A Phenomenological Study of Gamification in an ESL Class

Among the emerging approaches to gamification is the integration of games for entertainment towards games for education. Gamification is the use of game-like elements in non-game contexts and is gaining its momentum in the fields of language learning to augment L2 acquisition. The purpose of this research study is to explore the lived experiences of Filipino ESL students in a gamified language classroom of a public high school in District IV of Quezon City. Using a phenomenological approach to data gathering and analysis, a two-phased in-depth interview was conducted with the goal of gaining a rich insight into how participants make sense of their experiences in a gamified ESL class. Five main themes (pre-gamification worldview, gamified ESL Class Structure, ESL learners’ autonomy over L2 acquisition, meaningful interactions in the ESL class, and ESL learners' flow experiences) were identified. Based on these findings and the existing literature review, the researcher proposed the GASLL instructional model for gamification. Based on this student-centered instructional model, several principles were produced to provide guidance for the gamification of ESL classrooms.