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Gamifying Early Foreign Language Learning

Using Digital Storytelling and Augmented Reality to Enhance Vocabulary Learning

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Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications (IMCL 2019)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 1192))

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Abstract

DS (Digital Storytelling) and AR (Augmented Reality) applications offer opportunities for the creation of a multimodal and interactive learning environment, making the learning concept more appealing and exciting than traditional or more conventional instructional tools. The overall objective of this work is to assess how DS and AR can contribute to the enhancement of children’s vocabulary in the FL (Foreign Language) through a number of gamified activities. To this aim we restructured the classroom environment utilizing tangible interfaces to create a multimodal learning framework, where 6-year-old learners could play, collaborate and interact. Twenty (20) first grade children of a Primary School in Greece (experimental group) were engaged in digital activities learning about Greek mythology and ancient history, while eighteen (18) children of the same grade and school (control group) were taught the same context in a more traditional learning environment. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected by means of: a) non-equivalent posttest only, b) the teacher/researcher’s journal and, c) semi-structured interviews with the experimental group members. The results indicated that a higher vocabulary retention rate was observed when DS and AR were incorporated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Western Macedonia, Florina, Greece

    Eleni Korosidou & Tharrenos Bratitsis

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  1. Eleni Korosidou
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  2. Tharrenos Bratitsis
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Correspondence to Tharrenos Bratitsis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Villach, Austria

    Michael E. Auer

  2. Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Thrasyvoulos Tsiatsos

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Korosidou, E., Bratitsis, T. (2021). Gamifying Early Foreign Language Learning. In: Auer, M.E., Tsiatsos, T. (eds) Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications. IMCL 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1192. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49932-7_68

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49932-7_68

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