Game Element Preferences and Engagement of Different Hexad Player Types in a Gamified Physics Course

Abstract

Recently, the research community has taken interest on the use of gamification to engage and motivate students. However, researches reveal mixed results on its effect on students which suggest that individual differences should be considered in designing gamified systems. As an initial step towards this goal, this study investigated on the game element preferences and engagement of students with different player types. The participants in the study were seventy-three (73) students taking up College Physics 1 course in a private university. The player type of the students was profiled based on the Gamification User Type Hexad Model. The gamified course was designed based on the suggested game element preferences of each player type. To determine the game element preferences and engagement of students, self-report instruments were used. Students were asked to answer a survey on game element preferences and the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ). They were also asked to participate in an interview at the end of the course to support quantitative results. The results revealed that game elements preferences were not in accordance to the suggested elements for each type. Furthermore, though a high level of engagement was found both overall and per subscale of the SCEQ, there was no significant differences found among the engagement of various Hexad player types. These findings suggest that further research work is required to explore the relationship between player types and behavior and interaction with a gamified system.