The Impact of Using Digital Gamification on Enhancing Primary School Pupils' Learning of English Collocations and Engagement.

Abstract:
This study examined the impact of digital gamification on primary school pupils’ learning of English collocations and engagement. An experimental design was conducted with 60 sixth-grade pupils at Shieba New Primary School, West Zagazig Educational Department, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, who are divided randomly into an experimental group (n = 30) using gamified digital platforms (Kahoot, Quizizz, ColloQuiz, Wordwall) and a control group (n = 30) using traditional instruction. The intervention lasted six weeks (with a total of 12 sessions), covering equivalent collocation content for both groups. Data were collected using a collocation achievement test (pre- and post-intervention), a student engagement scale, and classroom observations, as well as the platform logs. Statistical analyses included paired-samples t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, and ANCOVA to tackle pre-test scores.
Results indicated that both groups improved significantly from pre-test to post-test, but the experimental group achieved greater gains (M = 27.47, SD = 3.76) than the control group (M = 21.97, SD = 4.17), t (58) = 5.37, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.39. ANCOVA confirmed that the improvement was attributable to the gamification intervention (F (1,57) = 68.86, p < .001, partial η² = .55). Engagement outcomes also favored the experimental group, both in self-reports (M = 4.30 vs. 3.35, t (58) = 7.80, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 2.02) and classroom observations. The findings demonstrate that digital gamification significantly enhances collocation learning and promotes greater engagement compared to traditional methods. The study concludes that gamified instruction is an effective pedagogical approach for primary school English education and recommends further research across different contexts and with extended follow-up measures.