Gamification in Spanish Courses for Older Adults

Abstract

This work aims to shed light on the use of gamification in teaching Spanish as a foreign language to older adults. Through an organized experience of gamification and focus groups in Spanish courses for adults, the research gathered information on the effects that the participants considered gamification had on their learning, how it affected the development of their intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, and how they experienced the different elements of gamification. We also used semi-structured interviews to shed light on these questions from the perspective of foreign language teachers in courses for older adults to find out what the role of the teacher is and what obstacles or challenges they face when implementing gamification in this context.

The results showed that both the participants and teachers mostly perceived positive effects of gamification, the main effect being higher motivation. Some elements of gamification (e.g., feedback, levels, participation, time limit, relationships with others, progression, challenges) were identified by the participants as appropriate, while others (e.g., avatar, scales points, competition and exclusion) were evaluated as less appropriate, among which the element of competition stands out as the least desirable. The participants stated cooperative games were better than competitive ones, since they value socialization more. The teachers reported that they faced challenges related to the learning characteristics of older people, as well as their lack of digital skills and access to equipment.