THE ROLE OF GAMIFICATION IN ENHANCING LEARNING OUTCOMES IN MATHEMATICS

  • Joydeb Debnath Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics. Kabi Nazrul Mahavidyalaya, Sonamura. Sepahijala Tripura
Keywords: Gamification, Mathematics Education, Student Engagement, Learning Outcomes, Digital Learning

Abstract

Educators now use gaming methods to create better student participation and knowledge gains in teaching. This research assesses how gamification helps students learn math better by measuring its results on their performance level and engagement. Our study design combines two groups of middle school students where one part learns through a gamified
system while the other accepts regular class instruction. Tests before and after the intervention happened, along with student engagement responses and teacher observations. Students who learned math through a game-based system performed better, according to results, with their scores rising 23.6 points, while the other group did not change. Students showed increased drive and participated more when learning with game elements because the method helped them to think deeper. Though the study notes potential problems when using motivation systems and competitive elements in learning, it shows that proper gamified designs work with both types of motivation effectively. Our results show that educational authorities should introduce gamified math learning to make student classes more enjoyable and help students keep their math knowledge. Research needs to evaluate how gamification helps different groups of students retain mathematical knowledge over time. Users and students see digital learning experiences as more exciting and better ways to master new knowledge when games become part of their studies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Ashcraft, M. H., & Faust, M. W. (1994). Mathematics anxiety and mental arithmetic performance: An exploratory investigation. Cognition and Emotion, 8(2), 97-125.
2. Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14(2), 243-248.
3. Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical mindsets: Unleashing students’ potential through creative math, inspiring messages, and innovative teaching. Jossey-Bass.
4. Caponetto, I., Earp, J., & Ott, M. (2014). Gamification and education: A literature review. Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Games Based Learning, 50-57.
5. de Sousa Borges, S., Durelli, V. H. S., Reis, H. M., & Isotani, S. (2014). A systematic mapping on gamification applied to education. Proceedings of the 29th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing, 216-222.
6. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
7. Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (2001). Extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivation in education: Reconsidered once again. Review of Educational Research, 71(1), 1-27.
8. Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness. Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference, 9-15.
9. Dichev, C., & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: What is known, what is believed and what remains uncertain. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(1), 9.
10. Domínguez, A., Saenz-de-Navarrete, J., de-Marcos, L., Fernández-Sanz, L., Pagés, C., & Martínez-Herráiz, J. J. (2013). Gamifying learning experiences. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 499-508.
11. Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014). Does gamification work? A literature review of empirical studies on gamification. Proceedings of the 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 3025-3034.
12. Hamari, J., Shernoff, D. J., Rowe, E., Coller, B., Asbell-Clarke, J., & Edwards, T. (2016). Challenging games help students learn. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 6(2), 29-49.
13. Hanus, M. D., & Fox, J. (2015). Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom. Computers & Education, 80, 152-161.
14. Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 21(1), 33-46.
15. Huang, W. H. Y., & Soman, D. (2013). A practitioner’s guide to gamification of education. Rotman School of Management Working Paper No. 2223109.
16. Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods and strategies for training and education. Pfeiffer.
17. Kilpatrick, J., Swafford, J., & Findell, B. (2001). Adding it up: Helping children learn mathematics. National Academy Press.
18. Landers, R. N. (2014). Developing a theory of gamified learning. Simulation & Gaming, 45(6), 752-768.
19. Landers, R. N., & Landers, A. K. (2014). An empirical test of the theory of gamified learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(4), 1040-1052.
20. Mekler, E. D., Brühlmann, F., Tuch, A. N., & Opwis, K. (2017). Towards understanding the effects of individual gamification elements on intrinsic motivation and performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 525-534.
21. Morschheuser, B., Hassan, L., Werder, K., & Hamari, J. (2018). How to design gamification? A method for engineering gamified software. Information and Software Technology, 95, 219-237.
22. Nicholson, S. (2015). A recipe for meaningful gamification. In Gamification in Education and Business (pp. 1-
20). Springer.
23. Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., & Kinzer, C. K. (2015). Foundations of game-based learning. Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258-283.
24. Sailer, M., Hense, J. U., Mayr, S. K., & Mandl, H. (2017). How gamification motivates. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 485-496.
25. Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2021). Motivation and social cognitive theory. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 60, 101832.
26. Seaborn, K., & Fels, D. I. (2015). Gamification in theory and action. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 74, 14-31.
27. Sfard, A. (2008). Thinking as communicating: Human development, the growth of discourses, and mathematizing. Cambridge University Press.
28. Su, C. H., & Cheng, C. H. (2015). A mobile gamification learning system for improving learning motivation and achievements. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 31(3), 268-286.
29.Wang, A. I., & Tahir, R. (2020). The effect of using Kahoot! for learning. Computers & Education, 149, 103818.
30.Wouters, P., Van Nimwegen, C., Van Oostendorp, H., & Van Der Spek, E. D. (2013). A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 249-265
Published
2025-10-17
How to Cite
Joydeb Debnath. (2025). THE ROLE OF GAMIFICATION IN ENHANCING LEARNING OUTCOMES IN MATHEMATICS. IJRDO -JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS, 11(4), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.53555/m.v11i4.6456