A Study Of The Effects Of Gamification On English Learners’ Pre-class Learning Engagement And Language Learning Beliefs

At present,English as a foreign language(EFL)flipped classrooms have the issue of inadequate pre-class engagement.As an instructional strategy,gamification can promote learning engagement,but its effectiveness relies on specific learning contexts.Since the research on gamification use in the field of EFL is limited,it has been unclear so far how gamification works on various dimensions of engagement in English pre-class learning.In addition,language learning beliefs(LLB),as a crucial characteristic of English learners,may relate to how learners perceive the gamification effects on pre-class engagement.Meanwhile,learners’ LLB might also change because of the gamified learning experience.This thesis conducted a mixed-method study in a 15-week gamified flipped EFL course,involving 35 Chinese college students as participants.Pre-class learning included listening section and speaking section,which were carried out on two online platforms respectively.Game design elements,including leaderboard,points,badges,rewards,levels,progress bars,and narratives,were used to provide students with a gamified learning atmosphere.According to surveys,semi-structured interviews,and platform learning reports,it was found that(1)gamification positively affected students’ pre-class behavioral,cognitive,emotional,and agentic engagement.Team leaderboard,points,badges,rewards,progress bars,and narratives enhanced students’ pre-class learning engagement in different dimensions.However,gamification design was incapable of changing the over-time descending tendency of behavioral and cognitive engagement;(2)the gamified pre-class learning experience contributed to LLB changes of students in beliefs about English learning difficulty and strategies;and(3)various LLB had different relations with perceived gamification effects on pre-class engagement.Students with different beliefs regarding the difficulty,aptitude,nature,strategies,and motivations and expectations of language learning had different perceptions of gamification effects.This thesis contributes to further understanding of gamification effects and its mechanism in English teaching as well as the interaction between gamified instruction and students’ LLB.The findings of this thesis also provide implications for English teachers to carry out gamified teaching.