EFL university students’ game element preferences and learning needs: Implications for the instructional design of digital gamified classes

Digital gamification has a great potential for enhancing EFL learners' motivation and achievement. A digital gamified class should be the integration of ‘game’ and ‘learning’ aspects. However, most studies on it have been conducted only with the hypothesis of using game elements to improve the student experience, ignoring the role of students' learning needs in the success of digital gamification. The present study employed the Target Needs Analysis Model and used five commonly used game elements in class to investigate university EFL students' learning needs, game element preferences, and the relationship between them, with English writing homework as the application context. Online survey data from 505 EFL learners who have experienced English writing homework in Chinese universities were collected. Through descriptive analysis, their preferred game elements for designing English writing homework were found (competition the most while ranking the least). Five types of learning needs were identified as well, ranging from text types to writing tasks. In addition, the results of the content analysis showed that a small percentage of participants were reluctant to use digital gamification due to unfamiliarity (about 9.4 %) and demotivation (about 3.6 %). Three design principles for gamified English writing were also yielded, that is, instant and personalized feedback, appropriate time pressure, and difficulty levels. Moreover, path analysis and Structural Equation Modeling approaches demonstrated that there was no significant correlation between specific types of game elements and writing needs, although different gamification designs could slightly facilitate the fulfillment of learning needs. Furthermore, we gave both practical implications and recommendations for future research on digital gamification for learning.