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http://dx.doi.org/10.22156/CS4SMB.2022.12.04.143

Spudsville: Designing a Minecraft Game for learning teaching English as a Second Language  

Baek, Youngkyun (Department of Educational Technology, Boise State University)
Kim, Jeongkyoum (Department of Education, Chungnam National University)
Sam, Eisenberg (College of Western Idaho Instructional)
Publication Information
Journal of Convergence for Information Technology / v.12, no.4, 2022 , pp. 143-157 More about this Journal
Abstract
The aim of this study is to design Spudsville, an immersive game environment in Minecraft that can effectively help learners acquire the English language. To create a successful learning experience using Minecraft, the researchers adopted the Agile Model and the Design Thinking approach. The researchers first conducted an analysis through an extensive literature review in order to assess the learners' needs. Afterwards, they designed and developed a Minecraft world based on the data collected during the analysis phase. The researchers learned that implementing constructivist and behaviorist approaches has benefits, even though applying a cognitivist-learning model to Spudsville could have provided the researchers with more insight on how learner processes information. Making these adjustments could improve Spudsville's effectiveness and could potentially help the ways in which gamified learning aids with language acquisition.
Keywords
Minecraft; English as a second language; Agile model; Simulation; Educational game development;
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