GAMIFICATION: A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING LANGUAGE COMPETENCE IN THE FIELD OF TOURISM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47526/3107-3123.332Keywords:
gamification, language competence, tourism, motivation, cognitive skills, communicative skills, game elements, mixed-methods approach.Abstract
This article explores the scientific and methodological foundations for effectively integrating gamification into language courses tailored for the tourism industry. The aim of the study is to identify strategies for developing the language competence of future tourism professionals through the use of game elements. The research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative) guided by three main research questions.
The first stage of the research revealed that it is essential to adapt gamification to the learning objectives and content, and that the methodological preparedness of instructors plays a critical role in its effective implementation. In the second phase, based on data from questionnaires and reflective journals, it was shown that students in the experimental group who were exposed to game-based elements demonstrated higher levels of motivation and engagement compared to the control group (e.g., motivation index – 4.51 vs 3.13). In the
third stage, paired sample t-test results indicated that gamification moderately improved students’ cognitive and communicative skills (p < 0.05). Students showed improvements in logical thinking, memory, and both written and oral communication, which they described with specific examples in their reflective journals.
The findings confirm that gamification is an effective tool for enriching the content of language classes, increasing student engagement, and fostering professionally oriented language skills.
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