Chuyên đề tốt nghiệp: Influence of gamification on students’ performance in english e-learning of young students at pantado english center

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NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITYFACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGESDEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ENGLISH

NGUYEN PHUONG THUY

INFLUENCE OF GAMIFICATION ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCEIN ENGLISH E-LEARNING OF YOUNG STUDENTS AT PANTADO

ENGLISH CENTER

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NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITYFACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGESDEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ENGLISH

NGUYEN PHUONG THUY

INFLUENCE OF GAMIFICATION ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE

IN ENGLISH E-LEARNING OF YOUNG STUDENTS AT PANTADOENGLISH CENTER

Hanoi, April, 2023

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Nguyễn Phương Thùy — 11196262 — Business English 61A

During the implementation process, I received a lot of love and help fromeveryone This is to acknowledge all those without whom this research would not

have been possible.

First and foremost, I cannot begin to express my pleasure and respect to allteachers in the Faculty of Foreign Language- NEU who gave me a wonderfuleducation with meaningful lessons during the time when I was in university.

Besides, I would like to send my thanks to Pantado English center which provided

me a professional intern environment with beloved colleagues and students.

I would like to pay my special regards to my supervisor whose guidance isthe important driving force behind my internship report She gave me invaluable

methodology throughout her enthusiasm, sincere, scientific experience to carry out

and present the research works step by step Her feedback remedies my mistakes.Our sincere gratitude goes to my family, National Economic University’s

students, friends, people who physically and mentally support me in the process of

collecting survey data and figuring out ideas.

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Executive Summary

After the internship period at Pantado English, I recognized the importance

of improving the learning performance of English language learners as well as thepotential of games in online learning programs Therefore, this study aims to givepractical findings and recommendations to Pantado English center by investigating“the influence of gamification on students’ academic performance in English E-

learning at Pantado English” and considering the mediating role of student’s

motivation in this relationship This report combined quantitative and qualitativeresearch methods to analyze the direct and indirect relationships of observed

factors Young students in the age range from 6 to 15 years old were the

participants that were observed for 4 weeks in February 2023 and needed to

complete a questionnaire of this study SPSS 20 and AMOS 24 were applied to

analyze the collecting data The results showed that gamification and motivationhad a significant impact on student’s academic performance in English online

class Furthermore, the findings also confirmed the mediating role of motivation

in the model Several recommendations for Pantado English and teachers were alsogiven in this report.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Analysis Of Moment Structures

Active Teaching Method

Confirmatory factor analysis

CMIN/DF Contrast Media - Induced Nephropathy/Divided By

The Degree Of Freedom

Composite reliability

Exploratory factor analysis

English as a Foreign Language

12 LOPUTA Learning on Projects of United Promotion for

PA Academia online learning platform

SPSS Statistical Package For The Social SciencesUNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Departments and function at Pantado English center - 6

Table 2 Levels and curriculums at Pantado -. ¿55 5+5 c+sscseesrsee 7Table 3 Theoretical foundation of incentives and reWwards - ‹ - 16Table 4 Overview of relevant study about øgamIficatIon - -«-xe<s+ 19Table 5 contains more information about the measurement elements 26Table 6 Demographic profile of responndenIs + 5 +++5+++++£scsc++ 32Table 7 Summary of multiple regression MOdel - «+ s+s*++£+x+s£sxz+ 34Table 8 Analysis of variance multiple regression model - -s«-s=s«+ 35Table 9 The coefficients of the multiple regression equation 35

Table 10 Indirect effects testing ese eseeeeseeseteneeeeseteeseteeseeseesesesseserecseeeaes 38

Table 11 Summary of hypothesis Testing ResulÏ(S - s5 55s<+sc+csx+ 38

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Summary of target behaviors and game design elements 17Figure 2 Gamified learning supports the achievement of learning outcomesthrough behavior change facilitated by game attribute(s) employed in gamificationSource: Landers 8020) 0 19Figure 3 Social gamification framework: context Of uSe - -+ 20Figure 4 Creating a Gamified Learning Environment (GLE) - 20Figure 5 Relationship model . «5 + + 2x 21 23121 9v 9v kh vn nh ghi 21

Figure 6 The model for introduction of gamification into the field of e learning

"¬—- 23Figure 7 Model of motivation in games (based on Ryan & Deci, 2000b and

Vassileva,2012) cccccccsccssscsssessceseeescsseesecesecsseeseeesesesecssecssesecesecesecseesseseseesseenesensens 24

Figure 8 Research IO(eÌ «+ 1k9 1 91 19 19 11v ng ng nh nh rưc 29Figure 9 Frequency of joining lessons with gamified acfIvities 33Figure 10 Confirmatory factor analysis r€SUÏ(S ¿2 +5 x+xcse+eesezxss 37

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TABLE OF CONTENT

AcknowledgementExecutive Summary

5 Scope bối bi 4

6 Research methOds -. ¿c2 1241912115121 35191 21210111 111 H1 gi rưn 47 Structure of the research eee eee cess 1 1 113 1T HT TT HH ni, 4CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION OF THE COMPANY 61.Basic 1nfOrImatION 652 134 91 31 12319121 111 1100011100101 HH HH 62.Departments and U'ICfiOTI + + + %3 S13 xxx ghi, 63.Pantado CUTTICUÏUITS (5 223 22121 5121 191 1 1 12113 111 11g ườ 7

4 Gamification and Student’s academic performance at Pantado English center 9

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 11

2.1 Overview of the key-term cece - - «+ + 21v vn ng nen 11

2.1.1 GaImIfiCAfIOHA c1 TH HH TH HH HH it 11PA ZOOM wo .Ả 122.1.3 E-learning and English e-learn1ng «5+ x+x£sxeerseeersrsxee 13

2.1.4 Students’ academic performance ¿- ¿+5 + 5+ ++e£+x+exexeexeeexse 14

2.1.5 Students’ mOfIVA{OTI óc 11T HH HT HH TH Hit 152.1.6 Research nh 172.2 Theoretical framework T1 a4 18

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2.2.1 Relationship between gamification and students academic

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2.2.2 Relationship between gamification and students’ moftivation 2.2.3 Self Determination “TÏh€OrV 6 + St EEsEkkeskrskrserrreCHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research participant - ác 1n TH ng ng HH ưệt

3.2 Research instrument - 5 5c 2+ St 3112312119 E ket ng re,

3.2.1 Measurement §CaÌ€ ¿+ ¿S52 3E 2E tr rrrec

3.2.2 Data collection and anaÏyS1S -c- sàng Hi,E0 uốn 3.4 Research DrOC€dUTE + 52 22t St 9191212121211 1 11 1 1g grrườn

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS

4.1 Demographic profile of responderIfS ¿- eeteseeeeseeeeseeeeseeeeeee

4.2 Research r€SuÏ{S ¿5+ S424 1121212121211 2121010121111 0101111 g7 xe.

4.2.1 Reliability and validity of measurement scales - + s«+++4.2.2 Direct effects testing r€SỤ(S - 1h ng ghe

4.2.3 Indirect effect testing results - ¿+ xxx sskreskskrrerrree

4.3 Discussions Of results ce eee eee k1 HH HHCHAPTER V: CONCLUSION

hs an 5.2 LII{A(ION - ¿S111 111 9111 111111 TH HH HH TH HT HH Hư5.3 Recommendations for English teacher -¿ +5s++x+++++x£seexe5.4 Recommendations for Pantado English - 5s «5s ++<+s+s+ses+

APPENDIX

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INTRODUCTION1 Background of the research

Thanks to the continuing technology development, the need for updating

education was required in which students can learn at any time and from any place(Wolfinger, 2016) “MOOC (Massive Online Open Course)” has promoted andraised awareness under academic view of online learning and its elements(Lynch,

Recently, some international educational organizations have integrated

online teaching but not prominent yet (Mahyoob, M 2020) However, the Covid19 pandemic facilitates conditions for applying E-learning “School closures dueto the Covid-19 have resulted in a dramatic change in education with the rapidgrowth of E-learning, in which teaching takes place remotely and via mediaplatforms” (Thanh Luy, 2022).

Additionally, in Vietnam teaching and learning at all levels from

Kindergarten to University have confronted some difficulties, challenges andobstacles in all regions (Nguyen Thanh Hien, 2020) There are lots of factors thataffect educational institutions and foreign language education, mainly thespreading of Covid-19 pandemic and the inflexibility to foreign language learning

via online softwares The inequality in technology between regions along witheach family's economic conditions also challenges both teachers and learners In

order to overcome this problem, designing and innovating Active TeachingMethod (ATM) in combination with information technology (IT) are essential tocatch up with the global trend in the 4.0 technology era.

In a virtual meeting with UNICEF's representatives in 2020, Education

Minister Phung Xuan Nha emphasized that “although remote teaching was a

temporary action responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, this would be an

opportunity for the acceleration of digital transition in the education sector”

(UNICEF Vietnam, 2020) As cited in UNICEF (2021), the data demonstrated thatsome types of remote learning through radio, television, or the Internet have beenlaunched out by more than 90% of education ministries around the world.

E-learning has been a crucial learning technique by allowing flexible

environments and a wide range of resources for students(Li, S., Zhang, C., Liu, Q.,

& Tong, K., 2022) Therefore, in recent years it is much more necessary to applyE-learning due to the increasing demand which promotes curriculum planners and

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educators to actively launch lots of e-learning platforms, activities, and materials

to support students besides traditional offline studying methods The context of

e-learning systems in educating students can be categorized into two aspects:“computer-based learning and web-based learning” (Kumar Basak, S., Wotto, M.,

& Belanger, P., 2018).

According to Afrizah, N (2018), there are several requirements to build upa successful English E-learning environment including a “fast-paced structure andprogram of electronic activities” It is said that online or blended teaching canenhance the learning outcomes of students(O'connor, S., & Andrews, T., 2018);

also for foreign English learners, they found it easier to learn English grammar inan online English class (Pinto-Llorente, A M et al., 2017).

Meanwhile, the integration of gamified activities in class has beendetermined as a useful teaching method that could boost student engagement

which leads to positive influence on students’ academic learning(Saleem, A N.,

Noori, N M., & Ozdamili, F., 2022) According to Nah, F F H et al (2013) ,engaging gamification into lessons is identified as one of the effective teachingtechniques.

Gamification in education can be simply understood as another way to

apply game dynamics and game mechanics in class According to previous

relevant research, when students join an e-learning lesson but lack motivation, it

can restrict them from gaining success or achieving the expected learning target

(El-Seoud, S A et al., 2016) This study also stated that the dominant features ofe-learning that allow students to be more interactive can improve the students’motivation.

Based on above-mentioned relevant academic background research, it may

be concluded that it is worth studying the impact of gamification on student’smotivation and performance.

In Vietnam, many e-learning platforms for all subjects were set up as apotential environment for students to actively self-study at home or anywhere

without joining direct supplementary classes especially for learning English Those

English e-learning programs included interesting activities with standardized

English education systems which might attract young learners and stimulate them

to be more engaged in the lessons At Pantado English center, all English classesare online-based lessons through Zoom in which students might be distracted bymany internal and external reasons After observing online classes at PantadoEnglish in 3 internship months, many obstacles that challenge both English2

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teachers and students at Pantado English were found including low concentration,

poor engagement or academic performance of students, ineffective learning

Therefore, this study will investigate “Influence of gamification onstudents’ performance in English E-learning ofyoung students at Pantado ”.

2 Rationale

The research was conducted for 3 main reasons Firstly, lots of relevant

study in the context of gamification as well as E-learning which would be valuabletheoretical background and literature for this study were found However, in

Vietnam, the research related to E-learning and gamification mainly focused on

students in higher education instead of young students in primary and secondary

Secondly, during the covid 19 Pandemic, lots of English centers includingPantado English center developed and applied the online teaching method through

several platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft teams This fact required

all centers to enhance the English teaching quality in order to effectively attract

students and improve their performance among the lessons.

Thirdly, Pantado English center which specializes in educating the young

students (from 6 to 15 years old) was beneficial for the data collection of this study.

Finally, based on the overview of relevant study, gamification was found tobe an effective tool to improve students’ performance and outcomes which is worthto do more research about.

From the above arguments, it is essential to carry out a study about theinfluence of applying the gamification activities to improve students’ academicperformance.

3 Purposes of the research

This study has two main objectives Firstly, it investigates the influence ofgamification on students’ performance as well as the mediating role of students’

motivation in the context of English E-learning Secondly, by carrying out this

study, several recommendations for English education institutions in general and

Pantado English center in particular can improve the curriculum and help English

teachers apply more effective methods for teaching English

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4 Research questions

This research was conducted to answer 3 main research questions:

Question 1: Which aspect of the gamification affects English E-learning

students’ performance the most?

Question 2: Does student’s motivation mediate the relationship betweenGamification and student’s academic performance?

Question 3: What methods should English teachers apply to improvestudents’ academic performance?

5 Scope of the research

This research concentrates on investigating the influence of gamification onstudents’ performance in English E-learning based on a theoretical framework inwhich students’ motivation was a mediator Data were collected from actual

classes on Zoom at Pantado English center during 4 weeks in February, 2023 40young students (from 6 to 15 years old) at Pantado English center were the

participants in this study.6 Research methods

Firstly, the quantitative and qualitative methods will be applied.

Questionnaires will be used to collect information among young students Survey

with a questionnaire in Google Form was used because the questionnaire can

directly obtain the required data in a short response time and promote the

participants to give their evaluation.

Furthermore, direct results by applying the gamification in English online

classes will also be observed Their performance will be checked through severalgamification activities and their attendant to these activities Secondly, the relevant

academic paper from reliable sources will be the references for this study in orderto build up a suitable research model.

7 Structure of the research

This study will contain 5 main parts Before starting a presentation aboutthe study, an overview about the research including the background, rationale,

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objectives and scope will be included in Introduction After that, in “Chapter I:Introduction of the company”, current issues at the company that are related to the

topic will be analyzed Secondly, extant literature related to gamification, English

E-learning (as a second language); students’ motivation and academicperformance will be reviewed in “Chapter II: Literature review” to give a clear

overview about the topic and the theoretical framework Thirdly, in “Chapter III:Research methodology”, conceptual framework along with measurement scales

from existing ones and prior studies will be references to build up the researchmodel and research hypothesis for this study In Chapter IV: Findings, the resultsof analyzing the collected data and empirically testing the hypothesis will be

analyzed in this part, discussions of the results are also included in this part.Finally, in “Chapter V: Conclusion”, limitations of the research and recommended

ideas for future studies will be discussed.

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION OF THE COMPANY

1 Basic information

Pantado was established in 2016 with the mission of "Spreading knowledge,

fostering national wisdom" Pantado Technology Development Joint Stock

Company does business in the field of online English learning Initially, Pantado

only developed the offline course to educate English In 2017, Pantado marked animportant milestone when the first online class was put into operation with 2 mainareas: English for working people and English for children Classes at PantadoEnglish Center usually last from 45 to 60 minutes through the online learningapplication named Zoom.

2 Departments and function

Pantado includes 3 main departments: Administration and HR department;

Research and development department; Customer service department The details

about functions of each department will be shown in the following table.

Table 1 Departments and function at Pantado English center

Source: Pantado English center

Department Functions

Administration and - Teacher management: Personnel records, training contracts,HR department internship confirmation

- Working time management: timekeeping, — salary

calculation, bonus and other welfare policies;

- Engaging teachers: Motivating, sharing and listening to- In charge of recruitment, evaluation and input training forteachers and departmental staff

- Some other related issues (if any).

Research and - Develop appropriate learning materials for programs

development - Quality assurance of learning materials

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department - Develop plans and content for training sessions on

teaching methods for teachers

Customer service - Consult suitable courses for students

department - Support to answer questions about the course for students

- Arrange entrance test schedule for students

- Update necessary changes/notices for parents and students

3 Pantado curriculums

The English level of students at Pantado will be tested before choosing the

appropriate curriculum More information about the curriculums and

coursebooks are presented in the following table.

Table 2 Levels and curriculums at Pantado

No Level Student Content

-Age range: 4-6 years old Level l consists of 2 parts:

-Students start learning the | + Phonics: teaching about

language English from the | the Alphabet (spelling,

beginning how to write letters, how to-Students lack knowledge from | play letter sounds)

Vocabulary and Alphabet + Topics: intensive learning

from Vocabulary on

common topics use (color,animal, family); The firststep of developmentspeaking ability

Textbook Textbook Program Textbook Syllabus

(textbook of the Ministry of (pilot system) from grade 3

-Elementary, middle and high

school age

-Students who desire to learn

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Fun forStarters,

Middle school age (6th grade grade 12)

Student who have backgroundknowledge (language)

- Junior high school age(grade 6 - grade 9)

- Elementary - middle ages

elementary school (3rd grade

sound) and skill exercises

listening, speaking, readingand writing (exercise in theform of S, M, F)

- Practice tests to take amock test

- Practice tests to

take the mock test; in the test

contains grammar and word

-Includes 12 lessons

- 5 sets of New Grammar

Time from book | to book 5

(for students from grade 3

to grade 7)

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Grammar -Junior high school age - 4 sets of GrammarSummary (grade 6 - grade 9) Summary corresponds to 4

Ministry of Education)

All classes at Pantado English center are online-based through Zoom with

1 teacher and 1 student which offer a learning environment which can deliver

knowledge effectively based on every students’ capacity The online 1-1 Englishclass provides both students and teachers a multitude of benefits First of all, in a

1-1 English class, the teacher can focus all their attention on the student, whichhelps identify their strengths and weaknesses, and provide personalized guidance

and support Secondly, One-to-one classes provide flexibility in terms of

scheduling and content Students can choose the time and duration of their lessons

and customize the curriculum to their specific areas of interest With personalized

instruction, students can more easily remember what they have learned, and retainit long-term.

However, besides the advantages that this class model brings,disadvantages still exist and both teachers and students confront several notableobstacles that need to be solved for better performance and outcomes of students.

The first obstacle is the different communication barriers that students and

teachers might face due to language, accent, pronunciation or expression

differences, which can cause misunderstandings, frustrations or

Secondly, the majority of students at Pantado English center are in primary

and secondary school Young students might be easily distracted by lots of factors,

while teachers strive to motivate students, the personal motivation of students

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plays a critical role in their learning outcomes, and many students in 1-1 English

classes might lack motivation or may feel isolated, which can impact their learning

Thirdly, as it is 1-1 online class, the main disadvantage might be the

potential lack of social interaction and opportunities for collaborative learning thatare often present in traditional classroom settings Students in 1-1 English classmight lack “the feeling of accomplishment” that they can get through competitions

with other peers This issue may negatively affect their motivation, engagementand performance in class.

Finally, the majority of the lesson slides and lesson plans at Pantado English

are strictly associated with the coursebook in which all the exercises should be

completed on paper or the chat box of Zoom instead of games activities which aredetermined to increase students’ academic performance and raise theirmotivations.

These problems lead to an urgent need to improve the lessons activities and

learning systems by applying more gamified activities to enhance students’

academic performance However, it is necessary to provide a convincing andpractical finding on the effect of gamification in English E-learning for young

students Therefore, this internship report aims to carry out the study about that.

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CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

In the previous part, introduction and background of the study were

presented In this chapter, the key terms will be reviewed by overviewing relevant

research Besides, the theoretical framework will also be included in this part.2.1 Overview of the key-terms

2.1.1 Gamification

According to previous relevant research, gamification has different

definitions Deterding, S et al (2011) identified gamification as the “use of gamedesign elements to motivate user behavior in non-game contexts” Kapp, K M.(2012) defines gamification as “using game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and

game-thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve

Additionally, gamification has been investigated and combined in a variety

of areas in recent years (Pedreira, O., Garcia, F., Brisaboa, N., & Piattini, M., 2015)

with the intention of improving employee performance in completing their dailychores and work (Hugos, M., 2012) or enhancing the motivation, engagement, and

retention of students in online lessons (Hadi Mogavi et al., 2022) Gamificationwith game elements was applied into a “non-gaming software application toincrease user experience and engagement” (De-Marcos, L et al., 2014).

Gamification has been shown to apply game design elements to gain differentobjectives including promoting working productivity (Zichermann, G., &Cunningham, C., 2011), user engagement (Hamari, J., & Koivisto, J., 2015;Nehring, N., Baghaei, N., & Dacey, S., 2018), learning (Indriasari, T D et al.,2015; Gooch, D et al., 2016; Cézar-Gutiérrez, R., & Sáez-López, J M., 2016);

user behaviour (Reddy, L., 2018) Moreover, gamification is confirmed to increaselearners’ engagement with course materials and stimulate their motivation,learning participation and collaboration (Denny, P., 2015; Dicheva, D., & Dichev,C., 2015; Nehring, N., Baghaei, N., & Dacey, S., 2018).

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By reviewing the literature, several attempts to integrate gamification into

blended learning and e-learning can be found (Landers, R N., & Callan, R C.,2011; Muntean, C I., 2011; Filsecker, M., & Hickey, D T., 2014), but research ongamification is still worth exploring (Filsecker M., & Hickey, D T., 2014) The

idea behind educational gamification is to leverage game-like rule structures,player experiences, and cultural norms to influence student behavior (Su, C H., &

Cheng, C H., 2013) Gamification shares some components with behavioristlearning theory, such as the supremacy of positive reinforcements, tiny, multi-step

tasks, immediate feedback, and incremental challenges, according to Biro, G I.

Gamification can improve a student's efficacy, contentment, engagement,and efficiency in a strong online learning environment A proper blend ofgamification, balanced activities, and skills can put students in the "so-called stateof flow" during their learning (Urh, M., Vukovic, G., & Jereb, E., 2015).

According to Jackson, S A., & Eklund, R C (2002), “flow is a crucial part

of challenging activities where a person’s concentration and skills are essential for

an outcome” According to McGonigal, J (2011), “feeling of flow is caused by

four elements that interesting games have in common: goals, rules, feedback, and

voluntary participation” If the game can properly balance the difficulty level ofthe tasks, it can help the users engage “in a flow state” which is highly motivating

(Csikszentmihalyi, M A., 2008).

It is identified that an effective educational game should facilitate for large

amounts of feedback, students' knowledge raising, tasks for them to completeindividually and environments that flexibly change depending on learner’s level

(Garris, R., Ahlers, R., & Driskell, J E., 2002; Barab, S et al., 2010).

Rigole, N., Hollingsworth, L., & Ray, J (2017) investigated the usage ofbadges and other gamification elements to improve “engagement, participation,

and achievement in online learning platforms” The use of the aforementioned

tactics increased student engagement, according to the findings of a pilot case

study Gamification has been shown by Utomo, A Y., and Santoso, H B (2015)

to enhance learning activities and learner behavior.

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viewers, group messaging services, and recording of sessions Its main features areHD video and HD voice, group messaging, full-screen view, simultaneous screensharing, Breakout Rooms, and whiteboarding Zoom is simple to use and has anintuitive user-interface Besides, Zoom video conferencing is stable and supports

long video calls.”

According to Nadezhda, G (2020), English teachers can investigate and

evaluate the four competencies using Zoom's features through in-depthinteractions with pupils Zoom encourages English teachers to annotate on the

shared screen in addition to screen sharing, making classes more engaging If theteacher activates this function, students can record their lessons in English and

toggle recording on and off as often as they'd like throughout a lesson, either

locally or to the cloud Instructors can record lessons and rewatch them to evaluate

students’ strengths and weaknesses, while students can evaluate their own skills by

viewing lessons that have already been recorded.2.1.3 E-learning and English e-learning

From the middle of the 1990s, electronic learning, or e-learning, has been

employed extensively in education (Lee et al., 2009) E-learning is "the use of

electronic technology to produce learning experiences," according to Horton

(2012) This method includes the use of e-learning platforms and tools to promoteefficient teaching and learning In order to enhance the values of individuals or

educational organizations, students and teachers can take part in the distribution of

educational resources, collaboration, and training An effective online learning

environment, according to Shea, Shea, P J., Pickett, A M., & Pelz, W E (2003),should encourage student collaboration, interaction between students and faculty,

prompt feedback, task completion time, active learning strategies, communication

of high expectations, respect for diversity, as well as each student's individual

learning preferences.

According to Aljaser (2019), e-learning platforms enticed students to be

more interested in the classes and that students in the e-learning environment

performed better than those in traditional classrooms.

Additionally, according to Haleman, K N., & Yamat, H (2021), E-learning

is proven to be a successful strategy for learning English during the COVID-19

pandemic due to a number of factors, including its ability to help students become

more productive, learn more effectively, and improve their academic performance,

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as well as its ability to give them

According to MOET (2021) figures, more than 43,000 schools—of which

tertiary institutions make up approximately 60%—have already made the

transition to virtual teaching and learning as of July 2021 Since the spread of

COVID-19, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam hasreportedly been employing a variety of strategies to stop the virus' spread while

maintaining the teaching and learning of every educational system, according toLy, T N L., Nguyen, T L., & Nguyen, H N (2021) Several online teaching

tools, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, were used.2.1.4 Students’ academic performance

Academic performance is defined as the extent to which “students reach or

achieve their education goals as a result of ongoing classroom tasks, exams, orstandardized tests” (Gist, W E., Goedde, H., & Ward, B H., 1996).Cognitive andmemory abilities are related to academic performance (Aguirre-Perez et al., 2007).

GPA, which is linked to success in classes and in particular subjects, is typicallyused to assess student performance (Robbins et al., 2004) Cognitive and memory

abilities are related to academic performance (Aguirre-Perez et al., 2007) The only

measure of student achievement utilized in the literature on Facebook is GPA,

which is also the most often used indicator of student performance in writing about

academic results (Junco, 2015) In the existence of suitable learning facilities forthe kids, academic performance ought to be improved The academic success of

the pupils is positively correlated with the instruction given by parents and

instructors Also, being aware of one's strengths and capacities is linked toimproved performance (Mushtaq & Khan, 2012).

It is the primary factor influencing success in the educational context and is

often measured by academic performance across several topic areas(Tomporowski, Davis, Miller and Naglieri 2008) The ability to alter and interpret

data, particularly perceptual data, is essential for achieving good academic

achievement Cognitive performance is a wide notion that includes "psychological

ability," which is influenced by the executive functions (planning, inhibitory

control or memory) These elements are crucial for overall academic achievement,together with motivation or behavior (Ruiz-Ariza, Grao-Cruces, Loureiro andMartfnez-López 2017) According to lots of academic studies, gamification can

lead to a better academic performance ( Fracz 2015; Wichadee, S., &

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Pattanapichet, F., 2018; Chen, Huang, Gribbins, and Swan 2018; Ortiz-Rojas,Chiluiza, and Valcke, 2019; Alharti, 2020).

Previous research that determined how gamification affected learners'motivation and performance almost often used systematic reviews orbibliographical mapping as their review designs These earlier reviews examinedthe relationships between gamification, motivation, and academic performance,

with useful outcomes (Dichev and Dicheva 2017; Hamari, Koivisto, and Sarsa2014; Seaborn, K., & Fels, D I., 2015) The findings of these reviews were

explained by variations in participant characteristics and gamification situations.However, gamification approaches vary, and motivation and academic

performance concepts are extensive and connected to a variety of topics (Ryan and

Deci 2017; Tomporowski et al 2008).

2.1.5 Students’ motivation

Researchers and educators have long been interested in learner motivationsince it is strongly related to achievement and desired results (Esra, M E § E.,

& Sevilen, C., 2021) Lumsden (1994) defines motivation as learners’ willingness

to engage in the language learning process Dörnyel, Z., Henry, A., & Muir, C.(2015) simplifies motivation as an indispensable part since without it studentsmight be in trouble even if they are learners with the most outstanding abilities.Dornyei, Z (2020) suggests the concept of motivation is closely connected with

engagement and motivation must be ensured in order to gain student engagement.Lots of studies about how relevant applying gamification and students’motivation were found The impact of gamification components on learners’

motivation was validated by O'Donovan (2012) These gamification components,which include a progress bar, badges, leaderboards, storyline, social forum, and

aesthetics, were implemented in one of the University of Cape Town's courses.

The findings came from a Brain Hex survey (Monterrat, Desmarais, Lavoué, &George, 2015) It suggested that, apart from social forums and aesthetics, all

gamification components could boost students' motivation levels Gamers were

only extrinsically oriented toward the prizes, which robbed them of their ownintrinsic desire and interest.

According to Hassan and associates (2021), pupils are motivated to study

harder when they feel that they have made progress Positive feedback, the

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cornerstone of gamification, boosts users' motivation and self-worth The findings

showed that adaptive gamification components and exercises chosen in accordance

with each student's unique learning level and dimensions might greatly improve

features like motivation, course completion, interest, and involvement in the online

Table 3 Theoretical foundation of incentives and rewards

Source: Richter, G., Raban, D R., & Rafaeli, S (2015)

Motivation theory Incentives/rewards Role

Self efficacy Audio/verbal/visual/music/ Feedback

sounds effect

_ Progress bar | Feedback, achievements

Feedback, reward, status,

achievements, competition,progression, ownership

‘Self-efficacy, Points/bonus/divident

goal-setting, PIT,expectancy value,

Self-efficacy, Badges

goal-setting, PIT,expectancy value,

Status and reputation, achievements

and past accomplishments, collection,competition, ownership

social comparison Virtual goods Reward, social, status, achievements,

ownership, self-expression

Leaderboard Status and reputation, achievements,competition

Rewards-choosing colors, power Achievements

Self-efficacy, Achievements Collection, status, competition,

goal-setting, PIT, discovering progression

expectancy value, Levels Feedback, status and reputation,

need achievement, achievements, competition, moderate

social comparison challenge

Social comparison, —§ Avatar

personal investmenttheory, expectancy

Social, self-expression, ownership

The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2000), ARCS (Keller,2010), and The Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivation (Lepper, M R., 1988) are a few

examples of motivational theory that divides motivation into extrinsic and intrinsic

motivation Intrinsic motivation refers to benefits from a person, whereas extrinsic

motivation is motivation brought on by rewards from the outside world According

to Keller (2010), "[intrinsic and extrinsic incentive] factors are more frequentlyfound to be linked in any given context." He uses the example that no matter how

much a person loves the job, he/she probably would not continue doing it if the

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pay were lower.

Vietnam, particularly in English centers is still exploratory.

Firstly, the usage of gamification in education has drawn the attention ofeducation scholars as a result of its popularity in the early 2010s (Swacha, J.,

2021) Several related studies show that gamification has been used at other

educational levels, including preschool (Alshammari, M T., 2020) and elementary

school (Lamrani et al., 2018), secondary (Buzko, Bonk & Tron, 2018) and higher

education Additionally, gamification models were designed in a previous relevantstudy (Dermeval, D et al., 2019) This research can be a theoretical backgroundand literature contribution for this study.

Target behavioral Game design elements

Competition Leaderboard, points

Enjoyment Story, rewards, badges, avatars, challenge, pointsExploration Levels, challenge, boss fight

Effectiveness Leaderboard, badges, points

Figure 1 Summary of target behaviors and game design elements.

Source: Dermeval, D., Albuquerque, J., Bittencourt, I I., Isotani, S., Silva,A P., & Vassileva, J (2019)

Second, gamification has attracted the interest of education researchers,

who have conducted a number of studies to investigate how it affects students’

learning outcomes.(Bai, S., Hew, K F., & Huang, B., 2020); students’ motivation

(Boudadi, N A., & Gutiérrez-Colón, M, 2020); e-learning platforms that involve

and engage students (Bouchrika et al., 2021) Gamification proponents assert that

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incorporating game elements into classroom or online learning environments

would enhance learning results by increasing students' motivation and engagement(Landers, 2014).

Thirdly, although abundant relevant research about e-learning in Vietnam

was found, they only focused on higher education with university students as theirmain participants After the COVID-19 pandemic, E-learning became popular not

only in higher education but also primary and secondary school in which studentsare engaged in online lessons through several platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft

teams, Google meet This situation leads to an urgent need for deeper study in

E-learning for young students to enhance the teaching quality and help students learn

2.2 Theoretical framework

2.2.1 Relationship between gamification and students academic performance

Based on relevant research, various design elements for gamification of

education are discussed in these papers along with their impact on the learners.

The overview of the study which analyzed the gamification in education will besummarized in the following table.

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Table 4 Overview of relevant study about gamificationRelevant factors

de Freitas &de Freitas

Design Elements

for GamificationExperience points,Levels, In-gamerewards

gamification and consequent

(points, levels, learning outcomeschallenges,

In various research, it was scientifically demonstrated that there was a

connection between gamified activities and students' academic achievement The

Landers' Theory of Gamified Learning, often known as gamified learning, offers

a framework for describing situations in which gamification is utilized to promotelearning (Landers 2014).

gamification Source: Landers (2014).

A model of four possible learning outcomes for games was developed by

Wouters, Van der Spek, and Van Oostendorp (2009) These included

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communicative, affective, and cognitive learning outcomes as well as cognitive

learning outcomes separated into knowledge and cognitive skills.

Many frameworks have been presented for the usage and creation of video

games since they started to be employed in educational organizations(Simo6es, J.,

Redondo, R D., & Vilas, A F.,2013) This study developed a framework thatallows teachers to deliver certain knowledge through a gamified learning process

linked to a learning context and students’ profiles.(Figure 3)

Figure 3 Social gamification framework: context of use

Source: Simðes, J., Redondo, R D., & Vilas, A F (2013)

Toda et al (2019) have proposed a taxonomy of 21 game elements to be

used in gamified learning environments (GLEs) and divided these elements into

5 categories depending on “performance/measurement, environment,social/personal interaction and student experience”.

SN `“ Ấ knowledge +Crafts and cownmnes

Technological suppor Student tends ane Easliiom/ Graphic design

Figure 4 Creating a Gamified Learning Environment (GLE)

Source: Toda et al (2019)

Kuo and Chuang (2016) investigated how gamification design features20

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affected user engagement, motivation, and retention by putting them to use on the

Learning on Projects of United Promotion for Academia online learning platform

(LOPUPA) These design components included game-like activities, points,leaderboards, graphical prizes, discussion boards, level-up mechanisms, materialrewards, and an invitation system.

Díaz-Ramírez, J.(2020) developed a relationship model (presented inFigure 5) This schematizes the relationships between the various game constructs

used in the study It is based on the theoretical relationships model developed by

Landers et al (2018) in the field of gamification science, and it is consistent withthe results of the systematic review by Rodrigues et al (2019), which demonstrates

an indirect relationship between gamification and learning through the themes of

applications, design, and game within the game concept.

Predictors: Game(Elements,

Moderators: awvectianticy)

Attitude toward t

the game [active 4

participation) "Mediators: _ SS aneanee

Enjoyment 3 Academic

Social relatedness performance,

motivation : failure rate

Other studies (Haruna et al.,2021) that addressed the establishment of a

point system wherein students said that using a combination of game components,

such as leaderboards, points systems, competition, badges, levels, and rapid

feedback, can serve as an efficient method for interactive learning, thus improvinglearning results.

According to a literature review on gamification and e-learning education(Saleem, A.N.; Noori, N.M.; Ozdamli, F, 2021)The most widely utilizedgamification components that have a significant impact on students are points,leaderboards, the badge, and the level.

Results from implementing various gamification features on a21

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programming course were discussed by Panagiotis et al (2016) and indicated a

favorable impact on students' performance and motivation Feedback was given to

the students regarding their accomplishments and mistakes in exercise This

feedback helps students in analyzing their performance and changing theirbehavior as needed.

In terms of gamification in educating second language teaching, Phuong,

H (2020) claimed that the integration of gamification should be more relevant inlanguage teaching than in any other areas of education given that games have long

been part of foreign language training Mufidah, N (2016) showed that gamified

activities allow EFL learners to reduce their anxiety and enhance their grammarperformance In addition, a gamified environment improves young EFL learners'

language acquisition and decreases learning distractions (Kaymbasolu, D.,

Oktekin, B., & Hac, 2016) The use of gamification in primary school in Hong

Kong is discussed by EFL instructors and students in Zou, D (2020), and good

results are obtained on the perceived usefulness of gamification in increasing

student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes.

2.2.2 Relationship between gamification and students’ motivation

To manage E-learning well, institutions need to create an environment that

helps students be motivated, content, effective and efficient Through

gamification, teachers can connect students’ personal goals with e-learning

objectives (Urh, M., Vukovic, G., & Jereb, E ,2015) Therefore, Urh, M., Vukovic,G., & Jereb, E.(2015) develops a model presented in Figure.2, comprises the

following key components: "management of e-learning, important e-learning

factors, user experience elements, phases of development (analysis, planning,development, implementation, and evaluation), game mechanics, game dynamics,

and gamification elements, in e-learning and their effects on students”.

Gamification in e-learning is a model that aims to increase student pleasure,motivation,efficiency and efficacy This model considers t “contemporary theories

and practices of e-learning and education” According to contemporaryconceptions of effective learning, “learning is most successful when it is proactive,experiential, contextual, problem-based, and offers quick feedback” (Boyle,

Connolly, & Hainey, 2011).

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IMPORTANT FACTORS IN E-LEARNING

Rewards for Acomplishing the TasksMeasurable Progressive ChallengeStary Behind

| Challenges

ren | Virtual Goods

ELEMENTS OF USER | LeaderboardsEXPERIENCE | Gifts

Project Management

User Research Bere OF ` Usability Evaluation STUDENTS IN E-LEARNING

Infarmation Architecture [6000000020005 ‘Mativation

User interface Design Deuilopatent | Reward Engagement

emphasized that three primary factors namely game elements, game mechanics,

and the gamified learning environment (GLE) should incorporate gamecharacteristics to boost intrinsic motivation in particular.

In terms of motivation, this model provides four elements (attention,

relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) in order to encourage a person in a learningenvironment.

Theoretical frameworks like self-determination, which distinguishesbetween three types of motivation—intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and

absence of motivation—may reveal effective learning mechanisms based ongamification (Ryan and Deci 2017) The “Motivation Scale-Course InterestSurvey”, created by Keller (1987) and modified by Varank (2003), was also used

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2.2.3 Self Determination Theory

Motivation and engagement are the main topics of the self-determination

theory of human motivation “Self-determination theory (SDT)based on the threeprinciples of autonomy, competence, and relatedness” (Deci & Ryan, 2008;

Seaborn & Fels, 2015) According to Baard, Deci, and Ryan (2004), competenceand drive to overcome obstacles and succeed are related “The need for autonomy,

they added, relates to volition and choice-making in pursuing and being

responsible for one’s actions The need for relatedness, they elaborated, is aboutsocial status and an association with others based on mutual respect andinterdependence” The three components of SDT represent the psychologicalrequirements of people to make decisions, compete, and work with others; all of

these needs can be met in a gamified setting.

Intrinsic Social Extrinsic

«————— _C o_o oO

Self-Determination Theory-Comprehensive theory

Needs based Social based Rewards based

Maslow's hierarchy of needs Social comparison Expectancy value theoryNeed achievement theory Personal investment theory Skinner's reinforcement

Goal setting theorySelf- efficacy theory

Figure 7 Model of motivation in games (based on Ryan & Deci, 2000b andVassileva,2012)

In contrast, “self-determination theory (SDT)” has been linked by

researchers to motivation and video game components As soon as they enter a

gamified environment, players voluntarily take on virtual challenges with theintention of having fun; this is a result of deeply ingrained human traits:

"Intrinsically motivated activities are anything that the individual finds interestingand does without any kind of conditioning, just by the mere pleasure of carryingthem out."(Francisco-Aparicio, Gutierrez Vela, Isla-Montes, & Sanches, 2013, p.

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CHAPTER HI: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To design a model of e-learning to be used in English E-learning for young

students that use gamification, we have to know the users and their needs.

3.1 Research participants

For the study, the question board platform is available to students of primary

and secondary ages which are studying at Pantado English center In terms of age,

nearly 65% of students at Pantado English center are from primary and secondaryschool who are at AI-BI (AI, A2, B1) English level and want to have better

academic performance at school Moreover, according to Zou, D (2020), the EFL

primary students expressed great passion and interest in the gamified classroom.

Besides, both teachers and primary students agreed that a gamified classroompromoted effective learning In the primary learners’ perspective, gamified classes

provided them with interesting learning activities in which they can enhance the

knowledge, thus better learning outcomes were achieved Therefore, the profiles

of participants in this study vary in the age range from 6 to 15 years old The

information about types of school that students are engaging in will also be

3.2 Research instruments

3.2.1 Measurement scale

This study adapted a self-administered survey quantitative to empirically

test the hypotheses proposed in the context of English E-learning in Pantado

English center This study applied a combination of convenient and theoreticalsampling scheme, similar to the theoretical sampling used by Urh, M., Vukovic,

G., & Jereb, E (2015), in which aspects and observed variables would be

potentially analyzed All of the construct measures were drawn from extant

research with reliable measurement scale items All items in the measurement scale

were measured with a 5-point Likert scale The proposed conceptual frameworkconsisted of three main constructs, namely Gamification (Game elements, game

dynamic, game mechanic); Students’ motivation; Students’ academic

The questionnaire contains a total of 25 items (presented in Table 1) with

13 items for Gamification (5 items for Game elements, 5 items for Game dynamics,25

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3 items for Game mechanics); 4 items for student’s academic performance and 10

items for students’ motivation The measurement items are based on the theoretical

background with reliable research.

Three categories—dynamics, mechanics, and components/elements—have

been identified as parts of the gamified structure by Werbach and Hunter (2012)and Dichev and Dicheva (2017).

According to Marczewski (2013), gamified interventions should take intoaccount four key motivational factors: social connection with classmates and

peers, autonomy to make decisions, improvement through the process of raising

the level, and the reason why the intervention is necessary.

Table 5 contains more information about the measurement elements.

Constructs Measurement items Source

“Gamified activities lead to excitement

“Game Mechanics (Progress-bars,

leader-boards etc.) in Gamification leads to the

Game competitive spirit

“Game mechanics in Gamification leads to

foster engagement”

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“Game Mechanics in Gamification leads tosense of accomplishment”

“Rewards/Points/Badges in Gamification

motivate to participate more actively”

“Timely response increase confidence”

“Obtaining rewards through Gamified

activities promote learning of English”

“Game dynamics (rewards, achievements

etc.) increase academic performance”

“Tt is fun to learn a new language”“T like learning new things.”

“T like to learn about English speaking countri

and how they live”

“T like it when I do well in English”

“T like it when I can understand difficult

vocabulary/grammar/exercises in English”“T like doing difficult exercises in English.”“T'll feel bad about myself if I can't speak to

my foreign friends in English.”

“ J want to show my teachers that I can learn

“T want to find a good job when I grow up.”

* My parents and teachers want me to join

gamified activities in class.”

Keller(1987);Varank(2003);Ryan &

Deci, 2000;Ardasheva,Y., Tong, S.

Tretter, T.R (2012)

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“Academic result is better when I take part

in classes with gamified activities”

Aguirre-“1 din cl ith gamified Perez, D.am more engaged 1n Classes WI amine

3.2.2 Data collection and analysis

Data were collected among young students of online classes at PantadoEnglish center with students from 6 to 15 years old as targeted respondents Bothparticipants were invited to participate in the self-administered online surveyquestionnaire with convenient sampling through Google Form and theirparticipation was based on a voluntary basis.

In order to help the participants provide better insights into aspects, thequestionnaires included 3 main parts The first part of the questionnaire providesgeneral information in which identifies the demographic profile of the respondents.The second part of the questionnaire details the research variables (gamification,

students’ motivation, students’ academic performance) Before moving to the

second part of the questionnaire, all participants will be sorted by a question abouttheir experience of gamified lessons at Pantado Participants who have never

experienced a gamified lesson at Pantado could move to the final part of the

questionnaire to express their intention or expectation to future gamified lessons.Before giving the questionnaire to participants, this study will apply aquestionnaire piloting step to find out several mistakes or confusing questions that

will affect the understanding of participants 5 students and 5 teachers are required

to complete the questionnaire and give feedback about how they understand thequestions or the technical problems they may face when answering After that, all

necessary adjustments will be carried out to improve the question form.

Besides, students’ academic performance will be carefully observed

through the online lessons at Pantado English center Their performance will be28

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evaluated through several gamification activities and their attendant as well as

participant to these activities.3.3 Research model

Figure 8 Research model

Based on the theoretical framework and literature review, this studydevelops a research model as above and following hypothesis

HI:Game elements positively affect students’ academic performance

H2: Game mechanics positively affects students’ academic performanceH3: Game dynamic positively affects students’ academic performance

H4: Students’ motivation positively affects students’ academic performanceH5: Students’ motivation meditates gamification activities and students’

academic performance

3.4 Research procedure

Our study was conducted in the following consecutive 8 steps:

1 Reviewing extant literature related to learning and English

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5 Adapting measurement scales from existing ones and prior studies

6 Conducting a quantitative survey research to collect data for empirical