Investigating The Impact of a Gamified Unit of Instruction on Student Motivation and Learning

Sixth grade social studies teachers are required to cover a wide range of content and skills based on state and national standards. These requirements often make it difficult to cover, in detail, topics that are of high-interest to students but are not present in the required curriculum. To encourage students to explore topics of interest in greater detail while still meeting the content and skill requirements set forth, a gamified unit covering Ancient Egypt was created. The unit was designed to address national and state standards focusing on time, continuity, and change, and social studies skills such as research, presentation, and synthesis of ideas. The unit was developed using the Hawaiian culture-based Moenahā unit planning format and incorporated the ideas of student choice and gamification—applying game elements in non-gaming situations. These concepts were used in an effort to positively impact both student motivation and learning. A unit website was created and shared with students. This website outlined the requirements for the unit and the game, provided necessary resources and displayed student scores for the game in a leaderboard table in real time. One hundred and seven sixth grade social studies students participated in the study. At the close of the unit, participants completed a survey indicating the perceived impact of different elements of the unit on their motivation and learning. Open-ended comments revealed areas of strength and improvement within the unit. Data collected will inform future attempts at incorporating gamification and student choice into instruction.