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Student's motivation towards physical education (PE) classes is a key factor for increasing physical activity (PA) levels in children. In order to increase motivation in PE, new teaching techniques are needed, such as gamification. This study examines the potential influence of gamification in PE classes on motivation-related variables such as basic psychological needs (BPNs) and positive behaviours in primary school students, considering the perceptions of students and teachers. A total of nine teachers and 506 primary students participated in this study: 250 from a gamified group and 256 from a control group. The students filled in the BPNs in the Classroom Scale in order to measure three BPNs (autonomy, competence and relatedness). In addition, the perceptions, feelings, and behaviours of the students and teachers were analysed and classified through drawings, teacher's diaries, and focus groups. An improvement in the three BPNs, namely autonomy (p < 0.001), competence (p < 0.001) and relatedness (p < 0.001), was observed for the gamified group compared to the control group. The qualitative findings showed a perceived increase in student motivation, participation, and cooperation behaviours. Students also reported values such as respect, and rejection of contempt and harassment. In short, gamification was associated with an increase in all BPNs and positive behaviours in primary school students in gamified PE classes compared to non-gamified classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gamification is a novel active methodology used in Physical Education to motivate students. Purpose: This study analyzed the impact of this method on the motivation of Compulsory Secondary Education students in Spain during an 8-session Physical Education Didactic Unit. Methods: A total of 275 students participated, divided into a gamified group (n = 133) and a control group (n = 142). The participants filled out 2 questionnaires, one aimed at assessing Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs) (Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale) and the other at measuring the motivational component (The Sport Motivation Scale). Results: An interaction effect (Time x Treatment) was found, with the gamified group improving in BPNs (autonomy (F(1) 57.97, p = <0.001; η²p = 0.175); competence (F(1) 37.28, p = <0.001; η²p = 0.120); relatedness (F(1) 51.49, p = <0.001; η²p = 0.159), and intrinsic motivation (F(1) 39.65, p = <0.001; η²p = 0.127), while decreasing in amotivation (F(1) 21.42, p = <0.001; η²p = 0.073)). Conclusions: These data suggest that a gamified intervention enhances the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs, increases intrinsic motivation, while decreases amotivation in secondary education students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students are becoming less motivated towards current education. For this reason, teachers are investigating several innovative methodologies to learn how they affect student motivation, such as gamification. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of gamification on the motivation of elementary physical education students. A total of 72 elementary school students from two different Spanish elementary schools participated (38 boys and 34 girls), separated into a gamified group (n = 35) and a control group (n = 37). Ten gamification sessions were performed using a technological app called ClassDojo. The gamified proposal was based on both a PBL model and an MDA model. A questionnaire, "Motivation Questionnaire in Physical Education" (CMEF-EP) was used to measure the motivation of the students before and after the intervention. An increase was observed in all the variables for the gamified group: intrinsic motivation (p < 0.001), identified regulation (p < 0.001), introjected regulation (p = 0.001), and external regulation (p = 0.002), except for the amotivation (p = 0.120). No changes were observed in the control group. A significant interaction effect over time was seen only for intrinsic motivation for the gamified group versus the control group (F(1) = 5.263; p = 0.025; η2 = 0.070). The results show the efficacy of gamification to increase the motivation of elementary physical education students. However, it does not decrease amotivation. This will enable the subject to contribute to achieving the United Nations' proposed Sustainable Development Goal 4, which is to 'Improve Quality Education'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]