Effects of gamification on achievement, engagement and intrinsic motivation among students of different player traits in science learning

Abstract

The infusion of educational technology on students depends not only on the purpose of learning but also on individual needs. This is vital in tackling issues of boredom and disengagement among students when it comes to learning Science. Therefore, gamification, use of game elements in non-gaming context has been adopted to help alleviate the issues. The research examined type of player traits, effects of gamification on engagement, intrinsic motivation and achievement levels, how game elements affect users as well as identify effects of player motivation as a mediating variable. Next, a model of gamification based learning and assessment was developed. A quasi-experimental research was carried out for 8 weeks. 28 students were in the experimental group and 26 students were in the control group. To reduce threats to the research, a dedicated system login, similar educator’s teaching experience and schools with sufficient IT equipment were used. The experimental group was exposed to gamification online via Zondle platform and the traditional classroom used offline via infusion of game elements. Both groups were tested for intrinsic motivation levels using Intrinsic Motivation questionnaire, and the pre-and post-tests were used to identify their achievement levels. The experimental group were tested for player traits using Player Motivation questionnaires and their participation level was based on Zondle Platform usage. The player traits showed that 68% of the experimental group retained their player motivation types and the highest player trait was immersion. Meanwhile, the engagement levels of the experimental students using the gamified platform peaked for Topic 6 at 36.21 times login in comparison to the lowest which was Topic 7 with 5.2 times login. Intrinsic motivation levels of the experimental group showed that their levels of interest, effort, perceived choice and usefulness construct had significant changes at the end of the research. The analysis of achievement levels, showed that pre-and post-test scores of the control group were strong and positively correlated (r=0.630,p<0.001) and the experimental group’s results were moderate and positively correlated (r=0.496,p< 0.007). There was a significant difference between pre-and post-test scores of the experimental group (t=8.040, p<0.000). As an indication of how game elements were affected, it was found that initially there was no preference. However, at the end of the research, the students favoured gamified leader board especially as it motivates them to be better academically and competitive. Meanwhile, badges were preferred offline as students prefer physically acquiring them, for online gamified learning, points and leader board were preferred. The mediating analyses in this research have paved the way to create a model for gamification based learning and assessment for future educators and researchers.