Gamified English App: A Mobile Application to Enhance Second Language Learning via Gamification

Abstract

For as long as there have been students, teachers have looked for ways to motivate them to learn. With the advent of computers and computer gaming, interest has increased in using elements of gaming in learning materials to engage students' interest and willingness to persist with a learning task. Research on gamification as an aspect of educational pedagogy is growing, but remains limited, especially exploration of the use of gamification in less common subjects, such as foreign language learning. This paper is part of an ongoing research project investigating the effect of gamification on foreign language learning in Saudi Arabia. It introduces a novel gamified mobile application for English language learning called the Gamified English app. The app, presented in this paper, was developed in the Xcode environment for Apple users and includes several gaming elements.