As digital learning expands across education, questions of effectiveness need to be considered alongside questions of people, culture, and inclusion: who digital tools are designed for, whose knowledge they embed, and how they support meaningful participation in learning (UNESCO, 2023). These questions are especially important in the context of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), where learners and teachers often work with limited resources, reduced exposure, and fewer opportunities for engaging, culturally grounded practice (Ward, 2015). In such contexts, educational technology is not simply a delivery mechanism, but a way of shaping access, motivation, and belonging.

This paper presents research on Cipher: Faoi Gheasa, a digital game-based language learning resource developed to support Irish learning in primary education (Xu, 2025). The work sits within a wider research programme on Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) for LCTLs and explores how game-based approaches can combine pedagogy, play, and cultural context in ways that are both educationally meaningful and adaptable. Rather than treating language as a decontextualised system of forms, the project positions it as something learned through interaction, story, and cultural connection.

Cipher uses narrative gameplay inspired by Irish mythology and folklore to create a learning environment in which vocabulary practice is embedded within puzzles, story progression, and feedback. In doing so, the design moves beyond a narrow “how-to-use-tech” framing and instead asks who the learning experience is for: young learners who may need motivating entry points into Irish; teachers who need flexible and usable classroom resources; and language communities seeking approaches that value linguistic and cultural sustainability. The project also reflects a broader human-centred and learner-centred perspective in EdTech design, foregrounding engagement, accessibility, and cultural relevance.

The paper reports on a classroom-based evaluation of the game in Irish primary school settings and considers its implications for digital language learning more broadly. The study indicates that game-based learning can support vocabulary development while also fostering positive learner engagement and a sense that the learning experience is both fun and meaningful. The findings suggest that culturally grounded digital games can offer a productive response to recurring challenges in Irish language education, particularly around motivation, resource limitations, and the need for enjoyable but pedagogically purposeful learning experiences.

Beyond the Irish context, the paper argues for a more plural understanding of EdTech in language education: one that recognises the importance of designing with and for specific communities rather than assuming that dominant-language solutions will transfer easily to lower-resourced settings. The Cipher framework is therefore discussed not only as a tool for Irish, but as an example of how adaptable, culturally informed digital design can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable futures for LCTL education.

By bringing together digital game-based learning, learner-centred design, and culturally resonant content, this paper contributes to ongoing conversations about equity, belonging, and participation in EdTech. It reflects not only what educational technologies can do, but who they serve, whose stories they carry, and how they might help widen participation in digital learning.

Reference:

UNESCO. (2023). Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in education: A tool on whose terms. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385723

Ward, M. (2015). Factors in sustainable CALL. WorldCALL: Sustainability and computer-assisted language learning, 132-151.

Xu, L. (2025). Bridging computer-assisted language learning and cultural approaches: AI-powered game and VR solutions for less commonly taught languages (Doctoral dissertation).