The Impact of Gamification on Developing Foreign Language within Elementary Students’ Speaking Skills: An Experimental Study

Abstract

This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from pre- and post-tests with qualitative data from observation to assess the impact of gamification on elementary school students' acquisition of foreign language skills as well as their motivation and engagement in EFL classroom. Thirty-two female students from Al-Shabeen Elementary School, currently in fifth grade and aged between ten and twelve years old, participated in the study. They share similar educational and cultural backgrounds. Sixteen students formed the experimental group (EG), engaging in educational games as part of their learning process, while the remaining sixteen students comprised the control group (CG), receiving traditional classroom instruction without gamification. Conducted in Rijal-Alma'a, Saudi Arabia, the study revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups, particularly in areas such as pronunciation, intonation, fluency, accuracy, and vocabulary, indicating the efficacy of gamification in language learning. Furthermore, integrating gamification into language education is suggested to enhance student motivation, proficiency, and retention of language content, thereby informing future pedagogical practices and policies.