CC BY
16УДК 004.042
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH THE USE OF GAMIFICATION IN COGNITIVE PEDAGOGY
SATYBALDIYEVA F.A, YESSENBEKOVA G. ZH., ZHUMANGALIYEVA N.K.,
ALTEKOVA I.S, SARYBAY M.A.
Senior teachers of the Temirbek Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of arts
Abstract. Early childhood education has gained significant prominence as a critical public policy concern, exerting a far-reaching impact on a child's character development, upbringing, educational journey, socialization, growth, and future academic achievements, extending from preschool through university and beyond. In this article, we will delve into the theoretical underpinnings of gamification, explore the advantages of its application in preschool education, discuss methods and tools of gamification, and provide practical examples of successful implementations of this approach.
Our primary aim is to enrich the early education of children through the utilization of play-based learning and gamification techniques. This approach strives to offer children a diverse array of educational gaming activities and stimulating experiences within an interactive learning environment. We have developed several serious games, along with various educational methods, all guided by the four pillars of learning. To assess the effectiveness of our approach, we have chosen to evaluate its impact using a representative sample of children from rural areas.
Keywords: Gamification, preschool education,
1. Background/ Objectives and Goals
1.1 Introduction to the topic and relevance of the problem of gamification in preschool education.
In modern education, the role of gamification in preschool education is actively discussed and considered. Gamification is an innovative approach to learning based on the use of game elements and mechanics in educational processes. In recent decades, this method has gained enormous popularity in various fields of education, including early childhood education, due to its ability to stimulate interest and motivation in children.
The relevance of the problem of gamification in preschool education is due to several important factors. First, today's children have grown up in the digital age and often have experience using computers, tablets and smartphones from a very young age. Games and interactive applications have become an integral part of their daily lives. In this regard, gamification allows you to use this interest in technology and games for educational purposes.
Secondly, gamification in preschool education contributes to more effective adaptation of educational programs to the needs of modern children. It supports the individualization of learning and helps diversify teaching methods, making the learning process more interesting and engaging.
In this article we will consider the theoretical basis of gamification, the advantages of its use in preschool education, methods and tools of gamification, and also provide practical examples of the successful implementation of this method. We will also discuss the challenges and limitations educators face and offer recommendations for implementing gamification in early childhood education. The results of this work will allow us to better understand how the use of game elements can make learning in preschool institutions more effective and fun for children.
1.2 Formulation of the purpose and objectives of the study.
The goal of gamification in education is to improve and enrich the educational process by integrating game elements, mechanics and methods into educational practice. The main goal of gamification in education is:
Increasing student motivation and engagement: Gamification strives to make learning more engaging and interesting for students by creating gaming environments where tasks and activities are more fun and worthwhile. This helps motivate students to learn more actively and become involved in the learning process.
Key benefits of gamification in education that help achieve this goal include:
• Positive Feedback: Gaming systems provide instant feedback and rewards for achievement, which motivates students to work on their assignments and learning goals.
• Competitive element: Gamification can include competitive elements that can stimulate competitive spirit and the desire to improve.
• Personalize learning: Gamification can be customized to suit each student's individual needs and level of knowledge, making learning more personalized.
• Skill Development: Game-based challenges and activities can support the development of a wide range of skills, including problem-solving, collaboration, and problem solving.
• Engagement and Emotional Engagement: Gamification creates positive emotional associations with learning, which can help students become more engaged with learning materials.
• Encouraging exploration: Game-based challenges can encourage students to explore new topics and areas of knowledge.
Ultimately, the goal of gamification in education is to make learning more effective and engaging, increase student motivation, and help them learn better.
1.3 Objective of article.
Early childhood education has emerged as a prominent public policy concern, exerting a profound influence on a child's character development, upbringing, educational journey, socialization, growth, and long-term academic achievements, spanning from preschool to university and beyond.
In general, conventional teaching methods tend to follow a rigid instructional framework, hindering a child's motivation, creativity, and innovation. These methods often deliver theoretical content, which may discourage effective retention and rapid recall of concepts and information.
Furthermore, traditional teaching methods frequently struggle to fully engage learners, resulting in reduced interaction, participation, and investment in the subject matter. Consequently, the need for innovative approaches that offer enhanced education experiences has become increasingly evident. On the other hand, recent research in cognitive science and educational neuroscience has highlighted the potential of play-based learning as a promising method in early childhood education. Four critical factors for successful learning have been identified: attention, active engagement, feedback, and consolidation.
Our objective is to enhance children's early education by employing play-based learning and gamification techniques. This approach seeks to provide children with a diverse range of educational gaming activities and stimulating experiences within an interactive environment. We have developed several serious games, several educational methods and are guided by the four pillars of learning. To assess the effectiveness of our approach, we have selected a representative sample of children from rural areas for evaluation[3].
2. Methods
2.1 An overview of the concept of gamification and its basic principles.
Gamification in learning family values is a method that uses game elements and game mechanics to teach and reinforce family values. The main goal is to make the process of learning family values fun, interesting and involving for all family members. Gamification in the study of family values can help make this process more attractive and effective, contribute to the enrichment of family relationships and create a more harmonious family environment.
2.2 Justification of the importance of gamification in education.
The use of gamification in the study of family values includes a number of basic principles that can help make the process more interesting and engaging for all family members:
• Purpose and Significance: Identify the goals you want to achieve by learning family values and explain their significance to the family. This will help participants understand why this is important.
• Game mechanics: Use game elements such as scores, achievements, awards and rankings to encourage participants to actively participate and achieve goals.
• Interactive Activities: Create tasks and activities that require the participation and interaction of all family members. For example, you can organize family games or discussions.
• Plot and Story: Give the study of family values a story context by creating stories or scenarios that put values into practice.
• Dialogue and Feedback: Encourage open dialogue about family values, ask questions and provide feedback about what lessons have been learned and how they can be applied in everyday life.
• Personalization: Consider the interests and needs of each family member by giving them a choice of tasks and activities that suit their age and preferences.
• Cooperation and Competition: Provide opportunities for family members to compete or collaborate to achieve a common goal.
• Social elements: Allow discussion of family values not only within the family, but also with other families to exchange experiences and ideas.
• Ongoing Participation: Continue to introduce gamification into the family's daily life so that learning family values becomes a long-term process.
• Assessing and Tracking Progress: Use assessment and progress tracking systems to understand how well family values are being taught and where improvements can be made.
The key to gamifying family values is to make the process fun, engaging, and stimulating for everyone in the family so they can better understand and incorporate family values into their daily lives.
2.3 Benefits of gamification in preschool education
Focus on developing key skills and competencies.
Gamification in preschool education focuses on developing a variety of key skills and competencies in children. Here are some of them:
• Communication skills: Gamification helps children develop communication skills, including the ability to express themselves, listen to others, and interact effectively in a group.
• Problem Thinking and Problem Solving: Play scenarios and activities can include situations where children must find solutions and make decisions, thereby developing analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Many games and gamification challenges require collaboration and teamwork, which develops teamwork skills and respect for others' points of view.
• Creativity and Imagination: Gamification can stimulate children's creative thinking, allowing them to solve problems and complete tasks using imagination and creativity.
• Autonomy and Responsibility: Gamification can empower children to make decisions and act independently, developing responsibility for their actions.
• Motor and Coordination: Gamification games and activities can help children develop motor skills and coordination, especially when using physical games.
• Learning to Learn: Gamification can teach children how to learn. They can learn skills and knowledge through independent exploration and experimentation.
• Time management and planning: Tasks and deadlines in gamification can help children develop the ability to manage their time and plan their activities.
• Conflict Resolution Skills: Gamification games and activities can create situations that require conflict resolution, which helps develop constructive dispute resolution skills.
• Decision-making skills: Gamification gives children the opportunity to make decisions and see the results of their actions, which is important for developing the skills of making informed decisions.
Gamification in early childhood education, taking into account these key skills and competencies, helps children develop in various aspects and prepare for more complex educational challenges in the future.
Gamification in preschool education can effectively develop children's communication skills. Here are a few ways how this can be achieved:
• Role-play activities: Creating role-play activities where children pretend to communicate in different scenarios helps develop communication skills, including the ability to listen, ask questions and express themselves.
• Collaborative Projects and Activities: Gamified projects and activities that require collaboration between children can promote teamwork and idea sharing skills.
• Word Games and Storytelling: Games designed to improve vocabulary and storytelling ability can improve oral communication skills.
• Discussion and dialogue: Gamified scenarios can include elements of discussion and dialogue, encouraging children to actively exchange opinions and ideas.
• Communicative tasks: Tasks where children must work in pairs or groups to achieve a goal may require discussion and joint decision-making.
• Feedback and assessment: Incorporating feedback and assessment into gamified tasks can help children improve their communication skills by being aware of their strengths and areas that need improvement.
• Communication through technology: Using gamification in combination with modern technologies such as interactive applications or virtual classrooms can improve communication skills through online platforms.
• Participation in Dramatic Play and Performances: Children can role-play and participate in dramatic performances to develop expressiveness and audience interaction skills.
Gamification in preschool education, using these methods, can make the process of developing children's communication skills more interesting and effective, and also help them develop communication skills that will be useful in the future.
2.4 Gamification Tools and Techniques
Description of various methods and approaches to gamification in preschool education.
This approach outlines the primary learning activities and skills. During these learning activities, the child is encouraged to be independent and primarily motivated by their innate curiosity. The fundamental principles of our approach are described as follows:
Fig.1: Proposed approach structural diagram[1] 2.5 Consideration of examples of the use of game elements, tasks and assignments.
Gamification stands out as a potent tool that designers can leverage to enhance user engagement. To encourage users to achieve their objectives, it becomes imperative to seamlessly integrate elements of games into systems. For instance, users are motivated by the prospect of winning rewards and delight in taking on challenges. The field of gamification software technology now provides a plethora of tools to facilitate a game-based learning experience. Presented below is an alphabetized list that will provide a clear overview of gamification tools that can prove advantageous
ОФ "Международный научно-исследовательский центр "Endless Light in Science"
for educators and contribute to the creation of an engaging learning environment for students. Transforming the classroom into an engaging and dynamic space through gamification demands a significant investment of resources to ensure a stimulating and enjoyable learning atmosphere.
3. Results
3.1 Experience in implementing gamification in preschool educational institutions.
We have created a platform that combines traditional and ethnic elements to enhance early childhood education.
Оку куралы
Fig.1: The main exercises for children
The platform has been structured with the following elements in mind. Within each category, there are tasks tailored to specific age groups, along with animated videos and games, also puzzles.
3,4,5 жастагы балаларга арналган кызыкды онлайн курс!
Fig.2: The categories to specific age groups
Additionally, we have developed 3D character models that incorporate elements of Kazakh traditional culture. These characters have also been given voice acting to enhance the overall experience. The following images showcase our characters immersed in Kazakh traditional culture.
Fig. 3: The model of character
Fig. 3: The models of character
3.2 Results and achievements obtained as a result of the use of gamification.
Achieving Objectives: Badges, levels, and leaderboard positions provide clear and attainable goals, which elevate learners' expectations and boost motivation and performance. Accomplishing these goals brings a sense of satisfaction, driving individuals to achieve further. This is reminiscent of gamification principles, where each percent achieved becomes a point, as suggested by the authors, leading to a pursuit of maximum results.
Social Interaction and Competition: Humans naturally seek recognition and acceptance from their peers, and gamified settings tap into these motivations through features like leaderboards and open profiles showcasing achievements. This directly enhances the effectiveness of learning. However, competition is nuanced, with some learners striving for the top of the leaderboard, while others are content with a place among the top learners. On the contrary, a few may find competition discouraging, emphasizing the importance of context in determining individual responses.
Utility and User-Friendliness: A system that enhances performance (perceived usefulness) and operates smoothly (ease of use) significantly increases its value. A well-designed gamified educational program aligns with these criteria, enticing learners to invest more time in it.
Common Gamification Techniques:
• Storytelling: Incorporating a narrative enhances user motivation. This can involve
tasks like progressing towards launching a rocket to the moon, with each step bringing the learner closer to success, or a more intricate story with conflict, setting, and well-developed characters.
• Levels: Similar to character progression in role-playing games, learners in eLearning software can advance levels by accumulating experience. For instance, reaching 100 points might elevate a user to level 2. These levels can tailor challenge difficulty to learners and showcase their skills and commitment.
• Points: Upon completing assignments, learners receive a designated number of points, serving as a clear measure of their progress.
• Achievement Badges: Recognizing specific actions such as consistent study or thorough preparation, users can earn badges to commemorate their accomplishments.
• Leaderboard: Addressing our desire for status and social validation, a leaderboard can notably motivate naturally competitive learners. However, it's crucial to employ this feature solely for positive reinforcement, as introducing "loser boards" can be disheartening.
Benefits of Gamification in Learning:
• Enhanced Learning: Gamification has been shown to improve learning outcomes in various instances. For example, a study at the University of Alcala integrated a gamified approach into the "Qualifications for users of ICT" course, resulting in students achieving at least 6 out of 36 challenge achievements and 7 participation achievements scoring notably higher final grades compared to the non-gamified version. Additionally, gamification did not hinder traditional studying or classroom engagement.
• Enhanced Motivation: Research indicates that gamification significantly boosts motivation to learn. In one study, 74% of participants reported heightened motivation, with one learner comparing it to a car game and expressing a strong desire to unlock badges. Gamified students also invested more time in studying, resulting in an almost 15% increase compared to the control group.
• Enjoyment: Although measuring enjoyment can be challenging, it leads to tangible outcomes. For instance, Foldit, a gamified platform for folding virus proteins, engaged enthusiastic players to solve a biochemical puzzle in just three weeks. The studies cited also confirm heightened engagement and enjoyment among participants.
These findings highlight the positive impact of gamification on learning, motivation, and engagement, as well as its potential to enhance the overall educational experience.
3.3 Problems and limitations
Analysis of potential difficulties and obstacles when implementing gamification.
Introducing gamification into early childhood education settings can be very beneficial, but there are also a number of potential challenges and obstacles that should be considered:
Teacher Training: Teachers may need additional training and education to effectively implement gamification in the classroom. Not all educators may be familiar with the concept and methods of gamification. Training of personnel with the ability to use IT and AI tools. There are teachers with pedagogical knowledge but who do not know how to use innovative technologies.
There were problems with speech recognition in AI and a lack of materials in the Kazakh language.
In the process of solving problems, we started work from scratch. Ethnic and national costumes were drawn and characters were created for gamification.
Difficulties in creating a platform for the education and training of preschoolers may arise when introducing gamification, but they can be successfully overcome with the help of good preparation, training and competent planning. The key is to find a balance between interesting and motivating learning and ensuring that educational goals are achieved.
• Ethical Issues: Gamification can give rise to ethical dilemmas, including issues related to manipulation, coercion, exploitation, and privacy. For instance, gamification may be employed to influence learners' behavior, decisions, and emotions without their full consent or awareness.
• Pedagogical Issues: Gamification can present pedagogical challenges, such as issues with alignment, relevance, and quality. For instance, if gamification is not aligned with the intended
learning objectives, outcomes, or assessments, it can lead to confusion, distraction, or frustration among learners.
• Technological Issues: Gamification may also encounter technological obstacles, including concerns about accessibility, usability, and reliability. For example, if gamification is not accessible or compatible with learners' devices, platforms, or networks, it can result in exclusion, inequality, or isolation.
• Psychological Issues: Gamification has the potential to trigger psychological effects related to motivation, emotion, and identity. For example, it might undermine learners' intrinsic motivation by replacing their natural interest, curiosity, or satisfaction with external rewards, pressure, or social comparison.
• Practical Issues: Gamification can also present practical considerations, including issues related to cost, time, and support. Designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining gamification can be financially and resource-intensive, which may not always be feasible or affordable.
4. Conclusion
45 Games and competitions were created using gamification elements such as points, rewards and leaderboards. This encourages competitive spirit and active participation.
Role-playing games have been created, this helps them better understand and perceive information, and also develops communication skills. And also 23 Interactive tasks, AR, Riddles and quests, Simulations of real events, Polls and discussions: Feedback and support
Our gamification-based learning method promotes deeper, more productive learning and promotes the development of a variety of skills such as problem solving, communication and collaboration.
We have created a range of serious games and educational methods, all of which are aligned with learning. To gauge the success of our approach, we have chosen to evaluate its effectiveness by working with a representative sample of children from rural areas.
REFERENCES
1. Rachid Lamrani, El Hassan Abdelwahed. "Game-based learning and Gamification to Improve Skills in Early Years Education". Computer Science and Information Systems. Vol 17(1), pp. 339-356.
2. Sheridan M., Howard J., Alderson D. "Play in Early Childhood". Routledge, London (2011).
3. Juho Hamari, David J., Shernoff, Elizabeth Rowe, Brianno Coller, Jodi Asbell-Clarke, Teon Edwards. "Challenging games help students learn: An empirical study on engagement, flow and immersion in game-based learning". In Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 54, pp. 170-179.
4. Che Ku Nuraini Che Ku Mohdi, Siti Mahfuzah Mohamad, Hamzah Asyrani Sulaiman, Faaizah Shahbodin, Nur Raidah Rahim, aizad Aizudin. "A Review of Gamification Tools to Boost Students' Motivation and Engagement". Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology. Vol 101, No 7, 2023, pp. 2771-2782.
5. Caponetto I., Earp J., Ott M. "Gamification and education: A literature review. 8th European Conference on Games Based Learning". Academic Conferences International Limited. pp. 50-57.
6. Mohamad S.N.M., Salam S., Bakar N. "An analysis of gamification elements in online learning to enhance learning engagement". In Zulikha L. & N.H.Zakaria, Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Computing & Informatics. pp. 452-460.
7. Serafeim A. Triantafyllou, Christos K. Georgiadis. "Gamification Design Patterns for user Engagement". Informatics in Education. 2022, Vol 21. pp. 655-674.
8. Sailer M., Hense J., Mayr S., Mandl H. "How gamification motivates: An experimental study of the effects of specific game design elements on psychological need satisfaction". Computers in Human Behavior, Vol 69, pp. 371-380.
9. Paul J., Jefferson F. " A comparative Analysis of Student Performance in an Online vs. Face-to-Face Environmental Science Course from 2009 to 2016". Frontiers in Computer Science, Vol 1, pp. 1-9.
10. Lamrani R., Abdelwahed E.H. "Learning through play in a pervasive context: a survey". In IEEE/ACS 12th International Conference of Computer Systems and Applications(AICCSA), pp. 1-15.
