Indonesian University Research: Gamification Improves Grades and Engagement

There's a particular feeling when independent research describes something you've been building for years.

It feels like recognition, and I get a wave of gratitude that runs through my body when I read it.

A paper published this October by researchers at Ganesha University of Education in Bali studied gamification in their compulsory Indonesian Language courses. Student grades rose from an average of 7.5 to 8.5 once gamification tools were introduced. A full grade point, in a compulsory course. Compulsory courses are usually the hardest sell for engagement, so that number matters.

But the statistic I keep returning to is a different one.

Before the study began, 99.8% of students said they wanted a gamification approach to their learning.

Nearly every single one.

It’s worth letting that fact settle in the mind for a moment. These were university students. Adults, asked about their preferred mode of learning. And almost unanimously, they pointed toward gamification.

We sometimes frame gamification in education as a concession, and for children. As though we're meeting children where they are because we have no better option. A spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. Chocolate-covered brocolli.

That’s unhelpful.

The students at Undiksha were describing how they learn best. Levels, challenges, missions, the sense of progression. Good learning design, given form.

The paper describes a structure where each level has missions, each mission involves reading, assignments, practice questions, and discussion. Children can't skip to the next level without completing the previous one. That's well-designed scaffolding with game elements built into the architecture.

The tools in the study included Blooket, Gimkit, Kahoot, Quizwhizzer, Wordwall, and oodlü. Seeing oodlü named alongside those platforms in a peer-reviewed study, used with real learners in a real university context, is something that still feels a little surreal to write.

But it also feels right. Because this is exactly the kind of context we hoped oodlü would find its way into. Responsible adults trying to reach learners who are already primed for engagement. Organised groups where every child comes from a different background and motivation.

Gamification in education will keep accumulating research behind it. The mechanisms are well understood. Feedback loops, intrinsic motivation, the sense of mastery.

The evidence is catching up with what many educators have known for a long time.

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