Efficiency of Gamification in English Language Learning within Informal Settings

The Efficiency of Gamification in English Language Learning within Informal Settings
Introduction
The increased spread and application of mobile and web-based services mean that learning is changing its course. Students no longer need extensive inputs from their educators as technologies such as mobile devices and websites have opened platforms for informal learning. Courtesy of the changes in technology, learners are allowed wide and easy access to a variety of resources that ease their education. To that extent, space, geographic, and social boundaries do not limit learning anymore. Put simply, advancements in technology and new forms of communication have expanded both formal and informal learning platforms. Learners have utilised the emerging technologies, especially in the informal spaces, to learn languages such as English. Lightly, the advancements in learning through online and technology tools have been defined as effective as they provide a more realistic, personal, and reliable background in which people can be exposed to the English language. Lately, gamification has emerged as an area of interest for researchers who explore improvements in learning through emerging technologies. In this research, efforts are drawn from modern developments in technology to aid in understanding the efficacy of gamification in learning the English language within informal settings. The advancements in technologies such as gamification are accompanied by entertainment, optimization of brain processing abilities, and the improvement of engagement and motivation that can all steer efficiency in learning the English language, especially in informal settings.
1.1 Background
Technological advancements are becoming a part of humanity that could be impossible to ignore considering their proliferation into various aspects of individual lives. In a nation such as the US, 95% of children aged 3 to 18 have home internet access (Stieglitz et al., 2017, 37). As 88% of those individuals can access the internet through home computers, the other 6% can access online services through smartphones and other mobile devices. The trends are similar in other developed countries (Chou, 2019, p. 46). In developing nations, internet penetration and costs are changing positively to improve access. Hence, more people are becoming reliant on internet services to perform activities such as socialising or entertaining themselves. Amidst the growth in internet access and penetration is the opportunity to learn. Children can presently learn through formal and informal educational settings, courtesy of the growth in online services. In informal educational setting is constitutes learning that occurs outside a structured curriculum such as learning while playing computer games at home. Gamification is cited as one of the primary avenues that learners employ to gain more knowledge in aspects such as language. Gamification implies the addition of game mechanics into nongame settings such as the learning management systems to engage participants more. Having noted the interests that learners are developing in online games, gamification is fast becoming popular in the education community. That growth raises questions, primary of which is the efficiency of such a tool in the actual realization of success in pursuing various learning objectives.
2 Literature Review
This chapter explores the theoretical understanding of gamification in modern learning settings. The chapter also digs into various pieces of literature that have been published to assess the efficacy, or lack thereof, of gamification in learning settings.
2.1 The Gamification Theory of Learning
The gamification theory is among the most popular models in explaining the growth of technology in various learning contexts. The theoretical frameworks such as the self-efficacy theory, flow theory, and self-determination theory have collectively contributed to the development of the gamification theory in learning (Burke, 2014, p. 68). Gamification is described in the notion of gamified learning as the use of game qualities, as defined by the Bedwell taxonomy, outside of the framework of a game to impact learning-related attitudes or behaviours. Some of the examples of gamification include completing tasks and earning virtual "points", learning academic skills through playing educational games, or on a leaderboard, competing with peers toward a common goal. The developed in such tasks attitudes/behaviours, in effect, shape learning through one of two mechanisms: enhancing the link between instructional design quality and results (a moderating process) and/or significantly affecting learning (a mediating process). This is in contrast to a formal games method, in which game features are often manipulated to affect learning without the use of a behavioural mediator or moderator.
The entry of gamification theory in education stems from the protracted needs of learners in various settings. Proponents of gamification believe that learners are poised to gain more knowledge if they enjoy themselves in the process of learning. Additionally, learning is also effective if the learners set goals, targets, and achievements in ways that they perceive as fun (Koutsopoulos, Doukas, & Kotsanis, 2018, p. 203). Games have been cited as addictive among children and adults. As such, educators found it necessary to employ the addiction to enhance learning outcomes if the targeted students are orientated towards specific objectives. In gamification, game-based elements such as score tables, teamwork, peer competition, and point-scoring assist learners in setting their own goals and testing their knowledge without the pressures of the traditional/formal learning settings. While gamification can be used in formal settings, most learners employ it as a tool for self-development and growth (Marczewski, 2013, p. 163). Technology is growing to influence multiple aspects of contemporary human nature, making gamification an ideal tool for achieving the best outcomes in learning a language or any other subject.
Gamification is characterized by particular elements that engineer its efficiency in learning language. Primarily, the systems offer immediate feedback to learners, which is vital in assessing improvements and failures. Presently, learning is a swift process, and learners do not need much of the bureaucracy that characterizes the formal educational settings (Koutsopoulos, Doukas, & Kotsanis, 2018, p. 201). Gamification is also known to fuel scaffolded learning. In scaffolded learning, the educational platform offers the learners support to master various concepts or skills. Such a learning setting makes it easy to work together in groups to assist each other or set goals to aid growth. Most gamification platforms are structured to allow learners to meet specific academic objectives. That is, learners can view a simple set of questions in a whole new light if they are subjected to gamification. Students can witness their growth through ranks depending on the quality of answers that they give in their engagements (Burke, 2014, p. 68). For instance, in a question on whether learners need to cite details from the texts or evidence in making conclusions, the systems can offer a point for answers without evidence, two points for answers with only one piece of evidence, and three points for answers with three or more pieces of evidence. That motivates learners to achieve their academic objectives.
Gamification is also structured to instill competition within learning settings. Learning in a competitive environment is more impactful if compared to learning without any goals set. With gamification, learners are consistently involved in healthy competition with their classmates and against their own targets. In some classes, the games are used for positive behavioural reinforcements. For instance, a game can be structured to give points to a learner if he/she follows specific rules, while a point deduction is a doe if the learner does not follow the laid rules. Such a structure can motivate learners to achieve better goals. That happens amidst the application of levels, checkpoints, and other methods of progression to steer learners from one point of gamification to the next.
The last characteristic of gamification is its ability to trigger comparisons and reflections on personal performances. Contemporary videogames are detailed and can offer a personalized breakdown of how an individual performs in various game categories (Kapp, Blair, & Mesch, 2014, p. 109). The data that include the weaknesses, strengths, points, and achievements are avenues that reflect on their performances and compare with others. A game can offer badges based on the number of verbs listed, sentences constructed, or even lists delivered. Such data can be used to show areas that require improvements. Presently, teachers can also use the tools to collect points, track data, assess the progress of their learners, and tailor rules and rewards depending on the performances of their learners. The adaptation of gamification in contemporary learning through the above characteristics keeps enhancing its applications.
2.2 Gamification in the Learning Process
It is a prerequisite to optimise the educational methods to allow learners to explore their full potential. It is established that education is a practice that constructively modifies the behaviours of individuals, how they feel, and how they think. Such prospects are continuous through the entirety of the lives of everybody. The influx of gamification in education, hence, bears multiple impacts.
2.2.1 Consolidation of Learning
Primary among the impacts is making education more efficient and enjoyable. It is the basic knowledge in educational psychology that allows good instructors to convey knowledge as per the needs of the recipients. Presently, language educational methods are broad and constitute academic training, multi-media-based learning, directed research, discussion, and practical training (Costello, 2020, p. 105). All such efforts are consolidated to achieve the needs of learners who showcase different learning styles. The learning styles can be solitary where the learner conducts self-studies, social or group learning, logical where the learner relies on reasoning to see the big picture, verbal using speech, and auditory using sounds such as music and rhythms (Stieglitz et al., 2017, 37). Other learning techniques include physical learning, where learners and educators extensively engage in practical activities as well as visual learning, in which learners rely on mind-maps and images to grasp knowledge. All such learning techniques can be challenging to include in a formal educational setting (Kapp, 2012, p. 95). The impact of such an endeavour is prolonged ability to grasp concepts by learners who must be exposed to different learning techniques. Essentially, learners need to pursue individual goals as much as collectivism is important in educational settings.
2.2.2 Optimization of Brain’s Processing of New Information
Gamification can optimize the ability of the brain to process new information. That can occur through the general characteristics of gamified lessons, such as the application of repetitive patterns, short time lapses, minimized bites of schematized information, and audio-visual presentation (Costello, 2020, p. 105). New knowledge is lost lest it is preserved in an individual’s long-term memory via a multi-layered process comprising attention, selection, integration, and information perception. People’s working memory, which can only process a tiny quantity of data at the same time, is the principle channel to relay new information. The human brain is thought to be capable of processing seven pieces of information at once, which would be lost in 20 seconds if not further processed to reach long-term memory (Chou, 2019, p. 103). Hence, people learn through repeated processes and patterns. People al...