Language Acquisition Games: Its Effects on the Students’ Oral Language Skills

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Facing the 21st century English language learners today marks a bit change and a formation of strategized teaching methodology on how facilitators must uphold and seek highest form of learning. K to 12 curriculum aims to acquire highly- developed language skills, with this, teachers must find ways to uplift the oral proficiency level of students as one key component of a well- developed communicative competence. This study investigates using pre-test post- test experimental design to elucidate the level of oral language skills of 60 heterogeneous oral- expressive students prior to and after the administration of the language acquisition games along comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. It also identified the significant differences on each aspect. Qualitative descriptive analysis and in- depth observation was used to identify the learning behaviours manifested by the oral- expressive students. Face- to- face ESL pre- and post- oral assessment was undertaken by the respondents and a Stanford FLOSEM (Foreign Language Oral Skills Evaluation Matrix) rubric was utilized to assess oral- expressive students’ level of oral- language skills by an expert validator. Analyses of data revealed an increase of one level from the pre- test to post- test result after the administration of the 30-40 days language acquisition games intervention. Further, there is also a significant difference between pre- and post- test along each aspect of oral language skills and identified seven learning behaviors seen in the viewpoint of the students namely; active engagement through rewards and punishments, everyone made effort to be involved in the game, properly guided through rules given time under pressure, given chance to speak during class discussion, develop inquisitive thinking through answering HOTS questions, and overcome ridicules, boosting confidence. Thus, the researcher devised an output entitled “Language Acquisition Games: A Kit towards Effective Oral Communication Skills for Grade 8 Students” to develop speaking skills of students. Curriculum developers, materials developer and language institutes might integrate these language games into an English language classroom to at least enhance students’ oral language skills.