Gamification and Student Motivation in Freshman English Speaking Classes
Keywords:
Gamification, EFL, speaking motivation, freshman students, Kahoot!, Quizlet, Uzbekistan.Abstract
This study investigates the effects of gamification on the speaking motivation of freshman EFL students at Tashkent International University of Finance and Technology (TIFT), Uzbekistan. Employing a mixed-methods design that combined Likert-scale questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations, the research examined students' responses to four gamification tools and activities: Kahoot!, Quizlet, Quizizz, and structured debates. Findings indicate that digital gamification platforms, particularly Quizlet and Quizizz, significantly enhanced students' motivation and engagement, while debate activities produced more varied responses. Students expressed a strong desire for continued gamification integration while simultaneously recognising its limitations as a substitute for authentic communicative practice. These results suggest that gamification is most effective when deployed strategically as a motivational scaffold within a broader communicative language teaching framework.
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