The victory of a non-digital game over a digital one in vocabulary learning
The victory of a non-digital game over a digital one in vocabulary learning
The victory of a non-digital game over a digital one in vocabulary learning
Samane Naderi and Fatemeh Moafian
Abstract
"Among the most important things a child can do to learn is to play. Technology, however, has created a distinct type of play for children that differs from previous forms. This raises the question of whether digital or non-digital plays are more effective learning tools. To address the question, the current study examined the impact of digital and non-digital play-based instruction on children's vocabulary learning and retention. To this aim, 40 elementary EFL learners were assigned to two groups: digital and non-digital. In the first phase of the study, after twenty sessions of intervention, the post-test was administered and two weeks later, the delayed post-test was held. Twenty sessions of another type of play-based learning took place in the second phase when the learners switched groups. We ended up administering both the post-test and the delayed post-test after a two-week break. The data were analyzed using ANCOVA and Quade's ANCOVA tests. Additionally, the learners, parents, teachers, and two observers who attended all classes were interviewed. The quantitative results revealed that, across the stages, the non-digital group outperformed the digital one. The interviews and observations lend credence to the quantitative results. The study demonstrated that the advent of technology should not make us ignore the benefits of non-digital activities and plays in language education environments."
Reference
Naderi, S., & Moafian, F. (2023). The victory of a non-digital game over a digital one in vocabulary learning. Computers and Education Open, 4, 100135. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369906859_The_victory_of_a_non-digital_game_over_a_digital_one_in_vocabulary_learning
Keywords
Play-based instruction, Digital play, Non-digital play