Personal profile
Biography
Applied linguistics researcher specialising in digital language‑learning environments, language learning motivation, and intercultural communicative competence (ICC). My work examines how narrative‑rich digital media and interactive platforms shape language attitudes, cultural awareness, and learner engagement.
I recently passed my PhD Viva Voce at the University of Limerick (minor amendments), where my research investigated the pedagogical potential of Commercial Off‑The‑Shelf (COTS) role‑playing games as digital learning tools for developing intercultural competence among Chinese university students.
Research Interests
Digital language‑learning tools and platforms
Technology‑enhanced language learning
Language learning motivation and attitudes
Digital Game‑Based Learning (DGBL)
Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC)
Language education and digital media
Content‑Based Instruction (CBI)
Cross‑cultural communication
Related documents
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Languages, Culture and Communication, School of Modern Languages & Applied Linguistics
1 Aug 2023 → 1 Aug 2026
Award Date: 1 Aug 2026
Masters, TESOL Studies, University of Leeds
1 Jan 2021 → 1 Jul 2022
Award Date: 1 Jul 2022
Bachelor, Translation and Interpretation, Dalian University of Foreign Languages
1 Sep 2016 → 1 Jul 2020
Award Date: 1 Jul 2020
External positions
Member of Centre for European Studies
27 Mar 2026 → …
Member of IAMCR 2026, International Association for Media and Communication Research
18 Mar 2026 → 31 Dec 2026
Member of DiGRA, Digital Games Research Association
18 Mar 2026 → …
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Reconstructing WWII Trauma Memory of Germans Through COTS C-RPG Gameplay Among Whomever Forgets: A Theoretical Proposal Using Battlefield V: The Last Tiger
Zhang, Z. & Xiang, S., 6 Oct 2025, (Accepted/In press).Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
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The Community Must Fall: Playing the Failure of Collective Imagination in Frostpunk 2: Fractured Utopias
Zhang, Z., 27 Feb 2026, (Accepted/In press).Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
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'What is not exposed in Life is Strange: Double Exposure - How should queer romance be presented properly in the virtual scenario?
Zhang, Z., 12 Mar 2026, (Accepted/In press).Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
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From Journey to the West to the West: Evaluating Black Myth: Wukong’s Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Culture for Cross‑Cultural Communication.
Zhang, Z., 17 Dec 2025, (Accepted/In press).Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
Thesis
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COTS Computer based RPGs in Chinese Universities: Assessing Their Role in Cultivating Intercultural Communicative Competence
Zhang, Z. (Author), Schrage Frueh, M. (Supervisor), 1 Aug 2026Student thesis: Doctoral thesis