The Effect of Gamified Language on Learners’ Memory in EFL Context

Abstract

The current thesis aims to illuminate the implementation of gamification and its impact on learners' capacity to acquire and retain vocabulary. It also explores the attitudes and perspectives of middle school teachers towards gamification in EFL classrooms. In order to gain a clearer insight into the phenomenon, the researcher has adopted both qualitative and quantitative research methods whereby the researcher seeks to explore gamification in the EFL classroom through action research methodology. Hence, the researcher adopted a semi-structured interview administered to 110 EFL teachers from various middle schools in Algeria, along with a post-test and a delayed post-test to measure learners' retention capacity of vocabulary. The participants consist of 70 second-year middle school learners in the city of Mostaganem. The collected data from the interviews were analyzed using a descriptive analysis approach, based on thematic analysis. Whereas the quantitative data from the tests was analyzed using the SPSS software to measure the retention rate of learners and investigate the impact of gamification on vocabulary learning and retention. The analysis was performed with reference to Bloom's taxonomy to interpret the collected data. After the analysis, the study provided a clear understanding of the teachers' standpoint regarding gamification, showing their openness and readiness to adopt modern teaching methods. The study also provides valuable insights into the integration of gamification for vocabulary learning and retention. It also paves the way for future interventions to explore the effects of gamified methods on other aspects of language learning.