Research Synthesis Essay

1544 Words7 Pages

Overview
As technology continues to advance, educators strive to incorporate meaningful activities to improve student performance and participation. Due to the high need, a new trend began to emerge known as gamification. Gamification is a process of adding game like elements to a task to encourage participation. (Webster Dictionary) The use of gamification in the classroom encourages and make learning more appealing and interactive. A key factor in gamification is that includes competition, which in returns creates motivation. (Bicen & Kocakoyun, 2018, p. 72) The online website, Kahoot covers all aspects of gamification. Kahoot allows the user to create online quizzes and surveys in which participants compete with one another. (Johns, 2015, …show more content…

Participants in the experimental group performed slightly better than those in the control group. Students’ from the control group stated that the PowerPoint was the most helpful. In the experimental group, many stated that Kahoot was most useful. In the second survey question about what helped them comprehend the content, the control group mentioned videos and the experimental group stated Kahoot. The third question asked the groups about how their learning could be supported. The control group stated quizzes and activities. The experimental group mentioned discussions. In the last question about Kahoot’s effect on preparing them for an exam, the experimental group felt that Kahoot was helpful, fun, good, and positive. According to Iwamoto’s et al., (2018), “The common theme discovered from both the experimental and control group was the importance of applied learning.” (p. 88) The importance of applied learning is evident in responses to the first research question about the way content is presented and connected to exam scores. Learning content through Kahoot helped the students gauge their level of understanding of the lesson. Also, the exposure to key concepts and questions helped prepare them mentally and physically for the actual exam. Regarding the second research question about the change that can be brought about using Kahoot, many felt it was very effective. The participants enjoyed the competitiveness part of Kahoot. Students who choose not to be competitive can provide a made-up name to play. Students in the experimental group showed excitement and more emotion. The control group lacked excitement and willingness to participate in discussions. A few students in the experimental group mentioned they read the text beforehand because they knew their knowledge of the content