Mobile language learning through spy games in secondary education

The introduction of Information and Communication technologies (ICT) has undoubtedly revolutionized the current education system, both by the media and resources used to present and deliver the content, and by the ubiquity in which this process may occur. The use of mobile devices and the application of videogames as tools to promote self-study and autonomous learning and to reinforce teaching practices in different areas and educational levels, facilitate interactive, ubiquitous and individualized learning by allowing each user to work at their own pace. In this context, EU policies have set guidelines for the creation of teaching infrastructures for non-native speakers to overcome the barriers they face daily in the language and culture learning process. In this sense, this article describes a study conducted on secondary school students in order to gain insights about the suitability of introducing and using videogames in mobile devices for learning languages. Based on the interactive game platform generated under the auspices of the European project ISPY, the results indicate a general improvement in the expectations shown by the population under study about the potential of these devices and resources for language learning before and after our investigation. They show the suitability of videogames as a tool to develop communicative and culture competences in foreign languages.