The wear out effect of a game-based student response system
Open accessAbstract
The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) wave and advancement in technical infrastructures and in learning technology opens for new ways of teaching in the classroom. The teachers' laptops connected to a video projector, access to wireless network and the students smartphones, tablets or laptops can be utilized to enhance the interaction between the teacher and students, as well as boost the students motivation, engagement and learning. The introduction of new learning technology in the classroom normally results in immediate enthusiasm and excitement both from the teacher and the students. However, the immediate positive effects might fade when the new learning technology has become familiar to the teacher and the students. This paper shows the results from investigating the wear off effect of using the game-based student response system Kahoot! in classroom teaching. More specifically, it compares the results from students using Kahoot! for the first time in a single motivational lecture vs. using Kahoot! in every lecture in a class for five months. The quasi-experiment focused on how the students' perception changed in relation to user-friendliness, engagement, motivation, classroom dynamics, concentration, and perceived learning. The results show a slight reduction in the students motivation and engagement, but the only statistically significant wear out effect found was related to classroom dynamics. At large, the game-based student response system managed to boost students engagement, motivation and learning after using it repeatedly for five months. The core factor to keep the students attention after heavy repeated usage was found to be the competitive nature of Kahoot!. We examine short time vs. long time effect of a game-based student response system.The effects studied were engagement, motivation, and classroom dynamics.Other effects studied were concentration, and perceived learning.The only statistically significant difference was found in classroom dynamics.No major wear off found on engagement, motivation, concentration and learning.
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Only Kahoot! has been designed from ground up as a video game.
“Although other SRSs include game-features, as far as we know, only Kahoot! has been designed from ground up as a video game (Wang, 2015).”
From The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review (2020) · cites this paper as Wang, 2015
A study with 252 students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that the only statistically significant change from first-time use to extensive use of Kahoot! over five months was for classroom dynamics (small effect size), where Kahoot! had less impact after five months compared to the first time.
“The results showed that the only statistically significant change was for classroom dynamics (small effect size), where Kahoot! had less impact after five months compared to the first time.”
From The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review (2020) · cites this paper as Wang, 2015
Playing Kahoot! frequently over five months did not affect students' engagement, motivation, concentration, and perceived learning negatively compared to the first time it was played, but classroom dynamics were affected (Wang, 2015).
“One result from these articles shows that playing Kahoot!frequently over five months did not affect the students' engagement, motivation, concentration, and perceived learning negatively compared to the first time it was played, but the classroom dynamics were affected (Wang, 2015).”
From The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review (2020) · cites this paper as Wang, 2015
Wang (2015) found that regular use of Kahoot! (one session per lecture for a whole semester) resulted in a small 'wear-off' effect of positive classroom dynamics in software engineering students.
“Wang (2015) found that regular use of Kahoot! (one session per lecture for a whole semester) resulted in a small "wear-off" effect of positive classroom dynamics in software engineering students.”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang (2015)
Previous work on students' feedback on the use of Kahoot! has been driven largely from more quantitative measures, with limited reliability and validity.
“While previous work has examined students' feedback on the use of Kahoot! (Barrio et al. 2016;Wang 2015), such evidence has been driven largely from more quantitative measures, with limited reliability and validity.”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang 2015
Only 52% of students agreed that Kahoot! increased positive, topic-relevant communication with classmates compared to 67% of first-time users.
“Only 52% of students agreed that Kahoot!increased positive, topic-relevant communication with classmates compared to 67% of first-time users.”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang (2015)
The Likert scales were also not always consistent with students' open-ended comments.
“Interestingly, the Likert scales were also not always consistent with students' open-ended comments (Wang 2015).”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang 2015
GSRSs improve overall class attendance, but at an individual level, they also motivate students who may not normally participate in class discussion.
“Similar to earlier interventions involving SRSs, GSRSs improve overall class attendance (Cardwell 2007;Kay and LeSage 2009), but at an individual level, they also motivate students who may not normally participate in class discussion (Wang 2015).”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang 2015
Findings from the study suggested that maintaining anonymity is critical for facilitating engagement among students who might not be actively participating in classroom discussions.
“Consistent with Wang (2015), findings from our study suggested that maintaining anonymity is critical for facilitating engagement among students who might not be actively participating in classroom discussions.”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang 2015
These effects of enhanced attention and healthy competition are consistent with Wang's findings.
“These effects of enhanced attention and”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang 2015
The themes identified support previous studies that found a positive effect of GSRSs on classroom dynamics, motivation, social interaction, attention, willingness to prepare for class, and learning.
“The themes identified support the previous studies that have found a positive effect of GSRSs on, for instance, classroom dynamics, motivation, social interaction, attention, (Méndez and Slisko 2013), willingness to prepare for class and learning (Plump and LaRosa 2017;Wang 2015;Wang and Lieberoth 2016).”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang 2015
Kahoot! offered students the opportunity to focus on specific relevant content when a large amount of materials were delivered in lectures, consistent with Wang's (2015) findings.
“In addition, Kahoot! offered students the opportunity to focus on specific relevant content, when a large amount of materials were delivered in lectures, which, again, is consistent with Wang's (2015) findings.”
From Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning (2018) · cites this paper as Wang's (2015)
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- Authors
- Wang, A. I.
- Affiliations
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Wang, Alf Inge
- ORCID
- Wang, Alf Inge
- Venue
- Computers & Education
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-03
- Volume
- 82
- Pages
- 217-227
- ISSN
- 0360-1315 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2041995626
- Semantic Scholar
- 1e8cad97e1015d358b8778084211a01b36b4d629
- Cited by
- 580
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 71 · 2023: 76 · 2022: 65 · 2021: 88 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 87 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 35.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- Locations
- Computers & Education (publishedVersion)
- BIBSYS Brage (BIBSYS (Norway)) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Social Sciences › Education › Innovative Teaching Methods
- Social Sciences › Education › Education and Technology Integration
- Keywords
- game-based learning, Kahoot, clickers, Bring Your Own Device, student motivation, student engagement, classroom dynamics, perceived learning, ease of use, concentration, competitive games, educational technology adoption
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