Affect and willingness to communicate in digital game-based learning

Abstract

The possible benefits of digital games for language learning and teaching have received increasing interest in recent years. Games are said, amongst others, to be motivating, to lower affective barriers in learning, and to encourage foreign or second language (L2) interaction. But how do learners actually experience the use of games? What impact does gameplay have on students’ perceptions of themselves as learners, and how does this affect their learning practice? These questions are important as they are likely to influence the success of digital game-based language learning, and as a result the way teachers might integrate games into the curriculum. In this study we investigated the experiences of five students who had participated in a fifteen-week game-based learning program at a university in Thailand. We conducted six interviews with each of them (for a total of 30 interviews) to identify what impact gameplay had in particular on their willingness to communicate in English (MacIntyre, Dörnyei, Clément & Noels, 1998). The results showed that gameplay had a number of benefits for the participants in this study, in particular in terms of lowering their affective barriers to learning and increasing their willingness to communicate. We discuss the implications of these results in terms of further research and classroom practice.

When IDLE Hands Make an English Workshop: Informal Digital Learning of English and Language Proficiency

“…The study also shows that a diverse use of IDLE activities by participants contributed to greater WTC online and higher productive vocabulary scores. This study echoes previous studies regarding the effects of digital games on both WTC (Reinders & Wattana, ) and productive vocabulary (Sundqvist & Wikström, ; Sylvén & Sundqvist, ). However, this study offers new insights into how the quality (or diversity) of out‐of‐class digital English learning, not quantity (or total amount) of such kind, can be particularly beneficial to those outcomes.…”

“…Although this field of inquiry is still in its beginning stages, findings from recent studies suggest a positive correlation between IDLE and English learning outcomes, such as vocabulary development and self-reported English proficiency (Dressman, Lee, & Sabaoui, 2016;Sundqvist & Sylv en, 2014;Sundqvist & Wikstr€ om, 2015;Sylv en & Sundqvist, 2012). Additional studies have also implied that IDLE could contribute to affective and cognitive domains such as willingness to communicate and English test grades and confidence (e.g., Butler, Someya, & Fukuhara, 2014;Lai, Zhu, & Gong, 2015;Reinders & Wattana, 2015).…”

Game-Enhanced Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies: A Systematic Review

“…Additionally, interactions with native speakers in anonymous informal gaming environment reduced anxiety and increased exposure to slang [29] [30] and colloquial language [25]. Nevertheless, researchers expressed concern that "the exposure to informal registers" and "the incorporation of grammatically incorrect forms remains a potential risk for learner participation in MMORPGs (…) where access is provided to native speaker interlocutors" [30] as it may affect the accuracy and complexity in a target language production [47]. To reduce the side effects of interactions with native speakers, learners should get scaffolding instructions.…”

“…Due to a high interactivity of video games, note taking [43] and media [49] strategies did not provide enough support for vocabulary learning. A number of researchers revealed that learners experienced confusion with game mechanics as a result they could not focus on language learning [24] [26] [30] [32] [37] [47]. However, this ability enhanced through the mastery in gaming.…”

Effects of the Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) on Students Academic Performance in Arabic Learning at Sambas Purbalingga

“…10 In the US, gaming is reported to be even more popular and more demographically equalized than in Europe. 11 The benefit of Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) has increased significantly in recent years and has received considerable attention in recent computer-assisted language learning (CALL) studies 12 . Students who used computer games or interactive simulations showed better results in cognitive gains and attitudes toward learning than those who experienced traditional instruction.…”