Luis Ángel Gil-Acirón
This volume, awarded the V “Professor José Romera Castillo” Prize for Philological Research, includes a thorough study conducted in the United States on the use of gamification (application of game mechanics and dynamics in non-game contexts) in the language classroom. The work is firmly grounded on an exhaustive psychopedagogical and neuroscientific foundation as a basis for the design, implementation and evaluation of a language learning gamification program. Additionally, it generates an understanding of the influence of gamification on second language learners’ motivation (attention, engagement, and volunteering), self-confidence and language anxiety, providing the reader with the tools to critically address the big question: educational gamification, science or fad?
