The potential linguistic and motivational benefits of digital games are being increasingly recognised. The extent to which any such benefits are related to learners' language proficiency levels has, however, been less frequently explored. To have real inclusive value in the context of early secondary school-based learning, where learners may be taught in fairly mixed-proficiency groups, a digital game should meet the needs of a wide range of learners. By investigating which aspects of motivation digital games can induce, and whether and how they can benefit all learners, this presentation aims to provide insights into what may make digital games more or less beneficial and how their use might need to be adapted for different groups of learners.
This study draws on a European project in which a digital game was developed in six different languages. In this presentation, data from 39 lower proficiency learners of German in England (age 12-15) are presented. The data were analysed to investigate whether playing the game led to vocabulary learning, and the extent to which the game met the motivational needs of the learners, using Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) as a framework. Any relationship between vocabulary gains and how motivating learners found the game was also explored. Finally, whether these results were related to learners' self-assessed proficiency level was also examined.
Learners were asked to complete, in class, a vocabulary pre-test, in which their knowledge of 30 target items in German that featured in the game was assessed. They then played the game individually in another lesson. After the game, they were assessed on the same vocabulary items, and completed a questionnaire on their experiences of playing the game. This consisted of 20 Likert-scale items, addressing the satisfaction of psychological needs (Deci & Ryan, 2000), namely sense of competence, autonomy and relatedness. In addition, items were created to assess sense of 'flow' (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), how helpful the game was perceived to be for language learning, and how much value learners could see in playing it. Finally, learners were asked to rate their own proficiency in speaking, reading, writing and listening in German. A composite 'overall language proficiency' scale was then created.
Preliminary analyses indicate that the game was most successful in instilling a sense of 'flow' but least successful in addressing 'relatedness'. Gains in vocabulary knowledge were significantly related to learners' overall positivity towards the game. There was also a moderately strong, positive relationship between self-ratings of proficiency and the majority of motivational scales. This indicates that games of this kind may appeal more to learners who rate their language proficiency more highly. The implications of these findings for game design and how teachers scaffold their use so that they are beneficial for all learners will be discussed.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Journal of Leisure Research, 24, 93–94
Deci, E.L. and R.M. Ryan. 2000. The 'what' and 'why' of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry 11, 227–68.
