Gamified English Language Learning in Ukraine: Critical Divide between Tradition and Innovation

Abstract

The article aims to describe gamification and educational technologies integrated into English teacher education as impactful and novel practices in Ukraine. Therefore the study briefly reviews educational technologies and gamification research and presents empirical evidence from Kyiv National Linguistic University. Since Ukraine is determined to be in line with the world’s progressive tendencies and is striving for digital humanistic pedagogy, the significance of this study lies in proving that technology-assisted gamified English learning essentially transforms Ukrainian education and positively affects Ukrainian schools where the quality of English is on the agenda. The study’s central question addresses the benefits of gamified learning for building English proficiency in preservice teachers and developing necessary teacher competencies, projecting the effect on their in-service teaching at Ukrainian schools in the future. Collecting the data and carrying out the research employed mixed methods, engaging 43 future teachers of English in the 1st and 2nd years of training and 11 language instructors. The findings prove that the study is relevant and deserves further investigation for a successful application in English teacher preparation in Ukraine to make school classrooms motivating and engaging for enhancing English language education and reaching ambitious goals to meet the world’s standards in teacher training.