Environmental Literacy in Board Games – Developing EcoSolve for the ESL classroom

Abstract

In this entrepreneurial master thesis, we developed the board game, EcoSolve, aimed at 10th grade students studying English as a second language (ESL). EcoSolve is designed based on principles from the Norwegian national curricula, game theory, and ESL theory, and it aims to provide English teachers with a creative and engaging tool to enhance students’ environmental literacy. We explored the potential benefits and challenges of using EcoSolve to promote environmental literacy. This exploration was guided by the primary research question:

– How can the board game EcoSolve enhance students’ environmental literacy in English?

The primary question was further broken down into two sub-questions: “How can EcoSolve motivate students to learn about environmental issues in English?” and “What adjustments should be made for EcoSolve to be functional in the ESL classroom?”. The findings, collected from qualitative interviews and observations, suggest that EcoSolve effectively encourages English language use and serves as a motivational tool in the classroom. Nevertheless, we identified the need for modifications concerning the language level, following pedagogical research design. These adjustments were made from cycle 1 to cycle 2 and mainly addressed the language level and play technicalities. Our thesis, divided into three components, presents conclusions related to the research question, with the oral presentation focusing on detailed analysis, redesign processes, and limitations, to highlight challenges and improvements for further development of EcoSolve in ESL classrooms. The user manual for EcoSolve is to be found as a separate zip-file in Inspera. Ultimately, our goal for this entrepreneurial master thesis has been to encourage environmental empowerment and action, with environmental literacy being central for the continuum of interpretation skills of environmental aspects in a fast-changing and information-rich world.

Keywords: Environmental literacy, gamification, motivation, second-language acquisition, pedagogical research design, lower secondary education