INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF GAMIFICATION ON MOTIVATION FOR READING THE ENGLISH TEXTBOOK AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of gamification on motivation for reading the English textbook among university students in Pakistan. Motivation is a critical factor influencing students’ willingness to engage with academic texts, particularly in contexts where English is studied as a second or foreign language. Despite the central role of textbooks in higher education, many learners demonstrate low interest and limited motivation toward reading assigned English materials. Gamification, which incorporates game-based elements such as points, levels, challenges, and rewards into instructional design, has emerged as an innovative strategy to enhance learner engagement. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was adopted, targeting a sample of 280 undergraduate students from selected universities across Pakistan. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire that assessed students’ perceptions of gamified textbook reading activities across four dimensions: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, engagement, and overall satisfaction. Descriptive statistical methods, including frequencies, means, percentages, and standard deviations, were applied to analyze the data. The findings indicated that students generally perceived gamification as effective in fostering textbook-reading motivation. A majority of respondents reported higher levels of enthusiasm, increased participation in assigned reading tasks, and greater enjoyment compared to conventional approaches. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation measures showed positive trends, suggesting that gamification can address the motivational challenges typically associated with textbook reading. The study concludes that gamification offers significant potential as a pedagogical tool for enhancing reading motivation in higher education. These results provide valuable implications for curriculum designers and language instructors seeking to promote active and sustained engagement with English textbooks.