Using gamification to support learning English as a second language: A systematic review

Year Published:

Abstract

Digital gamification has been argued to be a fun and enjoyable method to support Learning English as a Second Language (LESL) and to ease the gap between students’ learning and educational practice. This systematic review presents an overview of the state of the art on the use of gamification for LESL in digital environments. Furthermore, this review study maps learning experiences of learners and their learning outcomes when they deal with LESL through gamification. For this systematic review, 22 publications dating from 2008 through 2019 were studied to highlight the foci of this field of research. Although, these studies reported positive effects of gamification on learners’ learning experiences and their learning outcomes, none of the publications reported specific gamification elements associated to the learning experiences and outcomes. Being enjoyable, engaging, motivating and fun were positive learning experiences of gamified LESL environments. Content language learning, engagement, motivation, and satisfaction were targeted learning outcomes of gamified LESL. The results of this study provide suggestions on how to design digital gamification for students’ LESL and their corresponding learning experiences and outcomes.

Citation

Relevant Evidence Summaries

The evidence was reviewed and included in the following summaries: 

What strategies are effective for English language acquisition in newcomer populations?

This evidence summary, authored by Switchboard, provides an overview of the current evidence on the effectiveness of various interventions for English language learning among newcomers. It addresses two crucial questions: Are there specific elements of English language acquisition programs for newcomer populations that are more effective or efficient than others? What role does technology play…

About this study

AGE: Adolescents and/or Youth

DIRECTION OF EVIDENCE: Positive impact

FULL TEXT AVAILABILITY: Paid

HOST COUNTRY: Multiple countries

HOST COUNTRY INCOME: High

INTERVENTION DURATION: Various

INTERVENTION: Digital gamification

OUTCOME AREA: Education

POPULATION: Immigrants

REGION OF ORIGIN OF PARTICIPANT(S): Multiple Regions

STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE: Strong

TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

More STUDIES

Primary substance use prevention programs for children and youth: A systematic review

An updated synthesis of research on substance abuse prevention programs can promote enhanced uptake of programs with proven effectiveness, particularly when paired with information relevant to practitioners and policy makers.To assess the strength of the scientific evidence for psychoactive substance abuse prevention programs for school-aged children and youth.A systematic review was conducted of studies published…

A systematic review of qualitative research on substance use among refugees

Aims To evaluate qualitative research on substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs) among refugees in terms of practitioners’ and substance users’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences. Methods Six medical, allied health and social sciences databases (EBSCO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scholar and the Cochrane Library) were systematically searched in a time frame between January…

The impact of a parent-based prevention intervention on Mexican-descent youths’ perceptions of harm associated to drug use: Differential intervention effects for male and female youths

Parent training (PT) interventions reduce the likelihood of youth problematic behaviors, including drug use. However, the dissemination of culturally adapted PT interventions in low‐income Latina/o immigrant communities remains scarce. In this selective prevention study, we examined the extent to which exposure to CAPAS‐Youth, a culturally adapted version of the PT intervention known as GenerationPMTO©, resulted…