A gamified interactive E-book incorporating metacognitive self-regulation: effects on physics achievement, learning...

Although metacognitive self-regulation strategies (MSRS) have demonstrated robust effects on learning outcomes, their implementation in traditional classrooms often yields inconsistent results due to insufficient motivational support and delayed feedback. This study investigated whether gamification can serve as motivational infrastructure to sustain MSRS implementation in junior high school physics education. A Gamified Interactive E-Book (GIEB) was designed, grounding metacognitive scaffolding (planning-monitoring-reflection) within a gamified environment informed by Self-Determination Theory and Zimmerman's cyclical model of self-regulated learning. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, 60 eighth-grade students in China were assigned to either the GIEB group (n = 30) or a traditional lecture group receiving oral metacognitive strategy instruction (n = 30). ANCOVA results indicated that the GIEB group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in physics achievement (F = 29.165, p < 0.001, η² = 0.338), learning motivation (F = 22.832, p < 0.001, η² = 0.286), and metacognitive self-regulation ability (F = 19.956, p < 0.001, η² = 0.259). The TL group showed no significant gains on any measure. These findings suggest that gamified environments providing structured scaffolding, immediate feedback, and progress visualization may address the motivational bottleneck that limits MSRS effectiveness in conventional instruction. Implications for designing technology-enhanced metacognitive interventions in science education are discussed.