EFL learners’ flow experience and incidental vocabulary learning during text-based game tasks: The moderating role of working memory capacity

Despite the evidence provided by research on Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) on the effectiveness of educational digital games in promoting engagement, motivation, and learning, evidence regarding the effectiveness of DGBL on students' Incidental Vocabulary Learning (IVL) through the mediation of flow is essentially lacking. This study reports on developing an application in Digital Text-based Game (DTG) genre to induce flow and examine IVL among EFL learners randomly assigned to DTG and Non-digital Text-based Game (NTG) groups. A modified version of the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS; Paribakht & Wesche, 1997) was used to measure the receptive and productive knowledge of words. To assess different dimensions of flow, we analyzed the contents of the participants’ diaries and to measure working memory capacity (WMC), an Operation Span Task was used. Results indicated that DTGs induced higher levels of flow compared to NTGs. The results further revealed no significant effect for game-induced flow on IVL, but language-induced flow significantly predicted IVL, which emphasizes the importance of considering effects associated with the source of flow on IVL. WMC was also found to exert a significant effect on immediate post-test performance, but its effect on delayed post-test results did not reach statistical significance.