The effect of gamified speaking activities on willingness to communicate in Turkish as a foreign language classes

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of gamified speaking activities on willingness to communicate in Turkish as a foreign language classroom. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study involved 16 international students learning Turkish as a foreign language at A2 and B2 proficiency levels. Following the implementation of specially designed activities, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were conducted. The findings, obtained through content analysis, were interpreted using thematic tables. The results indicate that the use of gamified activities enhances students' willingness to speak, supports vocabulary development and social interaction, and increases their motivation to learn the language. Furthermore, the findings suggest that gamified speaking activities may also contribute to the improvement of students' pronunciation skills. Overall, the study demonstrates that gamified activities can be an effective method in teaching Turkish as a foreign language.