The effects of using the play method to enhance the mastery of vocabulary among preschool children

This paper is based on a quasi experimental study. This study compares the effects of using the play method and the conventional method to teach the Malay Language to preschool children. The researchers investigated whether the use of the play method helped to enhance the mastery of Malay vocabulary and interest in the Malay Language among preschool children. The subjects consisted of 100 preschool children from a Tamil-medium, government preschool. The Experimental Group was taught using the play method and the Control Group was taught using the conventional method. The study was conducted over a period of six weeks. The findings of this research indicate that the utilization of the play method significantly enhances the mastery of vocabulary and interest in learning the Malay Language among the pupils. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.