Gamification in L2 Arabic Writing Instruction: Perceived Usability and Learning Support of Baamboozle in an Indonesian Islamic Secondary School Context
Gamifikasi dalam Pengajaran Menulis Bahasa Arab L2: Persepsi Kegunaan dan Dukungan Pembelajaran Baamboozle dalam Konteks Sekolah Menengah Islam di Indonesia
Abstract
Purpose - Arabic writing instruction in Indonesian Islamic secondary schools is still largely teacher-fronted: structured, passive, and lacking in practice that builds productive skills. This study examines whether the browser-based game platform Baamboozle can shift that dynamic. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Vygotskian scaffolding theory, and self-determination theory (SDT), we document the implementation of Baamboozle in an L2 Arabic writing class at MAPK MAN 1 Surakarta, Indonesia, and report how students evaluated its usability, visual design, interactivity, and perceived learning support across five theoretically grounded dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative descriptive design was employed. Twenty female students from Class X MAPK participated in a Baamboozle-integrated Arabic writing lesson and subsequently completed a nine-item, four-point Likert-scale questionnaire mapped onto five TAM-derived perception dimensions for L2 Arabic writing development: ease of access, operability, interactivity, visual appeal, learning motivation, language clarity, and perceived effectiveness. Descriptive statistics and RAL scores were computed via IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0. This study has a bounded, exploratory design; findings are interpreted as preliminary perceptual evidence rather than causal claims about learning outcomes.
Findings – All nine perception items fell in the excellent range (85%–100%), with an overall RAL of 87% (M = 31.65/36, SD = 3.05). Students rated perceived support for L2 Arabic writing development highest (RAL = 91%)—consistent with SDT predictions about competence-supportive task structures—while platform accessibility scored lowest (RAL = 83%), pointing to a minor entry-friction problem that is practically fixable. No item dropped below 83%, indicating that learners were broadly positive across the usability, affective, and instructional dimensions.
Originality/value - The study contributes to CALL and L2 Arabic writing research in three ways. This study extends TAM–based technology acceptance work to a typologically complex productive-skill context (Arabic orthography) in a Southeast Asian Islamic school setting, which is rarely represented in CALL literature. This study shows how Vygotskian image-based scaffolding and SDT-aligned game mechanics can work together inside a low-cost, zero-registration platform. Furthermore, it offers a replicable four-stage implementation model that does not require specialist infrastructure. The study is bounded: n = 20, one session, self-report only. Causal claims about writing development require follow-up.
Paper type – Research paper
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References
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