Game-Enhanced Simulation As an Approach to Experiential Learning in Business English
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Game-Enhanced Simulation as an Approach to Experiential Learning in Business English Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Punyalert, Sansanee Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 02/10/2021 17:04:50 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/625617 GAME-ENHANCED SIMULATION AS AN APPROACH TO EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN BUSINESS ENGLISH by Sansanee Punyalert __________________________ Copyright © Sansanee Punyalert 2017 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the GRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND TEACHING In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2017 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Sansanee Punyalert, titled Game-enhanced Simulation as an Approach to Experiential Learning in Business English and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ______________________________________________________ Date: 10/06/17 Chantelle Warner _______________________________________________________ Date: 10/06/17 Beatrice Dupuy _______________________________________________________ Date: 10/06/17 Jonathon Reinhardt Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________________ Date: 10/06/17 Dissertation Director: Chantelle Warner 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: Sansanee Punyalert 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am incredibly indebted to so many people for the completion of this dissertation. First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my committee members. I owe so much to Dr. Chantelle Warner, my dissertation chair, advisor, great supporter and wonderful teacher in this challenging and rewarding journey. It was she who brought me new knowledge and broadened my views as a language teacher, educator and researcher. Chantelle, thank you for your inspiration, dedication, kindness, constant support, and invaluable time and assistance throughout the dissertation stages as well as the comprehensive exams. Your support and kindness have meant so much to me, and my appreciation to you is beyond words. In addition, I acknowledge the valuable time, guidance, and encouragement of Drs. Beatrice Dupuy and Jonathon Reinhardt, who participated during the entire process of my dissertation as committee members. I was always inspired by their openness and dedication to learn and develop new ideas for language education. These are crucial characteristics of great teachers and academics. I am extremely grateful to all of these TEACHERS, and it has been a great honor to work with them. I am also indebted to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), in Thailand, where I was honored to be one of the recipients of a full PhD scholarship for my five-year studies in the SLAT program at the University of Arizona. Thank you for your generous support of my lifelong dream to pursue a doctoral degree, and for helping to make my dream a reality. In repaying your generosity and support, I am committed to my instruction and work at UTCC, to our students, and to the field of language education in the country. I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues in the United States and in Thailand for their support, kindness, and friendship throughout my doctoral studies and journey. A 5 special thanks goes to Lucy Ritter for her hugs, encouragement and friendship over the years in Tucson. Finally, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my family for their unconditional love and support. Their love has been the greatest inspiration for me to do good deeds and move forward in life. I love all of you so very much. Thank you. 6 Table of Contents List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... 9 List of Tables .......................................................................................................................... 10 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER 1 .......................................................................................................................... 13 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 13 New Literacy and Multiple Literacies ........................................................................ 14 Experiential Learning in the L2 Classroom ................................................................ 16 Global Simulation ....................................................................................................... 19 Goal of the Dissertation .............................................................................................. 22 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 22 Chapter Overview ....................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 2 Learning Business English in Thailand: Contextual Background of the Study ................................................................................................................................................. 25 English Language Teaching in Thailand .................................................................... 25 Business Smart ........................................................................................................... 28 Business English at the University ............................................................................. 30 Towards Applied Business English ............................................................................ 37 CHAPTER 3 Literature Review: Business English Simulations for Experiential Learning ................................................................................................................................................. 40 Aspects of Teaching Business English ....................................................................... 40 Global Simulation ....................................................................................................... 45 Game-Enhanced Language Learning .......................................................................... 47 Features of Simulation Games ........................................................................ 48 Goal Orientation and Feedback Mechanisms in Games ................................. 50 7 Situated Learning in Games ........................................................................... 51 Video Gaming and Identity ............................................................................ 52 Game-mediated interactions ........................................................................... 53 CHAPTER 4 The Pedagogical Affordances of Game-enhanced Simulation …….................. 56 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 56 Simulating Business .................................................................................................... 58 A Summary of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum (RCT3) ............................. 59 The Global Simulation: Roleplaying Tasks .................................................... 62 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 64 Ludology vs. Narratology: the Debate ............................................................ 64 Ludology and Narratology: An Integrated Model .......................................... 67 Methods ...................................................................................................................... 71 Findings ...................................................................................................................... 73 An Overview of Learners’ General Preferences and Experiences in Video Gaming .........................................................................................................