EGC Works Podcast #4: Penn State professor researches second language immersion via World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft has caught the attention of not only millions of loyal gamers, but educators as well.
One of them is Steve Thorne, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics. Thorne has graduate students in a technology/second language acquisition course he facilitates explore World of Warcraft (WOW) as an optional activity, with the idea of WOW as an engaging environment for language immersion. The students teach a variety of language courses at Penn State, and he wanted them to get a sense of the type of language available, such as “Quest Texts,” which outline a mission in the game, and interaction among gamers.
Thorne said he worked with Teaching and Learning with Technology’s Educational Gaming Commons on developing his research in WOW. “They have been fantastic,” he said.
The types of language used in the game often are immediate and include corrective feedback, Thorne said, such as alerting other players to dangers or providing feedback on why a mission went wrong. And while most think of the game as violent, he said there are scenarios that involve rescue, healing, and saving animals.
The game, Thorne said, also allows players to have professions in the WOW realm, such as miners, herbalists, etc. He notes there is an economic component in the game as well, with all sorts of transactions taking place.
All this provides a dynamic environment for language learning and immersion. In fact, Thorne noted, he has learned there are players who, outside of any course, learn another language so they can participate with other players who speak that language.
This semester, as an optional activity, Thorne is having more students play the game and is tracking the kind of language they are using. He stressed that these types of course activities are volunteer-only, as he realizes not every student likes gaming.
To find out more about the hidden benefits for language learning in WOW, Daily Buzz and EGC Works editor/producer Jamie Oberdick recently sat down with Steve to find out more, including how the Educational Gaming Commons at Penn State worked with him on this research.
