Gamification, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Acquisition among Young Learners of Developing Nations : Nigeria in Focus

There are a number of learning inadequacies among young learners that can be addressed using gamification. These include poor reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition, lack of reinforcement, insufficient reading resources, and incompetent teachers. This study considers gamification as being capable of addressing learning inadequacies among young learners in Nigeria and other developing nations. It explores the impact of gamification on reading and vocabulary acquisition among young learners. Gackenbach's Game-Based Learning Theory and Guskey's Teacher Professional Development Theory are adopted, because they both justify the thematic concerns of the study. Correlational survey design and exploratory mixed-methods are employed. Online questionnaire and observation were relied on for primary data. Statistical and descriptive tools like figures, simple percentage, Likert 5-scale coding, interpretive devices and analytic description are used. Three major results are established. First, gamification has the capacity to address learning inadequacies and improve learning among pupils. Next, its effectiveness in addressing learning issues obtains at a high extent. And, gamification exerts significant positive impact on learning among pupils. The study concludes that gamification is a technology-based strategy for addressing pressing learning challenges, increasing learning outcomes, and rousing pupils' interests and performance in reading, vocabulary acquisition and learning as whole. It charges teachers to leverage gamification and other allied technological mechanisms for teaching. The needed resources and expertise for effective use of gamification should be provided by government and other concerned stakeholders. Interdisciplinary and stakeholder collaboration, community engagement, and increased awareness campaign are also recommended.