A case study of enacting gamification for elementary school students in the classroom

Abstract

Many studies have shown that Game-based Learning (GBL) can promote conceptual learning, collaborative learning and facilitate positive learning motivations and attitudes. Meanwhile, there is a growing number of GBL studies on teacher game literacy, teachers’ concerns on management etc. Nevertheless, the inconsistent use of the term ‘game’ in GBL had led to conflicting findings across different studies in the literature. Few studies have focused on the micro-level approach to study GBL based on the game mechanics (GMs) employed, rather than the game as a whole. Moreover, the focus of existing studies is generally mounted on teachers’ gaming beliefs or experiences. There is a lack of studies looking into the development of gamification strategies through the lens of teacher’s knowledge, goals, and beliefs (KGB) comprehensively. Therefore, this case study investigated how a Chinese language teacher enacted GBL in her primary 2 school classroom, so as to understand the interplay between teacher KGB and GMs employed and the role of GMs in the lower primary school classroom. Content analysis and narrative analysis were conducted to examine the possible intrinsic reasons why GMs were employed and how it was done. The findings suggested the dual-purposes of gamification- (a) pedagogical-driven and (b) classroom management-driven. It also demonstrated that GM(s) employed at the right timing could open and extend windows of enhanced attention to engage students. As such, on top of pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of students’ reward responses was also a contributing reason to the employment of GMs. These findings of the study sought to amplify insights into understanding game-based learning in primary schools and contribute to teachers’ professional development.