This paper focuses on a fairly new motivational technique, the so-called Gamification, which consists of introducing game mechanics in non-game environments to promote motivation and engagement. By the turn of the 21rst century, Gamification took off in the business field and soon after became an attractive concept for researchers and…

This paper examined if difficulty in reading comprehension (PISA) is distinct from difficulty in reading fluency and if the distinct types of reading difficulties are differently associated with learning motivation, school burnout, and school enjoyment. The participants were 1324 Finnish ninth graders. Findings suggested that difficulties in…

Context-based approaches aim at increasing students' learning and motivation. However, students perceive its complexity often as overwhelming, causing frustration and disengagement. Thus, there is a need for innovative teaching methods to scaffold students in context-based education. Two perspectives are used to argue that Scrum methodology, a…

There are international calls to enhance learner engagement in STEM. Further, there are international concerns about the gender disparity in interest, aspiration, and participation in STEM. These calls recognise the role that learners' motivation in, and emotional response to, STEM plays in their participation and achievement in STEM education.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of access to digital technology by using the lens of accessibility as set forth by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. More specifically, this paper focuses on gamification, considers the needs of all learners, including those who identify as…

The main purpose of this article is to investigate the impact of teacher's position on students' performance in higher education. A new pedagogical approach based on collaborative learning is used due to the design of a smart learning environment (SLE). This workspace uses, respectively, information and communication technologies (ICT) and radio…

There is rising evidence that it is an increasingly difficult task for teachers to engage students in learning. This important problem in daily instruction has produced numerous research activities focusing on conditions and consequences of student engagement. However, these activities have led to a complex situation in which findings are widely…

In this report, we describe the initial stages of a crosscutting research effort to characterize literature reviewed across 8 different projects--each with objectives aligned toward improving student engagement in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) fields. These projects sought to identify malleable factors (e.g.,…

Middle school (G5-8) students' cognitive engagement, motivation, and future aspirations in science were quantified within informal contexts (week-long summer camps) with self-reported measures of cognitive strategies, self-regulation, value, self-efficacy, and future aspirations over the course of two phases (N = 152, N =140). The participating…

The promise of using games for learning is that play- and learning-engagement would occur cohesively as a whole to compose a highly motivated learning experience. Yet the conceptualization of such an integrative process in the development of play-based learning engagement is lacking. In this analytical paper, we explored and conceptualized the…

This study examines Grade 9 students' mathematics achievement and cognitive engagement under three different instructional approaches: traditional learning, flipped learning with gamification, and online independent study with gamification. The duration of the study lasted an entire school year. The central theories underpinning flipped learning…

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among the middle school students' perceptions of science teacher support, students' motivation and students' engagement in learning science. Student motivation was addressed with task value and academic self-concept while student engagement included aspects of agentic, behavioural, emotional and…

Educators have started exploring the potential of digital game-based learning (DGBL) to enhance the learning experience of students. The objective of this experimental research was to explore the potential of DGBL to improve the academic efficiency among vocational education students in South Africa. Students were separated into two groups, an…

This article reports on a teacher-led inquiry at Mt Roskill Primary School from 2016 to 2017. Teachers worked with a group of Pasifika and Maori students to develop a learning environment and use pedagogies inspired by the makerspace movement. Data on students' engagement and achievement levels indicated positive development in the key…

With a development history of more than half a century, the learner-centered approach has become a new teaching paradigm worldwide. The approach can produce effective and significant learning focusing on learners' development, learning, and learning outcomes. This study aimed to determine how a learner-centered approach can increase students'…