Research article    |    Open Access
Base for Electronic Educational Sciences 2025, Vol. 6(1) 73-90

Can Tangible Gamification be an Alternative to Digital Counterparts? A Case Study on Student Perspectives

Önder Karamert, Özden Demirkan

pp. 73 - 90

Publish Date: March 30, 2025  |   Single/Total View: 0/0   |   Single/Total Download: 0/0


Abstract

This study aims to determine secondary school students (n=23) perspectives of tangible gamification elements. For this purpose, the mathematics teaching process of a group of fifth-grade students (10 years old) was assisted with tangible gamification elements. These elements were designed with a traditional pen-paper approach, appropriate to the age level of the students. The research was conducted with qualitative methods. The case study design was preferred as a qualitative research design. Following the 10-week implementation process, the students were requested to provide their opinions on tangible gamification elements. The main research data were collected using a semi-structured interview form using the focus group interview method. To triangulate the data obtained from the focus group interviews, data collected from researcher observation notes and student diaries were also used. The research data were analysed by content and text analysis methods. The study concluded that tangible gamification elements provide positive experiences to students. In addition, it was determined that a few revisions were needed regarding the gamification elements used in the research. This study serves as a guide for educators on the use of tangible gamification in learning environments. The current study provides a set of recommendations on tangible gamification for educational settings.

Keywords: Educational gamification, Gamification, Gamification elements, Gamified learning, Tangible gamification


How to Cite this Article?

APA 7th edition
Karamert, O., & Demirkan, O. (2025). Can Tangible Gamification be an Alternative to Digital Counterparts? A Case Study on Student Perspectives. Base for Electronic Educational Sciences, 6(1), 73-90.

Harvard
Karamert, O. and Demirkan, O. (2025). Can Tangible Gamification be an Alternative to Digital Counterparts? A Case Study on Student Perspectives. Base for Electronic Educational Sciences, 6(1), pp. 73-90.

Chicago 16th edition
Karamert, Onder and Ozden Demirkan (2025). "Can Tangible Gamification be an Alternative to Digital Counterparts? A Case Study on Student Perspectives". Base for Electronic Educational Sciences 6 (1):73-90.

References

    Albrecht, J. R., & Karabenick, S. A. (2018). Relevance for learning and motivation in education. The Journal of Experimental Education, 86(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2017.1380593

    Bai, S., Gonda, D. E., & Hew, K. F. (2021, December). Effects of tangible rewards on student learning performance, knowledge construction, and perception in fully online gamified learning. In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology & Education (TALE) (pp. 899-904). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE52509.2021.9678741

    Boyd D. G., & Bee H. L. (2014) The Developing Child. Pearson Education.

    Bozkurt, A., & Genç Kumtepe, E. (2014). Oyunlaştırma, oyun felsefesi ve eğitim: Gamification. Paper presented at the Akademik Bilişim Conference, 5-7 February. http://ab.org.tr/ab14/bildiri/233.pdf

    Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Pearson Education.

    Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining “gamification”. In Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning future media environments (pp. 9–15). Tampere, Finland: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040

    Dodero, G., Gennari, R., Melonio, A., & Torello, S. (2014, October). Towards tangible gamified co-design at school: two studies in primary schools. In Proceedings of the first ACM SIGCHI annual symposium on Computer-human interaction in play (pp. 77-86). https://doi.org/10.1145/2658537.2658688

    Ekici, M. (2021). A systematic review of the use of gamification in flipped learning. Education and Information Technologies, 26(3), 3327-3346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10394-y

    Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2011). How to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

    Gennari, R., Melonio, A., & Torello, S. (2017). Gamified probes for cooperative learning: A case study. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 76, 4925-4949. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-016-3543-7

    Gonzalez Fernandez, A., Revuelta Dominguez, F. I., & Fernandez Sanchez, M. R. (2022). Models of instructional design in gamification: A systematic review of the literature. Education Sciences, 12(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12010044

    Indriasari, T. D., Luxton Reilly, A., & Denny, P. (2020). Gamification of student peer review in education: A systematic literature review. Education and Information Technologies, 25(6), 5205-5234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10228-x

    Jagust, T., Boticki, I., & So, H. J. (2018). Examining competitive, collaborative and adaptive gamification in young learners’ math learning. Computers & Education, 125, 444-457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.06.022

    Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J. (2014). Demographic differences in perceived benefits from gamification. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 179-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.03.007

    Krueger, R. A. (1997). Developing questions for focus groups (Vol. 3). Sage publications.

    Lodico, M. G., Spaulding, D. T., & Voegtle, K. H. (2010). Methods in educational research: From theory to practice (Vol. 28). John Wiley & Sons.

    Manzano Leon, A., Camacho Lazarraga, P., Guerrero, M. A., Guerrero Puerta, L., Aguilar Parra, J. M., Trigueros, R., & Alias, A. (2021). Between level up and game over: A systematic literature review of gamification in education. Sustainability, 13(2247). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042247

    Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

    Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage.

    Ministry of National Education. (2018). Mathematics course curriculum - 1st-8th grades. MEB. http://mufredat.meb.gov.tr/ProgramDetay.aspx?PID=329

    Nadi Ravandi, S., & Batooli, Z. (2022). Gamification in education: A scientometric, content and co-occurrence analysis of systematic review and meta-analysis articles. Education and Information Technologies, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11048-x

    Oliveira, W., Hamari, J., Joaquim, S., Toda, A. M., Palomino, P. T., Vassileva, J., & Isotani, S. (2022). The effects of personalized gamification on students’ flow experience, motivation, and enjoyment. Smart Learning Environments, 9(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00194-x

    Ortega Arranz, A., Bote Lorenzo, M. L., Asensio Perez, J. I., Martínez Mones, A., Gomez Sanchez, E., & Dimitriadis, Y. (2019). To reward and beyond: Analyzing the effect of reward-based strategies in a MOOC. Computers & Education, 142, 103639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103639

    Ortega Arranz, A., Er, E., Martinez Mones, A., Bote Lorenzo, M. L., Asensio Perez, J. I., & Munoz Cristobal, J. A. (2019). Understanding student behavior and perceptions toward earning badges in a gamified MOOC. Universal Access in the Information Society, 18(3), 533-549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-019-00677-8

    Patton M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Sage publications.

    Saleem, A. N., Noori, N. M., & Ozdamli, F. (2022). Gamification applications in e-learning: A literature review. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 27(1), 139-159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09487-x

    Smiderle, R., Rigo, S. J., Marques, L. B., Peçanha de Miranda Coelho, J. A., & Jaques, P. A. (2020). The impact of gamification on students’ learning, engagement and behavior based on their personality traits. Smart Learning Environments, 7(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-019-0098-x

    Stake, R. E. (2005). Qualitative Case Studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (pp. 443–466). Sage Publications Ltd.

    Werbach, K., & Hunter, D. (2012). For the win: How game thinking can revolutionize your business. Wharton Digital Press.

    Xiao, Y., & Hew, K. F. T. (2023). Intangible rewards versus tangible rewards in gamified online learning: Which promotes student intrinsic motivation, behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and learning performance?. British Journal of Educational Technology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13361

    Yığ, K. G., & Sezgin, S. (2021). An exploratory holistic analysis of digital gamification in mathematics education. Journal of Educational Technology & Online Learning, 4(2), 115-136. http://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.888096

    Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2016). Qualitative research methods in the social sciences (10th ed.) Seçkin Publication.

    Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications (6th ed.). Sage.