Developing students’ self-regulated learning strategies to facilitate vocabulary development in a digital game-based learning environment

Abstract

This study investigated how a digital game-based learning (DGBL) environment affected low- (LP) and high-proficiency (HP) primary school students’ self-regulated learning strategies and vocabulary development. Data were collected from 62 sixth graders (20 LP and 20 HP students) who learned English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The statistics suggested DGBL benefited both LP and HP students’ self-regulated learning strategies and vocabulary development. DGBL encouraged LP students to develop cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management aspects of self-regulated learning strategies. With self-regulated learning strategies, LP students could benefit more from DGBL than HP students did in vocabulary development, reducing the gaps between LP and HP students. The prediction of the simple regression analysis also showed self-regulated learning strategies in DGBL contributed to students’ progress in vocabulary learning.

Keywords:

• Digital game-based learning (DGBL)
• English proficiency levels
• vocabulary development
• primary school students
• self-regulated learning strategies

Disclosure statement

There is no conflict of interest involved in this study.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science and Technology Council in the Republic of China (Taiwan) under project numbers (112-2410-H-224-013-MY2).

Notes on contributors

Yu-Fen Yang

Dr. Yu-Fen Yang is a distinguished professor in the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. Her research focus is mainly on computer-assisted language learning (CALL), instructional design, digital game-based learning, story writing, and language assessment. Along with the development of CALL systems, she has published related manuscripts in international journals.

I-Chun Lee

I-Chun Lee is a graduate student in the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology in Taiwan.

Christine Chifen Tseng

Dr. Christine Chifen Tseng is an associate professor in the Department of Applied English at the National Taichung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. Her research focus is mainly on EFL writing, multimodal composition, translanguaging, and verbally gifted education.

Siao-Cing Lai

Siao-Cing Lai is a graduate student and research assistant in the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology in Taiwan.