The Effect of Board Games on Speaking Skills of Thai EFL Primary Students

Speaking skills are considered one of the most crucial skills in learning English as they lay the foundation for effective communication and language acquisition. Proficiency in speaking enables young learners to express themselves, convey ideas, and communicate effectively. This quasi-experimental research aims to investigate the effect of board games on Thai EFL primary students' speaking skills and examine their perceptions regarding the use of board games in enhancing speaking skills. The study included 86 sixth-grade students from two intact classes and assigned them to a control group and an experimental group. The speaking pre-test and post-test were administered to collect data before and after a six-week treatment period. A semi-structured interview was conducted with six participants to examine their perceptions regarding board game instruction. The quantitative data collected from the speaking pre-test and post-test were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including means, standard deviations, paired-samples t-tests, and independent-samples t-tests. The qualitative data from the semi-structured interview were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data analysis revealed that the experimental group receiving board game instruction obtained higher scores on the speaking tests than the control group. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups at the 0.05 level. In addition, the data from the semi-structured interview revealed participants’ positive perceptions regarding board game instruction as it created a positive classroom atmosphere and enhanced both the functional and emotional benefits for the participants.