Content area
This paper presents the design and evaluation of e-SoundWay, a cross-platform serious game developed to improve English phonetic competence through a multimodal and narrative-driven approach. While the platform is specifically tailored to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking learners, it is adaptable for a wider range of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) users. e-SoundWay offers over 600 interactive multimedia minigames that target three core competencies: perception, production, and transcription. Learners progress along a gamified version of the Camino de Santiago, interacting with characters representing diverse English accents. A mixed-methods evaluation combining pre- and post-tests with a user experience questionnaire revealed statistically significant improvements across all domains, particularly in perception. Reduced post-test variability indicated more equitable learning outcomes. User satisfaction was high, with 64% of participants reporting satisfaction with their phonetic progress and 91% stating they would recommend the platform. These findings highlight the educational effectiveness, accessibility, and motivational value of e-SoundWay, reinforcing the role of serious games and multimodal technologies in delivering inclusive and engaging pronunciation instruction.
Details
Pedagogy;
Higher education;
Accuracy;
Spanish language;
Phonetics;
Gamification;
User experience;
English as a second language;
Foreign languages;
Speaking;
Phonology;
Interactive media;
Games;
Skills;
Motivation;
Human-computer interaction;
Multimedia;
Second language learning;
Learning;
Learning outcomes;
User satisfaction;
Voice recognition;
Online instruction;
Perception;
Design;
Linguistics;
Multimodality;
Pronunciation instruction;
Accentuation;
Speech;
English as a second language instruction;
Digital literacy;
Computer & video games;
Satisfaction;
Teaching;
English language;
Competence;
Pronunciation;
Access
; Gómez-González, María Ángeles 2
; López-Ardao, José Carlos 3
1 Department of Electronic Technology, Universidad de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain; [email protected]
2 Department of English and German Philology, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; [email protected]
3 atlanTTic Research Center for Telecommunications Technology, Universidad de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain