Gameful Experience questionnaire (GAMEX) in game-based learning in Iran: a psychometric study

Recognizing the importance of psychometric evaluation in various contexts to ensure the proper use of measurement instruments in research, this study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Gameful Experience Questionnaire (GAMEX) within the Iranian context.

This validation study was conducted at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in 2025-2026. The original questionnaire, developed by Eppmann et al. in 2018, comprises 27 items in six dimensions. To ensure cultural adaptation, a standard forward-backward translation procedure was employed. The content and face validity of the Persian version of the questionnaire were assessed from the viewpoints of experts. Quantitative content validity was measured with the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Content Validity Index (CVI). Face validity was evaluated using the Impact Score. Exploratory Factor Analysis as a part of construct validity was conducted to explore the underlying factor structure of the GAMEX. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha, while reproducibility was assessed using the test-retest method. The participants consisted of 245 undergraduate health sciences students recruited from SSU using convenience sampling in EFA (n = 215) and reliability (n = 30) steps, and experts (n = 16) participated in the steps. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 24, with a significance level set at 0.05.

The evaluation of face validity indices (item impact scores) and content validity indices (CVI, CVR, clarity, and simplicity) was completed. All items demonstrated face validity, with impact scores exceeding the acceptable threshold of 1.5. The content validity ratios (CVR) for the items were all greater than 0.49, leading to the retention of all items. The results for content validity indices (CVI) indicated that all items achieved scores higher than 0.79, making them acceptable. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis identified four distinct dimensions of the gameful experience: "Enjoyment", "Absorption," "Creative Engagement, Autonomy," and "Negative Emotional Arousal". The internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.91, while the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was 0.78.

The findings show that the GAMEX instrument exhibits acceptable levels of face and content validity, along with satisfactory reliability, within the Iranian context. Consequently, this questionnaire serves as a valid and reliable tool for assessing students' experiences in game-based learning environments in Iran, and its use is recommended for future educational research.