Gamification and learning Spanish as a modern language: student perceptions in the university context

Gamification is a methodological strategy that has been applied for several years in the field of modern language learning. It is employed primarily to increase students’ motivation by incorporating game elements into an otherwise didactic context. Research into the use of gamification in language t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Batlle Rodríguez, Jaume, González Argüello, Ma. Vicenta (María Vicenta)
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/216967
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/216967
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Castellà (Llengua)
Ludificació
Motivació en l'educació
Estudiants estrangers
Educació superior
Spanish language
Gamification
Motivation in education
Foreign students
Higher education
Descripción
Sumario:Gamification is a methodological strategy that has been applied for several years in the field of modern language learning. It is employed primarily to increase students’ motivation by incorporating game elements into an otherwise didactic context. Research into the use of gamification in language teaching has focused largely on characterizing the specific practices involved and on determining the degree of motivation elicited in students. There has been little examination of students’ perceptions of gamification or their assessment of its effectiveness for learning a modern language. This study analyses learner perception and motivation among a group of sixteen university students of Spanish as a modern foreign language following participation in a gamified learning experience. Analysis of the information gathered from student perception questionnaires and non-participant observation indicates that the students perceive progress in vocabulary learning but not in grammatical knowledge. The students also report a high level of motivation for the proposed learning activities due to the possibility of working collaboratively with their classmates. The article concludes with reflections on the relevance and didactic implications of gamification as a methodological strategy in modern foreign language teaching at higher education level.