FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE

OWERRI, IMO STATE.

P.M.B 1036
A SEMINAR REPORT

ON

BENEFITS OF GAMIFICATION SOFTWARE IN EFFECTIVE

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Submitted by

ONWUACHIMBA OLIVIA KANNAYOCHUKWU

22AH/0033/CS

In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree

Of

HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA

In
COMPUTER SCIENCE

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

SCIENCE

Supervised By

MR. KELECHI EGEGBARA

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 ABSTRACT
In this paper, we reflect on the implementation of a gamified application for helping students learn
important facts about their study program. We focus on two design features, of which different
configurations were tested in a field experiment among Dutch university students (N = 101). The
first feature is feedback, which is expected to increase engagement, with personalized (“tailored”)
feedback being more effective than generic feedback. The second feature is a session limit that
was designed to prevent users from “binging” the game, because this could prevent deep learning.
Results showed that generic feedback was more effective than tailored feedback, contrasting our
expectations. The session limit, however, did prevent binging without reducing the overall number
of sessions played. Our findings suggest that careful consideration of game properties may impact
sustaining and encouraging play via a gamified application. The aim of this study is to reflect on
the relevance of gaming software on improving learning process for children in school, the
research focus on how games can be used to develop a more user-friendly environment for
teaching. The methodology to be used is the Structured System Analysis and Design Methodology.
This methodology was particularly chosen for its simplicity and its ability to break down projects
into smaller executable phases.

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 I. Introduction

New technologies offer exciting opportunities to engage student learning in new ways. One of the

new-technology potentials for motivating students to learn is gamification, which can be defined

as “the use of game-design elements in non-game contexts” (Deterding, 2011). In the past decade,

the popularity of gamification increased rapidly, and various cases are known in which businesses,

web designers, and education workers used gamification in order to engage and motivate a target

group with successful outcomes ( Mollick & Rothbard, 2014). However, more systematic research

is needed to know when and how gamification can be used to the greatest benefit in an education

setting. Many different gamification options exist and usage varies widely, which we briefly

review in the next sections to contextualize our study.

The use of gamification, which refers to the application of game design elements to non-game

contexts in order to increase user engagement, has become popular in a variety of areas, including

education, behavioral psychology, and even physical and mental health. In fact, Scopus searches

(2022) reveal a dramatic growth of gamification and similar terms (gamified, gamifying, etc.)

since 2011, indicating that gamification research has increased significantly in recent years (see

Figure 1).

Figure 1. Evolution of gamification studies: documents by year

(Scopus database, 2022).

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According to this bibliometric analysis, scholars are integrating gamification into other scientific

disciplines outside Computer Science and Education (Social Sciences) (see Figure 2). However,

it should be noted that the terms analyzed in Scopus appear to be mostly related to keywords

predominantly coming from the field of education, such as students, motivation, education, e-

learning, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), serious games, teaching, and virtual reality (VR).

Figure 2. Gamification in scientific fields: documents by subject area

(Scopus database, 2022).

The aim of this article is to discuss the benefits of gamification in the field of education,

particularly in second language (L2) learning, including vocabulary and grammar learning,

language and soft skills development, and L2 assessment. Previous studies on the benefits of

gamification in L2 learning have been considered. All these studies are based on scientific

evidence, or prove effectiveness through evaluation in practice.

II Background of study

There has been much interest in the potential of console games for learning and teaching in recent
years, they are popular with young people. A recent survey carried out for Future lab showed that
79% of 737 children aged five to 15 played computer games at home alone ‘at least a few times a
week’ At the same time, a growing number of research studies show that there are educational
benefits to be derived from gaming in Classrooms and informally at home. Playing computer
games at school is seen to be one of a number of technologically oriented activities which can

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overcome what has been referred to as the ’digital disconnect’ whereby children engage in rich
and extensive uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) at home but this
knowledge and experience is then kept outside of the school gates (Buckingham, 2007).

Definition of Gamification

While there is no universally accepted definition of gamification, most descriptions have similar

characteristics (BURKE, 2014). Deterding et al. (2011) sustain that it is “the use of game design elements

in non-game contexts”; Zichermann (2010) defines it as the “process of using game thinking and mechanics

to engage audiences and solve problems”, and Kim (2011) understands it as “using game techniques to

make activities more engaging and fun”.

From an instructional standpoint, Kapp (2012) sees it as “using game-based mechanics, aesthetics and

game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems”. Similarly,

Figueroa (2015) claims that the goals of gamification seek to increase people’s motivation by introducing

game elements to “create in the users a sense of empowerment and engagement in the way they work

through processes and achieve tasks”. The term gamification was coined in 2002 by Pelling to describe

“applying game-like accelerated user interface design to make electronic transactions both enjoyable and

fast” (BURKE, 2014). This contrasts to Deterding et al. (2011), who state that the term first appeared in

the digital media industry in 2008 and did not become popular until the second half of 2010.

Despite the novelty of the concept, Deterding et al. (2011) claim that the precepts that underpin it have

previously been studied in HCI research (CARROLL, 1982; CARROLL and THOMAS, 1988; MALONE,

1981). The first study examining the factors that underlie why computer games are appealing and can be

integrated in other interfaces was published by Malone (1981). As a result, Deterding et al. (2011) question

whether the principles associated with gamification are different from those linked to HCI, and establish

gamification as a research topic, emphasizing the concepts of games, elements, design and non-game

contexts as key terms.

Gamification is further divided into two types: structural gamification and content gamification. In the

former, game elements are added to a system in order to propel students through content without changing

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the content itself. Only the structure surrounding the content is intended to be game-like (points, badges,

levels, etc.). An example would be a learner earning points within a course for completing an assignment.

Content gamification refers to the incorporation of game elements into content to make content more game-

like. For instance, starting a course with a challenge instead of a list of objectives. Marczewski (2015)

agrees with this categorization but renames both types as extrinsic gamification (structural gamification)

and intrinsic gamification (content gamification), and puts forward a new way of categorizing gamification

types, namely, digital gamification, analogue gamification and hybrid gamification (MARCZEWSKI,

2020).

The Elements of Gamification

The term game elements refer to the several types of game components that can be used in

gamification. As will be discussed in the following paragraphs, there have been numerous

attempts to characterize such game elements.While Deterding et al. (2011a) assert that precisely

defining and classifying game elements is challenging, Werbach and Hunter (2012) examined

more than 100 gamification applications and found that a significant proportion incorporated

points, badges and leaderboards. Some scholars argue that they have an important impact on user

behavior nevertheless, gamification is not limited to the use of these elements as many scholars

have analyzed a much broader range. Bunchball (2010), the pioneer in the area of gamification,

has established connections between the different game mechanics and dynamics (see Figure 3).

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 Figure 3. Game Mechanics and Human Desires (Bunchball, 2010).

The goal of game mechanics is to elicit the player’s primary desires (that is, reward, status,

achievement, self-expression, competition, and altruism). These are considered to be universal,

and span cultures, demographics, genders, and generations.

III Significance of the study

This study will enhance both pupils and teachers in making learning activities easier by allowing

learning to be manifested on application games. This study will also reduce the number of failures

among pupils by providing learning facilities easily accessible to every pupils. In this millennium,

modern technology plays an inevitable role in our lives and to redesign learning process.

IV LITERATURE SURVEY

Games offer a unique structure to complement traditional teaching strategies and infuse teaching

with energy, spark innovative thinking and provide diversity in teaching methods. Games make

learning concepts more palatable for students and supply learners with a platform for their creative

thoughts to bounce around. Games encourage creative behaviors and divergent thought and are

excellent ice breakers. Games will often act as learning triggers inducing lively discussion on

learning concepts amongst students following game play.

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As pedagogical devices, games are extremely useful ‐ they can enliven teaching topics and are

especially effective for dealing with problem solving and key concepts. Research shows that

“games have a special role in building students’ self-confidence” and “they can reduce the gap

between quicker and slower learners”.

Gamification in the Educational Field

The Piano Staircase and The World’s Deepest Bin1, two experiments conducted by The Fun

Theory, an initiative of Volkswagen (Volkswagen, 2009), revealed that people are more likely to

participate in an activity if it appeals to them. Many children are attracted to games and video

games because they are closely associated with the concept of leisure. According to Richards

(2003), the average adolescent will have spent roughly 10,000 hours playing video games by the

age of 21. In reality, the gaming sector has recently surpassed the movie industry in terms of

revenue (RICHTER, 2020) and the number of active video gamers throughout the world has never

been higher (CLEMENT, 2021). Moreover, according to recent research from the University of

Oxford, time spent playing video games is positively correlated with well-being.

Games and video games entail the existence of a parallel universe where rewards, fun, and

competition inspire people to act. They also involve creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, and

a variety of other skills. At this point, the instructional use of games, also known as edutainment,

is not new for users. This paradigm has been used to design board games, video games and even

TV shows. Furthermore, numerous meta-analysis studies have demonstrated the efficiency of

instructional games in Game-Based Learning versus traditional teaching approaches

According to the New Media Consortium Horizon Report, gamification is also gaining popularity

among teachers. The report indicated that “the gamification of education is gaining support among

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educators who recognize that effectively designed games can stimulate large gains in productivity

and creativity among learners”. The NMC Horizon Report exemplifies this point with Kaplan

University, where gamification was implemented in their web applications and a pilot program

was conducted in an Information.

Gamification and Soft Skills Development

Gamification has been evidenced to promote students’ interaction as they are involved in a social

game. This interaction favors the integration of communicative approaches in L2 teaching and

learning, and helps students respond in a natural way to feelings such as happiness, empathy, and

frustration, respect social rules (taking turns, etc.), and develop their soft skills (Fogg, 2002). With

regard to the latter, a wide range of abilities are involved, namely, adaptability, communication,

creative thinking, dependability, work ethic, teamwork, positivity, time management, motivation,

problem-solving, critical thinking, and conflict resolution (Doyle, 2020,).

Idek (2019) investigated the impact of gamification on a group of English language tasks named

“Zombie Challenge Series”, aimed to develop vocational school students’ soft skills. Target

grammatical forms (sequence connectors, conditionals, modal verbs and sentence construction)

were integrated into the gamified context, which incorporated numerous game elements. Four

levels were considered where learners were asked to complete a challenge to move from one level

to the next one. The findings of the research indicated that they not only became more aware of

the linguistic elements that they were supposed to employ and the cognitive skills that they needed

to complete the challenges, but also increased their motivation to learn and could develop their

soft skills while focusing on particular target forms in English. The students affirmed that they

learned “how to work as a team, to discuss their opinions, to accept others’ answers and to make

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the best decision under pressure” (Idek, 2019), and remarked how difficult decision-making was

when working in a team within various constraints like time limit and rules.

Benefits of gamification

Below are the benefits:

Higher levels of engagement

One of the largest benefits of gamification in the classroom is its ability to engage students more

effectively than traditional coursework. Gamified e-learning modules promote engagement by

creating challenges and tracking users’ progress as they learn. As students master learning

materials, they receive recognition for their achievements and gradually progress to more

challenging lessons. Gamification also frequently uses storytelling to guide students through the

learning experience. Together, these techniques help students to engage with the course materials

and promote focus on the lessons at hand.

Improved retention

Gamified learning also helps students retain more of what they learn. Studies of employees gaining

skills with e-learning modules show that gamification increases knowledge retention by

approximately 40 percent. As a result, gamification is an extremely effective strategy for ensuring

that students remember what they learn well after the end of their courses.

Connects learning to the real world

In addition to making learning more fun, gamification in education is also an excellent way to

connect lessons to real-world problems and applications. The rewards and challenges of gamified

learning create a risk-free environment in which students can learn how to apply the knowledge or

skills they’re gaining. When called upon to use these skills in real life, students will better

understand how they can apply them successfully.

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Provides instant feedback and reinforcement

When students learn through game-like interactive play, they receive feedback on their answers

instantly. This allows wrong answers to be corrected quickly, while right answers are rewarded

with positive reinforcement. With gamified learning, students never have to wait to find out how

well they’re doing or how they can improve.

Gets students hooked on learning

A final but extremely important benefit of gamification in education is the fact that it can make

learning an almost addictive experience. Game mechanics such as rewards and competition trigger

dopamine release in the brain, making the learning process far more enjoyable. Because of this,

students have the opportunity to become hooked on learning and mastering new skills.

Gamification In E-learning

The definition of gamification in eLearning can partially explain why it’s such an attractive

strategy for educational courses and programs. In short, it implies using game-based mechanisms,

techniques and aesthetics in a non-game environment (in this case, eLearning) to trigger certain

behavioral patterns that benefit the learning process (e.g. participation, competition, achievement,

collecting, socializing, etc.).

In other words, adding gamification elements to the educational process is not so much about

entertainment. Although, well-made gamified learning is fun. Using gamification for eLearning is

a way of applying human-focused design: the programs are built with the specifics of learners’

behavior, motivation, fears and goals in mind. For example, such features as multiple attempts

help students get rid of the fear of failure, encourage them to try again and experiment. Small

achievable milestones (quiz, match) vs. unrealistic distant goals (language degree) help learners

experience small victories and discourage them from dropping out. Consequently, in the case of

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using gamification as a teaching tool and not as the core, it could be said that the marking system

should be separated. Nevertheless, if the whole learning process is going to be carried out through

gamification, weaker students should be provided with rewards for their distributed practice , that

is, not only for their achievement of the task but also for their improvement made through practice,

which has been proved to be a robust and strong phenomenon in learning

V Methodology

The researcher conducted the search for relevant studies using key terms associated with

gamification and with the different benefits derived from gamification in L2 learning, including

vocabulary and grammar learning, language and soft skills development, and L2 assessment. This

search was performed in the scientific search engines ERIC, Google Scholar, and Scopus.

Initially, the researcher focused on how gamification is conceptualized from a theoretical

perspective. In addition to keywords related to gamification (gamif*, game, gaming), derivatives

of the terms “concept”, “framework”, and “theory” were used. Besides, keywords denoting

practical use were utilized: “application”, “gamify”, and “method”. Finally, the researcher

explored the different benefits derived from gamification in L2 learning.

VI Proposed system

This study will enhance both pupils and teachers in making learning activities easier by allowing

learning to be manifested on application games. This study will also reduce the number of failure

among pupils by providing learning facilities easily accessible to every pupils. The idea to take on

this project work was born as a result of the urge to find a solution to the short comings found in

conventional classroom system and improves on the existing standard education in Nigeria and its

Diaspora.

Gamification can face a number of challenges, including:

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 a. Misuse of game elements: Using irrelevant badges or other game elements can hinder

learning outcomes.

b. Extrinsic rewards: Relying too much on extrinsic rewards can lead to short-term

motivation and compromise deep learning.

c. Competitive culture: A competitive culture can hinder collaboration and stress

individual achievement.

d. Oversimplification: Gamification can oversimplify complex subjects.

e. Accessibility and equality: Unequal access to technology and digital literacy skills can

create a digital divide.

f. Measuring success: Defining and measuring the success of gamification initiatives can

be challenging.

g. Ethical considerations: Excessive gamification can lead to addictive behaviors and

manipulation.

h. Balancing engagement and educational objectives: It can be challenging to balance

engagement with educational objectives.

i. Customization: There is no one-size-fits-all design or template for gamification

VII Conclusion

This article attempted to evince the benefits of gamification in the L2 classroom. The mentioned

studies have yielded pedagogical implications concerning the implementation of gamification

language learning programs in the L2 classroom. Gamification helps to build skills by providing

a zero-risk practice zone, which favors learning by mistakes without embarrassment, and

transforms monotonous tasks into engaging ones by motivating learners through exciting

challenges. In addition, it fosters the development of oral and written language skills through

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repetition alongside the gamification elements (points, levels, etc.), and promotes the learners’

social learning, integrating communicative approaches which help them develop their soft skills.

Finally, gamification can play a key role in both assessment of learning, if it is accurately aligned

with specific objectives and fair criteria, and assessment for learning, as students are provided

with frequent and personalized feedback.

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