Based on research conducted at one of the senior high schools in Sidoarjo, the findings show that students display a high level of enthusiasm and respond quickly to teacher instructions, indicating a shift from passive information recipients to active participants who are fully involved in the digital learning ecosystem. This condition is reflected in several key aspects, namely Perceived Usefulness, which shows that students view the use of digital learning media as providing tangible benefits in supporting the learning process; Perceived Ease of Use, which indicates that students find the platform easy to understand and operate; and Attitude, which is reflected in students' positive attitudes towards the application of technology in learning activities. These findings are further reinforced by in-depth qualitative data, in the form of interviews with teacher’s and students, as described in the following section.
Perceived Usefulness, from the teacher perspective, refers to the tangible benefits experienced after using Wayground in learning Assessment activities. This aspect focuses on the impact on the learning process, student engagement, and assessment of effectiveness in the classroom. Based on interviews, teacher’s observed that the use of Wayground created a tangible change in the way students participated during the Assessment. Unlike paper-based question sheets, which often make students passive, the use of Wayground ensures that no students are left behind in the learning process. This platform transformed assessment from initially unpopular to activities that actively involve the entire class because each student must answer questions directly through their own devices.
From a practical standpoint, another benefit is the efficiency in identifying material through automatically generated reports, which helps teacher’s map student understanding and areas that need reinforcement. This information is then used as a basis for determining the next steps in learning. Thus, Wayground not only helps the assessment process but also supports teacher’s in making more appropriate learning decisions based on instantly visible results. Furthermore, it is clear that using Wayground not only creates an active classroom atmosphere but also can manage the class well because all assessments are automatically managed in Wayground. Affirming this practical advantage, the teacher explained:
Based on interviews, teacher’s observed that the use of Wayground increases student participation, as students become more focused, respond to questions more quickly, and actively follow instructions. This means that the Assessment process is no longer teacher-centered, but rather an activity that involves all students simultaneously. Highlighting this exact shift in classroom dynamics, the teacher stated:
However, the teacher’s also emphasized that the effectiveness of Wayground is heavily dictated by the stability of the school's internet infrastructure. While the platform excels in engagement, its high dependency on a digital network represents a significant vulnerability in the assessment process. When a connection becomes unstable, the seamless flow of the Assessment is immediately disrupted, often leading to technical glitches that can frustrate both the educator and the students. This interruption does not only halt the academic activity but also dissipates the interactive momentum and focus that had been carefully established in the classroom. Reflecting on this common technical hurdle, the teacher noted
From the teacher's perspective, perceived ease of use (Ease of Use) is highly dependent on a smooth technical experience throughout the learning process. This aspect includes how easy the application is to operate, the clarity of the user flow, and the minimal effort required to carry out Assessment activities in the classroom. Teacher’s found the system very simple and easy to understand because it didn't require a lot of complicated technical adjustments. This is supported by the highly intuitive user interface design, where the main dashboard is deliberately kept minimalist so that teacher’s don't feel overwhelmed when preparing materials. Regarding this, a teacher stated:
Beyond internal navigation, a prominent usability factor is practical accessibility for students. The teacher explained how this technology simplifies the process of logging into assessment sessions without complicated procedures:
Furthermore, this Assessment process is considered much more practical because teacher’s no longer need to prepare stacks of question papers or manually distribute answer sheets. These simpler and faster steps help save valuable teaching time, allowing teacher’s to focus more deeply on delivering the material and directly monitoring each student's progress. This simple and uncomplicated user experience ultimately creates a sense of comfort for educators who want to continue integrating technology into their teaching activities.
The attitude aspect describes teacher’s emotional responses to the use of Wayground in the learning Assessment process. Unlike usefulness, which focuses on benefits, and ease of use, which emphasises ease of use, attitude is more related to teacher's feelings, interests, and comfort during teaching. Based on the interview results, teacher’s showed a positive attitude because the classroom atmosphere became more lively and interactive. Teacher’s feel happy when students show more active responses during learning. Interactions that previously felt limited are now more visible because students are directly involved in Assessment activities.
In addition, a more dynamic classroom atmosphere makes the teaching process more enjoyable and less monotonous. Competitive activities that arise naturally also provide positive energy in learning.
From the students’ perspective, Perceived Usefulness relates to the tangible benefits they experienced in understanding the material during the assessment process. Students saw Wayground not only as a tool for answering questions but also as a medium that helped them follow a more structured learning flow. This is because the material and quizzes are presented in a series of mutually supportive activities, making it easier for students to gradually deepen concepts. Regarding the comprehensiveness of this feature, one student stated:
With the combination of material delivery and live quizzes, students feel the learning process is more focused because they can immediately practice what has just been explained. This makes them more aware of what they have understood and what still needs reinforcement. Furthermore, the provision of instant feedback after answering questions is a major advantage perceived by students. They can immediately identify errors and understand the context of the material accurately. Regarding this benefit, students explained:
Students' perceptions of ease of use are largely determined by practical access and efficient technical experience. One of the most appreciated aspects is device flexibility; students don't need to go through the process of installing apps that take up phone memory; instead, they can simply access the app through a web browser. This convenience is further enhanced by the instant quiz entry system via barcode scanning or unique code input. Regarding the convenience of web access, one student stated:
In addition to initial ease of access, the app's navigation system is designed to be highly intuitive, allowing students to contribute directly without requiring complex technical guidance. The widespread use of smartphones has made learning interactions feel more natural. This is supported by a student's statement regarding the system's interactivity:
The attitude aspect of students describes their feelings, interests, and emotional responses when participating in assessment using Wayground. Unlike usefulness, which focuses on learning benefits, and ease of use, which emphasises ease of use, attitude is more related to the psychological experience of students during the activity. Students show a positive attitude because the Assessment feels more enjoyable and less stressful than conventional methods. The attractive visual features make them feel more relaxed before starting the Assessment.
In addition, the ranking feature also creates a sense of challenge to try harder. This sense of challenge encourages students to be more enthusiastic in answering questions. The more relaxed Assessment atmosphere makes students less afraid of making mistakes. They feel more confident to try to answer and follow the process until completion. This positive attitude can be seen from the increased engagement, enthusiastic expressions, and active participation during the activity. Overall, students' attitudes towards the use of Wayground are shaped by a learning experience that feels more enjoyable, interactive, and not boring. This makes them more accepting of the use of technology in learning Assessment. Highlighting how this competitive element specifically drives their motivation, one student explained:
Based on direct classroom observations and in-depth interviews, this study demonstrated that the use of Wayground as a learning assessment tool received a very positive response from both teacher’s and students.
The findings of this study indicate that Wayground is perceived as highly beneficial by both teacher’s and students. For students, the integration of interactive materials and quizzes in a structured flow allows them to immediately practice what they have just learned, resulting in more focused and effective information absorption. For teacher’s, tangible benefits are seen in the efficiency of classroom management through an automated grading system and instantly available learning outcome reports. These findings align with Ariyanti, Mulati, & Inawati, who concluded that students have a positive perception of the use of Wayground, particularly in terms of perceived usefulness, as the platform provides a variety of resources that increase engagement and make learning more enjoyable. Regarding direct feedback, Liu, Chen, & Huang found that Wayground allows students to recognize and correct their mistakes immediately, and gamification elements such as points and instant feedback serve as extrinsic motivators that encourage continued learning engagement . In the context of classroom management, Suwarni et al. in their study of junior high school students in Palembang found that Wayground's effectiveness in increasing student attention reached 70.1% and student learning motivation reached 70.3%. This indicates that this platform is consistently able to maintain student focus and engagement throughout the learning process, thus helping teacher’s manage classroom dynamics more effectively . This is further reinforced from a teacher perspective by Zuhriyah & Pratolo who highlighted the post-quiz review screen that allows students to see why their answers were incorrect, while teacher’s in Lim & Yunus's study utilized the report to make real-time instructional adjustments . This finding is also supported by Narpila et al. who argued that through Wayground, learning assessment becomes more effective and efficient because students no longer use paper, considering that traditional paper-based assessments tend to make students bored and unfocused .
Both teacher’s and students in this study agreed that convenience was a key reason for Wayground's acceptance. For students as users, convenience comes in the form of access without installing additional applications simply through a web browser, scan a barcode, or enter a unique code to immediately join an assessment session. The intuitive "one-click" navigation system makes answering questions less tedious than paper-based assessments, which tend to be monotonous. For teacher’s as content creators, convenience is seen in the availability of a ready-to-use question library, a simple quiz creation interface, and content sharing features between teacher’s, which significantly reduce the burden of daily administrative preparation. From the perspective of students as users, Dewi & Astuti in their study examining EFL students' views on Wayground as an online learning medium found that students considered Wayground very practical because it did not require complicated registration procedures, where this platform maintained student concentration and motivation throughout the learning process . In line with this, Vu et al. in their study of EFL students in Vietnam found that the ability to access Wayground anytime and anywhere through any device prevented students from feeling bored or sleepy during the learning process, while also making it easier for teacher’s to monitor students' learning progress directly without complicated technical procedures . In addition, Suwarni et al. revealed that as many as 90% of students considered Wayground as a practical application to operate, and 80% reported an increase in learning interest after using it, reflecting how low technical barriers students perceived in accessing this platform . From the perspective of teacher’s as content creators, Niek & Aziz in their systematic review asserted that teacher’s can create interactive quizzes, conduct real-time assessments, and provide direct feedback to students through Wayground, while implementation only requires sharing the quiz link to students who then immediately join and participate without technical procedures that burden the teacher as the content creator . This was also confirmed by Aulia & Warni in their study, which emphasized that Wayground replaces the traditional paper-based quiz method by allowing teacher’s to create questions online which also simplifies the assessment process, where teacher’s can adjust the type of questions, add images, and set the time to work according to learning needs without requiring high technical skills . However, unstable internet connections, difficulty accessing the platform, and limited availability of digital devices were consistently reported as obstacles to effective implementation, which occasionally disrupted class activities and reduced student enthusiasm.
The Attitude dimension in this study revealed a significant shift in the emotional atmosphere of the classroom, for both students and teacher’s. Wayground successfully transformed assessments, typically perceived as stressful, into fun and motivating challenges. The avatar feature provided a uniquely personalized experience, with students often engaging in avatar "costume battles" before the session began, effectively lowering their anxiety levels. The leaderboard feature also triggered a positive adrenaline rush, encouraging students to think more quickly and accurately to improve their standing among their peers, thus creating more lively and proactive interactions during the assessment. For teacher’s, this more dynamic classroom atmosphere fostered feelings of enjoyment and motivation in teaching, as previously awkward interactions became much more real and lively. From the perspective of students as users, this finding is reinforced by research by Irsyad, Miftakh, & Ridwan who found that in the affective component, students showed a high level of satisfaction and enthusiasm when using Wayground in class; while in the behavioral component, students became more willing to actively participate in class activities due to the interactive and fun nature of Wayground . This is also in line with the findings of Dzikrullah & Syafi'i who involved 61 intermediate-level EFL students in Indonesia and found that students enjoyed Wayground and found it fun, interesting, motivating, and exciting because it was different from other platforms . Specifically regarding the role of the leaderboard feature in shaping student attitudes, Zhang & Crawford emphasized that the leaderboard feature on Wayground allows students to compete in quizzes, thereby increasing their motivation and activeness, where students feel happy because answering questions via mobile phones creates a new atmosphere different from working on assignments on paper. From the perspective of teacher’s as content creators, Nurlela et al. in their research in Kampung Inggris Semarang noted that gamification elements such as points, leaderboards, and visual feedback that can be configured by teacher’s stimulate students' intrinsic motivation and create a dynamic learning experience, which in turn influences teacher’s perceptions and enthusiasm in designing more creative and diverse assessment content . Similarly, Zhang & Crawford revealed that when teacher’s design game-based activities in the classroom, boring language phenomena can be transformed into lively and engaging teaching methods, and that the internal and external motivations fostered through teacher-designed gamification-based assessment content will influence students' future English learning practices. Nevertheless, this positive attitude does not come without risks . This study found that leaderboard transparency can have a negative psychological impact on lower-ranking students, making them vulnerable to feelings of inferiority and social pressure. Nugroho et al. in their study of 62 EFL students in Indonesia using Keller's ARCS framework found that although gamification through Wayground was generally successful in reducing test anxiety, students' confidence and comfort levels during quizzes were significantly influenced by their perceptions of their relative performance compared to their peers . This emphasizes that managing competitive features designed by teacher’s as content creators needs to be done wisely so that the platform's motivational benefits can be felt equally by all students, not just those at the top.
Nonetheless, despite all its advantages, using Wayground as a digital assessment tool still has several downsides and challenges that need to be managed wisely. The most crucial obstacle is the very high dependence on internet network stability. As a result, Wayground is not optimally used in schools that have a slow internet connection. Sudden signal disruptions can interrupt assessment sessions, disrupt concentration, and immediately lower students' learning motivation [26]. This finding is in line with Niek & Aziz who in their systematic review consistently identified unstable internet connectivity, difficulty accessing the platform, and limited device availability as the most frequently reported barriers to effective implementation of digital quiz platforms, which directly disrupts the flow of learning sessions . Furthermore, there is a risk of superficial learning, where time pressure in games sometimes makes students tend to answer as quickly as possible for points without truly understanding the essence or deeper meaning of the questions [27]. Reliance on external rewards such as rankings also risks reducing intrinsic learning interest if game elements begin to feel ordinary or monotonous for students [28]. This risk is reinforced by a systematic review analyzing 40 studies and finding that while gamification has a positive effect on student motivation, in the long term, this motivation can decline as the novelty and extrinsic rewards, which only generate short-term motivation, wear off. Finally, the transparency of the leaderboard feature can actually backfire psychologically on students. Consistent with Margaretha and Leonardo's findings, these public rankings often make lower-ranked students feel insecure and embarrassed, making them vulnerable to envy and bullying [29]. Rather than motivating, the mental stress of thinking about rankings actually impairs students' focus and concentration on subsequent questions. This is also confirmed by Zhang & Hasim, who identified that competitive elements such as leaderboards can induce high levels of learning anxiety in some students and potentially hinder their academic performance .
The use of the Wayground platform in English language learning assessment at one of the senior high schools in Sidoarjo has brought about a significant transformation in classroom dynamics. Assessment, previously often perceived as a tedious or daunting burden, have now become interactive and enjoyable activities through gamification elements. Wayground successfully encourages active student participation, with each student having an equal opportunity to contribute through their own devices, ensuring that no one is left behind in the learning process. Psychologically, features such as avatars and leaderboards create a healthy competitive atmosphere, which has been shown to increase intrinsic motivation, enthusiasm, and self-confidence. This ultimately helps students absorb English material more effectively because they are in a relaxed and focused mental state. For teacher’s, the platform provides tangible efficiencies through its automated grading system and instant reporting, allowing for more accurate mapping of student understanding and facilitating subsequent learning decisions. Overall, Wayground serves not only as a technical assessment tool but also as an effective bridge between students' digital habits and the school's academic needs.
Based on the research findings, several recommendations are available for optimizing the use of technology in educational Assessment. First, schools are strongly advised to continue strengthening their internet infrastructure, including providing dedicated bandwidth allocations during assessment periods to prevent technical issues that could disrupt learning momentum. Second, teacher’s are expected to focus more than just on final quiz scores, but also to consistently hold post-assessment discussion sessions to ensure a deep understanding of concepts and avoid shallow answer patterns. Third, app developers are strongly encouraged to add an offline mode feature and the option to hide public leaderboards to accommodate connection limitations and maintain student psychological well-being. Finally, future researchers are advised to conduct long-term experimental studies with a larger sample size to measure the concrete impact of using this platform on improving students' cognitive learning outcomes in English.
The researcher extends sincere gratitude to Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo (UMSIDA) for the support, guidance, and facilities provided throughout the conduct of this research. The researcher also expresses sincere appreciation to all research participants particularly the high school students and teachers who dedicated their time to contribute to this study. Without their active participation, this research could not have been successfully carried out.