EVALUATION OF USING GAMIFICATION TOOLS BY FACULTY MEMBERS TO INCREASE STUDENTS' LEARNING MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The use of gamification in higher education is rapidly expanding, however, the ways in which faculty members use gamification tools, as well as their influence on the motivation and performance of students, remain insufficiently studied. This study examines the use of gamified educational resources by educators to increase student engagement, motivation, and academic achievement. In this study, a mixed methodology was used, which included a survey and a quasi-experiment from 60 educators from different areas of training, aimed at assessing changes in motivation and academic performance after the introduction of gamified learning modules. We analyzed the relationship between the intensity of the use of gamification elements such as the points system, badges, rating tables, story quests and gamified assessments with indicators of learning performance. The results showed that the active use of gamification tools is significantly associated with an increase in learning motivation, an increase in attendance, and an improvement in students' academic performance. The study also identified barriers that affect the effectiveness of implementing gamification: differences in the level of digital competence of teachers and difficulties in ensuring a balance between game mechanisms and academic requirements. The results indicate the importance of the systematic integration of gamification into higher education institutions, as well as the need to ensure targeted professional training of faculty members and the pedagogically justified use of game strategies. The findings contribute to the development of the scientifically based use of digital technologies in higher education and can serve as a benchmark for educational policy aimed at improving student learning motivation and performance.