Evaluating the Impact of a Gamified Foreign Language Teaching Unit Tailored to the Student Group in the 6th Grade

Abstract

With the introduction of new educational methods and strategies, teachers have the opportunity to adjust the teaching and learning process, enhancing its effectiveness. Within the literature on gamification, the importance of understanding participants is often emphasized. However, in the Hungarian context, this preliminary analysis is frequently absent, or the characteristics identified are not directly relevant to personalizing a gamified system. Our research aimed to address this gap in the Hungarian literature by empirically examining the impact of a gamified system on motivation and the learning process when it is designed on the basis of students’ preferences and needs identified in the preliminary analysis. Our study involved 13 sixth-grade students in a teacher training school of the chief town of a county, within the framework of a six-lesson gamified unit. Overall, the intervention yielded positive results: students reported reduced anxiety related to grades and, based on the qualitative feedback, described the lessons as enjoyable. However, no statistically significant differences were found between the pre- and post-questionnaire results. This outcome may be attributed to the short duration of the intervention and the small sample size. Nevertheless, our findings highlight the importance of examining students’ learning self-concept and sources of classroom anxiety when implementing gamification, as these play a decisive role in its efficacy for individual learners. These insights may contribute to expanding the Hungarian and international academic discourse in the field.