Students' Learning and Gaming Preferences and their Expectations of Gamification

Abstract

Gamification is a relatively new concept that uses game elements in a non-game context. The use of gamification in education appears to increase students' cognitive load and performance levels. The objectives of this research were to identify a students profile, their gaming and learning preferences, and to explore students expectations of gamification in education. A descriptive study was opted for, and an online questionnaire was carried out with level 1-6, full-time, MCAST students. The survey included 271 students, with an average age of 204 years old, most of whom were Maltese (81.9%; 2, p= .000). The majority of students think that the lectures can be turned into a fun game (63.8%; 2, p= .000) and they like that idea (71.6%; 2, p= .000). The favourite type of games for the male participants in this study were first-person shooters, while for the female participants, it was intelligence and quiz/trivia games 2 (8, N = 271) = .69.764, p = .000. Students reported that they might feel more involved in a lecture that makes use of game elements (34.3%; 2, p= .000), and if a specific task is gamified, they would probably feel more competitive and eager to complete it (43.9%; 2, p= .000). When asked which specific game delivery platform has the potential to improve their studies the most, the largest share of students responded with web-based learning platforms (44.3%; 2, p= .000). In conclusion, understanding the students profile allows for more personalisation of teaching activities. Activities can be customised based on students learning preferences, with learning instruction guided by the students expectations of what it would be like to make classes game-like, i.e., gamification.