Formal learning environments where newly arrived immigrants are provided host country language instruction and other relevant skills to prepare them for integration into mainstream classrooms and/or society.
Published in Chapter:
Improving Immigrant Inclusion Through the Design of a Digital Language Learning Game
Heidi T. Katz (Åbo Akademi University, Finland), Emmanuel O. Acquah (Åbo Akademi University, Finland), Anette Bengs (Åbo Akademi University, Finland), Fredrik Sten (Åbo Akademi University, Finland), and Mattias Wingren (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)
Copyright: © 2022
|Pages: 24
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-9732-3.ch024
Abstract
Technology has garnered attention as a successful tool for second language learning that could help improve immigrant integration and inclusion. More specifically, digital learning games have been identified as an effective tool for enhancing a variety of outcomes related to second language learning, including language acquisition, motivation, and confidence. Digital learning games differentiate instruction, provide immediate feedback, situate the learning, and offer a safe and engaging environment to practice the target language. However, it is important that digital learning games are designed with the end-users in mind. For that reason, this study outlines how researchers and game developers can utilize user-centered design to develop a context-specific digital language learning game for immigrants. As an example, the authors present the four-phase process of an ongoing game design project in Finland, including general findings from interviews with teachers.