Design and Development of a Thai Learning Board Game for Chinese Families in Bangkok

Abstract

Background and Aim: This study investigates the Thai language learning needs of Chinese families living in Bangkok with the aim of designing a practical and family-oriented board game to support Thai language acquisition. As the number of Chinese migrants and long-term residents in Thailand continues to increase, the demand for accessible and engaging Thai language learning resources has also grown significantly. However, there remains a limited number of educational board games specifically designed to meet the learning needs of Chinese families in Thailand. This study seeks to identify the most important Thai language learning topics, communication situations, and design preferences among Chinese families and to apply these findings to the development of a culturally relevant and educational board game. The research also aims to integrate language learning with cultural understanding to encourage interactive and enjoyable family-based learning experiences.

Materials and Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods research design combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target population consisted of Chinese families residing in Bangkok, with 10 families selected as the primary research sample for in-depth analysis and testing. Data collection included the analysis of practical Thai language expressions gathered from the Pickup Thai website and the ThaiPod101 platform. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 100 Chinese residents in Thailand to identify Thai language learning needs and preferences regarding board game design and visual styles. The researcher also analyzed six top-selling language-learning and family-oriented board games to identify effective gameplay elements and educational strategies. Expert interviews were conducted to support the development of the board game concept, gameplay mechanics, and educational content.

Results: The findings indicate that Chinese families in Thailand primarily aim to learn practical Thai vocabulary, conversational sentences, and cultural knowledge relevant to daily life. Six major communication scenarios were identified as the most important learning priorities: weather, restaurants, traveling, transportation, expressing feelings, and greeting and self-introduction. More than 50% of survey respondents identified these topics as essential for practical communication. Based on these findings, the final board game was designed to include Thai vocabulary, sentence structures, and cultural information. The gameplay integrates principles from Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) theory with educational content related to Thai cuisine, tourist attractions, etiquette, and history. The game was specifically designed to support family interaction and collaborative learning. Trial feedback from participants showed that the board game successfully increased learners’ interest and motivation to continue studying Thai. In terms of visual design, the game adopted a hand-painted artistic style, with different thematic colors used to distinguish learning categories and content.

Conclusion: This study identifies the specific Thai language learning needs of Chinese families in Bangkok and develops a board game tailored to their practical communication and cultural learning requirements. The findings demonstrate that integrating language education with interactive gameplay and cultural content can effectively enhance learner engagement and motivation. The study also provides practical insights for the development of family-oriented educational games that support second-language acquisition in multicultural environments.