1.Hanson-Smith, E. (2016). Games, Gaming, and Gamification: Some Aspects of Motivation. TESOL Journal,7(1), 227-232. doi:10.1002/tesj.233
This article examines what may be the motivational basis of gaming and how it can affect students’ behavior and ultimate success.
Motivation to play repeatedly comes from the desire to win. If we envision extrinsic and intrinsic motivation as a continuum, rather than opposites, we can see how gaming might work, encompassing as it does both rewards external to the self (earning points, attaining levels) and internal rewards that enhance enjoyment and self-worth (beating one’s own best record, mastering aspects of the game), the very factors that speak to McGonigal’s list of life’s desiderata.
As McGonigal points out (number 5), we can live the life of ourdreams if we find interest and inherent satisfaction in the things we do. Games move the student from extrinsic motivations toward
intrinsic motivation because they lead to the satisfactions of achievement and mastery. Games may not make us smarter, or better at multitasking, but they can give us more satisfaction.
2.Malykhina, E. (2014, September 11). Fact or Fiction?: Video Games Are the Future of Education. Retrieved May 24, 2017, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-video-games-are-the-future-of-education/
“Nearly half of the teachers surveyed say it is the low-performing students who generally benefit from the use of games, and more
than half believe games have the ability to motivate struggling and
special education students” .
3.Taitano, E. J., & Vuong, K. (2017). Analyzing The Efficacy Of The Testing Effect Using Kahoot! On Student Performance. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 80-80. doi:10.17718/tojde.306561
This article examined what kind of change can be brought about by engaging students with Kahoot, an online quizzing application. Kahoot was an effective pedagogical tool because the students found it fun and engaging. Students enjoyed the competitive aspect of Kahoot. Students who preferred not to engage in the competitiveness could still participate as they could remain anonymous by using a fictitious screen name. Students were observed having fun and showing enthusiasm especially when seeing their screen names on the
leaderboard. There were also comments made in class where students would prepare for class (e.g., read the text) because they knew that Kahoot would be played. This level of enthusiasm was not observed in the control group. The energy level, engagement, and even relevant class dialogue was observed to be higher in the experimental group. An interesting side effect to this was an increase use of peer study groups. Students in the experimental group were observed working together and supporting each other more than in the control group. Because students in the class were having fun with one another, starting conversations with one another appeared to be easier and less intimidating. This was not observed in the control group. Comradery was not as evident.
4. Jeng-Chung Woo. (2014). Digital Game-Based Learning Supports Student Motivation, Cognitive Success, and Performance Outcomes. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(3), 291-307. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.17.3.291
The article examines if game-based learning is an effective tool for learning. Students’ attraction to computer games has been considered to address student learning interests effectively. Moreover, game characteristics are what attract learners. Learning effectiveness or achievement is a feeling determined by learners’ actions. Furthermore, learners can be prompted to participate in role-play activities or fantasy scenarios, and can experience imaginary situations and develop intrinsic motivation. Sensory stimuli should be appealing or novel visual and auditory stimuli. Curiosity is a product of perceived discrepancies or knowledge inconsistencies (Incongruous information, complexity, novelty, surprise, and violations of expectations strengthen mystery). Therefore, mystery is similar to curiosity. In a multimedia environment with abundant stimuli, curiosity and achievement are positively correlated. Adaptive characteristics enable learners to generate “flow.” The learner is fully absorbed in the immediate activity of the game and does not rely on metacognitively induced strategies of self-regulation to remain on task. Players typically stop playing games because overly easy tasks bore them and tasks that are excessively difficult discourage them. Thus, appropriate challenges are essential for maintaining a “flow” state and fostering a sense of winning and challenge. Accordingly, adopting a suitable strategy can enable learners to exhibit superior performances.
5. McGonigal, J. (2017). Transcript of "Gaming can make a better world". [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world/transcript?language=en.
The video examines what gamers are getting good at. The first is “urgent optimism”, the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle, combined with the belief that they have a reasonable hope of success. Gamers always believe that an epic win is possible, and that it's always worth trying. Research that shows gamers like people better after they play a game with them, even if they've been beaten badly because it takes a lot of trust to play a game with someone. Gamers trust that they will spend their time with them, that they will play by the same rules, value the same goal, stay with the game until it's over.
When gamers are playing a game, they're actually happier working hard than relaxing, or hanging out. Human beings are optimized to do hard and meaningful work. Gamers are willing to work hard all the time, if they're given the right work.
Finally, gamers love to be attached to awe-inspiring missions to human planetary-scale stories. People have compiled more information about World of Warcraft on the Internet than any other topic covered on any other wiki in the world. They are building an epic knowledge resource about the World of Warcraft.