Using Communicative Language Games in Teaching and Learning English in Taiwanese Primary Schools

Interest in using language games as teaching and learning activities in educational contexts is on the rise. The aim of this paper is to examine the use of communicative language games for teaching and learning English in Taiwanese elementary schools. The participants were 150 teachers teaching in Taiwanese primary schools. The instrument used in this study was a survey questionnaire about participants’ perspectives on the use of communicative language games in English lessons. The results of the study provided encouraging evidence to indicate that Taiwanese elementary school teachers generally appreciated the benefits and value of communicative game activities in the teaching of English language. The findings also suggested that when facing students with different backgrounds, learning styles, needs, and expectations, teachers should be aware to take learners’ individual variations into account and be more flexible in their use of communicative games in order to maximize educational effect. It is hoped that communicative language games will attract more attention and will be applied more widely in the classroom with more positive attitudes on the part of language teachers.