Impact of Quiz Mode on Students’ Learning Achievement: A Gamified e-Quiz Study

This study investigated the impact of quiz mode on university students' academic achievement in an online ESOL theory course as well as their perceptions of the gamified e-quiz mode. Forty-two students at a women's university in Seoul participated in the study for 12 weeks. Utilizing a crossover design (AB/BA), this study compared the academic achievements of Group A (n=22) and Group B (n=20) after experiencing both gamified and conventional e-quiz interventions. Group A was treated with gamified e-quizzes for an initial three weeks, had a three-week break, and was then provided with conventional e-quizzes for three weeks. Group B received the same treatments in reverse order: taking the conventional e-quizzes first, having a washout break, and then taking gamified e-quizzes. Three tests—one pre-test and two post-tests—were developed and used to measure the participants’ academic achievement. Two parallel survey forms were used after each intervention to measure the students' perceptions. The data analyses of the test results indicated that the students' academic achievements after the gamified e-quizzes were not significantly different from those after the conventional e-quizzes. In addition, the survey data illustrated, except for some data sets indicating more favorable perceptions toward gamified e-quizzes, that the participants of both groups viewed the two modes of quizzes mostly positively. Moreover, more participants in both groups chose gamified e-quizzes over conventional ones, describing the gamified e-quizzes as enjoyable, motivating, and low-anxious experiences.