The role of simulation games in preparing students for communicative foreign language teaching

Abstract

Traditional language learning methods can often be tedious, leading to alienation and reduced motivation. We aimed to determine the impact of simulation games on developing students’ communication skills when learning a foreign language. The following practical methods were used in the study: observation, expert evaluation, survey, and testing. The results, which we are excited to share, demonstrate the eff ectiveness of using simulation games compared to traditional teaching methods. The students of the experimental group (EG), through their hard work and the innovative approach of simulation games, improved their English level to B2 (R=1.76) compared to the students of the control group - CG (R=0.57). Also, the diff erence between the test results of the CG and the EG was in Reading Comprehension/Composition (22%), Listening (15%) and Interview (46%). Using simulation games infl uenced the improvement of communication skills, perception of information, and the desire for self-learning. Confi dence in communication increased to 81% compared to the CG (50%). These results inspire hope for the future of foreign language education, underscoring the critical role of simulation games and providing valuable information about developing and implementing simulation scenarios to create situational real-life conditions for eff ective English language learning.