The study reported in this article investigated the use of quest-based learning (QBL) in a gamified English as a foreign language (EFL) course at a Japanese university. A mixed methods research design was utilised to explore the effect purposely designed quests can have on EFL students' foreign language (FL) motivation. The study was conducted…

The use of learning games within the classroom is becoming increasingly common because of their potential to positively impact learning. Recent developments in adaptivity offer further possibilities to personalise learning by tailoring the game to an individual child's level or particular learning needs. However, designing an adaptive learning…

The study explores the effects of an interdisciplinary learning approach on developing students' English learning (EL) and computational thinking (CT) through two different game-based learning approaches. A quasi-experiment is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach in terms of enhancing students' CT knowledge and their EL…

The goal of this project was to design a scaffolded learning activity that develops English learners' (ELs) argumentation skills. In this study, we investigated how middle school ELs interacted with a game-enhanced scenario-based assessment of argumentation skills (named "Seaball"). The target skills included identifying and classifying…

Gamification has become a popular approach to blending learning with fun and enjoyable experiences. However, gamification research has been criticized for mostly focusing on game mechanics and related outcomes while paying little attention to the psychological processes that mediate the relationship between these mechanics and outcomes.…

Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) has emerged as a valuable tool for EFL learning by offering interactive authentic contexts. Although IPA is believed to be motivational and useful, empirical evidence is limited and contradictory, especially the efficacy of listening comprehension. Therefore, the study investigated the impact of IPA on…

Learning pragmatics involves learning linguistic forms and their communicative functions as well as the context where the form-function relationships are realized. Given its socially grounded, context-sensitive nature, pragmatics may be best learned in a technology-enhanced environment that provides direct access to contextualized communicative…

Background: Persisting after experiencing difficulty allows students to work in the upper ends of their zones of proximal development, where most learning occurs (Ventura et al., 2013; Vygotsky & Cole, 1978). Digital educational games promote productive persistence by allowing students to repeat the same or similar problems until they reach…