Gamification as pedagogical innovation: evaluating the Story Cube approach to reduce English-speaking anxiety

This study aims to design, develop, and evaluate a gamified instructional tool Story Cube to reduce English-speaking anxiety among primary Tamil school students in Malaysia. Using a Design and Development Research (DDR) approach (Richey & Klein, 2013), data were gathered from interviews and focus groups with English teachers and SISC+ officers in Tamil schools. The iterative process involved analysis, design, development, and implementation phases, with thematic analysis conducted to identify key patterns in teachers' and officers' perceptions. Results revealed that students often avoid speaking lessons due to fear, anxiety, and lack of engaging activities. Teachers emphasised the need for tools that are interactive, student-centred, and sustainable. Features such as gamified elements (points, scores, competition) and storytelling components were identified as crucial in reducing speaking anxiety. Teachers highlighted that "Story Cube" can provide a safe, motivating, and non-threatening environment for speaking practice. The findings suggest that gamified interventions can complement existing teaching practices, enhance student motivation, and address the persistent issue of English-speaking anxiety in vernacular schools. This study contributes to the limited body of literature on anxiety reduction in Tamil vernacular schools and introduces a contextually relevant, teacher-informed gamified solution that may be adapted in other multilingual educational settings.

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