The playful frame: gamification in a French-as-a-foreign-language class

ABSTRACT

There is increased interest in the use of gamification as an innovative practice in the field of training and education. Based on the use of game mechanics, gamification aims at engaging students in their learning. However, there is not much research on the use of gamification in school settings, especially when it comes to foreign language learning; hence, we know little about to what extent this aim is actually fulfilled. This study intends to contribute to filling this research gap. Silva’s four dimensions of play – built from Henriot’s theory of play – are used as an analytical framework to study a teaching situation where a gamified application, developed for this research project, was introduced in a French-as-a-foreign-language class in a Norwegian upper secondary school. This article focuses on the students’ engagement in their learning activities and their control over the tasks. The interaction analysis of video data reveals that students are indeed showing expressions of playfulness and autonomy. The analysis also shows that the students are engaged in the activity and are voluntarily completing additional language tasks. These findings are promising for the use of gamified resources in foreign language learning classes.

KEYWORDS:

• Gamification
• game-based learning
• playfulness
• learner autonomy
• foreign language learning

Notes on contributor

Caroline Cruaud is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Education of the University of Oslo. She has a background in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching. She is researching gamification and its use in formal education. Her research interests are game-based learning, gameful designs and the use of digital tools in teaching foreign languages.