Cornillie, F., Clarebout, G., & Desmet, P. (2012). The role of feedback in foreign language learning through digital role playing games. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 34(C), 49–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.02.011
In this article, Cornillie, Clarebout and Desmet survey the possible cognitive effects of digital game-based feedback in a foreign language classroom context. Focusing on role-playing games (RPGs) in which narrative elements are punctuated with in-game exploration, language learners encounter a highly-motivating immersive environment where rewards, either character experience points or collectable items, are issued for successful completion of quests. The authors argue for the implementation of RPGs in the second and foreign language classroom due in part to reading comprehension that is needed in order to progress through the game. However, they do point out the fact that commercial RPGs, ones that are not designed specifically for language learners, could possibly lead to cognitive strain for L2 learners (DeHaan 2005). Yet, they contend that the overall genre of the RPG can be effectively harnessed in the L2 classroom due to the multifaceted reward and feedback mechanisms that can seize the L2 learner’s attention to language form, promoting acquisition. In an overview of corrective feedback within previous SLA studies, the authors highlight recent evidence that shows how the explicit systems associated with conscious processes or “learning” are linked to implicit notions of “acquisition” through both comprehensible input and interactive output in the L2. One type of corrective feedback that digital games can foster through enhanced noticing in gameplay is that of recast through its use of metalinguistic prompts that appear on screen. Additionally, the authors outline four instructional approaches to digital game-mediated feedback organized into during and after categories: the first is a focus on meaning for both stages of game play, the second a focus on meaning while playing with attention raising sessions afterwards, the third a focus-on-form approach during the entirety of the game, the fourth a form-focused strategy that is embedded into the RPG environment. Some game design approaches are deemed more effective than others, for example focusing entirely on meaning may lead to problematic fossilization of language structures and noticing sessions designed after game play may inhibit meaningful mapping of vocabulary and structures that can be more strongly cultivated during play. Overall, feedback has been determined to be a key element for L2 digital game design (Sykes 2008), yet a method that does not compromise the in-game experience and leads to improvement in learning objectives has yet to be conceived.
In the conclusion of the article, the three authors underscore that corrective feedback is not the only game-design element up for consideration. Instead, they posit that effective feedback is ultimately determined through the L2 learner’s perception of said feedback. While this study does include references to research conducted on the role of feedback in digital game environments, the four distinctions that they make reference to do not have much, if any data, to draw upon. One point that could be elaborated in more detail is the role of the L2 learners’ attention during gameplay. Bringing in previous scholarship on the effectiveness of digital games on capturing the attention of its players, and what elements contribute to enhanced attention, could improve this study of feedback within RPGs. Another element within the domain of feedback that would lead to a richer analysis of digital game and play is that of negotiation for meaning. While the authors briefly mention this in their fourth instructional strategy, it would be interesting to see how communicative tasks in RPGs can be tailored for negotiated L2 language output. The collaborative aspect of feedback, especially in the online RPG scenario that they suggest, is thought-provoking; however, understanding the role of feedback is intimately tried to L2 player motivation and for this reason desirable game elements, such as competition and clear rule and objectives, must be intimately balanced with effective learning strategies, which may include feedback.