The Effect of Video Games on Language Vocabulary Among Iraqi Elementary Students

This study attempted to investigate the phenomenal issue of video games that play a vital role to improve and expand students' vocabulary knowledge via the use of such soft wares. The variables considered in this study include level of English language proficiency and IT proficiency. The sample of the study consisted of 48 male ESL students of English in two Baghdad schools, Iraq. Besides, their age ranged from seven to ten. In order to make sure that the participants were at the same level of language proficiency, the researcher administered a proficiency test to the subjects. Two classes were randomly selected as the samples of the study. These two groups included the control and experimental, each of which approximately comprised the same number of participants. The data were collected by self-made vocabulary tests whose reliability and validity are compared with those of standard ones. The games and their corresponding guides were obtained from Learn English Kids’ package of British Council. In order to measure the learners’ progress in vocabulary acquisition, the pretest-posttest experimental design was applied. The results of the current study showed that the learners in the experimental group obtained higher scores than the learners in the control group. Furthermore, the results provided evidence of statistically significant relationship between the vocabulary scores of participants with high computer familiarity and those with low computer familiarity.