Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://ptsldigital.ukm.my/jspui/handle/123456789/497658| Title: | Enhancing vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension in a second life platform at a university college in Saudi Arabia |
| Authors: | Shafi Saad Alqahtani (P39906) |
| Supervisor: | Supyan Hussin, Prof. Dr. |
| Keywords: | Reading comprehension |
| Issue Date: | 9-Feb-2018 |
| Description: | Language learning in the Second Life platform is gaining its popularity among university students in Saudi Arabia. One of the tools in the Second Life is online games such as MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games) that offer English as the medium of instruction. Saudi families buy nearly three million PlayStation or X-Box sets per year to play MMORPGs. Generally, almost every family in Saudi owns a set of X-Box. Therefore, this study generally aims at investigating the effect of these online games, namely MMORPGs in enhancing the EFL learners' vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension at a University-College in Saudi Arabia. The vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension are related to the English words, game instruction, and feedback displayed in MMORPGs that the students were immersed in. This mixed method study involved twenty-four students who were selected purposively from a first year English proficiency course. Instruments used in the study were pre- and post-tests on language proficiency that is related to the game vocabularies, interview protocols, and recorded game interaction in MMORPGs. The Rasch Measurement Model, a statistical analysis tool, was used to analyse the data for pre and post-test scores. The interview responses were analysed according to specific themes. Findings showed that the respondents' scores in posttest scores on vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension are higher than the ones in pre-test. In addition, students were found to have problems with some words that might carry foreign culture-based values. Also, students' interview responses showed that they were satisfied with MMORPGs as they had acquired new vocabularies that enhance their reading comprehension of the instruction and feedback that were displayed in the games. Findings of the study imply that policy makers could integrate this Second Life platform in the language education program at the University-College in Saudi as a value added teaching technique that complements the classroom learning and acquisition of English vocabulary as well as enhancing their reading comprehension skills. This can be implemented at other universities that carry similar demographic criteria of learners and lecturers can be trained on how to conduct teaching using tools in the Second Life platform.,'Certification of Master's/Doctoral Thesis' is not available,Ph.D. |
| Pages: | 161 |
| Call Number: | LB1050.6.A448 2018 tesis |
| Publisher: | UKM, Bangi |
| Appears in Collections: | Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ukmvital_104331+SOURCE1+SOURCE1.0.PDF Restricted Access | 1.15 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.