Gamification in language learning: a critical overview

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of playful activities in practically all areas of life, and education has not been exempted from this practice. A priori, the use of this methodology promises better results in the teaching-learning process by influencing the motivation of learners and their predisposition to acquire knowledge presented in an attractive way. Apparently, this is the reason why teachers have enthusiastically adopted this methodology, seeing it as a strategy to involve students in the academic content.

Given the variety of didactic proposals and research that support the role of gamification, it is worth asking whether all that glitters is gold. Thus, the aim of this paper is a literature review of this methodology applied to the learning-acquisition of foreign languages, where both the positive and negative aspects that this practice can exert on the students and on the development of the course will be assessed in order to conclude with a series of recommendations that optimize and pedagogically justify the use of recreational activities in the classroom.