Abstract:

Context:
Over the past few years, the significant increase in the number of adolescent migrants reaching our territory is an increasingly discussed topic. The focus is mainly on the communication and integration challenges that these young people face, especially in the socio-health context. Given that migrants nowadays are almost all connected and have access to a mobile device, the idea emerged to support them through the use of serious games, aiming to facilitate the understanding of the Italian language and knowledge related to psychophysical well-being within the Pervasive Game For Integration (PG4I) project at the University of Bari "Aldo Moro” that is funded by the university through the "Horizon Europe Seed" research grant.

Goal:
Mobile learning, since its inception, has found breeding ground in language education, giving rise to mobile language learning as an evolution of computer-assisted language learning. From observing the habits of the project's recipients, the passion of young people for sports, especially football, has emerged. Drawing inspiration from the latter, we considered it appropriate to prefer the use of mobile devices in the design of an app that utilizes effective digital tools to personalize the teaching of Italian. Starting with a simple vocabulary of typical football expressions, the app allows users to learn new and more complex ones with the goal of promoting cultural integration, especially for communication with socio-health employee.

Method:
To this end, it was decided to introduce new methodologies for acquiring Italian vocabulary into the teaching process offered by the app. Using educational tools such as serious games and gamification, has made it possible to simplify the method of education to the use of the Italian lexical corpus by capturing their interest with simple and stimulating games. Serious games, through gaming elements, enable the assimilation of new concepts and skills within different scenarios. Players are required to train their linguistic abilities before applying them in communicative relationships in daily life. Furthermore, the use of gamification elements motivates and keeps customer' interest high in the development of language proficiency.

Results:
Play4Health allows the implementation of linguistic skills and pragmatic listening and reading abilities. In fact, the app has recorded positive results both in terms of effectiveness and in terms of engagement of the users. Project participants found it interesting to learn the language in an experimental field that is very familiar to them, such as football, and felt motivated by the rewards received. Therefore, the app has achieved its set goals, maximizing the benefits of the unique characteristics of mobile devices.

Keywords:

Language Learning, Gamification, Mobile Learning, Inclusion.