Technology-Enhanced Educational Games in EFL Settings: The Case of English Speaking

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors
Urmia University
Abstract
In spite of the potential merit of technology-enhanced education in offering an innovative educational game in the arena of English teaching and learning, they have not garnered much momentum in terms of practical research, particularly in ELT speaking domain and their potential role in the Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic eras. This constitutes a substantial gap in the extant corpus of literature, which will be addressed in the current study by exploring the short- and long-term impacts of immersive virtual reality and space team ESL games on the speaking abilities of Iranian EFL learners. To this light, 54 basic EFL students from private language institutions in Urmia were selected through convenience sampling and an intact group design. Three classes were randomly exposed to two treatments, encompassing virtual reality, space team, and a control group receiving traditional instruction. The participants were pre-tested with the IELTS speaking test before receiving the treatment, and the same instrument was utilized for post-tests and delayed post-tests. In contrast to the traditional group, the results demonstrated that both immersive virtual reality and space team games enhanced students' short- and long-term oral performance. The findings of this study could be well-regarded as an important proposal for considering game-based instruction as an integral component of ELT classrooms and a technique for promoting language proficiency in non-native contexts.In spite of the potential merit of technology-enhanced education in offering an innovative educational game in the arena of English teaching and learning, they have not garnered much momentum in terms of practical research, particularly in ELT speaking domain and their potential role in the Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic eras. This constitutes a substantial gap in the extant corpus of literature, which will be addressed in the current study by exploring the short- and long-term impacts of immersive virtual reality and space team ESL games on the speaking abilities of Iranian EFL learners. To this light, 54 basic EFL students from private language institutions in Urmia were selected through convenience sampling and an intact group design. Three classes were randomly exposed to two treatments, encompassing virtual reality, space team, and a control group receiving traditional instruction. The participants were pre-tested with the IELTS speaking test before receiving the treatment, and the same instrument was utilized for post-tests and delayed post-tests. In contrast to the traditional group, the results demonstrated that both immersive virtual reality and space team games enhanced students' short- and long-term oral performance. The findings of this study could be well-regarded as an important proposal for considering game-based instruction as an integral component of ELT classrooms and a technique for promoting language proficiency in non-native contexts.

Keywords

Subjects


Aboraya, W. A., & Elkot, M. A. (2020). The effect of a flipped learning pedagogical model enhanced with a Mobile application on students' performance and motivation. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 9(07), 50-56. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343794641
Abidin, H. Z., & Zaman, F. K. (2017, November 9-10). Students' perceptions on game-based classroom response system in a computer programming course [Paper Presentation]. The 9th International Conference on Engineering Education, Kanazawa, Japan. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEED.2017.8251203
Alfadil, M. (2020). Effectiveness of virtual reality game in foreign language vocabulary acquisition. Computers & Education, 153, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103893
Alwafi, G. A., Almalki, S., Alrougi, M., Meccawy, M., & Meccawy, Z. (2022). A social virtual reality mobile application for learning and practicing English. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (IJIM), 16(9), 55–75. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i09.28289
Al-Zahrani, A. S. (2015). Smartphones wandering at the mall: A case study investigating the use of smartphones on English oral learning skills in a collaborative mobile-assisted language learning environment [Doctoral Thesis, Northern Illinois University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/openview
Ashraf, H., Motlagh, F. G., & Salami, M. (2014). The impact of online games on learning English vocabulary by Iranian (low-intermediate) EFL learners. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 286-291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.418
Asratie, M. G., Wale, B. D., & Aylet, Y. T. (2023). Effects of using educational technology tools to enhance EFL students' speaking performance. Education and Information Technologies, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11562-y
Bakhshayesh, M., Jafarpour, A., & Hashemian, M. (2023). Relationship among critical thinking, multiple intelligence, and Iranian EFL learners' speaking skill. Language Teaching Research, 12(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221144718
Barcomb, M., Grimshaw, J., & Cardoso, W. (2018). Instructors as MALL engineers: adapting, modifying, and creating mobile materials for listening practice. In P. Taalas, J. Jalkanen, L. Bradley, & S. Thouësny (Eds.), Future-proof CALL: language learning as exploration and encounters–short papers from EUROCALL (pp. 11-15). Research Publishing Net. http://dx.doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2018.26.805
Baydas, O., & Cicek, M. (2019). The examination of the gamification process in undergraduate education: A scale development study. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 28(3), 269-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2019.1580609
Bicen, H., & Kocakoyun, S. (2018). Perceptions of students for gamification approach: Kahoot as a case study. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 13(2), 72-93. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i02.7467
Bolívar-Chávez, O.-E., Paredes-Labra, J., Palma-García, Y.-V., & Mendieta-Torres, Y.-A. (2021). Educational technologies and their application to music education: An action-research studying an Ecuadorian university. Mathematics, 9(4), 1–13. https://doi. org/10. 3390/ math9 040412
Boonmoh, A., Jumpakate, T., & Karpklon, S. (2022). A close look at the use of technology by Thai teachers in secondary EFL classrooms. Computer Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal (CALL-EJ), 23(1), 78-107.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn. National Academy Press. https://www.scirp.org/(S(i43dyn45
Carrillo, C., & Flores, M. A. (2020). COVID-19 and teacher education: A literature review of online teaching and learning practices. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 466-487. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1821184
Chen, Y. (2022). The effect of using a game-based translation learning app on enhancing college EFL learners' motivation and learning experience. Education and Information Technologies, 28, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11174-6
Chen, Y. L., & Hsu, C. C. (2020). Self-regulated mobile game-based English learning in a virtual reality environment. Computers & Education, 154, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103910
Condie, R. & Munro, R. K. (2007). The impact of ICT in schools, a landscape review, Becta. British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA). <http://publications.becta.org.uk> Retrieved 10.07.08.
Davari, H. (2013). English language teaching and linguistic imperialism. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. https://www.amazon.com/
De Lorenzis, F., Pratticò, F. G., Repetto, M., Pons, E., & Lamberti, F. (2023). Immersive Virtual reality for procedural training: Comparing traditional and learning by teaching approaches. Computers in Industry, 144(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2022.103785
DeHaan, J., Reed, W. M., & Kuwanda, K. (2010). The effect of interactivity with a music video game on second language vocabulary recall. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2), 74-94. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ895974
Douglas, K. H., Wojcik, B. W., & Thompson, J. R. (2012). Is there an app for that? Journal of Special Education Technology, 27(2), 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/016264341202700206
Donmus, V. (2010). The use of social networks in educational computer-game based foreign language learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 1497-1503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.355
Dunleavy, G., Nikolaou, C. K., Nifakos, S., Atun, R., Law, G. C. Y., & Car, L. T. (2019). Mobile digital education for health professions: Systematic review and meta-analysis by the digital health education collaboration. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(2), e12937. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/12937
Flores, M. A., & Gago, M. (2020). Teacher education in times of COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal: National, institutional and pedagogical responses. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4), 507-516. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1799709
Girard, C., Ecalle, J., & Magnan, A. (2013). Serious games as new educational tools: How effective are they? A meta‐analysis of recent studies. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(3), 207-219. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2012. 00489.x
Gruber, A., & Kaplan-Rakowski, R. (2022). The impact of high-immersion virtual reality on foreign language anxiety when speaking in public. SSRN. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3882215
Hartshorn, K. J., & McMurry, B. L. (2020). The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ESL learners and TESOL practitioners in the United States. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(2), 140–157. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2020.09.11
Huang, H.-M., Rauch, U., & Liaw, S.-S. (2010). Investigating learners' attitudes toward virtual reality learning environments: Based on a constructivist approach. Computers & Education, 55(3), 1171-1182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu. 2010.05.014
Huizenga, J., Admiraal, W., Akkerman, S., & Dam, G. T. (2009). Mobile game‐based learning in secondary education: Engagement, motivation and learning in a mobile city game. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25(4), 332-344. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00316.x
Hung, H. T., Yang, J. C., Hwang, G. J., Chu, H. C., & Wang, C. C. (2018). A scoping review of research on digital game-based language learning. Computers & Education, 126, 89-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.07.001
Hwang, W. Y., Shih, T. K., Ma, Z. H., Shadiev, R., & Chen, S. Y. (2016). Evaluating listening and speaking skills in a mobile game-based learning environment with situational contexts. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(4), 639-657. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2015.1016438
Ishaq, K., Rosdi, F., Zin, N. A. M., & Abid, A. (2022). Serious game design model for language learning in the cultural context. Education and Information Technologies, 27(7), 1-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10999-5
Jenkins, J. (2006). Current perspectives on teaching world Englishes and English as a lingua franca. TESOL quarterly, 40(1), 157-181. https://doi.org/10.2307/40264515
Jindapitak, N., Teo, A., & Savski, K. (2022). Bringing Global Englishes to the ELT classroom: English language learners' reflections. Asian Englishes, 24(3), 279-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.2033910
Joseph, S., & Uther, M. (2006). Mobile language learning with multimedia and multi-modal interfaces [Paper Presentation]. Fourth IEEE International Workshop on Wireless, Mobile and Ubiquitous Technology in Education (WMTE'06). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/WMTE.2006.261359
Kessler, G. (2018). Technology and the future of language teaching. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 205-218. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12318
Khodabandeh, F. (2022). Exploring the applicability of virtual reality-enhanced education on extrovert and introvert EFL learners' paragraph writing. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00334-w
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2013). Re-skilling language learners for a mobile world. The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF). https://www.tirfonline.org/resource
Liguori, E., & Winkler, C. (2020). From offline to online: Challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship education following the COVID- 19 pandemic. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 3(4), 346-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515127420916738
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin Press.
McKay, S. L. (2002). Teaching English as an international language: Rethinking goals and perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press.
Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. US Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf
Mishra, S. K., Mishra, P. (2020). Functional aspects of communication skills for professional empowerment. Journal of English Language and Literature (JOELL), 7(1), 79–85. https://doi.org/10.333329/joell.7.1.79
Momeni, A. (2022). Online assessment in times of COVID-19 lockdown: Iranian EFL teachers' perceptions. International Journal of Language Testing, 12(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijlt.2022.157122
Moutinho, A., & Sá, S. (2018, June). Implementing active learning through pedagogical coaching in Control Systems lectures [Paper Presentation]. Third international conference of the Portuguese society for engineering education (CISPEE). IEEE. http://doi.org/10.1109/CISPEE.2018.8593470
Prensky, M. (2001). Fun, play and games: What makes games engaging? Digital Game-Based Learning, 5(1), 5-31. https://marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Game-Based%20Learning-Ch5.pdf
Quezada, R. L., Talbot, C., & Quezada-Parker, K. B. (2020). From bricks and mortar to remote teaching: A teacher education programmeʼs response to COVID-19. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4), 472-483. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.18 01330
Rahimi, M., & Fathi, J. (2022). Employing e-tandem language learning method to enhance speaking skills and willingness to communicate: the case of EFL learners. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(2), 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2064512
Reinders, H., & Wattana S. (2012). Talk to me! Games and students' willingness to communicate, in digital games in language learning and teaching. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 156-188. http://doi.org/10.1057/9781137005267_9
Sadler, R. W., & Dooly, M. (2013). Language learning in virtual worlds: Research and practice. In M. Thomas, H. Reinders, & M. Warschauer (Eds.), Contemporary computer-assisted language learning (159-182). Bloomsbury Academic.
Sadeghpour, M., & D’Angelo, J. (2022). World Englishes and 'Global Englishes': competing or complementary paradigms? Asian Englishes, 24(2), 211-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.2076368
Saha, S. K., & Singh, S. (2021). Investigating the Development of Speaking Skill through Language Games in Technologically Underequipped EFL Classroom. MEXTESOL Journal, 45(3), 1-15.
Sandberg, J., Maris, M. & De Geus, K. (2011). Mobile English learning: An evidence-based study with fifth graders. Computers & Education, 57(1), 1334-1347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.01.015
Seidlhofer, B. (2001). Closing a conceptual gap: The case for a description of English as a lingua franca. International journal of applied linguistics, 11(2), 133-158. https://doi.org/10.1111/1473-4192.00011
Shin, N., Stevens, S. Y., & Krajcik, J. (2010). Tracking student learning over time using construct-centred design (Eds.). In S. Rodrigues, Using analytical frameworks for classroom research (pp. 56-76). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203857991
Su, C. H., & Cheng, C. H. (2015). A mobile gamification learning system for improving the learning motivation and achievements. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 31(3), 268-286. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12088
Su, F., & Zou, D. (2020). Technology-enhanced collaborative language learning: theoretical foundations, technologies, and implications. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1831545
Sudarmilah, E., Irsyadi, F. Y. A., Purworini, D., Fatmawati, A., Haryanti, Y., Santoso, B., Bakhtiar, D. N., & Ustia, N. (2020, April). Improving knowledge about Indonesian culture with augmented reality gamification [Paper Presentation]. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/830/3/032024
Sutherland, L., Shin, N., & McCall. K. (2010). Integrating science inquiry, literacy, technology, and universal design for learning to enhance middle school students' opportunities to learn science [Paper Presentation]. The Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. Philadelphia, PA. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-2-8-17
Talan, T. (2020). The effect of mobile learning on learning performance: A meta-analysis study. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 20(1), 79-103. http://dx.doi.org/10.12738/jestp.2020.1.006
Thorne, S. L., & Hellermann, J. (2017). Mobile augmented reality: Hyper contextualization and situated language usage events [Paper Presentation]. Proceedings of the XVIII International CALL Conference: CALL in Context. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/wll_fac
Trelease, R. B. (2015). Essential e-learning and m-learning methods for teaching anatomy. In L., Chan, W. Pawlina, (Eds), Teaching anatomy (pp. 247-258). Springer. http://10.1007/978-3-319-08930-0_28
Turnbull, D., Chugh, R., & Luck, J. (2021). Transitioning to e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: How have higher education institutions responded to the challenge? Education and Information Technologies, 26(5), 6401-6419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10633-w
Uberman, A. (1998). The use of games for vocabulary presentation and revision. The Forum, 36(1), 20-27.
Viberg, O. & Grönlund, A. (2013). Cross-cultural analysis of users' attitudes toward the use of mobile devices in second and foreign language learning in higher education: A case from Sweden and China. Computers & Education, 69, 169-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.07.014
Wang, G., Zhang, Y., Zhao, J., Zhang, J., & Jiang, F. (2020). Mitigate the effects of home confinement on children during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet, 395(10228), 945-947. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140- 6736(20)30547-X
Wang, J., Mendori, T., & Xiong, J. (2014). A language learning support system using course-centered ontology and its evaluation. Computers & Education, 78, 278-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.06.009
Wilson, D. (2020). Project zero classrooms. Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ppe/progr am/project-zero-classroom
Xu, C., & Zhai, Y. (2022). Design of a computer aided system for self-learning vocal music singing with the help of mobile streaming media technology. Computer-Aided Design & Applications, 19(S3), 119–129. https://doi.org/10.14733/ cadaps.2022.S3.119- 129
Zhang, R., & Zou, D. (2022). Types, purposes, and effectiveness of state-of-the-art technologies for second and foreign language learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(4), 696-742. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020. 1744666
Zou, D., Huang, Y., & Xie, H. (2021). Digital game-based vocabulary learning: Where are we and where are we going? Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(5-6), 751-777. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1640745

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 13 July 2025