A systematic evaluation of game elements effects on students’ motivation

Abstract

Motivation theory is indispensable when discussing processes of learning. Learners who are motivated can learn almost everything. Students’ motivation is probably one of the most important factors for teacher effectiveness both for engagement in the learning process and high academic performance. To have effective environmental education, it is not only necessary to inform the public about the ocean but also to involve and engage them is essential. Motivation and engagement are some of the most commonly mentioned concepts in gamification, thus, a gamified application seems to have the necessary features to improve the motivation of students in the learning context of Ocean Literacy topics. The main aims of this work were: i) to understand through a systematic evaluation, how game elements affect the different motivation layers; and ii) to compare them in terms of enhancing the motivation to recycle among secondary school students (11-14 years). To measure students’ motivation, a pre-test and a post-test using a recycling situational motivation survey were administered in a classroom environment in Portugal and the UK. Findings show a trend regarding the effect of game elements mainly on the most autonomous forms of motivation. The different game elements, each one with different degrees of effects, were shown to have potential to increase motivation.

Effectiveness of virtual laboratory vs. paper-based experiences to the hands-on chemistry practical in Tanzanian secondary schools

“…Thus, as revealed by Abdulwahed and Nagy ( 2009 ), virtual laboratories are not only used as a substitute to real/hands-on laboratory but they can also be used to supplement the hands-on laboratory and provide effective and rapid learning outcomes in the respective science subject. This virtual laboratory provided clear and enjoyable learning environment as commented by teachers, students and different stakeholders reported by different researchers (Ardac & Akaygun, 2004 ; Jeschke et al, 2010 ; Özgür, 2020 ; Caprara & Caprara, 2022 ; Leitão et al, 2022 ). For instance, students who started from virtual laboratory seemed to enjoy in the following stages as they were more aware with all stages than other students.…”

“…By means of virtual laboratories, students have the opportunity of repeating any incorrect experiments as well as to deepen the intended experiences. Moreover, the interactive nature of such teaching methods which most of them are multimedia and simulations (Bellou et al, 2018 ) offers a clear and enjoyable learning environment (Ardac & Akaygun, 2004 ; Jeschke et al, 2010 ; Caprara & Caprara, 2022 ; Leitão et al, 2022 ). As a result, virtual laboratories are not only used as a substitute to real laboratory but they can also be used to supplement the hands-on laboratory and provide effective and rapid learning outcomes in the respective STEM subjects or courses (Abdulwahed & Nagy, 2009 ).…”

When Gamification Spoils Your Learning: A Qualitative Case Study of Gamification Misuse in a Language-Learning App

“…However, gamification misuse can also take other forms, such as exhibiting off-task behaviors [5], addiction [5,124,127], the development of a speculative or gambling mindset [124], or obsession with undesirable competitions [5,124]. With these examples in mind, most studies suggest that the loss of intrinsic motivation for learning due to the dominance of extrinsic motivation is the main reason for the misuse of gamification [38,72,96,116].…”

Ocean literacy gamified: A systematic evaluation of the effect of game elements on students’ learning experience

“…However, the prototype version with the leaderboard as the main game element was shown to have a substantial effect on the least autonomous motivation level (external regulation). In the recycling context, this could represent only recycling to satisfy an external demand or to receive some reward (Leitão et al 2021). Given this, badges were not used as a contingent reward but rather as a tool for raising the awareness of some of the environmental problems we face and how they arise.…”