INSIGHTS INTO YOUNG LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS GAMIFIED LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract

This paper reports a mixed methods study exploring young learners’ attitudes towards gamified learning activities (GLA) in English language learning. The study was conducted at a bilingual primary school in Vung Tau city, Vietnam. A cohort of 84 students in grades 4 and 5 were involved in answering the questionnaires, and 15 of them took part in the semi-structured interviews. To analyse the data, the software SPSS was employed for the quantitative data, while the content analysis was utilised for the qualitative data. The results unraveled that young learners had positive attitudes towards GLA in English language learning. Among the three components of attitudes, young learners seemed to express their feelings and emotions and show their commitment to get engaged in GLA rather than trying to get more understanding of GLA. Such preliminary findings are hoped to shed light on the understanding of young learners’ attitudes towards GLA.