Designing and Using a Scenario-Based Digital Game to Teach Chinese Formulaic Expressions

Authors

  • Xiaofei Tang Carnegie Mellon University
  • Naoko Taguchi Northern Arizona University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.38574

Keywords:

second language, pragmatics, technology, game, formulaic expressions, Chinese

Abstract

A well-designed game can offer enormous opportunities for pragmatics learning by providing an immersive environment where learners can practice L2 in a variety of social contexts. To examine the applicability of gaming to L2 pragmatics learning, this study used the platform Unity to develop a scenariobased digital game (Questaurant) to teach Chinese formulaic expressions. In the game, the player took the role of a robot who works in a restaurant in China and runs quests by interacting with built-in characters. The game incorporated four key gaming attributes: context (representation), goals, feedback, and interactivity. This paper reports the usability of these gaming attributes based on interview data collected from 12 learners of Chinese who completed the game. Results showed that the combination of context and interactivity in Questaurant delivered an engaging learning experience, while explicit feedback directly contributed to learning. Participants raised some concerns regarding the motivational appeal of goals and implicit feedback in the game. This paper further discusses implications for developing and utilizing digital games for pragmatics learning.

Author Biographies

  • Xiaofei Tang, Carnegie Mellon University

    Xiaofei Tang (PhD, 2019, Carnegie Mellon University) is Lecturer in the Modern Languages Department at Carnegie Mellon University and the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include game-based language learning, second language pragmatics, technology-enhanced learning, task-based language teaching, and Chinese as a foreign language.

  • Naoko Taguchi, Northern Arizona University

    Naoko Taguchi (PhD, 2004, Northern Arizona University) is Professor in the English Department at Northern Arizona University. Her primary research areas include second language pragmatics, English-medium instruction, technologyassisted learning, and contexts of second language learning. Her recent books include the Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pragmatics (Routledge, 2019) and Second Language Pragmatics (with Carsten Roever; Oxford University Press, 2018), and Second Language Pragmatics: Theory and Methods (with Jonathan Culpeper and Alison Mackey; Routledge, 2018). She is the coeditor of the new journal, Applied Pragmatics.

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Published

2020-03-02

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Section

Articles

How to Cite

Tang, X., & Taguchi, N. (2020). Designing and Using a Scenario-Based Digital Game to Teach Chinese Formulaic Expressions. CALICO Journal, 37(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.38574