Language learning through game-mediated activities: Analysis of learners’ multimodal participation

Second language learning is a multimodal phenomenon and thus investigating the multimodal aspects of learners’ language learning has become a promising area for research (Guichon & McLornan, 2008; Hardison & Pennington, 2021). Traditionally, language learners’ interactions during classroom activities are often understood by analyzing text-based data, which is not sufficient to paint the full picture of learners’ multimodal participation (Helm & Dooly, 2017). Thus, examining learners’ multimodal participation during classroom activities (i.e., gestures, facial expressions, head movement) has become a need to better paint the picture of students’ learning processes. By adopting a multimodal (inter)action analysis, the present study sought to explore participants’ multimodal participation during a game-mediated project that consisted of playing a video game and completing a series of wraparound activities. Focusing on a small group of English language learners and one teacher, this multiple-case exploratory study provided detailed descriptions of how they participated in game-mediated activities as well as communicated with one another. Findings suggested participants using multimodal elements to help enhance their communication by explaining the meaning and pronunciation of words, and providing additional information to their communication, even when the spoken language was not being used. Implications for both research and practice were discussed as well.