Using Mixed Methods to Enhance Knowledge Translation Through Educational Gamification

• In Event: Using Mixed Methods in Translational Research: Methodological Advantages and Practical Applications

Abstract

Gamification in higher education can promote teamwork, enhance knowledge retention, and motivate students to apply course content (Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, & Nacke, 2011; XXX, 2017b). Game results can also provide rich data for research to enhance evidence-based practices and knowledge translation. This concurrent mixed methods study sought to explore impacts of an educational intervention implementing a software-based knowledge competition among first-semester nursing students. Research aims were to: 1) identify components of player styles, 2) determine whether player style had a significant effect on student performance, and 3) explore students’ game-playing experience.

The setting was a nursing school at a public university in the Southeastern United States. Eighty first-semester nursing students signed consent forms allowing researchers to use their game scores and educational records. Eleven students participated in two focus groups to discuss their game experiences. Quantitative data included exam scores and individual data generated from the software platform, such as number of correct answers, question response time, and attrition. Qualitative data were gathered from focus group discussions and observations of students during focus groups to understand students’ experiences with the game. Researchers analyzed quantitative data to identify player styles using K-Means cluster analysis and calculating a “player efficiency rating” (PER) based on number of correct answers, play consistency, and response time. Differences in final exam performance for different play styles were examined as determined by factor analysis and ANOVA. Qualitative data from focus groups and observations were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis in NVivo Pro 11 software.

Quantitative data analyses showed three predominant player styles: “answered in bursts,” “engaged throughout” and “slightly engaged.” Researchers determined statistically significant differences in final exam performance for different play styles and PERs, with students in the “engaged throughout” group having higher exam scores. Qualitative analysis revealed two main themes providing insights into players’ engagement with the game: motivators to play and modifications to the game. Students were motivated to play by peer pressure, instructor encouragement, competitive spirits, and study opportunities. Some students played only in the last week, engaging due to peer pressure or to use questions as a final exam study tool. Students suggested including more questions per week so that playing the game would be “worth the effort.” They also suggested developing the game as a mobile application instead of a web link for better access. Merging quantitative and qualitative results revealed that the “engaged throughout” style had the most positive effects on exam scores; however students were less likely to stay engaged throughout the game unless they had enough questions to keep them interested and better access through a mobile application. The study helped identify future steps in using gamification for enhancing knowledge translation in educational practice. Translating knowledge into practice thus requires some modification to game format and possible adaptation of the game content to meet students’ learning needs in an undergraduate nursing course. Using study results, game developers are working on a smartphone application, and instructors are adding more questions to engage students and to enhance the intervention effectiveness.

Author

• Nancy Pope Wingo, The University of Alabama - Birmingham