Gamification and Student Engagement with a Curriculum-based Measurement System

Authors

  • Yu Yan The Pennsylvania State University, USA
  • Simon Hooper The Pennsylvania State University, USA
  • Shi Pu ACT, Inc.,USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijai.v1i1.10805

Keywords:

gamification, engagement, computer-based assessment, curriculum-based measurement, English language learners, task difficulty, gender

Abstract


In this study, we employed a random control experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of gamification (e.g. scores, goal, progressive bar, etc.) and initial task difficulty on college student engagement in computer-based assessments. A group of Chinese college students (N=97) were randomly assigned to four groups obtained by crossing the two independent variables: gamification (with or without) and initial difficulty level (low or normal). The experiment lasted for 35 minutes, and each student was asked to complete several mini-tests (named maze tests). Student engagement was measured by the average off-task time between two maze tests. The results showed that both gamification and low-difficulty entry level reduced students’ off-task time.  However, the gamification effect was only significant for male students but not for female students. The study also demonstrated that the maze test can be a potential method to predict the general English proficiency with Chinese English language learners.

Author Biographies

Yu Yan, The Pennsylvania State University, USA

Yu Yan is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Learning and Performance Systems at Penn State University, College of Education.

Simon Hooper, The Pennsylvania State University, USA

Dr. Simon Hooper is a Professor of Education (Learning, design, and Technolgy), at Penn State University, College of Education.

Shi Pu, ACT, Inc.,USA

Shi Pu is a data scientist in the AI and Machine Learning team at ACT, Inc., Iowa City, USA. 

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Published

2019-07-26

How to Cite

Yan, Y., Hooper, S., & Pu, S. (2019). Gamification and Student Engagement with a Curriculum-based Measurement System. International Journal of Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence for Education (iJAI), 1(1), pp. 102–115. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijai.v1i1.10805

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Section

Papers