How Students Experience Failure in a Content-Gamified Higher Education Course

How Students Experience Failure in a Content-Gamified Higher Education Course

How Students Experience Failure in a Content-Gamified Higher Education Course

By Benjamin Gentry

Abstract

“Every day students in higher education actively expect failure – in fact, they seek out thechallenge. Of course, this may not be the case when they’re within the four walls of a classroom,but place a video game controller or game-enabled smart-phone in their hands and it’s a differentstory. That same shy student who refuses to raise their hand in their 9:30AMCollegeComposition class because they might get the answer wrong is willingly spending their time playing a game where failure is all but guaranteed once they get back to their dorm later that day.In fact, if there’s no chance of failing at the game, then they would typically stop playing due toit being “boring” or “too easy” (Juul, 2013). Arguably most interesting is that the student’sexperience of fundamental failure and challenge in the game is producing in them new skills andabilities. In short – that student is learning through failure.”

Reference

Gentry, B. (2021). How Students Experience Failure in a Content-Gamified Higher Education Course. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. doi:28716390 https://www.proquest.com/openview/584eb1454028a33ff0381889e7b5e49a/1

Keyword

Gamification, student experience, learning, classroom, teachers, research