Recurrent languaging activities in World of Warcraft: Skilled linguistic action meets the Common European Framework of Reference

Abstract

In this study of affordances for second language (L2) learning in World of Warcraft (WoW) group play, we compared three gameplay episodes spanning a semester-long course. Applying multimodal analysis framed by ecological, dialogical and distributed (EDD) views (Zheng and Newgarden, forthcoming), we explored four English as a second language learners’ verbalizations and avatar actions. Players learned to take skilled linguistic action as they coordinated recurrent WoW gameplay activities (questing, planning next moves, traveling, learning a skill, etc.). Frequent activities matched Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) speaking proficiency descriptors, used widely in L2 teaching and learning (L2TL), providing evidence that players engaged in the types of communicative activities interaction-oriented classroom approaches develop. However, in the WoW context, interactions were not planned, but emerged as players dynamically directed the course of play. Furthermore, modalities of avatar-embodiment and conversing over Skype allowed players to flexibly integrate language and actions to co-act toward game goals, discuss non-game topics during play, or demonstrate comprehension with avatar actions alone, an affordance for less verbal players. This research builds on previous work (Zheng, Newgarden & Young, 2012) relating WoW’s multiplayer activities and L2 learners’ skilled linguistic actions. We refer to Chemero’s (2009) model of the animal-environment system to explain how L2 learners develop abilities to take skilled linguistic action by acting on affordances in WoW. The EDD framework presented may enable other researchers to account for more of the complexities involved in L2 learning in multimodal, multiplayer virtual environments.

Mobile Augmented Reality and Language‐Related Episodes

“…Digital games, when designed to fit this conceptualization of a task, may provide useful environments for social interaction and language learning (Purushotma, Thorne, & Wheatley, ; Reinhardt & Thorne, ). Learner interaction during game play has been documented in virtual worlds such as Second Life (Zheng, ), simulation games such as The Sims (Purushotma, ; Ranalli, ), and massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) such as World of Warcraft (WoW; Newgarden & Zheng, ; Rama, Black, Van Es, & Warschauer, ; Scholz & Schulze, ; Thorne, , ; Zheng, Newgarden, & Young, ). Much of this research looks at text‐based learner interactions and collaboration during game play.…”

Eco-dialogical learning and translanguaging in open-ended 3D virtual learning environments: Where place, time, and objects matter

“…Agents' perception is constantly being refined in any given ecological niche (Newgarden & Zheng, 2016;Reed, 1996;van Lier, 2006). With the recurrence of perception-action cycles, learners can detect the increasingly subtle and specific information that serves to further regulate behaviour.…”

“…The first and third authors coded the interactions separately and then discussed their analyses until reaching final agreement. This coding method has been used elsewhere (e.g., Newgarden & Zheng, 2016;Newgarden et al, 2015;Zheng, Dai, & Liu, in press;Zheng, Newgarden, & Young, 2012). We describe this highly grounded, contextualizing, and eco-dialogical theory-driven technique as abductive coding.…”

Digital natives and technology for L2 learning outside of the classroom

“…These learners are adolescents or adults who hold limited knowledge of ICT, and they are newcomers to education where they are exposed to the L2 through technologically enhanced input and output tasks (Izquierdo, Simard & Garza, 2015). These studies, for instance, illustrate that with this learner clientele language learning can be facilitated through the use of blogging (Hsu, 2016), mobile devices (Bikowski & Casal, 2018), multimedia (Izquierdo, 2014), technology-mediated environments (Hung & Higgins, 2016), virtual worlds (Newgarden & Zheng, 2016), and Web 2 technologies (Liu, Wang & Tai, 2016), to mention a few ICT examples.…”