Gamification and Intelligent Feedback Mechanisms for a Division Learning Tool

Educational computer games are a highly popular but also a highly challenging field when it comes to an effective and efficient adoption in the classrooms. This holds true from the perspective of the necessary technical infrastructure, from the pedagogical embedment as well as the perspective of a meaningful and formative use of individual gaming results. Not least, there are increasingly critical questions about the effectiveness of using high quality computer games for (usually limited) subject matter. In the context of a European project we developed a rather light weight tool for learning and practicing divisions. The target age group of the tool is 6 to 8. To benefit from the motivational potential of games we used a "gamification" approach. Accordingly, we designed and developed a game-like, attractive user interface and integrated elements of competition. The system is capable of providing students formative, competence-based feedback in real-time. Tailored to the age group this feedback is displayed in form of a smiley and a text block, the latest beta version also provides a text-to-speech output of the feedback. The theoretical foundation for the real-time analysis is Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory on which basis competence states can be identified. Concretely, for the tool this means that the feedback says not only that an action was correct or incorrect but the feedback refers to the underlying skills. The tool thereby can distinguish which skills are available and which are lacking by associating the actions with a competency structure of the domain. We applied and evaluated the tool in Austrian classrooms and found some evidence for the motivational aspect of the gamification elements, in particular the scoring. We also found positive effects of an individualized and meaningful feedback about errors. Finally, there occurred certain gender difference, for example, girls were much less attracted by competition elements (e. g., by comparing high scores) then boys, however, more attentive towards feedback coming from the tool.