Teachers' knowledge , difficulties and strategies for digital game-based speaking in Taiyuan middle School English as a foreign language (EFL) classes

Digital game-based speaking offers immersive scenarios, immediate feedback, and personalized pathways to foster oral communicative competence in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Despite its global recognition, its implementation remains inconsistent among 21st century teachers. To worsen the situation, middle school English teachers in China lack clear guidelines for integrating digital games into speaking instruction. Although excellent teachers serve as pedagogical models, their knowledge and strategies for using digital games in speaking classes remain underexplored in current research. This qualitative study seeks to explore the knowledge, difficulties, and strategies used by six excellent English teachers in Taiyuan middle schools. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis. The findings revealed four essential knowledge domains: Game Knowledge (GK), Game Content Knowledge (GCK), Game Pedagogical Knowledge (GPK), and Knowledge of Students’ Situations (SS). The study also identified two strategies employed to overcome difficulties in game implementation and communication. This study identifies “Knowledge of Students’ Situations” (SS) as a novel component, extending the framework of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) within the middle-school EFL context. Additionally, the findings enrich Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) by expanding opportunities for language input and output through digital games, aligning with the Chinese Middle School English Curriculum Standards (2022). At the same time, the study offers the development of handbooks and teacher training programmes aimed at integrating digital games into speaking instruction