Educational Game Teaching Methods on Communicative English Listening and Speaking Abilities for Early Childhood Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: Early childhood education (ECE) in China has undergone significant transformations, shaped by historical, cultural, and socio-political factors. The foundations of early education in China can be traced back to Confucian traditions, emphasizing moral development and the importance of family and community in transmitting cultural values. This overview explores the historical roots, current practices, challenges, and notable reforms in China's general early childhood education system, providing a comprehensive understanding of its evolution. Thus, the purposes of this research were to:1) To compare the communicative English listening abilities of early childhood students after learning through the educational game teaching method with the criterion determined of 70 percent of the full score. 2) To compare the communicative English speaking abilities of the early childhood students after learning through the educational game teaching method with the criterion determined of 70 percent of the full score. The sample of this study is 30 early childhood students (1 classroom) of Jinshan Xinyuan Preschool Zoucheng City in the academic year of 2023 which was selected by cluster random sampling method.

Materials and Methods: The population of this study is 180 early childhood students (6 classrooms), who were enrolled in English courses. The sample of this study is 30 early childhood students (1 classroom) of Jinshan Xinyuan Preschool Zoucheng City in the academic year of 2023 which was selected by cluster random sampling method. Data was collected through listening rubrics and speaking rubrics and SPSS software was used to analyze the collected data, the data used for analysis were the mean value of samples, standard deviation, and single sample t-test.

Result: The results of the study were as follows: (1) As presented in Table 4.3, the mean scores of students’ English Communicative English Listening Abilities after learning through Learning Management Using the educational game teaching methods were 11.8 and the standard deviation was 1.69. which was statistically higher than the criterion of 70% at a .05 level of statistical significance (t29 =38.25, p＜0.05). The data above showed that Learning Management Using the educational game teaching methods was able to enhance the students’ Communicative English Listening Ability. (2) As presented in Table 4.3, the mean scores of students’ Communicative English-Speaking Abilities after learning through Learning Management Using the educational game teaching methods were 14.77 and the standard deviation was 2.65. which was statistically higher than the criterion of 70% at a .05 level of statistical significance (t29=30.54, p=0.000 < .05). The data above showed that Learning Management Using the educational game teaching methods was able to enhance the students’ Communicative English-Speaking Ability.

Conclusion: According to the research results, we can draw the following conclusions: The average score and standard deviation of the preschool students who adopted the educational game teaching mode were higher than the standard of 70% at the level of statistical significance of 0.05. The educational game teaching method can enhance the preschool students’ Communicative English Listening and Speaking Abilities.