ESL LEARNERS’ ACCEPTANCE OF A DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL ESCAPE ROOM (DEER) FOR DISCOURSE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7i5.1379

Keywords:

Digital Educational Escape Room (DEER), discourse competence, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), ESL learners, gamification

Abstract

Discourse competence plays a crucial role in preparing English as Second Language (ESL) learners to produce coherent and cohesive communication. Nevertheless, the effective use of cohesive devices remains a challenge for many ESL learners, hindering their ability to produce coherent and meaningful discourse. To address this issue, the Case of the Lost Linkers Digital Educational Escape Room (DEER) was developed as a gamified learning tool to support the development of discourse competence. This study aimed to investigate ESL learners’ acceptance of the DEER game using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A quantitative survey design was employed involving 151 ESL learners from a Malaysian public university. Data were collected using a five-section questionnaire consisting of demographic information and four TAM constructs: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward use, and behavioural intention to use. Descriptive analysis revealed high levels of acceptance across all constructs. Learners perceived the DEER game as useful, user-friendly, enjoyable, and effective for learning linkers and cohesive devices. They also expressed strong intentions to continue using and recommending the game. The findings suggest that DEER has considerable potential as an engaging and learner-centred tool for supporting discourse competence development in ESL contexts.

Author Biographies

  • SHARIFAH NUR AMIRAH SYED AGIL, Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia.

    Sharifah Nur Amirah Syed Agil is currently a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Dengkil Campus. She received her bachelor's degree from UCSI University and her master's degree from the University of Malaya. She has taught English courses to both international and local students in education and professional programmes. Her research interests include discourse analysis, multimodal discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and language education. She is actively engaged in research and academic publishing.

  • AFIQAH ABD AZIZ, Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia.

    Afiqah Abd Aziz is an English Language lecturer at Akademi Pengajian Bahasa, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). She received her Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English Language Studies from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2015 and completed her Masters in TESL at UKM in 2017. Her research interests include educational technology, online language learning strategies and gamification. She has published few articles and presented at conferences as a presenter.

  • AISYAH HANI MOHD HABALI, Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia.

    Aisyah Hani Mohd. Habali (M.Ed., B.Ed.) is a lecturer at the Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Dengkil. She obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from Universiti Teknologi MARA. Her research interests include artificial intelligence in education, English language teaching pedagogy, and writing instruction.

  • NUR SYAFIQAH ABDUL KADAR, Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia.

    Nur Syafiqah Abdul Kadar holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics (English Language). She has over 12 years of experience teaching English to students ranging from primary to university level and from diverse backgrounds.  Currently, she works as a lecturer at the Centre of Foundation Studies, UiTM, Dengkil and has published articles in related fields

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Published

2026-10-31

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 5 (2026): QJSSH

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 SHARIFAH NUR AMIRAH SYED AGIL, AFIQAH ABD AZIZ, AISYAH HANI MOHD HABALI, NUR SYAFIQAH ABDUL KADAR

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

ESL LEARNERS’ ACCEPTANCE OF A DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL ESCAPE ROOM (DEER) FOR DISCOURSE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT. (2026). Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(5), 582-593. https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7i5.1379