Videojuego educativo tipo aventura para el aprendizaje de inglés en niños de 10 a 12 años

Abstract

According to the Ministry of Education, the education law recognized the importance of learning a foreign or second language at the beginning of 1994 [1]. In the case of Colombia, this second language was English, which has been taught and maintained to this day. Furthermore, English learning in Colombia is one of the worst in Latin America. According to Education Editorial, Colombia is the third-lowest English proficiency country in Latin America and one of the worst ranked worldwide. This was revealed by the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) study by Education First. [2] Furthermore, the government is seeking to implement English in any way it can, so the government has focused on achieving bilingualism in Colombia by creating programs that promote the English language as an instrument of modernization and advancement. Learning a second language, such as English, also known as a lingua franca, has been considered vital for children's development. According to López Montero, the importance of learning foreign languages, particularly in these times, is undeniable [3]. In addition, learning other languages is becoming a growing trend, highlighting the clear importance of promoting bilingual education from an early age. This highlights the importance of a second language for current civilizations and future societies. [3] First, it is argued that not all children or young people have the same learning pace and style, which in some way affects their education [7]. Children's learning of a second language is primarily affected by the presence of twice as many phonetic sounds as Spanish, as well as the existence of different accents [8]. On the other hand, there are methods with unfavorable results when it comes to learning English, such as putting too much effort into grammar, binge-learning, or not reviewing enough, which generate problems within the learning process, preventing children and adults from fully understanding or mastering the language [9]. In short, problems arise in several areas, among the most common being the teaching methodology and lack of help at home. It is suggested that teachers should be aware of the needs and emotional environment of each student, the characteristics of the locality, and make them understand the importance of another language. And parents should be the fundamental support their children need in this learning process together. [7] One of the greatest needs in teaching young people and children to learn English from an early age is that they absorb information more quickly. As Brains Nursery points out, when English is learned at a later age, knowledge acquisition is slower and more difficult. When learning English, children store information in the same area of the brain, while adults require two different neural areas, which makes the learning process difficult. [4] Furthermore, English learning for children is very important because, according to Patrizia Alrod, English is already our second official language, the globally common language, and is part of the educational curriculum in our classrooms. We are also aware of the advantages that learning another language, other than our mother tongue, from an early age can bring, both socially, professionally, and personally. [8] This will help children achieve greater intellectual development and improve not only their English but also their academic performance in general. Just as Ramón Torres proposes the theory of biological conditioning, it is inferred that the optimal time to learn a language is childhood, given the brain plasticity and lack of cortical specialization that characterize this stage of life: as we mature and brain organization becomes more specialized, our ability to learn a language tends to decrease. [10] The ideal age to learn a second language is early childhood, due to the absorption of information through studying, in addition to providing more educational tools such as virtual games, which will allow for greater interest. Play is part of children's and individual developmental stage in learning. [11] In recent years, virtual education, educational games, and technology have played an important role in learning, especially for young children. Learning through play is natural for people, and especially for children. Therefore, the importance of educational games as a learning tool is indisputable. [12] A solution to the learning problem is a tool that allows students to immerse themselves in alternative learning, in addition to embodying characters in an adventure that will require collaboration.