Students’ Speaking Development Through Word Adventure Game-Based Learning

The study is the second in a series of mixed-methods studies on the integration of The Sims 4, a life-simulation game, into language classrooms. In this study, the researcher explores the effect of game-based language learning (GBLL) on students' English communicative competence from three aspects, interaction, fluency and content, in a Japanese university. In class, students received instruction from the teacher on game language and gameplay skills, played the game on their own and presented gameplay stories. The presentations were recorded for evaluation. Surveys were also administered for students' perceptions on the GBLL classroom. Results showed that no clear improvement in communicative competence was suggested by quantitative evaluation. Qualitatively data, however, indicated that the game afforded students interesting events and proper expressions in presentations and that the teacher played a vital role in ensuring ample interactional opportunities and linguistic support. Suggestions for future research in classroom-situated GBLL were also proposed.

Since Shulman (1986b) argued that pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) should be a significant indicator of teacher knowledge for quality teaching, PCK has received enormous attention from researchers in the teacher education field. Nevertheless, little empirical and theoretical attention has been given to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ PCK growth in teachers’ collaborative learning activities (Li et al., 2021). In practice, collaborative learning groups for EFL teachers are often adopted as an effective teacher learning activity as it always integrates observations and discussions of real EFL teaching practices such as English teaching pedagogies and subject matters, for example. However, how EFL teachers’ collaborative learning promotes their PCK growth is less explored by empirical or theoretical studies and some teacher professional growth models. Therefore, this review will mainly discuss via existing literature how EFL teachers could increase their PCK in collaborative learning based on one particular teacher professional growth model, called the Interconnected Model of Professional Growth (IMPG) summarized by Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002). Since IMPG only generally summarizes teachers’ professional growth, this article aims to specifically elaborate the various trajectories of EFL teachers’ PCK growth. The significant role of three essential factors, namely, EFL teachers’ initiatives to learn/share, reciprocal mindset, and reflective dialogues in EFL teachers’ PCK development are stated in the paper. Several recommendations are made to EFL teachers, EFL teacher trainers, and EFL education programs.

Mobile augmented reality (AR) games offer a novel and unexplored context for situated language learning. In these games, players engage in authentic communication influenced by game mechanics, community norms, and shared objectives. This study employs Engeström’s (1987) Activity Theory (AT) framework to analyze language production and learning within the Pokémon Go gaming community. By conducting content analysis of a gameplay vlog and first-person observations of the game application, the study investigates how the six components of the activity system—subject, object, mediating artifacts, rules, community, and division of labor—interact to create conditions for language use and learning. The analysis reveals that language functions as both a mediating artifact and an outcome of participation. Game-specific lexical items emerge from and reinforce the activity system’s structure, while contradictions between components, particularly between game-imposed rules and community-driven knowledge-sharing practices, generate opportunities for language development. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on game-based language learning and extend the application of Activity Theory to mobile AR gaming environments.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of task-based instruction using online language games in a flipped learning environment (TGF) in developing the English oral communication ability of Thai secondary students and examine the students’ opinions of the task-based instruction using online language games in a flipped learning environment. The present study employed a mixed-method approach. The two-group pre-test and post-test design was used. The participants were 80 students studying in Mathayomsuksa 3 (grade 9) at a secondary school in Maha Sarakham province in Thailand. Forty students were in the experimental group where the TGF was given as the treatment, and 40 students were in the control group where all instruction was taught only in class. Pre- and post-tests were used to collect the quantitative data. A semi-structured interview was used to collect the qualitative data from the students’ opinions. The findings revealed that the students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group after the TGF. The different mean score of the experimental group was statistically significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05), demonstrating that the TGF was effective in improving the students’ English oral communication ability. It appears that combining task-based language instruction, flipped learning, and game-based language learning could help the students improve their oral communication skills in English.

Implementation of Multimedia-assisted Collaborative Game-Based Learning to Improve Competitive Spirit and Problem Solving Ability in Literacy Learning for Elementary Students. Objectives: This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of collaborative game-based learning assisted by multimedia in improving the competitive spirit and problem solving skills of literacy learning for elementary school students. Methods: A quantitative research approach was used, with an experimental research design. The specific design was a one-group pre-test post-test design. The research subjects consisted of 30 grade 4-6 students from an elementary school in Surabaya. Data were collected through pre- and post-test assessments to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Findings: The findings revealed that the implementation of multimedia-assisted collaborative game-based learning had a significant positive effect on students' competitive spirit and problem-solving abilities. By integrating game elements with team-based collaboration, this approach enhanced students' literacy skills while fostering critical, creative, and analytical thinking. The collaborative nature of the games allowed students to engage in healthy competition, which not only boosted their motivation but also improved their teamwork and communication skills. Additionally, students developed negotiation skills and learned how to work cooperatively to achieve common goals, which are vital social competencies. Conclusion: In conclusion, the implementation of multimedia-assisted collaborative game-based learning proved to be an effective strategy for enhancing students' competitive spirit, problem-solving skills, and literacy development. The approach, by combining game elements with collaborative efforts, effectively promoted critical thinking and enhanced social skills, making it a promising educational tool for elementary school students. This study suggests that game-based learning, supported by multimedia, can be an engaging and effective method to improve both cognitive and social outcomes in literacy education. Keywords: collaborative learning, game-based learning, literacy learning, competitive spirit, problem solving skills.

Flipped teaching has become a continuous trend since COVID – 19 pandemic when online learning was popular more than ever. Following this model of teaching, teachers are required to record videos on the subjects that they are teaching before sharing them with students. This study aims at exploring both EFL teachers’ and students’ attitude towards the employment of flipped teaching at higher education level. The participants were 10 teachers and 10 students majoring in English Language Teaching and English Language at a university in Viet Nam. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results show that while teachers’ preparation and students’ engagement, interaction, critical thinking, and relevant learning style are amongst the positive attitudes, less motivation, more pressure, distraction, and lack of responsibility are considered as the negative feelings on flipped teaching. Suggestions for further studies are also presented.

As Malaysia’s education landscape continues to evolve rapidly, the integration of technology-driven learning approaches has become more essential than ever. Thus, this paper presents the development of a learning kit called the ExploreGeo Kit. This kit serves as a learning material that employs a game-based learning approach to enhance secondary school students’ understanding of fundamental geography concepts, specifically for the topics of Wind Direction and Angular Bearings. Despite proven benefits and positive responses towards multimedia-assisted teaching and learning, interactive multimedia applications or learning materials for geography subjects remain limited. Therefore, a systematic design and development of teaching aids was undertaken by applying the ADDIE instructional design model, which encompasses the phases of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. In addition, Vygotsky’s Social Constructivism Theory, which includes scaffolding, peer collaboration, and experiential learning, was integrated into the design and development process of the ExploreGeo Kit. Therefore, this paper provides educators with insights into developing interactive multimedia that foster enjoyment and engagement in learning.

Game-based learning has gained significant attention from educational researchers because of its ability to create an engaging and enjoyable learning environment for students. However, there was a research gap regarding the design of game mechanics that specifically helped students understand abstract scientific concepts. Also, the impact of increased motivation, interest, and engagement on conceptual understanding remained uncertain. The objective of this study was, therefore, to analyze the efficacy of using analogy teaching as a learning design principle for creating game mechanics to improve students' conceptions of bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate whether providing a clear analogy comparison after gameplay could have a significant impact on students' learning outcomes. The research also examined the correlation between students' enjoyment level during gameplay and their learning outcomes. An embedded experimental mixed methods design was utilized to address the research objectives. The participants were 54 undergraduate students from non-science disciplines. They were divided into two groups: the Game-based Learning [GL] group and the Game-based Learning with eXplicit analogy discussion [GLX] group. Both groups used a board game to learn about bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The GL group had reflective discussions about the concepts after playing the game. The GLX group had an additional task where they identified similarities and differences between the gameplay and the scientific concepts, and they explicitly discussed these through a worksheet provided before the discussion. Results showed that after engaging in game-based learning, both groups exhibited a significant improvement in their understanding of bioaccumulation and biomagnification, moving from incomplete or partial understanding to more scientifically accurate concepts. Notably, the GLX group scored higher in post-tests compared to the GL group. Despite high levels of enjoyment during gameplay, there was no correlation between this enjoyment and the post-test scores. An unexpected slight negative correlation was found between immersion during the game and post-test scores. Discussion and implementation of the research results were provided.

Promoting digital literacies is the apparent goal of an extensive array of educational initiatives in all educational contexts. However, very limited attention has been directed toward the strategies of promoting students' digital literacies in the literature. Thus, this qualitative study aims to identify the strategies of EFL teachers and school administrators in promoting EFL students' digital literacies to thrive in the new normal challenges. Semi-structured interviews with 6 EFL teachers and 6 school admins from the Arab international schools in Kuala Lumpur were gathered using a convenient sampling technique. The qualitative data were analysed and reported thematically. The findings of the study revealed that teachers reported four strategies to promote students' digital literacy: motivating students, conducting training workshops, actual use of digital technologies in the classroom, and enhancing classroom digital infrastructure. Similarly, school admins reported four strategies: rising parents' awareness towards the importance of digital technologies, training teachers and students, enhancing classroom infrastructure and redesigning the EFL classroom. These findings offer implications for policymakers and researchers, especially those interested in enhancing students' digital literacies. The results require further urgent large-scale investigations to address the factors that currently constrain the promotion of digital technologies.

<p>As the title suggests, the concept of Computer-Supported Collaborative Language Learning (CSCLL) adopts and shares many aspects of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). This article is an attempt to incorporate CSCL in English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, and to examine the potential applicability of CSCL in ESL and EFL classes. The goal of this article is to examine potential effects of CSCL in ESL and EFL. To validate its usefulness, the theoretical framework of CSCL and the effects of collaboration in language learning are introduced. With guidelines for task design, a sample of CSCLL is presented. The specific description of the sample is designed to enhance the ESL and EFL teachers' understanding and to motivate them to use CSCLL in their teaching contexts. Practical tips for classroom implementation will be also included. In addition, potential benefits and limitations are discussed. Among these are increased authenticity, eliciting students' active participation and interaction, flexibility, reduced anxiety and higher motivation, scaffolding and collaboration, learnercenteredness, developing electronic literacy and promoting ownership and personal responsibility by webpublishing. Affordability, practicality and heavy work-load for the teachers can be considered as potential limitations. Finally, pedagogical implications for teachers and researchers are suggested.</p>

Many students experience a lack of motivation and engagement in learning due to the monotonous learning system. Therefore, many teachers apply gamification strategies to increase student motivation and engagement in learning. This study investigates the integration of gamification strategies within English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction to amplify student motivation and engagement. Gamification, a methodology applying gaming elements in a non-game context, serves as a focal point to enhance learning participation and motivation. In the realm of EFL education, student motivation and engagement often pose significant challenges. Through qualitative methodology involving classroom observations, questionnaires, student interviews, and teacher reflections, this research assesses the impact of implementing game elements like point-based assessments, competitive dynamics, challenges, and rewards on student motivation and engagement in learning English. The findings underscore a notable surge in student motivation attributed to the incorporation of game elements, fostering a more enjoyable and competitive learning environment that encourages active student participation. This research contributes vital insight for educators, highlighting the efficacy of gamification as a tool to heighten motivation and engagement in EFL education. It emphasizes the need for judicious integration of relevant gaming elements in pedagogical design to craft more immersive and meaningful learning experiences for students studying English as a Foreign Language.

Digital learning environments are increasingly becoming popular in recent years. Particularly, the rising usage of mobile phones has invited researchers to design and develop learning applications and games for mobile phones. Specifically, game-based language learning in cultural context is being promoted by researchers in many parts of the world which are quite effective for public sector school students. Requirements for a language learning game have been elicited from the preliminary survey as well as from the literature and a theoretical model for language learning in a cultural context has also been constructed and validated through inter-rater reliability. A low-fidelity prototype has been developed for Language Learning Serious Game (LLSG) on the basis of a theoretical model and researcher proposed heuristics to validate it. This research aims to appraise the usability of LLSG through proposed heuristics and think-aloud approaches while involving all important stakeholders including language experts (teachers) and game developers. The heuristic evaluation is based on well-defined criteria laid down by Nielson, whereas, the think-aloud evaluation is compiled from the rigorous discussion session held by involving these stakeholders. The results obtained from heuristic evaluation are very positive, indicates that the low-fidelity prototype has most of the required language learning, educational, and cultural context elements and thus the prototype had good usability. On the other hand, a variety of interesting suggestions and reviews are gathered from the discussion between experts. This will further improve the version of the low-fidelity prototype and also help to develop high-fidelity prototypes.

Research into game-based language learning and gamification is a field that represents a new direction in second language acquisition. However, practical research regarding empirical observation of how this method can affect language learner identity and investment is still lacking. In this chapter, we show three different contexts in which games and gamification are used in the classroom to support and scaffold English lessons. A variety of gamification and game-based pedagogical interventions were used with classes at the high school and university levels. The interventions included pre- and post-game activities, while the activities themselves involved gamified online quizzes such as Kahoot!, and mobile games such as Spaceteam ESL and Don’t Get Fired!. We then present evidence of the impact this method has in the form of surveys, homework responses, class discussions, and a range of other classroom observation-based data. It was found that games can substantially impact identity and positively increase learner investment in lesson content. However, findings suggest many factors can sway these benefits, which include teacher interventions, support materials, design of curriculum, and game or gamified activity content. Observations for this chapter exclusively come from Japan; however, the suggestions included can be applied to many different contexts.KeywordsGame-based language learningGamificationIdentityInvestment

These papers explore the idea of academic research as an “industry” that can create useful knowledge and “products” for teachers. This paper (Part 1) begins by explaining my motivation for examining research reports of game-based language teaching and my consideration of what different readers might appreciate. I then differentiate game-based language teaching from game-based language learning and gamification, and from theoretical and experimental publications. I introduce and describe my 14 theoretical, practical and research-focused questions and criteria for examining reports of GBLT. I then use these questions to examine 28 reports of GBLT; each is explored in a section that describes its importance to GBLT, how GBLT reports have (and have not) prioritized that criteria, and why including that criteria in research could improve game-based language teaching. Academic reports of game-based language teaching over the last 20 years, with a few exceptions, demonstrate a lack of interest in teachers and teaching practices. In my opinion, GBLT as a research field is vaporware. Like a game that has been announced but never shipped, GBLT has been hyped but never fully reported. I end this paper by inviting readers to participate in a contest.

Mirroring prevailing monolingual ideologies in foreign language pedagogic practices, the majority of language learning games reflect a monolingual perspective on language and language learning. This article attempts to delineate alternatives to this monolingual habitus in game-based language learning (GBLL). In order to do so, it introduces two Erasmus+ projects that set out to develop multilingual language learning games which go beyond vocabulary drills or match-the-translation activities by encompassing a plurilingual perspective on languages and language learning: MElang-E (Multilingual Exploration of Languages in Europe) and EU·DO·IT (European Digital Online-Game for Intercultural Learning and Translanguaging). The authors will discuss how in projects of this type, the need for sociolinguistic realism and the overarching plurilingual pedagogy have to be actively balanced with the expectations, preferences and needs of learners and teachers. Preliminary survey data on stakeholders’ perspectives on such products shows that there is a widespread scepticism regarding the inclusion of some types of non-target language material in a language learning game. Consequences for the design of multilingual games will be drawn.