From Traditional to Gamified Methods in EFL Vocabulary Instruction: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Algeria

Abstract

This research is an attempt to explore the impact of the role educational games have on boosting students' vocabulary learning for second year (L2) English as foreign language learners (EFL) at Chlef University by dissecting immediate acquisition success and long term retention, as well as exploring students' perceptions and engagement levels when adopting gamified approaches. A comparison between the impact of a gamified vocabulary teaching methodology and a traditional approach was undertaken in the present quasi-experimental study involving 36 EFL students and were divided into experimental (gamified learning) and control (traditional instruction) groups. Data from pre-test, immediate and delayed post-tests, survey feedbacks and interview responses indicate that students in the experimental group outperformed those of the control group with respect to vocabulary retention (i.e., active recall), spaced repetition as well as contextual learning after gamification.