The study was conducted with twenty-nine students in Grade Six in a primary girls’
school in in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to my observations of how
vocabulary is taught in schools, it relies on drilling the vocabulary to get the students to
produce the correct pronunciation of words. Other strategies such as implementing
games are very occasionally used to teach vocabulary; however, they are only used for
a limited time. Using games is considered time consuming, so teachers prefer to use
drilling as an immediate way of teaching and practicing vocabulary. In the school where
the research was conducted, Arabic is the medium of instruction. In English class,
students are encouraged to speak in English when they answer, and while they interact
with their classmates. Translation is generally avoided, but it is sometimes used to
clarify difficult linguistic concepts, and also to clarify meaning