Make Them Create Their Fun to Enhance Perceived Learning Performance and Motivation: A Student-Created Gamification Strategy

This study explores students’ perceptions of student-created gamification in relation to motivation, satisfaction, engagement, and perceived learning performance among English level one students at Dhofar University, Salalah, Oman. Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT), the research examines how granting students autonomy to design game-related learning activities is associated with their reported motivation and engagement. A convergent mixed-methods, non-experimental design was employed, combining quantitative descriptive data and qualitative insights collected through a post-activity questionnaire. Quantitative findings indicate high levels of reported satisfaction, enjoyment, and willingness to engage in student-created activities, while qualitative findings highlight themes of autonomy, creativity, collaboration, and emotional engagement. Students described a sense of ownership over learning and valued opportunities for peer interaction and creative expression. Rather than establishing causal effects, the findings illustrate how students experience and interpret student-generated gamified activities in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom context. The study highlights the potential value of student-centered gamified learning approaches for supporting engagement and motivation and offers practical insights for educators and curriculum designers seeking to foster meaningful learning experiences. However, given the exploratory nature of the study and the small sample size, the findings should be interpreted with caution, highlighting the need for further exploration.

Incidental Writing Skills Acquisition Through Using Literature-Based Instruction

10.24093/awej/vol15no2.20

This study delves into the transformative potential of Literature-Based Instruction on the incidental acquisition of writing skills among ESL/EFL students in Salalah, Oman. Acknowledging the pressing need for effective teaching methodologies that bolster writing proficiency, this research employs a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the effectiveness of LBI in enhancing students’ writing abilities. The study involves a sample of 100 intermediate-level students divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group received instruction through literary texts, while the control group followed a conventional curriculum. Data were collected through pre-tests, post-tests, and observations. The findings reveal that students exposed to LBI demonstrated significantly improved writing fluency, coherence, and grammatical accuracy compared to the control group. Additionally, qualitative data indicate increased student motivation and engagement with the learning material. The study underscores the potential of LBI to foster incidental writing skills acquisition and suggests practical implications for curriculum designers and educators in similar linguistic and cultural contexts. Educators can create a more enriching and effective learning environment that improves language skills and nurtures a lifelong appreciation for literature by integrating literature into language instruction.