learning foreign languages via the use of games

Recent work by a BSc Computing student, University of Northampton - Andy Matt-Mbuku

Towards the development of an Educational Software tool designed for teaching children words in foreign

languages via the use of games.

Andy Matt-Mbuku

Abstract

Firstly games in general are today an important part of many children’s leisure lifestyle and a growing part of many cultures throughout the world.  More than three quarters of children play games regularly; Parent can watch in amazement as children spend hours to amusing themselves by controlling characters on the screen.

In the past games have been discharged as a distraction to from more important activities such as studying or doing homework.

Nowadays however, there are questions being asked by teachers and other researchers about how this influential concept may be used to support children’s leaning in schools Instead of turning their backs against it, with the new foreign language curriculum for primary school pupils across the England being introduced very soon, there is now an increasing interest in asking whether games might be a powerful new resource to support learning in primary schools.

This dissertation project intends to explore the current thoughts about the role of games in educations which supports children’s learning inside and outside schools, and also highlighting the critical areas of research such as the rising interest in pleasurable learning and the ‘learning by doing’ that many games seems to offer;

This project also acknowledges the challenges and obstacles to using games within the current education system and will aim to provide general recommendations for future games-based learning approaches in schools for teachers, game developers and education policy board.

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else”. (Albert Einstein, 1955).  

Computing Courses

BSc and HND Computing Provision (click on the links below for more details of the courses)

• BEng/MEng Computing (Computer Networks Engineering)
• BEng/MEng Computing (Computer Systems Engineering) 

• BSc (Hons) Computing (also available part-time)
• BSc (Hons) Computing (Graphics and Visualisation)
• BSc (Hons) Computing (Internet Technology and Security)
• BSc (Hons) Computing (Mobile Computing)
• BSc (Hons) Computing (Software Engineering)
• BSc (Hons) Computing - One Year Top-Up 
• BSc  Computer Games Development
• HND Computing (Compute​r Net​works Engineering)
• HND Computing (Computer Systems Engineering)
• HND Computing (Graphics and Visualisation)
• HND Computing (Internet Tech​nolog​y and Security)
• HND Computing (Mobile Computing)
• HND Computing (Software Engine​ering) 
• HND Com​puting

The University of Northampton's, Department of Computing and Immersive Technologies offers five courses within the MSc Computing postgraduate provision (shown below) all available either part-time or full-time. 

• MSc Computing
• MSc Computing (Internet Technology and Security)
• MSc Computing (Computer Networks Engineering)
• MSc Computing (Software Engineering)
• MSc Computing (Immersive Technologies)

The contents are the opinion of the author(s) and not necessarily the view of the University of Northampton.