Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2226-6348

Gamification in English Language Acquisition: Systematic Literature Review (2015-2024)

Dilasiny Kumar, Harwati Hashim

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v13-i3/22922

Open access

Gamification is one of the newest teaching methods for learning English these days. Gamification tends to have a diminishing effect over time, even though initial engagement is sometimes rather high. This poses significant problems about how to keep students engaged and guarantee that gamified learning has long-term positive effects on education. As a result, the influence of gamification on English language acquisition is methodically identified in this analysis. 25 articles were selected among 128 publications published between 2015 and 2024 using three databases: Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC). Both inclusion and exclusion criteria were considered. First, the noteworthy results showed that gamification is being employed extensively in elementary schools these days, and that when students are given tasks that are specifically designed to be like games, gamification has an impact on their motivation and interest. Second, when gamification is added to the English curriculum, students' attitudes significantly improve. These two results suggested that gamification research in English language acquisition is still lacking. In general, practitioners can benefit from this review by learning how gamification affects students in language classrooms and by identifying research gaps on English language acquisition, which will help to sustain education over time.

Al-Azawi, R., Al-Faliti, F., & Al-Blushi, M. (2016). Educational gamification vs. game-based learning: Comparative study. International Journal of Innovation Management and Technology, 7(4), 132-136.
Aljraiwi, S. (2019). Effectiveness of gamification of web-based learning in improving academic achievement and creative thinking among primary school students. International Journal of Education and Practice, 7(3), 242-257.
Arufe Giráldez, V., Sanmiguel-Rodríguez, A., Ramos Álvarez, O., & Navarro-Patón, R. (2022). Can gamification influence the academic performance of students? Sustainability, 14(9), 5115.
Azar, A. S., & Tan, N. H. I. (2020). The application of ICT techs (mobile-assisted language learning, gamification, and virtual reality) in teaching English for secondary school students in Malaysia during the covid-19 pandemic. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(11C), 55-63.
Bálint-Svella, É. (2021). Prospective Preschool and Primary School Teachers' Knowledge and Opinion about Gamification. Acta Didactica Napocensia, 14(1), 104-114.
Casanova-Mata, I. (2023). Enhancing English Acquisition: Effects of among us Game-Based Gamification on Language Competence, Motivation, Attention, and Attitude towards the English Subject. Education Sciences, 13(11), 1094.
Chan, S., & Lo, N. (2022). Teachers’ and students’ perception of gamification in online tertiary education classrooms during the pandemic. SN Computer Science, 3(3), 215.
Dichev, C., & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: What is known, what is believed, and what remains uncertain: A critical review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14, Article 9.doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0042-5
Dindar, M., Ren, L., & Järvenoja, H. (2021). An experimental study on the effects of gamified cooperation and competition on English vocabulary learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(1), 142–159.
Fotaris, P., Mastoras, T., Leinfellner, R., & Rosunally, Y. (2016). Climbing up the leaderboard: An empirical study of applying gamification techniques to a computer programming class. Electronic Journal of e-learning, 14(2), 94-110.
Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014). Does gamification work? - A literature review of empirical studies on gamification. In R. H. Sprague (Ed.), 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 3025-3034). IEEE. doi: https://doi.org./10.1109/HICSS.2014.377
Hashim, H., M. Rafiq, K. R., & Yunus, M. M. (2019). Improving ESL Learners’ Grammar with Gamified-Learning. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), Special Is(5), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/call5.4
Iaremenko, N. V. (2017). Enhancing English language learners’ motivation through online games. ???????????? ?????????? ? ?????? ????????, 59(3), 126-133.
Ibhadode, A., & Ugoji, E. P. (2019). Gamification as a cost-effective tool to bridge the education and industrial sector divide. Paper presented at the 7th African Engineering Education Association (AEEA) International Conference, University of Lagos, Nigeria, 24 - 27 September 2019.
Idris, M. I., Said, M. N. E., & Tan, K. H. (2020). Game-based learning platform and its effects on present tense mastery: Evidence from an ESL classroom. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(5), 13–26.
Jackson, D. (2022). Digital gamification in memory recall of English vocabulary with lower-elementary students. Available at SSRN 4723132.
Kaur, P., & Naderajan, R. (n.d.). KAHOOT! In The English Language Classroom. South East Asia Journal of Contemporary Business, Economics and Law, 20(6).
Kingsley, T. L., & Grabner-Hagen, M. M. (2018). Vocabulary by Gamification. Reading Teacher, 71(5), 545–555. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1645
Legaki, N.-Z., Xi, N., Hamari, J., Karpouzis, K., & Assimakopoulos, V. (2020). The effect of challenge-based gamification on learning: An experiment in the context of statistics education. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 144, 102496.doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2020.102496
Li, X., Xia, Q., Chu, S. K. W., & Yang, Y. (2022). Using gamification to facilitate students’ self-regulation in e-learning: A case study on students’ L2 English learning. Sustainability, 14(12), 7008.
Lim, T. M., & Yunus, M. M. (2021). Teachers’ perception towards the use of Quizizz in the teaching and learning of English: A systematic review. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(11).
Ling, L. T. Y. (2018). Meaningful Gamification and Students' Motivation: A Strategy for Scaffolding Reading Material. Online Learning, 22(2), 141-155.
López-Martínez, A., Meroño, L., Cánovas-López, M., García-de-Alcaraz, A., & Martínez-Aranda, L. M. (2022). Using gamified strategies in higher education: relationship between intrinsic motivation and contextual variables. Sustainability, 14(17), 11014.
Luo, Z. (2023). Determinants of the perceived usefulness (PU) in the context of using gamification for classroom-based ESL teaching: A scale development study. Education and Information Technologies, 28(4), 4741-4768.
Matyakhana, T., Chaowanakritsanakul, T., & Santos, J. A. L. (2024). Implementing Gamification to Enhance Reading Engagement and Reading Comprehension of Thai EFL University Students. Language, 17(1).
Mora, A., Riera, D., González, C., & Arnedo-Moreno, J. (2017). Gamification: A systematic review of design frameworks. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 29(3), 516-548.doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-017-9150-4
Morschheuser, B., Riar, M., Hamari, J., & Maedche, A. (2017). How games induce cooperation? A study on the relationship between game features and we-intentions in an augmented reality game. Computers in Human Behavior, 77, 169–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.08.026
Nieto-Escamez, F. A., & Roldán-Tapia, M. D. (2021). Gamification as online teaching strategy during COVID-19: A mini-review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 648552.doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648552
Orejuela, J. G., Tolin, M. R., Soreta, M. O., & Ocampo, D. M. (2022). "Flipping the Language Classroom:" Effects of Gamifying Instruction in the English Language Proficiency of Filipino ESL Students. Online Submission, 2(1), 95-105.
Palaniappan, K., & Noor, N. M. (2022). Gamification strategy to support self-directed learning in an online learning environment. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 17(3), 104-116.
Peláez, C. A., & Solano, A. (2023). A practice for the design of interactive multimedia experiences based on gamification: A case study in elementary education. Sustainability, 15(3), 2385.
Pingmuang, P., & Koraneekij, P. (2022). Mobile-assisted language learning using task-based approach and gamification for enhancing writing skills in EFL students. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 20(5), 623-638.
Pitoyo, M. D. (2019). Gamification-based assessment: A test anxiety reduction through game elements in Quizizz platform. IJER (Indonesian Journal of Educational Research), 4(1), 22-32.
Plantak Vukovac, D., Škara, M., & Hajdin, G. (2018). Korištenje i stavovi nastavnika o igrifikaciji u osnovnim i srednjim školama [Teachers’ usage and attitudes toward gamification in primary and secondary schools]. Zbornik Veleu?ilišta u Rijeci, 6(1), 181-196.doi: https://doi.org/10.31784/zvr.6.1.14
Rabah, J., Cassidy, R., & Beauchemin, R. (2018). Gamification in education: Real benefits or edutainment. Research Gate. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Cassidy4/publication/325615804_Gamification_in_education_Real_benefits_or_edutainment/links/5b18996045851587f297c7e2/Gamification-in-education-Real-benefits-or-edutainment.pdf?origin=publication_detail
Ricoy, M. C., & Sánchez-Martínez, C. (2022). Raising ecological awareness and digital literacy in primary school children through gamification. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1149.
Rojas-López, A., Rincón-Flores, E. G., Mena, J., García-Peñalvo, F. J., & Ramírez-Montoya, M. S. (2019). Engagement in the course of programming in higher education through the use of gamification. Universal Access in the Information Society, 18(3), 583-597.doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-019-00680-z
Rojabi, A. R., Setiawan, S., Munir, A., Purwati, O., Safriyani, R., Hayuningtyas, N., & Amumpuni, R. S. (2022). Kahoot is it fun or unfun? Gamifying vocabulary learning to boost exam scores, engagement, and motivation. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 7, p. 1001913).
Roman, M., & Plopeanu, A. P. (2021). The effectiveness of the emergency eLearning during COVID-19 pandemic. The case of higher education in economics in Romania. International Review of Economics Education, 37, 100218.
Salazar, G. G., Domínguez, F. C., & Martínez, J. C. T. (2021). Perception of the effect of gamification on motivation and academic performance in university students. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26(4), 933-958.
Talan, T. (2021). The effect of gamification on engagement, technology acceptance and knowledge sharing. Education and Information Technologies, 26, 7681-7698.
Tobar-Muñoz, H., Fabregat, R., & Baldiris, S. (2015). Augmented Reality Game-Based Learning for Mathematics Skills Training in Inclusive Contexts. Informática Educativa Comunicaciones, 21(June), 39–51.
Tobar-Muñoz, H., Baldiris, S., & Fabregat, R. (2017). Augmented Reality Game-Based Learning: Enriching Students’ Experience During Reading Comprehension Activities. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 55(7), 901–936.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633116689789
Urh, M., Vukovic, G., Jereb, E., & Pintar, R. (2015). The model for introduction of gamification into e-learning in higher education. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 197, 388-397.doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.154
Van Laar, E., Van Deursen, A. J., Van Dijk, J. A., & De Haan, J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A systematic literature review. Computers in human behavior, 72, 577-588.
Williams, L., Tahtinen, L., Costa, N., Karst, L., Proden, E., and Scudeller, P. (2020). A Practical Guide Stake Holder Engagement and the 2030 Agenda, United Nations.

Kumar, D., & Hashim, H. (2024). Gamification in English Language Acquisition: Systematic Literature Review (2015-2024). International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 13(3), 3818–3841.