Abstract
21st century learners exhibit enthusiasm, passion, and interest towards learning which serves as one of the driving forces for an active participation in the educational process and to cope up with these qualities, educators were needed to be innovative in terms of teaching strategy, method, approach, and technique. Educators play an important role in the learning process and are expected to provide a proper response to the educational needs of the learners. In this study, the innovation used by the researchers is gamification, a pedagogical method in improving the interest and motivation of the higher education students. The study examines the effectiveness of the integration of gamification in the academic performance of the learners. In determining the effectiveness of the innovation used, the researchers utilized a quasi-experimental method of research participated by two sections of higher education students in the study of Readings in the Philippine History, a General Education Course in the Philippine Higher Education. Both sections were exposed to a traditional and gamified approach in teaching. The product of the traditional approach serves as the controlled variable while the gamification approach serves as the experimental variable. Gamification as a teaching approach is starting to gain its popularity among educators and learners because it is a student-centered strategy in teaching which is being implemented in the curriculum. However, based on the findings of this research, there is no substantial difference in the effectiveness of gamification. The result indicates that for the development of subject mastery, the traditional approach in teaching is more effective. Therefore, the researchers formulated a recommendation for an effective implementation of student-centered teaching strategy without sacrificing the learners’ cognitive development.
