EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Effects of Gamification on the Social Studies Classroom

Chris Vergatos

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Chapter I- Introduction
A. Overview - 3
B. Problem - 4
C. Definition of Terms - 4
D. Purpose of Study - 4
E. Assumptions -5
F. Method - 5
G. Significance to Social Studies Education- 4-5
Chapter II- Literature Review
A. Introduction- 6
B. Gamification- 6-8
C. Education Practices 8-10
D. Purpose of Research-10
Chapter III Methods
A Research Questions - 11
B. Participants - 11
C. Design 12-13
D. Procedures 13-14
E. Analysis 14
F. Verification - 15
G. Human Subjects - 15
References
16-17

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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Chapter I

Effects of Gamification on the Teacher and the Classroom

Gamification is taking over the education system. Traditional teaching methods are slowly being

thrown to the side to make room for the introduction of gamified instruction techniques. Students

will soon be familiarized with a new type of classroom, one where textbooks are obsolete, and

the majority of learning takes place through the use of different forms of technology. Although

schools havent completely transformed to embrace these innovative ideas, there is no doubt that

soon they will come to integrate gamification into the education system universally.

Overview

In the Literature Review, various studies and expert analysis of the effects of gamification

were reviewed. Throughout the findings, most the articles and publications supported the idea

that there would be educational benefits for students who were exposed to structured

gamification practices within a classroom. Benefits of gamification within the classroom include

higher levels of student engagement, greater comprehension of content and higher retention

rates. Negative effects of gamification within the classroom include unstructured implementation

leading to distracted students, goals not being clear and teachers supplementing their units too

much with gamification to where the students are playing more than they are learning.

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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Problem

The education system in America has major flaws that include disparity amongst school

districts that lead to varied results for students. Teachers are given the task of teaching students

information that seems endless and with goals that not always align with standards or involve

rote memorization, rather than understanding and comprehension. Skills that students need to

function in the real world are not always taught in schools or across all subject areas.

Gamification offers a platform for students to develop cross disciplinary skills within a social

studies classroom that can help them in their future endeavors, while still teaching them about

the discipline they are in.

Definition of Terms

Gamification- The application of elements of game playing to other areas of a learning activity

and is generally used to increase engagement levels for students.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of gamification on students within the social

studies classroom. By studying a range of classroom settings in different schools, we can get a

general understanding of the effects of gamification, if only on a local scale. The study could be

modified to be more expansive and potentially become a national study across multiple schools

in multiple states.

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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Assumptions

There is a large portion of people in the world who play video games. Since gaming is such a

popular hobby for people, it can be assumed that if it is structured into the classroom setting, it

will benefit student learning due to both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Method

The research question will be answered through a qualitative phenomenological study. The study

will involve interviewing teachers at different high schools in the area before and after

gamification is introduced into the classroom to determine the effects gamification had on the

classroom.

Research Question: How has gamification affected your classroom?

Significance to Social Studies Education

Since Gamification is a relatively new concept, there are not many studies or research

available that have enough backing to allow the instruction method to be integrated in all

classrooms. By collecting data on the effects of Gamification within the Social Studies

classroom, the dialogue among educational professionals can begin in a professional manner and

serve as an example for future studies to be conducted on the matter. As technology advances

further, there needs to be more focus on new methods of instruction, such as gamification, in

order to provide a relevant and cutting edge education for students across the country.

Maintaining the current status quo within the classroom will only stifle student learning in a

world that is constantly becoming more technologically equipped.

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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Chapter II

Literature Review

A. Introduction

To determine the perceived effects of gamification on the social studies classroom, research

was collected from multiple sources regarding gamification and education practices within the

United States school system.

B. Gamification

Gamification involves the process of incorporating game like designs into an activity to

increase intrinsic motivation for the audience. The purpose of gamification in education is to

increase student engagement and help the students develop certain skills using games.

Gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts. (Ollsson, Mozelius,

Collin, 2016.)

In recent years, there has been an increase in games played by individuals and gamer

demographics have been recorded. Sixty-nine percent of all households play computer and video

games, ninety-seven percent of youth play computer and video games and forty percent of all

gamers are women. (McGonigal, 2011.) According to the most recent findings from the

Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the data shows that 155 million Americans play

video games and that four out of five U.S households have a game console of some kind. The

study also revealed that 26 percent of gamers are under the age of 18 and that 42 percent of

Americans play video games for at least three hours a week. (Entertainment Software

Association, 2015.)
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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Games can increase positive emotions, improve self-motivation and determination and

expose students to other cultures. Games make us happy because they are hard work that we

choose for ourselves and it turns out that almost nothing makes us happier than good, hard

work. (McGonigal 2011.) Since students are not entered into the framework of reality when

using gamification, the fear of failure decreases. (McGonigal, 2011.) Gamification has been

increasingly adopted at the university level to increase student engagement, relevancy and

excitement amongst students. Studies have shown that the more structure that goes into the

design and implementation of games within a classroom can directly benefit students of the

coming generations by exposing something to them through a medium that is familiar to them:

video games. (Niman, 2014.) Games increase student engagement if implemented correctly and

if supplemented appropriately. Games also increase self-efficacy and allow students the

opportunity to engage in their own learning rather than trying to absorb information through

more traditional methods. Creating games that serve as simulations allows students to do

something rather than just listen along and regurgitate information and increases overall student

engagement. (Kapp, Blair, Mesch, 2014.)

Gamification requires there to be both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation from the student in

order to succeed. Essentially, gamification aligns more with behaviorist concepts rather than

cognitivist or constructivist concepts and due to this there is a major need for new methods of

addressing e-learning to affect behavior. Currently the online platforms do not address issues of

boredom or loneliness which is a major problem amongst students who are disengaged.

Gamification has promising concepts that are worth exploring further even though this technique

will not fix all problems or reach every student. Gamification is very popular and increasing in
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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

popularity as time progresses, but it will never appeal to all types of students, which is crucial to

point out. (Ollsson, Mozelius, Collin, 2016.)

In order to incorporate gamification, the designer needs to be familiar with the key elements

of gamification. The key elements that should be considered when combining gaming and

education are Game mechanics, Game-Player type, The Process of Gamification, Use of

Gamification, Applications of gamification, Trust in Games (Davis, 2014.) Simply attributing

badges or giving points to students does not mean gamification is taking place and there needs to

be a clear structure in order to have success.

Educational games have been a commonplace part of the K-12 experience since the

beginning of the 1980s, with early titles introducing students to fundamental math, history, and

problem solving concepts just as games do today. (Heick, 2012.) Although the graphics were

not the best, the games provided engaging ways for students to learn and the base for educational

games that came after them. There is a long history of video games within education and the

best educational games arent just tools for teaching. They show kids that education can be fun

and instill a love of learning that will carry on throughout their lives. (Heick, 2012.)

C. Education Practices

Education practices have changed over time due to the incorporation of new technology.

Educational technology has been increasingly used in the classroom since 1920, beginning

with radio and moving towards televisions and computers. This increase in technology has

made significant gains when compared to the traditional use of classroom tools(i.e., textbook,

chalkboard or dry erase board). The increase of engagement and ability to use current

technology allows students a better chance to modernize their skill set and increase their
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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

learning, important aspects in career building in a wide variety of industries. Each of these

technological innovations were initially resisted by teachers and were not immediately

integrated into all classrooms, but once adopted have gradually shown a positive impact on

student learning. The problem with incorporating new methods is that educational reform is

looked at as a mechanical problem. The teacher, in this view is a technician who can apply

new devices to the classroom swiftly and without complication. (Cuban, 1986.) This

mindset restricts education because of the disconnect between policy makers and educators.

While findings are mixed regarding the effectiveness of individual innovations, there is no

debate that technology, as a whole, has benefitted the classroom.

The prevalence of computers has increased within schools and classrooms since

computer production skyrocketed in the 1990s. At first, computers were sparsely used even

though more and more teachers had access to the technological resource. Reasons for this

include teachers resistance to change, technical difficulties and general inability to use the

computers properly. Lack of free time has been seen as a main reason for lack of computer

use by teachers. The more common trend is for teachers to maintain classroom practices

rather than adopt new ones that are unfamiliar. Unless standards are established to make

teacher methods uniform, which is highly improbable and unrealistic, teachers will continue

to vary in how effective their methods of instruction are, no matter is using computers or any

other tool of instruction. For the tiny band of teacher-users who have already transformed

their classroom into student-centered, active learning places, the slow-revolution explanation

places them in the vanguard of a movement that will eventually convert all classrooms into

technology-rich sites. (Cuban, 2001.)

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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Although teachers might be slow to adapt new technologies, eventually there will be

more consistency in classroom teaching practices and environments. Cuban (1984), assessed

high school teaching methods across the United States and found that teachers have gradually

incorporated different methods of instruction in order to better engage students, focus on

student centered learning and increase students interest in topics. If this trend continues, then

gamification has potential to become incorporated in the repertoire of common teaching

methods.

D. Purpose of Research

Most research on the effects of gamification are that there are serious benefits to student

learning within the classroom. Since games are becoming more readily playable with the

increase in technology, teachers are finding it harder to avoid the presence of games in

society. Due to the cost of a games decreasing and the availability of free or extremely cheap

games the financial burden of gamification is increasing over time. Games are great for

simulating real-world issues, creating problems and generating ideas for student to interact

with through a medium that is familiar and generally risk-free. Gamification needs to be

more frequently incorporated by educators to extract the valuable aspects of gamification

versus the distractors that are inevitably present and to produce successful outcomes in

student learning and engagement. This research will be beneficial in determining how

effective gamification can be in the classroom setting, specifically a high school social

studies class.

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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Chapter III

Methods

In the Literature Review, various studies and expert analysis of the effects of gamification

were reviewed. Throughout the findings, most the articles and publications supported the idea

that there would be educational benefits for students who were exposed to structured

gamification practices within a classroom. Benefits of gamification within the classroom include

higher levels of student engagement, greater comprehension of content and higher retention

rates. Negative effects of gamification within the classroom include unstructured implementation

leading to distracted students, goals not being clear and teachers supplementing their units too

much with gamification to where the students are playing more than they are learning. This study

is designed to explore the effects of gamification and determine whether it can be beneficial to

student learning.

Research Questions

The primary research question will be: How has gamification affected your classroom? .

The following sub questions will also be posed:

1. What changes did you notice when gamification was introduced?

2. How has gamification affected student engagement levels?

3. Why do you think gamification was effective or ineffective in your classroom?

Research Hypothesis- Gamification has a positive effect on students within a social

studies classroom

Null Hypothesis- Gamification has a negative effect on students within a social studies

classroom.
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EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Participants

Participants will include teachers who teach a U.S History course to their students and

include gamification practices in their teaching. Teachers will be selected for the study from a

urban public school, rural public school, suburban public school and private school. As long as a

teacher teaches U.S History and utilizes any form of gamification practice into the teaching then

they will be asked to participate in the study. Teachers will be informed of the different processes

involved in the study and will not face any surprises throughout the study. As the study

progresses, the teachers will consistently be asked questions relating to the study to ensure clarity

and in-depth view of their classroom practices.

Design

My design will include surveying teachers from a rural, suburban, urban public schools

and a private high school who teach U.S History to their students with gamification methods.

First the teachers will be asked to participate in the study and sign an informed consent form to

insure any liabilities are addressed and they are familiar with the study. Teachers will be

interviewed at the beginning of the year, before gamification practices have been implemented

into their classroom. Questions in the interview will include the research question and the three

sub questions posed above. As a researcher, I will also be observing students within the

classrooms and collecting data on their engagement levels, comprehension progress and overall

success rate of the students based on a list of criteria. The criteria for success rates will include: #

of clarification questions asked, improvement of scores on assessments, ability to describe their

understanding of the assignment, orally and written. Data will also be collected of student

progress so that it can be analyzed further to understand the effects of gamification. The
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Ethnographic Research Design will be used. This design was developed by Bronislaw

Malinowksi, Robert Park and Franz Boas. (Creswell, 2014.) Various teachers that have diverse

classrooms will be asked to participate in this survey. The students will be the observed and

consent forms will be sent home to the class that is chosen to be observed in each school setting.

Once data is collected, it will be categorized into sections based on positive or negative growth.

This data will be charted and then analyzed by the researcher.

Procedures

There will be four teachers selected from a rural, suburban, urban public school and a

private school. The teacher will be qualified for the survey if they teach U.S History AND

incorporate gamification methods into their classroom. Teachers who agree to participate will

sign consent forms as well as send consent forms home with students. 100% consent is required

or another classroom will be selected. This is to ensure that there can be open observation of the

classroom without hindering the student environment (i.e. a student leaving the classroom when

a researcher is observing due to not signing a consent form) The study will begin in the middle of

the academic school year, after the first 9 weeks of classes. (This is to allow time for the teacher

to familiarize themselves with the students and collect data on student understanding and

assessment scores) There will be a pre-interview for each teacher before the study takes place

and at the end of the semester a post-interview. This information will be recorded and used as

part of the analysis process. Students will be introduced to the gamification processes once the

second 9 weeks begins. The students will be observed and a journal will be kept of certain target

students. Target students will be decided on by the teacher and will include a high achieving
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student, an average achieving student and a low achieving student from each classroom that is

participating in the study. The study will conclude after the second 9 weeks is over. Data will be

compiled throughout the semester and each teacher will be contacted on a weekly basis to

discuss the study and the data. The researcher will attend each school at least once a week and

collect data. The researcher must attend a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

class at least once in order to establish an environment for each day of the week at school.

Although this might seem trivial, it can be later reviewed to determine if contributing factors on

a specific day of the week led to more positive or negative growth. The teachers will be awarded

thank you cards at the end of the study and the students will be treated to a surprise pizza party

barring the permission of the teacher.

Analysis

The data will be analyzed based on the following criteria. Positive and negative growth

will be indicated by responses from teachers, increase in assessment scores and observations

made by the researcher. The data will be chartered on a line graph, but will include details of

each characteristic of positive and negative growth from each school that is observed. All

comments about student growth from the interviews with teachers will be recorded and

transcribed, as well as dissected to attain further understanding of the data.

A possible problem of this data analysis is that each teacher will have different teaching methods,

so data can potentially be misleading based on that. Overall, the analysis of the data will help to

further inform educators on the positive and negative aspects of applied gamification into the

social studies classroom.

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Verification

After all data is collected there will be a comparison of data to another study done on

effects of gamification on minority students from Chicago. (Jagoda, Gilliam, McDonald, Russell

2015.) The other form of comparison will be to look at the data versus the list of benefits of

gamification as laid out by the eLearning Industry. (Rimon, 2016.)

Human Subjects

This proposal will undergo review by the Bradley University Institutional Review Board

prior to initiation.

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References

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Cuban, L. (1986). Teachers and machines: The classroom use of technology since 1920. New
York: Teachers College Press..

Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold and underused: Computers in the classroom. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.

Cuban, L. (1984). How teachers taught: Constancy and change in American classrooms, 1890-
1980. New York: Longman.

Davis, V. (2014, March 20). Gamification in Education. Retrieved September, 2016, from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/gamification-in-education-vicki-davis.

Entertainment Software Association. (2015). Essential Facts about the Computer and Video

Game Industry. Entertainment Software Association. http://www.theesa.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/04/ESA-Essential-Facts-2015.pdf.

Heick, T. (2012, September 12). A Brief History Of Video Games In Education - TeachThought.

Retrieved October 10, 2016, from http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/a-brief-

history-of-video-games-in-education/

Jagoda, Patrick, Melissa Gilliam, Peter McDonald, and Christopher Russell. "Worlding through

Play." 8-1 | Worlding through Play | American Journal of Play. 2015.Accessed December

01, 2016. http://www.journalofplay.org/issues/8/1/article/3-worlding-through-play-

alternate-reality-games-large-scale-learning-and-source.

Kapp, K. M., Blair, L., & Mesch, R. (2014). The gamification of learning and instruction
fieldbook: Ideas into practice. San Francisco, CA: Wiley.

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McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change
the world. New York: Penguin Press.

Niman, N. B. (2014). The gamification of higher education: Developing a game-based business

strategy in a disrupted marketplace. New York: Macmillan.

Olsson, M., Mozelius, P., & Collin, J. (2015). Visualisation and Gamification of E-Learning and

Programming Education, 441-454. Retrieved October, 2016.

Rimon, G. (2016). 10 Surprising Benefits Of Gamification. Retrieved December 11, 2016, from

https://elearningindustry.com/10-surprising-benefits-of-gamification.

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