Teaching Italian Vocabulary to Arabic Speaking Children Based on Total Physical Response and Game-Based Learning Approaches

Abstract The study examines the effectiveness of Total Physical Response (TPR) and Game Based Learning (GBL) compared to traditional instruction in teaching Italian vocabulary to Arabic-speaking EFL children, learners of Italian as a third language, based on Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis (AFH). The study follows a quantitative quasi-experimental comparative design with pre- and post-tests including twenty-four Italian words that refer to twelve body parts and twelve related actions for a period of six weeks. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed based on four criteria: pronunciation, listening, contextual knowledge, and interrelatedness. The findings showed that the differences between the participants’ answers on the post-test in the two experimental groups (i. e., TPR and GBL) and the control group were statistically significant in favor of the former. It was found that GBL and TPR foster an engaging and enjoyable learning environment, which is believed to enhance motivation and decrease foreign language anxiety. Although the control group did not employ specific strategies to lower the affective filter, they still demonstrated significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. This improvement suggests that factors such as general motivation and a positive learning environment can positively influence learning outcomes. However, the differences between the participants’ answers on the posttest in the two experimental groups were not statistically significant. It was argued that AFH cannot be used to explain the differences and unique effectiveness of teaching approaches when compared to each other.