Multimodal literacy in digital game-based learning among secondary school students in China
In the digital world with a ubiquitous multimodal media-saturated environment, multimodal literacy has been an integral part of school literacy education. Multimodal literacy expands literacy from basic language skills to multiple abilities of critical consuming and creative producing multimodal...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/122481/1/122481.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/122481/ http://ethesis.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/18585 |
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| Summary: | In the digital world with a ubiquitous multimodal media-saturated environment,
multimodal literacy has been an integral part of school literacy education.
Multimodal literacy expands literacy from basic language skills to multiple
abilities of critical consuming and creative producing multimodal texts for
communication. Digital games, a prevalent type of digital media practice in the
youth’s lives, can ideally facilitate students’ multimodal literacy learning and
connect school education with students’ lifeworld. However, in China,
especially in less-developed regions, multimodal literacy is marginalised in
classrooms. Similarly, digital games are undervalued or even distrusted
despite their ongoing popularity, leaving their pedagogical potential
underutilised. Hence, this study aims to explore how Chinese secondary
students develop multimodal literacy in digital game-based learning (DGBL) in
an underdeveloped context, focusing on students’ multimodal literacy
development as critical consumers in game analysis and as creative producers
in game paratext design, and challenges in their learning process. To achieve the research objectives, this research employed the qualitative
case study approach for a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of
students’ multimodal literacy within a specific social context. The main
component is a 16-session digital game-based multimodal literacy program
launched in a suburban school in northern China as a supplement for Chinese
language classes. A total of 16 students from eighth grade participated in this
program, engaging in collaborative digital gameplay and analysis followed by
game video design, with the researcher’s systematic guidance and two
teachers’ assistance. Multiple data-collection methods were applied,
encompassing participant observation, interviews, field notes, and the studentauthored
electronic portfolios and game videos. The data went through
multimodal discourse analysis and thematic analysis, yielding extensive
research findings. The findings reveal students’ multimodal literacy development from causal
players to critical consumers, demonstrating enhanced knowledge and ability
to analyse multimodal game texts and gaming experience across
representation, engagement, and organisation dimensions. Besides, they
developed multimodal literacy to innovatively apply multiple semiotic modes
and digital tools to design game paratexts as creative producers, expressing
original ideas from representational, interpersonal, and compositional
perspectives. The researcher’s guidance played a crucial role throughout their
learning process. Moreover, four main challenges include processing complex
multimodal information in multi-tasking, the lack of relevant knowledge and
skills, challenging teamwork, and external constraints at school.In conclusion, this study contributes empirical evidence to substantiate that
DGBL offers fertile ground and abundant learning resources for secondary
students’ critical and creative engagement in multimodal literacy practice, thus
strengthening their multimodal literacy. Meanwhile, instructors’ systematic
interventions are crucial in incorporating DGBL in literacy classrooms to
transform these possibilities into reality and address variations among
students’ multimodal literacy levels. Admittedly, incorporating digital games to
promote multimodal literacy education is challenging in less-developed
regions in China with the entrenched exam-oriented education system and
limited educational resources. Consequently, joint efforts from diverse
stakeholders are necessary to provide students with equitable access to digital
technologies and additional training for effective utilisation, thus preparing
them for active participation in the future. |
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