Design and Implementation of a mobile gamebased system to Support Chinese language speaking for International Students in a Chinese Environment

Abstract

In Taiwan universities many foreign students suffer difficulties due to adaptation problems and language barrier in a Chinese-Speaking environment. An initial survey showed most international students have a basic level of Chinese and they also consider Chinese as a barrier to be involved in different local activities. This paper presents a mobile game-based system to support Chinese language speaking for international students in a Chinese environment. The system contains a scenario-based fulfilling activities associated of students and it encourages users to speak in Chinese through the mission tasks. The users are rewarded based on their tasks performance and extra points for each level reached. The game system may increase students’ motivation to continue their Chinese learning. Besides, mobile devices provide the opportunity to learn Chinese outside the classroom and to interact directly with an authentic living environment.