The theoretical frameworks that I’m currently interested in learning more about are Engagement Theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1998) and Gamification Theory (Landers, 2015).
Engagement theory posits that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks, and that technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise (Kearsley, 1998).
Gamification theory postulates that gamification, which is the use of game attributes outside of the context of a game with the purpose of affecting learning behaviours, influences learning by strengthening the relationship between instructional design quality and outcomes and/or by influencing learning directly Landers (2015).
There are a few things I’m pondering about these theoretical frameworks. Would using gamification theory be a good fit for my research paper? Would engagement theory pair well with gamification theory? Even if it does pair well, should I stick to using a single theoretical framework? Should I consider other theoretical frameworks such as adult learning?
It seems relevant to mention that currently my main research question is in what ways could gamification be implemented in online learning to contribute to engagement with post-secondary students? My secondary research questions are currently how could the effectiveness of the implementation of gamification be assessed, what learning activities are more likely to benefit from gamification and why, and how might gamification be implemented to result in more sustained engagement?
References
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1998). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Educational technology, 38(5), 20-23. Retrieved from https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru0023/wp-content/uploads/sites/70/2018/12/Kearsley-1998-Engagement-theory-A-framework-for-technology-based-teaching-and-learning.pdf
Landers, R. N. (2015). Developing the theory of gamified learning: Linking serious games and gamification of learning. Simulation & Gaming, 45(6), 752-768. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard_Landers2/publication/268632276_Developing_a_Theory_of_Gamified_Learning/links/54b940f90cf253b50e291145/Developing-a-Theory-of-Gamified-Learning.pdf
Hi Jason,
Your topic is quite interesting as gamification has seemingly permeated into much of our lives these days yet to be effective still require the user/learner to be motivated, capable and triggered in order to accomplish a desired action (Muntean, 2011). Definitely a challenge especially in this day and age of constant evolution in software and technology, plus the ongoing competition for “customer” eyeballs. If its helpful, here is an article on increasing engagement through gamification in an e-learning environment: http://icvl.eu/2011/disc/icvl/documente/pdf/met/ICVL_ModelsAndMethodologies_paper42.pdf
Cheers,
Gavin.
Hi Gavin,
Thanks for your feedback. I’ll check out the article!
Hi Jason,
Thank you for your very insightful post!
I certainly agree with Gavin that the topic of gamification is a very interesting topic and I think it ready needs to be explored more for use in higher education.
I found this article and thought to share it with you since this paper shows a model for the introduction of gamification into the field of e-learning in higher education:
https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042815041555/1-s2.0-S1877042815041555-main.pdf?_tid=2e3795b3-fa0e-4d56-8ebf-ef82b85c968b&acdnat=1544031255_8143a72a33ad52413005da7e2ea3a7e1
Hope it is helpful!
May
Hi May,
Thanks for your comment and the link!
Hello Jason,
I also agree with the points that May and Gavin have expressed. Speaking from personal experience gamification in post secondary education is challenging. I often use an online quiz application called Kahoot. I administer the quiz after some of my “dryer” lecture topics to gage the student’s comprehension of the subject matter. It provides valuable statistics for me and a bit of fun for the students.
Reading y our post I was reminded of a quote from Eugene Shelly’s white paper on gamification in education “When you have a game like platform where knowledge is applied, knowledge becomes a resource. The more you know, the better you are at the game.” I look forward to reading your research and learning how gamification can be applied to on line learning.
Ashif
Hi Ashif,
I’ve used Kahoot a bit. Thanks for your comment!