Using Gamification with Affective Computing for Second Language Learning

Existing educational games for second language learning often lack consideration for a crucial aspect of the learning process: emotions, since these can influence the motivation and comprehension of the student. This study explores the application of affective computing as a complement to a gamified educational application, aiming to provide tailored feedback aligned with the student’s current emotional state. The implemented emotion detection model classifies users into four categories: satisfied, engaged, bored, and confused, then feedback is given according to the result of this model, which may include a comment on the content, an emotional one to re-integrate the student, or both to provide additional assistance, depending on the given scenario. To test this system, an experiment was conducted in a classroom, the results of which showed an effectiveness of the emotions model of 81.25%; moreover, with the use of a usability metric for gamified applications, it was obtained that in terms of the system Usability, there is an 84.87% efficiency, in Educational Usability there is an 85.71% effectiveness, in User Experience, there is a 75.24% of user satisfaction.