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How to Design Audio-Gamification for Language Learning with Amazon Alexa?—A Long-Term Field Experiment

2022; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 40; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10447318.2022.2160228

1532-7590

Paula Bräuer, Athanasios Mazarakis,

Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts

Gamification can increase motivation in learning, and intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) can support foreign language learning at home. However, there is a lack of design concepts to motivate learners to practice with their IVA. This study combines both concepts and analyzes if audio-gamification can increase engagement to address this research gap. To this end, a one-year long-term field experiment with 230 subjects using a German language learning skill for Amazon Alexa was conducted. A between-subjects design determined differences in learning behavior and learning outcomes between a control group and two gamified groups (achievements and leaderboard). The findings reveal a positive effect on the number of translated vocabulary and learning success. However, only in the group with a leaderboard was a statistically significant effect on the number of translated vocabulary found. These findings imply that audio-gamification can be a helpful tool for increasing motivation to use IVAs for foreign language learning.