TOPIC: ADOPTION OF GAMIFICATION IN CREATING AN ENABLING

ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNERS IN NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT

As the world system is changing and importance is being placed on the use of technology in
every aspect of life, so are the individual’s diverse need also changing. In education system,
there are learners with diverse needs (mostly their learning styles and making learning interactive
and fun) that is to be met before learning could take place. Learners are the central component in
the educational system and it’s very important to make learning (and learning environment)
easier, engaging, fun and suitable to their needs. Gamification can be used as an intervention in
improving teaching and learning. In this paper, the concept of gamification is clarified, its
application and impact from both foreign and local perspective were also discussed.

INTRODUCTION

Reward is seen and known to be a powerful and efficient tool in maintaining a certain
pattern of behavior. It is something every individual look forward to. Reward also serves as a
motivational factor in encouraging an individual to continue a certain behavior. Reward is known
to be used in all aspects of life (from home environment, school, religion, workplace etc.); a
child given a gift or award by parents, teachers or school management for performing excellently
in a particular subject or task, an athlete given a medal for finishing a race, scholars being
recognized for their inventions or contribution to knowledge, a trader who makes profit and
rewarded by the manufacturing company on the sale of a particular product and so on. This
propels and encourages the individual to do more, as long as the reward keeps coming. Even
when the rewards are not coming as expected, the joy and excitement from the previous ones
received is enough to keep fueling the individual into trying all over again until a new reward
comes.

Russian Physiologist B.F Skinner, came up with Operant Conditioning to show how a
behavior can be maintained or removed through the use of rewards. In support of this, Scott
Nicholson (2005), says, “….. research by Skinner has shown how to use the timing of rewards to
a behavior after the rewards are taken away through operant conditioning”. It is from this
techniques and principles that gamification evolved and have its being.
WHAT IS GAMIFICATION?

A basic misconception people have at the mention of the word gamification is thinking of
game playing and that could be the reason most professions don’t want to implement it in their
activities.

According to Kapp, gamification is “using game-based mechanics, aesthetics and game

thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems.” (Kapp,
2012). Andrew S and Carman defines Gamification “the application of game dynamics,
mechanics, and frameworks into non-game settings”. Bunchball.com also defines gamification as
“the process of taking something that already exists – a website, an enterprise application, an
online community – and integrating game mechanics into it to motivate participation,
engagement and loyalty. Gamification takes the data-driven techniques that game designers use
to engage players, and applies them to non-game experiences to motivate actions that add value
to your business”. Angelova & Yordanova (2014), gamification is an integration of game
elements and game thinking in activities that are not games. Arnold Brian J(2014), further
explained that, gamification it’s not about developing full-on games, but rather it’s about using
gaming attributes to drive engagement, strengthen skills, or behavior changes. These are some of
the definitions of gamification, we have many others. From the above definitions, we can
conclude that Gamification is simply applying principles and techniques in games and gaming
scenario or experience to a non-game environment.

Most professions use the idea of gamification without realizing. For a fresh entry level
staff to rise to the top position in a company, he or she must have met some certain demands
which could be; meeting a target or finishing up a task at a stipulated time which qualifies him or
her for a promotion to the next level and it goes on and on until he reaches the top position.
Casinos and other Bet shop also use this idea to motivate their customers to play more.

GAMIFICATION IN EDUCATION

As earlier said, gamification is not a new phenomenon. Professions have been using its
principles either consciously or unconsciously. Some individuals also believed that life is a game
which one plays and sometimes lose or win. We can also see this practice in our contemporary
education system; students are made to pass through rigorous training (teaching and learning)
and they are given task (examinations or projects) for which they will be rewarded and promoted
to a new level if they meet up with the requirements. This is a basic principle in gamification.

As Erenli (2013) mentions, games within the classroom is hardly a new concept. Early
childhood education is rife with games and songs and play to help the early learner grasp and
internalize the basic concepts needed to launch the learner into a lifetime of knowledge
acquisition (2013). The suggestion is inferred that, at some point, our culture associated the
concept of play with childhood and immaturity and insisted that students become more adult as
they advanced in their education. The above knowledge is what is limiting the adoption of
gamification in education as some people in the society believed that game is all about play and
play is for childhood. However, several studies has been done to counter this opinion. In higher
education, Adriaan Marthinus(2017) findings indicated that Game-Based Learning can be
effective in the teaching of JavaScript to undergraduate CIS (Computer Information System)
students at Military Academy in South Africa. Lawley, a professor of interactive games and
media at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as cited by Andrew & Carman (2014),
notes that when implemented properly, "gamification can help enrich educational experiences in
a way that students will recognize and respond to"

In Nigeria, Anekwe (2018) believes “The current crop of students who are generally
referred to as digital natives require a new set of content knowledge, but also a different skill -set
to confront the challenges of the modern world. Gamification is one of teaching method that
promises to not only increase students‟ motivation and engagement, but also meets their need for
fun and experimentation. When properly understood by instructors, adequately designed and
implemented in the learning process, there is the tendency for positive students‟ attitude and
behaviour towards learning”. Ayotola & Adebowale (2016) also deduce from their findings that
game based strategies positively engages all the learners (irrespective of gender), motivates
them to voluntarily put in their best efforts to overcome learning problems in mathematics; a
subject that many people perceive as a dreadful subject and that it could reduce gender gap in
mathematics. Obidimma Ezezika et al (2018), in a study carried out to find out whether and how
gamification of nutrition can have an impact on student’s (mainly adolescents) dietary behavior
especially the consumption of fruits and vegetables, through the introduction board games, clubs
and vouchers discovered that students perceptions and they started incorporating more nutritious
foods into their diet and engaging in more physical activity. These and more researches have
shown how effective the adoption of games and gamification can be used to improve teaching
and learning.

A good educational game may be able to teach a student in a way that a lecturer never
can (Gee J. P., 2009, pp. 67-69).

BENEFITS OF GAMIFICATION IN EDUCATION

From literature review, some common benefits of gamification in teaching and learning
process are:

1. It gives learners the freedom to fail which implies little or no harmful consequences.
This provides the learner the opportunity to start again until he gains mastery of that
particular level or concept.
2. It improves the learner’s critical thinking skill. In retaking a (failed) task, the learner
will be able to think of a new strategy or idea in accomplishing a task.
3. Improves learner’s problem solving skills as it brings real life problems for them and
also gives them opportunity to assume different roles in order to meet a certain
criteria.
4. It provides a ground for healthy competition among learners. Some games are
developed in a way that learners can see other learner’s progress and this can
motivate them to do more.

There are other benefits such as rapid feedback, freedom of effort, self-expression and
many more.

Elements of some learning theories can also be found in gamification such as Operant
conditioning, Connectivism and E L Thorndike’s law of exercise and effect.

CONCLUSION

Every activities in teaching and learning situation is to be tailored to be at the advantage

of the learners. Incorporating gamification into Nigeria education system is very important as it
creates an enabling environment for learners to express themselves. Teachers should be trained
and encouraged to incorporate gamification into their teaching more often.
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