Teachers’ Perception of Gamification as a Teaching Design

Abstract

This paper reports on a study investigating teachers’ experiences of using gamification as a teaching strategy, in combination with the use of contemporary and emergent technologies in K–12 education. More specifically, the aim was to explore and understand the opportunities and challenges teachers describe by using gamification in teaching. The study was conducted between 2014 and 2018 and included four sub-studies in which university students were given the task of designing gamified teaching activities for school students within K–12 education. This was combined with the use of contemporary technologies such as laptops, media tablets, and emergent technologies such as smart glasses. The university students’ gamification designs were tested in school settings within K–12 education. The empirical material is based on observations of the schools’ tests and interviews with participating teachers. The findings illustrate three emerging themes concerning (a) fostering motivation and collaboration, (b) needing pedagogical balance to achieve deeper learning and (c) organisational changes regarding time and collaboration in teacher teams. The participating teachers described gamification as an opportunity and a catalyst to motivate school students and have them engage in schoolwork while acquiring knowledge at the same time. However, the challenges and obstacles the teachers perceived in using and designing their own teaching activities using gamification primarily concerned a lack of time and a lack of knowledge of the design process, which they perceived as very complex because it differs from that of their ordinary teaching designs.