Vegel, A. & Hill, R. (2024). Small talk strategies card game for English language learners: Development and future directions

Vegel, A. & Hill, R. (2024). Small talk strategies card game for English language learners: Development and future directions

Metadata

  • Author: Anton Vegel, Richard Hill
  • Reviewed by: Fred Poole, Jules Buendgens-Kosten
  • Volume and page numbers: 6 (p. 44 – 65)
  • Date of publication: 2024/06/25
  • Keywords: Communicative competence, Game affordances, Game development, GBLT, Interaction, Playtesting, Small talk, Spontaneously spoken speech
  • Cite: Vegel, A. & Hill, R. (2024). Small talk strategies card game for English language learners: Development and future directions. Ludic Language Pedagogy, 6, 44-65. https://doi.org/10.55853/llp_v6Ar1

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Compendium materials

Anton and Richard have made their game available as a free downloadable resource. Please check the following website: https://sites.google.com/view/smalltalkcardgame/small-talk-strategies-card-game.

Key Points

  • Background: EFL contexts require instructors to create opportunities for natural or improvised communication which can reflect β€˜real world’ conversations.
  • Aim: We aimed to improve on a small talk strategies non-game technique with a game-based technique for EFL contexts.
  • Methods: We developed and deployed a game-based technique using a playtesting approach.
  • Results: Positive findings (game affordances and pedagogical potential) are preliminary and descriptive in nature. Interaction constructs are proposed to guide future research.
  • Conclusion: Small talk strategies practice with a game-based technique shows promising pedagogical potential, but further verification is required.