Wayground-Based Learning for ESP: Improving Chemistry Students' English Vocabulary and Learning Motivation
Keywords:
Wayground, Gamification, ESP Vocabulary, Learning Motivation, Chemistry EducationAbstract
Vocabulary mastery remains one of the most persistent obstacles for students learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in technical fields such as Chemistry, where dense, Latinate terminology and low intrinsic motivation frequently discourage active engagement. This study investigated the effect of Wayground (formerly Quizizz), a gamified digital learning platform, on the English vocabulary achievement and learning motivation of first-year Chemistry students enrolled in an ESP course. A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group was employed, involving 29 students divided into an experimental group 15 students, taught chemistry-related vocabulary through Wayground-based quizzes and games, and a control group 14 students, taught through conventional print-based drills. Data were collected using a vocabulary achievement test and a learning motivation questionnaire adapted from the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model, administered as pretest and post-test. The results of independent-sample and paired-sample t-tests revealed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher vocabulary post-test scores (M = 79.6, SD = 6.5) than the control group (M = 65.3, SD = 7.9), t(27) = 6.10, p < .001, with a large effect size (d = 1.85). Learning motivation also increased more substantially in the experimental group, particularly in the Attention and Satisfaction dimensions. These findings suggest that Wayground's game-based, immediate-feedback features can meaningfully enhance both lexical acquisition and affective engagement among ESP learners in technical disciplines, and they offer pedagogical implications for integrating gamified platforms into ESP vocabulary instruction.
References
ALQAHTANI, M. (2015). The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught.
International Journal of Teaching and Education, III(3), 21–34.
https://doi.org/10.20472/te.2015.3.3.002
Basturkmen, H. (2019). ESP teacher education needs. Language Teaching, 52(3), 318–330.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444817000398
Behr, D., & Shishido, K. (2016). The Translation of Measurement Instruments for Cross-Cultural
Surveys. The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology, 269–287.
https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957893.n19
Coxhead, A. (2026). a New Academic Word List. Vocabu Lary: Critical Concepts in Linguistics:
Volume III, 3(2), 115–140. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003763710-9
Creswell, J. W. (2023). Research Design : Qualitative , Quantitative , and Mixed Methods Approaches
, 6e ( ePub Convert ) 6th Edition. Sage Publications Inc, USA,.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the selfdetermination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Dewaele, J. M., & Dewaele, L. (2020). Are foreign language learners’ enjoyment and anxiety specific
to the teacher? An investigation into the dynamics of learners’ classroom emotions. Studies in
Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 45–65.
https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.1.3
Evans, J. R., & Mathur, A. (2005). The value of online surveys. Internet Research, 15(2), 195–219.
https://doi.org/10.1108/10662240510590360
Gardner, R. C. (1986). Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and
Motivation (Social Psychology of Language, Vol 4). In System (Vol. 15, Number 2, pp. 236–240).
HORWITZ, E. K., HORWITZ, M. B., & COPE, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The
Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x
Hyland, K. (2022). English for Specific Purposes: What Is It and Where Is It Taking Us? ESP Today,
(2), 202–220. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.1
Kabic. (2022). FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM ANXIETY AND MULTILINGUALISM: A
CASE OF CROATIAN-SPEAKING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. UNIVERSITY OF RIJEKA FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE,
(1), 1–49.
Keller, J. M. (1987). Development and use of the ARCS model of instructional design. Journal of
Instructional Development, 10(3), 2–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02905780
Licorish, S. A., Owen, H. E., Daniel, B., & George, J. L. (2018). Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s
influence on teaching and learning. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning,
(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-018-0078-8
Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language. In Learning Vocabulary in Another
Language. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0889-4906(02)00014-5
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., Hoagwood, K., Angeles, L., &
Northwest, K. P. (1968). "Dentists face added drug regulation. Dental Survey, 44(12), 73.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y.Purposeful
Romadhon, R., & Yuliyanti, N. (2025). Exploring the Use of Chatbots in Business English Vocabulary
Learning: Students’ Views and Experiences. Judika (Jurnal Pendidikan Unsika), 13(1), 75–98.
https://doi.org/10.35706/judika.v13i1.4
Romadhon, R., & Yuliyanti, N. (2026). Youtube as a Source of Authentic it Discourse for Esp Learners:
A Study on Linus Tech Tips Youtube Channel. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal, 7(1), 725–
https://doi.org/10.54373/imeij.v7i1.4729
Wang, A. I., & Tahir, R. (2020). The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review.
Computers and Education, 149(May 2019), 103818.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103818
Yuliyanti, N., & Romadhon, R. (2025). Foreign Language Anxiety in ESP Courses: Analyzing Factors
Among Business Digital, Cyber Security, and Tax Accounting Students. Prominent, 8(1), 48–61.
https://doi.org/10.24176/pro.v8i1.13613
Zainuddin, Z., Chu, S. K. W., Shujahat, M., & Perera, C. J. (2020). The impact of gamification on
learning and instruction: A systematic review of empirical evidence. Educational Research
Review, 30(March 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100326
Zoltan Dörnyei. (2001). Motivational Strategiest in the Language Classroom. In Cambridge University
Press. Cambridge Universty Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667343
