Gamification and physical education. Viability and preliminary views from students and teachers

Background: A novel pedagogical approach that is becoming increasingly popular in educational contexts is called Gamification. To our knowledge, empirical research on its effectiveness in education is scarse, and almost absent in physical education. Purpose: The goal was to explore how Gamification can be used in physical education, and what experiential effects may have on students and teachers. Participants and settings: Two hundred and ninety students (age range 6-14 years) enrolled in four schools located in four regions of Spain agreed to participate. The study involved five different grades (from year two of primary school to year two of secondary school), and 12 different classes. Four physical education teachers, one from each school, also agreed to participate. All participating classes experienced the same intervention programme: MarvEF [MarvPE], based on the Marvel universe of super heroes. The project lasted 15 weeks, the whole fall semester, for a total of 30 physical education sessions (2 per week/50 min each). Gamification was the basic methodological approach used to design the three consecutive learning units experienced by all the participating students. Research design: The study followed a pre-experimental, one group pre-test-post-test design, where the same dependent variable (intrinsic motivation) is measured in only one group of participants prior and after the intervention. Data collection: A mixed methods approach was followed. It included quantitative information obtained from a questionnaire for the older students (n = 161), and qualitative information extracted from the younger students' drawings (n = 126), discussion groups with the participating teachers (n = 5), and teachers' diary (n = 2). Data analysis: Quantitative data was analysed using the statistical package SPSS (version 22.0). Qualitative data was assessed through content analysis and constant comparison. Findings: Quantitative results showed a significant increase in the students' intrinsic motivation after experiencing Gamification. Students' responses reflected one major theme: enjoyment, and two minor themes: friends and learning. On the other hand, teachers' responses showed three themes: workload, portfolio and narrative. Conclusions: Gamification, implemented on a long-term basis, has been found an instructional framework capable of increasing students' motivation towards physical education, beyond the initial 'novelty effect'. Students enjoyed the different approach, and some, despite their young age (seven-eight years), believed that they have learned (which upgrades the education value of the subject). Four of the five elements identified as central to promote meaningful experiences in physical education and sport appeared in this study (Beni, Fletcher, and Ni Chroinin [2017]. 'Meaningful Experiences in Physical Education and Youth Sport: A Review of the Literature.' Quest (grand Rapids, Mich ) 69 (3): 291-312.): social interaction, fun, challenge and learning. Therefore, Gamification has the ingredients to foster significant physical education experiences in different educational levels (primary and secondary education), in students with different social (low, medium and high socio-economic status) and educational backgrounds (urban, rural) and teachers with different expertise on Gamification (novel and experienced). Finally, as expected, teachers showed concern for the workload of the new pedagogical approach.