Evaluating the impact of gamification on motivation and academic performance in the context of higher education

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of gamification on motivation and academic performance of university students. The methods used involved a quantitative, applied approach and a quasi-experimental design. The population was Industrial Engineering students from a private university in Huancayo, Peru. The sample consisted of 82 seventh-cycle students, taking the Maintenance Engineering course, corresponding to two courses of this course of 41 students each, which were called the control group and the experimental group. For data collection, the Academic Motivation Scale was used to analyze intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation, while for academic performance, the grades obtained by the students before and after the intervention were considered. The results revealed that, in the pre-test, students from both groups presented comparable levels in all variables. However, in the post-test, a significant increase in academic motivation, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and academic performance was observed in the experimental group, while amotivation decreased compared to the control group. In conclusion, a positive impact of gamification on the motivation and academic performance of university students was observed.