Twelfth International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies

Abstract

Most studies focusing on the effects of gamification on user experience are quantitative, but this methodology only scratches the surface of what actually happens in the minds of participants. In order to study learners’ experience of a gamified e-learning module on Italian wines a qualitative approach with the think-aloud method was chosen, requiring participants to complete the gamified module while explaining aloud what they do, think and feel. Two participants volunteered and, in the course of the experiment, follow-up interviews were deemed necessary. This methodology allowed the collection of rich data on the thoughts and reactions of a learner when experiencing gamification, which turn out to be complex and sometimes even contradictory. The methodology also enabled us to refine and nuance seemingly similar results in the two case studies and to determine that a major factor probably undermining gamification effects lies in the teaching/learning cultures of the actors involved.