Beyond the Badge: Fostering Motivational Internalization in Programming Education Through a Need-Supportive Educational Game

• In Event: Student Learning, AI, and Digital Tools

Abstract

While game-based learning is widely adopted, many applications rely on superficial rewards that fail to foster deep, sustained motivation—a challenge particularly acute in introductory programming. Addressing this gap, this study provides a fine-grained empirical account of motivational internalization. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a randomized controlled trial (N=85) compared a need-supportive educational game with traditional instruction. The game significantly enhanced identified and intrinsic motivation, while also increasing external regulation—suggesting that, within supportive contexts, structured incentives can scaffold autonomous motivation. These findings offer a validated blueprint for designing digital environments that move beyond surface engagement and call for a reframing of gamification research: from asking if gamification works to defining what makes it effective through evidence-based, theory-driven design.

Authors

• Fan Zou, Sichuan Normal University

• Xiaoqian Wang, Sichuan Normal University