Motivation through Gamification
The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of integrating gamification in the middle school classroom as a motivational tool to increase student engagement and assignment completion at increasing levels of learning in an independent reading unit. Gamification can be defined as the use of game design and elements in the classroom (e.g. levels that gain complexity, extrinsic rewards and player choice) on non-game curriculum. Although not a formal pedagogy, gamifying tends to have similar components to games: mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics. This can be a powerful motivator if it encourages further engagement. This study looked at how using gamified elements affected engagement and motivation in students to reach higher taxonomies of learning or categories of cognitive learning behaviors. It also assessed how gamifying the curriculum affected student attitudes toward learning and completing assignments. The study was conducted in two 8th grade language arts classrooms where students completed the traditional unit of study first, and then followed with a gamified version. The lesson design included tasks for students to complete as they read a book independently. These tasks increased in cognitive levels according to the taxonomies of learning. The units were the same, with the only difference being the gamified elements during the second unit. The study compared the results of student engagement in the traditional unit, and the unit that used gaming elements (levels, choice and extrinsic rewards) along the way.
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Action Research
allison_gamificationactionresearch.docx |
Review of Literature
allison_reviewofliterature.docx |