This study aims to examine the application of game-based learning in English language learning and how it mediates social participation, peer collaboration and identity negotiation. It explores how the mechanics of a purposefully developed game, Treasure Hunt, create inclusive and participatory classroom dynamics.
A qualitative design was used, and two learning sessions on the same topic were compared: conventional instruction and a game-based learning session on “Direction and Location”. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 40 sixth-grade students at the Indonesian School in Johor Bahru (SIJB), most of whom were children of undocumented migrants, data were collected. Analysis focused on social interaction practices that emerged during gameplay.
Treasure Hunt game mechanics, which required interdependence, role distribution and collective decision-making to progress, led to greater collaboration and participation among migrant students. Game-based learning creates a safe space for interactions where students with varied language proficiency contribute in multiple ways. Games disrupt exclusionary spaces and create inclusive spaces, enabling migrant students to negotiate their identities and strengthen them as active members of the learning community.
This study cannot be broadly generalized because it focused on only one migrant school. Furthermore, the intervention was brief and focused on only one subject and material, so its long-term impact on other language skills and subjects is unknown. Future research could expand to multiple schools, different topics and longer-term interventions to assess the lasting effects of game-based learning.
A study conducted among migrant communities at the Indonesian SIJB provides empirical evidence that game-based learning can position English learning as a collaborative social practice, rather than simply an individual exercise in linguistic skills. In Treasure Hunt, English is used as a tool for coordination, negotiation of meaning and shared decision-making, thus encouraging functional and contextual language use in peer interactions. For language teachers, these findings emphasize the importance of designing activities that offer diverse forms of participation, so that migrant students with varying language proficiency levels can remain actively engaged. The teacher’s role shifts from being the center of content delivery to being a facilitator of interaction, providing scaffolding through clarifying instructions and prompting questions. This approach is relevant for migrant education contexts with limited resources and requiring inclusive and participatory language pedagogical practices.
This study demonstrates that educational games can be a means of social inclusion for migrant students who are often socially and culturally isolated. Treasure Hunt encourages marginalized students to interact across backgrounds, fosters empathy by strengthening solidarity and helps students discover their social identity at school. This evidence has implications for strengthening the social integration of migrant communities in host countries.
This study contributes to the sociocultural approach to language learning by emphasizing game-based strategies for migrant students. By integrating Critical Gaming Literacies, it demonstrates how games serve as inclusive spaces for identity negotiation and social connection in resource-poor classrooms. The study also highlights insights for designing inclusive, game-based pedagogies in migrant and multilingual educational settings.
