From badges to boss challenges: Gamification through need-supporting scaffolded design to instruct and motivate elementary learners

Researchers and instructors are turning to gamification and self-determination theory for need-supporting, student motivation for learning. Using a mixed methods approach over two school years, we examined how an elementary science teacher successfully implemented gamification in a blended learning environment to meet students’ psychological needs. Through observations and interviews, we analyzed the mechanics and dynamics within the gamification design. Next, for a deeper understanding of applied motivation theory, we examined the teacher's use of motivational and cognitive scaffolds in the design. Students participating in the gamified classroom experienced both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations but reported higher levels of autonomous motivation. Additionally, students reported high levels of the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, stating that the classroom was need-supporting. As a case study of an authentic, teacher-designed, need-supporting elementary classroom, this study adds a unique perspective to the educational gamification literature. Importantly for gamification exploration, we describe the cognitive and social scaffolds that created the need-supporting context, which illustrate the holistic aspects of gamification where multiple mechanisms produce a gamified environment.