English Vocabulary Game-Based Instruction and Young EFL Learners’ Speaking and Reading in a Taiwanese After-School Club

This classroom-based study examined whether English vocabulary game-based instruction can support elementary EFL learners’ speaking and reading performance in an after-school program in southern Taiwan. Twenty students in the lower and middle grades of a public elementary school joined an after-school English club and were divided into an experimental group and a comparison group (10 students in each group). Over one semester, both groups met once a week for a 30-minute lesson. The experimental group received vocabulary game-based instruction using spelling, memory, role-play, and reading games, whereas the comparison group followed conventional textbook-based activities. Speaking and reading abilities were assessed with pretests and posttests. Descriptively, the experimental group improved from 60 to 78 in speaking and from 65 to 75 in reading, while the comparison group showed little change in speaking (58 to 60) and no improvement in reading (63 to 62). Because only group means are available, these results are preliminary and should be interpreted cautiously.