Rock or Lock? Gamifying an online course management system for pronunciation instruction: Focus on English /r/ and /l/

Oct 15, 2026

This one-group quasi-experimental study evaluates a gamified course management system using points and badges to support English phonology development in a foreign-language context in Japan. The study targets production acquisition of /r/ and /l/ segments through r/ock and l/ock-style production tasks. Participants used Moodle for two weeks, completing pre/post controlled elicitation tests, a written follow-up questionnaire, and user logs. Results show improved target production and positive perceptions of enjoyment, reduced anxiety, and pedagogical usefulness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Second Language Pronunciation Instruction

calico journal (online) issn 2056–9017 Article Rock or Lock? Gamifying an online course management system for pronunciation instruction: Focus on English /r/ and /l/ Michael Barcomb 1 and Walcir Cardoso2 Abstract This one-group quasi-experimental study aimed to determine the effectiveness of using a gamified course management system with points, badges (and consequently competition) to facilitate the development of English phonology in a foreign language context in Japan. To implement this idea, we focused on the acquisition of English segments /r/ and /l/ in production (as in /r/ock and /l/ ock respectively). During the study, participants were asked to engage in gamified pronunciation activities over a period of two weeks, using a popular learning site (Moodle). The data collection instruments included pre-and posttests to examine the development in production of /r/ and /l/ (using controlled aural elicitation tasks), a written follow-up questionnaire, and user logs to investigate users’ perceptions ofthe pedagogy utilized. The results indicate that participants benefited from the proposed gamified system for L2 pronunciation instruction, as they improved their production of the target English /r/ and /l/ segments. In addition, responses from the interviews and user logs revealed that participants perceived using the site as enjoyable, anxiety-reducing, and pedagogically useful. Keywords:L2 pronunciation instruction; gamification; metaphonological awareness. Over the past two decades, research in second or foreign language (L2) phonology, particularly within communicative frameworks (e.g., Celce-Murcia, Affiliations 1Concordia University, Canada. [email: Michael.Barcomb@mail.concordia.ca](email: Michael.Barcomb@mail.concordia.ca) [2](2Concordia University)[Concordia University](2Concordia University), Canada. [email: Walcir.Cardoso@concordia.ca](email: Walcir.Cardoso@concordia.ca) calico journal vol 37.2 2020 127–147 [https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.36996](https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.36996) ©2020, equinox publishing 128 Rock or Lock? Brinton, & Goodwin, 2010), has pushed pronunciation instruction and research forward. The move from achieving native-like pronunciation to a focus on more attainable goals such as the development of intelligibility and comprehensibility (e.g., Derwing & Munro, 2005) has enabled instructors to help learners work toward realistic goals, as opposed to laboring toward unrealistic objectives such as the achievement of native-like pronunciation (Levis, 2005). While many experiments attempt to understand the process of acquiring an L2 phonological system (e.g., Saito, 2013), there is a lack of research that investigates the development of youngbeginning learners’ L2 pronunciation—without direct instruction from a teacher—in the foreign language setting (for examples with adult learners in a computer-assisted environment see Fouz-González, 2019; Mompean & Fouz-González, 2016; and Thomson, 2011). To this end, this paper investigates the effectiveness of using gamified pronunciation instruction on the development of L2 phonology. In particular, this pilot study investigates how a gamified learning environment (occasionally referred to as “site”) might contribute to the acquisition of foreign /r/ and /l/ by a group of Japanese junior high school English learners. The open source course management system, Moodle, was chosen because it is amenable to gamification via user-designed plugins (e.g., leader boards; PastorPina, Satorre-Cuerda, Molina-Carmona, Gallego-Durán, & Llorens-Largo, 2015). As it will be detailed, a gamified Moodle site with pronunciation videos has the capacity to persuade learners to study about and practice pronouncing articulatorily difficult L2 segments. In this study, a gamified pronunciation site, titled “English Detective”, rewarded students with points and badges as they worked through a series of detective themed pronunciation activities. A one-group p

FAQs

What does the study examine about gamified instruction?

It examines whether a gamified course management system with points and badges can facilitate development of English phonology.

Which English sounds are targeted in the pronunciation activities?

The study focuses on production acquisition of the English segments /r/ and /l/.

How long did participants use the Moodle-based gamified site?

Participants engaged in gamified pronunciation activities for a period of two weeks using Moodle.

Oct 15, 2026

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