The Role of Vocabulary Games in Second Language Acquisition Across Bloom's Revised Taxonomy

Abstract

Background: Vocabulary acquisition is widely recognised as a cornerstone of second language development, yet classroom instruction continues to rely heavily on decontextualised methods — translation lists, fill-in-the-blank drills, and rote memorisation — whose limitations are well-established in the second language acquisition (SLA) literature. Methods: This article synthesises four converging theoretical frameworks — Craik and Lockhart's depth-of-processing model, Krashen's Input and Affective Filter Hypotheses, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, and Hulstijn and Laufer's involvement load hypothesis — and maps six classroom vocabulary games systematically onto Anderson et al.'s Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Each game is described in practical terms and analysed with respect to its cognitive demands, affective profile, and acquisition-theoretic justification. Results: The analysis demonstrates that the six games — Concentration, Word Association Chains, Taboo, Odd One Out, Vocabulary Auction, and Story Chain — address all six levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create) and collectively create the rich, repeated, emotionally engaged encounters with target vocabulary that the SLA literature consistently identifies with durable acquisition. Conclusion: When selected diagnostically and organised through Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, vocabulary games constitute a complete, theoretically grounded instructional pathway from first encounter to independent productive use — not a pedagogical supplement, but a primary instructional necessity.