The Effect of Gamification in Physical Education on Motivational Indicators and Perceived Competence among Lower Secondary School Students
Keywords:
Gamification, Physical Education, Motivation, Perceived Competence, Self-Regulation, Lower Secondary School StudentsAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of gamification-based physical education on motivational indicators and perceived competence among female lower secondary school students.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with an experimental and a control group. The statistical population consisted of seventh-grade female students enrolled in schools in Tabriz, Iran. Using convenience sampling, two intact classes were selected from one school and then randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 31) and the control group (n = 25). The experimental group participated in eight 90-minute basketball instructional sessions designed according to gamification principles, whereas the control group received the same basketball content through conventional physical education instruction. Data were collected using the Perceived Competence Questionnaire and the Self-Regulation Questionnaire in Physical Education developed by Goudas et al. (1994). The collected data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance in SPSS software to examine changes over time and differences between the two instructional conditions.
Findings: Inferential analyses indicated that gamification produced a significant reduction in external regulation compared with traditional instruction. However, no statistically significant between-group differences were observed for intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, or amotivation. The results also demonstrated a significant improvement in perceived competence among students exposed to the gamified instructional approach, whereas the traditional instructional condition did not produce a comparable improvement. Overall, the inferential findings suggest that gamification exerted selective effects on students' motivational regulation while producing a more evident positive effect on perceived competence.
Conclusion: Gamification appears to be a potentially effective instructional approach for enhancing perceived competence and reducing externally regulated motivation in physical education among female lower secondary school students. Nevertheless, its effects may not extend equally to all dimensions of motivational regulation. Accordingly, incorporating appropriately designed game elements into physical education may contribute to creating more competence-supportive and autonomously engaging learning environments.
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