Gamifying reading and writing in collaborative EFL primary education

Abstract

In this poster, we intend to present an ongoing investigation in the context of a doctoral project, whose main purpose is to investigate, describe and interpret the influence of gamification on the promotion of learning to read and write in a collaborative problem-solving context, in Primary English classes in Portugal. English is a rather recent subject in Portugal. Its learning became mandatory in 2015/2016 in this teaching cycle, starting in the 3rd year of schooling. The study took place in a private educational institution with pupils from third and fourth grades, with whom a set of activities were carried out. It is based on an interpretative paradigm of a qualitative nature and on a case study approach. It relies on participant observation, questionnaire and interview surveys, audio and video recordings, field notes, pupils' work and cloze tests and their triangulation, resorting to webQDA software to make its conclusions more consistent and providing it with scientific validity. Its objectives are: 1) to assess the influence of gamified activities on the learning of reading/writing in the teaching of English in Primary education and its implication in their resolution; 2) to assess the influence of these activities on the development of collaborative work skills in a problem-solving context: a) understanding, exploration and resolution; b) group organization and cohesion. Although without conclusive results, since the research is in its initial phase, the preliminary data collected and analyzed during the implementation of the designed activities revealed positive consequences regarding the learners' engagement and motivation for English language learning. The pupils' interaction with reading and writing activities in English, aroused by the principles of Gamification, with the purpose of solving real problems, seems to have contributed to the development of soft skills, such as creativity and critical thinking and to the deployment of group work strategies.