Digital Gaming in the Language Classroom: Student Language Performance, Engagement, and Perception

Despite the increasing awareness of digital games’ potential for language learning, only a handful of studies focus on their integration into classrooms. Informed by bridging activities, this mixed methods case study recruited six students to engage in instructed gameplay in class and game-related activities after class. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed so as to measure participants’ learning outcome, document their engagement, and explore their perceptions of game-based language learning. Results suggest progress in vocabulary recall and transfer. Participants also reported gains in writing and listening, satisfaction with the project, along with a positive attitude towards GBLL. Moreover, it is found that the instructor has a pivotal role to play in pre-game set-up, in-game guidance and post-game feedback. The study yields empirical evidence regarding the benefits of GBLL and may hold pedagogical implications for the integration of games into educational settings. The limitations of this research and future directions are also discussed.