This research examines the influence of leaderboards and badges on student motivation, engagement and academic achievement in the English language classroom at Pt. L.R. College of Technology, Ballabgarh, Dist. Faridabad, Haryana, India. The quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design was used. The gamified instruction group used a leaderboard along with badges and the control group received traditional instruction for 12 weeks. The quantitative data were gathered from sixty 1^st-year undergraduate students using validated tools such as the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ), Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Motivation Scale and Gamification Acceptance Measure (GAM). Twelve participants were interviewed using a semi-structured format to glean qualitative insights. Results presented that the experimental group achieved meaningfully higher scores than the control group on measures of interest and enjoyment (t(58)=3.42, p<.01), perceived competence (t(58)=2.87, p<.01) and autonomous motivation (t(58)=2.65, p<.01). There was a significant group × time interaction in terms of quiz performance (p<.001; repeated measures ANOVA); F(11,638)=4.72. The experimental group also had higher final examination grades (M=87.3, SD=5.8) than the control group (M=82.5, SD=6.2; t(58)=3.15, p<.01). This was corroborated by qualitative data, as students reported a greater sense of achievement, good competition and prolonged engagement. The experimental group also demonstrated significantly higher engagement across all four SCEQ dimensions, with large effect sizes (d = 0.92 to 1.01). The findings align with SDT theory, suggesting that the gamification elements may fulfill the psychological needs of relatedness and competence. This study aligns with the recent surge in research and writing on gamification in higher education and provides practical suggestions for the adoption of a leaderboard and a badge system in the instruction of English.

Keywords: Badges, English Language Learning, Gamification, Leaderboards, Quasi-Experimental Design, Student Motivation, Self-Determination Theory.