Digitale Spill og Språkferdigheter i Engelsk Språklæring

Abstract

Title: Video Games and Language Skills in English Language Learning.

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to review studies that research video games and English language acquisition when English is the second language or foreign language. By studying their results, I wish to uncover what effects video games have on the language skills and the English language learning with our students.

The methodological approach of this research closely follows the guidelines for a systematic literature review presented by Xiao and Watson (2019). The search was done through ORIA and ERIC and the inclusion criteria were limited to English as L2 and the students in the study had to be non-native English speakers. The chosen articles were limited to peer-reviewed articles published in the year 2010 and forward, as well as studies specifically on the primary school, meaning children aged 6 – 13. This encompasses the primary school grade system in Norway and includes some countries where 8th grade is a part of the primary school.

The results of the reviewed studies show a correlation of increased academic performance in the experimental groups who were exposed to video games. All studies applied a pre-test-post-test process as to increase reliability and secure validity. The students in the experimental groups showed great interest in the subject of learning the English language through video games as well as a motivation for continued learning. The video games had a positive effect overall on their language skills as evident by the results of the studies and the student’s own input.

Research shows a mainly positive relationship between using video games as a tool for English language learning and development of student’s language skills. By including the students’ pastime activities, which in this case was video games, the students showed a more eager approach and a willingness to use the English language unsolicited. This could potentially point in the direction of using video games as medium to further help learning and teaching in the English language. However, not all studies show a positive outcome, as students who have no previous interest in video games scored the same or lower on tests done in some of these studies. The necessity for more research in the field of video games and English language learning is clear. There is far too little research on video games in relationship with English language learning and language skills, especially since video games have become a major part of many students lives.