Gamification
Gamification and motivation
Whilst studying on the MSc Psychology course, I completed a (practice) qualitative research study about the experience of online learning. It reiterated the value of qualitative evaluation in uncovering hidden constraints and the decisions about learning activities and UI design that impact the learning experience, especially motivation. I had an interesting discussion with a colleague investigating motivation, who, having been told to make her lessons more 'fun', felt that management was directing staff to prioritise 'entertainment' and gamification over learning to compete for students' attention against phones and social media. Lack of engagement and poor attitude due to a lack of investment can be quite difficult to address in my field. This is because English classes are sometimes viewed as an unnecessary burden because students are already studying subjects they are interested in and producing subject-specific work in English for those classes.
To find a solution to the 'fun' issue and learn more about motivation, I researched further into motivation and the gamification of learning. Indeed, the literature appears to support such scepticism, with inconclusive findings regarding the long-term effects of gamification on learning, and the inadequacy of current theories of motivation in explaining varied effects (Khaldi et al., 2023; Koivisto & Hamari, 2019; Mohanty & Christopher, 2023). I learned about the mechanisms behind as well as the limitations of the shallow gamification/rewards-based approach (badges, points, and leaderboards; BPL), which is common in education, using tools such as Quizlet, Kahoot, or Blooket (a new website in my repertoire). However, the debate surrounding the effectiveness of gamification on motivation, learning and behaviour change struck me as interesting from a psychological and pedagogical perspective.
In particular, an article by Chai and Hung (2017) had quite a significant impact on my thinking as it offered a critique of gamification that reflected what I frequently observed in education. This article discusses perspectives of gamification as "pointsification" and "technological solutionism"; that is, applying a superficial points/badge/reward game solution to poor engagement via gamified technologies when the root of the problem remains unknown or unaddressed (Chai & Hung, 2017, page 60). It also highlighted how such 'technological solutions' neglected cognitive, social and emotional aspects of games, which I had not previously considered in much depth. A further article by Mozelius (2021) reaffirmed the relationship between shallow gamification and extrinsic motivation, and deep gamification and intrinsic motivation. It suggested a greater need for well-considered deep gamification in Higher Education (i.e. deep immersion of gaming elements such as narrative, player agency, feedback, solo and collaborative challenges in the core curriculum and learning processes). Such an approach seems more appropriate given that the generations now entering Higher Education have been raised in a digital age, with high attentional demands, and where social media in particular, predominantly engages our students in shallow, reward-based gamification using extrinsic motivators such as likes, views, streaks, badges and constant notifications to grab attention/produce short-term engagement, and produce dopamine hits that correlate with addictive behaviours.
Reflection
In comparison to previous years, when I had used a written SMART(ER) goal template only, students who engaged in this gamified activity appeared more engaged, evidenced by the fact that all students completed the activity and submitted their goals on time. Although no direct causal claim can be made, in tutorials, students expressed clear associations between their actions now and their desired future lives. Feedback from observations conducted by members of the senior leadership team also revealed that students felt confident they would achieve well and felt motivated to learn English again. Perhaps this was influenced by an appreciation for the role of English study in becoming their ideal future self, as the activity encouraged metacognitive reflection on the gap between now and the future to set goals fostering endogenous and exogenous motivation, and was often referred to and revisited as students reviewed their goals. Additionally, when my class was taken over by another tutor (as part of the standard semester rotation), my colleague commented on how focused and well-trained the students were. Indeed, 93% of the group passed their final exams on their first try.
Application of my learning has enabled me to not only add variety to learning tasks but also to use technology to enhance engagement in a more meaningful way. Using Padlet in the style of social media and a digital identity-based gamification strategy using avatars was effective, considering the life stage of my students. According to Erikson's Developmental Stages Model, late adolescence moving into young adulthood is a period of identity formation where individuals attempt to 'find themselves' and develop more meaningful relationships (Orenstein & Lewis, 2022). Feedback from my co-worker, who also used this activity with some adjustments for her own class, was that students "loved it", were highly engaged and sociable, and were able to articulate the value of supporting their learning with English classes.
Although the identity-based gamification element seemed to be more effective than the SMART(ER) goals alone, in the future, I think it would be more effective to help students create a stronger narrative that helps sustain motivation, so they are more self-directed and do not need so many reminders of their goals. As scholars have argued, gamification needs to be deep, embedded and sustained rather than shallow (Nicholson, 2015; Chia & Hung, 2017). Even though the activity, avatars, ideal future self and goals were referred to over the semester, investment in the future identity, reflection and transfer could be strengthened. One option might be to integrate the activity into a longitudinal formative reflective task using a multimedia portfolio embedded in the VLE/LMS. This would enable students to build a full picture of their ideal self and reflect on their journey. Multimedia use would also allow students to express themselves in whatever mode they choose; some may even choose to give a voice to their avatar and make reflective audio or video recordings (e.g. using Face apps, AR apps or AI avatar apps). In this way, the use of the game elements would become more meaningful and the technology more purposeful as students add to the narrative arc over time. The task and technology would also support the monitoring of language development and metacognitive skills over time, supporting achievement of learning aims.