Summary
Recent years, there has been an increasing interest in exploring web,
gaming and simulation technologies applied into second language
learning because a combination of and casual activities, rich visual
worlds and interesting narratives can be a very inherent motivation to
language acquisition.
This article is a summary of 5 research reports on computer-based or
game-based language learning programs. The first research report is
about a computer-based language learning program, while the other
four are all about game-based language learning program.
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The second research report is about English as a Foreign Language
program (EFL) in Second Life (SL), which is an online virtual learning
environment built by a three-dimensional modeling tool and allow users
to interact with each other through avatars. Participants of this research
are 20 American undergraduate students from multiple disciplines taking
an introductory course on computer skills and 6 Chinese full-time
sophomores majoring in English. The SL-EFL program provided the
participants with opportunities to interact with American students
synchronously online in SL for one hour each week, including virtual
tours in group and one-on-one with SL partners, small group discussion
and an one-on-one interview with the American partners and individual
presentations (Xiaoxue, Brendan, Susan & Mary, 2012). The result
showed that the SL-EFL program is effective in improving oral
communication abilities, pronunciation and intonation. SL provided a
platform for the Chinese students to have meaningful and authentic
interactions with American students, and when immersed themselves
into SL, the Chinese students are more active in speaking and their
speech was sustained for a longer period of time.
The third research report is about sustaining adult vocabulary learning
independently through computer game. The existing SIM 3 game is
selected as the platform to investigate the vocabulary learning among
EFL (English as a Foreign Language) adult learners in an independent
learning environment. The participants were three adult EFL learners
with
different
backgrounds.
Playing
session
observations,
semi-structured interviews, a self-report checklist, pre- and post-test and
vocabulary lists were used to collect extensive data. SIM 3 has different
levels and players need to complete one level before going to another
level. All the language within this game is English and it is also packed
with English words in different meaningful contexts that create an
authentic language-learning environment. Learners are exposed to
different types of vocabularies in every level of the game. However,
players need to plan the type of SIM environment they want and they
have control on their own Sim in activities and relationship in a similar
manner to real life, and the vocabularies learned by the learners were
depending on the type of environment they’ve created. The participants
played SIM 3 for two months, with no interruption and no limitation on
time or the number of games played at one time. Results showed that all
the learners held positive attitudes towards learning English through
computer games, and they did learn new vocabularies in meaningful
context (Nadzrah & Elaheh, 2013). Overall, the flexibility of SIM 3 as a
self-study tool compared with formal learning environment motivated
the learners to play more, and then successfully gained more new words
in English.
The target game being introduced in the fourth research report is
I-FLEG, a 3D language game designed for interactively learning French as
a second language. I-FLEG differs from other existing 3D approaches to
computer aided language learning in that it combines 3D technologies
with sophisticated, natural language generation techniques for
automatically producing learning material that is both varied and
adapted to the current context (Marilisa, Treveur, Alexandre, Claire &
Laura,2012). I-FLEG provides its users a free learning environment in that
it makes the learners to be free to explore the various learning context
and then choose and organize the unique learning process accordingly to
their specific needs. Learning through I-FLEG is situated and interactive
because the participants had the chance to interact with the virtual
world and the learning content depends on the current context of the
learner avatar. The whole playing process is a context-aware process.
Also, playing I-FLEG is a personalized learning process because the
learning content will be automatically tuned to the learner’s level and
then personalized feedback will be provided to learners with different
background knowledge and language proficiency.
The last research report is about an online language learning game,
which is called The “Language Trap”. It is designed as an online casual
education game for Irish secondary school students of German who are
preparing for their Leaving Certificate exams (taken in the final year of
secondary school), and it focuses on the prescribed role-play scenarios
that form part of the oral examinations (Neil & Vincent, 2010). It is via an
interactive dialogue system featuring synthesized speech that the
students take part in the role-playing adventure game to encounter
conversations, vocabulary and grammar relevant to their exams. The
major activity of this game is the conversation between the learner and
various NPCs (Non-Playing Character) in the game. Learner can choose
from a list of possible dialogues that range in difficulty and
appropriateness, which are rated by little stars. Learners can collect the
stars from the dialogue they choose, and they can use those stars to
trade for translations of difficult language expressions that they didn’t
know about, through which the practice of language expression is
encouraged. After the evaluation period, it showed that the mean score
of the learners from increased from pre-test to post-test and the game
was proven to be enjoyable for the students to play as well as to be of
significant educational benefit, which contain both direct improvement
on language learning performance and increased motivation on language
learning.
To sum up, these five research reports all present a positive attitude
toward computer-based or game-based language learning programs.
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