Guadalingo in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (FL): Practical Insights

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to provide practical solutions in the teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language (FL) based on the Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) in combination with a video game, adapting it to the requirements of L2 language learners. Since video games appeared, they have been increasingly used globally as tools for learning and teaching subjects related with languages, culture, social topics, gender, education, and global citizenship. This article focuses on how to use the serious game Guadalingo and does so through a reflexive approach and using qualitative data. The research was a three-month qualitative study supplemented with numerical values for pre-course information related to participants’ attitude to traditional homework, game-based activities, and device predilection (handheld mobile devices with a touchscreen interface versus PC with a physical keyboard). The findings reveal high presence of female participants and their readiness for playing a video game to learn a new language. Further work is required in the study of motivational out-of-classroom tasks in teaching Spanish with focus on gender (male versus female), age (digital and/or not digital generations), and game graphics.