The Effectiveness of Gamified Tools for Foreign Language Learning (FLL): A Systematic Review

Abstract

Gamification has emerged as a promising approach for foreign language learning (FLL), which refers to the use of game design elements to engage learners or improve academic performance. However, the features of gamification studies in FLL and their effectiveness are unclear. Additionally, how previous studies measured the effectiveness of gamified FLL tools is not well understood. In this systematic review, this author addressed these questions based on 21 empirical studies. The findings revealed that the effectiveness of gamified tools in FLL was mixed, with some bringing positive changes, others negative changes, and some showing no differences. The factors that influenced the effectiveness include methodological limitations, biases in the experiment setting, technical limitations, individual differences, failure to achieve meaningful gamification, a mixture of element selection, sub-optimal measurement, and data interpretation biases. This study identified research gaps in previous studies and offers suggestions for future research in this area.

Competence, preparation, and relaxation: Contributing factors to EFL student teachers' self-efficacy and teaching performance in microteaching training

“…Fourthly, biases may be present due to the method of data collection [ 53 , 54 ]. Specifically, two out of the six items used to measure public-speaking anxiety are phrased in a reverse manner, which could lead to confusion or inaccurate responses from participants.…”

The seewo interactive whiteboard (IWB) for ESL teaching: How useful it is?

“…In the study of Abuhmaid [ 26 ], teachers reported that mentors did not have the knowledge to assist them in integrating IWBs into their teaching subjects. The integration of new technologies with pedagogical content has always been a challenge [ [35] , [36] , [37] ]. Teachers require customized training that is closely related to their specific teaching context, and this training should be immediately applicable [ 16 , 26 ].…”

Assessing the Usability of ChatGPT for Formal English Language Learning

“…The authors in [ 38 ] performed a systematic review of using gamification tools for foreign language learning. The authors put focus on understanding the effectiveness of the gamification tools as according to them the features of gamification tools for learning language are not well understood in existing studies.…”

“…The overall mean of sum of participants' feedback scores for using ChatGPT in terms of five aspects were found to be 29.90 out of 50 for SUS, 30.80 out of 40 for usefulness, 43.30 out of 55 for ease of use, 17.50 out of 20 for ease of learning, and 29.70 out of 35 for satisfaction. Furthermore, the (min, max) scores pairs from the participants' responses are (26,35), (31,54), (13,20), (19,38), and (21,35) for the SUS, ease of use, ease of learning, usefulness, and satisfaction, respectively. The SD was found to be 3.00, 7.60, 5.35, 2.36, and 3.88 for SUS, ease of use, usefulness, ease of learning, and satisfaction, respectively.…”

“…The age group 26-30, which contains 60% of the participants, also has the maximum average score for the vocabulary (4.17) task followed by the grammar (4.17), writing (4), and conversation (3.83) tasks. The lowest average scores' age group is the[35][36][37][38], which shows slightly different patterns in the average scores. All the task categories have the same average performance rating of 4.Eur.…”