Erdauletova N., Ibragimova K.E.

L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian national university, Astana, Kazakhstan

Using games to affect learners’ motivation in learning English

Nowadays one of the main points in domestic educational system is to develop new methods and ways of teaching English which was mentioned by N.A.Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan republic. In his speech to Kazakh nation he stressed on the importance of teaching and mastering three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English. In the President’s Message “New Kazakhstan in the new world” the implementation of the cultural project “Trinity of languages” according to which the necessary development of three languages – Kazakh as native, Russian as a language of international communication and English as the language of successful integration into the global economy was proposed. Fluent use of the English language plays a significant role in any developed countries’ economy and educational system.

Language learning is a hard job. An effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period of time. Nowadays teachers use different strategies and methods of teaching foreign languages. Teaching English in the group of multilingual education requires using various techniques and methods. One of them is using games. A game is a kind of an unproductive activity, the motive of which is in its results and in the process. It is crucial in children’s teaching and upbringing as a means of psychological preparation for future situations. Game is an interesting and effective teaching method in the learning activities and can be used at any stage of foreign language learning. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work. Games have a great educational value and can be used in the classroom to make learners use the language instead of just thinking about learning the correct forms. Surely, games encourage learners to interact, cooperate, to be creative and spontaneous in using the language in a meaningful way.

Michael Bucky says: «Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation. Games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting. They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used to practice many types of communication». Motivating students to use acquired target language skills to listen, speak, read, and write is a key to foreign language teaching. With these goals in mind, it is helpful to apply everyday activities within the classroom setting to inspire and teach students.

There are a number of reasons that games deserve a place in the language classroom. First of all, they are fun, which is extremely important, because they can help activate students who may have been inactive before, due to lack of interest. Keeping students active is vital because teachers will never be able to actually teach students anything unless they can get them to participate in their own learning process.

Secondly, games also play a big part in helping participants build relationships and feel equal. Playing games in the classroom can also help create a friendly and positive atmosphere where seat arrangement can differ from game to game, and thus cause diversity from the norm which can be extremely helpful in keeping an exciting learning environment.

Thirdly, the reason most people want to learn a language is to be able to use it in real situations, for example when travelling. Games can be a very good way to practice this skill because they can easily be used to reenact various situations from real life and provide students with practice in their fluency. Also, by using games in the classroom the teacher is giving his students a bigger role, and he himself is stepping out of the frontline which is a positive thing because it allows students to take on more responsibility. Also that allows students to do more on their own, and that can very well result in an increase in their confidence level.

Fourth, students need to be exposed to the language in a variety of situations, which is a need games can fulfill. Language students also need to be ready to take on the experience, keeping their minds open and being willing participants Again, games make this possible.

Fifth, language students need to be emotionally involved, meaning they need to feel something while they are exposed to the language. Strong emotions, such as happiness, excitement, amusement and suspense allow students to feel positively about their learning situation and are therefore likely to have a positive effect on language learning.

Sixth, games are good for shy students and students with low confidence, and that applies specifically when playing takes place in smaller groups because then they get a chance to speak in front of fewer audience instead of having to express themselves in front of the whole class. Also it is sometimes easier to open up and forget the shyness when playing a game because the atmosphere is not as serious and more emphasis is put on fluency rather than grammatical correctness.

Seventh, games can be a good strategy when teaching various subjects because they are very likely to spark interest amongst students. They can be used with students of all ages, and when they are used with other teaching methods they create diversity which is ideal for school work. A study that was undertaken in different primary schools in Karaganda shows clearly the need for diversity in schools. Many participants in that study complained about the lack of diversity, and that they wanted more of it in order for their learning to become more fun and progressive in their school.

The inclusion games and play moments at the lesson does the process of teaching more interesting and entertaining, creates cheerful working mood, makes it easier getting over difficulties in mastering of the material. Various play acts, with the help of which the mental task is decided, effort the interest to the subject, to the cognition by them of the world. It is now very generally accepted that language teaching not merely can exist but should be enjoyable. We consider that games are used not only for mere fun, but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language lessons, thus leading toward the goal of improving learners’ communicative competence.

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