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The steps of the gamification approach in education to improve learning engagement are discussed in this paper. There are a few steps on the gamification approach that have been applied by several researchers in this era. The gamification method was used in this study, which contained game elements and game design methods in a non-game context. Six gamification categories for teaching and learning are briefly discussed in this paper: (i) Courses without online support; (ii) MOOC; (iii) Blended/ Flipped Learning; (iv) E-Learning Site; (v) Gamified Platform/ System; and (vi) Mobile Application. The proposed gamification approach in education can also be a guideline for other researchers. Results shows that most of the respondents prefer to get rewards during the learning process follow by level, avatar and points.
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International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
volume 4 issue 1 pp. 22-32 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.20469/ijhss.4.10003-1
Gamification Approach in Education to Increase Learning
Engagement
Siti Nurul Mahfuzah Mohamad
Faculty of Information and
Communication Technology,
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka,
Hang Tuah Jaya, Melaka, Malaysia
Nur Syafiatun Safwana Sazali
Faculty of Information and
Communication Technology,
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka,
Hang Tuah Jaya, Melaka, Malaysia
Mohd Azran Mohd Salleh
Computer System and Support Unit, Kolej Komuniti Selandar
Jalan Batang Melaka, Selandar, Melaka, Malaysia
Abstract: The steps of the gamification approach in education to improve learning engagement are discussed in this
paper. There are a few steps on the gamification approach that have been applied by several researchers in this era.
The gamification method was used in this study, which contained game elements and game design methods in a non-
game context. Six gamification categories for teaching and learning are briefly discussed in this paper: (i) Courses
without online support; (ii) MOOC; (iii) Blended/ Flipped Learning; (iv) E-Learning Site; (v) Gamified Platform/
System; and (vi) Mobile Application. The proposed gamification approach in education can also be a guideline for
other researchers. Results shows that most of the respondents prefer to get rewards during the learning process follow
by level, avatar and points.
Keywords: Gamification approach, online learning, engagement, gamification categories
Received: 17 September 2017; Accepted: 20 December 2017; Published: 12 February 2018
INTRODUCTION
Gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics to engage and motivate students in learning. In other
words, games nowadays are a part of students daily life. They spend a lot of time to play games. In order to engage
student learning, the gamification method was used, which contained game elements and game design methods in a
non-game context. Furthermore, using this method can help to improve learning engagement, suit learners learning
style, and provide more adaptive learning. This gamification method has been used by researchers since a few years
ago. Past studies showed that there was less engagement among students in building knowledge because often times,
the students were treated as ordinary technology users (Tan & Hew,2016). The solution of accessing this information
freely is needed to overcome this situation. Several researchers stated that gamification has the potential for a positive
impact on performance, productivity, and user engagement (Simões, Redondo, & Vilas,2013). By implementing
gamification, students will improve themselves in getting good results. The utilisation of the gamification method
means that students will learn with academic materials with the use of game elements and cater different styles of
learning (Arockiyasamy, Surendheran, & Bullard,2016;McGrath & Bayerlein,2013).
Engage can be defined when user wanted to learn or to occupy the intentions or efforts of a persons (Keene,2014).
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Siti Nurul Mahfuzah Mohamad, Faculty of Information and Communication
Technology, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, Melaka, Malaysia. E-mail: mahfuzah@utem.edu.my
c
2018 KKG Publications. All rights reserved.
23 Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018
In order word, engagement focuses on keeping learners attention for long time. Without engagement, learners will not
be motivating to do the task. Table 1represents the reasons learners didnt engage with online learning. In education,
there are at least four categories of gaming, which are shows in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Categories of Gaming
Table 1 Reasons Learners Didn’t Engage with Online Learning
Reasons 31 32 33 34 35
Unable to understand lessons X
Time Limitation X
Learning materials X X
Assessment unperformed X X
No Encouragement X
Language Barrier X
Instructor Accessibility Passion X
Peer Interaction With Instructor X
Compare Score X
Explore Learners X
Game-Based Learning
Game-based learning refers to actual games in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning experience. In other
words, educators can use video games in the teaching and learning process to attract and motivate students attention.
Gamification
Gamification refers to the use of game design elements into a non-game context and can be divided into: (i) game
mechanics; (ii) game characteristics; and (iii) game dynamics. Figure 2shows the elements of each category.
Serious Games
A serious game looks just like an ordinary game. As mentioned by Darejeh and Salim (2016), there are four types
of serious games: (i) Game for teaching; (ii) Simulator game; (iii) Meaningful game; and (iv) Purposeful game.
Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018 24
Simulations
As cited by Padilla et al. (2016), simulations provide an efficient and effective way to learn because learning with
simulation is quite different, whereby learners can perform experiments, vary input variables, observe and record
output, and reflect on the results. Thus, simulation-based learning is more than a single activity and can be seen
as a series of activities that move between using and creating simulations, fulfilling different advantages in terms of
learning efficiency and depth.
Figure 2 Gamification
RELATED WORKS
Dicheva and Dichev (2015) highlighted the gamification categories for teaching and learning as shown in Figure 3.
For this study, gamification can be apply to all categories.
Figure 3 Gamification Categories for Teaching and Learning
25 Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018
Courses without Online Support
Applying gamification in the classroom without online support can also engage student learning in class. Nor-
mally, educators can design a board game or tabletop game (Figure 4) to deliver the content during class. Addition-
ally, badges and trophies can be made by using stickers or paper if students complete the mission or goal of learning.
Besides that, it depends on the educators whether they can prepare a physical reward or give experience points to each
student. All the data or points can be recorded on the gamification board prepared by the educators themselves.
Other than that, gamification handouts and presentation slides can be used in the classroom to attract students
attention. Students are allowed to revise and resubmit assignments until the end of the semester in order to make sure
students make an improvement of all assignments they submit. From this view, students are free from failing in their
class. Students will make an effort to redo their assignment until both educator and students are satisfied with the
output.
Figure 4 Example of Course Map and Board Game
MOOC
Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs refer to web platforms that allow an unlimited number of students or
learners to access resources and contents anywhere and anytime. Among the popular MOOC platforms are Udacity,
edX, Open Learning, and Coursera. MOOCs offer the learning of specific concepts by magnifying, enhancing, and
guiding the cognitive developments of learners (Altbach,2014). Gamification in the MOOC platform means to provide
interactive, creative, and interesting learning content, with the integration of game elements that are used for teaching
and learning. The study by Chauhan (Chauhan, Taneja, & Goel,2015;Hashim, Salam, & Mahfuzah Mohamad,2017)
enhanced MOOC through the Augmented Reality technology, adaptive learning as well as applying gamification in
the MOOC platform. Previous studies showed that there is significant improvement in learner engagement. Figure 5
is the example of gamification applied in MOOC via the Open Learning platform.
Figure 5 Example of Leaderboard and Progress Bar
Blended and Flipped Learning
Tan and Hew (2016) incorporated meaningful gamification in a blended learning class to examine student learning
and engagement. The finding shows that the badge system can significantly increase forum participation, whereas the
process bar motivates students to complete their learning as soon as possible to continue to the next activity or level.
Lecturers also can implement flipped learning as a teaching strategy, whereby learners are required to learn online
using e-content and e-activities prepared by lecturers prior to a face-to-face learning session. A face-to-face learning
session is not a lecture form anymore, but more towards student-centered learning activities and the use of higher
order thinking skills among learners. It employs asynchronous video lectures and practice problems as homework,
and lastly conducts the group-based problem-solving activities in the classroom.
Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018 26
E-Learning Site
A few studies were carried out on how to relate the Multiple Intelligence (MI) concept in institutes of higher
learning. Furthermore, instructors also face challenges on how to apply MI in their lessons (Salam, Mohamad, Bakar,
& Sui,2014). The efficiency and effectiveness of teaching are still imperfect based on previous experiments. Educators
should plan a way that can involve as many of the intelligences as possible because applying these intelligences gives
the students accomplishments (González, Toledo, Muñoz, et al.,2016). The previous educational website did not have
gamification elements in it. This problem may cause boredom, lack of interest with the website or motivation, and
may not be able to allow users to use the application for a long-term period. Hence, implementing the gamification
elements into an educational website can help to overcome these problems.
Gamified Platform/ System
A gamified system is used to motivate students reading and learning contents. The system can also create indicators
of student engagement such as average pages per visit or average on site. However, facilitators are needed to create
a dynamic interaction in the learning process (Chang,2017;Souza-Concilio & Pacheco,2013). From the gamified
system, students can obtain contents, and check their score, badges, and also trophies. Educators can check the
completion track, total logins and visits on the forum. The most useful game mechanics in the gamified software as
mentioned in Darejeh and Salim (2016) are story, clear goal, challenge, time limit, progression, immediate feedback,
reward, level, badge, status, achievement, contextual, type of reward, and reward usage.
Mobile Learning
Smartphone is a priority gadget for people nowadays, even for students. Mobile applications can be a good
learning way for students to make learning more attractive. Playing games using mobile applications can make
students engage in their learning process. This gamification method can make them feel like they are playing a
game because they have to win the challenges, complete the levels to get badges and trophies, as well as make the
students eager to try and earn the rewards (Chadyiwa & Mgutshini,2015;Khaddage, Lattemann, & Acosta-Díaz,
2014). Based on Hamari, Koivisto, and Sarsa (2014), mobile applications have been a trending object and subject for
user engagement and have helped to improve positive patterns in their learning. There are many mobile applications
for learning that have been developed; however, only a few of the mobile applications use gamification as their theme
interaction for the students. Vassileva (2012) claimed that gamification may cause short motivation among the users;
whereas, others researchers (Chee-wei et al.,2017;Nicholson,2015) stated that gamification can improve motivation
and engage student learning. Applying gamification without knowing what is gamification can be hard; therefore, the
understanding of gamification is needed so as to identify its benefits. Other than that, gamification is designed for
applying game elements in learning, but if it is poorly designed, the students will find it hard to accept it (Lister,2015)
as well as to identify the suitable game elements that can affect motivational mechanisms (Sailer, Hense, Mandl, &
Klevers,2013). Figure 6is the example of gamification mobile apps for primary schools towards learning about ICT.
Figure 6 Gamification Mobile App for Primary School
27 Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018
MATERIALS AND METHOD
A survey of the literature study was conducted in order to gain information about the gamification approach in
education that can improve learning engagement. A deep search was applied through online databases such as Scopus,
ACM Digital Library, IEEE, Springer, Science Direct, Google Scholar, as well as papers from Research Gate. The
source types include journals paper, proceedings, e-books, and articles within the years 2013-2017. Keywords such
as ‘gamification’, ‘gamification approach’, ‘gamification + adaptive learning’, and ‘gamification + design’ were used
to search related articles. This study conducted a pilot test that involved 30 higher education students to use gamified
e-learning sites.
ANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE STUDY
In this part, there are a few steps of the gamification approach that have been mentioned by several researchers as
shown in Table 2.
Table 2 Gamification Approach
Step Gamification Approach Ref
1 Determining Learner Characteristics (Kiryakova, Angelova, & Yordanova,2014)
Understanding the Target Audience and Context (Hsin-Yuan Huang & Soman,2013)
Division of Learning Content (Khaleel, Ashaari, Meriam, Wook, & Ismail,
2016)
Understanding the Player (Kumar & Herger,2013)
2 Definition of Learning Objectives
General Instructional Goals,
Specific Learning Goals, and Behavioural Goals
(Hsin-Yuan Huang & Soman,2013)
Gamification Data (Test and Solution, Mini Exam,
Scoring System, Dashboard, Reporting, Goal, Level)
(Khaleel et al.,2016)
3 Thinking through Content and Structure
Creation of Educational Content and Activities
(Kiryakova et al.,2014)
Structuring the Experience (Hsin-Yuan Huang & Soman,2013)
Interface Design (Khaleel et al.,2016)
Understanding Human Motivation (Kumar & Herger,2013)
4 Identifying Resources
Identifying Stage
(Hsin-Yuan Huang & Soman,2013)
Applying Game Mechanics (Kumar & Herger,2013)
5 Applying Gamification Elements (Hsin-Yuan Huang & Soman,2013)
Managing/ Monitoring/ Measuring (Kumar & Herger,2013)
6 Considering Legal and Ethical Issues (Kumar & Herger,2013)
Propose Gamification Approach in Education
Based on the analysis of literature study about gamification, Figure 7shows the proposed gamification approach
in education.
Determining Student Intelligence: Wu, Zhu, and Luo (2015) stressed that understanding target students is the main
factor to success in education. González et al. (2016) applied adaptation and personalisation through the Intelligent
Tutorial System to offer different interface elements to learners. They used different techniques to suit learners prefer-
ence as well as define user profile and learning content that allow the personalisation. S. N. M. Mohamad (2014) also
applied the theory of multiple intelligences in their study to motivate student learning and provide suitable teaching
tools that match the students strength. Barata, Gama, Jorge, and Gonçalves (2015) suggested that different types of
students may be drawn towards gamification in different ways. A few studies were conducted on how to relate the
Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018 28
multiple intelligence concept in institutes of higher learning. Furthermore, instructors also faced challenges on how to
apply multiple intelligences in their lessons (S. Mohamad, Sazilah, Mohd, Norasiken, & Linda,2014;S. N. M. Mo-
hamad, Salam, Bakar, & Sui,2014). The efficiency and effectiveness of teaching are still imperfect based on previous
experiments. Educators should plan a way that can involve as many of the intelligences as possible because applying
these intelligences gives the students accomplishments (González et al.,2016;S. N. M. Mohamad,2014).
Chauhan et al. (2015) also applied adaptive learning that seeks to personalise learning. In the context of gam-
ification, educators need to effectively use suitable game elements that can be applied in the teaching and learning
process to cater different styles of learning. Gamified e-learning sites to support the multiple styles of learning would
be developed to encourage learners and increase learning engagement. This study was designed as a continuation of
a model for teaching tools based on interpersonal, visual, and verbal intelligences by Mohamad (S. N. M. Mohamad,
2014).
Figure 7 Gamification Approach in Education
Defining Learning Goals: It is important to define the learning goals in education; otherwise, all the game designs
applied are meaningless.
Structuring Learner Experience (Content and Activities): In the adaptive learning concept, the adaptive design
interface is based on student intelligence. Through adaptive learning, it will allow students to progress at their own
pace, increase student engagement, improve student performance, as well as provide effective learning and better
learning experience. However, it is hard to decide the required level of adaptability (Chauhan et al.,2015).
Applying Adaptive Game Design Interface: According to Darejeh and Salim (2016), the most popular game design
interfaces are as follows: (i) leaderboard (46%); (ii) fantasy (14%); (iii) avatar; and (iv) knowledge map (5%).
Figure 8 Gamified E-Learning Site Based on Students Intelligence
29 Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018
Applying Game Mechanics: The selection of game mechanics is based on the personalisation of the learner. If
learners have strength in visual, the avatar and course map are created to be suitable to their learning. Based on
Mohamad (S. N. M. Mohamad et al.,2014), game mechanics is a tool created by the gamification engine to lead
players to achieve their objectives. Game elements that are applied in this study are Avatar, Course Map/ Progress
Bar, Level, Badges/ Trophies/ Reward, and Challenge/ Mission as explained in Table 3.
Table 3 Game Mechanics Used In this Study
Mechanic Synonyms Description
Points Measure, metric, currency Numerical unit indicating progress based on
progression.
Users will receive a point when the mission is
accomplished.
Rewards Prizes or gifts At the end of the lesson, the users will receive
points that can be a form of physical prizes as
a reward that students can enjoy.
Level Area or stage Travel from one level to another level.
Notification Answering questions, messages,
alerts
Acknowledgement of successfully executed
actions.
Avatar Icon Virtual representations of the students,
whereby they can choose their own mentor to
interact with the system.
Progress Bar Level up or levelling Milestones that indicate progression.
RESULTS
Table 4shows the demographic data of respondents. Figure 9shows the analysis data about the gamification
elements. Result shows that most of the respondents prefer to get reward during the learning process follow by level,
avatar and points. 83.3% respondents agreed that they like to get rewards after completed the task given.
Table 4 Demographic
Variables Category Frequency Percentage (%)
Gender Male
Female
10
20
33.3
66.7
Age 21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
29
0
0
1
96.7
0
0
3.3
Education Degree 30 100
Level of ICT competence 1
2
3
4
5
0
1
8
17
4
0
3.3
26.7
56.7
13.3
Mohamad, S.N.M. et al. / International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) 2018 30
Figure 9 Gamification Elements
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORKS
This paper found that gamification can be integrated to all platforms and can help to engage student learning.
Gamified e-learning sites to support multiple styles of learning would be developed to encourage learners and increase
learning engagement. This study was designed as a continuation of a model for teaching tools based on interpersonal,
visual, and verbal intelligences by Mohamad (S. N. M. Mohamad,2014). Online Multiple Intelligence Gamification
would be developed as an educational website using the gamification elements to make this website more interactive
to users. Therefore, implementing gamification elements into the website would increase user motivation and enhance
engagement during the learning process, besides allowing users to use the website for a longterm period.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research is conducted by the Pervasive Computing & Educational Technology Research Group, C-ACT,
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), and supported by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). FRGS
grant: FRGS/1/2016/ICT01/FTMK-CACT/F00327.
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... By facilitating self-paced study outside the classroom, students develop time management, information retrieval, and critical analysis skills, which are invaluable for continuous learning beyond formal education settings. Gamification elements within digital teaching materials enhance engagement, making learning enjoyable and effective [41], [42]. Additionally, collaborative digital tools such as online forums and shared documents extend learning beyond the classroom. ...
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... Traditional teaching methods may not be as engaging as technological approaches, so can be ineffective if students lack the motivation to learn (Sidek & Rahim, 2015). Consequently, EFL teachers require new, effective methods to enhance student motivation and to help mitigate weaknesses in vocabulary comprehension (Mohamad et al., 2018). Students' writing and listening abilities can only improve when they acquire and retain new vocabulary. ...
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... Offline games, such as handouts and board games, can be effectively utilized in the classroom to foster greater interaction and participation. These findings align with the work of Mohamad et al. (2018), who suggest that lecturers can design board or tabletop games as innovative tools for delivering content and promoting active learning in the classroom setting. By incorporating such game-based strategies, educators can create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment. ...
... Games can have a profound impact and draw on emotional connections enabling people to reflect on their experiences and facilitate active recall (Huang et al., 2019). This form of teaching has been readily utilised to increase student engagement (Mohamad et al., 2018), provide a simulation of reallife events (Krishnamurthy et al., 2022) and accomplish the overcoming academic challenges (Kaufmann, 2018). ...
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... Serious game adalah permainan serius yang digunakan dalam proses pembelajaran, biasanya terlihat seperti permainan-permainan pada umumnya, terbagi menjadi 4 kategori yaitu game for teaching, simulator game, meaningful game dan purposeful game. Sedangkan simulations adalah pemanfaatan game sebagai simulasi dimana peserta didik dapat melakukan eksperimen, memvariasikan variable input, mengamati dan merakam output dan merefleksikan hasil yang direncanakan (Nurul & Mohamad, 2018). ...
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... Future efforts can be directed towards leveraging other technologies to provide authentic context and further engage the students, thereby improving their learning experience [48]. For instance, augmented reality (aR) can be utilized to showcase at service delivery virtually [49], and gamification can be employed to enhance student interaction and engagement in a virtual rehabilitation centre [50]. Furthermore, the digitalization of learning materials holds the potential to facilitate the development of online universities and promote the development of at education programs worldwide [51]. ...
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Chapter
Gamification of education is a recent trend, and early experiments showed promising results. Students seem not only to perform better, but also to participate more and to feel more engaged with gamified learning. However, little is known regarding how different students are affected by gamification and how their learning experience may vary. In this paper the authors present a study in which they analyzed student data from a gamified college course and looked for distinct behavioral patterns. The authors clustered students according to their performance throughout the semester, and carried out a thorough analysis of each cluster, regarding many aspects of their learning experience. They clearly found three types of students, each with very distinctive strategies and approaches towards gamified learning: the Achievers, the Disheartened and the Underachievers. A careful analysis allowed them to extensively describe each student type and derive meaningful guidelines, to help carefully tailoring custom gamified experiences for them.
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Serious games and gamification are emerging in many areas of society. In addition to an effective way of entertainment, games can be adopted as a persuading tool to guide person to achieve specific goal, citing their ultimate attraction. In this paper, we are interested in the mechanism and application of gamification in the field of academic education. Games feature a potential to promote students to learn in a spontaneous and effective manner, since the challenge and fun in games encourage students to hold on to the end. We propose a framework for gamification in education by integrating the procedures for designing academic courses and the game elements. A case study in digital circuit course, which is filled with diagrams, equations and is hence complicated and some kind of boring for some students, is conducted to illustrate the proposed approach in academic education.