EAL instructors' attitudes towards game-based learning adoption in education: Obstacles and opportunities

Due to the importance of game-based learning (GBL) for teaching and language learning, numerous studies (Hamzah, et al., 2015; Sánchez-Mena et al., 2016; Teo et al., 2019) have looked at students’ acceptance of GBL for language acquisition. However, little research has been conducted on teachers’ attitudes towards GBL in English as Additional Language (EAL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) contexts. Qualitative study on the obstacles and opportunities of GBL from the perspective of teachers is underreported in the literature. Hence, the objective of the current study is to explore teachers’ attitudes towards GBL as well as opportunities and obstacles in an EAL context. The study used a survey and interview to collect data. The survey data was gathered from eight university EAP teachers. Four of the survey respondents participated in interviews to explore the opportunities and obstacles of GBL. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis and description. The findings of the survey data revealed that the factors of usefulness, attitude, and social influence contribute to the use of GBL. The analysis of the interview data highlighted some themes associated with opportunities of GBL such as student-centeredness, self-discovery, improvement of different language components, fun learning, and motivation, while three themes, namely preparation time, reluctance to use, and learning style, were highlighted as the obstacles of using GBL. The implication of the study is that teachers acknowledge the benefits of GBL but they need support and further professional development to help overcome the obstacles of GBL.