Investigation the use of gamification in an ESP context to promote student's motivation: case of first-year economy students at the university of ain temouchent

Abstract

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has emerged as an important field in language education, recognizing the value of English in a wide range of contexts. ESP refers to English teaching and learning that is tailored to the learners' specific needs and objectives, this is on the one hand. On the other hand, technology has revolutionized the teaching and learning processes since its rapid development has radically changed the paradigm of English language teaching allowing students to have more individualized, immersive, and stimulating learning experiences. The use of innovative learning techniques that can have a positive impact in the classroom is becoming increasingly common; gamification is one of such techniques. It is a viable strategy used to enhance motivation and engagement in programming classes among students. As far as the present research work is concerned, the researchers noticed that ESP students in general and Economy students in particular are not motivated to learn the English language, though it is an important language that is highly recommended in their field of study either to read articles or to attend international conferences. Based on this observation, the researchers attempted to explore the use of gamification in such context as a way to motivate. The present study, thus, roughly aims to explore the effects of using games in promoting ESP students’ motivation and to highlight the major hindrances of using games in ESP context. For this sake, the researchers use a case study research method. They conducted two questionnaires to collect the necessary data, a questionnaire for 82 first year Economy students and another one with their ESP teachers. The main results obtained from the data collected showed that the use of gamification has a positive impact and plays an effective role in enhancing students’ motivation and helps them achieve better results in learning English language. It also showed that, the use of games improves their problems skills' and decrease the level of anxiety and stress. Based on the study's conclusions; to improve their effectiveness in the teaching and learning processes, the researchers provided several recommendations and suggestions for both teachers and students