Gamification Preferences in Digital Education: The Role of Individual Differences

TL;DR

This study investigates how individual differences and task types influence preferences for gamification elements in digital education, emphasizing the need for adaptive strategies based on learner characteristics.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the influence of learner traits and activity types on gamification preferences, highlighting the importance of personalized motivational design.

Findings

Age is the most consistent predictor of gamification preferences.

Learning activity type significantly affects perceived suitability of gamification elements.

Preferences are shaped by interactions between learner characteristics and instructional context.

Abstract

Although personalization is widely advocated in gamified learning, empirical evidence on how learner characteristics and task context shape motivational preferences remains limited. This study examines how user characteristics and learning activity types relate to preferences for gamification elements in digital education. A large-scale quantitative survey (N = 530), including 34% underage participants, assessed preferences for 13 gamification elements in relation to Age, Gender, HEXAD Player Type, Big Five Personality Traits, Felder-Silverman Learning Styles, and Bloom-based Learning Activity Types. Inferential statistical analyses and exploratory machine learning techniques revealed systematic but generally small-to-moderate effects across parameters. Age emerged as the most consistent predictor of preference, followed by player type and personality traits, whereas gender and learning styles showed comparatively weaker associations. In addition, learning activity type significantly influenced the perceived suitability of gamification elements, indicating that motivational design is task-dependent. The findings suggest that gamification effectiveness cannot be reduced to universally motivating elements. Instead, preferences are shaped by the interaction of learner characteristics and instructional context. These results provide empirical grounding for adaptive and modular gamification strategies in digital learning environments.