Gamification in Second Language Acquisition: Cognitive and Affective Implications for Language Learning

Abstract

With digital technology shaping education, gamification has played a key role in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). This paper presents a critical analysis of the cognitive and affective effects of gamification on Pakistani EFL students, for whom exam-geared approach to teaching and motivation are significant. This study combines four theoretical constructs (cognitive load, affective filter, self-determination, and sociocultural theory) and investigates how gamified environments can affect attention, memory, anxiety, motivation and collaborative learning. A qualitative meta-synthesis of international and local empirical research demonstrates that gamification might facilitate the retention of vocabulary learning, mitigate affective barriers of learners, increase learner autonomy, and facilitate peer interaction. It discusses gamification as a comprehensive transformative approach to ESL teaching in Pakistan, and ends with practical implications for the classroom use, and implications for future research.