Effects of a gamified learning platform on elementary school students' flow experiences in leisure reading

Abstract

Reading is the basis of most learning but is regarded by students as a boring activity in Hong Kong. Therefore, schools in Hong Kong have launched different reading programs to promote reading. One of the successful examples is Reading Battle which gamifies the reading comprehension assessments with points, levels, e‐badges and leaderboard on an interactive learning platform. This study looked into how gamification affected the flow experience of students and discussed to what extent the nine flow dimensions were experienced by them, especially the heavy users of the gamified learning platform. This case study chose nine students from four different elementary schools in Hong Kong and adopted a mixed method such as questionnaires and interviews. While many students first did it for external motivation such as getting more points and ranking high on the leaderboard, the study found that the heavy users of Reading Battle became committed to reading and many enjoyed the flow experiences where they seemed to forget about time and discomfort and truly enjoyed the reading process.

The Impact of Gamification on EFl Students’ Reading Comprehension

“…In contrast to Mak et al's (2019) research, their study focused on examining the impact of a gamified learning platform on the flow experiences of elementary school students during leisure reading. The study took place in Hong Kong and employed Reading Battle to enhance students' reading comprehension skills.…”

“…Many of these dedicated users enjoyed their reading experience so much that they were fully absorbed and oblivious to time constraints and other inconveniences. Mak et al (2019) concluded that the inclusion of these game elements in the platform positively enhanced students' reading experiences and increased their intrinsic motivation levels after participating in the Reading Battle program. Nitiasih & Budiartha (2021) states that gamification encompasses six fundamental features: user, challenge, point, level, badges, and ranking.…”

“…Including challenges in teaching reading comprehension motivates students to become more committed to reading. As highlighted by Mak et al (2019), students spend significant amounts of time carefully studying the books on Reading Battle to complete various types of challenges successfully. Integrating challenges into an EFL reading comprehension class can enhance student engagement and dedication to reading.…”

“…Each game has three levels, each with three sub-levels that we know as beginner, intermediate, and advanced (Nitiasih & Budiartha, 2021). According to Mak et al (2019), in Reading Battle, there are reading levels that can help students adjust to their reading level. This structure provides a progressive development of reading comprehension skills, starting from foundational levels and gradually advancing to more sophisticated and complex tasks.…”

Promoting Students’ Global Perspectives Through a Gamified e-Learning Platform

“…Similarly, it is also reported as an effective tool to introduce global perspectives to students beyond the traditional classroom. Previous studies suggested that gamified e-learning platforms are effective in teaching nonsubject knowledge, such as leisure reading (Mak et al, 2019), traffic safety (Riaz et al, 2019), or civic engagement (Hassan, 2017). Not only could the gamified e-learning platform motivate students through the peer-pressure or team collaboration, but it also offers external motivation (i.e., points, achievements, or ranking) that makes students more committed to learning and achieve higher levels of flow experience during the gameplay (Mak et al, 2019).…”