Gamification for Technology-Enhanced Language Teaching and Learning

Introduction

In recent years, gamification has become a recurrent methodological strategy in the field of education (Kim, Song, Lockee, & Burton, 2018), and the area of foreign language teaching is not an exception (Pujolà & Herrera, 2018; Reinhardt, 2019). There are more and more teachers who, in the search for resources to enhance students’ engagement, introduce several elements of games to their teaching together with the use of technology (Goethe, 2019; Siemon & Eckardt, 2017). The origin of this trend can be traced back to the vast popularity of video games that caught the attention of experts in different areas of knowledge such as business and education. These experts examined the use of game elements in non-game contexts with the intention of applying them in their own areas (Kapp, 2012; Marczewski, 2013; Werbach & Hunter, 2012). Both the results of these studies, and the emergence of new technological applications have triggered moves toward the implementation of gamification in foreign and second language learning and teaching. Gamification is conceived as a didactic methodology, the central purpose of which is to offer a learning experience that generates students’ engagement and interest (Tulloch, 2014).Over time, within the language teaching tradition a wide variety of games have been used for the development of communicative competence (Lee, 1979; McCallum, 1980; Wright, Betteridge, & Buckby, 1984). While the learning goal of these games may vary widely (e.g., prompting authentic oral practice in the process of playing, facilitating vocabulary retention, or providing controlled practice of some grammar points) what they all have in common is that teachers employ them in an attempt to make the learning experience enjoyable.

The use of computer games for educational purposes has also contributed to the integration of playful components in language classes or in virtual language learning environments (Peterson, 2013; Reinders, 2012; Reinhardt, 2017; Sykes & Reinhardt, 2012). Simulation games have been particularly popular in language teaching and learning (Crookall & Oxford, 1990), not surprisingly, given the importance of language use in meaningful communicative interaction for second language acquisition (Canale & Swain, 1980). From the perspective of both psycholinguistic and sociocultural theories of language learning, simulation and computer games hold great potential for language learning in that they engage learners in situations that will allow for negotiation of meaning and/or collaborative dialogue (Peterson, 2009). A different approach has been the development of computer games designed specifically for language learning (e.g., Sørensen & Meyer, 2007). In these educational games, also known as serious games, a specific learning need is targeted and a game is designed around this goal.