Two major challenges undermine gamification's effect on intrinsic motivation: students' lack of perceived competence and lack of perceived autonomy¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The most frequently reported competence challenge was discomfort among learners ranked low on public absolute leaderboards (reported in 7 of 31 studies). → Liuyufeng Li 2024 q2 i? Six studies reported challenges to learners' need for autonomy, most often lack of autonomy in choosing what to learn and which activities to engage in. → Liuyufeng Li 2024 (2)

Evidence¶

Liuyufeng Li 2024¶

Liuyufeng Li, Khe Foon Hew, Jiahui Du. (2024). Gamification enhances student intrinsic motivation, perceptions of autonomy and relatedness, but minimal impact on competency: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Education Tech Research Dev. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10337-7

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r?

Systematic review of 31 gamification studies coded with an SDT-based framework via constant comparison. The article reports this leaderboard discomfort as the most frequent competence challenge (23% of coded challenges), alongside unsuitable task difficulty and unfamiliarity with gamification elements.

"the most frequently reported challenge was the discomfort experienced by learners (n = 7) who ranked low in the rankings displayed publicly on absolute leaderboards"

Liuyufeng Li 2024 (2)¶

Liuyufeng Li, Khe Foon Hew, Jiahui Du. (2024). Gamification enhances student intrinsic motivation, perceptions of autonomy and relatedness, but minimal impact on competency: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Education Tech Research Dev. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10337-7

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

From the same systematic review of 31 studies: autonomy challenges appeared in six studies, dominated by students' perceived lack of choice over learning content and activities (19% of coded challenges).

"Six studies reported challenges in addressing the learners' needs for autonomy. The most frequently reported challenge was the learners' perceived lack of autonomy in choosing what to learn and which activities to engage in"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Self-Efficacy — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it

Related Claims¶

• Self-determination theory holds that autonomy support raises intrinsic motivation, and a meta-analysis finds expected tangible rewards undermine it — a broader claim this one bears on
• Students perceive manageable challenge matched to their skills, with a sense of accomplishment, as an intrinsically rewarding element of fun in formal learning — related
• Correctness and informative feedback with appropriate challenge fostered competence and autonomy — related
• Interest/enjoyment and perceived choice were the weakest motivation dimensions, suggesting Mangomon's RPG mechanics did not yet fully serve learner autonomy — related
• Gamification positively and significantly affects students' perceptions of autonomy — related
• Gamification has minimal impact on students' perceived competence — related
• Gamification studies measure intrinsic motivation almost exclusively through self-report instruments, with no study using free-choice behavioral measures — related
• On an absolute leaderboard, top-ranked online students report significantly higher post-intervention intrinsic motivation than bottom-ranked students — related
• Research on gamification in higher education is predominantly quantitative, English-language and review-scarce — related
• The authors attribute the motivation decrease to researcher-selected applications limiting autonomy, low technological literacy undermining competence, and weak relatedness — related