Integrating Inquiry-based Serious Games in College: Impacts on Learning Digital Literacy Concepts in L2 English (ESL/EFL)

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Published: Oct 24, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52358/mm.vi24.563
Keywords:
serious games vocabulary learning form–meaning link digital literacy L2 English (ESL/EFL)

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Patrick Plante
Université TÉLUQ
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0860-5798
Sophie Marier
Cégep de Lévis
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5827-6640
Maude Bonenfant
Université du Québec à Montréal
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7680-6591

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study examines the effectiveness of two serious investigative digital games (Genially and Unity), compared with a no-game control group, in supporting college-level English as a Second Language (ESL) learning of concepts related to digital literacy and artificial intelligence. Learning is operationalized through two components of the form–meaning association of a word: 1) written form recall (productive, written) and 2) meaning recognition (receptive, written), measured with a pre-test and a post-test. Questionnaires were administered using LimeSurvey. Statistical analyses (N = 189; A = 53, B = 71, C = 65) were conducted using ANCOVA while controlling for baseline performance, with Holm-adjusted post-hoc comparisons (Holm method). Results show no significant differences between groups for meaning recognition. By contrast, a group effect is observed for recall of the written form, a noteworthy finding since this component is more difficult to master than meaning recognition. The Genially group thus achieved higher adjusted post-test scores than the control group and the Unity group. These findings suggest that the impact of serious games on learning may vary depending on the component assessed, learners’ prior knowledge, and intervention design.

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How to Cite
Plante, P., Marier, S., & Bonenfant, M. (2026). Integrating Inquiry-based Serious Games in College: Impacts on Learning Digital Literacy Concepts in L2 English (ESL/EFL). Mediations and Mediatizations, (24), 322–346. https://doi.org/10.52358/mm.vi24.563
Issue
No. 24 (2026): Educational Digital Technology Under Critical Scrutiny
Section
Research articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Patrick Plante, Université TÉLUQ

Patrick Plante is a full professor of distance learning and educational technology at TÉLUQ University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history, a teaching diploma, and a master’s and a doctorate in educational technology from Laval University. In 2015–2016, he undertook a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the AGE-WELL network, focusing on the research, development and commercialisation of serious games for older adults. His current research centres on serious games and the gamification of content, microlearning and the use of artificial intelligence in educational contexts.

Patrick Plante heads the Centre for Research and Innovation in Educational Technology in Quebec (i-TEQ), and was co-director and founding member of the Observatory of Digital Technology in Education (ONE) from 2018 to 2024. He is also editor of the ‘Discussions and Debates’ section of the journal Médiations et médiatisations (M&M), a research associate at the Inter-University Research Centre on Teacher Training and the Teaching Profession (CRIFPE), and an affiliated researcher with the AGE-WELL network and the SAVIE Public Research Centre.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

Sophie Marier, Cégep de Lévis

Sophie Marier has been very active in the field of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction since the start of her career in 1994. She holds a master’s degree in applied linguistics from Concordia University and specializes in vocabulary acquisition, with or without the use of educational technology. One of her priorities is to help college students develop digital literacy, including artificial intelligence. The grant-funded serious games projects she has launched are specifically designed to help students achieve this goal. Sophie Marier has several publications to her credit.

Maude Bonenfant, Université du Québec à Montréal

Maude Bonenfant is a full professor in the Department of Social and Public Communication at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and holds a Ph.D. in semiotics. Her research focuses on the study of games, the social dimensions of communication technologies, online communities, social networks, big data, and artificial intelligence.

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