Supporting Motivation and Effort Persistence in an Online Financial Literacy Course Through Game-Based Learning

The use of game mechanics and game structures when designing curriculums is gaining popularity in K-12 and higher education. More evidence is needed to determine the impact of game-based learning design on the student learning experience. This study used the IMMS instrument and user data to examine motivation within traditional courses and courses designed with game-based learning. The participants included 254 undergraduate students in two sections of the traditional course and two sections of the game-based learning course. The results showed that although students in all courses reported comparable motivation on the IMMS and similar time spent online, examination of user data indicated differences in effort persistence over the semester. Students in the GBL courses had a significantly higher number of interactions with content as compared to the traditional courses. This finding indicates that the leveling of content, adaptive release of optional content, and the ability to earn more points through a bank feature positively impacts effort persistence.