IMMERSIVE GAMIFIED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION OF FUTURE TOURISM PROFESSIONALS

Shakiyeva Aida, Madina Murzakhanovna Akeshova, Салтанат Тыныбековна Нышанова

2026

Full text Open access: Hybrid Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.59102/pedagogical/2026/iss3pp23-36
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

The rapid digitalization of higher education has increased the need for innovative approaches that improve foreign language education for future tourism professionals. Although immersive technologies and gamification have demonstrated educational potential, their systematic integration through pedagogically grounded instructional design remains insufficiently explored. This study aims to develop and experimentally validate an Immersive Gamified Learning Environment (IGLE) for enhancing foreign language communicative competence, learning motivation, engagement, and professional readiness among future tourism professionals. A mixed-methods quasi-experimental design was employed involving 84 undergraduate tourism students. Participants were assigned to an experimental group (n = 42), which studied through an immersive gamified learning environment, and a control group (n = 42), which received traditional instruction. The twelve-week intervention incorporated Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), AI-assisted conversational practice, authentic tourism scenarios, and gamification elements. Data were collected through communicative competence tests, motivation and engagement questionnaires, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. Students participating in the immersive gamified environment significantly outperformed the control group in communicative competence, motivation, engagement, and communication confidence (p < .001). Authentic tourism simulations, adaptive feedback, and game-based learning promoted active participation, reduced speaking anxiety, strengthened intercultural communication, and improved professional language performance. The proposed instructional model offers practical guidance for designing technology-enhanced foreign language courses in tourism education and may be adapted for hospitality, aviation, and other professionally oriented university programs. The study proposes and empirically validates an original Immersive Gamified Learning Environment that integrates pedagogical design, immersive technologies, authentic tourism communication, and gamification into a unified competency-based framework for foreign language education.