Digital gamification and knowledge consolidation: revealing changes in the psychoemotional state of university students taking into account cognitive load

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, there is conflicting evidence regarding the effects of digital gamification in education. The purpose of this study is to identify changes in the psycho-emotional state of university students in the conditions of using digital gamified resources in comparison with traditional training (face-to-face training), taking into account the cognitive load and if the resource itself is considered as a means of consolidating the studied material. Materials and methods. The study involved 80 students, as well as 17 experts. The study was accompanied by an initial diagnosis using the same test that was used in the final tests, and an analysis of the students' well-being, activity, and mood, according to the SAN Yu questionnaire. Doskin, self-assessment of the psycho-emotional state of students from pre- to post-test. The level of cognitive load was assessed by the expert group according to its three types: extraneous (external), basic (internal) and generative (relevant), according to the methodology of the Delphi method. The concordance coefficient was used to determine the consistency of expert opinions. Results. Digital gamification is effective in consolidating knowledge previously acquired by students if it has an optimal level of cognitive load, at the same time as the traditional teaching method: significant differences from pre- to post-test were observed in the control and experimental groups: the control group (t = -8.619, p < 0.0001) and the experimental group (t = -11.108, p < 0.0001). Activity (t = -3.021, p = 0.04) and selfassessment indicators of psychoemotional state (t = -2.908, p = 0.06) increased in the experimental group after using the digital corporate game, while the same changes were not observed in the control group. Conclusion. Forecasts regarding changes in the psycho-emotional state of students when using digital gamification, taking into account the optimal cognitive load, can be presented as cautiously optimistic. Keywords: digital gamification, psychoemotional state of university students, cognitive load, Delphi method, consolidation of students' knowledge