Abstract

Despite the growing interest in the use of gamification applications in English language teaching and learning, research on the effectiveness of gamified grammar learning compared to conventional methods and its impact on students’ learning enjoyment in the Thai higher education context remains limited. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design and a sequential mixed-methods explanatory design to investigate the learning outcomes and factors that contribute to students’ learning enjoyment in a gamified English grammar class. The study involved 52 first-year Liberal Arts and Management students aged 18–20 with A1–A2 CEFR levels. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon tests, while the qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. The results showed that gamified grammar learning (Z = 4.32, p < 0.001) is more effective than traditional learning approaches (Z = 4.49, p < 0.001), leading to better learning outcomes, and five themes that contributed to the students’ learning enjoyment in a gamified English grammar class were identified. The findings suggest that integrating gamification into English grammar classes could provide an engaging and motivating learning environment that enhances learning outcomes. Future research could expand on these findings by investigating other outcomes and comparing the effectiveness of different gamification applications.