scholarly journals Enhancing Reading Skill via ReadTheory.org: Students’ Attitudes, Motivation, Autonomy and Perceptions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-81
Author(s):  
Fatmah Sewelem Alalwany
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Reading Methods ◽  
Undergraduate University Students ◽  
Students Attitudes

Studies into the use of gamification, “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” (Deterding et al, 2011, p9) for language learning, has found positive results on language development and enhancing learner engagement toward the learning process, but they have mostly focused on the effectiveness of gamification rather on learner’s attitudes, motivation, and autonomy toward the gamified language learning experience. This research presents the results for a study into the use of a gamified reading website, Readtheory.org, that incorporates the use of gamification elements of badges, knowledge points (KPs), levels, and feedback to enhance reading comprehension. Thus, this study examines 50 undergraduate university students’ attitudes, motivation, autonomy and perceptions toward enhancing their reading skills. The data were collected from students’ interviews and questionnaires at YELI in KSA. The findings showed that students’ attitudes are high toward the gamified platform and that the utilization of Readtheory motivates students to read independently using the website inside and outside the classroom. The main advantage of Read theory is it can be easily used anywhere-anytime, a better alternative to traditional reading methods and it can be adopted to enhance student’s reading comprehension.

scholarly journals Enhancing Reading Skill via ReadTheory.org: Students’ Attitudes, Motivation, Autonomy and Perceptions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatmah Sewelem Alalwany
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Reading Methods ◽  
Undergraduate University Students ◽  
Students Attitudes

Studies into the use of gamification, “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” (Deterding et al, 2011, p9) for language learning, has found positive results on language development and enhancing learner engagement toward the learning process, but they have mostly focused on the effectiveness of gamification rather on learner’s attitudes, motivation, and autonomy toward the gamified language learning experience. This research presents the results for a study into the use of a gamified reading website, Readtheory.org, that incorporates the use of gamification elements of badges, knowledge points (KPs), levels, and feedback to enhance reading comprehension. Thus, this study examines 50 undergraduate university students’ attitudes, motivation, autonomy and perceptions toward enhancing their reading skills. The data were collected from students’ interviews and questionnaires at YELI in KSA. The findings showed that students’ attitudes are high toward the gamified platform and that the utilization of Readtheory motivates students to read independently using the website inside and outside the classroom. The main advantage of Read theory is it can be easily used anywhere-anytime, a better alternative to traditional reading methods and it can be adopted to enhance student’s reading comprehension.

scholarly journals How does CLIL affect the acquisition of reading comprehension in the mother tongue? A comparative study in secondary education

2017 ◽  
pp. 7-26
Author(s):  
Esther Nieto
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Do So

In the last two decades, CLIL (content and language integrated learning) programmes, in which school subjects such as history, geography or mathematics are taught by means of an additional language, have rapidly spread over all the world, since CLIL has been deemed to be an innovative and effective approach for second language learning. Therefore, research on CLIL has precisely focused on the acquisition of the L2, while other aspects, such as the assimilation of the content taught by means of the second language or the impact of CLIL programmes on the mother tongue have received less attention.In this sense, this paper examines how CLIL programmes affect the development of reading comprehension in the mother tongue. To do so, the outcomes in a test of reading comprehension of CLIL (n = 1,119) and non-CLIL students (= 15,984) enrolled in the 2nd year of secondary education (13-14 years-old) were compared. The results indicated that the acquisition of literal reading comprehension and inferential reading comprehension in the mother tongue significantly benefit from CLIL, whereas no significant differences have been detected in critical reading comprehension. The reading skills most benefited by CLIL were global comprehension, lexical comprehension, understanding of space-time relationships, integration of extra-textual information, and identification of extra-textual relations.These data are explained by the critical importance of reading strategies to succeed in CLIL settings, and by the transfer of these strategies between L1 and L2 and vice versa. This hypothesis is supported by previous research on immersion programmes.

scholarly journals Enhancing Reading Skills for Saudi Secondary School Students through Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL): An Experimental Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammed Salim Keezhatta ◽  
Abdulfattah Omar
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Reading Comprehension Skills ◽  
Experimental Group

This study addresses the issue of integrating mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) systems into L2 reading instruction in the Saudi secondary schools in order to improve the reading comprehension skills of struggling EFL students. The focus is to find out whether students’ language performance is accelerated by using MALL together with teacher instruction versus conventional instruction alone. In order to assess the effectiveness of MALL systems and activities in improving reading comprehension skills in EFL contexts, an experimental study was carried out where 120 participants of grade ten students in four public secondary school of Riyadh District in Saudi Arabia were randomly divided into two groups: experiment and control. Reading skills of the participants’ were measured by pre-test and post-test by a panel of three national experts. The comparison between the experimental group and the control group pinpoint that MALL materials and systems improve reading comprehension skill among EFL students. The findings indicate clearly that there was a significant difference between MALL users and nonusers in favour of the experimental group (p < .05). It can be then generalized that MALL systems and applications in general provide a motivating learning environment for teaching reading which has its positive implications on improving the reading skills of students.

Game Design as a Compelling Experience

2009 ◽  
pp. 1041-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Qiu ◽  
Yong Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Design Learning ◽  
Chinese Language Learning ◽  
Meta Learning

This study explored the nature and design of a compelling experience: game design. Thirty-six college juniors in the software engineering major participated in a semester-long project to design games for Chinese language learning. The project was designed to help engineering students understand educational and other issues in designing educational games. Results show that game design expanded students’ perceptive capacity; enhanced their subject-matter understanding, problem-solving skills, meta-learning ability and motivation; and facilitated students’ reflection on themselves as well as their environments. Factors are discussed to make a game design learning experience compelling

scholarly journals An Analysis of Game Design Elements Used in Digital Game-Based Language Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6679
Author(s):  
Terence Govender ◽  
Joan Arnedo-Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Design Patterns ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Digital Game ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Game Elements

Considerable changes have occurred in language learning with the introduction of gameful approaches in the classroom and the increase in the popularity of language applications like Duolingo. A review of existing studies on such approaches to language learning shows that gamification tends to be the most popular approach. However, this popularity has been achieved at the expense of other gameful approaches, such as the use of digital games. To gain a clearer picture of the developments and gaps in the digital game-based learning research, this paper examines and categorizes observations about game elements used in published papers (n = 114) where serious and digital games were tested in language education settings. Game element analysis reveals that (1) the most frequently occurring elements in digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) are feedback, theme, points, narrative, and levels; (2) even though there was significant variance in the number of elements observed in DGBLL, both the bespoke and off-the-shelf games show similar high-frequency elements; (3) DGBLL has been applied to vocabulary acquisition and retention in many cases, but lacks implementation and testing in input and output language skills; (4) although there is some consensus on the most frequent elements, the design patterns of common elements according to age group and target language skill show considerable variance; (5) more research is needed on less common design elements that have shown promise in encouraging language acquisition. The synthesis of information from the collected papers contributes to knowledge regarding DGBLL application design and will help formulate guidelines and detect efficacy patterns as the field continues to grow.

scholarly journals Contributions of Demographics, Language Learning Experience, and Cognitive Control to Chinese Reading Comprehension

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhilong Xie ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Xiaying Chu ◽  
Qing Qiu ◽  
Fangfang Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Set Shifting ◽  
Chinese Reading ◽  
Mental Set ◽  
Learning History ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Previous Category

The study investigates whether learners’ demographics (e.g., age, education, and intelligence-IQ), language learning experience, and cognitive control predict Chinese (L2) reading comprehension in young adults. Thirty-four international students who studied mandarin Chinese in mainland China (10 females, 24 males) from Bangladesh, Burundi, Congo, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe were tested on a series of measures including demographic questionnaires, IQ test, two cognitive control tasks [Flanker Task measuring inhibition and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) measuring mental set shifting], and a Chinese reading comprehension test (HSK level 4). The results of correlation analyses showed that education, L2 learning history, L2 proficiency, and previous category errors of the WCST were significantly correlated with Chinese reading comprehension. Further multiple regression analyses indicated that Chinese learning history, IQ, and previous category errors of the WCST significantly predicted Chinese reading comprehension. These findings reveal that aside from IQ and the time spent on L2 learning, the component mental set shifting of cognitive control also predicts reading outcomes, which suggests that cognitive control has a place in reading comprehension models over and above traditional predictors of language learning experience.

scholarly journals Students’ attitude towards doing while-reading comprehension exercises using Microsoft Forms

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Tu Thi Thanh Tran
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Motivation To Read ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Critical Skills ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Reading Activities

Reading comprehension is one of the critical skills of language learning in general and English language learning in particular. The purpose of this article is two-fold: giving examples of some while-reading activities using Microsoft Forms and presenting students’ attitudes towards doing such while-reading comprehension exercises using Microsoft Forms. The results, obtained from three research instruments, namely questionnaire, in-depth interview and observation, show that students generally expressed positive attitudes towards this way of doing while-reading exercises thanks to (1) the brand-new experience it offers, (2) the colorful and vivid images on the device, (3) the motivation to read and unveil the answers to the reading questions under time pressure and competitiveness with peers as well as (4) a sense of accomplishment completing assignments before or on time.

scholarly journals How does CLIL affect the acquisition of reading comprehension in the mother tongue? A comparative study in secondary education

2017 ◽  
pp. 7-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Nieto
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Do So

In the last two decades, CLIL (content and language integrated learning) programmes, in which school subjects such as history, geography or mathematics are taught by means of an additional language, have rapidly spread over all the world, since CLIL has been deemed to be an innovative and effective approach for second language learning. Therefore, research on CLIL has precisely focused on the acquisition of the L2, while other aspects, such as the assimilation of the content taught by means of the second language or the impact of CLIL programmes on the mother tongue have received less attention.In this sense, this paper examines how CLIL programmes affect the development of reading comprehension in the mother tongue. To do so, the outcomes in a test of reading comprehension of CLIL (n = 1,119) and non-CLIL students (= 15,984) enrolled in the 2nd year of secondary education (13-14 years-old) were compared. The results indicated that the acquisition of literal reading comprehension and inferential reading comprehension in the mother tongue significantly benefit from CLIL, whereas no significant differences have been detected in critical reading comprehension. The reading skills most benefited by CLIL were global comprehension, lexical comprehension, understanding of space-time relationships, integration of extra-textual information, and identification of extra-textual relations.These data are explained by the critical importance of reading strategies to succeed in CLIL settings, and by the transfer of these strategies between L1 and L2 and vice versa. This hypothesis is supported by previous research on immersion programmes.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of AR and VR Enhanced Language Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4639
Author(s):  
Xinyi Huang ◽  
Di Zou ◽  
Gary Cheng ◽  
Haoran Xie
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Main Approach ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Research Findings

This paper provided a systematic review of previous Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) studies on language learning. A total of 88 articles were selected and analyzed from five perspectives: their ways of integrating AR or VR tools in language learning; main users of AR and VR technologies; major research findings; why AR and VR tools are effective in promoting language learning; and the implications. It was found that (1) immersing learners into virtual worlds is the main approach to language learning in AR and VR studies; (2) university students were the main users of AR/VR technologies; (3) the major research findings concerning the benefits of AR and VR included improvement of students’ learning outcomes, enhancement of motivation, and positive perceptions towards using AR and VR; (4) AR and VR tools promoted language learning through providing immersive learning experience, enhancing motivation, creating interaction, and reducing learning anxiety; and (5) implications identified from previous research include the need of providing training for teachers, enlarging sample sizes, and exploring learner factors such as learner engagement and satisfaction.

scholarly journals Gamification: motivating language learning with gameful elements

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-114
Author(s):  
Joan-Tomàs Pujolà
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Digital Video ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Methodological Strategy

What is it? Gamification is a methodological strategy that uses “game design elements in non-game contexts” (Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, & Nacke, 2011, p. 10). The purpose of gamification is to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems (Kapp, 2012). There are other educational approaches that use playful components but are different from gamification, such as game-based learning or serious games. In those two cases, all kinds of games (digital video games, table games, outdoor games, etc.) or educational games are used to achieve a learning goal. Within the language learning area, Reinhardt (2019) opts for the global concept of ‘gamefulness’ which embraces all types of vernacular games, serious games, and gamification.

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