Gamification through leaderboards: An empirical study in engineering education

Universities are looking for solutions to engage more students in STEM domains and enhance their learning performance (LP). In this context, gamification is put forward as a solution to achieve this aim. The present study examined the effect of gamification - building on leaderboards - on LP. Furthermore, mediating variables, such as intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, engagement, and background variables, such as sex, previous gaming experience, and undergraduate major, were considered. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with an experimental and a control condition was set up (n = 89) in an Introductory Computer Programming course. We observed a significant improvement in the LP of students in the gamified condition. However, no interaction effect was detected, due to mediating and background variables. The high learning gain is a favorable indicator that gamification might be a promising approach to promote STEM programs.