Learning outcomes and motivation in a gamified, lightly personalised virtual learning environment for secondary English

Abstract

This study reports a field evaluation of VLEPIC, a gamified and lightly personalised virtual learning environment developed to support English learning in a public secondary school in Riobamba, Ecuador. As part of the second iteration of a design-based research project, the study explored learning outcomes, learner motivation, and the relationship between them in 131 students aged 12-15 from six intact classes. VLEPIC was used over one school term as teacher-assigned practice outside regular class time, and the quantitative findings were complemented with learners' open-ended comments. Students showed measurable improvement from pretest to posttest, with mean scores increasing from 9.19 to 11.92 and a statistically significant Wilcoxon result with a large rank-based effect size. Motivation was positive across all four dimensions, with relevance and attention receiving the highest ratings. Learners frequently said they felt motivated by the platform's visual and interactive design, the feeling of moving forward through missions and rewards, and the guidance provided while using it. At the same time, some reported reduced motivation when they had to record tasks, deal with text-heavy activities, face comprehension difficulties, cope with early navigation issues, or feel pressure related to scores. Only satisfaction was significantly associated with learning gain at the correlational level, but none of the motivational dimensions remained significant once baseline performance was taken into account. Overall, the findings suggest that VLEPIC was associated with a positive learning experience and measurable short-term progress in this Ecuadorian public-school context, while also indicating that baseline achievement remained more consequential for posttest performance than motivational ratings.