Students' Perceptions of Wordwall in Reducing Distraction in English Learning at SMPIK Nurul Qur'an

This study investigates the implementation of Wordwall, an interactive gamification platform, in managing and optimizing students' attention control during English language instruction. Amidst the rising challenges of maintaining student engagement in digital native classrooms, traditional authoritative disciplinary methods often fall short. Drawing upon Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory, this qualitative case study explores how specific digital game mechanics mitigate classroom distractions and induce an optimal state of cognitive focus. Data were gathered through semi structured interviews with five student informants from a secondary school. The findings reveal that Wordwall systematically minimizes both internal and external classroom barriers. Internal distractions are effectively mitigated because the platform's interactive tasks fully occupy the students' finite cognitive capacity. Furthermore, external social disruptions are productively redirected into task oriented, academic discussions regarding the English material. Ultimately, the research provides actionable insights for English educators to leverage diversified gamification features during low energy school hours to foster organic attention control and enhance the overall language acquisition environment.