The Effect of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) Vocabulary on Students’ Willingness to Communicate: A Narrative Inquiry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v11i2.7742Keywords:
EFL, Game, MMORPG, Vocabulary, Willingness to communicateAbstract
Learning is not only done in the classroom but also outside the classroom through game media. This study focuses on the effect of vocabulary knowledge from massively multiplayer online role-playing games on students' willingness to communicate. The subjects of this research are three EFL learners who play MMORPG games. This study uses a biographical narrative inquiry method and collects data through semi-structured interviews and artefacts. EFL learners were assigned to share their experiences playing MMORPGs related to vocabulary knowledge and the desire to communicate. The data is analysed using thematic analysis. The findings highlight the positive impact of vocabulary knowledge on participants' self-confidence and pronunciation skills. A solid grasp of game-related vocabulary increases participants' self-confidence, making them more comfortable engaging in conversations and less afraid of making mistakes. It also improves pronunciation skills, as participants better understand word pronunciation through in-game interactions. Through collaboration among teachers, institutions, and parents, using MMORPGs as a learning tool is expected to provide maximum benefits for students in improving their English communication skills.
References
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Nation, I.S.P. (1993). Using dictionaries to estimate vocabulary size: essential, but rarely followed, procedures. Language Testing, 10(1), 27-40.
Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Squire, K. (2008). Video Games and Learning: Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age. New York: Teachers College Press.
Tai, T.-Y., & Chen, H. H.-J. (2020). The impact of Google Assistant on adolescent EFL learners’ willingness to communicate. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1841801
Thorndike, E.L. (1924). The vocabularies of school pupils. In J. Carelton Bell (Ed.), Contributions to Education. New York: World Book Co.
Uong, T. G. T., Nguyen, D. K., & Nguyen, H. N. (2022). Teachers’ Feedback on Using Discord as an Online Learning Platform. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(4), 84-104. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22246
Williams, D. (2006). From tree house to barracks: The social life of guilds in World of Warcraft. Games and Culture, 1(4), 338–361.
Zarrinabadi, N., Lou, N. M., & Shirzad, M. (2021). Autonomy support predicts language mindsets: Implications for developing communicative competence and willingness to communicate in EFL classrooms. Learning and Individual Differences, 86, 101981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.101981
Barcroft, J. (2009). Effects of synonym generation on incidental and intentional L2 vocabulary learning during reading. TESOL Quarterly, 43(1), 79-103.
Barkhuizen, G., Benson, P., & Chik, A. (2013). Narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. Routledge.
Brignall, T.W., & Valey, T.L.V. (2007). An online community as a new tribalism: The World of Warcraft. In R.H. Sprague (Ed.), Proceedings of the 40th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
Chen, H. J., Chen, Y. C., & Chen, N. S. (2019). The effects of digital game-based learning on students' science learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 22(2), 11-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1593197
Chuang, Y.C. (2006). Massively multiplayer online role-playing game-induced seizures: A neglected health problem in Internet addiction. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(4), 451–456.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Darasawang, P., & Reinders, H. (2021). Willingness to communicate and second language proficiency: A correlational study. Education Sciences, 11(9), 517. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11090517
Dixon, D. H., & Christison, M.A. (2018). The usefulness of massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) as tools for promoting second language acquisition. In J. Perren, K. B. Kelch, J. Byun, S. Cervantes, & S. Safavi (Eds.), Applications of CALL Theory in ESL and EFL Environments (pp. 244–268). IGI Global.
Ducheneaut, N., Wen, M.D., Yee, N., & Wadley, G. (2009). Body and mind: A study of avatar personalization in three virtual worlds. In D.R. Olsen Jr., R.B. Arthur, K. Hinckley, M.R. Morris, S.E. Hudson, and S. Greenberg (Eds.), Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1151–1160). New York: ACM Press.
Gee, J. P. (2007). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Griffiths, M.D., Davies, M.N.O., & Chappell, D. (2004). Demographic factors and playing variables in online computer gaming. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 479–487.
Groot, P. J. M. (2000). Computer assisted second language vocabulary acquisition. Language Learning and Technology, 4, 60–81.
Hazar, E. (2020). Use of Digital Games in Teaching Vocabulary to Young Learners [PDF]. ERIC. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED616041.pdf
Kai, T.F., & Hua, T.K. (2021). Enhancing English Language Vocabulary Learning among Indigenous Learners through Google Translate. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 8(2), 143–148. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2021.82.143.148
Laufer, B. (1998). The development of passive and active vocabulary: Same or different? Applied Linguistics, 19(2), 255–271. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/19.2.255
Lee, J. S. (2019). EFL students’ views of willingness to communicate in the extramural digital context. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32(7), 692–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1535509
Lee, J. S., & Hsieh, J. C. (2019). Affective variables and willingness to communicate of EFL learners in in-class, out-of-class, and digital contexts. System, 82, 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.03.002
Lorge, I., & Chall, J. (1963). Estimating the size of vocabularies of children and adults: an analysis of methodological issues. Journal of Experimental Education, 32(2), 147-157.
MacIntyre, P. D. (2007). Willingness to communicate in the Second language: Understanding the decision to speak as a volitional process. The Modern Language Journal, 91(4), 564–576. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2007.00623.x
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05543.x
McCroskey, J. C., & Baer, J. E. (1985). Willingness to Communicate: The Construct and Its Measurement. ERIC.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge Applied Linguistics.
Nation, I.S.P. (1993). Using dictionaries to estimate vocabulary size: essential, but rarely followed, procedures. Language Testing, 10(1), 27-40.
Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Squire, K. (2008). Video Games and Learning: Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age. New York: Teachers College Press.
Tai, T.-Y., & Chen, H. H.-J. (2020). The impact of Google Assistant on adolescent EFL learners’ willingness to communicate. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1841801
Thorndike, E.L. (1924). The vocabularies of school pupils. In J. Carelton Bell (Ed.), Contributions to Education. New York: World Book Co.
Uong, T. G. T., Nguyen, D. K., & Nguyen, H. N. (2022). Teachers’ Feedback on Using Discord as an Online Learning Platform. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(4), 84-104. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22246
Williams, D. (2006). From tree house to barracks: The social life of guilds in World of Warcraft. Games and Culture, 1(4), 338–361.
Zarrinabadi, N., Lou, N. M., & Shirzad, M. (2021). Autonomy support predicts language mindsets: Implications for developing communicative competence and willingness to communicate in EFL classrooms. Learning and Individual Differences, 86, 101981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.101981
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2023-12-28
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