This study designed a gamification-based instructional program aligned with the content on basic properties of geometric figures and on congruence and similarity presented in the Grade 1 and Grade 2 middle school mathematics curriculum. The purpose of...
This study designed a gamification-based instructional program aligned with the content on basic properties of geometric figures and on congruence and similarity presented in the Grade 1 and Grade 2 middle school mathematics curriculum. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of this instruction on the mathematical attitudes and academic achievement of students who are underachieving in mathematics. The experimental group received instruction incorporating gamification elements such as missions, onboarding, leaderboards, points, badges, and social interaction, whereas the comparison group was taught through traditional lecture-based instruction.
The results indicated that the group exposed to gamification-based instruction exhibited positive changes in both mathematical attitudes and mathematics achievement. Although no meaningful changes were observed in the domains of flexibility, perseverance, curiosity, and values, notable improvements were found in students’ confidence and reflective thinking. Gamification also had a beneficial impact on mathematics achievement. In other words, the use of gamification led to improved confidence and other positive shifts in mathematical attitudes among underachieving students, while also enhancing their academic performance in mathematics.
This study confirms that instruction incorporating gamification elements can serve as an effective tool for supporting the learning recovery of students underachieving in mathematics. In particular, the gamified lessons successfully encouraged active participation among students who tend to disengage from mathematics classes due to repeated failure and insufficient prior knowledge. These findings suggest that gamification-based instructional strategies may provide useful guidance for designing future mathematics lessons and activity-based learning programs for underachieving students.