Gamified Learning: Are Vietnamese EFL Learners Ready Yet?

Huyen Thi Thanh Phuong

doi:10.3991/ijet.v15i24.16667

Abstract

Given the strong empirical evidence in the field of education that confirms the relationship between the application of game elements and increased learning motivation, gamification has recently become a concept that starts drawing attention in the field of English language teaching (ELT). However, the topic of gamification is still under-presented in ELT research, especially in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. The current research ex-plores the extent to which Vietnamese EFL learners are familiar to online gamification tools and their attitudes toward online-based gamified learn-ing. The study draws on data collected from survey questionnaires and fo-cus group interviews. Participants involved 147 students who participated in the survey; 12 volunteers among the surveyed students joined focus group interviews. The findings indicate that gamification has started taking a certain role in English learning both within and beyond classrooms. Also, students’ attitudes towards gamified learning are positive. Pedagogical im-plications regarding the application of gamified learning in improving the efficacy of English education in Vietnam and similar EFL contexts are also discussed.

Highlights

In today’s world, the most challenging task that faces teachers in general and English teachers in particular is to motivate and engage learners in learning
The current research is a part of a bigger project which investigates the use of ICT in Vietnamese English classrooms and draws upon a subset of the data collected via survey questionnaires and focus groups
The current research shows that Vietnamese learners of English warmly welcomed gamified learning and highly appreciated the effectiveness of this pedagogical approach

Summary

Introduction

In today’s world, the most challenging task that faces teachers in general and English teachers in particular is to motivate and engage learners in learning. In English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts, the application of gamification is assumed to face several constraints including tight curriculum, teachers and learners’ limited access to hi-tech facilities, their unfamiliarity with gamification, their attitudes towards the approach. The status of gamification in EFL classrooms was little known due to limited research in the field. The strong encouragement of the Vietnamese government for the use of information technology (ICT) in education [5] should be favorable for teachers to transform the perceived “tedious” traditional classroom practices. To bridge the gap in literature, the current research explores the extent to which learners in Vietnam are ready for and their attitudes towards online-based gamified learning. To what extent are Vietnamese EFL learners technologically prepared for and familiar to online-based gamification? The research focuses on three research questions: 1. To what extent are Vietnamese EFL learners technologically prepared for and familiar to online-based gamification?

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion