Communicative Competence and Writing( Dissertation 全文 )
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Game-Based Language Learning in ESL Classrooms: Effective Interventions and Influences on Students’ Vocabulary Title Acquisition, Communicative Competence and Writing( Dissertation_全文 ) Author(s) Wang, Qiao Citation 京都大学 Issue Date 2020-03-23 URL https://doi.org/10.14989/doctor.k22538 Right 許諾条件により本文は2020-12-31に公開 Type Thesis or Dissertation Textversion ETD Kyoto University Game-Based Language Learning in ESL Classrooms: Effective Interventions and Influences on Students’ Vocabulary Acquisition, Communicative Competence and Writing Wang Qiao Abstract The role of games is widely investigated in language learning and an increasing number of practitioner-researchers are exploring ways to incorporate games into language classrooms to secure both higher student motivation and satisfactory learning outcomes. In this study, the researcher conducted three mixed-method studies with a stand-alone digital simulation game, The Sims 4, and focused on different aspects of language skills with iterated classroom interventions involving university students in Japan and China. In the first study, the researcher started with a controlled experiment on classroom intervention that could help integrate the game into an ESL class focused on daily vocabulary for communication. The study targeted receptive knowledge of vocabulary, evaluating how certain classroom interventions could influence receptive knowledge of game vocabulary. Results showed that teacher instruction, appropriate gameplay tasks and presentational activities facilitated the acquisition of lexical items in the game, while peer interaction made little contribution as students barely communicated in English and topics for communication were overwhelmingly focused on gameplay techniques, rather than on game vocabulary. Based on results from the first study, in the second study the researcher changed peer interaction from mandatory to voluntary, allowing more time for other forms of classroom intervention. The second study continued with receptive vocabulary knowledge and went further to explore how the classroom-situated GBLL would influence students’ communicative competence. The students presented their gameplay episodes in class and answered questions from the audience. Their communicative competence was evaluated in accordance with a rubric specifically designed for the class, including three major metrics of fluency, interaction and content. Results reaffirmed the positive influence of GBLL on vocabulary acquisition and suggested that the GBLL class contributed most to content in presentational activities while interaction was limited to teacher-student communication. In addition, fluency showed little improvement, which the students attributed to the lack of preparation and explicit instruction on how to speak fluently. The third study is a single-participant experiment, where the researcher added writing tasks into the classroom and ensured ample interaction for the subject. Through this experiment, the researcher explored how GBLL would influence student writing and how writing as a scaffold would influence communicative competence. The study concluded that the student i was able to use game vocabulary in writing and retainment rate of such vocabulary was satisfactory. In addition, with better preparation and more interaction opportunities, the student developed enormously in interaction and in content during communicative activities, albeit showing less progress in fluency. Apart from receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge and writing and speaking skills investigated in this research, the findings of the studies suggest that games in classrooms can benefit other language skills as well, such as reading and listening. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of the classroom teacher who plays a pivotal role in selecting appropriate games and designing targeted intervention, activities and evaluation methods. In future studies, the researcher proposes to extend the scope of this research to include the meta- game environment, including gaming communities such as online discussion fora and social network sites, as well as game streaming platforms as arenas for out-of-class activities that complement classroom-incorporated GBLL. ii 要約 言語学習におけるゲームの役割は広く研究されており、学生のモチベーション と学習成果の両方を確保するために、語学教育にゲームを取り入れる方法を模索し ている実践研究者（Practitioner-researchers）が増えている。この文章では、研究者が スタンドアロン型シミュレーションゲーム「The Sims 4」を用いて混合研究法による 3 つの研究を実施し、言語スキルのいくつかの側面に焦点を合わせて日本と中国の 大学生を対象とした教室において教育介入方法の反復改善を行った。 最初の研究は、日常会話の語彙の学習に特化した ESL 教室（第二言語としての 英語教室）にゲームを取り入れるための教育介入方法の対照実験から始まった。こ の研究は語彙の受容的知識を対象として、特定の教育介入方法によって学生のゲー ムの語彙に関する受容的知識がどう影響されるかを評価した。研究の結果は、教師 の指導、ゲームプレイの適切なタスクおよび発表活動はゲーム内語彙の習得を促進 する効果があったが、ピア・インテラクション（学習者同士のやりとり）の効果は 薄かったことを示した。そのような結果に至ったのは、学生らがほとんど英語で交 流せず、交流があってもゲーム内語彙より圧倒的にゲームプレイのテクニックのほ うを中心としていたからである。最初の研究の結果に基づいて研究者は第二の研究 を行った。この研究では、ピア・インテラクションを強制せずに、他の介入方法の 実施により多くの時間を割り当てていた。第二の研究は継続して語彙の受容的知識 を対象として、教室内の GBLL(ゲームベースの言語学習)によって学生のコミュニケ ーション能力がどう影響されるかについて更に深い探究をした。学生らはクラスで ゲームプレイのエピソードについて発表し、質疑応答もしていた。そして流暢さ、 やりとりのスキルおよび発表内容など 3 つの指標を含めてクラスごとに設けられた ルーブリックによって学生らのコミュニケーション能力が評価された。その結果、 GBLL による語彙習得のプラス効果が再確認された。具体的な結論として、GBLL の教 室は発表の内容に最も貢献があるが、教室でのやりとりは教師と学生の間に限定さ れていた。また、流暢さに英語で話せるための準備と明確的な指導が足りないため、 流暢さの改善はほとんど見えていなかった。第三の研究は単一被験者法を用いた。 被験者の十分なやりとりを確保するために、教室にライティングタスクを加えた。 iii この実験では、GBLL によって学生のライティングスキルがどう影響されるか、足が かりとしてのライティングスキルによって学生のコミュニケーション能力がどう変 わるかを研究した。研究の結果によって、学生らがゲーム内語彙をライティングに 生かすことができることと習得した語彙の定着率が良好であることがわかった。さ らに、より良く準備させてやりとりのチャンスをより多く与えたため、コミュニケ ーション活動では、学生らのやりとりと内容面におけるパフォーマンスは大幅な進 歩を見せたが、流暢さの進歩は少なかった。 語彙の受容的知識や発表的知識、ライティングスキルおよび会話スキル以外に、 前述の研究によって教室にゲームを取り入れることで読解や聴解など他の語学スキ ルの習得にも役立つことがわかった。さらに、前述の研究結果によって、適切なゲ ームを選別した上、介入方法や教室活動、評価手法の設計も行って中枢のような役 割を果たす教師の重要性が強調されている。将来の研究について、研究者は今まで の研究の範囲を拡大してメタゲーム環境を整備しようとしている。例えば、オンラ インディスカッションや SNS などゲームプレイコミュニティを取り入れ、教室内の GBLL を補完するための教室外活動の場としてゲームストリーミングプラットフォー ムも加えるなどが考えられる。 iv Acknowledgement I would like to first thank every student who participated in and contributed to my research and subsequently to this thesis. My thanks also go to the teachers who acted as evaluators in assessing the students’ communicative competence and the China-based language institution Elixir English for providing facilities in the third study of this thesis. Without them, I would not have completed this coherent series of studies on game-based language learning. I owe my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Mark Peterson, for his enormous support and kind help throughout my Ph.D. research. Professor Peterson helped recruit participants for my studies and offered very constructive feedback on my research design. Under his guidance, I was able to publish my studies in relevant journals and present my research to a larger audience. In particular, I really appreciate the light-hearted conversations with Prof. Peterson, as they gave me motivation and the courage to push forward with my research and Ph.D. study. He is both a mentor and a friend to me, the most one can expect from a supervisor. My gratitude also extends to the Nishimura Financial Foundation, for providing me with its scholarship for overseas students throughout my Ph.D. years. I sincerely hope that my research would contribute to the cultural exchange between Japan and China, as is the core spirit of the Foundation. A special thanks to Wang Haitao, my friend in graduate school who has helped me in submitting various administrative documents while I was away. Last but not the least, I would like to thank my husband Frank for his technical support these past years. He helped format my manuscripts to meet requirements from different journals. I did not expect such support and encouragement from all of these wonderful individuals. v Table of Contents Abstract.............................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables .................................................................................................................. xii List of Figures ................................................................................................................ xiv List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... xvi General Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Computer games in education ................................................................................ 1 1.2 Computer games in language learning ................................................................... 2 1.3 Computer games in classrooms .............................................................................. 3 1.4 Computer games in language classrooms ............................................................... 4 Game Selected for this Research ........................................................................... 6 2.1 Simulation games .................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Introduction to The Sims 4 ..................................................................................... 8 2.3 The Series of Studies in this Research and Their Relationships ............................ 11 The First Study: Effective Intervention