Abstract
Given the crucial role of writing in both academic and workplace settings, teachers should constantly seek effective ways to improve their students’ writing skills. The use of games or their elements to support the teaching and learning of writing has gained much attention in language education studies. Despite the increasing number of empirical studies in the field, there has been no systematic investigation of what games, or their elements, have been applied in the writing classroom. The aim of this study was to summarize the empirical evidence on using game-related approaches, including game-based learning and gamification, to teach writing. Twenty-two studies were analyzed, revealing the following findings: (1) various types of games were used for writing instruction, including digital educational games, non-digital educational games, and digital non-educational games; (2) digital educational games were the most common game type reported in the literature, and such games were used to create authentic and interactive learning environments, provide writing practice opportunities, and evaluate students’ writing skills; (3) various game elements, such as points, leaderboards, storylines, and role-playing, were incorporated to develop gamified activities; and (4) students participated in such gamified activities in online and hybrid modes. Taken as a whole, the findings show how games and their elements are used for teaching and learning writing. Suggestions and implications are provided for practitioners and researchers in the field.
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Appendix
Appendix
Substantive features of the selected studies
Author(s)/Year | Publication source | Research site (country/region) | Educational level | Target language | Participants | Methodology | Data collection method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allen et al. (2014) | Language Learning & Technology | USA | Secondary education | English (L1 and L2) | 42 high school students | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire |
Barab et al. (2012) | Computers & Education | USA | Secondary education | English (L1) | 65 seventh graders | Mixed-methods | Test; questionnaire; observation; interview |
Boscolo et al. (2012) | Reading & Writing Quarterly | Italy | Elementary education | Italian (L1) | 114 fourth graders | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire |
Chang et al. (2021) | Computer Assisted Language Learning | Taiwan, China | Elementary education | Chinese (L1) | 113 third graders | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire |
Clark and Murphy (2021) | Teaching of Psychology | USA | Higher education | English (L1) | 90 undergraduate students | Quantitative | Test |
Dickey (2011) | British Journal of Educational Technology | USA | Higher education | English (L1) | 20 college students | Qualitative | Observation; questionnaire; interview |
El Tantawi et al. (2018) | European Journal of Dental Education | Saudi Arabia | Higher education | English (L2) | 92 first-year dental students | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire |
Fu et al. (2019) | Computers & Education | Taiwan, China | Higher education | English (L2) | 74 first-year dental students | Mixed-methods | Test; questionnaire |
Ho (2020) | Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching | Hong Kong, China | Higher education | English (L2) | 50 second-year university students | Mixed-methods | Test; questionnaire; interview |
Kim et al. (2013) | Computers & Education | South Korea | Secondary education | English (L2) | 59 male high school students | Quantitative | Test |
Lam et al. (2018) | Language Learning & Technology | Hong Kong, China | Secondary education | English (L2) | 72 secondary-4 students | Mixed-methods | Test; online postings; interview |
Lawrence and Sherry (2021) | Journal of Literacy Research | USA | Secondary education | English (L1) | 114 seventh graders | Qualitative | Essay drafts; screen capture videos; interview |
Lee (2019) | ReCALL | South Korea | Higher education | English (L2) | 25 students | Qualitative | Writing papers; reflection papers; questionnaire |
Liao et al. (2018) | Journal of Computer Assisted Learning | Taiwan, China | Elementary education | Chinese (L1) | 245 third graders | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire |
Lin et al. (2018) | Educational Technology & Society | Taiwan, China | Higher education | English (L2) | 68 undergraduate students | Mixed-methods | Test; online data; reflections; questionnaire |
Neville (2015) | ReCALL | USA | Higher education | German (L2) | 32 university students | Mixed-methods | Test |
Proske et al. (2014) | Educational Technology Research and Development | Germany | Higher education | English (L2) | 175 university students | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire; log data |
Roscoe et al. (2019) | Journal of Educational Computing Research | USA | Secondary education | English (L1) | 163 high school students | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire |
Song and Sparks (2019a) | Journal of Educational Computing Research | USA | Secondary education | English (L1) | 42 seventh graders | Mixed-methods | Test; questionnaire |
Song and Sparks (2019b) | Educational Technology Research and Development | USA | Secondary education | English (L1) | 104 middle school students | Quantitative | Test |
Wang et al. (2016) | Journal of Computer Assisted Learning | Taiwan, China | Elementary education | Chinese (L1) | 75 third graders | Quantitative | Test; questionnaire |
Wang and Song (2022) | The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher | Mainland China | Higher education | English (L2) | 60 non-English major students | Mixed-methods | Test; questionnaire; group discussion audio-recordings |
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Guo, K., Zhong, Y., Zainuddin, Z. et al. Applying game-related methods in the writing classroom: A scoping review. Educ Inf Technol 29, 4481–4504 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11998-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11998-w