Boosting Student's Motivation through Gamification in Physical Education.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Physical Education
• Technology in Education

Background:

• Declining student motivation in traditional education settings necessitates innovative teaching strategies.
• Gamification is being explored as a method to enhance student engagement and motivation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of gamification on the motivation levels of elementary school students in physical education.
• To investigate specific motivational variables affected by gamified interventions.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design involving 72 elementary students across two schools in Spain.
• Intervention group (n=35) participated in 10 gamified physical education sessions using ClassDojo, integrating Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA) models.
• Control group (n=37) received traditional instruction. Motivation was assessed pre- and post-intervention using the "Motivation Questionnaire in Physical Education" (CMEF-EP).

Main Results:

• The gamified group showed significant increases in intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, and external regulation (p < 0.001 for most).
• Amotivation levels did not significantly change in the gamified group (p = 0.120).
• The control group exhibited no significant changes in motivation. A significant interaction effect over time was observed for intrinsic motivation (p = 0.025).

Conclusions:

• Gamification is an effective strategy for increasing multiple facets of motivation in elementary physical education students.
• The intervention did not reduce amotivation, suggesting a need for complementary strategies.
• Findings support the use of gamification to enhance quality education, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 4.