Abstract
The increasing integration of gamified artificial intelligence (AI) platforms in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education offers promising prospects for vocabulary development, yet their cognitive and motivational impacts remain inadequately explored in culturally distinct contexts. While these platforms employ adaptive algorithms and game mechanics to customize learning experiences and sustain engagement, they may also generate disparities between design assumptions and the actual socio-technological contexts of learners, particularly in resource-constrained, teacher-centric educational systems like that of Uzbekistan. This research addressed a gap by doing a phenomenological inquiry grounded on Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), analyzing the engagement of 24 Uzbek female EFL learners with a gamified AI vocabulary platform across four weeks of casual use. Data were collected using digital reflective diaries including prompts designed for language retention and motivation, and were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings identified three interconnected categories: (1) Enhancing cognitive architecture through gamified scaffolding (e.g., minimizing extraneous load via micro-task sequencing and augmenting germane load through adaptive feedback loops), (2) Regulating motivation through intrinsic gamification cues (e.g., fostering autonomy through meaningful choices and sustaining engagement through mastery-oriented progression), and (3) Navigating socio-cultural and technological ambiguities (e.g., tension between gamified simplicity and academic complexity and digital literacy disparities exacerbating extraneous load). The results demonstrate that the efficacy of gamified AI systems depends not just on algorithmic customization but also on its alignment with learners' cognitive capacities, emotional needs, and contextual constraints.
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