Designing Culturally Inclusive Narratives in Digital Games for English Language Teaching in Rural Area Sumbawa

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-587-4_14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Cultural Inclusivity; Digital Game-Based Learning; English Language Teaching; Rural Education

Abstract

English language teaching (ELT) in rural regions of Indonesia, such as Sumbawa, is frequently hindered by an overreliance on conventional textbooks. These educational resources often introduce new cultural contexts to pupils, resulting in significant learning challenges. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and perceptions of a culturally inclusive Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) application, ‘Lexicon Legends,’ in addressing the challenges of English language teaching in rural Indonesian contexts. This application is meticulously crafted to present a culturally inclusive, high-fantasy tale that instructs fundamental English grammar. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, research data were gathered from 12 junior high school kids via individual play sessions, followed by an open-ended questionnaire. Thematic analysis of the participants’ written responses produced three principal findings. “Narrative Immersion as a Universal Motivator” illustrates that uncomplicated fantasy narratives can foster student participation irrespective of cultural background. Secondly, “Cultural Inclusivity Mitigates Cognitive Barriers,” wherein a neutral learning environment enables students to concentrate more effectively on language tasks without the burden of new cultural circumstances. Third, “Gameplay Turns Grammar into a Tool” emphasizes how game dynamics effectively convert grammar practice into a purposeful, goal-driven endeavor focused on attaining success. This study’s results indicate that culturally inclusive DGBL is a promising pedagogical strategy for enhancing student engagement and rendering English learning more accessible and practical for students in varied rural contexts.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - A. Rahman
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/12
TI  - Designing Culturally Inclusive Narratives in Digital Games for English Language Teaching in Rural Area Sumbawa
BT  - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on English Studies in Indonesia (ICONESIA 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 159
EP  - 170
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-587-4_14
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-587-4_14
ID  - Rahman2026
ER  -