Butler, Y. (2015). The use of computer games as foreign language learning tasks for digital natives. System, 54, 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.10.010
In this article, Butler discusses the necessary play and learning elements for effective implementation of digital games in a foreign language classroom context. The methodological approach employed in her study is unique in the field of Second Language Acquisition. Answering Pinter’s call for research design that incorporates the views of its subjects (Pinter 2014), Butler and her team conducted research not on but with the selected students. 82 sixth-graders ranging from 11 to 12 years of age of Japanese L1 origin were asked to design a digital game for learning vocabulary on a computer-based platform in the English L2. Before expounding upon the structure of the research design, Butler outlines previous scholarly inquiries on the effectiveness of learning with digital game-based tools. Identified by Prensky in a 2001 study, Butler summarizes six common structural elements of digital games that stimulate interest in the player, including a clearly defined set of rules, goals and objectives, instantaneous feedback including sound and visual elements that indicate success or failure, a source of conflict that is to be resolved through game play, social interaction with either artificial intelligence or other players and the representation of overarching themes and stories. Among these six aforementioned criteria, L2 language learners also stress that second and foreign language learning with digital games grants them a greater sense of autonomy, motivation and understanding of complex subjects (Garris, Ahlers & Driskell 2002). In conjunction with these prior findings, Butler and her team designed a 5-step process which include identification of both attractive and effective learning components for vocabulary acquisition, group game design (5-6 students per group) that included the aid of a professional game designer who demonstrated a storyboarding method, a presentation and evaluation period in which each group critiqued the work of their peers and the fabrication of the game itself completed by the research team and game designer followed by a second assessment of the games based on the total game play attractiveness and learning effectiveness by younger students.
As indicated in the conclusion of the article, Butler distinguishes various discrepancies within the game-design process that warrant further consideration. The first was the lack of social interaction coded into the children’s games, whereas this element was indicated in step 1 of the study as highly attractive. To explain this finding, the researcher notes both the general difficulty of incorporating a collaborative component in the students’ first attempt in game play design and a possible influence from previous individual-based vocabulary instruction. For second and foreign language researchers looking to apply computer-mediated collaborative game play, an additional research step should be added to familiarize students with this specific communal functionality. Attempting to harness the computer-mediated social aspects of digital game play in second and foreign language classroom will also help interested parties, either researchers or pedagogues, unravel the perceived binary between human versus human and human versus machine by introducing a third variable: human with machine and its various interactive contexts through screen mediation. It is also intriguing to note the lack of competition within the children’s game designs although it was also indicated as an attractive design feature. Butler preemptively links this curious discovery to the subjects’ perception of language learning, which may not include the need for competition. This article is a useful resource for those considering digital game implementation in the second and foreign language classroom. Although Butler’s findings do not include a quantitative data analysis on the effectiveness on vocabulary learning with digital games in comparison to non-digital tools, her conclusions do point to a growing field of promising research on the topic.
References
Garris, R., Ahlers, R., & Driskell, J. E. (2002). Games, motivation, and learning: a research and practice model. Simulation & Gaming, 33, 441e467.
Pinter, A. (2014). Child participant roles in applied linguistics research. Applied Linguistics, 35, 168e183.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game-based learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.