To tailor or not to tailor gamification? An analysis of the impact of tailored game elements on learners’ behaviours and motivation

Abstract

Gamification, defined as the use of game elements in non game situations, is a widely used method to foster learner engagement and motivation. It is generally accepted that in order to be effective, gamification should be tailored to users. Currently, most systems adapt by assigning different game elements based on a single learner profile (e.g. dominant player type, personality or gender). However, there is no study yet that analyse the effect of combining several profiles. In this paper, we study the usage data from 258 students who used a gamified learning environment as a part of their mathematics class. By simulating different adaptation techniques, we show that the learner model chosen to tailor gamification has significant effects on learners’ motivation and engaged behaviours depending on the profile(s) used in this context. We also show that tailoring to initial motivation to learn mathematics can improve intrinsic motivation. Finally, we show that tailoring to both player type and motivation profiles can improve intrinsic motivation, and decrease amotivation, compared to a single adaptation only based on learner motivation. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the choice of a learner model for tailoring gamification in educational environments.