EFFECT OF GAMIFIED LEARNING ON KNOWLEDGE AND ITS ACCEPTANCE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: The integration of information and communication technology into the educational process enables learners to access a wide range of learning resources. Teachers face challenges in the classroom to create motivation and active participation in learning. Gamified learning can help students become more focused and lead to a deeper level of understanding. Although gamification and gamified learning are relatively new approaches in e-learning that have gained prominence with the development of new technologies, very few studies have highlighted their effectiveness in India. Hence, this study is chosen. Aim and objectives: This study aims to assess the effects of gamifying Physiology classes on knowledge acquisition, satisfaction, and feedback regarding the use of gamified apps among undergraduate medical students. Methodology: This Quasi-experimental study was conducted among first-year medical students aged ≥ 18 years. 248 students were divided into 4 groups with 62/63 students in each group. Randomly, two groups were selected as the study group. A validated pretest questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge on the chapters Blood and Immunity. Gamification tools like Socrative, crossword puzzles, Slido, and Google Forms were used while teaching. Post-test marks and feedback about the session and response to the gamification acceptance questionnaire were collected. From the two control groups, pretest marks, post-test marks, and feedback were collected following a routine class without using gamification apps. Results: Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± SD. Categorical variables were expressed as percentages/proportions.  Paired and unpaired t-tests were used for comparison within and between groups, respectively. There is a significant increase in knowledge gain in both groups, while the same is true with greater significance.  The level of satisfaction was considerably high, and gamification was strongly appreciated in the study group. It was reported that 60% of the volunteers in the study group had prior exposure to gamification and the thematic analysis showed that students were interested in gamification and needed more gamified sessions. Slido was reported to be the most preferred game tool. Conclusion: Gamifying medical education is observed to enhance students’ depth of understanding as it provides an interactive learning environment with an increased level of satisfaction. It also enables the teacher to provide a student-centric learning environment. It is also observed that prior exposure to gamified learning sessions improves students’ participation as it enables them to have better learning outcomes.