Playing to learn? It works, but it has its limits

A new ESPOL study reveals that turning learning into a game can improve grades in STEM subjects, but it doesn’t necessarily motivate students more.

The research was based on the theory of gamified learning and was applied to 175 engineering students. One group was implemented with a weekly leaderboard system (like video game rankings), and the other was not. The results are published in the International Journal of STEM Education.

The result? After six weeks, those who had gamification scored higher on the final exam. But it wasn’t all successful: their motivation and sense of competence in solving math problems didn’t increase as expected.

Many students acknowledged that they made an effort to perform well in the rankings, more due to external pressure than true internal motivation.

Phrases like “If there hadn’t been a leaderboard, I wouldn’t have done anything” were repeated in several interviews. The study also explored whether factors such as gender or video game experience influenced the results, but no significant difference was found.

Gamification can be an ally in the classroom, but its design matters. It’s not enough to simply establish rankings or points; we must build experiences that inspire students from within.