Document Type

Conference Paper

Version Deposited

Published Version

Publication Date

7-26-2021

Conference Name

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that there exists a difference in undergraduate students’ academic motivation based on gender. Specifically, females have been shown to be more extrinsically motivated than their male peers in a university setting (D’Lima, et. al, 2014). However, little research has been done to examine the effects of gender relevant to academic motivation in gamified systems. The study of gamification systems is important due to the increase in their use within educational activities. This study leverages the Jones MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation and gamification profiles to answer the research question: How does gender influence student behavior and motivation towards an online gamified homework platform? Academic motivation was determined through student responses to the MUSIC Model survey. Behavior was measured through submission behavior including the number of attempts needed to complete a problem and the frequency of submission. The mastery-based homework portal that was employed in a first-year engineering design course provided data on the number of attempts needed for each student to successfully complete an assignment. In addition, the rate at which students submitted homework assignments within the self-pacing environment was also recorded. This information was utilized to extract gamification profiles to describe the behavior of students over time. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine if any meaningful differences existed. Overall, it was shown that females have consistently higher overall academic motivation scores than males. It was also shown that males have a wider distribution of gamification profiles, ranging from disheartened behavior to overachieving behavior. Females, on the other hand, were more likely to have a consistent homework submission behavior.

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© 2021 American Society for Engineering Education

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