Cited by 156Educational Games and GamificationDigital Games and MediaOnline Learning and Analytics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 60 of the 63 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 70 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Towards a motivational design? Connecting gamification user types and online learning activities

Open access
Bovermann, Klaudia, Bastiaens, Theo J.·2020·Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning

Abstract

Motivation is a crucial factor for students’ learning behavior and plays a key role in the concept of gamification to foster students’ motivation through specific gamification mechanics and elements. User types for gamification and associated gamification mechanics can classify students’ interests and learning preferences and provide explanations for their motivational learning behavior. This study investigated how five gamification user types may relate to six mainly used online learning activities in a distance online bachelor’s and master’s class in educational science through the use of a systematic approach. A total of 86 students participated in the questionnaire in a cross-sectional study. The findings showed average agreement shares for all five gamification user types. The correlations revealed that the six online learning activities were at least significantly connected to one of the five gamification user types, and both person-centered and environment-centered perspectives were displayed. Finally, the results were discussed, and implications were derived for a motivational design.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This exploratory cross-sectional study surveyed 86 German online distance learners in educational science to connect five gamification user types and their mechanics with six Moodle learning activities. It found average agreement with all five user types and significant positive correlations between each of the six online learning activities and at least one gamification user type/mechanic.

Key findings

  • Average agreement shares for the five gamification user types were Achiever 26%, Philanthropist 23%, Free Spirit 21%, Socializer 16%, and Player 14% (n = 86).
  • All six online learning activities were significantly positively correlated with at least one gamification mechanic/user type (p < .05, two-tailed); examples include Social Discovery/Network with Forum (r = .594), Peer Assessment (r = .397), and Wiki (r = .340), and Level/Progression with Tutorial (r = .388) and Wiki (r = .235).
  • The results were organized into a person-centered perspective (user types → mechanics → activities) and an environment-centered perspective (activities → mechanics → user types), with implications for motivational design in Moodle.

Methods

  • Cross-sectional exploratory design; data collected April–September 2018 via paper-and-pencil and online questionnaire from German online distance learners in bachelor’s and master’s programs in educational science; 86 students participated out of 650 enrolled.
  • Questionnaire had 26 items: 20 questions for gamification mechanics associated with five user types (four items each) and six questions for online learning activities (Forum, Peer Assessment, Quiz, Task, Tutorial, Wiki), using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree).
  • Analysis used descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations in SPSS V25; because Cronbach’s alpha was not acceptable, no scales were used and item-level correlations were tested.

Limitations

  • The paper states that the limited number of participants means general conclusions can only be made with caution, and that only a limited number of online learning activities were chosen, so other activities may also relate to students’ preferences.
  • The paper states that results were not broken down by age, gender, or academic qualification, and that overlaps between gamification user types are likely and should be examined in future research.
  • Evident from the text: reliability testing showed Cronbach’s alpha was not acceptable, so the study relied on item-level correlations rather than validated scales; the cross-sectional, self-report design also cannot establish causal direction.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/s41039-019-0121-4

Cites

60 of 60 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

46 Not checked yet · 32 Own result · 11 Own interpretation · 4 Own method · 4 No basis given

Verify all 70 references — free account

Show all 38 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 28
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 42
59 of 59
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No research has been performed to systematically combine gamification user types and relevant gamification mechanics with typical online learning activities that can be provided in learning management systems such as Moodle.

    “Until now, no research has been performed to systematically combine gamification user types and relevant gamification mechanics with typical online learning activities that can be provided in learning management systems such as Moodle (2018).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    To support students' motivation in an online distance learning course, it is useful to have more information about their learning preferences and interests.

    “(1) First, to support students' motivation in an online distance learning course, it is useful to have more information about their learning preferences and interests.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    User types for gamification and associated gamification mechanics capture this crucial issue to learn more about students' attitudes, personal drive, and motivation to make steps towards a personalized online learning experience.

    “(2) User types for gamification and associated gamification mechanics capture this crucial issue to learn more about students' attitudes, personal drive, and motivation to make steps towards a personalized online learning experience.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Insights into gamification user types can help to foster students' engagement in their online learning process.

    “(3) Then, these insights can help to foster students' engagement in their online learning process.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Learning management systems are the main learning platforms in distance education.

    “Since learning management systems are the main learning platforms in distance education”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Many learning activities have an interactional quality.

    “This result is not surprising since this type is motivated by relatedness and the desire to interact with others and many learning activities have an interactional quality.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The activity Quiz contains particular rules and guided instructions that students need to follow in order to answer the questions correctly.

    “In contrast to this learning preference, the activity Quiz contains particular rules and guided instructions that students need to follow in order to answer the questions correctly.”
7 of 7

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Citations

Cites

Show all 63 references

Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. E. (2011). Gamification: Toward a definition. In Paper presented to CHI 2011, May 7–12, 2011 (pp. 1–4). ACM.
  2. Döring, N., & Bortz, J. (2016). Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation in den Sozial- und Humanwissenschaften (5th ed.). Springer.
  3. Qayyumn, A., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (2019). The state of open and distance education. In O. Zawacki-Richter & A. Qayyum (Eds.), Open and distance education in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East: National perspectives in digital age (pp. 125 – 140). SpringerBriefs in Education.
  4. Saputro, R. E., Salam, S. B., & Zakaria, M. H. (2017). A review of intrinsic motivation elements in gamified online learning. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 95(19), 4934–4948.

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Metadata

Authors
Bovermann, K., & Bastiaens, T. J.
Affiliations
  • FernUniversität in Hagen (DE)
  • Open University of the Netherlands (NL)
Corresponding author
Bovermann, Klaudia
Venue
Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning
Published
2020-01-10
Volume
15
Issue
1
ISSN
  • 1793-2068 (ISSN-L)
  • 1793-7078
OpenAlex
W2999718934
Cited by
156
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 8
FWCI
41.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Online Learning and Analytics
Keywords
gamification, student motivation, online learning activities, motivational design, gamification mechanics, distance education, learning behavior, person-centered approach

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