Gamification in L2 teaching and learning: Linguistic risk-taking at play

Abstract

Gamification is increasingly popular in second language acquisition research and has been correlated with higher motivation and engagement. The use of gameplay elements in non-game environments has been shown to be beneficial; however, research on gamification and taking linguistic risks is scant. A linguistic risk is an authentic communicative act that learners take in their second language and that can be considered “risky” due to factors such as making mistakes, etc. In this article, a Linguistic Risk-Taking Initiative (LRTI) implemented at the bilingual campus of the University of Ottawa was analyzed based on a gameinformed framework. An analytical tool drawing on existing research in the field was developed to evaluate the initiative. Based on the analysis, the LRTI passport booklet and digital app, which are central to the initiative, were found mostly aligned with gamification parameters but further improvements of the design of the initiative are needed.