Effects of Gamification Strategy on Senior Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance in English Reading Comprehension

Abstract

This study seeks to look at how gamification affects the academic performance of the students in the senior secondary school in terms of English reading comprehension. The study is triggered by the continued encountering difficulties in reading comprehension by the students when reading from passages, which in most cases are influenced by the fact that there is reduced engagement and motivation which goes along with the use of traditional teaching practices. By referring to Constructivist Learning Theory, the research uses the quasi-experimental research model that involves 100 SS2 students in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. The participants were selected as experimental and control groups: participants in the experimental group were subjected to gamified learning with incorporated motivation in the form of rewards, challenges, and leaderboards, whereas participants in the control group received traditional instructions. Pre-test and post reading comprehension tests were used to gather the information. This is indicated in the findings as there has been a large difference in the academic performance of the experimental group as compared to the control group; and none of the combination of the role played by gender and interaction effect have any significant influence. These findings highlight the potential of gamification to improve the motivation of students, active participation, and their critical thinking skills. Finally, the study gives some recommendations to the educators and policymakers on how the gamification can be successfully implemented in teaching reading to achieve better results in literacy among secondary schools in Nigeria.