One of the primary objectives of gamified education is to promote students' behavior change to provide a positive learning experience. Most studies, however, focus exclusively on studying how students experience the systems, ignoring the emotions generated by sensory information. To fill this lack, we conducted a between-subjects controlled experiment (N = 62) to analyze the effects of gamification on students' basic emotions (i.e., happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust). Based on descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, we compared the students' basic emotions between participants who used a gamified version of a learning management system (experimental group) and a group that used the system with identical educational tasks without gamification (control group). The primary results reveal that anger was the most frequently observed emotion in both system versions, whereas scare was the least expressed emotion in both versions. No significant differences in emotions between groups were registered. We contribute especially to the fields of educational technologies and gamification with insights into the effects of gamification on students' basic emotions.

Contribution: In this full research paper, we offer a quantitative analysis of how gamification influences students' gameful experience within a mobile online learning gamified platform, specifically Duolingo. We explored how these effects vary based on students' self-declared gender, providing valuable insights into the intricate dynamics within gamified educational environments. Background: The use of gameful environments as educational tools has been acknowledged for its potential to yield diverse outcomes in students' learning achievements, encompassing both advantageous and disadvantageous effects. Among the hypotheses regarding the observed diverse outcomes is that gamification may influence individuals' experiences differently based on their inherent traits, such as gamer type, age, and gender. While recent research has made strides in exploring this hypothesis, knowledge regarding how gamification can affect users' experience in gameful environments remains limited. Research Questions: This study aims to address the following question: How does gamification affect students' gameful experience (i.e., accomplishment, challenge, competition, guided, immersion, playfulness, and social experience) according to their self-declared gender? Methodology: To answer this research question, we conducted a quasi-experimental study (i.e., involving the comparison of groups without random assignment), organized in three steps. In the first step, we invited technology students to utilize the gamified platform, Duolingo, for a minimum of 20 minutes. In the second step, participants completed the GAME-FULQUEST, a scale comprising 56 items across seven dimensions, designed to measure their gameful experience while using the platform. They also answered a demographic questionnaire to indicate their gender (following ethical recommendations, we included the options: “male”,”female”, “non-binary” and “I prefer to not disclose”). In the third step, we employed Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the effects of gamification on students' gameful experience, according to their gender. Our sample comprised 110 students, with 42 self-identified as females and 68 as males. Findings: Our results indicate that learners' gender did not affect any of the dimensions of the gameful experience. This result opens up space for several insights into how gamification can affect the learners' experience according to different variables.

Contribution: In this full research paper, we contribute to the gamification literature by exploring students' emotions when completing educational tasks in a gamified and non-gamified education system, qualitatively explaining some triggers for their emotions. Background: An emotion is a spontaneous, short-lived, and subjective response to whatever is happening. Despite the various existing theories, we draw on Ekman's theory, which identifies seven basic emotions: anger, fear, sadness, happiness, contempt, surprise, and disgust. In education, gamification has been widely used with one of its objectives being to provoke positive emotions in students. However, little is known about students' emotions when using gamified and non-gamified educational systems. Research Questions: Advancing the literature, we answered the following research question: what emotions are experienced by students when performing tasks using a gamified and non-gamified educational system? Methodology: For up to 30 minutes, nine males and seven females completed educational tasks in general knowledge, English, and reasoning. Some interacted with a gamified version of an educational platform, which included 10 gamification elements based on Self-determination theory, while others engaged with the same tasks in a non-gamified version of the same system. During system usage, we employed the Noldus Observer XT and FaceReader systems to map students' emotions over time. After system usage, semi-structured interview data provided a deeper understanding of why certain emotions were experienced. Finally, we conducted a Thematic Analysis to qualitatively interpret the data. Findings: Participants remained indifferent most of the time in both settings, indicating that the gamification elements had no extra role. The most frequent emotion was anger, an emotion experienced when a goal is prevented from being pursued. They also experienced some disgust. Those exposed to gamification elements were more likely to be happy and equally likely to be sad. In terms of gender, male participants felt more anger and disgust, while women felt more happiness and sadness.

Contribution: In this full research paper, we provide a qualitative view of how undergraduate students experienced flow state dimensions (i.e., challenge-skill balance, action-awareness merging, clear goals, unambiguous feedback, total concentration, sense of control, loss of self-consciousness, transformation of time and autotelic experience) in a gamified educational and a non-gamified educational system. Background: When in a flow state, individuals experience deep immersion and focus on tasks. Encouraging educational experiences toward flow is important because this construct is linked to cognition (academic performance) and behavior (engagement). Gamification has been implemented to bring students to a flow state. However, despite several studies (mostly quantitative) little is known about how the flow state is experienced in gamified educational systems. Research Questions: Advancing the literature, we answered the following research question: how do students experience flow state when performing tasks using a gamified and non-gamified educational system? Methodology: 68 students from 20 countries participated in an experiment. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group (a gamified system with 10 different gamification elements based on Self-determination theory) and a control group (the same system without gamification). Immediately after the experiment, we asked them to share some thoughts from their experience openly. We then conducted a qualitative study based on Thematic Analysis with 18 of them who volunteered for further interviews. Findings: We found that students who completed questions in the non-gamified version acknowledged time and social pressure as elements that sustained their engagement. However, we did not intentionally expose them to these game elements. A sense of competence emerged strongly as they completed the educational tasks through the system. We found different nuances of competition, including self-competition, associated with the sense of flow in both groups. The findings also suggest that the tasks play a role in the sense of flow they experienced.

Gamification is commonly employed to support the formation of positive psychological states and learning outcomes, with one of the primary psychological factors chiefly relevant to learning being the flow state. However, the effects of gamification on students’ flow experience are still little known. Filling this gap, we conducted a between-subjects controlled experiment (N = 65) to analyze the effects of gamification on students’ flow experience. Using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, we compared the flow experience between participants who used a gamified version of an educational system (experimental group) and a group that used the same system without gamification (control group). The main results indicate that the employed gamification design did not affect students’ flow experience. Our study contributes especially to educational technologies and gamification fields, demonstrating that gamification may not affect students’ flow experience.

In recent years, numerous studies have investigated the effects of gamification on different students’ experiences (e.g., motivation, engagement, and accomplishment). However, the effects of gamification on students’ academic performance are still a mystery. To address this gap, we conducted a between-subjects controlled experiment (N = 71) to analyze the effects of gamification on students’ academic performance. Using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, we compared the academic performance of participants who used a gamified version of an educational system (experimental group) and a group that used the same system without gamification (control group). The main results indicate that the student’s academic performance was significantly higher in the experimental group (i.e., students who used the gamified version of the system). We contribute to the fields of educational technology and gamification by providing new evidence about the effects of gamification on the actual students’ academic performance.

Educators worldwide strive to transform what are often perceived as "dull learning environments" into engaging ones. Although numerous studies explore gamification in education, few explore the gamification of class assignments. Building on the premise that individuals are more likely to engage with tasks they find interesting, our central research question was: What factors contribute to the interestingness of class assignments? We conducted a qualitative study (employing Thematic Analysis) involving Brazilian college sophomores tasked with designing assignments for their enrolled courses. Our qualitative findings revealed several characteristics that can enhance task interest. Furthermore, we found that interestingness varies based on individual factors, rather than adhering to a one-size-fits-all solution. Additionally, we profiled students according to their gamification user types (utilizing the Hexad framework) to understand assignments from the perspective of different user personas. This study offers valuable insights into the gamification of classroom assignments, contributing to the fields of gamification and instructional design.

Currently, an essential challenge in education in Brazil is to promote quality education that reaches all schools in the country, even those with limited technological educational resources. With this work, we have made a contribution to the field of gamified education by creating a comprehensive didactic booklet that has been translated into Brazilian Portuguese, English, and Spanish, thereby facilitating educators to gamify their classrooms in an unplugged and personalized way. We have introduced an innovative approach to designing unplugged gamified classes, aiming to provide engaging and enjoyable learning for students. This instructional material is based on a framework of five distinct gamification designs, offering teachers a versatile toolkit to gamify their classes, even if they never had any experiences with gamification. Our resources not only serve as valuable aids but also function as guides for teachers, empowering them to gamify their classes in a manner that is both student-centric and adaptable to different contexts, an essential characteristic with the possible variations of the students and places. This booklet is the result of an intensive training course provided to 15 Brazilian teachers, even in a short period of time, training them with essential knowledge and skills. These educators gained proficiency in several key areas, including i) understanding the fundamental concept of gamification and your more common definition, profiling their students and recognizing the pivotal role this plays in designing effective gamified learning experiences for the evolution of them, ii) familiarization with the various gamification elements and their organization into the five distinct designs, and iii) crafting context-free lessons that align with each of these innovative gamification designs. In an evolving educational landscape, our work stands as a beacon, enabling educators to harness the power of gamification and create dynamic, interactive learning environments for their students. This initiative has the potential to improve the quality of education and awaken in students a curiosity that transcends traditional borders. Such a transformation in the educational landscape could have far-reaching effects, ultimately contributing to the cultivation of an innovative, engaged, and motivated future generation, which will drive progress and innovation in various contexts.

This experience report addresses training that was offered to teachers in Brazil. The main objective of such training was to train teachers to be able to gamify their own classes, in an unplugged way (i.e., without the use of digital technologies), and student-centered (i.e., personalized). The external observation was used as the primary data collection approach. This initiative was proposed by the Brazilian Ministry of Education, in which 27 laboratories were made available (one for each state of the federation) with the aim of preparing teachers nationwide. However, although some educators have shown a strong interest in using gamification as a strategy in their classrooms, a second group has demonstrated some resistance to the incorporation of gamification within the scope of education. These different levels of receptivity among teachers highlight the importance of continuous support and professional development to ensure the successful integration of gamification into the educational setting.

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the world population in several ways. Schools had to modify their teaching methods, reinventing pedagogical practices and actions to students to continue learning in a new teaching and learning routine. In particular, gameful approaches (e.g., games, gamification, and simulators) were alternatives used to improve the quality of emergency remote teaching. However, the need to use these approaches on an emergency basis meant that institutions could not plan the application or analyze the impacts of these technologies. To fill this gap, we performed a qualitative study, in which four students and a teacher participated. Using thematic analysis, we explored their perception regarding the use of social gamification in emergency remote teaching compared to regular face-to-face teaching. The results indicate that some different gamification elements drew the attention of students during remote and face-to-face teaching. However, no differences were identified between the different teaching modalities. Our study contributes to the fields of educational technologies and gamification through insights into the application of social gamification in education.

After years teaching courses of introduction to research, we understand that many undergraduate students fail to develop skills to systematize literature reviews processes properly, and we address this issue in this Research-to-practice full paper. A teaching method named Do-it was designed to support how students might learn to perform systematic mappings. We present the Do-it method and some preliminary findings from the example case of using the proposed method. Do-it is based on principles like cooperation, active learning, constant and incremental feedback. The steps of Do-It are presented intertwined with its first application in a project involving 24 students attending in a course of introduction to research. The students worked on a systematic mapping using Do-it in order to identify systematic reviews related to the usage of games in Computer Science (CS) classes. Games were chosen as the target to the students' project because they are used as a motivating resource, considering students' difficulty in learning CS concepts. We did automatic and manual searches on well-known Brazilian sources of computing education studies, looking for relevant papers published between 2009 and 2019. Therefore, in this paper, the method Do-It; a summary of some findings that was arisen from the systematic mapping and the teaching experience using Do-it are presented.

This Research Full Paper presents a review of the literature related to novices' interest in learning to code. Students' interest in this topic has been mentioned in the Computer Science Education (CSE) field since the 1990s. Although it got the attention of computing faculty and shaped a wide number of proposals, students' disinterest remains a complex struggle in Computer Science (CS) courses. On the other hand, we still have little knowledge about what theoretical concepts and methods of research are adopted by researchers who study interest, particularly among novices in programming. As an attempt to close this gap, we carried out a systematic review process to identify frequent assumptions and methodological decisions aiming to establish a sense of what happened in the last seventeen years in this research field. Based on our review, the findings revealed that although a high number of contributions is propagated, most of them are based on lesson learned reports that fail in producing reliable evidences to substantiate the effectiveness of some proposals. The analysis of the 36 publications considered relevant to our systematic review revealed that there is not a convergent understanding between CSE researchers of what is interest and how to measure. Not many of them study interest based on specific theories or observe how students' interest changes over time. So, although we have found many publications referring to practical and experimental applications, we could see that this research area is still fragmented and led by a bit of uncertainty about what really can sustain novices more interested in learning coding.

In some CS0 settings, innovation and use of technology are not always an option due to costs, poor internet infrastructure and cultural aspects of teaching. It also happens that students are not familiar with CS since they are not educated about it at schools. These circumstances pose a more challenging situation in terms of encouraging beginners to become interested in this subject during an introductory course. In this study, we were motivated to study interest for learning coding in naturalistic contexts and from a dynamic point of view. To investigate it in this fashion, the Four-Phase Model of Interest Development was used. Based on an in-depth and a qualitative design, two groups of Brazilian beginners were observed. In this paper, we present how their interests have unfolded and why changes happened. Contextual factors, such as level of structure around the teaching process and tasks, and the educator's attitudes, emerged as positive influences. By understanding why beginners felt interested in engaging with coding, the role of some human factors in these learning experiences came up. Some students were not skilled at self-regulating. Also, when their beliefs of being able to learn coding dropped, willingness to engage was negatively affected. This study brings a non-fragmented view of the process of interest development in learning coding and its complexity. The findings highlight a need for educators to become more informed about how this process takes place and what individual characteristics are involved with it. To some students a motivational learning environment must be thought of not only in terms of a technical point of view, but also in terms of adjusting educators' expectations and discussing how to better manage human factors that play an important role in introductory experiences.

In this paper, we present the preliminary findings of a study proposed to understand how interest of novices in learning programming changed during a CS0 course. This in-depth qualitative study, based on a longitudinal design, was performed over four months. Observing the learning experience of ten Brazilian freshmen students, the authors could obtain a dynamic view about how their interest in learning programming changed and why changes occurred. Six trajectories of interest were identified and the factors that had influence on them. As an example, the sense of being completing same tasks again when working on similar problems as before but in more detail was revealed as an inhibitor aspect to develop their interest. The Four-Phase Model of Interest Development was used as a theoretical framework to identify these trajectories. Looking at interest under this perspective was important to better understand how novices engage with introductory computer science and what might nurture and inhibit their interest in learning this content. This knowledge is something that CS educators could take into account when planning instructional strategies, course material and tasks.

People living with decentralization of knowledge and high connectivity. Digital media has changed how we learn and the settings in which learning occurs. Nowadays, we have the opportunity to experience many different experiences through the media and social networks, especially youngers. Although formal spaces are still the main reference for the learning process, the relevance of non-formal and informal spaces cannot be ignored, as well as the amount of learning that is being learned and the nature of this learning. This paper presents an ongoing research which will seek to understand how young people recognize and construct their learning trajectories through digital spaces and what metrics are valid to outline how knowledge moves between these spaces. The research method is qualitative in nature and will be supported in longitudinal studies, which will be the basis for interpreting models capable of representing such paths.

The supervised internship allows students to experience situations of their future professional life even in academia. In Teaching degree Computer Science courses is often challenging to administer the internship because Computer Science does not exist in the Brazilian curriculum. Thus, this paper presents an experience report about these issues and some learned lessons.