Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 30
Gamification strategies on the
development of English listening
comprehension skills
Diana Abigail Torres Rodríguez
Marlon Richard Armijos Ramírez
Marcia Iliana Criollo Vargas
Erika Michelle Salazar Chamba
Artículo original. Revista multidisciplinaria investigación Contemporánea.
Vol. 1 - No. 2, pp. 30 - 57.
Julio-diciembre, 2023. e-ISSN: 2960-8015
Cómo citar:
Torres Rodríguez, D. A., Armijos Ramírez, M. R., Criollo Vargas, M. I., & Salazar Chamba, E. M. (2023).
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills. Revista
Multidisciplinaria Investigación Contemporánea, 1(2), 30–57. https://doi.org/10.58995/redlic.ic.v1.n2.a51
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58995/redlic.ic.v1.n2.a51
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 31
Gamification strategies
on the development of
English listening comprehension skills
Estrategias de gamificación en el desarrollo de
las destrezas de comprensión auditiva
Diana Abigail Torres Rodríguez
1
*, Marlon Richard Armijos Ramírez
2
,
Marcia Iliana Criollo Vargas
3
, Erika Michelle Salazar Chamba
4
1
Universidad Nacional de Loja; dianaabigailtr@gmail.com
Loja, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2827-9736
2
Universidad Nacional de Loja; marlon.armijos.r@gmail.com
Loja, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4567-4577
3
Universidad Nacional de Loja; marciacv4@gmail.com
Loja, Ecuador. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5326-2456
4
Universidad Nacional de Loja; salazarchamba1999@gmail.com
Loja, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4770-6244
Tipo de artículo:
Artículo original
Información del artículo:
Recibido: 04/04/2023
Aceptado: 20/06/2023
Publicado: 01/07/2023
Nota del editor:
REDLIC se mantiene neutral con respecto
a reclamos jurisdiccionales en mensajes
publicados y afiliaciones institucionales.
Editorial:
Red Editorial Latinoamericana de Investigación
Contemporánea (REDLIC)
www.redlic.org.
Fuentes de financiamiento:
La investigación fue realizada con recursos
propios.
Conflictos de interés:
No presentan conflicto de intereses.
Copyright: © 2022 por los autores. Publicación
de acceso abierto bajo los términos y
condiciones del Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license. https://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 32
Abstract
Listening comprehension plays an important role in the English learning process because
it provides to the learner language input. This skill is one of the most important when lear-
ning a foreign language for understanding and responding a message. The main objec-
tive of the present research is to find out about the improvement of the English listening
comprehension skills by using gamification among Superior Basic Education students
at a Public Institution of Loja city, during the school year 2022-2023. This research used
a mixed action research design in order to gather quantitative (scores) and qualitative
(students’ perceptions) data through the use of a pre-test and post-test, as well as a ques-
tionnaire and observation checklist. It is based on the development of 10 lessons following
the nine-Gagne’s events. The data were analysed by using two methods: the descriptive
statistics method and theme analysis method. From there, the data analysed demonstra-
ted that students significantly improved from 50% to 80% their listening comprehension
after the application of the gamification. Furthermore, the mixed data obtained showed
that students felt motivated, competitive and improved their listening comprehension
subskills during the application of gamification in class. Specifically, students improved in
listening for general understanding and listening for sequence, through the application of
gamification strategies.
Keywords: english learning, listening comprehension, gamification, perceptions, strategies,
skills.
Resumen
La comprensión auditiva juega un papel importante en el proceso de aprendizaje del
inglés porque proporciona información del idioma al alumno. Esta habilidad es una de las
más importantes cuando se aprende un idioma extranjero para comprender y responder
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 33
un mensaje. El objetivo principal de la presente investigación es conocer el mejoramiento
de las habilidades de comprensión auditiva en inglés mediante el uso de gamificación en
estudiantes de Educación Básica Superior de una Institución Pública de la ciudad de Loja,
durante el ciclo escolar 2022-2023. Esta investigación utilizó un diseño de investigación de
acción mixta para recopilar datos cuantitativos (puntuaciones) y cualitativos (percepciones
de los estudiantes) mediante el uso de una prueba previa y una prueba posterior, así como
un cuestionario y una lista de verificación de observación. Se basa en el desarrollo de 10
lecciones siguiendo los eventos de nueve Gagné. Los datos fueron analizados utilizando
dos métodos: el método de estadística descriptiva y el método de análisis temático. A partir
de allí, los datos analizados demostraron que los estudiantes mejoraron significativamente
de un 50% a un 80% su comprensión auditiva luego de la aplicación de la gamificación.
Además, los datos mixtos obtenidos mostraron que los estudiantes se sintieron motivados,
competitivos y mejoraron sus subdestrezas de comprensión auditiva durante la aplicación
de la gamificación en clase. En concreto, los alumnos mejoraron en comprensión auditiva
de la idea principal y escuchar para secuenciar, mediante la aplicación de estrategias de
gamificación.
Palabras clave: aprendizaje de inglés, comprensión auditiva, gamificación, percepciones,
estrategias, destrezas.
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 34
1. Introducción
Listening has an important role in the English language classroom because it
provides language input for the learners. Through listening, learners can build an awareness
about the interworking of language systems at various levels and thus it establishes a base
for more fluent productive skills. Syafii et al. (2020) establish that listening is one of the
most important language skills in the English class, and extend this skill is vital for better
understanding of the language. It means that it is one of the most relevant skills in the
acquisition of a target language because the learners are involved in the communication
process. According to the Ministry of Education in Ecuador (MINEDUC) students from tenth
year corresponding to superior basic education must achieve the level A2.1 in listening when
they finish the school year. At this level, students will be able to identify and understand
relevant information from English speakers. Nevertheless, most students do not fulfil
these requirements in the English language domain. This might happen because there
is not enough training for students in teaching and improving this important skill into the
English language. It is imperative to mention that there are many strategies that can be
included in teaching methodology to develop the listening comprehension skill. In this
case, gamification strategies could be a possible solution to solve the problem found in
the development of English listening comprehension skills. Some educators and authors
established that use of gamification strategies in class are beneficial in many features.
As Mee et al. (2020) mention that games are very advantageous and demonstrate a high
amount of eicacy for English teaching.
Based on the aforementioned information, this research intended to improve the
listening comprehension skill by using gamification among superior basic education
students at a public school in the city of Loja during the 2022-2023 school year. Furthermore,
the research aims to answer the central question: How can gamification improve English
listening comprehension skill among superior basic education students at a public institution
of Loja city? Taking into consideration this is a big question, it was divided into three
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 35
sub-problems: The first one is, what is the eectiveness of gamification on the improvement
of English listening comprehension skill among superior Basic Education students at a
public institution of Loja city? The second one is, what gamification strategies can help to
improve English listening comprehension skills among superior basic education students
at a Public Institution of Loja city? and the third one is what are the students’ perceptions
about gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skill
among superior basic education students at a public institution of Loja city?
In addition, several pieces of research give emphasis to the use of gamification
strategies in the teaching and learning process and their support to improve listening
comprehension skills. The studies done by Mazabel (2021) and Syafii et al. (2020) have
focused on how to improve the listening comprehension skills using gamification activities.
The evidence from the research showed that the teaching of listening using the game model
provides several ways of teaching, and it is much more eective and valuable than that of
the traditional method of teaching (Hariadi et al., 2021).
In the present research work, the gamification strategies were carried out with
the aim of improving listening comprehension skill. Besides, the application of them was
beneficial for the field of English language teaching. Consequently, this study contributed to
science by creating an innovative methodology, with which students not only learn but they
feel motivated and eager to participate in the learning process. Finally, it also contributed
to the research community with a rich way of carrying out a study of developing listening
comprehension skills through gamified strategies.
Based on that, in order to achieve the purpose of this study, the main objective of the
research work was to improve English listening comprehension skill by using gamification
among Superior Basic Education students at the Public Institution of Loja city. In order to
fulfil this objective, the following specific objectives were stated: the first one says to verify
the eectiveness of gamification on the improvement of English listening comprehension
skill among superior basic education students at a public institution of Loja city. The second
one intends to describe gamification strategies on the development of English listening
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 36
comprehension skills among superior basic education students at a public institution of Loja
city. And the third one aims to explain the students’ perceptions about using gamification on
the development of English listening comprehension skill among superior basic education
students at a public institution of Loja city.
Similarly, this article is distributed in the following sections: the first one is the abstract
which embraces a brief summary of the article. The second one is the introduction, which
contains the most important aspects of the research. The third one is the methodology where
the research states the methods, techniques, and instruments to be used during the study.
The fourth one refers to the results and findings. The fifth one is linked to the discussion that
contains an analysis and comparison of the findings with previous studies. The sixth one is
the conclusion segment depending on the results and finally the bibliography which has the
list of books and articles cited that helped the researchers to have theoretical foundations.
2. Literature Review
2.1. Definition of gamification
Gamification is understood to apply to any type of game with clear learning
outcomes in order to stimulate learners’ language acquisition, critical thinking and solving
abilities. Kapp (2012) claims that gamification is using mechanics and game thinking to
motivate students to solve problems by themselves. In other words, it is a new method
to attract student motivation and engagement in order to achieve a goal. The aim of
gamification is to engage students with content such as tasks that are not interesting
in order to make it more enjoyable.
In addition, Zahra (2020) defined gamification as to build knowledge and support with
knowledge retention. The power of gamification to increase learning is due to its graphical
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 37
attractiveness, its nature, and its ability to engage students. In other words, in gamified
environments, students are inspired, so learners pick up, recycle and use more knowledge.
2.1.1. Importance of gamification in the EFL classroom
The implementation of gamification in the EFL classroom is seen as a learning
tool, which has rules, its own dynamics and includes reaching a goal. Therefore, the game
is intended to help students and teachers to enhance second language learning in a
way that involves the culture of the second language as well. For example, Morthy and
Abdul Aziz (2020) mention that a benefit of gamification is to support students’ learning
in grammatical structures in a meaningful setting. Another benefit is the enhancement of
the environment in the teaching-learning process, as it becomes relaxed and fun. At the
same time, it allows the teacher to get closer to students and improve social relations.
Additionally, another important point is the role of gamification in the development of
teaching materials. It aims to train students to think analytically, logically, critically and
creatively in communicating ideas or solving problems, expanding knowledge and facilitating
the students in understanding the authentic material.
3.1.2. Motivation through gamification
The main purpose of gamification is to create gratifying learning, and it also has
the power to raise the attention and increase learning motivation which is reflected on
students’ learning results of this study. In addition, it has more benefits such as making
connections between summaries and concepts in a real environment. In this sense, it is
one of the main aspects that aid students build great meaning in the subjects they are
studying. It is important to mention that games involve the use of a lot of dierent dynamics
and mechanics in order to activate students’ interest. For example, when students are
energetic in any activity, it becomes a more meaningful experience. In this case, in the
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 38
educational field, students can develop, create or even explore tasks while they make their
own decisions in order to influence goals. Werbach and Hunter (2012) proposed a framework
showing how motivation is triggered by gamification in three dierent levels, which they
named “elements”. These are dynamics that involve mechanics that are in turn generated
by the gamified components. Gamification has been integrated to engage students during
the learning process with the purpose that the classroom seems more authentic and the
students are more interested in learning (Boudadi & Gutiérrez-Colón, 2020).
3.1.3. Gamification Elements
It is important to emphasise that gamification has some elements that
teachers can incorporate in the class to get better results into the learning process.
Buljan (2021) mentions some of them:
3.1.3.1. Badges.- They are viewed as a great way to award students for their
achievements. In other words, badges are awards given to the students as a virtual image
on their profile. Buljan (2021) states that the role of badges is to recognize and value the
student’s eort on each assignment.
3.1.3.2. Leaderboards.– Leaderboards are used to create competition among
students. It means that students will want to win and will be motivated while they see
their name on top. You can create separate leaderboards based on dierent teams. This is
supported by Shpakova et al., (2016) who point out that badges and leaderboards show
the reality of the students about how they will interact and work with each partner. In that
sense, students can perform better to achieve a result and become the winners.
3.1.3.3. Competition.- Barros et al. (2021) mention that this element gives the feeling
of victory to the students. It is important to mention that this strategy can arrange many
powers to the students as it involves them interacting with their fellow gamers.
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 39
3.1.3.4. Awards.– They are viewed as compensation for doing something well showing
good performance and outcomes. When students are given awards because they win a game,
they are motivated to continue working harder and get better results in the class activities.
3.1.4 Choosing games
Choosing an adequate game is helpful as it provides students a break and also
permits students to practise language skills. It is important to know that as games
are entertaining they are demanding, too. There are a variety of characteristics when
choosing a game, such as the language to be targeted in the game, the skills that will be
developed and the purpose. Zirawaga et al. (2017) mention that games can be used as
a support tool to improve the learning experience of the students. Teachers should also
consider some other teaching skills such as following rules, adaptation, interaction, critical
thinking skills, creativity and teamwork.
There is a diversity of listening games, mainly designed for younger learners, that
include partial dictation, writing down key words, ‘word spotting’. For example: Simon says,
Pointing, Passing the ball, The Great Shopping Race, Running Dictation Game among others.
These games are described as follow:
3.1.4.1. Simon says.– It is a game whose main role is to listen and follow instructions.
It can be played with three or more students where one player takes the role of “Simon”
and issues the instructions that usually are physical actions. The other players should
follow the instructions given by “Simon” through the phrase “Simon says”. If students do
wrong activities, they are out of the game. At the end, the last student who follows all the
instructions is the winner of the game.
3.1.4.2. Pointing out.– The role of this game is to follow instructions. It is played with
printed materials and pieces of classroom language. This game involves the following steps:
first, the teacher shows students the pictures and revises the vocabulary, then sticks the
pictures on the whiteboard. After that, when all pictures are on the whiteboard the teacher
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 40
calls one of the students and gives instructions, so students have to listen to and point out
the words mentioned in order to win points.
3.1.4.3. Pass the ball: In this game the students have to follow oral instructions and it
is played with the whole class. It requires a speaker and a ball. It consists of following rules;
first students have to sit on the floor in a circle. Then, the teacher reproduces a song and
students have to pass the ball from one to another. Next, suddenly the teacher stops the
song, indicating that students must stop passing the ball. After that, students who have the
ball must follow the instructions. If they follow the instructions correctly they are winners.
3.1.4.4. The Great Shopping Race.– The main objective is asking for things and
answering them. It is for beginners’ level and it is developed with the whole class. First,
the teacher has to divide the class into groups. Second, the teacher has to organise each
group in a dierent place. Third, the teacher must place each group in a table or circle. Then,
the teacher gives each group of students a shop name. After that, the teacher provides
each group with a shopping list. The focus of this game is to buy the products on their
list. Students need to move around in order to obtain the first product in other shops. The
groups with the most products are the first and second place winners. This game is for
learning specific vocabulary with any topic.
3.1.4.5. Running Dictation Game: This game is for practice dialogues, grammatical
structures, vocabulary, commands or anything that students need to learn and practice. It is
important to consider that this is not the time to introduce new vocabulary or grammatical
structure. It means that this game should be developed with topics that students are
studying or familiar with. It is played with any number and level of students. According
to Syafii et al. (2020) the steps for this are: First, the teacher divides the class into 4 or 5
groups, and they should name a writer and a runner. It is important to inform them that
the rest of the students in the group take turns at being the runner. Then, the teacher must
have several copies of the words, vocabulary, phrases or short reading that can be taken
from the students’ books or from a song. After that, the teacher needs to paste the copies
on the walls of the classroom. Then, the teacher tells students to start the game. The runner
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 41
from each group goes up to the wall and reads the sheet of paper and needs to memorise
as much as possible before running back to their group and dictating the text or phrase
to the writer. After that, the next student runs to read the text on the wall and remembers
some and runs back to dictate again. Finally, students must read their text or phrases aloud.
The winner in this game can be the groups who have fewer mistakes in the text.
3.1.5. Advantages of gamification
The use of gamification in the English class creates significant learning and cooperation
among students. Teachers need to use dierent teaching approaches and methods that allow
students to be active during the learning process with a great motivation and engagement.
According to Zahra (2020) there are some benefits of using gamification which are:
•
Student engagement.– Gamification in the classroom starts from the deduction
of the medium of games and what makes them fun. The interest aspect of the
game increases motivation for students to participate in learning activities.
From there, Abla & Fraumeni, (2019) mention that it is a condition of emotional
social and intellectual ability to learn by curiosity, participation and the drive to
learn more. In this sense, it is a process in which students are more interested.
• Student Motivation.– It consists of motivating students to excel their abilities.
If students are not motivated, it is diicult to gain their will towards learning,
and improve their academic achievement.
•
Collaboration skill.– Gamification helps to increase and engage learners
in improving key competencies. In other words, groups of students develop
collaborative skills that involve working together in order to achieve a
mutual goal by cooperating among them.
•
Knowledge Retention.– he application of gamification reinforces the knowledge
of language already learned and it helps to retain it in the long-term memory. In
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 42
addition, the role of gamification here is to apply attractive material such as flash
cards, graphics to actively engage students in learning the English language.
•
Personalized Learning Environment: Gamification learning settings oer
students’ choices about their tasks, challenges and levels, as well as the ability
to personalise and tailor learning to each learner’s needs.
Gamification can be a valuable tool as teachers are faced with new paradigms on
how to keep learning attractive and eective to students. In other words, undoubtedly,
gamification has a positive impact on student learning in the EFL classroom.
3.2. Listening comprehension
Listening comprehension is an invisible mental process and it allows students to
understand the spoken language. Rost (2016) points out that listening comprehension
is viewed as an interactive process, since listeners are concerned in building meaning.
In that sense, when students improve this ability they become more participative and
attentive in the communication process.
3.2.1. Subskills of listening
Listening has many purposes in the communication process. It means that as a wide
skill, it embraces many sub-skills. These subskills are described as follows:
3.2.1.1. Listening for general understanding.– It is to concentrate on listening
carefully in the main points or parts of general information transmitted in the audio. Al-Jawi
(2010) mentions that the idea of ‘general’ comprehension means not only focusing on
analysing every word conveyed by the speaker, but rather the listener should be able to
hear or get a broader idea of what is happening.
3.2.1.2. Listening for detailed information.– It involves training students to
understand specific information such as details that are relevant and important in the text.
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 43
The main goal is to help students obtain detailed information they may need like dates,
names or hours. Campos (2023) mentions that in this sub-skill students cannot ignore
anything because they do not know exactly what information of the listening passage
will be necessary to complete the task.
3.2.1.3. Listening for specific information. - This sub-skill is good for training
the students to hear everything and to identify individual words. Al-Jawi (2010) points
out that when listening to the news, only focus on something when the listener is
interested in something more specific.
3.2.1.4. Listening for specific vocabulary.– Learning vocabulary through listening is
one type of learning meaning-focused input in comprehension skills. Pesce (2013) mentions
that listening activities provide opportunities to learn new words. In this sense, the purpose
is to learn, memorise and identify words, collocations of phrases.
3.2.2. Listening resources
Increasing listening skills is an important part of educating youngsters in the
context of learning English as a foreign language. Teaching with resources supports
instruction by catching students’ attention, and by helping them to interact better
in the process of English learning.
There are some listening games, which are described below:
3.2.2.1. Music and Rhythm.– Music seems to be a good strategy to support listening
skills in the learning process. Teachers should learn from these listening strategies by
using songs with dierent rhythms to help students become better listeners through what
they like, which is music. A study conducted by Mobbs and Cuyul (2018) mentions that
“An obvious advantage of music is that it is universal and loved by people of all ages and
cultural backgrounds, so it is an excellent way to engage learners” in listening (p.23).
3.2.2.2. Repetition Drills.– Drilling consists in the repetition of oral patterns and
structures. It implies that students imitate what the teacher says. One of the central
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 44
advantages is that they help students to increase confidence in pronunciation and identifying
sounds. They also help the teacher draw students’ attention to specific features of the
English Language. As R (2013) mentions that this strategy is good because it oers students
practise and acquisition of new skills and teachers can use it, at any stage of learning in
the class, and as many times as necessary. In addition, this advantageous resource helps
to improve students’ speed and increases motivation as well.
3.2.2.3. Visual materials and Flash cards.– Visual materials are resources used by
teachers in a learning process environment to increase students’ motivation. In listening
skill, the use of flash cards is so important because it helps listeners to comprehend the
key points of audio materials. Creswell (2012) points out that an advantage of using images
provides opportunities for the participants to share directly their perceptions of reality.
4. Materials and Methods
This research study used a mixed design approach methodology, that is, quantitative
and qualitative data, which involves the creation of a measurable and observable data. The
quantitative data was collected through the application of a pre-test at the beginning and a
post-test at the end of the intervention plan to determine students’ English comprehension
skills levels before and after the implementation of the action research proposal. Whereas,
the qualitative data was collected through the application of a questionnaire to students
at the end of the process and an observation checklist was completed by the researcher
as part of the research process. This enabled the researcher to verify the eectiveness
of gamification on the improvement of English listening comprehension skills of
English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
The pre-test and post-test contained five questions and were designed with
emphasis on selection items such as, multiple choice and matching questions. Additionally,
it included items that required a short answer for example: write a short answer and
fill in the blanks. These instruments aided to measure the level and the improvement
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 45
that students had in English listening comprehension skill, respectively. Also, these tests
measured subskills of listening for general understanding, for identifying specific information
and for sequencing while listening.
On the other hand, the questionnaire instrument contained six mixed questions: open
and closed ones (Creswell, 2012). It was elaborated to collect qualitative and quantitative
data based on a Likert Scale. It has the purpose of getting students’ perceptions about the
use of gamification strategies. Besides that, the researcher used an observation checklist
instrument while giving the class to support the qualitative data obtained through the
questionnaire which was useful to describe students’ reactions about gamification strategies
such as, motivation, emotions, badges, competition, leaderboards and games played in
class on the development of English listening comprehension skills.
The participants were selected by a convenience sampling, that is, the researcher
selects participants because they were willing and available to participate (Creswell, 2012).
The sample was students of lower high school which is called superior basic education in
Ecuador. These were thirty-three students from whom 19 were girls and 14 were boys, aged
between 14 to 15 years old. They had an A 2.1 level of English proficiency according to the
National Curriculum Standards. The researcher followed the procedure of a practical action
research to give a solution to the improvement of EFL listening comprehension skills by
using gamification. This model has been suitable for the researcher’s purposes because
this study has been sequenced in the following stages: diagnosing, action planning, acting
and evaluating, and reflecting, which were suggested by Gerald Susman (1983).
In the diagnostic stage, the main problem which was identified through an observation
made to tenth-grade students of a public institution. It was regarding the diiculties that
students faced in the English listening comprehension skills. Once it was identified, the
researcher applied a criterion referenced pre-test to check the students’ levels of listening
comprehension skills and having a starting point.
Next, in the action planning stage, after the identification of the problem in students’
listening comprehension skills. The researcher designed ten lesson plans to be taught
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 46
during an eight weeks’ periods of time. The lesson plans were elaborated in relation to
Gagne’s nine events that were categorised into the five stages of learning: in the warm-up
step the teacher used songs, Simon says, and Pass the balls games in order to engage
students’ in the class. The next stage was instruction and model, where the teacher
worked on training students to listen to the content of the class. Flashcards were also
used flashcards to teach some contents such as the vocabulary of the class, and slides
were used to teach grammar. The next stage was guided practice, the teacher in most
cases used big posters where students had to listen and participate in order to fill in the
listening exercises. These exercises trained students to listen for general understanding,
listening for specific information and sequencing events while listening. In the stage of
less guided activities, students developed activities by themselves by using worksheets
with dierent tasks. During this stage the teachers’ support was essential to solve any
doubt and supported students by providing cues. In the independent practice stage, the
listening games were used such as running dictation, pass the balls, Simon says, pointing
and the great shopping and these games involve the dierent game indicators such as
badges, leaderboards, badges and awards, and competition. Finally, the teacher used
activities to evaluate students’ knowledge such as songs, fill in the gap activities, and share
personal experiences. Furthermore, these gamification strategies allowed students to
interact among them and be more motivated in class. The flexibility of the plan allowed the
teacher to adjust during the action phase by readapting gamified strategies implemented
as an eective response to the research questions. During this stage a checklist was
completed by the researcher in order to determine the students’ perceptions about the
application of gamification in listening comprehension skills.
Finally, in the evaluating and reflecting stage, the researcher applied the post-
test to verify if participants had improved their English listening comprehension skills.
And a questionnaire supported by an observation checklist to explain and describe
gamification strategies on the development of English after reviewing the quantitative data
gathered throughout and after the intervention plan. The results were presented in the data
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 47
interpretation with conclusions that can benefit in both developing future research on the
subject as well as providing answers to the study’s specific research questions.
Additionally, the data obtained through the dierent research instruments was
processed and analised by using descriptive statistics. With the use of frequency tables
and the measures of central tendency, the data was interpreted to express the reality about
the results found. This methodology helped the teacher in the measurement of the students’
listening abilities through pre-test and post-test and at the same time it supported the
comparison of the results with the evaluation of the learning through the scale established
by the MNEDUC (2016). A thematic analysis was used to examine the qualitative data from
questionnaire and observation checklist, it allowed the researchers to validate the findings
by choosing the most important narrative data gathered from the open-ended questions.
Finally, all the data gathered from the instruments was entered and processed by using
the EXCEL program, which was helpful to elaborate the statistical analysis of the results.
5. Results
5.1. Pre-test and Post-test
Objective: To verify the eectiveness of gamification on the improvement
of English listening comprehension skills among superior basic education students
at a public institution of Loja city.
The results of this research study after applying the instruments for collecting
data are detailed in the upcoming part. The findings are presented in figure 1,
which provides a comparative analysis.
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 48
5.2. Comparison of the Pretest and Posttest mean
Table 1
Comparison of Pre-test and Post-test results
Listening subskills Pre-test Post-test
Listening for general
understanding (2)
1 (50%) 1.8 (90%)
Listening for specific
information (4)
2.7 (67.5%) 3.2 (80%)
Listening for sequence (4) 2.3 (57.5%) 3.3 (82.5%)
Mean (10) 6/10 8.3/10
Figure 1
Comparison of the grades between the pre and post-test
16
The information presented in Table 1 and Figure 1, shows a comparison
between the scores obtained from the pre-test and post-test. The general pre-test
mean was 6 out of 10 points, while the post-test was 8.3 out of 10 points. These results
provide important insights into the enhancement of English listening comprehension
skills by using gamification. The results reflect the efficacy on the application of the
intervention proposal based on gamification to develop the listening skills. These
results evidence a strong improvement in the three sub-skills of listening focused in
this study which are: listening for general understating, listening for specific information
and listening for sequencing events.
It is noticeable that students’ weaknesses were overcome after the intervention
proposal was done. As it can be seen, they achieved an evident improvement in
listening for general understanding from 1 out of 2 (50%) in the pre-test to 1.8 out of 2
(90%) in the post-test, with a significant difference of 40% of the students. It means
that students could understand the majority part of the context that the audio listening
task included. In the subskill listening for sequence from 2.3 out of four (57.5%) in the
pre-test to 3.3 out of 4 (82.5%) in the post-test, with 25% of students showing an
obvious improvement. Students demonstrated that they were capable of listening and
ordering the events mentioned by the speaker. Nevertheless, students’ enrichment in
listening for specific information subskill was not successful as it was expected, but
there was a noticeable improvement which is shown with the pre-test mean 2.3 out of
four (67.5%) and the post-test mean 3.2 out of 4 (80%), with 12.5% of students who
demonstrated their progress because they were able to recognize particular and
relevant details mentioned in the audio. Lastly, the researchers used the results from
1
2,7
2,3
6
1,8
3,2
3,3
8,3
0
2
4
6
8
10
Listening for general
understading (2/2)
Listening for specific
information (4/4)
Listening for
sequence (4/4)
Mean
Comparison of Prestest and Postest Means
Pre Post
Note. Data taken from the pre and pos-test
Note. Data taken from the pre and pos-test
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 49
The information presented in Table 1 and Figure 1, shows a comparison between
the scores obtained from the pre-test and post-test. The general pre-test mean was 6 out
of 10 points, while the post-test was 8.3 out of 10 points. These results provide important
insights into the enhancement of English listening comprehension skills by using gamifica-
tion. The results reflect the eicacy on the application of the intervention proposal based on
gamification to develop the listening skills. These results evidence a strong improvement
in the three sub-skills of listening focused in this study which are: listening for general
understating, listening for specific information and listening for sequencing events.
It is noticeable that students’ weaknesses were overcome after the intervention
proposal was done. As it can be seen, they achieved an evident improvement in listening
for general understanding from 1 out of 2 (50%) in the pre-test to 1.8 out of 2 (90%) in the
post-test, with a significant dierence of 40% of the students. It means that students could
understand the majority part of the context that the audio listening task included. In the
subskill listening for sequence from 2.3 out of four (57.5%) in the pre-test to 3.3 out of 4
(82.5%) in the post-test, with 25% of students showing an obvious improvement. Students
demonstrated that they were capable of listening and ordering the events mentioned
by the speaker. Nevertheless, students’ enrichment in listening for specific information
subskill was not successful as it was expected, but there was a noticeable improvement
which is shown with the pre-test mean 2.3 out of four (67.5%) and the post-test mean
3.2 out of 4 (80%), with 12.5% of students who demonstrated their progress because
they were able to recognize particular and relevant details mentioned in the audio. Lastly,
the researchers used the results from the questionnaire to verify the improvement in the
students’ listening comprehension skills.
4.2. Questionnaire results
At the end of the intervention plan, a questionnaire instrument was applied to explain
the students’ perception about the use of gamification on the development of English
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 50
comprehension skills among tenth grade students in a public institution of Loja city. Addi-
tionally, an observation checklist instrument was used as support to describe students’
perceptions about gamification strategies on the development of English listening compre-
hension skills. The results are presented in the following tables.
Table 2
Indicators: Enjoyment and dynamics
Questions 1,2 Always Usually Sometimes Never Total
Did you enjoy playing games with
your classmates?
70% 10% 16.7% 3.3% 100%
Using a gamified presentation of the
lesson makes the learning process
more dynamic?
34.37% 59.37% 6.25% 100%
As a general tendency, table 5 shows that applied games for teaching English liste-
ning were positive. 70% of students answered that they “always” enjoy playing games,
since they enjoy sharing with their classmates. Continuing, 59.37% of students indica-
ted that using a gamified presentation of the lesson “usually” makes the course process
more dynamic. It means that including listening games made the English class more inte-
resting because it incentives a cooperative learning environment among students. It is
important to mention that nowadays playing games in the class is an essential part of
the learning process. Meanwhile, 3.3% of the students indicated that they “never” enjo-
yed playing games with their classmates. Some reasons for it, according to the students,
were that they are not compatible with some of their classmates. From the notes written
Note. Data obtained from the questionnaire
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 51
by the researchers, some students did not like to play in class, because they did not
understand some contents or the game.
Table 3
Indicators: Motivation and competition
Questions 3,4,5 Always Usually Sometimes Never Total
Did you feel motivated when you
earned badges and rewards in
listening games?
37.5% 31.25% 21.87% 9.37% 100%
Do you agree that a competitive
environment helps to improve
your English listening skills?
50% 43.75% 6.25% - 100%
Did you feel motivated when you
saw your name on the
leaderboard?
12.5% 46.87% 34.37% 6.25% 100%
As shown in Table 6, 37,5% of students responded that they “always” felt motivated
when the teacher provided them badges and rewards. Students commented that they felt
happy when the teacher gave them badges and rewards because they had never received
such a prize before. Thus, the students commented that earning “badges and rewards”
means for them to improve and keep working. Additionally, the students commented that
earning a “badge and rewards” inspired them to sustain their interest because they are
highly motivating and entertaining, especially for weak learners. Similarly, 50% of the
students indicated that games “always” provide a competitive environment that helps them
improve their listening comprehension learning. The students commented that they had to
learn very well carrying out a competition game among themselves; so, they could ensure
the winning as a constructive competence among them. Continuing, 46.87% students indi-
cated that they “usually” feel motivated when they see their names on the leaderboards
Note. Data obtained from the questionnaire
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 52
as they were empowered when they were first on the leaderboards during the listening
games or activities. They were emotionally engaged by achieving goals, enjoying the feeling
when they face a challenge and overcome it. These game elements are very beneficial as
they can drive attention and learning naturally. On the other hand, 9.37% of the students
commented that they were “never” motivated when the teacher provided them with badges
and 6.25% were not motivated when they saw their names on the leaderboards. From the
notes, they commented that most of the time only the best students are given badges or
rewards because they always win the games.
Table 4
Games developed in the classroom
Using the following scale,
rate the following games
depending on which ones
you liked the most to
improve your listening?
Favourite Liked Disliked
Least
favourite
Neutral Total
Pointing out game - 50% 45% - 5% 100%
Running Dictation game 88% 12% - - - 100%
The Great Shopping game - - 61% - 39% 100%
Simon says game 85% 12% - - 3% 100%
Pass the ball game 95% 5% - - - 100%
As it is visible in table 2, it shows the tenth-grade students’ preferences about
dierent listening comprehension games, such as “Pointing out”, “Running dictation”, “The
great shopping”, “Simon says” and “Pass the balls”. According to the students’ perceptions
Note. Data obtained from the questionnaire
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 53
95% of the participants, indicated as favourites “Pass the ball game” with 88% “Running
dictation game” and “Simon says” game with 85%. All these games were useful for students
to improve both listening skills and creativity. In addition, 50% of students indicated that
they liked the game pointing. In relation to the game “The great shopping”, 61% of the
students indicated that they did not like the game because they found it diicult. And 39%
of students indicated “neutral”. With the notes written, the researchers could support that
the students had problems understanding the rules of the game. In addition, most students
said that in the game “The Great Shopping” their peers did not cooperate to work properly
and it promoted much noise and indiscipline, so students felt a little frustrated which is
reflected on why they did not like these games.
6. Discussion
The present research study aimed to improve listening comprehension skill by using
gamification among superior basic education students at a public institution of Loja city.
In that sense, the researchers sought to answer the following sub-questions:
The first question in this research was “What is the eectiveness of gamification on
the improvement of English listening comprehension skill among superior basic education
students at public institution of Loja city? Through the application of the pre-test and post-
test it was clearly visible that students improved their overall score from 6 out of 10 to 8.3
out of 10 with a remarkable dierence of 2.3 points. Students were able to understand the
context, order information and recognize relevant information from the conversations.
This means that students had a positive result in their listening comprehension after
the application of gamification. Based on the research findings, it agrees with what is
mentioned by Syafii et al. (2020), who determined that the application of games was helpful
because students improved their listening ability when they developed tasks and activities.
In addition, another study carried out by Mazabel (2021) concluded that students were
more interested in wanting to play and learn and this was reflected in the activities, for
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 54
example they understood the conversations and dierent activities carried out. In fact,
applying gamification in the English class is essential because it creates relevant learning
environments, students can feel the progress by achieving goals, since they become more
enthusiastic in the teaching process.
Regarding the second question of this study that says what gamification strategies
can help to improve English listening comprehension skills among superior basic education
students at a public institution of Loja city? The research identified the most suitable
strategies that can help to improve listening comprehension skills are leaderboards,
competition tasks, badges, rewards, and dynamic environment. In the literature review, it
was found that gamification could help and encourage the students to sustain their interest
to work, that is, they are more actively involved in the teaching and learning process. This is
in agreement with what Andyani (2015) states about gamification. He suggests that gamified
strategies help to maintain and encourage student’s interest in the class. In fact, the gamified
strategies were revealed to be a great contribution to improving the listening comprehension
skills. Additionally, games make students face challenges to progress their listening skill,
and they make the students’ interested in the listening subject, and it motivates the students
to be more attentive and do the tasks competitively in the English class.
The third question of the study raised was: what are the students’ perceptions about
gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skill among
superior basic education students at a public institution of Loja city during the school year
2022-2023? In response, the data gathered from observation checklist and questionnaire
applied at the end of the process it is valid to say that that gamification strategies had a high
acceptance by students. As mentioned in the literature review, Mee et al. (2020) comment
that the combination of interesting gamified tasks or activities catches students’ attention
in English language learning, and the use of interesting and enjoyable games can motivate
students to be participative in the English language class. What is more, they noticed that
students could reduce students’ anxiety by using gamification strategies in class. Similarly,
Juntunen (2019) in her research work discovered that most students have good responses
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 55
to the teaching of listening by using gamification strategies. Thus, during the process the
students were active and motivated, fostering them to work harder. Additionally, the use
of gamified strategies in listening skills which can be played in groups helped students to
develop critical thinking, problem solving and imagination with students (Juntunen, 2019).
As a matter of fact, there were positive perceptions by part of the students on gamification
strategies, used on the development of listening comprehension skills.
7. Conclusions
The use of gamification on the improvement of English listening comprehension
skills among tenth-grade students was eective, since they have overcome many dii-
culties in this skill. In this sense, students improved their understanding of the context,
specific details and the sequence of the information while they listened to. This allows the
researcher to show that the use of gamification had a positive impact on the development
of the listening comprehension skills.
The findings of this study showed that using gamification strategies such as giving
badges, awards, leaderboards and implementing the sense of competition, through games
with high school students, was significant, because they improve both listening comprehen
-
sion skills and motivation to learn the English language. In that sense, it was evident during
the learning process, students were eager to participate, were active in class and they were
capable of achieving tasks and activities, thus having a dynamic contribution in the classroom.
What is more, the students’ perceptions about gamification strategies in the English
listening comprehension skills was positive, since the dierent good perspectives from
students. It means that during the process of the implementation of these strategies and
games in class, most students were interested in listening comprehension skills because
these gave them not only many challenges to improve their skills, but relevance and
significance in the contribution to fulfil the tasks.
Gamification strategies on the development of English listening comprehension skills 56
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