1. Introduction
Gamification has been gaining in popularity within the educational field. Its use as an active methodology has been growing in recent years by creating a novel educational approach to address problems related to social behaviour and student motivation [
1,
2,
3,
4,
5]. This emerging pedagogical approach is based on the utilisation of the potential of games in order to redesign methodological and didactic elements to increase motivation and adherence to the teaching–learning process, significantly changing the social behaviours of students to ultimately improve their academic performances [
6,
7,
8]. Gamification, an innovative solution inspired by the idea of the use of recreational elements applied in non-recreational contexts [
5,
9], has been integrated into an educational context from the moment such elements and recreational experiences became part of the design and planning of the educational process [
10,
11]. These playful elements, that gamify educational contexts, must be tangible for the students (avatars, points, levels, achievements, insignia, etc.), they must create a sense of action and progression (rules, challenges, competition, cooperation, feedback, etc.) and they must regulate the group’s social–emotional competencies (motivations, emotions, obligations, social relationships, etc.) and, consequently, modulate academic performance [
6,
12].
Within the area of Physical Education (PE), games have traditionally been used, since any motor, popular, traditional or sport game that is proposed in class is configured as the foundation from which to structure the entire teaching–learning process of the curricular contents [
13,
14,
15]. However, the emerging methodological approach of gamification is even more transformative, since it proposes that the class itself, taking advantage of the fact that we are immersed in a digital society, really transforms itself into an active game with digital elements, based on role-playing games and in video games, within which both teachers and students have the opportunity to grow [
4,
16,
17,
18,
19,
20,
21,
22]. Inquiry into the possible psychological benefits and the effectiveness of the gamification approach within PE is relatively new, scarce and somewhat controversial [
11,
23]. Previous quantitative and qualitative research among university students show that gamified classes help create a more ideal classroom climate for learning by arousing more interest in and commitment to the subject, so that greater learning, enjoyment and performance are achieved, compared with traditional methodologies that do not use, among other things, new technologies or game-based elements [
24,
25,
26]. However, other studies show a lower degree of motivation and academic performance in other university students when using gamified classes [
27,
28,
29]. In the field of PE in compulsory education, various studies have been carried out that investigate the psychological effects on students using this methodology as a motivational strategy for learning curricular content specific to the area [
4,
6,
30,
31]. Some of these studies, using a mixed quantitative–qualitative design with validated and non-validated questionnaires or interviews, showed that gamification fostered students’ enjoyment and motivation, creating meaningful experiences in PE, despite increasing teacher workload [
4,
30,
31]. Other studies, based on experimental or quasi-experimental designs with scales and validated questionnaires showed that gamification impacted positively on students’ dispositional flows and motivations, improving their basic psychological needs and academic performances at school. However, these studies pointed out that gamification is not effective per se, since other game elements could trigger different motivational outcomes [
6]. As it can be understood, although the relationship between these psychological and performance aspects has been analysed, the results of these studies are not conclusive. Therefore, more rigorous research is necessary to continue evaluating the real impact of gamification on student motivation and academic performance within the scope of PE.
Motivation is an essential factor for student success. For this reason, self-determination theory (SDT) is frequently used as a macro-theory to understand the role of motivation within the educational environment [
32,
33,
34]. In fact, this theoretical framework has been successfully used in various studies in gamified contexts within PE [
4,
6,
35]. Essentially, this theory recognises three types of regulatory motivations for human behaviour: intrinsic motivation, based on the performance of a behaviour or activity for its inherent satisfaction; extrinsic motivation, referring to the performance of the activity by external recognition or as a means to achieve something; amotivation, that is, the absence of motivation towards the activity [
32]. From highest to lowest, self-determination, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation are located on a continuum [
33]. Thus, intrinsic motivation, recognised as high quality motivation in SDT, is identified with different positive effects within the educational context, such as greater ability to concentrate on the task [
36] or higher levels of commitment to the subject [
37]. For its part, in relation to extrinsic motivation, different forms of behaviour regulation have been established within it: external regulation, introjected regulation and identified regulation [
33]. External regulation includes those behaviours regulated by external incentives, such as rewards or punishments. Introjected regulation is identified with actions associated with the expectations of personal recognition or actions aimed at avoiding certain personal feelings of guilt and anxiety. The identified regulation implies the carrying out of activities voluntarily because the individual considers them important and beneficial for him or her, even if he or she does not enjoy them. Finally, the behaviours based on amotivation refer to actions carried out with no intention of completing the action or with the relative absence of personal motivation towards that behaviour [
32]. Gamification has been associated with improved task achievement and higher academic performance by fostering changes in different manifestations of student motivation from a SDT approach [
8,
38]. In this sense, gamification creates an adequate gamified atmosphere which impacts positively on students’ learning motivations and dispositional flows, thereby supporting their basic psychological needs and ultimately improving their academic performances [
6,
39,
40]. Thus, it could be suggested that this methodological approach might be incorporated into PE classes when looking for an improvement in such psychological and learning aspects in students [
41,
42]. However, so far there have been few studies that empirically support the effectiveness of gamification in student motivation and performance, so new studies are needed to confirm such claims [
43].
Despite the fact that PE is usually a motivating and fun subject for most students, previous studies have shown that quite a few students, especially in the adolescent period, feel amotivation towards the subject, considering it even frustrating or embarrassing because, on many occasions, teachers do not consider the socio–emotional and psychological needs of students in a specific period of pre-adolescent and adolescent development [
44,
45,
46,
47]. Based on this, it is reasonable to propose that one of the main challenges for PE teachers would be to provide sufficient motivation for students in their classes, incorporating new methodological approaches to meet the psycho–emotional and social needs of the students. In this sense, gamification is being configured as a key tool to positively influence the different manifestations of motivation, the classroom climate and school performance [
4,
5,
6]. However, it is evident that, currently, empirical research on the use of gamification within the context of PE is still scarce. Additionally, it is essential to propose interventions using these new active methodologies with university students who will be future teachers, in order to determine how it affects these socio–emotional aspects and so that they experience the use of gamification as a pedagogical resource using information and communication technologies (ICT).
For all of the above, the present study was proposed, the primary objective of which was to analyse the impact that the implementation of gamification has on motivation in university students. The second objective was to analyse and compare their academic performances in the subject, evaluating their learning through an objective test of knowledge evaluation. Consequently, it was initially hypothesised that:
Hypothesise (H1). The group of students experiencing gamification would increase their intrinsic motivation compared to the control group.
Hypothesise (H2). The group of students experiencing gamification would increase their external regulation compared to the control group.
Hypothesise (H3). The group of students experiencing gamification would decrease their amotivation compared to the control group.
Hypothesise (H4). The experimental group would obtain higher scores in the final exam compared to the control group.
4. Discussion
Carrying out an intervention based on gamification is based on the idea that any student who participates in this type of proposal can more effectively develop a degree of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation or, conversely, of amotivation [
50]. This will have a series of effects on an individual’s psychological attitude and behaviour towards a subject and towards their own learning process, ultimately influencing their academic results [
51], among other things. In line with this, Kiesler et al. [
17] highlighted gamification as a process that combines two relevant problems of education related to academic results, such as motivation and commitment to the learning process. According to these authors, gamification can not only improve the learning process through better results but will also support three fundamental areas in teaching—emotional, social and cognitive areas [
17].
According to the first objective of the research, the obtained results in the questionnaire on Motivation in Physical Education Classes (CMEF) [
49] showed a significant increase in the values of extrinsic motivation, specifically ER, only in the group that underwent gamification. This allows us to accept the proposed research hypothesis (H2). As previous research has shown, ER is understood as a powerful form of motivation, although it is difficult to maintain since it describes behaviours regulated by contingencies external to the subject [
32,
33]. Good and desirable behaviours, as well as undesirable behaviours, by the students in the experimental group were regulated by contingencies external to the subject (rewards and punishments) through the dynamics of the game itself (with experience points -XP- or health points -HP-), detailed in
Table 3 and
Table 4, while studying the teaching–learning process of the contents of the subject (orienteering, climbing, natural gymnastics, etc.). This feedback, as Bogost [
52] points out, must be part of the gamified structure and translate the process that is being developed in the students, so that the students themselves can interpret and control the situation in which they are immersed, activating and improving achievement motivation by receiving information or feedback about its execution. Taking into consideration that university students are already adults and that their education is not compulsory, these rewards or punishments could change their ER as they experience an increase in personal value to those contingencies of the game, as was the case in the group that experienced gamification. A priori, this argumentation could reinforce the opposite idea, that students actively participate in the class for reasons intrinsic to the game, which could be synonymous with enjoyment and, by definition, lead to an increase in intrinsic motivation [
33] according to the first hypothesis raised. However, Fernandez-Rio, et al. [
4] stated that tangible rewards are a key element for a successful implementation of gamification. Even though the experience points do not represent a functional reward in themselves, the accumulation of these points becomes an academic power, and that could justify the modification of this variable. Unlike similar studies carried out with children and adolescents [
42], university life promotes an increase in personal independence and responsibility that could directly relate these academic powers to their qualification [
53]. According to this, Hanus and Fox [
28] suggested that, in terms of university students, additional rewards are interpreted as controlling, causing students to feel less confident, be less satisfied with the course and have less motivation to engage with the material. Unlike the Hanus and Fox study, the present investigation carried out a gamified intervention from a MDA approach (Mechanic–Dynamic–Aesthetic). However, both rewards and punishment are reflected in the same way—that is, in a public leaderboard (XP, HP and AP) which all students participating in the class can see. This could have a negative effect on social comparisons [
54,
55]. For these reasons, the features design of the rewards or punishments could become an important attribute for the effective application of gamified treatment. Thus, professionals who apply such interventions must seek to reduce social comparisons and see that the nature of rewards or punishment is inherent in the game itself and not extrapolatable to tangible interests.
Another aspect to highlight in the results of this study, directly related to the first hypothesis, is the absence of change in the IM of the group implemented with gamification. This is somewhat in line with other studies carried out with university students where IM decreased [
28]. Despite the fact that gamification was an innovative teaching technique for the students who participated in this study, which could have contributed to improving this variable [
56], IM remained without significant change. This allows us to reject the proposed research hypothesis (H1) and accept the null hypothesis (H0).
Despite the fact that the use of external rewards is related to a decrease in intrinsic motivation [
34], a recent study in a non-educational context reported that external rewards improved IM as long as the feedback was immediate [
57]. During the entire intervention of this research, the researcher used the application Classcraft
® for smartphones in order to assign the rewards and punishments immediately through systematic observation, although the students were not aware of this feedback until they started the application at the end of class or when they got home. Therefore, even though the teacher used concurrent feedback for practical purposes, for the student it could be considered delayed or terminal feedback, which would not have the expected effect of the teacher on intrinsic motivation in the gamified group [
58]. Other authors, who only assessed this type of intrinsic motivation after gamified treatment [
4,
28], claimed that the decrease observed in this variable may be due to students who are bored and do not wish to be there, and that rewards and incentives might increase intrinsic motivation. However, for students who are innately interested in the material and already motivated to attend, efforts to gamify the classroom might harm their intrinsic motivation [
4,
28]. This claim cannot be verified in the present study, nor does it support the fact that no differences have been found between groups at the amotivation levels, whereby we can reject H3. However, the least qualified student observed in the gamified group scored higher than the least qualified student observed in the control group, as shown in
Table 7, which seems to support the abovementioned idea that gamification has a greater effect in less interested students. Thus, gamification in PE may be a double-edged sword since, for most students, it is a very interesting and funny curricular subject in itself [
4,
44].
In line with the previous idea, recent studies that applied gamification in physical education in primary and secondary education [
4,
42] during a time period greater than the present study (approximately 30 h) reported an improvement in IM through quantitative and qualitative results. According to these results, and those found in the present study, it could be that the age factor, educational level [
7,
59] or even the level of initial motivation [
1,
2,
4,
28] are relevant factors when observing an effective change in IM. However, it is necessary to deepen the knowledge of each of these aspects pertaining to motivation, while increasing investigational requirements, in spite of their complexity, since, in most studies examined, they simply analyse motivation in general.
One of the most applicable results of the present investigation, related to the fourth hypothesis, was that the group that complemented the gamified sessions obtained significantly better scores in the final exam compared to the group that carried out the same sessions without the use of this gamified tool (Z = −3417;
p = 0.001; ES = 0.30). It also rejects the null hypothesis (H0) and accepts the fourth research hypothesis (H4). Despite the fact that, in the present study there was no change in the IM that could somehow justify this result [
1,
2,
3,
44,
60,
61], other studies with university students who received teaching with gamified techniques also obtained improvements in performance and, therefore, better academic qualifications [
20,
21,
22]. It could create a sense of control and responsibility within students, which brings them closer to the opportunity to replace the usual goal of learning in order to pass with a more simple desire to learn [
26]. Accordingly, not only can there be an improvement in academic results or performance, but students can perceive an increase in the retention and acceptance of knowledge [
19] and improvements in learning the contents of the subject [
18] in following a gamified approach. Nevertheless, it is necessary to delve further into these aspects in future inquiry, especially in PE.
It seems that the effect of a gamified experience does not affect all students equally [
29]. When comparing the distribution of academic performances among all of the participants in the different treatment groups, it was observed that the gamified group, on average, was better than the control group in all percentiles, as shown in
Table 7, except for the highest ranks (90 and 95 percentile). This suggests that the gamified group achieved higher academic performance in the sample distribution (compared to the control group), although the highest marks were obtained by the control group. In fact, the worst percentile of the gamified group got marks very close to the limit of approval. Accordingly, it is necessary to emphasise that, within these best scores, most were observed among males in both treatment groups, as shown in
Table 8. Moreover, also in line with this analysis, the lowest scores in the experimental group were observed among females. Because this study cannot posit any hypothesis on gender differences and no study related to gamification was found regarding a possible different effect on boys and girls in PE, future studies should investigate the effect of gamification and gender interaction in a physical education context.
Some practical implications may be extracted from this study. The use of a gamified teaching approach using a technological resource enables students to participate from an MDA perspective. The configuration of rewards and punishments must be intrinsic and connected to the game itself, avoiding an approach that encourages less autonomous motivation. In addition, the resource used must be in a mature phase and the interface used must be familiar to the students. Finally, meta-analytic evidence suggests that combinations of cooperation and competition are likely to be an effective gamification strategy [
50], which can invite us to use points, badges and leader boards (PBL).