From Classroom to Castle

Diamond Scientific Publishing, London, U.K., 2025

Game-based learning is becoming more generally acknowledged as a successful instructional approach in higher education. The present study investigates the impact and effectiveness of game-based learning on adult international students, focusing on the interactive game The Mdina Castle's Treasure Quest, to teach Maltese prepositions. While Żammit (2024) explored the theoretical potential of game-based learning, this study contributes empirical evidence demonstrating its effectiveness in practice. The following discussion contextualises these results within existing pedagogical literature. The study comprised an experimental group that acquired knowledge of Maltese prepositions using a game-based platform set on The Mdina Castle's Treasure Quest and a control group that received conventional lecture-based training from the same teacher. The experimental group, consisting of 64 adult learners from international backgrounds, engaged in a game to find concealed medieval artefacts within the vast corridors, subterranean rooms, and fortified towers of Mdina Castle. Conversely, the control group, consisting of 62 adult learners, received instruction utilising conventional classroom techniques. The results indicated that the group participating in game-based learning achieved significantly higher scores than the control group in post-instruction evaluations on Maltese prepositions, highlighting the efficacy of this approach in structured language learning. Furthermore, the participants who engaged in game-based learning exhibited elevated levels of engagement, motivation, and favourable attitudes toward the process of learning. However, while these findings demonstrate the immediate effectiveness of game-based learning, future research should explore its long-term retention impact to determine the sustainability of learning outcomes. Providing vital insights into the efficacy of game-based approaches in higher education, this study emphasises the benefits of interactive gaming in language acquisition for adult learners and underscores the importance of immersive educational experiences.

Digital Game-Based Language Learning and Teaching (DGBLLT) transcends the traditional boundaries for formal language learning and teaching and has emerged as a dynamic approach to CALL. While games have always been used in language pedagogy, both vernacular (commercial entertainment) and serious (educational) video games have been used to foster language acquisition in formal instruction, and research shows that, especially when supplemented with teacher-designed pedagogical materials, gameplay can motivate learners and support language learning. This entry will detail basic concepts in game-enhanced L2 pedagogy-the use of commercial games for formal language learning and teaching (see the Encyclopedia section on DGBLLT for more on the use of non-commercial and bespoke games). The origins of game-enhanced pedagogy are then presented, followed by discussion of gameenhanced vocabulary, writing, reading, and speaking, as well as of specific pedagogical frameworks like Bridging Activities. The entry concludes with a brief discussion of research gaps and future directions.

The ever increasing numbers of EFL learners adds greater urgency to the need to prioritize the most effective means by which language proficiency can be enhanced; developing language skills through games being one such method. This study examines the overall effects of using games on the improvement of young children " s English proficiency in relation to the following criteria: motivation; vocabulary acquisition; and anxiety due to peer pressure. The overarching aim of the research is to investigate the relationship between the usage of games and students " English proficiency. In this study, the subjects numbered 50 grade-six EFL students from one elementary school. By applying quantitative and qualitative research methods, the major findings demonstrate that students evidenced significant improvements in their learning motivation and vocabulary acquisition, and that their anxiety levels due to peer pressure were reduced when learning included games. Other findings reveal that there is a significant relationship/difference in the utilization of games and students " English performance, most notably with regards to proficiency levels. The various implications for pedagogical application of gaming components in regards to enhancing young learners " English performance and attitudes are also presented.

ISYDE 2023. Innovating Teaching & Learning. Inclusion and Wellbeing for the Data Society, 2024

We live in a society of gamers: gaming, both analog and digital, is ever more popular for older and younger generations alike (IIDEA-Censis, 2021). Concurrently, the last few years have shown a rising interest in using games in education. Games, both digital and traditional (such as boardgames) have the potential not only to engage and motivate students, but also to promote the acquisition of relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as several empirical studies reported (Bayeck, 2020; Plass et al., 2020; Abdul Jabbar and Felicia, 2015). However, actual use of games in Italian schools and higher education settings is still very limited (Allsop & Jessel, 2015; Loperfido, Dipace & Scarinci, 2019) and directed toward a function of pure entertainment or exercise (Nicholson, 2011) rather than as a complete learning environment. The reasons for this discrepancy are, at least in part, due to resistance by teachers to include games in their teaching and learning practice. Persico et al. (2019) report that teachers’ competence in the design of GBL activities is superficial and restricted to personal experience; furthermore, teachers report not feeling adequately prepared to include games in the curriculum (Allsop et al., 2013; Takeuchi, Vaala, 2014), fearing the burden in terms of preparation time (Nieland et al., 2021) and finding difficulties in finding games that are aligned with learning goals (Molin, 2017). One way to address these problems is to provide an integrate model to guide the design of game-based teaching and learning activities considering both instructional guidance as well as the need to progressively develop critical game literacy required to design and personalize game-based learning activities. The goal of this intervention is to present a new model, called Game Design-Based Learning ID (GDBL ID, Figure 1), that is aimed at: - Reducing the terminological confusion in the use of games for educational activities; terms such as playful learning, gamification, and game-based learning (and even, sometimes, coding) are used almost interchangeably, whereas they refer to different approaches that require, in turn, different skills and instructional strategies. - Providing a step-by-step instructional guide starting from the definition of learning goals, assessment and evaluation criteria to the choice and personalization of the gaming experience, passing through the constructive alignment of learning and gaming goals. - Defining a set of scenarios (Table 1) for using games as a medium to promote meaningful learning, be it as a tool to promote different types of knowledge (factual, conceptual, procedural, or strategic) (learning with games), as an object, or text, to be interpreted and critically analysed (learning of games) or as a language that is used to solve problems or design challenges (learning through games). In addition to defining scenarios, the GDBL ID model has four defining features that help set it apart from existing instructional frameworks upon which the model iterates and improves: 1. It is based on established pedagogical frameworks: the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPaCK), the Play Curricular Reflection Discussion (PCaRD), and the Inquiry, Communication, Construction and Expression (ICCE). 2. It integrates current best evidence from game studies, pedagogy, and cognitive science perspectives to game-based learning. 3. It focuses on the different roles played by teachers in designing and applying game-based activities. 4. It focuses on the personalization of the game and learning experience, through both in-game and out-game changes to make help constructive alignment and promote accessibility.

2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of pedagogical video games in positively affecting students’ knowledge of a foreign language and culture as well as their students’ perspectives on the learning process in such a learning-throughgaming environment. The theories that support such an endeavor are explored. This study looked at the process of making a French pedagogical video game that focuses on presenting French culture, history, language as well as fostering lexico-grammatical, interpersonal communication, and interpretational skills. It focuses specifically on learning through gameplay and provides evidence on the positive effect of the game on elementary level French students’ lexico-grammatical knowledge, improvements that could be made for the game, and further areas of research for foreign language pedagogical video games.