Intangible rewards versus tangible rewards in gamified online learning: Which promotes student intrinsic motivation, behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and learning performance?

Intangible rewards versus tangible rewards in gamified online learning: Which promotes student intrinsic motivation, behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and learning performance?

Intangible rewards versus tangible rewards in gamified online learning: Which promotes student intrinsic motivation, behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and learning performance?

Ya Xiao, Khe Foon Timothy Hew

Abstract

"Gamification has often been used to stimulate learner engagement via intangible rewards, such as virtual points and virtual badges, rather than material goods or benefits. However, not all learners value such intan-gible rewards; some express their desire to redeem intangible rewards for utilitarian resources or benefits. Although tangible rewards have long been consid-ered a key gamification mechanism in commercial loyalty programs, few studies have explicitly explored its effectiveness in the context of gamified education. To address this gap, the present study used a rand-omized controlled trial approach to examine the ef-fects of tangible rewards that are redeemed through intangible rewards on students' intrinsic motivation, behavioural and cognitive engagement, and learning performance in a fully online gamified flipped class. Each student was randomly assigned either to the tan-gible rewards group (EG=28) or the intangible rewards group (CG=29). The students in EG significantly out- performed those in CG in terms of intrinsic motivation, behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and learning performance in the final exam. The results provided practical implications for instructors who plan to use tangible rewards in their gamified classes."

Reference

Xiao, Y., & Hew, K. F. T. (2024). Intangible rewards versus tangible rewards in gamified online learning: Which promotes student intrinsic motivation, behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and learning performance? British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(5), 1377–1394. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13361

Keywords

Engagement, Gamification, Intrinsic Motivation