A Study of Game-based Learning Impacts on Learning Motivation by Interviewing an EFL Learner&Teacher

【Abstract】GBL （GBL）， also named serious game， has become prevalent in many subject fields. Several studies claimed that GBL leads to the improvement in cognition， learning performance， and motivation. Echoing some researchers， fruitful GBL research should be conducted by teasing out the effects of specific game characteristics instead of treating GBL as a homogeneous research object. The aim of the study is to find out whether those game characteristics link to learning motivation from a learners experience and insights， or from a teachers perspective and practices.

【Key words】Game-based learning; learning motivation; competition

【作者簡介】鐘振溢（1996.07.07-），男，浙江臺州人，浙江師范大學外國語學院，碩士，研究方向：多媒體英語教學。

Theoretical Background

Game-based learning

GBL， or serious games， could be defined as using online games to entertain and to achieve learning goals. In the GBL approach， the game is a learning and playing environment that could include elements such as rules， goals， outcomes & feedback， story， and competition. However， some argue that sometimes the role of “serious game” is not determined by the developer， but by the intention of the player， because games such as Grand Theft Auto could be seen as a serious game if the player uses it not only for entertainment but also for training driving skills.

GBL and learning motivation

It was mentioned in some books that factors inherent in many games such as 1） goal achievement， 2） immediate feedback， 3） easy to access with different digital devices， and 4） adaptability to different learning styles， may contribute to learning motivation （e.g. D？rner et al， 2016; Reinhardt， 2019）. However， empirical evidence for the motivational benefits of GBL has been much less conclusive. Some argued that GBL may facilitate motivation across different learners and learning situations. Chen and Law （2016） suggested that when the activities are not engaging or too difficult， learners may lose the motivation to continue. Wouters et al. （2013） reasoned that while leisure game players could choose when and what games to play， students in GBL often do not have a similar sense of control， which could reduce motivation. Those arguments link to a significant construct that gauges learner motivation in gameplay-flow （Csikszentmihalyi， 1990）， whic9h refers to an inherent motivation that keeps us playing a game.

Competition is frequently integrated into GBL. But not all theorists agree it is a critical characteristic of GBL. Competition has been viewed as a negative force in learning environments from the lens of social interdependence theory. Research in 2013 suggested that competition in games is not significantly related to learning outcomes， and only partly related to students motivation. Thus， the relationship between competition features in GBL and learning motivation needs further discussion.

Aim of the interview and research questions

1. What is the role of competition in learning motivation？

2. What are other characteristics that may promote or reduce learning motivation（e.g. immediate feedback， goal achievement， game-play flows）？

The participant information

Rui comes from Hunan Province， China and is 22 years old. She speaks English as second language （L2） and has been continuously learning English for around 13 years. In 2020， she came to Australia studying Master of Education TESOL in the University of Sydney. She aimed at being an English teacher in EFL context after graduation.

Interview analysis

At the beginning of the interview， Rui suggested that she had had little chance to speak up and practice English in the class. She had been learning English for a long time and most of the courses aimed at passing different tests. Based on this background， GBL played an important role in enhancing motivation and she had recalled the experience of a GBL game called Vocabulary Competition without hesitation.

The game played in the class had significantly affected Ruis motivation towards learning in different aspects. She claimed that competition characteristics had a strong influence on enhancing her motivation. Not only can she show her language ability to her peers and the teacher in the class， but also can she do her utmost in the practice and feel proud of herself through achieving several goals （e.g. getting a higher score than the rival）.

In later discussion， she pointed out that immediate feedback was another important characteristic accessing successful GBL， with which she could have a deeper understanding of learning and longer memory of the vocabularies. To draw the conclusion at this stage， game-play flow enables long-term concentration on game procedure while feedback of GBL could enhance learners confidence and enthusiasm.

Findings

Overall， the interview provided much information to solve the previous problems and answers the research questions. It was found that GBL could enhance learning motivation with the characteristics of game-play flow， competition， immediate feedback， and goal achievement. The interview showed that competition could considerably facilitate learning motivation. Mainly because competition provides additional challenges that result in greater attention and excitement.

It was also found that for GBL games， characteristic of control or adaptability was important for enhancing learning motivation， and the analysis agree that “the freedom to choose when and where to play” a critical component of an attractive serious game.

References：

[1]Chen， C.， Law， V. & Huang， K. The roles of engagement and competition on learners performance and motivation in game-based science learning[J]. Educational Technology Research and Development， 2019，67（4）：1003-1024.

[2]Chen， C.-H.， & Law， V. Scaffolding individual and collaborative game-based learning in learning performance and intrinsic motivation[J]. Computers in Human Behavior， 2016，55：1201-1212.

[3]Csikszentmihalyi， M. Flow： The psychology of optimal experience[J]. New York： Harper and Row， 1990.

[4]D·rner， R.， G？bel， S.， Effelsberg， W.， & Wiemeyer， J. Serious Games Foundations， Concepts and Practice[J]. Cham： Springer， 2016.

[5]Johnson， D. W.， & Johnson， R. T. An educational psychology success story： Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning[J]. Educational Researcher， 2009，38（5）：365–379.