Abstract
The aim of the study discussed in this article is to relay the findings of a study done on the use of language games with Afrikaans language acquisition students at the University of Namibia (UNAM). The broader study, of which only a part is recorded in the article, focused on gamification in Afrikaans second language acquisition for university students.
The use of gamification in second language acquisition is a contentious issue, as many teachers in this field are unsure as to what is meant by it and how it can be used in language acquisition teaching. They are also unsure whether it has any pedagogic value in the teaching and learning of second and/or foreign languages.
In the contemporary situation in education today, where traditional teaching methods are under pressure and seen as outdated, a new approach is necessary. Teachers need to look for alternative teaching methods and gamification might be a good option to consider. The broader study examined the combination of a task-based approach and gamification to test whether it enhances the vocabulary learning of university students learning Afrikaans at UNAM.
Designing language games as task-based activities for university students can prove challenging for language teachers. One such a challenge is the lack of academic research on this in the language acquisition field. There is also a lack of research on Afrikaans language acquisition and gamification. The research question that we have tried to answer in the article is: How can language games in a task-based teaching approach help language acquisition students to improve their Afrikaans vocabulary?
In the article we specifically discuss an empirical study undertaken at the University of Namibia. Therefore, in the first place, the education situation in Namibia is discussed, followed by background information on the Afrikaans modules at UNAM. According to Genis (2020) the Namibian Basic Education Department demands learners to take two languages: English (because it is the official language) as well as any other one of the 16 national languages.
Afrikaans is still a widely spoken language in Namibia. Students who have passed Afrikaans in grade 12 and who want to pursue further studies in Afrikaans must enrol for the module Afrikaans Studies at UNAM, while other students (who did not take Afrikaans) must enrol for Afrikaans as Applied and Business Language. In the latter module, vocabulary learning is particularly important.
We then focus on gamification in the article as games can be used to teach and learn vocabulary. Nick Pelling coined the term gamification in 2002, defining it as “applying game-like accelerated user interface design to make electronic transactions both enjoyable and fast” (Burke 2014:5). Marczewski (2013:4) describes gamification as “the application of gaming metaphors to real life tasks to influence Behaviour, improve Motivation and enhance Engagement”. Uberman (1998:21) writes: “Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for any of these reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign language and not just problems that at times seem overwhelming.” We agree with this statement of Uberman. While there are two Afrikaans terms for gamification, i.e. spelifikasie and verpretting, Genis (2020) coined a new Afrikaans word: spelifiëring. This is explained in the article.
We then undertake a literary review which focuses on academic emotions and the task-based approach. Through a qualitative research approach, various key factors are identified and discussed.
The first theoretical framework used in this article is Krashen’s (1982) second language acquisition theory. Krashen’s theory on the affective filter (1982) is of relevance to the study, since it theorises that language acquisition is influenced by a variety of factors, including motivation, confidence, and anxiety. Larsen-Freeman and Anderson (2011) rely on Krashen’s affective filter when they state that a combination of a low affective filter, low anxiety and an atmosphere which encourages self-motivation is a perquisition for successful language acquisition.
Our second theoretical approach is task-based teaching and learning. The task-based approach is a pedagogic framework for teaching and researching second and/or foreign languages. For this article we used the task-based framework for class methodology. The three stages of pre-task, task cycle and post-task form the framework of our five task-based language teaching lessons.
The third important theoretical consideration is academic emotion. The flow theory of Csikszentmihalyi (1990, 2003 and 2014) is discussed. It explains the balance between the challenge level and the proficiency or skills level necessary for optimal learning. Any imbalance between these two levels leads to academic anxiety or academic boredom – both of which obstruct learning. Gamification is one method which can lower the affective filter, and which can be used as an effective tool to bridge the gap between the challenge and the proficiency of learners. Regarding academic emotions, the works of Pekrun, Goetz, Titz and Perry (2002), Pekrun (2006) and Ketonen (2007) are discussed as they are extremely relevant to the topic of language acquisition and academic emotions. Furthermore, the studies undertaken by Acee, Kim, Kim, Kim, Chu, Kim, Cho and Wicker (2010), Daschmann, Goetz and Stupnisky (2011) and Schrader and Nett (2018) are discussed in relation to language acquisition and the role of academic emotions.
In the second part of our article, an empirical study undertaken at UNAM is explained. The study used participatory action research with a mixed-method approach. The following instruments were used: a questionnaire for lecturers teaching a foreign language at UNAM, a reflective questionnaire completed by the participants in the study, and pre- and post-tests which tested the vocabulary and the emotional state of the participants. Five task-based lessons were used.
The participants in the study were four university lecturers and eighteen students. The four foreign language lecturers completed the questionnaire and, from the qualitative and quantitative data, it is clear that gamification is an especially useful tool to be used for vocabulary teaching.
The students were divided into two groups: a control group of eight and an experimental group of ten. The task-based lessons were the same, but the experimental group used games in the task phase of the lesson, while the control group used traditional vocabulary methods (for example repetition and vocabulary lists). The main finding is that the vocabulary of the students in the experimental group improved by 14% more than that of the students in the control group. Both groups reacted positively to an interactive and inclusive task-based learning and teaching approach.
Through research it was established that gamification can most likely be used to succeed in learning the vocabulary of a foreign and/or second language. Finally, we concluded that gamification is a useful tool and teaching method, that it can be beneficial to university students by helping them to learn vocabulary, and that it assists and supports the language acquisition process.
Keywords: Afrikaans language acquisition; academic anxiety; academic boredom; academic emotions; flow theory; gamification; gamify; language games; task-based learning and teaching programme; vocabulary development; vocabulary enhancement