How Albanian University Students Experience Incidental English Vocabulary Acquisition Through Narrative Digital Gaming:
A Qualitative Exploratory Study
Erion Shehu1*, Ervin Hoxhaj2, Arjan Shumeli1
1 Faculty of Economy and Agribusiness, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania
2 Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Tirana, Albania
* Corresponding author; E-mail: erion.shehu@ubt.edu.al
Abstract
Background: Research on incidental vocabulary acquisition through digital gaming has concentrated in Northern and Central Europe, leaving Southeastern European learners underexplored. While quantitative studies have established correlational patterns between gaming and vocabulary outcomes, less attention has been paid to how learners themselves perceive and experience this learning process. Purpose: This qualitative exploratory study investigates how Albanian ESP university students who play narrative-driven video games perceive, experience, and articulate incidental English vocabulary acquisition through their gaming practices. Method: A qualitative research design employed thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses and semi-structured follow-up questions from six purposively sampled participants at the Agricultural University of Tirana. Descriptive survey data provided participant profiling context. Following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase model, themes were generated inductively and refined through iterative analysis until saturation was reached. Findings: Four themes emerged: (1) authentic communicative immersion, wherein participants described gaming as placing them in consequential language situations; (2) vocabulary acquisition through multimodal reinforcement, particularly via in-game documents and contextual repetition; (3) affective engagement, characterised by enjoyment-driven learning; and (4) perceived advantages over formal instruction, with participants articulating that gaming provides richer contextualisation than textbooks. Conclusion: Participants’ accounts suggest that narrative gaming constitutes a meaningful site of incidental English acquisition for Albanian learners. These findings provide hypothesis-generating groundwork and methodological insights for future large-scale investigation in this under-researched context.
Keywords: incidental vocabulary acquisition; extramural English; narrative gaming; qualitative research; thematic analysis; EFL; Albania; ESP
JEL Codes: Z32
