The happy association of game and gamification: the use and evaluation of game elements with game-based activities

ABSTRACT

In this study, gamification with game-based activities was implemented in an undergraduate information technologies course in a university. While the qualitative results of this mixed methods revealed what aspects of gamification supported students’ learning in this course, the quantitative analysis of responses to pre- and post-testing showed that the implementation of gamification positively affected students’ motivation and engagement in the course. After the implementation, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students to solicit their views of the treatment and its contribution to their learning. The interview results showed positive psychological effects; students who were unmotivated at the beginning of the semester had become more participatory and engaged in the course after experiencing learning through gamification. Overall, the findings of this study show that gamification warrants further examination as an effective pedagogical approach that can increase students’ motivation to learn and engagement in class.

KEYWORDS:

• Gamification
• game-based activities
• emotional engagement
• behavioural engagement
• cognitive engagement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Semra Fiş Erümit

Semra Fiş Erümit is a Lecturer in the Distance Education Application and Research Center, Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon, Turkey. Her major research interests are gamification, game-based learning, distance education, instructional design, instructional technology and teaching programming.

Türkan Karakuş Yılmaz

Semra Fiş Erümit is a Lecturer in the Distance Education Application and Research Center, Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon, Turkey. Her major research interests are gamification, game-based learning, distance education, instructional design, instructional technology and teaching programming.

Türkan Karakuş Yılmaz is an Associate Professor in the Computer Education & Instructional Technologies Department, Atatürk University in Erzurum, Turkey. Her major research interests are gamification, game-based learning, instructional design and instructional technology, usability and 3D virtual environments.