Students’ Perceptions about Gamification of Education: A Q-Method Analysis

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine how the gamification of the educational process is perceived by the students, whether the students’ views are unified around a common ground for the concept of gamification, and to highlight the prominent elements of gamification.  In this study, the Q methodology, which contains a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, was used.  The Q methodology aims to put forward people’s perspectives, ideas, beliefs, and attitudes subjectively and systematically in the scientific research process.  The participants of the study consisted of 34 sophomores in Faculty of Education who voluntarily participated in the Instructional Principles and Methods course in a gamified design in the Fall 2014 semester.  The results of the study indicated that students do adopt common thoughts about the process of gamification in education, and it is in positive manner.  In addition, prominent elements of gamification were logic of the process, emotions, advancement structure, achievement points, and badges. Furthermore, the sum of Z scores of dynamics and mechanics were doubles that of the components.