Author: James York
James York is an Assistant Professor at Tokyo Denki University, Japan, where he conducts research on the use of games in language learning contexts. He is also a PhD candidate at the University of Leicester in the UK. His PhD research is an investigation into the potential of virtual world tasks as a way to improve beginner learners’ oral proficiency. The aim of the study is to look for both quantitative and qualitative differences in output when learners complete similar online and offline tasks. The results, then, should help educators be aware of when employing virtual worlds as a domain for language learning. Additionally, he has started research on the application of analog games in the language classroom as part of a wider game-based curriculum. He is also the founder of Kotoba Miners, an online Japanese learning community that uses Minecraft as a domain for teaching.
