The paper "Promoting Students' Motivation in Language Education with Gamified Pedagogical Conversational Agents" by Bijan Khosrawi-Rad, Paul Keller, Dennis Benner, Linda Grogorick, Arne Buchwald, Andreas Janson, Jan Marco Leimeister and Susanne Robra-Bissantz has been published in the renowned journal Computers & Education (Impact Factor 10.5, VHB-WI Ranking B).

The study examines how the targeted use of gamification can promote the motivation of learners when using so-called pedagogical conversational agents, i.e. AI-supported learning chatbots. Based on a design science research approach, the research team identified five central design principles that were derived from theoretical principles and expert interviews and validated in two design cycles. These principles were integrated into the development of a functional prototype.

An experimental study shows that gamified learning agents can significantly increase the motivation, engagement and confidence of learners. In addition, the study provides practical recommendations for teachers and developers who want to make AI-supported learning opportunities more motivating.

Computers & Education is one of the leading international journals in the field of technology-enhanced education.

The full article is available as an open access publication at the following link:

Khosrawi-Rad, B., Keller, P. F., Benner, D., Grogorick, L., Borchers, A., Janson, A., Leimeister, J. M., & Robra-Bissantz, S. (2025). Promoting students' motivation in language education with gamified pedagogical conversational agents. Computers & Education. h ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105374