The Ambivalent Motivational Power of Game Elements in Education: Nuancing the Gamification Debate

Gamification, implementing elements typically found in games in non-game contexts, has recently known a boom in popularity. Gamified systems are showing up in a wide variety of context, but especially in education. In education, gamification is seen as an aid in motivating the often unmotivated learners. Research assessing the effectiveness of gamification yields mixed results, though. In this research project, we argue that instead of scrutinising if gamification works, we should first explore how gamification can work. Only when a holistic understanding of the psychological processes underlying gamification is achieved, we can start with disentangling the found mixed results. In order to set a first step in the direction of such an understanding, this dissertation assessed gamification from the theoretical perspective of Self-Determination Theory, a popular psychological theory concerning human motivation and behaviour. After a theoretical exploration of the workings of gamification, this dissertation zoomed in on the motivational effects of gamification, as well as on the impact of learners’ functionalisation of game elements and their reasons for use on this process. Therefore, two large-scale studies with university students were conducted in which both self-designed gamification and two internationally leading gamified learning platforms were evaluated through the triangulation of both quantitative and qualitative empirical data. The results show that gamification’s motivational effects are not straightforward, nor always desirable. By doing so, the contribution of this dissertation is threefold, (a) uncovering the nuanced psychological processes underlying gamification; (b) showing the ambivalent motivational power of game elements; and (c) demonstrating the usefulness of using theoretical frameworks in designing, evaluating and understanding gamification. This dissertation ends with proposing avenues for future research and a discussion on design and societal implications.