GAMIFICATION AS A CATALYST FOR ENHANCED LEARNING AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.830004Keywords:
Academic Performance, Enhanced Learning, Gamification, Higher Education, University StudentsAbstract
Gamification, defined as the integration of game design elements into non-game learning contexts, has become an increasingly practical approach for enriching teaching and learning in higher education, particularly where digital activities and online games are part of instruction. This study re-examines gamification as a classroom strategy for enhancing university students’ learning performance, using Self-Determination Theory and Flow Theory as design and interpretive lenses rather than as directly measured explanatory constructs. A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test/post-test design was conducted with an intact cohort of 27 undergraduate students enrolled in a non-technology course at a Malaysian public university. Over six weeks, points, badges, leaderboards, and interactive challenges were incorporated into regular learning activities. Academic achievement was assessed with a course-aligned short-answer test administered before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed in SPSS 26.0 using descriptive statistics, normality tests (Shapiro-Wilk and Shapiro-Francia), and a paired-samples t-test. The mean score rose by 17.90 points, from 63.27 (SD = 13.33) to 81.17 (SD = 10.23). The improvement was statistically significant, with a large within-subject effect size (dz = 1.05), according to the paired-samples t-test (t(26) = 5.44, p <.001). The results imply that short-term academic performance in higher education can be supported by a carefully planned gamification design. The paper highlights that theoretical assertions about motivation and flow should be understood cautiously when such characteristics are not directly quantified and provides contextual data from a non-technology course in a Malaysian public institution. Study limits, directions for more thorough future research, and implications for instructional design are also covered.
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