Game-based learning – or “gamification” – is defined as “the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems”.
Since the advent of digital learning, this practice has been studied and refined to ensure that it is helping students improve the way they engage with their learning.
Research has shown that, when applied effectively, gamification can have a positive impact on students’ learning outcomes, particularly in maths and literacy.
However, studies also show that other classroom use of technology, such as social media and smartphones, can have the opposite effect.
A study, titled: ‘Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance’ was conducted by lead researcher, Arnold Glass, and graduate student Mengxue Kang from Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
Glass said the intrusion of internet-enabled electronic devices has transformed the modern college lecture into a “divided attention task”.
“When students are allowed to use phones, tablets or other devices for non-academic purposes during classroom lectures, they perform worse in end-of-term exams,” Glass said.
“Many dedicated students think they can divide their attention in the classroom without harming their academic success – but we found an insidious effect on exam performance and final grades.”
The message for educators is that when it comes to technology as a learning tool, it can be a two-edged sword.
‘Co-constructing the learning experience’
A 2016 study suggested that the impact of gamification on learning so profound that schools should consider incorporating video games into classroom activities.
The study – by the International Journal of Communication – used PISA results and information on the amount of time students spend online to measure how video games and social media impact on maths, science and reading among 15-year-olds.
However, Economist Alberto Posso from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), who commissioned the report, cautioned that educators should distinguish between gamification and social media in the context of technology improving student learning outcomes.
Posso said that social media use can have the opposite effect, with students who used Facebook or chatted daily scoring 20 points below their fellow maths students who never used social media.
“The results suggest that using online social networks reduces academic achievement. Conversely, playing online games increases scores,” Posso said.
“It is argued that although both activities are associated with a high opportunity cost of study, video games potentially allow students to apply and sharpen skills learned in school.”
Former high school teacher of 10 years, Matt Esterman, told The Educator that when done well – such as in Minecraft or other successful gaming environments and approaches – gamification allows students to take part in co-constructing the learning experience by personalising parts or all of the experience.
“Like any other approach to learning and teaching, it needs to address needs that learners have. It can't be imposed in a standardised way otherwise it's just as bad as a paper based test,” he said.
“That's why students need to be involved in the development. Teachers have used games to engage students forever, but we haven't fully explored their potential to completely turn around students’ engagement with school.”