IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ibn/eltjnl/v18y2025i1p35.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring Chinese Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions and Implementations of Gamification in Online EFL Classrooms

Author

Listed:
  • Heyi Xu
  • Pornpimol Sukavatee

Abstract

This study investigates Chinese elementary teachers’ perceptions and implementations of gamification in online English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through a questionnaire (N = 140) and semi-structured interviews (N = 7). Teachers’ perceptions of gamification were analyzed across three dimensions- technological, cognitive, and pedagogical. Technologically, the results revealed that most teachers perceived gamification tools on the ClassIn platform as user-friendly and engaging, although limited in variety. Cognitively, teachers recognized gamification’s potential to enhance motivation and engagement, but expressed concerns about its potential to distract students. Pedagogically, while gamification was perceived as a complement to traditional teaching methods and a means to foster student-centered learning, it posed challenges such as increased workload and difficulties aligning activities with academic goals. Regarding implementation, gamification was most frequently used in vocabulary and reading activities, whereas its use in writing and listening activities was limited due to higher cognitive demands. Key challenges included managing students’ negative emotions from competition, addressing parental skepticism, overcoming technical and classroom management barriers, allocating sufficient time for effective implementation, and adapting gamification tools to diverse student needs. Key factors shaping implementation included student characteristics and content suitability. The results emphasize the need for tailored professional development, adaptive gamification strategies, and institutional support to maximize the benefits of gamification while addressing its challenges. This study offers actionable insights for enhancing teaching practices and improving student engagement in online EFL classrooms.

Suggested Citation

  • Heyi Xu & Pornpimol Sukavatee, 2025. "Exploring Chinese Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions and Implementations of Gamification in Online EFL Classrooms," English Language Teaching, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 18(1), pages 1-35, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:ibn:eltjnl:v:18:y:2025:i:1:p:35
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/download/0/0/51125/55478
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/view/0/51125
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ibn:eltjnl:v:18:y:2025:i:1:p:35. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Canadian Center of Science and Education (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cepflch.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.