The Effect of Interactivity with a Music Video Game on Second Language Vocabulary Recall Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Interactivity with a Music Video Game on Second Language Vocabulary Recall Essay This research has been done by Jonathan deHaan, W. Michael Reed and Katsuko Kuwada. Jonathan deHaan is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Shizuoka. He earned his Ph. D. in Educational Communication and Technology from New York University. His research focuses on second language learning and teaching with games and simulations. As for W. Michael Reed, he was a retired professor of Educational Communication and Technology at New York University and the IRB/IACUC Administrator for Radford University in Virginia. His research interests spanned over a 25-year period and focused on educational computing, problem-solving, metacognition, and composing processes. Meanwhile, Katsuko Kuwada is a doctoral student in the International Cultural Studies program at Tohoku University. She investigates language and culture; her current research compares the use of first-person subjects in Japanese and English based on different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this research is to know physical interactivity of a second language music video game is manipulated to investigate the effect of interactivity on vocabulary acquisition and cognitive load (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010) or in simpler way is to investigate whether the interactivity ( and simultaneously presented text, audio and animation) of video game is extraneous cognitive load (thus having a negative effect on learning) or germane load (thus having a positive effect on learning) (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010). Overview The research question that been highlighted here is to view interactivity of second language on music video game on recalling vocabulary. This research captured my attention due to the usage of media in teaching English as second language to undergraduate Japanese students. As we all know, multimedia technology has been implemented in language learning to attract as well as to motivate second language user to be able to perceive, learn and enjoy English language. This research is crucial to this aeon, in which multimedia is being integrated in language learning. Thus Professor deHaan, Prof. Reed and DR. Kuwada focus on what constitute a game rather then what can be added to a game to make it approachable and enjoyable in teaching and learning process. In this research it has depicted that ‘human cognitive architecture consists of a limited short-term memory’ (Baddeley, 1992, Miller, 1959), and a game’s complex elements (e. g. usic, subtitles and lyrics) can create an unalterable high demand on working memory (intrinsic cognitive load), it is important to understand whether a media features, such as interactivity, present a student with unnecessary extraneous cognitive load, which interferes with learning, or germane load, which enhances learning (deHaan, Reed Kuwada; 2010). Analysis This research has been done to see ‘video game interactivity would help or hinder the noticing and recall of second language vocabulary . (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010). Here the three researchers have used interactivity, language proficiency and video game proficiency as independent variables while cognitive load vocabulary written recall, and participant opinions as dependent measures, Eighty undergraduates in which 65 of them are males and 15 of them are females in a range of age around 18 to 24, from Computer Science University in rural Japan. Subjects’ mother tongue is Japanese and has 6 to 11 years of formal English education. Participants were paired and one participant in each pair was randomly assigned to either play or watch the video game, and this been conducted in laboratory, for 20 minutes long. Professor deHaan, Prof. Reed and Dr. Kuwada, instructed the participants to play or watch the game and learn the words of the rap. The video game level was repeated five times by all pairs. The participants were not allowed to take notes or use their dictionaries and even not allowed to see and what more to interact with one and another. The material that was used in this research was Parappa the Rapper 2. Straight after cease with the experiment, participants would be given topics from the game and were used as written cloze test, where participants were required to write the missing words from the game’s rap in the text’s blanks. This test been repeated again after 2 weeks. The result after the test depicted that ‘watchers of the video game recalled significantly more vocabulary items compare to the players. Thus because watchers focus only on the objects in the game and the sentences describing the pictures without even have to integrate with the game console. Meanwhile, the players have to both focuses on the integration with game and with console as well as their integration with the sentences describing the pictures, to such a degree the players are having cognitive loads. Critique and Evaluation This research is focus on effect of interactivity with music video game on second language vocabulary recall. After thoroughly read the research paper I have found out that Professor deHaan, Prof. Reed and Kuwada pay cogently attention to know whether ‘video game (multimedia technology) would help or hinder noticing and recall second language vocabulary. Here the three researchers focus on cognitivist perspective in which according to Jean Piaget (1977), mental process of an individual use in responding to their environment. Cognitivism deals with how people think, solve problems and make decisions. When the players interact with the game they are using their cognitive ability to engage with the steps that they need to ensue in order to move up to the next level of the game as well as to convene on the lyrics given in the game. Here the players are responding to their environment, however being cognitive loads between fixating on the game and engaging to the lyrics somehow has distracted them from focusing on the vocabulary. Thus has made them failed to recall the vocabulary during vocabulary recall test. Meanwhile, the watchers do not faced the cognitive load due to solely one way interaction (receiving the input) between them and the video game, thus has given them time to give great detail using memorization method, which is one of the 6 cognitive learning strategies (Rubin Wenden, 1987), to indulge in the game. Furthermore, this research has proven that by using video game can help to assist language learning in second language leaner. As been mention by Hubbard (1991), language learning may happen with video game as language is involved in the play. It is easy to accept language learning evolves through game as language and problem solving are correlated and what more students seem to enjoy it. Despite that, the research has significantly highlighted that by watching the media (game), in defiance of involving in it, can make the learners ‘notice and recalling more vocabulary items’ (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010), as they have only to focus on the lyrics only. Hence consolidate that usage of multimedia technology (game) in language class does not hinder the language learning. However, teachers must scrutinize type of game that they want to use in their language class. Nevertheless, in learning second language it is not enough by just interact with game and the lyrics. To become competence in a language one must also portray the purpose of using the language rather than just merely know the language yet not communicate it in purposeful conversation to reinforce the learning, thus communication is important in language learning. Like what has been mentioned by Douglas Brown (2000), communication is not merely an event, something that happens; it is functional, purposive and designed to bring about some effect. Due to that, 2 weeks after the research has been done, the participants been called to attempt second test to evaluate their vocabulary in recalling the game lyrics. Here both players and watchers have shown drastically reducing of vocabulary if comparing to the previous test. This has proven that without purposeful learning students will not be able to sustain the vocabulary. On my behalf, I strongly believe that communicative reinforcement can enhance on language learning via technology, as one language learning and no purposeful practise will hinder the language learning process. Through this research I have learnt to acquiesce, without collaboration with learning strategies (between memorising, recalling and communicating via multimedia tool), the language learning will not become purposeful and will make one learning a failure. Conclusion It can be concluded that physical interaction of this game has extraneous cognitive load effect on the players, thus not conducive to learning and seemed to have unnecessarily diverted the players’ attention from the vocabulary and hinder recall. Meanwhile, the watchers of the game have not exposed to the additional extraneous load and have been able to devote more cognitive resources to the intrinsic load of the game and its language. As a consequence this research I have learnt that suitable game (multimedia) can assist language learning process as students seemed to enjoy such activity. In any respect with purposeful reinforcement such as germane communicative reinforcement can compensate language acquisition better. Moreover, implication of this research on future study, teachers will be more selective in choosing multimedia material for their classes and they will make sure balance input been given in the sense of interactivity and language learning so that no cognitive load will occur and hinder language learning via multimedia.