REDESIGNING PRIMARY ENGLISH THROUGH GAMIFICATION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Rapidly evolving pedagogical shifts in today’s education settings require transformative practices focused on more personalised, meaningful and empowering didactics (Pinto & Oliveira, 2023). Gamified and Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning environments focused on the relevance of human-focused designs (Chou, 2016) should, therefore, be crucial for redesigning Primary English teaching (Edmett et al., 2024). By intertwining Gamification Approach and AI it may become possible to overcome some of the biggest challenges in Portuguese education (Fialho, 2017), allowing teachers to better address individual pupil needs and enhance classroom support via personalised learning experiences and real-time language practice (UNESCO, 2025; Edmett et al., 2024). Primary English classrooms can become inclusive and engaging teaching and learning settings that go beyond the mere structural mastery of a foreign language, offering multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression (CAST, 2024) to support the development of a Future Skills Profile (Ehlers, 2020). Our study follows a primarily qualitative and ethnographic methodology which explores Gamification as a transformative approach in Primary English which, when applied alongside AI-based approaches, fosters innovative and inclusive teaching practices that respect pupils’ motivational impulses (Meirinhos, 2022). However, some concerns also arise, specifically if AI might decrease students’ creactical skills through standardised mechanisms (Osório, 2024). The practices took place in a Portuguese public school with around 40 pupils from the 1st Cycle of Basic Education. Data collection tools include field notes, critical reflections on lesson plans, pupils’ work analysis, and audiovisual recordings. Findings suggest that although classes present greater productivity and commitment towards learning, some challenges emerged related to technological failures, limited digital skills and fear of using AI.