A Critical Review of Digital Game Literacies in the English Classroom

A Critical Review of Digital Game Literacies in the English Classroom

A Critical Review of Digital Game Literacies in the English Classroom

By Alexander Bacalja

Abstract

“This paper reviews research into the use of digital games in the L1 English classroom. It deals specificallywith qualitative case study research investigating the potentialities of these new social, cultural and textual forms. The aim is to provide a critical review of the research to identify how teachers have been usingthese new forms of meaning making and to explore the literate practices associated with the study ofdigital games in the English classroom, as well as the games selected and the forms of classroom playutilised. Analysis of the 16 studies which met the inclusion criteria reveals that digital game literacies present opportunities for meeting the historical imperatives of English teaching, but also for providingnew ways of thinking about how we support students to know themselves and the world. Connecting withstudents’ lifeworlds,developing traditional and contemporary skills, questioning representations withintexts, and supporting the aesthetic dimension of textual experience, were reported to be important outcomes that could be achieved through learning about digital games in English.”

Reference

Bacalja, A. (2022). A critical review of digital game literacies in the English classroom. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://l1research.org/article/view/370

Keyword

Games, digital game literacies, subject-English, pedagogy, classroom, research