The Effectiveness of Using Educational Games to Spark EFL Learners’ Attention:

Abstract

Educational games play an important role in the realization of the instructional objectives in different subjects. They help the teacher to present the lesson effectively and students learn and pay attention for longer duration. In this regard, the present study intends to investigate the influence of using educational games to spark the students' attention in Algerian EFL classrooms. Moreover, it aims at figuring out students and teachers’ opinions toward using these games in EFL classrooms. From this point, researchers hypothesized that educational gams are the most efficient tools that motivate learners and assist them to stay focused in the classroom. The current research used a mixed method to collect and describe the data. Two questionnaires were addressed to first year English students and teachers at Medea University. The findings showed that using educational games enables learners to be attentive during the session. Besides, they demonstrated that teachers and students support the use of educational games in EFL classrooms because they create a relaxed atmosphere that helps learners to have clear understanding.