Motivational gamification strategies rooted in self-determination theory for social adaptive E-Learning.

This study uses gamification as the carrier of understanding the motivational benefits of applying the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in social adaptive e-learning, by proposing motivational gamification strategies rooted in SDT, as well as developing and testing these strategies. Results show high perceived motivation amongst the students, and identify a high usability of the implementation, which supports the applicability of the proposed approach

Autonomy in Video Games and Gamification

In the past decade, gamification (using game elements in non-gaming tasks to enhance motivation and engagement) has become a popular concept in many industries, but few studies have explored the principles under which it works. Self-determination theory suggests three psychological needs that gamification fulfills: competence, relatedness, and autonomy. Autonomy, a person\u27s perception that they have the ability to act however they choose, has emerged as an important, yet less-studied aspect in gamification. Inclusion of autonomy in gamification should foster engagement, enjoyment, and better performance. An experiment inspired by the above was carried out in which a sample of college students (N = 57) played a video game called Super Mario Bros. Crossover with either the choice to customize the aesthetics of their character and background (autonomy-supportive) or no choice of aesthetics (non-supportive). It was hypothesized that conditions involving more choice would lead to higher perceived autonomy and performance, and that perceived autonomy would be positively correlated with engagement, enjoyment, and performance. The manipulation resulted in no significant difference in perceived autonomy or performance, and perceived autonomy was only significantly positively correlated with enjoyment. Prior Super Mario Bros. experience was also found to positively correlate with perceived autonomy in the autonomy-supportive condition. The choice of aesthetics does not appear to have been sufficiently strong enough to increase perceived autonomy in this context

A Design Framework for Adaptive Gamification Applications

The application of gamification does not always achieve the expected results due to the shortcomings of the quite common one size fits all approach of standard gamification concepts. We therefore propose a design framework that can inform systematic development of adaptive gamification applications. The developed framework draws on the current body of gamification literature, focusing on the emerging research stream of adaptive gamification. It provides design paths and design principles that translate the individual elements into concrete guidelines to assist the design practice. The framework has been successfully applied to the design and implementation of a prototype application using gamification to incentivize knowledge exchange on an existing online platform for physicians in practical medical training. The evaluation in a case study indicated positive user acceptance and increased system usage after the introduction of the developed adaptive gamification solution

Leveraging Douyin for Enhanced Learning Motivation: A Study on Educational Strategies and Student Attitudes

This study investigates the integration of Douyin, known globally as TikTok, in educational settings to enhance student learning motivation. The research aims to understand how the use of Douyin, a platform predominantly used for entertainment, can be effectively repurposed for educational purposes. The study is structured around several key areas: student engagement, self-regulation, teacher facilitation, peer collaboration, personalized learning, and student attitudes towards using Douyin in an educational context. A mixed-method approach is employed, involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection through surveys, interviews, and observational studies. The quantitative data assesses the impact of Douyin on various learning motivation factors, while qualitative data provides in-depth insights into student and teacher experiences. The findings suggest that when used strategically, Douyin can significantly enhance student engagement, promote active learning, and foster a positive learning environment. The study also highlights the importance of teachers’ roles in facilitating effective use of Douyin and the influence of student attitudes on learning outcomes.This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on digital technology in education, offering practical implications for educators seeking to integrate social media platforms like Douyin into their teaching practices

“Who cares about fireworks?” – A Study on Digital Coaching, Gamification and Exercise Motivation

Digital coaching systems offer users support in their physical training through insights and advice based on the individual’s activity data. Often these systems utilize gamification mechanisms to motivate users. In this study we conduct interviews with digital coaching users to understand how digital coaching systems are used to motivate physical activity, what kind of a role gamification plays, and how digital coaching systems should be developed further to better motivate users. We find that data itself is more motivating than gamification mechanisms, that players use data to play their own, internal games; and that data is also used for social purposes. We find that the benefits from digital coaches today are limited and mainly related to accurate exercise tracking and visualization of user data. Gamified elements are used on a low level and not perceived as value-adding by the users; deeper understanding of motivation theory and promoting intrinsic motivation is needed

Validating the Effectiveness of Data-Driven Gamification Recommendations: An Exploratory Study

Gamification design has benefited from data-driven approaches to creating strategies based on students characteristics. However, these strategies need further validation to verify their effectiveness in e-learning environments. The exploratory study presented in this paper thus aims at verifying how data-driven gamified strategies are perceived by the students, i.e., the users of e-learning environments. In this study, we conducted a survey presenting 25 predefined strategies, based on a previous study, to students and analysed each strategys perceived relevance, instanced in an e-learning environment. Our results show that students perceive Acknowledgement, Objective and Progression as important elements in a gamified e-learning environment. We also provide new insights about existing elements and design recommendations for domain specialists

DOES THE WINNER TAKE IT ALL? – TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHY THERE MIGHT BE NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL GAMIFICATION DESIGN

Despite the popularity of gamification, and the positive effects of games in daily life, many gamification projects fail. A possible explanation for this observation is that most projects follow a one-size-fits-all approach without considering what the intended users really want. Closely related to this, most approaches focus on the integration of competitive game structures even though several mechanisms are available. This applies especially for the learning context of the study. Consequently, we aim to investigate the effectiveness of multiple gamification configurations based on different underlying motivational structures of users. To achieve our goal, we combine social comparison and social interdependence theory. This integration of theories helps to identify reward structures. They serve to analyze differences in user needs concerning their motivation to learn. We develop hypotheses that expose four different reward structures: autonomous, competitive, cooperative, and co-competitive. Our research-in-progress paper closes with an outline of an upcoming experiment. Once our research is completed, we expect to be able to better understand how differences in the users’ motivational structures influence their motivation in the context of learning, and how gamification configurations can be adapted based on a user’s underlying motivational structures

Serious Gaming for Behaviour Change: A Systematic Review

Over the years, there has been a significant increase in the adoption of game-based interventions for behaviour change associated with many fields such as health, education, and psychology. This is due to the significance of the players’ intrinsic motivation that is naturally generated to play games and the substantial impact they can have on players. Many review papers measure the effectiveness of the use of gaming on changing behaviours; however, these studies neglect the game features involved in the game design process, which have an impact of stimulating behaviour change. Therefore, this paper aimed to identify game design mechanics and features that are reported to commonly influence behaviour change during and/or after the interventions. This paper identified key theories of behaviour change that inform the game design process, providing insights that can be adopted by game designers for informing considerations on the use of game features for moderating behaviour in their own games

Gamification through leaderboards : an empirical study in engineering education

Universities are looking for solutions to engage more students in STEM domains and enhance their learning performance (LP). In this context, gamification is put forward as a solution to achieve this aim. The present study examined the effect of gamification – building on leaderboards ‐ on LP. Furthermore, mediating variables, such as intrinsic motivation, self‐efficacy, engagement, and background variables, such as sex, previous gaming experience, and undergraduate major, were considered. A pretest‐posttest quasi‐experimental design with an experimental and a control condition was set up (n = 89) in an Introductory Computer Programming course. We observed a significant improvement in the LP of students in the gamified condition. However, no interaction effect was detected, due to mediating and background variables. The high learning gain is a favorable indicator that gamification might be a promising approach to promote STEM programs

Discovering the Pedagogy and Secrets of Gamification and Game-Based Learning Applied to the Music Theory Classroom

This research project aims to establish the credibility of gamification and game-based learning (GBL) in higher education and online education, specifically for applying digital game-based learning (DGBL) to the twenty-first-century music theory classroom. This research project aims to address the current Education Engagement Crisis, the historical need of engaging students, and adapting the music curriculum to the current technological age. This research project will propose an original digital game concept and framework for teaching music theory core skills and other areas of music-related study in higher education as its contribution to the field and research of music education and digital game-based learning. The proposed game, the Universe of Music Theory: Music Masters (UoMT), will be an immersive, engaging, fun, and interactive, online learning-centered game created for the music theory core curricula and designed to address the preferred learning methods of digital natives. This framework may work alongside any music-core program or course as a MIDI lab activity, course-facilitated, or independent supplemental teaching and learning tool. The UoMT will facilitate unique opportunities to teach, reinforce, and assess music theory concepts in a praxial manner that will enable students to practice music-core skills (Music Theory, Keyboard Skills, and Aural Skills) and explore interconnected music-related disciplines (music academia, natural and scientific sound and music phenomena, and psychology of music). What the student learns in class will increase their in-game efficiency and what the student reviews in the game will increase their in-class efficiency