Gamification in a high school biology classroom: A look at motivation and content knowledge

This study was designed to investigate whether the use of gamification in a high school Biology course would cause an increase in motivation and/or content knowledge. Three research questions were focused on during this study, two focusing on motivation overall and motivation by various gamification user types, and the third considering content learning. This study was conducted in a midsize suburban high school using a total of twelve individual Biology classes taught by two certified teachers and one intern teacher.
A system of three surveys and pre/post tests were used to gather data about students’ user types, motivation, and content learning. The data collected was processed using SPSS and graphs to identify changes in the motivation and content learning of the students involved in the study.