From Game Elements to Cognitive Engagement: Examining Gamification in Pakistani Higher Education

Abstract

The mental effort, strategic thinking, and intentional processing of learning content (cognitive engagement) has not been explored in higher education gamification particularly in developing countries like Pakistan. This study is about the relations between gamification practices and cognitive engagement of university students in Sargodha district, Punjab, Pakistan. In order to explore the relationship, a cross sectional survey design was used and a total of 104 undergraduate students from the Public University of (Sargodha) were selected as participants of the survey. The validated instruments measuring gamification features, cognitive involvement and learning outcomes were used to gather data, which were in Likert scale. In order to test hypothesized relationships, Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were run. Results showed that demographic variables (Sex, Age, And Institution type) did not affect the significant prediction of cognitive engagement (β = 0.55, p < 0.001) from gamification practices. The gamification that had the strongest associations were the gamified digital tools and the team based challenges. The mean score for question-asking behaviour, which is closely related to cognitive engagement, however, the lowest (M = 3.21) indicating that pedagogical and cultural hindrances may be an obstacle for deeper engagement for university students in Pakistan. This research generally supports the limited literature about gamification in the Higher Education in the South Asian region. The results also indicate the potential for increasing the cognitive engagement in learning through proper implementation of gamification and provide insight for university trainers who consider adopting a game approach in higher education.