Abstract
English is a fundamental language to learn as it is used worldwide. The teaching and learning of English has been emphasized in Malaysia as English plays a major role in global communication. However, speaking performance was recorded as poor and weak among pupils in ESL classrooms. Previous researchers explored a myriad of communicative language activities to improve speaking skill. Board games are employed as one of the most useful tools to improve speaking skills among pupils. This systematic review was conducted to examine pupils’ perceptions on the use of board games in learning and speaking, as well as the usefulness of board games in improving their speaking skill. A total of 35 articles, from the period 2017–2021, were accessed through three databases: Google Scholar, ERIC and SAGE Journals. The review was conducted systematically based on the guidelines from the PRISMA statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). Based on the articles gathered, the results showed that the qualitative research design was mostly used to collect pupils’ opinions on the use of board games, while quantitative research design was mostly used to evaluate the usefulness of board games in improving speaking. Overall, the systematic review revealed that board games had several positive impacts in pupils’ speaking performances such as improving speaking competency, enhancing motivation in speaking and increasing interpersonal interaction among pupils. It is suggested that future studies could focus on investigating teachers’ opinions on the use of board games in teaching and speaking.
Highlights
The results showed that pupils enjoyed board games as the fun and relaxing gaming atmosphere encouraged them to speak English without feeling inferior or the fear of making mistakes
The nature of board games enabled fun learning and motivated pupils to speak, as they differed from other speaking activities that constrained pupils to learn English according to norms and mundane routines
Pupils agreed that board games enhanced their learning community development as they had more social interactions with their peers and learned the viewpoints shared by their peers during the games
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. In the teacher-centered classroom, pupils passively accept the linguistic knowledge imparted by their teacher without having opportunities to practice their speech [6] Teachers should alter their traditional teaching methods and conduct more communicative activities that offer chances for pupils to speak English. Games help to lower pupils’ anxieties and create contexts in which pupils can collaborate with peers in teams to use language meaningfully and in a relaxed way. Several studies were done in the past to examine the effectiveness of the integration of board games into classroom teaching and learning to improve speaking skill. To determine the appropriateness of the past research studies, which will be reviewed, the researchers have outlined two research questions: a) What are the pupils’ perceptions towards the use of board games to improve their speaking skills? Results will be synthesised to answer both questions
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