Gamifying your Designs Through Self-Determination

By Shakiyla Huggins March 27, 2024

In today’s educational landscape, the significance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education cannot be overstated. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into our lives, there is a growing need to foster proficiency in these fields. Central to STEM education is mathematics, which forms the foundation for understanding and excelling in various scientific and technological domains. However, despite its importance, there’s a concerning trend: a decline in students’ motivation to learn mathematics as they progress through their academic journey¹⁴.

Understanding the Decline in Math Motivation

Research indicates that while children often exhibit enthusiasm for mathematics in their early years of schooling, this enthusiasm wanes as they transition into middle and high school¹¹. By the time students reach these higher grades, many perceive math as a subject reserved only for the academically gifted, leading to a loss of interest and motivation¹⁴.

Factors contributing to this decline are multifaceted, with motivation emerging as a consistent theme¹⁴. Motivation encompasses both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic motivation, driven by a genuine interest in mastering concepts, fosters deep engagement and understanding¹³. Conversely, extrinsic motivation, reliant on external rewards or punishments, often undermines intrinsic motivation and inhibits true learning¹¹.

Academic intrinsic motivation embodies deep learning, where students aim to master and understand concepts. In contrast, academic extrinsic motivation focuses on external factors such as obtaining rewards or avoiding punishments. While research shows that humans are naturally curious with an innate desire to learn and internalize knowledge, educators often utilize external factors that ultimately control and force students into learning content¹³. This method of exploiting external factors has been proven detrimental to advancing student knowledge as the reward or incentive weakens a student’s natural internal desire to learn¹¹.

Importance of Self-Efficacy and Math Anxiety

A crucial determinant of students’ motivation in mathematics is their self-efficacy—the belief in their ability to succeed in mathematical tasks¹⁵. High self-efficacy correlates with increased effort, persistence, and use of effective learning strategies¹⁴. However, as early as third grade, students may begin to experience a decline in self-efficacy, influenced by factors such as perceived competence and past experiences¹¹.

Math anxiety further exacerbates the issue, with approximately 20% of students affected by it². This anxiety stems from negative self-perceptions and past experiences, hindering students’ willingness to engage with mathematical concepts³. Addressing math anxiety and bolstering self-efficacy are crucial steps in revitalizing students’ motivation and confidence in mathematics.

Challenges in Higher Education Mathematics

The decline in math motivation persists into higher education, posing significant challenges for STEM-related disciplines¹². Many students enter STEM-related degree programs with gaps in their knowledge of necessary prerequisite math topics¹, leading to an unprecedented dropout rate. Students fail to complete not only their STEM-related degree within five years but any undergraduate degree, as 60% of students drop out of their programs, with half of them exiting the first year due to failure to pass their introductory math courses³.  More students are entering higher education mathematics programs with decreasing knowledge levels and more negative attitudes towards learning mathematics, leading to reduced entrance qualifications and course requirements⁹. 

Delivery of instruction by the teachers themselves, learners’ ability and experiences, and the school environment and facilities are among the three main reasons why students struggle in higher education mathematics courses⁷. Outdated teaching methods and a lack of student-centered approaches further compound the challenges faced by students in higher education STEM¹. Many professors continuously use non-interactive teaching methods where students are delivered a lesson but very minimally participate in their lesson¹.

While this method of a teacher-centered approach can successfully deliver an ample amount of information, it can also encourage regurgitation and fail to meet the needs of most students. Alternatievly, a more student-centered approach should be considered to increase the motivation to learn mathematics. Student-centered methods in mathematics instruction can increase students’ interest success rate, increase students’ appreciation of the role of mathematics in life, increase motivation to learn mathematics, and realize its applicability¹.

The Promise of Gamification

Modern methods of instruction, including textbooks, do not accurately reflect how true mathematicians think about problem-solving or the long-term processes in which a mathematical theory emerges over many centuries⁸. Recognizing the need for innovative teaching approaches, educators are turning to gamification as a solution to enhance math education. Gamification integrates game-like elements into learning environments, fostering engagement, motivation, and skill development⁴.

Gamification has been found to sustain and improve the performance of primary school students in their digital mathematics lessons⁵, improve the cognitive engagement of students in an online mathematics environment, and positively affect students’ academic achievement, emotions, and social interactions⁶. Further, with the appropriate pedagogical criteria in place, research shows that gamification also allows for improvements in students’ development of mathematical thinking, the establishment of relationships amongst mathematical concepts, and overall mathematical academic achievement⁴. 

To ensure the gamified environment can create links related to teaching mathematics through mathematical problem solving, reasoning and proof, and connections and representations, four key characteristics should be included¹⁰:

• (1) a problem that needs to be solved, allowing individuals or groups to receive rewards when successfully solving this problem,
• (2) challenges amongst the users,
• (3) a scoring method, and
• (4) levels that allow for immediate feedback, comparisons, and competition.

Overall, a well-designed gamified environment should create a learning experience that has games that are interactive, playful, and fun, with learning experiences that allow students to acquire self-directed skills, improve motivation, and reduces anxiety about learning mathematics⁴.

Conclusion

In conclusion, revitalizing mathematics education requires addressing the root causes of declining motivation and engagement. By prioritizing intrinsic motivation, bolstering self-efficacy, and leveraging innovative strategies like gamification, educators can create learning environments that inspire students to excel in mathematics. As we navigate the complexities of 21st-century education, nurturing a passion for mathematics is essential for preparing students to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s STEM-driven world.

References

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