The Routledge Handbook of Language Learning and Technology (original) (raw)

Mini-games for language learning are technology-based activities [a] that are intended to improve learners' mastery of specific linguistic constructions, [b] which afford explicit, formfocused, bite-size, and often fast-paced language practice, [c] which offer immediate feedback on learners' responses, and [d] that are goal-directed in the sense that learners pursue nonlinguistic goals in addition to practising their language skills. From a theoretical perspective, such mini-games merit attention for two reasons. First, in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) venues, interest in the theoretical implications of practice has amplified in recent years (e.g. DeKeyser, 2007), and the investigation of mini-game-based practice using methodologies specific to the field of CALL (such as the automated logging of response times in learner performance) may likely yield novel insights into the development and nature of linguistic knowledge gained through practice, and into the roles of task conditions and consistent corrective feedback. Secondly, research on mini-games may shed light on the affordances of designed environments for sustaining learners' engagement in language practice, more specifically on the potential of narrative, non-linguistic goals, and positive feedback. Notwithstanding the theoretical justifiability of language learning mini-games, the empirical research is rather scant to date, and the current widespread support for communicative