Gamified digital mediation and the development of American English phonetic competence in secondary EFL learners

Laura-De La Cruz K.M.; Torres-Monrroy J.M.; Zapana-Aguilar P.V.; Bazán-Velásquez S.M.; Rivera Mansilla E.B.; Escobar-Begazo G.E.; Martínez-Puma E.G. · Frontiers in Education (2026) · DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2026.1930346

Resumen

Introduction – Although gamified digital tools are widely used in English as a Foreign Language instruction, controlled evidence regarding their effects on phonetic knowledge among Latin American secondary students remains limited. Previous research has also frequently conflated written phonetic recognition with oral pronunciation. This study examined the association between a gamified digital mediation intervention and performance on a written American English phonetics test. Methods – A nonrandomized pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was implemented with 100 first-year secondary students aged 11–12 years at a public school in southern Peru. Fifty students participated in the experimental condition and 50 in the control condition. The experimental group completed a six-week intervention integrating Quizizz, Kahoot!, and TOMi Digital through explicit phonetic instruction, retrieval practice, immediate feedback, progressively challenging tasks, and online or offline classroom-response activities. The control group received usual teacher-directed instruction. The primary outcome was the total score on a 60-item paper-based American English phonetics response test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and analysis of covariance. Results – Pretest total-score distributions did not differ significantly between conditions (p = .887). The experimental condition improved significantly from pretest to posttest (Z = −6.156, p < .001), whereas the control condition showed no statistically significant change (p = .657). At posttest, 98% of the experimental group achieved medium, high, or very-high scores, compared with 30% of the control group. After adjustment for baseline scores, condition was significantly associated with total posttest performance, F(1, 97) = 200.39, p < .001, partial eta squared = .674. Discussion – The intervention was associated with improved performance on the written phonetics response test. Nevertheless, the results do not demonstrate improvements in pronunciation, intelligibility, or spoken production. The nonrandom allocation of intact groups also limits causal inference.

Instituciones: Universidad Privada de Tacna; Universidad Católica de Santa María; Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann