Roller och interaktion hos finskspråkiga inlärare av svenska under samspelande av ett digitalt språkspel

In this study, we investigated the playing of a digital language game, Modigt på svenska! Eight learners of Swedish as L2 participated in the study. We focused on what kind of roles the learners take, how the roles affect the interaction while playing, and what the learners commu­nicate about. The material consisted of transcribed video recordings of four pairs playing, and paired interviews with the learners. The results showed that two of the pairs played in an active manner and all learners in these pairs participated equally, being interested in the game and having similar language skills. In the other two pairs, the differences in language skills were greater, leading to the roles of learners as novices and experts. Overall, the study demonstrates that playing a digital language game can contribute to L2 learning by promoting cooperative aspects of learning, which involved for example negotiation of meaning.