Speech-enabled card games for incidental vocabulary acquisition in a foreign language

Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel application for speech technology to aid students with vocabulary acquisition in a foreign language through interactive card games. We describe a generic platform for card game development and then introduce a particular prototype card game called Word War, designed for learning Mandarin Chinese. We assess the feasibility of deploying Word War via the Internet by conducting our first user study remotely and evaluating the performance of the speech recognition component. It was found that the three central concepts in our system were recognized with an error rate of 16.02%. We then turn to assessing the effects of the Word War game on vocabulary retention in a controlled environment. To this end, we performed a user study using two variants of the Word War game: a speaking mode, in which the user issues spoken commands to manipulate the game cards, and a listening mode, in which the computer gives spoken directions that the students must follow by manipulating the cards manually with the mouse. These two modes of learning were compared against a more traditional computer assisted vocabulary learning system: an on-line flash cards program. To assess long term learning gains as a function of time-on-task, we had the students interact with each system twice over a period of three weeks. We found that all three systems were competitive in terms of the vocabulary words learned as measured by pre-tests and post-tests, with less than a 5% difference among the systems' average overall learning gains. We also conducted surveys, which indicated that the students enjoyed the speaking mode of Word War more than the other two systems.

Active Learning: Qualitative Inquiries Into Vocabulary Instruction in Chinese L2 Classrooms

“…One group of studies investigated using orthographic knowledge to increase students' awareness of semantic and phonetic radicals so that they could more effectively identify sound and graphic patterns among characters and make meaningful connections among the sound, shape, and meaning of a character and between characters (Chen et al, 2013;Shei & Hsieh, 2012;Tsai, Kuo, & Horng, 2012;Xu & Padilla, 2013). Another group of studies examined whether using different encoding strategies and practice activities across different linguistic modes (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) to introduce new words could facilitate memorization (Chung, 2002;McGraw, Yoshimoto, & Seneff, 2009;Shen, 2004Shen, , 2010Xu, Li, Zhang, & Perfetti, 2013). However, none of these studies has purposefully examined the SMAs that are specifically designed to help learners develop breadth and depth of vocabulary through an active learning lens and from students' perspectives.…”

Research on the Influence of Computer Hypermedia Annotations on Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition in English Reading

“…The term "incidental acquisition" first appeared in the papers on experimental psychology in the early 20 th century [3].Some scholars hold that incidental vocabulary acquisition is different from purposeful learning (e.g. the purposeful memorization of words by reciting word lists, doing vocabulary exercises, and so on.…”

Incidental Lexicon Acquisition through Playful Interaction

“…One of them is "Word War", a game created to teach Mandarin Chinese vocabulary to students. It was compared to the traditional methods of using flash cards for vocabulary acquisition, and not only was perceived by users as more enjoyable, but also performed on par with flash cards in terms of long term retention of the learned words [6]. Unfortunately, most such games are of poor production quality and would not hold against commercial products in terms of entertainment [7].…”