A Phenomenological Study into How Early Childhood Educators Experience Gamification as an Employee Motivational Tool

The purpose of this study was to explore how early childhood educators (ECE) experience gamification as a motivational tool. The study was grounded in self-efficacy theory and used the transcendental phenomenological methodology to uncover the lived experiences of the participants. The researcher used questionnaires, journals, and interviews to gather data from respondents. The interview utilized open-ended questions to provide respondents the opportunity to give a detailed account of their shared experiences while operating the gamified technology used in their program. Data was collected from 8 ECE teachers working at a private preschool in a mid-Atlantic state. Participant accounts described a lack of consistency during the onboarding phase when each application was introduced to the teaching staff. The most successful gamified application allowed for regular communication between teaching staff and parents. Participants noted the training application was an asset, as it aligned with participants’ educational and professional goals. The curriculum development application was found to be an unreliable lesson planning tool due to inaccuracies in data tracking. Participants felt the monthly rewards systems did not accurately reflect the work completed by teachers. The ECE teachers preferred a clear indicator of how the technology can be used to improve the lives of their students and positively impact the trajectory of their career. Greater consideration should be taken to ensure the applications provide incentives that are appropriate for the users. More research should be conducted to uncover the methods school leaders employ to determine applications used with in schools

ICT and gamified learning in tourism education: a case of South African secondary schools

Tourism is often introduced as a subject in formal education curricula because of the increasing and significant economic contribution of the tourism industry to the private and public sector. This is especially the case in emerging economies in Asia and Africa (Hsu, 2015; Mayaka & Akama, 2015; Cuffy et al., 2012). Tourism in South Africa – which is the geographical setting of this research – is recognised as a key economic sector. At secondary level, tourism has been widely introduced at schools throughout South Africa since 2000 and has experienced significant growth (Umalusi, 2014). Furthermore, information and communication technology (ICT) has rapidly penetrated public and private sectors of the country. ICT affords novel opportunities for social and economic development, and this has especially been observed in the fields of both tourism and education (Anwar et al., 2014; Vandeyar, 2015). Yet, the many uses and implications of ICT for tourism education in South Africa are unclear and under-theorised as a research area (Adukaite, Van Zyl, & Cantoni, 2016). Moreover, engagement has been identified as a significant indicator of student success in South Africa (Council for Higher Education, 2010). Lack of engagement contributes to poor graduation rates at secondary and tertiary institutions in South Africa (Strydom et al., 2010; Titus & Ng’ambi, 2014). A common strategy to address lack of student engagement is introducing game elements into the learning process: the so-called gamification of learning (Kapp, 2012). The majority of research in this field has been conducted in more economically advanced and developed regions, and there is a paucity of research in emerging country contexts. It is argued that gamification can be effectively utilised also in these contexts to address learner engagement and motivation. This study aims to contribute in this respect: firstly, by investigating the extent to which ICT supports tourism education in South African high schools through the lenses of Technology Domestication Theory (Habib, 2005; Haddon, 2006) and Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977). Secondly, the study aims to examine gamified learning acceptance within tourism education in a developing country context. The research assimilates three separate studies. Study 1. The Role of Digital Technology in Tourism Education: A Case Study of South African Secondary Schools The study was designed as an exploratory analysis, based on 24 in-depth interviews (n=24) with high school tourism teachers and government officials. An analysis reveals that teachers recognize ICT as essential in exposing students to the tourism industry. This is especially the case in under-resourced schools, where learners do not have the financial means to participate in tourism activities. However, ICT is still limited in its integration as a pedagogical support tool. The major obstacles toward integration include: technology anxiety, lack of training, availability of resources, and learner resistance to use their personal mobile devices. Study 2. Raising Awareness and Promoting Informal Learning on World Heritage in Southern Africa. The Case of WHACY, a Gamified ICT-enhanced Tool The goal of the study was to present the World Heritage Awareness Campaign for Youth (WHACY) in Southern Africa. A campaign was dedicated to raise awareness and foster informal learning among Southern African youth about the heritage and sustainable tourism. The campaign employed an online and offline gamified learning platform, which was supported by a dedicated website, Facebook page, wiki and offline materials. In one year of operation the campaign reached more than 100K audience. For the evaluation of the campaign, a mixed methods approach was used: focus groups with students (n=9), interviews (n=19) and a survey with teachers (n=209). The study attempted to assess user experience in terms of engagement and conduciveness to learning and explored the possibility of a gamified application to be integrated into the existing high school tourism curriculum. The perspectives of South African tourism students and teachers were here considered. Study 3. Teacher perceptions on the use of digital gamified learning in tourism education: The case of South African secondary schools. The study is quantitative in nature and investigated the behavioural intention of South African tourism teachers to integrate a gamified application within secondary tourism education. Data collected from 209 teachers were tested against the research model using a structural equation modelling approach. The study investigated the extent to which six determined predictors (perceptions about playfulness, curriculum relatedness, learning opportunities, challenge, self-efficacy and computer anxiety) influence the acceptance of a gamified application by South African tourism teachers. The study may prove useful to educators and practitioners in understanding which determinants may influence gamification introduction into formal secondary education

SwageXR:designing gamified AR applications for industrial training

This paper presents a case study describing the design of SwageXR, a gamified tubing assembly exercise where tubing fittings must be correctly identified and assembled. The aim of the gamified AR application is to increase engagement of course trainees to allow for learning development in both theory and practical based exercises.Design needs and requirements were gathered using a contextual design approach and qualitative research through interviews with training course instructors as well as a workshop involving them. The contextual design approach involved the PI taking part in the training course as one of the trainees to observe and build understanding of the taught practical content and the context in which the learning happened. This was followed by semi-structured interviews with 4 training instructors, with results indicating preferred course content to digitise, early concepts for gamification, and the storyline of the gamified content with respect to existing training. Using the data and experience gained from the contextual design approach and interviews, a paper prototype of the gamified AR application was developed and feedback was obtained from the company technical director. The paper prototype and feedback were used as a basis for developing a 3D prototype in VR using ShapesXR. This led to a VR workshop involving the technical director and training manager of the company where the 3D prototype was demonstrated and discussed. The workshop resulted in the flow of the overall application being refined including the storyline, gamification, training, and challenges. The design process aims to facilitate the development of a coded working prototype for SwageXR, with gamification elements such as score, time-based challenges and leaderboards. An initial experience playtest with course trainees will then be possible to gain insight on engagement levels and trainee attitudes about the initial game experience.This paper contributes to the field of game-based learning by providing a case study in design and development of a gamified AR industrial training application, which aims to enhance engagement of trainees

Game-based design for eHealth in practice

Background: Games are increasingly used in eHealth as a strategy for user engagement. While these game-based applications receive attention in literature, there is an enormous diversity of end users and objectives targeted by eHealth. Identifying game content that drives and sustains engagement is therefore challenging. Future developments would benefit from more openness on the game design process and motivational strategies applied. Objective: Our objective was to provide insight in our approach in the development of game-based eHealth in practice. By means of a case study, PERSSILAA, we elaborate the entire game design process and show the motivational strategies applied, to aid researchers and designers of future game-based applications. PERSSILAA is a self-management platform which aims to counter frailty by offering older adults training modules in the domains of healthy nutrition, physical and cognitive training to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Methods: We introduce four phases in the process towards game-based eHealth: 1) end-user research, 2) conceptualisation, 3) creative design and 4) refinement. Results: A total number of 168 participants participated in end-user research (1), resulting in an overview of their preferences for game content and a set of game design recommendations. We found that conventional games currently popular among older adults do not necessarily translate well into engaging concepts for eHealth. Recommendations include: focusing game concepts on thinking, problem solving, variation, discovery and achievement, using high quality aesthetics. Stakeholder sessions with developing partners resulted in strategies for long-term engagement (2), using indicators of user performance on the platform's training modules. These performance indicators, e.g. completed training sessions or exercises, form the basis for game progression. Results from prior phases were used in creative design (3) to create the game "Stranded!". The user plays a shipwrecked person who has to gather parts for a life raft by completing in-game objectives. Iterative prototyping (4) resulted in the final prototype of the game-based application. A total number of 35 end users participated using simulated training modules. The online game-based application was used without reported errors for a six weeks. End users scored appreciation (74/100), ease of use (73/100), expected effectivity and motivation (62/100), fun and pleasantness of using the application (75/100) and intended future use (66/100) which implicates that the application is ready for use by a larger population. Conclusions: The study resulted in a game-based application for which the entire game design process within eHealth was transparently documented. We believe we have contributed to the transfer of knowledge on game design that supports engagement in eHealth applications. Our user evaluations indicate that results from end-user research and consequential strategies for long-term engagement led to game content that is engaging to the older adult end user.</p

The Impact of Gamified Mobile Applications for Disease Management: Case Study Pre-Diabetic Adolescents

In 2014, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States [1]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one third of all adults in the United State are pre-diabetic. Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diabetic. Persons who have an increased risk of developing pre-diabetes are: those who are not physically active, have a family history of diabetes, are within a minority group, are overweight/obese, and other factors. From 1999 to 2008, the occurrence of adolescents ages 12 to 19 with pre-diabetes or diabetes increased from 9% to 23% [5]. The purpose of this study is to determine whether deploying a gamified mobile application will help reduce adolescent’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, as well as increase the quality of user care. Technology can greatly enhance a user’s ability to self-manage and lower their risk for pre-diabetes. Considering the varied uses of smartphones, it is not unusual for an application to be used to help pre-diabetics manage their health. Smartphone applications are currently being used to manage fitness, diet, glucose levels, water intake, blood pressure, heart rate, and weight. In a 2015 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 88% of all American adolescent’s ages 13 to 17 have or have access to a mobile phone, with 73% owning a smartphone. This study also shows that 72% of all adolescents play video games and that 81% have or have access to a gaming console [11]. This data shows the potential for mobile gamified applications in pre-diabetic user care

Game-Based Learning, Gamification in Education and Serious Games

The aim of this book is to present and discuss new advances in serious games to show how they could enhance the effectiveness and outreach of education, advertising, social awareness, health, policies, etc. We present their use in structured learning activities, not only with a focus on game-based learning, but also on the use of game elements and game design techniques to gamify the learning process. The published contributions really demonstrate the wide scope of application of game-based approaches in terms of purpose, target groups, technologies and domains and one aspect they have in common is that they provide evidence of how effective serious games, game-based learning and gamification can be