Kahoot, is it fun or unfun? Gamifying vocabulary learning to boost exam scores, engagement, and motivation

Abstract

In language learning environments, technology is rapidly manipulated to encourage engagement, promote autonomy, and boost motivation. Many instructors have initiated to exploit online platforms and tools as a more engaging alternative to conventional activities. One of the engaging, and enjoyable games is Kahoot. The purpose of this study is to perceive the course content of Kahoot in the classroom to increase exam scores in vocabulary, and boost student engagement, and motivation. In addition, this study also explored the issues encountered by students in vocabulary learning through Kahoot. The impact of gamification on student achievement was assessed using quantitative and qualitative methods on the first-year students of the English department (N = 82). The findings revealed that incorporating Kahoot for teaching vocabulary effectively allows learners to expand a deeper understanding of vocabulary and course concepts indicated by exam scores improvement. This method also has a positive impact on student engagement as well as motivation. Furthermore, rigorous future research is needed to fully understand Kahoot’s efficacy and to improve pedagogy in the vocabulary classroom.

The influence of online education on pre-service teachers’ academic experiences at a higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates

“…The current results indicate that effective teaching and learning and faculty assessment and feedback predict pre-service teachers' engagement and motivation, consistent with Li et al (2022) and Rojabi et al (2022). The latter identifies gamification as an online teaching strategy effective in boosting motivation and student involvement.…”

Lecture-based performance augmentation via game-based application ‘Kahoot!’ in Physical Education: a 5-week experimental study

“…Easy access is one of the most critical attributes a system or application should possess, as it will enable users to feel the effortlessness of utilizing and providing the opportunity to learn and enjoy the application. Additionally, the said game-based application's usability could enhance students' skills by allowing them to think systematically and fast whereas improving their memory capacity, which echoed the findings of other scholars [21,22]. It can be postulated that Kahoot!…”

“…Moreover, the result may be hypothesized that Kahoot! helped them attain the lesson's learning objectives through mastery of the topic using games highly supported by previously conducted studies [21,22,23,24]. As Graham MA et al [25] have stated, a lesson's objectives vividly identify what teachers want their students to attain by the end of the lesson, while success criteria specify how students should demonstrate the concepts they received.…”

Benefits of Kahoot in Improving 7th Grade Junior Highschool English Vocabulary: Classroom Action Research in SMP Hamong Putera Ngaglik

“…Kahoot! games can help teachers and students learn foreign languages by it fun and stress-free and improving vocabulary (Rojabi et al, 2022).…”