Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Future of Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Exploring the Impact of Interactive Games on the Acquisition of Maltese Prepositions
Dr. Jacqueline Żammit
ABSTRACT:
Game-based learning is becoming more generally acknowledged as a successful instructional approach in higher education. The present study investigates the impact and effectiveness of game-based learning on adult international students, focusing on the interactive game The Mdina Castle’s Treasure Quest, to teach Maltese prepositions. The study comprised an experimental group that acquired knowledge of Maltese prepositions using a game-based platform set on The Mdina Castle’s Treasure Quest, and a control group that got conventional lecture-based training from the same teacher. The experimental group, consisting of 32 adult learners from international backgrounds, engaged in a game to find concealed mediaeval artefacts within the vast corridors, subterranean rooms, and fortified towers of Mdina Castle. Conversely, the control group, consisting of 31 adult learners, received instruction utilising conventional classroom techniques. The results indicated that the group that participated in game-based learning achieved much higher scores than the control group in post-instruction evaluations on Maltese prepositions. Furthermore, the participants who engaged in game-based learning exhibited elevated levels of engagement, motivation and favourable attitudes towards the process of learning. Providing vital insights into the efficacy of game-based approaches in higher education, this study emphasises the benefits of interactive gaming in language acquisition for adult learners and emphasises the need for immersive educational experiences.
keywords: Preposition Acquisition, Interactive Learning, Adult Learners, Maltese Language, Game-Based Teaching, Maltese as a Second Language