The Effectiveness of the Game LINGO Online: A Serious Game for English Pronunciation

In this chapter an evaluation of the LINGO Online, a serious game for English pronunciation is described. The game is applied in two primary and two secondary schools in the Netherlands. During 8 weeks of experiment, students from the schools either played the game or followed regular English lessons. Data were collected on learning outcomes (pronunciation performance), student learner characteristics, game characteristics, expectations and experiences of teachers and their coordinators, and teaching practice. Results on the effectiveness of the game are summarized (with clues for the working mechanism of the game). It shows that the game has the potential to compensate for insufficient facilities for English pronunciation education, to save teaching time, and to make the student less dependent on the expertise of the teacher. However, implementation of the game introduces new (technical) challenges.