ERIC Number: EJ1400704
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1094-3501
Applying Educational Data Mining to Explore Individual Experiences in Digital Games
Poole, Frederick J.; Clarke-Midura, Jody
Language Learning & Technology, v27 n1 2023
Research involving digital games and language learning is rapidly growing. One advantage of using digital games to support language learning is the ability to collect data on students learning in real time. In this study, we use educational data mining methods to explore the relationship between in-game data and elementary students' Chinese language learning. Thirty-six students in the sixth grade played a digital game for eight 25-minute sessions as part of their Chinese Dual Language Immersion classroom instruction. We used classification and regression tree analyses and cluster analyses to explore how in game indicators, such as battles, time spent reading a text, and the use of an in-game glossing tool are associated with language learning and change in affect. The results indicate that time on task and use of the glossing tool were the most important variables in determining language learning gains. We also identified four subgroups of gameplay styles. While there were no significant differences in learning or affective factors based on the subgroups, these gameplay styles allow for a more individualized approach to analyzing learning within digital environments.
Descriptors: Computer Games, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Data Analysis, Learning Analytics, Learning Processes, Correlation, Elementary School Students, Chinese, Grade 6, Immersion Programs, Teaching Methods, Classification, Time on Task, Achievement Gains, Affective Behavior, Game Based Learning, Vocabulary Development, Reading Tests, Language Tests
National Foreign Language Resource Center at University of Hawaii. 1859 East-West Road #106, Honolulu, HI 96822. e-mail: llt@hawaii.edu; Web site: https://www.lltjournal.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A