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Gamification and ESL Learning: Enhancing Language Skills through Literary-Themed Escape Room Activities

Authors

  • Fairuz Umira Azmi Email ORCID

    Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56100, Malaysia

    Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
  • Kirooshini Navarathnaraja ORCID

    Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
  • Siti Munirah Mohd Ali ORCID

    Institute of Graduate Studies, Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56100, Malaysia
  • Hanita Hanim Ismail ORCID

    Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11424
Received: 1 August 2025 | Revised: 9 September 2025 | Accepted: 17 September 2025 | Published Online: 13 November 2025

Abstract

This study investigates how the LitEscape Challenge, a gamified literary escape-room activity, enhances ESL students' understanding of key narrative elements, such as plot, character, setting, theme, conflict, and moral values, while simultaneously promoting a deeper engagement with the linguistic structures found in literary texts. The activity was conceptualized to provide a problem-based learning environment where students work collaboratively to progress through stages by decoding the literary clues. Grounded in behaviourist, constructivist, and engagement theories, the intervention was carried out over four weeks with 30 Form 5 students in Malaysia. Utilising a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods design, learning outcomes were assessed through pre- and post-tests, supplemented by a thematic analysis of reflective writing. The results reveal significant improvements in literary comprehension (p < 0.001, d = 2.25), indicating a large effect size. Qualitative evidence further revealed an increase in learners' motivation, collaboration, critical thinking and heightened the metalinguistic awareness through active problem-solving, peer interaction and reflective engagement with the literary text. These findings suggest that when gamification is thoughtfully designed around linguistic objectives and narrative structures, it can improve both aesthetic appreciation and language competence in ESL literature instruction. This study presents practical implications for ESL teachers by offering a replicable, low-technology, game-based model that incorporates language-focused pedagogy to support meaningful, engaging and skill-oriented literature instruction.

Keywords:

Gamified Pedagogy, ESL, Literary Comprehension, Narrative Structure, Metalinguistic Awareness

References

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Issue

2025 Vol.7 No.12

Article Type

Article

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Copyright © 2025 Fairuz Umira Azmi, Kirooshini Navarathnaraja, Siti Munirah Mohd Ali, Hanita Hanim Ismail

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.