Learning about Shakespeare via Mobile Apps: Investigation of Learning Outcomes, Motivation, and Engagement of EFL Learners in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Liao, Yi-Ting, 廖翊婷
• Other Authors: Chen, Yi-Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/jpv9sc

碩士 === 靜宜大學 === 英國語文學系 === 105 === In the EFL context of Taiwan, Shakespeare has been used to guide students in knowing any literature in English. However, several scholars discovered that language and cultural barriers as well as conventional lecture-based instructions have resulted in loss of EFL student interest in learning Shakespeare’s works. Hence, it is vital for English instructors to use innovative pedagogies to enhance EFL student motivation and engagement in order to elevate their learning outcomes. With the advantages of mobile game-based learning, this study aimed to investigate the enhancement of EFL student learning outcomes, motivation, and engagement via game-based Shakespeare-related apps. In this study, 36 English majors participated in a Shakespeare class at a university in central Taiwan. Based on the syllabus of this class, a total of five relevant apps about Shakespeare’s sonnets, soliloquies, and “Romeo and Juliet” were used by students for 30 minutes during five weeks after their teacher’s instruction. The pre-and post-tests of relevant apps, pre- and post- motivation questionnaires, three quizzes of the apps, the questionnaires of the Instructional Material Motivation Survey and game flow state, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. The results revealed that the mobile-based instructional approach significantly elevated student learning outcomes, motivation, as well as engagement, that most of the participants held positive perceptions about the use of apps for learning, and that the students of different achievement levels gained differently on the enhancement of motivation and engagement. Yet, while lower achievers did benefit from the effectiveness of apps, higher achievers made little progress. The interview findings and discussions further provided explanations for the quantitative results. Thus, the pedagogical implications provide school faculties, teachers, and app developers direction for the design and use of Shakespeare-related apps as learning tools to benefit EFL learners whether in or outside the class.