An experimental study on the effects of gamified cooperation and competition on English vocabulary learning

Abstract

Gamification has become a popular approach to blending learning with fun and enjoyable experiences. However, gamification research has been criticized for mostly focusing on game mechanics and related outcomes while paying little attention to the psychological processes that mediate the relationship between these mechanics and outcomes. Furthermore, the majority of existing gamification studies have focused on competitive game features. Thus, the full potential of cooperative gamification has yet to be explored. Given this background, the current study compared how gamified cooperation and competition impact task effort, learning achievement, motivation and social relatedness in English vocabulary learning with a mobile application. The study utilized Social Interdependence Theory to explicate the psychological processes in gamified cooperation and competition. 75 participants were randomly assigned to either the gamified cooperation or the gamified competition condition and studied English vocabulary for 14 days. No difference was observed between the conditions regarding task effort, learning achievement and motivation. However, social relatedness in the gamified cooperation group was significantly higher than in the gamified competition group. The current findings emphasize that the positive influence of gamified cooperation on creating meaningful connections amongst learners should not be ignored, even though it facilitates similar learning and motivational outcomes as gamified competition.

The effects of using games on teaching vocabulary in reading comprehension: a case of gifted students

“…Most importantly, the findings of the study show that educational games that were employed once should not be used again within a week, because they will feel bored and will not participate every day. This finding is confirmed by (Dindar et al 2021) who focused on using games only once to teach the students. By using educational games, the students can improve their engagement, memorize new words, and as well as explain the new words.…”

“…In this regard, while reading readers can often communicate with the texts as they can derive the meaning by using different kinds of information, such as bottom-up processing and top-down processing. Dindar et al (2021) also indicated that reading aims to obtain correct information from a reading background that the writer intended to attain from the reader. Li and Cummins (2019) argued that reading creativity can be described as an intellectual skill a person can use when engaging with the circumstance they are reading.…”

Competition in a Household Energy Conservation Game

“…Some studies found differences in motivation in the short and long term and by the complexity of tasks that have to be performed. Dindar et al [37] and Katz-Navon and Erez [38] both suggest that a DGBLsetting collaboration invokes higher task effort in long-lasting learning activities compared with competition, and Chen [39] reports that collaboration increases reflective thinking and effective problem-solving. Therefore, collaboration seems to be an effective feature for higher and complex learning tasks that takes a longer time period to carry out.…”

“…Its effectiveness depends on the quality of dialogues in acquiring knowledge from each other by questioning, answering, and discussing [18,41]. These discussions, about conflicting information, lead to opportunities for reflection on the offered content and present knowledge [13], and thus stimulate information exchange and constructive communication [37]. To be more specific: When asking questions, participants outline what they know and/or identify what they need to know, which helps to become aware of their knowledge and to generate knowledge.…”

“…In this way both learning processes and outcomes benefit from collaboration [42] and, through these social interactions, also positive motivational experiences are facilitated and feelings of relatedness generated [43]. Furthermore, when team members face emotional challenges such as frustration or demotivation collaboration stimulates mutual cognitive, motivational and emotional support [37,44].…”