Digital Competency:

Gamification: is it being used effectively to enhance learning?

Gamification is a very controversial topic within education as it can often be perceived as a massive distraction to education itself as well as influencing bead traits within education itself. Gamification is described as the “introduction or application of elements of games into non-game contexts” (Oxford Analytica, 2016,p.4). It can also be argued that in many ways games are being used more and more in the classroom (Selwyn, 2016). As well as being beneficial in education within this blog post I will be discussing both sides of the argument and convey a fair point as to why gamification is such a big controversy in modern education. Gamification can’t only be seen being used within a primary environment, it is also used throughout high school as well as higher education such as university, sixth form and college. According to Gee (2004) “good video games incorporate good learning principles, principles supported by current research in cognitive science”. Along with this from my own experience with video games within a classroom environment, they can also have a negative effect and leave a negative trait with pupils. Such as causing lack of engagement and willingness to learn which are two big factors in a successful education.

Can gamification actually enhance learning? The answer appears to be yes, as gamification according to Oxford Analytica (2016) is a “new mode of teaching and learning”, as explained within this report made by the Oxford Analytica it is a relatively new concept that can be incorporated into education with a more than positive outcome. Within this report it says that there are many elements that games consist of that have relevance to education but however these are the three main ones:

·         Mechanical elements, such as incremental progression, on boarding, and instant feedback.

·         Personal elements, these include status, visibility, collective responsibility as well as leader boards and rankings.

·         Emotional elements, in particular the psychological state of flow.

As far as gamification goes in education so far it is only led by a small number of teachers and academics. As far as the positives go for gamification they are seemingly endless, however there is one advantage within gamification that is sticking out the most in my research which appears to be the freedom to fail. This is seen as a key part in the gamification element of education as within the majority of games that are used for education purposes failure is key in learning how to play the game. As tendency to avoid failure is usually particularly high within pupil’s video games teach the students that you only have to fail to eventually succeed. Within a book wrote by McGonigal (2011) she writes how she captures students “engaged” and “fully alive”. Engagement appears to be a key element within education that we’re missing with the use of technology within classrooms and lack of engagement, perhaps including more technology such as gaming within the class room could stop this problem or could it have a negative effect?

However on the other hand gamification could also have a knock back and negative effect on the pupils it is effecting within modern education today, as students should see failure as an opportunity, instead of becoming unmotivated or fearful (Kiryakova, 2014). This could have a detrimental effect on several pupils as they might not only be fearful of trying again but may also become embarrassed in front of other students which could also have a massive negative effect on their education all together. As well as this Tiffany Ford (2015) says that gamification can decrease student’s attention span. This is believed to be caused by the speed of instant feedback which creates a problem with the student’s attention span. This could lead to children expecting instant feedback from all parts of their education which will lead to frustration which is again another negative trait. Ford (2015) also implies the reality and the problem of cost that gamification can bring, as there is always going to be initial equipment costs, software costs and sometimes training of the teachers of instructors to actually teach you how to use the gaming software effectively enough for the student to actually benefit from the process. As well as this students could also face costs for the gaming software which then creates a barrier essentially for the children to enter the classroom which can also have an overall negative effect and lead to more problems down the line in their education.

Is gamification actually effective? According to Harvard Graduate School of Education only 56% of students complete there four year degree in six years. According to Suzanne Holloway (2018) this is due to the systematic flaws within the education system as schools are seemingly behind in areas all around technology and gamification. During my education which is still currently on going I experienced no gamification at all until I entered higher education, therefore have not experienced its capabilities however according to Education Technology (2018) “research suggests that we learn best by doing, not just reading”. However gamification is not quite the same as its close relative game-based learning in fact it is completely different, as these two can sometimes get confused. Gamification aims to enhance the learning experience through motivation and the feedback loop process which offers direct feedback which benefits the pupils greatly to a certain extent. In recent years gamification has become a heavily recognised teaching strategy, according to Matthew Glotzbach (2018) gamified education apps have proliferated, leading students to expect them in the classroom. This has a negative and a positive to it. The positive being it is helping engage but on the other hand students may become impatient when asking for more gamified lessons as it could become a norm.

Within the classroom teachers could also not be properly equipped on how to use the devices provided which could also have a negative effect more so than a positive as Glotzbach (2018) states that “Learning resources are only as good as the educators who put them to use”. The theory behind almost all learning comes from the scaffolding theory which as Kriti Khare (2018) says “is closely related to Vgyotsky’s Zone of Developments.” This is based off the theory that if students want to learn the teacher can help them essentially build a scaffolding structure. Scaffolding within education is seen as using techniques such as modelling and continuous feedback, this is how gamification functions so in hindsight this can be applied to essentially gamify a lesson effectively.

During my time studying within sixth form I can reflect on a time using apps such as Kahoot to enhance learning and engage the class, however this app was seen more as a reward system at the end of the lesson. Therefore seen as something to work towards which motivated me and my peers heavily, the impact of gamification during my experience has been extremely positive. As it doesn’t only engage the students but in my instance was used effectively as a reflective tool throughout my A-level ICT lessons which had more than a positive outcome. However during some of my experience whilst using these apps such as Kahoot it has had a negative effect as the class seem to lose focus on the task at hand which results in a lack of learning which could be perceived as a result of lack of attention span from gamification itself. As Glotzbach (2018) emphasizes that “one of the most vital benefits of gamification is its ability to provide variety for teaching students how to learn and how to think”. And within my experience it has done exactly that.

In conclusion I believe if used effectively gamification can be used to effect any classroom positively, as well as this have an endless positive trait for the students that it is effecting. From the research I have done prior to writing this blog post it is easy to be misled by the negatives that gamification can bring however when looking deeper into the topic it is seen that the positives ultimately outweigh the positives massively in all aspects of learning. My final conclusion is that “Thanks to many of the above principles, good games stay within, but the outer edge, of the player’s “regime of competence” (diSessa 200).

Reference List:

Gee, J. P. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave/Macmillan, 2003.

Analytica, Oxford.(2016) "Gamification and the Future of Education”. World Government Summit (2016).

Selwyn, N. (2016). Education and technology: Key issues and debates. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

 Worldgovernmentsummit.org. (2016). [online] Available at: https://www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/api/publications/document?id=2b0d6ac4-e97c-6578-b2f8-ff0000a7ddb6 [Accessed 3 Apr. 2019].

 you found me. (2011). you found me.. [online] Available at: https://janemcgonigal.com/ [Accessed 3 Apr. 2019].                                      

Kiryakova, G., Angelova, N., & Yordanova, L. (2014). Gamification in education, Proceedings of 9th International Balkan Education and Science Conference.

 Top Hat. (2018). 4 Pros and Cons to Gamified Learning | Top Hat. [online] Available at: https://tophat.com/blog/gamified-learning/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2019].

 Glotzbach, M. (2018). Gamification can help education — here’s how. [online] VentureBeat. Available at: https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/06/gamification-can-help-education-heres-how/ [Accessed 4 Apr. 2019].                                                

 Medium. (2016). Educational Practices behind Gamification. [online] Available at: https://medium.com/a-teachers-hat/educational-practices-behind-gamification-cf316acce60f [Accessed 3 Apr. 2019].

diSessa, A. A. Changing Minds: Computers, Learning, and Literacy. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000.