Adaptive Gamification and AI-Powered Feedback in Primary English Education: A Personalized Learning Approach
Downloads
The integration of adaptive gamification and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered feedback represents a transformative shift in primary English education, offering pathways toward highly personalized learning experiences. This paper examines how combining game-based learning strategies with AI-driven feedback mechanisms can enhance cognitive, emotional, and motivational outcomes for young learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
The findings highlight that adaptive gamification—through dynamic learning pathways, interactive tasks, and reward systems—can significantly improve vocabulary retention, learner engagement, and motivation. When coupled with AI-powered feedback, students receive real-time formative assessments, individualized guidance, and tailored interventions that surpass traditional teaching methods. These adaptive systems are shown to accommodate differences in learning styles, readiness, and pacing, making them highly suitable for diverse primary school classrooms.
To support the analysis, tables and graphical representations illustrate comparative outcomes between gamified and non-gamified approaches, as well as longitudinal trends in the application of AI and gamification in education. Key challenges, including ethical considerations, over-gamification risks, and infrastructural limitations, are also discussed.
Overall, the research emphasizes the pedagogical potential of blending adaptive gamification with AI-driven feedback as a framework for personalized learning in primary English education. This hybrid approach not only enhances academic achievement but also fosters sustained motivation, learner autonomy, and inclusive classroom practices. Future directions call for longitudinal and cross-cultural studies to validate outcomes, alongside policy-driven strategies to ensure ethical and equitable integration of AI in early education.
Keywords: Adaptive gamification, AI-powered feedback, personalized learning, primary English education, EFL, intelligent tutoring systems.
Downloads
1. Aleven, V., Mclaren, B., Roll, I., & Koedinger, K. (2006). Toward meta-cognitive tutoring: A model of help seeking with a Cognitive Tutor. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 16(2), 101-128.
2. Chen, C. M., Liu, H., & Huang, H. B. (2019). Effects of a mobile game-based English vocabulary learning app on learners’ perceptions and learning performance: A case study of Taiwanese EFL learners. ReCALL, 31(2), 170-188.
3. Dehghanzadeh, H., Fardanesh, H., Hatami, J., Talaee, E., & Noroozi, O. (2021). Using gamification to support learning English as a second language: a systematic review. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(7), 934-957.
4. Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on formative feedback. Review of educational research, 78(1), 153-189.
5. Desmarais, M. C., & Baker, R. S. D. (2012). A review of recent advances in learner and skill modeling in intelligent learning environments. User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction, 22(1), 9-38.
6. Rızvı, M. (2023). Investigating AI-powered tutoring systems that adapt to individual student needs, providing personalized guidance and assessments. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational and Social Sciences, 31, 67-73.
7. Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011, September). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining" gamification". In Proceedings of the 15th international academic MindTrek conference: Envisioning future media environments (pp. 9-15).
8. VanLehn, Kurt. "The relative effectiveness of human tutoring, intelligent tutoring systems, and other tutoring systems." Educational psychologist 46.4 (2011): 197-221.
9. Domínguez, A., Saenz-de-Navarrete, J., De-Marcos, L., Fernández-Sanz, L., Pagés, C., & Martínez-Herráiz, J. J. (2013). Gamifying learning experiences: Practical implications and outcomes. Computers & education, 63, 380-392.
10. Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014, January). Does gamification work?--a literature review of empirical studies on gamification. In 2014 47th Hawaii international conference on system sciences (pp. 3025-3034). Ieee.
11. Jegede, O. O. (2024). Artificial intelligence and English language learning: Exploring the roles of AI-driven tools in personalizing learning and providing instant feedback. Universal Library of Languages and Literatures, 1(2).
12. Hwang, G. J., & Wu, P. H. (2012). Advancements and trends in digital game-based learning research: A review of publications in selected journals from 2001 to 2010. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(1).
13. Hamari, J., & Keronen, L. (2017). Why do people play games? A meta-analysis. International Journal of Information Management, 37(3), 125-141.
14. Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of educational research, 77(1), 81-112.
15. Luo, Z. (2023). The effectiveness of gamified tools for foreign language learning (FLL): A systematic review. Behavioral Sciences, 13(4), 331.
16. Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., & Kinzer, C. K. (2015). Foundations of game-based learning. Educational psychologist, 50(4), 258-283.
17. Hwang, G. J., Sung, H. Y., Hung, C. M., Huang, I., & Tsai, C. C. (2012). Development of a personalized educational computer game based on students’ learning styles. Educational Technology Research and Development, 60(4), 623-638.
18. Halkiopoulos, C., & Gkintoni, E. (2024). Leveraging AI in e-learning: Personalized learning and adaptive assessment through cognitive neuropsychology—A systematic analysis. Electronics, 13(18), 3762.
19. Liu, L. (2024). Impact of AI gamification on EFL learning outcomes and nonlinear dynamic motivation: Comparing adaptive learning paths, conversational agents, and storytelling. Education and Information Technologies, 1-40.
20. Roll, I., Aleven, V., McLaren, B. M., & Koedinger, K. R. (2011). Improving students’ help-seeking skills using metacognitive feedback in an intelligent tutoring system. Learning and instruction, 21(2), 267-280.
21. Sailer, M., & Homner, L. (2020). The gamification of learning: A meta-analysis. Educational psychology review, 32(1), 77-112.
22. Banik, B. G., & Gullapelly, A. (2025). AI-Powered gamification and interactive learning tools for enhancing student engagement. In Driving Quality Education Through AI and Data Science (pp. 283-310). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
23. Yenuri, A. (2023). AI-Powered Language Learning: A new frontier in personalized education. Journal of Language Instruction and Applied Linguistics, 1(01), 109-116.
24. Muthmainnah, M., Cardoso, L., Alsbbagh, Y. A. M. R., Al Yakin, A., & Apriani, E. (2024, June). Advancing sustainable learning by boosting student self-regulated learning and feedback through AI-driven personalized in EFL education. In International conference on explainable artificial intelligence in the digital sustainability (pp. 36-54). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Copyright (c) 2025 Adrian Paul Duffy Murphy

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.