Exploring gender dynamics in gamified physics learning – investigating gamification's impact on engagement and learning across genders

This study examines the effects of gamification on student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes in the Basketball Physics Challenge, a physics-based educational game. Twenty secondary school students (aged 15-18) participated in a crossover study, experiencing both gamified and standard versions of the game. The findings revealed no significant overall gender differences in motivation or performance. However, female learners showed a decrease in motivation after transitioning to the gamified condition, while male learners exhibited a slight increase. Performance metrics indicated males initially scored higher in the gamified condition, while females demonstrated higher engagement, which declined over time. A multivariate ANOVA identified significant gender effects on performance. These results suggest gamification may enhance male learners' performance, while sustaining female engagement may require adaptive strategies. The study highlights the need for gender-specific approaches in gamified educational technologies and suggests further research with larger, more diverse samples to better understand the impact of gamification on learning outcomes.