A qualitative study of game-based international Chinese language learning experiences
Keywords:
International Chinese language education, educational games, motivation, learning experience, qualitative researchAbstract
Based on the Technology Acceptance Model 2 (TAM2) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study explored the acceptance and experience of using Chinese language learning games among international students, taking Pakistani students as an example, through the qualitative interview method. The study found that learners generally agreed that educational games help Chinese language learning, especially for beginners, but also pointed out the shortcomings of the games in terms of technical implementation, user interface design and personalized learning support. The findings provide empirical support for the design and improvement of Chinese language educational games, which is instructive for international Chinese language education practice, and point out the direction for the development and optimization of future educational games, demonstrating the potential for the application of educational games in international Chinese language education.
Document Type: Original article
Cited as:
Feng, M., Zhang, L., & Cheng, Y. (2025). A qualitative study of game-based international Chinese language learning experiences. Education and Lifelong Development Research, 2(1): 1-10. https://doi.org/10.46690/elder.2025.01.01
References
Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37(2), 122-147.
Chen, X., Dewaele, J.-M., & Zhang, T. (2022). The sustainable development of EFL/ESL learners’ willingness to communicate: The effects of teachers and teaching styles. Sustainability, 14(1), 396.
Clark, D. B., Tanner-Smith, E. E., & Killingsworth, S. S. (2016). Digital games, design, and learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 86(1), 79-122.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
Daniela, L. (2019). Didactics of smart pedagogy: Smart pedagogy for technology-enhanced learning. Springer International Publishing.
Daniela, L., & Lytras, M. (2018). SMART pedagogy: (Re)defining pedagogy. In L. Daniela & M. Lytras (Eds.), Learning strategies and constructionism in modern education settings (pp. 1-15). IGI Global.
Davis, F. D. (1986). A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: Theory and results [Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology].
de Freitas, S., & Liarokapis, F. (2011). Serious games: A new paradigm for education? In M. Ma, A. Oikonomou, & L. Jain (Eds.), Serious games and edutainment applications (pp. 9-23). Springer, London.
Fokides, E. (2020). Digital educational games in primary education. In L. Daniela (Ed.), Epistemological approaches to digital learning in educational contexts (pp. 54-68). Routledge.
Gee, J. P. (2008). Learning and games. In K. Salen (Ed.), The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (pp. 21-40). The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning.
Gnauk, B., Dannecker, L., & Hahmann, M. (2012). Leveraging gamification in demand dispatch systems. Paper presented at the proceedings of the 2012 joint EDBT/ICDT Workshops, Berlin, Germany.
Gong, Y., Lyu, B., & Gao, X. (2018). Research on teaching Chinese as a second or foreign language in and outside mainland China: a bibliometric analysis. Asia-Pacific Educ. Res. 27, 277-289.
Hamari, J., & Sjöblom, M. (2017). What is eSports and why do people watch it? Internet Research, 27(2), 211-232.
Hidi, S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2000). Motivating the academically unmotivated: A critical issue for the 21st century. Review of Educational Research, 70(2), 151-179.
Hong, J. F., & Chen, Z. Y. (2016). A preliminary study of Chinese hierarchical grammar development. In M. Dong, Y. H. Tseng, Y. Lu, L. C. Yu, L. H. Lee, C. H. Wu, & H. Li (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Asian Language Processing (IALP) (pp. 150-155). IEEE Computer Society.
Kaimara, P., & Deliyannis, I. (2019). Why should I play this game? The role of motivation in smart pedagogy. In L. Daniela (Ed.), Didactics of smart pedagogy (pp. 113-137). Springer, Cham.
Kaimara, P., Poulimenou, S.-M., & Deliyannis, I. (2020). Digital learning materials: Could transmedia content make the difference in the digital world? In L. Daniela (Ed.), Epistemological approaches to digital learning in educational contexts (pp. 69-87). Routledge.
Kapp, K. M. (2014). The gamification of learning and instruction fieldbook: Ideas into practice. Wiley.
Kui, X., Teresa, K. D., & Catherine, F. (2006). Extending the traditional classroom through online discussion: The role of student motivation. Journal of Education Computing Research, 34(1), 67-89.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.
Locke, E. A., Shaw, K. N., Saari, L. M., & Latham, G. P. (1981). Goal setting and task performance: 1969-1980. Psychological Bulletin, 90(1), 125-152.
Moon, H. C., & Michele, L. H. (2015). Self-regulated learning: The role of motivation, emotion, and use of learning strategies in students' learning experience in a self-paced online mathematics course. Distance Education, 36(1), 80-99.
Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). Flow theory and research. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Prensky, M. (2007). Digital game-based learning. Paragon House.
Ongoro, C. A., & Fanjiang, Y. Y. (2024). Digital game-based technology for English language learning in preschools and primary schools: A systematic analysis. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 17, 202-228.
Ryan, R. M., & Connell, J. P. (1989). Perceived locus of causality and internalization: Examining reasons for acting in two domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(5), 749-761.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.
Sailer, M., Hense, J. U., Mayr, S. K., & Mandl, H. (2017). How gamification motivates: An experimental study of the effects of specific game design elements on psychological need satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 371-380.
Shernoff, D. J., Csikszentmihalyi, M., Schneider, B., & Shernoff, E. S. (2003). Student engagement in high school classrooms from the perspective of flow theory. School Psychology Quarterly, 18(2), 158-176.
Skinner, E., Furrer, C., Marchand, G., & Kindermann, T. (2008). Engagement and disaffection in the classroom: Part of a larger motivational dynamic? Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(4), 765-781.
Venkatesh, V., & Davis, F. D. (2000). A theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model: Four longitudinal field studies. Management Science, 46(2), 186-204.
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478.
Yu, Y.-T., & Tsuei, M.-P. (2023). The effects of digital game-based learning on children's Chinese language learning, attention, and self-efficacy. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(10), 6113-6132.