Running head: GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 1

Gamification for Corporate Adult Learners

Komal S Patel

Post University

2017
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 2

Abstract

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Keywords: Lorem, ipsum, dolor

GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 3

Problem Statement

Many corporate environments and different work places need to train and teach not only

new employees but season employees of all different educational grounds and tech savviness on

business practices, new elements to their jobs, and for on-boarding. Keeping those adult learners

engaged in the learning is an issue. Without the learners being properly engaged in the learning it

can lead to errors, customer complaints, and disciplinary action for the employee. ... adult

learners need to be actively engaged in learning, have predetermined motivation for engaging in

the learning... (McDonough, 2014, p. 10). Gamification studies have shown great promise with

student engagement. Research on adding games to the classroom, or gamification has shown,

what may be surprising to some, benefit to students. Dominguez et al (2013), and Lee and

Hammer (2011) state that Gamification has many cognitive, emotional, and social benefits (as

cited in Turan, Avinc, Kara & Goktas, 2016, p. 64). By introducing gamification and gaming

elements to education for adult learners, this could be a solution to getting adult learners engaged

in training. These games design elements in education learners will be able to better understand

concepts, socialize with other learners, and increase their motivation for learning, Hakulinen,

Auvinen and Korgonen (2015) and Lee and Hammer (2011) state that The literature has further

demonstrated that the use of gamification in education increases motivation towards and

participation in a course (as cited in Turan et al, 2016, p. 64). With the added benefit of

gamification that could be used in and out of the learning environment, it could help with

increasing their knowledge on the material without putting in conscious effort, or laborious and

stressful study sessions, thereby engaging with their course content on multiple levels in multiple
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 4

ways. This project will answer question: Can the use of gamification and game design in

education help increase adult learner engagement in the workplace.

Literature Review Outline

1. What is the main problem you are researching?

a. Learner engagement for adult learners in the workplace

2. Why are you researching it?

a. Many corporate training sessions results in the learners not being engaged and

paying less attention to what the training material is on. This results in workers

spending more time trying to teach themselves or needed repeated training to

conduct their operational activities.

3. Describe the 3 major points (subproblems within your larger problem) you will be

researching for you literature review.

a. Learner engagement for adult learners

b. Gamification as a solution for low learner engagement

c. Gamification can also improve learner motivation and social skills

Problem: Adult learner engagement

1. Overview (own words): A major problem with training and learning in corporate

environments is learner engagement. Learner engagement relies on several factors, two of

the most important being motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation being

the learner wanting to learn about a specific topic, and extrinsic that where a learner is

encouraged to learn for a reward, in the corporate world, money. Learner engagement is

about the time and energy spent on the learning, with actual assimilation of the
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 5

knowledge. Adult learners tend to be more intrinsically motivated when it comes to

gaining education, in the more traditional sense, but with training or job related learning

many times it is extrinsic. Additionally if learners feel the learning will not impact them

positively motivation drops, causing engagement to drop. Studies have shown adult

learners wanting a choice, control or influence over their learning, which will promote

learning and engagement.

a. Motivations, intrinsic, extrinsic. (Rothes, Lemos, & Gonalves, 2017).

b. Control and Social aspects of learning (McDonough, 2014).

c. Scheduling Learning (Cheng, 2013).

Gamification

1. Overview (own words): There are many ways to engage learners and a possible solution

to increase that engagement in the workplace is gamification. From training on point of

sales systems, to using excel, to even virtual work environments to train doctors, pilots

and military. Gaming and game design can create a very immersive experience, in turn

engaging the learner. When a learner is engaged in the material it allows them to pay

more attention to bring to the work post learning, and have more confidence when

executing what was learned. Using gaming within certain workplaces have also shown to

reduce stress levels for employees and increasing focus. Gamification studies in both

children and adult learners show similar promise where those using gamification

demonstrated an increase in intrinsic motivation, and satisfaction for their learning.

a. Immersive gaming (cite) Balan, Moldovenu, A., Moldovenu, F., Morar, 2016)

b. Student Gamification (Turan, Avinc, Kara, Goktas, 2016)

GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 6

c. Stress reducing (Oravec, 2015).

d. Motivation (Faiella, & Ricciardi, 2015)

e. Motivation (DuVernet, & Popp, 2014)

f. Remaining Engaged (Bailey, Pritchard, & Kernohan, 2015)

g. Gamification can bring many different positive elements to corporate learning,

training and working. In addition to improving adult engagement with their

learning and work, it can improve stress levels, motivation, and communication

amongst colleagues.

Social Implications

1. Overview (own words): Gamification can be utilized to facilitate decision making and

foster brainstorming. Games and game design can also encourage internal collaboration

and communications. By adding these additional avenues for communication employees

have been shown to be more engaged with their work, training, and coworkers, even

passing on this satisfaction to their consumers and customers. Studies also indicate

gaming to be one of the most engaging mediums. With in game achievement learners

engage more with not only the game, but also learning, driving intrinsic motivation

through the extrinsic rewards with the game based learning.

a. Communication (Ergle, 2015).

b. (Vinichenko, Melnichuk, Kirillov, Makushkin, Melenichuk, 2016)

Conclusion

1. What are the contributions of this literature to the field?

GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 7

a. There is significant research and information on motivation of learners using

gamification

2. What are the overall strengths?

a. Motivation is a large part of learner engagement, as well as highlighting the other

benefits such as communication and reduce of stress for employees/learners

3. What are the overall weaknesses?

a. The main weaknesses with the literature is not demonstrating what specific

methods within gamification proved to be best with improving motivation and

engagement in learners, but cloaked the research behind the blanket category.

4. What might be missing?

a. Methods of gaming that increase engagement in learners.

5. What are some next steps for research?

Next steps would be to find research and information on types of gamification most often

used in education of both children and adult learners, why they are more effective in one group

or another, and how these more effective methods could be used to improve engagement in adult

learners in the workplace.

GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 8

Introduction

A major problem with training and learning in corporate environments is learner

engagement. Learner engagement relies on several factors, two of the most important being part

of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. This is an important area to tackle as in many,

corporate workplaces, training is not taken seriously and leads to countless errors, poor customer

service or quality of work which can result in disciplinary action, or on profit margins as

customers who do not receive proper assistance do not return.

Retention is an important part of the adult learning process. It is directly impacted by the

amount of practice and use during the learning process. What this means is that adult

learners need to be actively engaged in learning, have predetermined motivation for

engaging in the learning, and need a learning environment that supports this active

engagement and motivation (McDonough, 2014, p. 10).

Gamification could prove to be a terrific solution to this engagement issue. Gamification

and Game design refers to all the implementation details related to the development of a game:

storyline, winning modality, complexity and level design, interaction, control, communication,

engagement etc (Balan, Moldoveanu, Moldoveanu, & Morar, 2016, p. 337). The literature

reviewed here will discuss how and why gamification can improve learner engagement in

corporate training.

Motivation

For adult learners there are many factors in what can engage them in learning and

motivate them to even conduct the learning in the first place. For traditional learning intrinsic

motivation is the most crucial, and most often found, as discovered by Archer, Cantwell, and
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 9

Bourke, 1999; Bennett, Evans, and Riedle, 2007; Bye, Pushkar, and Conway, 2007; Donohue &

Wong, 1997; Murphy and Roopchand, 2003 (as cited in Rothes, Lemos & Goncalves, 2017, p.

7), but for workplace learning, it tends to be extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation refers to the

performance of an activity that is rewarding on its own, for instance, learning about something

because we find it interesting. Extrinsic motivation relates to the performance of an activity for

the consequences or rewards that come out of it (e.g., higher grades, honors, money) and/or to

avoid negative outcomes (e.g., punishments, criticism)(Rothes,et al, 2017, p. 4). Learner

engagement is about how much time is spent on the learning and how focused they really are on

it, with actual assimilation of the knowledge. Research shows adult learners tend to be more

intrinsically motivated when it comes to gaining education, in the more traditional sense, but

with training or job related learning many times it is extrinsic, related to wanting to keep their

job or earn a promotion, etc. Additionally if learners feel the learning will not impact them

positively motivation drops, causing engagement to drop. Malcolm Knowles (2011) indicates

that adult learners are most likely to be actively engaged in learning when they are given some

choice and control over the learning process (as cited in McDonough, 2014, p. 8). McDonough

goes on to discuss how with blended courses, and introducing educational elements to adult

learners electronically it allows them to conduct the learning on their own terms. This is crucial

be cause adult learners are practical and focus on the parts of the new knowledge that are most

useful to them; either in their work or other areas of their life. What this means is that adult

learners what to be actively engaged in the learning process and need to have an environment

that supports this active engagement (McDonough, 2014, p. 9-10). In a study discussed by

Cheng (2013), it was reported that learners utilizing corporate e-learning programs, (CELP), had
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 10

positive experiences and felt that they had a positive attitude toward CELP for learning content

and structure, learning strategies, facilitated design, information and interface design, learning

assessment and aspects of feedback (p.88). There was one major issue that was faced by the

learners in this study, which may also plague many other environments and learners, and that is

having adequate time to use the e-methods of learning. This will need to be carefully considered

before and while implementing gamification strategies.

Gamification

There are many ways to use gamification in the workplace. From training on

point-of-sales systems, to using excel, to even virtual work environments to train doctors, pilots

and military. Gaming and game design can create a very immersive experience, in turn engaging

the learner. When a learner is engaged in the material it allows them to pay more attention to

bring to the work post learning, and have more confidence when executing what was learned.

Using gaming within certain workplaces have also shown to reduce stress levels for employees

and increasing focus. Co-creating and maintaining situation-appropriate and comprehensible

work/play distinctions may be increasingly important in quality of life efforts in workplace

contexts (Oravec, 2015, p. 9). Gamification studies in both children and adult learners show

similar promise where those using gamification demonstrated an increase in intrinsic motivation,

and satisfaction for their learning. When the players gain a sense of identity by acknowledging

their role and position in the game and by assessing its purposes and principles, they

automatically become motivated to pursue the challenges and objectives set by it and enter into a

state of immersive experience (Balan et al, 2016,p. 335). By utilizing these immersive gaming

techniques and environments it can help the adult learners to gain the motivation to truly rise to
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 11

the challenges. Gaming elements can be used to encourage participation and interaction in a

virtual training session by awarding points or badges to learners when they interact with each

other or the instructor (DuVernet, & Popp, 2014, p. 39). In the majority of scenarios there is not

time, nor resources available for a full blown game, but if possible, the way the learner becomes

involved is better for learning. In a serious game, learning follows a cyclic model: experiencing,

reflecting on the experience, drawing conclusions, creating a plan for future actions,

experiencing again etc. Reflection is a fundamental part of the learning process, as it helps the

player improve his performance on the long term (Balan et al, 2016, p. 335). In addition to and

immersive experience leading to intrinsic motivation Perrotta et al. (2013) believe that

gamification of learning is intrinsically motivating because rules are inputs to broad range of

decision making processes; fun because goals allow student to see the direct impact of their

efforts; authentic because fantasy provides a compelling background that allows students to

experiment with skills without suffering the consequences of failure in real life (as cited in

Faiella & Ricciardi, 2015, p 15). These gamification strategies improve how these training

elements are then utilized in the workplace a study conducted by Puleston and Sleep (2011)

concluded through their research that the application of soft gamification and more creative

questioning techniques can reduce straight-lining, improve the quality and quantity of answers,

and improve participant engagement levels (as cited in Bailey, Pritchard, & Kernohan, 2015, p.

19). The use of gamification, while alleviating stress, does create necessary pressure within the

game to facilitate the learning The setting of a time limit used in applying the principle of a rule

in the gamified cell clearly draws upon the competitive nature that is inherent in all of us The

counting down of a minute on the screen further applied a mild pressure to make the participant
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 12

focus on the task in hand (Bailey et al, 2015, p. 22) as indicated, this pressure helps to get

learners engaged in the learning and complete it. By softly encouraging the completion of the

training, and using benefits, it can encourage socializing and interacting with fellow trainees or

instructors on progress and completion, gaming elements can be used to encourage participation

and interaction in a virtual training session by awarding points or badges to learners when they

interact with each other or the instructor (DuVernet, & Popp, 2014, p. 40). Through these

studies and discussion it is notable thatoverall, we do see that gamification can provide richer

data and increase participant engagement, as is evident in the more detailed responses obtained

in the gamified cell of participants (Bailey et al, 2015, p. 25). Gamification has also

encountered much scrutiny Some critiques relate to the potentials for enforced merriment or

mandatory fun associated with gamification (Oravec, 2015, p. 3). Oravec (2015) also

discusses how many times the idea that gamification can be akin to Taylorization (work

routinzation)...Prospects for surveillance could also have Issues involving game plots and

characters or Emphasis on certain commercial game approaches (p.3). all which are addressed

and it is crucial to explore all sides of the argument with the remainder of this paper, and as

progress on implementing gamification strategies move forward.

Social Implications

With many games in the traditional sense, there is an aspect of socializing involved, be it gaming

with friends or using a MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game) or a derivation

of such. Gamification for education can also be utilized to facilitate socialization, decision

making and foster brainstorming. Games and game design can also encourage internal

collaboration and communications.With in game achievement learners engage more with not
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 13

only the game, but also learning, driving intrinsic motivation through the extrinsic rewards with

the game based learning. For businesses that are looking to implement different strategies for

engaging their employees there are several elements for them to explore, one such element is

communication, Purves (2005) states that Effective communication processes lie in a

background of every company that wants to be successful in a long term (as cited in Ergle,

2015, p. 220). Gamification strategies often include avenues to socialization, be it through

in-game collaboration, to fostering some healthy competition, it adds that important

communication element into the workplace, as well as keeps all participants engaged in the tasks,

information or training at hand. Competition is a core principle behind the performance

management system, as everyone likes to be appraised as the top performer (Ergle, 2015, p. 223),

Deterding (2011) writes that Gamification in Human Resource Management is the usage of

game thinking and game mechanics in non-game scenarios, specifically in recruitment, training

and development, and motivation, in order to engage users and solve problems (as cited in

Ergle, 2015, p. 222) which is a way companies can view gamification strategies as, alternate

means to engage and interest employees in crucial information, and working together. Welch

(2011) states that communication is a psychological need of employees, which organizations

have to meet to maintain and develop employee engagement (as cited in Ergle, 2015, p. 221)

further stressing how ensuring the employees have multiple means of communication, not only

traditional means, but through gamification which can help them to learn and understand the

material they will be communication about and working on. Wanting engaged and empowered

employees is obvious. Creating an environment, which facilitates high performance, is much

more difficult and complex. Company has to be able to communicate mission and values, it has
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 14

to train managers and leaders to follow these values and have to hire employees who fit the

culture (Ergle, 2015, p. 221). Those managers, specialists and workers that are the supporters

of the gamification believe that the main objectives of implementation of gaming techniques are,

first of all, to improve staff motivation and create a favourable social and psychological climate

in the organisation that will facilitate the creativity and initiative of employees. (Vinichenki,

Melnichuk, Kirillov, Makushkin, & Melnichuk, (2016) p. 9). Though much research has not

been conducted on adult learners with gamification, studies based on school aged children have

shown some serious promise, research by Lee & Hammer (2011) and Simes, Redondo & Vilas

(2013) shows that Based on the literature, gamification may be used to provide incentives for

expected behaviors in education and to ensure that these behaviors help students to reach

intended learning outcomes (Turan, Avinc, Kara, & Goktas, 2016, p. 64). For adult this can

mean that The presence of a rich creative potential, proactive attitude, innovative ideas of

employees will contribute to improvement of efficiency of the organisation.(Vinichenki et al,

2016, p.9).

With the amount of research that has been conducted on the topic of gamification, there

are some shortcomings, there are a varying amount of gamification and game design strategies,

that will all work differently in different environments. Even when providing the most beneficial

strategy for the learning environment, learners can vary greatly. Not all learners may benefit

from aspects of gamification, such as competition. Regardless, there is still a problem that needs

to be addressedmost adults spend a significant amount of time working, and yet only 20 percent

of them are highly engaged in their work (Ergle, 2015, p. 219) and utilizing gamification as a

solution could prove very successful. integrating games into everyday organizational activities
GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 15

may serve to empower participants to expand their capacities and evolve their perspectives even

in relatively mundane settings, such as assembly lines or routine office work (Oravec, 2015, p.

8). There has been great success with using gamification The presence of a rich creative

potential, proactive attitude, innovative ideas of employees will contribute to improvement of

efficiency of the organisation (Vinichenki et al, 2016, p.9). In the study conducted by Turan et

al (2016) they concluded that gamification can increase both cognitive load and achievement

levels, and students generally have positive thoughts regarding gamification strategies (p.68).

These studies with students and studies coupled with observations such as those by Vinichenki et

al (2016), in the course of the games, most optimal solutions are elaborated to solve business

tasks (p. 11) the literature shows that gamification when utilized with proper intentions and

strategies in place, can engage learners and employees, and be very useful tools to managers and

even businesses looking to excel.

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GAMIFICATION FOR ADULTS 16

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