Language in a Modding Community: Learning English for a Specific Purpose

• In Event: Roundtable Session 123
  In Roundtable Session: Constellation of Computational Literacy Practices in Learning Through Game Modding

Abstract

This study examines how participation in an online gaming, fan community, Mod The Sims (MTS) in a second language (L2) such as English enhances the learning of specialty English in situational and meaningful contexts, overall English language proficiency, and learning to use information-technology (IT) learning. Through this study, I will suggest for educators in L2 to their understanding of the influences of using games for facilitating L2 learning and activities around games; as well as the possibilities of using affinity spaces (Gee, 2004) to foster learning both everyday English and English for specific purposes in this global world.

MTS is devoted to game modding and interacting mainly in English. In MTS, modding means creating content using three dimensional software and photo-editing programs and then adding it into a series of The Sims video games. This site is constructed a discussion board platform in which users post tutorials, questions, comments with using multimodal texts (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2001). This site has attracted more than one million members from all over the world, and it provides L2 learners the opportunity to acquire IT learning in meaningful social practices along with specialist English language learning.

This case study is part of a larger ethnographic research project to investigate IT learning and the acquisition of language. To apply a virtual ethnographic method (Hine, 2000; 2009; Markham & Baym, 2009), I engaged in what Jones (1999) refers to as lurking, looking around this affinity space since 2008, which over time enabled me to become familiar with the interface and the culture. While lurking, I have studied how site members interact and what kinds of meanings these interactions portray. Grounded in situated learning theory (Gee, 1997, 2010) and investigated through the use of specialty English (Gee, 2005, 2007; Hayes & Lee, in press; Lemke, 1990; Saul, 2004; Schleppegrell, 2004), my data is focused on interactions within dialogs of my patrician that reveal the English-language, learning process and the environmental support system in MTS for English language learners. At the same time, ethnographical artifacts, including survey and interviews helped me to more deeply understand my participant. To examine the process of language learning, I applied Discourse analysis (Gee, 2005, 2011) to investigate the development of her English skills as they related to the establishment of belongingness to MTS as an advanced member and three dimensional modder.

My findings propose that participation in MTS enhances not only developing technical knowledge, but also affords language learning for English Language Learners from all over the world in applicable contexts in which L2 learners can use their language in contexts and localities that require meaningful participation in order to gain membership status within the community. Furthermore, my study emphasizes that language learning should not be isolated from content learning, which is how language is constructed and taught in many second and foreign language programs worldwide. In other words, language acquisition occurs as a result of learners being exposed to meaningful interactions within situated contexts, from the study of language forms.

Author

• Yoonhee Naseef Lee, Arizona State University