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Description
For primary English learners, vocabulary is where language study either takes root or quietly stalls and in Vietnamese classrooms, memorizing word lists often does little to hold a child's attention. Gamification promises to change that, but two questions remain unsettled: does it work for learners this young, and does the excitement it generates translate into words learned rather than mere time spent tapping a screen? This study examines what happens when the game features of an already-familiar learning management system are activated for vocabulary practice.
Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design at a language center in Ho Chi Minh City, two comparable primary classes followed the same six-week vocabulary program on the same platform, one with points, badges, a leaderboard, and progress bars enabled, the other without. Intrinsic motivation and vocabulary knowledge were measured before and after, and follow-up interviews let the children explain their experience.
Learners in the gamified condition reported greater interest and intrinsic motivation and achieved stronger vocabulary results, and they described the platform with real enthusiasm. Still, the link between how motivated they felt and how much they learned proved modest, a reminder that engagement and learning are related but not interchangeable. The findings encourage purposeful, rather than decorative, gamification in early EFL vocabulary instruction.
