University Students’ Perspectives on Gamification in Vocabulary Learning: A Literature Review

Abstract

Enriching vocabulary among English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, especially university students; plays a vital role in enhancing their mastery of the English language holistically. Nevertheless, some challenges have been addressed from the vocabulary learning practices in tertiary academic institutions, particularly concerning the de-emphasis of vocabulary learning rather than other language skills, vocabulary learning requires full effort and commitment, and lack of motivation among university students to increase their vocabulary knowledge. Hence, gamification in vocabulary learning has been designated as one of the preferable vocabulary learning strategies used in teaching and learning in this current era. There are several positive and negative perspectives on gamification in vocabulary learning among university students which should be considered to improve the quality of gamified vocabulary learning. This paper aims to review the literature relevant to vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies, challenges related to vocabulary learning, the use of gamification in vocabulary learning, and university students’ perspectives on gamification in vocabulary learning. From the discussion, it is discovered that university students perceive gamification in vocabulary learning positively in terms of creating an interesting and richer learning environment, promoting healthy competition, and increasing their motivation to learn. However, some of them have difficulties in adapting to gamified vocabulary learning due to poor Internet connection and lack of digital literacy. Hence, this study is significant to highlight the positive and negative perspectives towards gamification in vocabulary learning to strive for a better future of gamified vocabulary learning in universities.