The Motivational Impact of Gamification at a University in Oman

The teacher's role in student motivation, and the strategies they employ to enhance their learners desire to study, has long be seen as an essential component of learning in the second language English classroom. This study has sought to explore the motivational impact of the teachers' use of the game-based response system Kahoot within an English foundation course at a university in Oman. This paper reports the findings of a questionnaire and participants perceptions on the motivational impact of playing a Kahoot in their English classroom, in addition to the opinions of students who took part in more in-depth interviews. These findings provided significant evidence that many participants felt overwhelmingly positive towards the use of Kahoot and that they perceived the use of gamification tools as motivational. The competitive element of this game emerged as being central to this perceived motivation, as well as the belief that it offered a break from the normal methods of instruction many participants had previously received in Oman, among many other factors.