Gamification in American High School Students' Chinese Learning: A Case Study of Using Speed Mandarin

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using gamification in the form of the Speed Mandarin computer program to facilitate American high school students' learning of Chinese as a foreign language. Paired sampling was used with a total number of 60 students in an urban high school setting. Students in the experimental group used Speed Mandarin throughout a 16-week academic semester. Pre- and post-treatment questionnaires were used to examine students' beliefs about their abilities to read Chinese, understand spoken Chinese, speak Chinese, acquire new Chinese vocabulary, and use a variety of learning strategies to master Chinese. Data were also gathered about their level of motivation to learn Chinese. Data analysis via one-way ANOVA with the experimental condition as the between-group measure showed significance for the effect of Speed Mandarin on students' belief in their ability to speak Chinese, but showed no significant effects on reading, listening, or vocabulary acquisition. Nor was there any significant difference in language learning strategies or motivation for learning Chinese. Suggestions are provided for potential use of Speed Mandarin in high school Chinese classes as well as for further research. Further research is needed in order to investigate possible relationships between the use of Speed Mandarin and increases in student confidence in other areas of language learning, as well as increases in actual student performance.