[Paper] Gamification with Purpose: What Learners Prefer to Motivate Their Learning

Source: arXiv - 2512.08551v1

Overview

The paper Gamification with Purpose examines what kinds of game‑design elements (GDEs) learners actually want in educational software. By combining a systematic literature review with a large‑scale preference survey, the authors uncover which gamified features boost motivation without undermining intrinsic learning drive—insights that are directly relevant for developers building learning platforms, MOOCs, or corporate training tools.

Key Contributions

• Learner‑centred preference map of ten widely used GDEs derived from a systematic literature review.
• Best‑worst scaling (BWS) survey with 125 participants, producing a ranked list of GDEs based on real‑world learner preferences.
• Qualitative thematic analysis identifying six core motivational drivers (e.g., visible progress, relevance to content, actionable feedback).
• Design guidelines for purpose‑aligned gamification that prioritize learning‑supportive elements over pure extrinsic rewards.
• Open‑source visual prototypes of each GDE, enabling rapid prototyping and A/B testing in existing learning products.

Methodology

1. Literature Mining – The authors screened recent HCI, educational, and gamification research to extract the ten most frequently discussed GDEs (e.g., progress bars, leaderboards, achievements).
2. Prototype Creation – Simple, platform‑agnostic UI mock‑ups were built for each element to ensure participants evaluated the concept rather than a specific visual style.
3. Best‑Worst Scaling Survey – Participants were shown sets of three prototypes at a time and asked to pick the most and least motivating. This forced‑choice method yields robust, interval‑scale preference scores while minimizing rating bias.
4. Qualitative Follow‑up – Open‑ended questions captured the “why” behind each choice, which were coded into recurring motivational themes using standard thematic analysis.

The approach balances quantitative rigor (BWS) with qualitative depth, making the findings both statistically sound and richly contextualized.

Results & Findings

Six motivational themes emerged:

1. Visible progress – learners need to see how far they’ve come.
2. Content relevance – gamified cues must map directly onto learning objectives.
3. Constructive feedback – timely, specific feedback fuels self‑regulation.
4. Competence & mastery – achievements that signal skill growth.
5. Social comparison (when appropriate) – modest use of leaderboards can motivate high‑performers.
6. Autonomy – optional elements that let learners control their path.

Overall, elements that visualize learning and support self‑assessment outrank classic extrinsic motivators like points or virtual currency.

Practical Implications

• Product Roadmaps – Prioritize UI components that surface progress (e.g., dynamic progress bars, mastery maps) before adding flashy point systems.
• API Design – Expose hooks for real‑time feedback (e.g., onAnswerCorrect, onConceptMastered) so developers can embed immediate, context‑aware cues.
• Data‑Driven A/B Testing – Use the provided prototypes as baseline variants; measure engagement metrics (time‑on‑task, completion rate) when swapping a progress bar for a leaderboard.
• Adaptive Learning Engines – Align achievement thresholds with mastery models (e.g., unlock an achievement when a learner reaches 80 % proficiency on a concept map).
• Corporate Training – When building compliance or up‑skill platforms, embed concept‑map visualizations to make abstract regulations feel concrete, boosting retention.
• Open‑Source Libraries – The visual prototypes can be turned into reusable React/Vue components, accelerating implementation across SaaS learning products.

Limitations & Future Work

• Sample Diversity – The 125 participants were primarily university students; preferences may differ for K‑12, professional, or non‑English speakers.
• Static Prototypes – The study evaluated mock‑ups rather than fully interactive systems, so real‑world friction (e.g., latency, UI clutter) wasn’t measured.
• Long‑Term Effects – The survey captures immediate motivational appeal, not sustained engagement or learning outcomes over weeks or months.
• Future Directions – The authors suggest longitudinal field trials, expanding the GDE set to include emerging AR/VR mechanics, and exploring cultural variations in gamification preferences.

Authors

• Kai Marquardt
• Mona Schulz
• Anne Koziolek
• Lucia Happe

Paper Information

• arXiv ID: 2512.08551v1
• Categories: cs.SE, cs.CY, cs.HC, cs.MM
• Published: December 9, 2025
• PDF: Download PDF