Digital Games and Second Language Acquisition : The Effect of Gimkit! and Kahoot! on Upper Secondary School Students’ Vocabulary Acquisition and Motivation
Saari, Jenna; Varjonen, Veera (2021-11-12)
Digital Games and Second Language Acquisition : The Effect of Gimkit! and Kahoot! on Upper Secondary School Students’ Vocabulary Acquisition and Motivation
Saari, Jenna
Varjonen, Veera
(12.11.2021)
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
avoin
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on:
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021120859544
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021120859544
Tiivistelmä
This empirical joint thesis examines the use of two educational games Kahoot! and Gimkit! on second language vocabulary acquisition and the games’ effect on learning motivation. The aim was to discover whether educational games enhance vocabulary acquisition and the in-game features that promote learning motivation. The study consisted of 49 first year Finnish upper secondary school students. The participants were divided into two experimental groups based on the school’s class division. Experimental group 1 played Gimkit! during their two 15-minute treatment sessions and, respectively, experimental group 2 played Kahoot!. Both of the digital games contained vocabulary items that were presented in the students’ course book and, therefore it was meaningful for the participants to learn the target words.
The acquisition of target language vocabulary items and the effect of motivation were both studied quantitatively. Firstly, the effect of playing the digital games on vocabulary acquisition was measured with pre-, post-, and delayed post-test. The vocabulary tests measured the acquisition of 25 target language words. Secondly, the motivational aspect was measured with pre- and post-treatment motivation questionnaires. We inspected the effect of in-game features, such as competition and game mode, on learning motivation through the motivation questionnaires. The results of this study revealed that both digital games used in this study were beneficial in terms of promoting second language vocabulary acquisition. In addition, the use of digital games in formal education was perceived an enjoyable activity by the participants, and the in-game features of game mode and progress pace were meaningful in terms of learning motivation. Further research should be conducted to discover the exact elements and features in a game that facilitate vocabulary acquisition.
The acquisition of target language vocabulary items and the effect of motivation were both studied quantitatively. Firstly, the effect of playing the digital games on vocabulary acquisition was measured with pre-, post-, and delayed post-test. The vocabulary tests measured the acquisition of 25 target language words. Secondly, the motivational aspect was measured with pre- and post-treatment motivation questionnaires. We inspected the effect of in-game features, such as competition and game mode, on learning motivation through the motivation questionnaires. The results of this study revealed that both digital games used in this study were beneficial in terms of promoting second language vocabulary acquisition. In addition, the use of digital games in formal education was perceived an enjoyable activity by the participants, and the in-game features of game mode and progress pace were meaningful in terms of learning motivation. Further research should be conducted to discover the exact elements and features in a game that facilitate vocabulary acquisition.