Determinants of the perceived usefulness (PU) in the context of using gamification for classroom-based ESL teaching: A scale development study

• Published in: Education and information technologies Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 4741 - 4768
• Main Author: Luo, Zhanni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.04.2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bilingual education; Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences; Computer Science; Computers and Education; Education; Educational Innovation; Educational Technology; English (Second Language); Equipment and supplies; Game Based Learning; Gamification; Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet); Language Teachers; Second Language Instruction; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Teachers; Teaching; Test Construction; Usability; User Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction; United Kingdom; English-as-a-second-language (ESL); Technology acceptance; Scale development; Gamification; Perceived usefulness (PU)
• ISSN: 1360-2357; 1573-7608
• DOI: 10.1007/s10639-022-11409-6

The current study is a scale development one that investigates the determinants of PU in the context of using gamified learning tools for classroom-based English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teaching. Gamified learning tools (GLTs) refer to educational websites, software, or mobile apps that employ game design elements to improve learning engagement or performance. Though theoretically promising, gamified learning tools was not widely accepted by ESL teachers. Understanding what factors contribute to the perceived usefulness of a gamified learning tool is crucial for the final acceptance of the educational innovation. Using the exploratory sequential mixed method, this author interviewed 530 secondary-school ESL teachers, referred to previous literature, and transformed qualitative responses to a scale that describe ESL teachers’ perceived usefulness (PU) of gamified learning tools (GLTs). The scale was abbreviated as PU-GLT. The PU-GLT scale was confirmed by two subject experts and administered to ESL teachers for quantitative data collection. A total of 446 surveys were collected, among which 263 were valid. Then, this author validated the PU-GLT scale using the scale evaluation techniques. The validated PU-GLT scale contains 15 items measuring four determinants: curriculum relatedness ( n  = 4), PU-outcome ( n  = 3), PU-process ( n  = 3), and social influence ( n  = 5). The scale development and evaluation procedures were detailed.