透過遊戲應用程式，學習英語字彙：設計、發展、評鑑遊戲應用程式對國中課業落後學生的影響

Research studies have indicated mobile devices can provide ubiquitous learning through the ease of portability and access to rich resources that can allow students to learn beyond the boundary of time and location. The type of learning is individualized and motivational, which are often absent in a regular middle school English classroom. Improving students’ vocabulary is an area of urgent need in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). This study plans to explore the possibilities of learning English vocabulary through mobile technologies. The purpose of the study has twofold. One is to design and develop game apps which will be integrated with vocabulary learning strategies. Totally, vocabulary words in nine lesson units will be included. The other purpose is to investigate the educational value of the game apps regarding whether the apps can help students improve performance and enhance motivation in learning English vocabulary, and examine what elements of the apps attract the students most. Students in a middle school will participate in the study. The game apps will function as an instructional tool to engage the students with content. Through the pre-test and post-test evaluation, the research team will evaluate the amount of vocabulary mastered and whether students are more motivated to learn English vocabulary with the mobile technologies, and will explore how the students use the mobile technologies through usability testing, such as think-aloud and other methods. It is hoped that the findings can shed light on the potential for integrating game apps on mobile devices as an instructional supplement for EFL education.