Teachers’ Attitudes Toward the Role of Gamification in Enhancing Engagement in Language Learning

Abstract

Gamification has gained increasing attention in education because it uses game elements such as points, rewards, and challenges to make learning more engaging and interesting. In language learning classrooms, gamification is believed to encourage learners’ participation and interaction. However, the effectiveness of this strategy depends largely on teachers’ attitudes and on how learners respond to gamified activities in real classroom situations. This study aims to explore teachers’ attitudes towards the role of gamification in enhancing learners’ engagement, as well as to observe learners’ interaction during gamified lessons. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach and follows a descriptive research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods to data collection and analysis. The data are collected through a questionnaire distributed to English teachers of primary schools in order to examine their attitudes towards the use of gamification in language learning. In addition, classroom observation is conducted to observe learners’ behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement while using gamified activities. The data obtained from the questionnaire are analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify general trends in teachers’ responses. The observation data are analyzed qualitatively by focusing on learners’ engagement and interaction during classroom activities. The findings of this study demonstrated that teachers have positive attitudes towards the role of gamification in enhancing pupils’ engagement. The findings also showed that students’ engagement was very high when gamified activities were used. In light of these findings, the researchers have recommended providing the needed materials for implementing both digital and non-digital games.