Science to practice: Does gamification enhance intrinsic motivation?
Abstract
Self-determination theory (SDT) has empirical support in understanding and enhancing motivation in a variety of contexts, including education settings. Niemac and Ryan have highlighted that using SDT in course design can lead to stronger fulfilment of an internal locus of causality regarding course work. One course design method anchored in SDT is gameful learning—structuring tasks that support intrinsic motivation, primarily increasing autonomy over learning. A gamified classroom (GC) may offer more assignments and points than minimally necessary for students to earn a passing mark, allowing students choice in which projects to pursue. Further research is needed to examine the degree to which students’ motivations differ between a GC and a non-gamified classroom (NGC). The purpose of the current study was to determine if students in a GC were more intrinsically motivated than students in NGC. Students were enrolled in an undergraduate kinesiology course using a GC design ( n = 24) or NGC design ( n = 26) and completed an online survey – derived from the intrinsic motivation inventory and the test anxiety questionnaire—at the beginning and end of the semester. In the GC, students started with zero points, and were offered multiple assignments with scaffolded difficulty to reach their desired grade. The NGC used a traditional 100% grade range, with only required assignments and exams, and students lost points for inadequate or inaccurate responses. Following analyses, it was revealed that students in the GC had higher perceptions of autonomy and competence than students in the NGC. Where these differences exist over time, along with differences in other subscales, will be discussed further. Educators seeking to enhance student motivation and engagement may therefore look to gamification as an appropriate methodology.
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Gamified design elements can be aligned with Self-Determination Theory psychological needs: points and levels may enhance competence, avatars and team leaderboards may strengthen relatedness, and task or difficulty choice may support autonomy.
“Gamified design elements can be aligned with these psychological needs, as points and levels may enhance perceptions of competence through progress feedback; avatars and collaborative features such as team leaderboards can strengthen relatedness; and opportunities to select tasks or difficulty levels may support autonomy (Hakulinen & Auvinen, 2014;Hanus & Fox, 2015;Jones et al., 2023).”
From Gamification on Mathematics Engagement and Motivation in Secondary School and Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Jones et al., 2023
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Ratinho, E., & Martins, C. (2023) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19033 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Ratinho, E., Figueiredo, M., Estêvão, D., Faísca, L., & Martins, C. (2026) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-025-10108-1 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
- Authors
- Jones, M., Blanton, J. E., & Williams, R. E.
- Affiliations
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (US)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- Corresponding author
- Jones, Matthew
- Venue
- Active Learning in Higher Education
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2022-01-11
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 273-289
- ISSN
- 1469-7874 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-2625
- OpenAlex
- W4205959449
- Cited by
- 56
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 8
- FWCI
- 16.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Active Learning in Higher Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Keywords
- gamification, intrinsic motivation, self-determination theory, gamified learning, student independence, competence, kinesiology education, course design, test anxiety, student engagement
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