The theoretical frameworks that I’m currently interested in learning more about are Engagement Theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1998) and Gamification Theory (Landers, 2015).<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
Gamification theory postulates that\u00a0gamification, 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).<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
It seems relevant to mention that currently my\u00a0main 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?<\/p>\n
References<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n