Effectiveness of Interactivity in a Web-based Simulation Game on Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

Research conducted on the potential and effectiveness of simulations and video games for learning purposes in educational settings has proliferated in the past few decades. Yet the research specifically examined the effectiveness of simulation games for second/foreign language learning remains scarce. This experimental study investigated the effect of interactivity in a web-based simulation game on Asian EFL learners’ vocabulary learning in an immediate post treatment test and retention in a two-week delayed posttest. The study also examined the effect of interactivity on induced cognitive load. The factor “interactivity” is manipulated at two levels, i.e. game (interactive) vs. game replay (non-interactive). Participants were comprised of one hundred undergraduate students (N = 100) enrolled in a rural university of technology in southern Taiwan. Students were first matched based on their game experiences, demographic information and English ability and then randomly assigned to either the gameplay or game replay condition. Results indicated that interactivity induced from multi-players is conducive to germane cognitive load and significantly enhanced vocabulary recall. Additionally, language proficiency was confirmed to be a factor that mediated the amount of mental effort EFL gamers invested in a web-based English simulation game.