Shah Zobair Hossain
Abstract: Online education and digital game-based learning (DGBL) have indeed made substantial contributions to the realm of education, particularly during the pandemic and post-pandemic era. For its facilitating interactive and engaging quizzes, Kahoot is a popular DGBL platform that has been used worldwide for educational purposes, but little has been explored about the efficacy of Kahoot for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction in Bangladesh. Therefore, this paper aims to address this gap by conducting a comparative study to examine the efficiency of Kahoot in comparison to traditional vocabulary instruction methods in enhancing vocabulary development among tertiary-level Bangladeshi EFL learners. The experiment, which lasted three weeks, involved a study sample comprising 50 undergraduate students from a private university, and the participants were allocated into two distinct cohorts: a treatment group and a control one. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 was employed to conduct pre- and post-vocabulary achievement tests to gauge participants’ proficiency in vocabulary learning. In the post-test, the results of the independent samples t-test showed that there were significant statistical differences between the control group and the treatment group. The results demonstrated that the Kahoot group outperformed the control group in terms of vocabulary learning. According to the research, Kahoot is an effective teaching tool for today’s students, and educators should consider the opportunities that Kahoot provides for teaching EFL/ESL learners.
Keywords: Game-based online learning, Kahoot, English as a foreign language (EFL), vocabulary, tertiary level
References
Abrams, S. S., & Walsh, S. (2014). Gamified vocabulary: Online resources and enriched language learning. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(1), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.315.
Alharthi, S. (2020). Assessing Kahoot’s impact on EFL students’ learning outcomes. TESOL International Journal, 15(5), 31–64.
Ali, R., & Abdalgane, M. (2022). The impact of gamification “Kahoot app” in teaching English for academic purposes. World Journal of English Language, 12(7), 18–27.
Alyaz, Y. & Genc, Z. (2016). Digital game-based language learning in foreign language teachereducation. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 17(4), 130– 146.
Boulaid, F., & Moubtassime, M. (2019). Investigating the role of Kahoot in the enhancement of English vocabulary among Moroccan university students: English department as a case study. International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, 27(3), 797–808.
Conole, G., & Dyke, M. (2004). What are the affordances of information and communication technologies? ALT-J, 12(2), 113–124.
Corell, A., Regueras, L. M., Verdú, E., Verdú, M. J., & de Castro, J. P. (2018). Effects of competitive learning tools on medical students: A case study. PLoS One, 13(3), e0194096.
Demirbilek, M., Talan, T., & Alzouebi, K. (2022). An examination of the factors and challenges to adopting gamification in English foreign language teaching. International Journal of Technology in Education (IJTE), 5(4), 654–668.
Ebadi, S., Rasouli, R., & Mohamadi, M. (2023). Exploring EFL learners’ perspectives on using Kahoot as a game-based student response system. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(4), 2338–2350.
Eltahir, M. E., Alsalhi, N. R., Al-Qatawneh, S., AlQudah, H. A., & Jaradat, M. (2021). The impact of game-based learning (GBL) on students’ motivation, engagement and academic performance on an Arabic language grammar course in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 26, 3251–3278.
Felszeghy, S., Pasonen-Seppänen, S., Koskela, A., Nieminen, P., Härkönen, K., Paldanius, K. M., & Mahonen, A. (2019). Using online game-based platforms to improve student performance and engagement in histology teaching. BMC Medical Education, 19, 1–11.
Guaqueta, C. A., & Castro-Garces, A. Y. (2018). The use of language learning apps as a didactic tool for EFL vocabulary building. English Language Teaching, 11(2), 61–71.
Idris, M. I., Mohd Said, N. E., & Tan, K. H. (2020). Game-based learning platform and its effects on present tense mastery: Evidence from an ESL classroom. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(5), 13–26.
Ismail, M. A. A., & Mohammad, J. A. M. (2017). Kahoot!: A promising tool for formative assessment in medical education. Education in Medicine Journal, 9(2), 19–26.
Jackson, G. T., & McNamara, D. S. (2013). Motivation and performance in a game-based Intelligent Tutoring System. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(4), 1036–1049.
Jackson, G. T., Dempsey, K. B., & McNamara, D. S. (2012). Game-based practice in a reading strategy tutoring system: Showdown in iSTART-ME. In H. Reinders (Ed.), In Digital Games in Language Learning and Teaching. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kapsalis, G. D., Galani, A., & Tzafea, O. (2020). Kahoot! as a formative assessment tool in foreign language learning: A case study in Greek as an l2. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(11), 1343–1350.
Kocaman, O., & Kizilkaya- Cumaoglu, G. (2014). The effect of educational software (DENIS) and games on vocabulary learning strategies and achievement. Education and Science, 39(176), 305–316.
Mansur, M., & Fadhilawati, D. (2019). Applying Kahoot to improve the senior high school students’ vocabulary achievement. VELES (Voices of English Language Education Society), 3(2), 164–173.
Mavridis, A., & Tsiatsos, T. (2017). Game‐based assessment: Investigating the impact on test anxiety and exam performance. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 33(2), 137–150.
Mdlalose, N., Ramaila, S., & Ramnarain, U. (2022). Using Kahoot! as a Formative Assessment Tool in Science Teacher Education. International Journal of Higher Education, 11(2), 43–51.
Murciano-Calles, J. (2020). Use of kahoot for assessment in chemistry education: A comparative study. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(11), 4209–4213.
Papastergiou, M. (2009). Digital game-based learning in high school computer science education: Impact on educational effectiveness and student motivation. Computers & education, 52(1), 1–12.
Plump, C. M., & LaRosa, J. (2017). Using Kahoot! in the classroom to create engagement and active learning: A game-based technology solution for eLearning novices. Management Teaching Review, 2(2), 151–158.
Schmitt, N. (2008). Review article: Instructed second language vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research, 12(3), 329–363.
Shaker, A., Hurst, P., & Marshall, E. (2021). The effect of Kahoot on undergraduate student anxiety and confidence when studying statistics. MSOR Connections, 19(2), 41–54.
Sibatuara, U. D. (2021). The effectiveness of Kahoot! in improving vocabulary: The case of a private university English study program. Edukasi: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengajaran. https://doi.org/10.19109/ejpp.v8i1.8285
Siriwan, M. (2007). English vocabulary learning strategies employed by Rajabhat University students. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand.
Shuttleworth, M. (2008). Quasi-experimental design. http://www.experiment-resources.com/quasi-experimental-design.html.
Wang, A. I., & Tahir, R. (2020). The effect of using Kahoot! for learning–A literature review. Computers & Education, 149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103818.
Xiao, Y., & Yang, M. (2019). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: How formative assessment supports students’ self-regulation in English language learning. System, 81, 39–49.
Yeh, Y., & Wang, C. (2013). Effects of multimedia vocabulary annotations and learning styles on vocabulary learning. Calico Journal, 21(1), 1311–44.