An Examination and Extension of the Theory of Gamified Learning: The Moderating Role of Goal Orientation

Abstract

Background.

Landers (2014) proposed the theory of gamified learning to provide a theoretical framework for gamification research. Unfortunately, little empirical work has tested this theory. Thus, the current study aimed to close this gap by examining the theory’s mediational pathway as well as exploring the moderating role of goal orientation on the pathway from Assessment game attributes (i.e., assessment and progress) to self-efficacy to learning outcomes.

Method.

A gamified resume course was developed on a gamification software platform. Participants (N = 185) were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk and randomly assigned to one of four conditions (i.e., badges, progress bar, badges and progress bar, and control). Participants responded to a pre-course questionnaire containing demographics and the goal orientation measure, were directed to the course website to complete the gamified resume course and knowledge measure, and were finally re-directed to a post-course questionnaire collecting job search self-efficacy.

Results.

There was little support for the hypothesized moderated mediation model. However, an interesting outcome of this study was the significant conditional indirect effect of the badge condition for average learning and high avoid performance goal orientations, suggesting badges can improve self-efficacy in gamified learning.

Discussion and Conclusion.

A key takeaway of this study was preliminary evidence suggesting badges may help mitigate the negative effects of avoid performance goal orientation on self-efficacy. This finding demonstrates how individual differences play a role in learners’ responses to game attributes in a gamified learning experience. Practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.