P r o c e d i a - S o c i a l a n d B e h a v i o r a l S c i e n c e s 1 1 6 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 3 9 7 6 – 3 9 8 2
1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Academic World Education and Research Center.
doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.876
ScienceDirect
5
th
World Conference on Educational Sciences - WCES 2013
The effects of using the play method to enhance the mastery of
vocabulary among preschool children
Subadrah Madhawa Nair*, Najeemah Mohd Yusof, Logeswary Arumugam
School of Educational Studies,Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden,11800,Penang, Malaysia
SJK(T) Changkat, 31000, Batu Gajah Perak, !"$"&%#"
_____________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Abstract
This paper is based on a quasi experimental study. This study compares the effects of using the play method and the
conventional method to teach the Malay Language to preschool children. The researchers investigated whether the use of the
play method helped to enhance the mastery of Malay vocabulary and interest in the Malay Language among preschool children.
The subjects consisted of 100 preschool children from a Tamil-medium, government preschool. The Experimental Group was
taught using the play method and the Control Group was taught using the conventional method. The study was conducted over a
period of six weeks. The findings of this research indicate that the utilization of the play method significantly enhances the
mastery of vocabulary and interest in learning the Malay Language among the pupils.
© 2013 The Authors Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Selection and peer review under the responsibility of Prof. Dr. Servet Bayram
Keywords: First keywords play method, second keywords:preschool, third keywordsvocabbulary, forth keywords;interest
1.Introduction
In Malaysian pre-schools, teachers employ various methods in the process of teaching and learning. The play
method helps children to adapt themselves to new social environments. Dewey (1939) stressed that play is
considered a task for children but this task does not have a definite aim or ending. Play should not be a forced
activity as naturally children love to play (Kraus, 1990). Carr (2000) stressed that play gives the opportunity to
children to reveal their negative emotions and to channel their opinions.
Preschool Francais (2011) stressesb that, ‘ The play way method universally is the best way to stimulate the
nerve cells in a child’s brain. It improves alertness, improves memory and the benefit is surely visible in the child’s
interactive skills’. Donnell (2011), highlighted that young children learn best through play, games, stories, art,
puppetry and social interaction. In view of these advantages, this study focuses on the play method in teaching
Malay vocabulary to Tamil, preschool children.
Statement of Problem
A preliminary study done by the researchers in early 2009, among 10 Tamil preschool teachers in the Kinta
district, showed that the performance of Tamil preschool children in mastering the Malay Language was not
* Corresponding Author name. Tel.: +6-04-6464853
E-mail address: subadrahmadhawanair@gmail.comx
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
© 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Academic World Education and Research Center.
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Subadrah Madhawa Nair et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 ( 2014 ) 3976 – 3982
satisfactory. Mastery of the Malay Language is vital among Tamil preschool children because the Malay Language
is the national language and is used as the medium of instruction in schools at the secondary level. The study also
showed that teachers seldom used the play method in teaching vocabulary because they did not know how to
implement it in the classroom. 90% of the teachers believed that they would face problems in controlling the class if
they used the play method. 70% of the teachers agreed that teachers face problems in teaching Malay vocabulary to
Tamil preschool children because the Malay Language is the pupils’ second or third language. Preschool teachers
should provide support for Malay Language development and they should utilize effective methods to build
children’s Malay vocabulary. As such, this study focuses on the effectiveness of using the play method to teach
Malay vocabulary to Tamil preschool children.
Objective of the Study
The objectives of this study are twofold. The first is to investigate whether the play method enhances the mastery
of pre-school pupils’ Malay vocabulary compared with the conventional method. The second aim is to explore
primary school pupils’ interest in the Malay Language after being taught using the play method.
Hypotheses
The following are the five null hypotheses tested in this study.
Ho 1. There is no significant difference between the subjects of the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their scores in vocabulary on the theme of ‘Nature’.
Ho 2. There is no significant difference between the subjects of the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their scores in vocabulary on the theme of ‘Weather’.
Ho 3. There is no significant difference between the subjects of the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their scores in vocabulary on the theme of ‘Deepavali Celebrations’.
Ho 4. There is no significant difference between the subjects of the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their scores in vocabulary on the theme ‘Games’.
Ho 5. There is no significant difference between the subjects of the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their interest in learning the Malay language.
2. Literature Review
2.1. Play and child development
Ginsburg (2007) stressed that play is so important for optimal child development that it has been recognized by
the United Nations for Human Rights as a right for every child. Play is essential for development because it
contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being. As such, preschool teachers should
emphasize on play methods in the classroom because it enhances children’s learning processes and interest towards
learning languages. The play method provides maximum interaction and correspondence with others in the
classroom and helps children to master vocabulary through fun and enjoyment.
The play method provides room for children to use their creativity and develop their imagination. Play allows
children to learn through experience, enhances confidence and self-esteem and also develops interest towards
learning language. Scarfo & Littleford (2008) asserted that teachers should allow children to play with things like
sand, water and blocks. By setting up a play environment, children are given the opportunity to manipulate, explore
and experience with a variety of new material which enhances learning. Through play, children learn independence,
knowledge and application of new vocabulary. Bodrova (2008) also stressed that play helps children master the
symbolic nature of words. A study by Istomina (1977) showed that preschool children could remember more items
in the dramatic play condition, functioning at the level that older children could demonstrate in the non-play
condition that was similar to typical school task.
2.2. Theories related to play method
Vygotsky (1967), the pioneer in social constructivist theory asserted that children learn better through play and
social interaction. Dewey (1938) stressed that children learn through their living experiences; as such the play
3978 Subadrah Madhawa Nair et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 ( 2014 ) 3976 – 3982
method can be used by teachers to encourage pupils in the process of learning language and vocabulary. Froebel
(1970), a German philosopher on early childhood education discovered that all the tasks given to children should
have elements of play and the objects used in the learning process can arouse the interest of children towards
learning. Rousseau (1956) believed that the role of the teacher is to facilitate children to play and explore
knowledge independently. Locke (1632-1704) affirmed play as a necessary and important part of the educational
process and children learn faster through the play method because they love fun.
Piaget (1962) strongly believed that preschool children use symbols in play during the pre-operational stage of
learning. For example, at this stage, children might use a book to resemble a car when they play on the floor. Piaget
concluded that children learn through assimilation, accommodation and adaptation.
2.3. Research related to play method
Saayah (2008) investigated the effectiveness of using the play method in five kindergartens in Melaka, Malaysia.
Her samples consisted of 25 teachers and 810 students. Her findings showed that kindergarten teachers lacked
knowledge on the play method, and the teachers found it difficult to implement the play method in the teaching and
learning processes.
A study by Rohizani Yaakub (2006), showed that story telling helps in the emotional development of preschool
children. Woolgar (1999) investigated projective doll play methodologies for pre-school children. The findings
showed that doll play and story stem techniques are powerful tools for eliciting preschool children’s representations
about the family and their social and moral understanding.
A study by Braton, Ray, Rhine & Jones (2005) revealed that the play method helps to resolve social, emotional
and behavioral problems among preschool children. Smith & Connolly (1973) investigated the pattern of play and
social interaction among preschool children. The findings showed that the play method enhances the learning
process and social interaction among children.
2.4. The effects of the play method on interest in learning
Children’s interest in language learning can be enhanced if the teachers employ methods which consist of
elements of joy and fun. Several studies have indicated that when children are actively involved in the process of
learning, their interest in the subject is enhanced. Studies by Thirumalar (2006) and Shanmuga Velu (2005) have
indicated that students’ interest in learning History was enhanced by the student centered learning method.
Jarvis, Odell & Troiano (2002) believed that role-play as a teaching strategy offers several advantages for both
teachers and pupils. First, pupils’ interest in the subject matter is raised. Secondly, student participation in learning
is increased (Fogg, 2001). The third advantage is that teachers’ empathy and understanding of the different
perspectives increases (Poorman, 2002).
In the kindergarten room, children can do role play as shopkeepers, consumers, teachers, doctors , dentists and so
on, which help them to reach the outside world and explore them in interesting manners, as the learning
environment enhances the pupils’ interest in learning.
3. Methodology
This study employs3.4 a quasi experimental design. The subjects were divided into two groups; the
Experimental group and the Control Group. The Experimental Group was taught using the play method and the
control group was taught using the conventional method. The study was conducted over a period of six weeks.
3.1 Sample
The sample in the study consists of 100 preschool children from two Tamil medium government preschools
(School A and School B). Two classes of preschool children from school A were chosen as the Experimental Group
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(50 pupils), and two classes of preschool children from school B were chosen as the Control Group (50 pupils). The
distance between school A and school B was less than 10km and the characteristics of both schools were similar.
3.2 The instrument
Two types of instruments were used in this study; they are :
a) Pretest and Posttest
b) Structured Interview Questions
The contents of the pre-test and posttest were similar. Each test consisted of 20 pictures (5 pictures on each
theme, namely, Nature, Weather, Deepavali Celebrations and Games. During the pretest and posttest, the class
teachers of both the Experimental Group and the Control Group called the pupils individually and asked them to
name the pictures in the Malay Language and their scores were recorded. 1 mark was awarded for every correct
answer and the total marks were 20. In order to obtain the validity of the pretest and the posttest, two senior
preschool teachers with more than 10 years of teaching experience were asked to verify the questions.
In order to gauge the interest of the pupils towards learning the Malay Language, before and after intervention,
the teachers conducted the semi-structured interviews individually to get the pupils’ responses of either a ‘yes’ or a
‘no’. A score of 1 was awarded for the response ‘yes’ and a score of 0 given if the response was ‘no’. The total
scores for the interview questions were used to gauge pupils’ interest in learning the Malay Language.
3.3 Pilot study and findings
Prior to the main study, a pilot study was conducted by the researchers to check the reliability of the pretest and
posttest and the structured interview questions used in the study. The pilot test was carry out in a Tamil preschool
(45 children) in Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. The characteristics of the preschool children in the pilot study were
similar to those in the experimental group and control group. The reliability of the structured interview questions
was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha. The alpha value for the structured interview questions was 0.75, which
indicated that the items in the structured interview questions were highly reliable. The findings of the pretest and the
posttest in the pilot study also showed that the pupils understood the questions well. As such, the pretest and posttest
were deemed reliable to test the children’s vocabulary.
3.4 Research procedure
The researchers trained the teacher in the Experimental Group to carry out the play method. The researchers also
provided the lesson plans, learning objectives and teaching aids for six weeks. On the other hand, the teacher from
the Control Group was only given the learning objectives.
The research was carried out for six weeks. In the first week the children from the Experimental Group and
Control Group were given the pretest and the structured interview questions on their interest in the Malay Language.
For six weeks the Experimental Group was taught the Malay Language using the play method. On the other hand,
the Control Group was taught using the conventional method.
The researchers observed all the lessons that were conducted with the Experimental Group, to ensure the teacher
taught according to every step of the play method in the lesson plan prepared by the researchers. At the end of the
6
th
week the preschool children from the Experimental Group and Control Group were given the posttest and
structured interview questions to determine their achievement in Malay vocabulary and gauge their interest in the
Malay Language.
3.5 Data analysis
The data obtained from the pretest, posttest and the structured interview questions were processed using the SPSS
Windows version 16. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the mean scores of the Experimental
3980 Subadrah Madhawa Nair et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 ( 2014 ) 3976 – 3982
Group with that of the Control Group in their achievement in Malay vocabulary and interest in the Malay
Language.
4. Findings
Ho 1. There is no significant difference between the subjects in the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their scores on vocabulary, on the theme ‘Nature’.
The pre-test results show that there is no significant difference between the Experimental Group and Control
Group in their scores on vocabulary on the theme ‘Nature’, (t = 0.70, df = 98, p=0.50). The findings of the posttest
show that there is a significant difference between the Experimental Group and the Control Group in their mean
scores in vocabulary on the theme ‘Nature’, (t = 2.65, df = 98, p=0.01) The findings fail to accept null hypothesis
one.
Ho 2. There is no significant difference between the subjects in the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their scores on vocabulary on the theme ‘Weather’.
The independent sample t-test conducted on the pretest scores shows that there is no significant difference
between the Control Group and the Experimental Group in their scores in vocabulary on the theme ‘Weather’. On
the other hand, the posttest results show that the Experimental Group performed significantly better than the Control
Group (t = 2.23, df = 98, p=0.03). The findings thus fail to accept null hypothesis two.
Ho 3. There is no significant difference between the subjects in the Experimental Group and the Control Group
in their scores in vocabulary on the theme ‘Deepavali Celebration’.
The pretest results indicate that there is no significant difference between the subjects in the Experimental Group
and the Control Group in the mean scores in vocabulary on the theme ‘Deepavali Celebrations’, (t = 1.37, df = 98,
p=0.17). The posttest results shows that the Experimental Group had significantly higher scores compared with the
Control Group (t = 2.51, df = 98, p=0.01). Therefore null hypothesis three is rejected.
Ho 4. There is no significant difference between the subjects in the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their scores in vocabulary on the theme ‘Games’.
The findings of the pretest show that there is no significant difference between the Experimental Group and
Control Group in their achievements in vocabulary on the theme ‘Games’ (t = -1.58, df = 98, p=0.12). The posttest
results show that the Experimental Group benefited from the play method and had significantly higher scores
compared with the Control Group (t = 2.75, df = 98, p=0.01). Therefore null hypothesis four is not accepted.
Ho 5. There is no significant difference between the subjects in the Experimental Group and the Control Group in
their interest in learning the Malay language.
The independent sample t-test on the pre-test results indicates that there is no significant difference between the
Experimental Group and the Control Group in their scores on interest in learning the Malay Language. However the
findings from the posttest show that the Experimental Group obtained higher and significant scores in their interest
in learning the Malay Language compared with the Control Group (t = 8.18, df = 98, p=0.00). As such the findings
fail to accept null hypothesis five.
5. Discussion
The findings indicate that the play method has helped the pupils in the Experimental Group to master the
vocabulary on the theme ‘Nature’ better than the pupils in the Control Group. The findings are parallel to the
findings by Norliza Husin (1994, 1995), who stressed that a well organized play method helps preschool children
master Malay vocabulary . Rousseau (1956) and Vygotsky (1967) have also supported the fact that the play method
helps children in the process of learning and building knowledge.
Children from the Experimental Group have better scores in vocabulary on ‘Weather’ because they benefited
from the play method and as such, were able to interact and play with their peers during the learning process. As
asserted by Scarfo & Littleford (2008), the play method helped the children to build blocks of knowledge related to
‘Weather’ and improved their vocabulary.
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The children from the Experimental Group also were actively engaged in role play such as in buying items for the
‘Deepavali Celebrations’ and making traditional cakes for the celebrations. The children enjoyed these activities
and were therefore able to learn the vocabulary related to the theme ‘Deepavali Celebrations’ better than the Control
Group. As suggested by Jarvis, Odell & Troiano (2002) and Fogg (2001), role play helps children to participate
actively in the learning process and enhances learning.
In addition, children enjoyed playing the games and they learned the vocabulary faster than those in the Control
Group. As asserted by Rousseau (1956), Bodrova (2008), & Freeman (2000), the play method gives the opportunity
for children to learn through experience and practicing real games such as congkak, hide and seek, draughts,
football, netball and badminton.
These findings enable us to conclude that the use of the play method has helped to arouse the children’s interest
significantly in learning the Malay Language compared with the conventional method. These findings validate
earlier findings from the researches conducted by Thirumalar (2006), Shanmuga Velu (2005) and Jarvis, Odell &
Troiano (2002) that show when children are actively involved in the classroom their interest in the subject is
enhanced. Furthermore, the play method enables children to enjoy and have fun during the activities. Thus, pupils’
interest in learning the subject increases and stimulates them in language learning.
6. Conclusion
The results of this study indicate that the implementation of the play method can help to improve the mastery of
vocabulary among preschool children compared with the conventional method. The findings also indicate that the
play method enhances pupils’ interest in learning the Malay Language because they find the learning experience
more enjoyable and full of fun. Children are also able to interact with their friends during the activities; as such they
master the vocabulary better. The play method also creates opportunities for children to use their creativity
especially in role play, playing games, and making traditional cakes from plasticine. Therefore, preschool teachers
should consider the play method as an alternative method to teach preschool children. The play method provides
opportunity for children to learn through touch, feel and experience especially when they play games, thus the
children in the Experimental Group are able to remember the vocabulary related to the games better than those in the
Control Group. While playing games such as congkak, draughts, football, netball and badminton children are able
to interact and communicate with their friends using the Malay Language and at the same time they learn more
vocabulary related to the games such as the congkak board, win, lose, strike goal, net, badminton racket, shuttle
cock and etc. in a fun manner . On the whole, the play method offers full benefits to preschool children in the
process of learning.
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