Abstract:

This presentation will showcase the results of an exploratory study on game-based language learning, which is part of a broader exploratory study in a range of domains such as green (outdoor), screen (digital play), machine (maker-based teaching and learning), and everything in between (inclusive learning and language learning). In this review, we examined the empirical literature of different modes and contexts of play in 4th-8th grade schools since early 2000. In this review, we have examined 1848 studies, sifted through 120 articles and completed 20 full-text analyses, extending our understanding of intersections between play and learning in French contexts worldwide. We shall also outline the methodology, the tools and the findings of our research. Our aim is to place the insights we have gained into a conversation about the subject of gamification in the classroom. We also wish to discuss possible tensions, intersections, as well as promising practices to transform instruction and apprenticeship in ways that favor student well-being through play-based pedagogy.

Keywords:

Play, pedagogy, gamification, well-being, language, French.