A Gamified Accounting Activity: Experimental Evidence for the Influence of Game-Like Elements on Enjoyment, Engagement, and Learning

ABSTRACT Gamification, or incorporating game-like elements into non-game settings to achieve specific objectives, is an emerging pedagogical tool in education. However, research of its effectiveness on learning is mixed. We draw on existing theory to develop and test a framework that explains the mechanisms through which gamification influences outcomes. Our findings demonstrate that adding a game-like element to an accounting activity can increase enjoyment in the activity, lead to greater cognitive engagement, deeper information processing, and improved learning. However, the increase in enjoyment was primarily driven by using avatars, whereas an interconnected challenge and peer collaboration statements did not produce similar effects. Our findings also reveal that, although enjoyment fosters various forms of engagement, it is cognitive engagement that has a positive and significant relationship with deeper information processing. Our study offers a practical guide for classroom gamification, along with suggested opportunities for further research to expand and refine it. Data Availability: Data are available upon request.