Enhancing English Listening Comprehension through Interactive Games: An ELT-Based Assessment Approach

The research examines the impact of interactive game-based learning on the improvement of English listening comprehension for ELT learners under the concept of Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). With 200 elementary students and 15 English teachers as its sample in Hefei, China, the study investigates the role of interactive games within the four ELT stages, i.e., Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. Results show that active involvement and immediate feedback bring about the greatest gains in students' accuracy and comprehension of listening materials as well as their listening motivation and strategy use. Teachers reported more engagement and skill building but also identified challenges including technical constraints, minimal training, and limited time for implementation. The research demonstrates the pedagogic value of the introduction of game-based learning to ELT, by focusing on the role of structured reflection and teacher scaffolding in order to enhance both cognitive and metacognitive outputs. To conclude, it can be said that interactive games provide a novel means to transform the traditional, passive listening class into an interesting, experiential and transferable skill based learning course.