Students’ Acceptance of Gamification in Education: The Moderating Effect of Gender in Malaysia

Abstract

Learning through gamification has been one of the most popular techniques and methods used by today’s educators because it creates a fun environment of learning that may boost student performance in their studies. This study aims to investigate gamification acceptance among students in Malaysian higher education institutions, and the moderating effect of gender. The COVID-19 outbreak has made online learning essential in all educational sector in the world; hence, the motivation for this study. The study involved a representative sample of 406 survey responses from students currently enrolled in a diploma programme at Malaysian universities. The data were analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). According to the results, only one factor substantially influenced students’ acceptance of gamification: performance expectancy. Gender had a moderating effect on performance expectancy regarding the acceptance of gamification. The findings may be a guideline for future studies in response to changes in the existing learning approach.