Gamified learning apps have proliferated for language learning in contemporary Higher Educational contexts, owing to their capacity to enhance learner engagement and motivation. However, limited empirical attention has been given to the psychological and cognitive mechanisms through which learners' interactions with gamified elements translate…

Gamification in second language acquisition research is a popular topic, but there are few empirical comparative studies in the literature. This quasi-experimental mixed-approach study enrolled 77 Japanese university EFL learners to enable a comparison between two digital vocabulary flashcard learning software conditions carefully designed by the…