The Effect of Game on promoting students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) among EFL learners on Big Blue Button Platform

This study explores the effects of game on Willingness to Communicate (WTC) among Lower- intermediate-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with a control group and an experimental group consisting of ۲۰ Lower-intermediate-level Iranian EFL learners aged ۱۰-۱۲. The experimental group (N=۱۰) participated in ۱۲ online sessions using various educational games on the Big Blue Button platform, while the control group (N=۱۰) received traditional, non-game-based lessons on the same platform. The educational materials used in education including matching games, memory games, connect dots, picture guessing and finding games, sentence game with images. Data were collected using a WTC questionnaire, and the results revealed that game-based learning significantly improved students' WTC compared to the control group. The findings align with previous research that highlights the positive effects of game-based learning on communication skills and language acquisition. These results indicate that integrating games into lessons significantly improved students' WTC compared to the control group. The mean post-test score for the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (۱۷.۸۴ vs. ۱۶.۱۹), suggesting that game-based learning positively influenced students' willingness to communicate in English. The ANCOVA results revealed that using game had a significant effect on post-test WTC scores, with a p-value less than ۰.۰۵, indicating a significant difference between the control and experimental group. Findings highlight the importance of integrating interactive, game-based activities to improve EFL learners' Willingness to Communicate (WTC). These results support the use of game-based strategies in EFL contexts and encourage further research on the types of games most effective for different age groups and learning settings.

کلیدواژه ها:

Willingness to Communicate (WTC) ، EFL learners ، Gamification.