Influence of Gamification on Student Engagement and Achievement Motivation Among Secondary School Students in India’s Hybrid Learning Environments

The focus of this survey was on the relationship between the use of gamification and its effect on student engagement and achievement motivation. The participants of the survey were 384 9th and 10th graders that were a part of a hybrid learning model in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Standardized measures in regards to the factors of gamification (points, badges, leaderboards, challenges, feedback, etc.) engagement, and motivation were used in this assessment. It was discovered that there was a moderated use of gamification (M=3.30) and the most used were challenges (M=3.49) and feedback (M=3.72). Engagement as a whole was measured to be rather low (M=2.27) and was even more so in the government schools as well (p=.013, d=0.25). Gamification to an extent was positively associated with engagement (r=.49 R²=.35) as a result of challenges (?=.30) and the feedback that was given helped in increasing motivation (?=.16 R²=.12). Based on Self-Determination Theory, these findings match global meta-analytic patterns in India's hybrid context pointing out infrastructure gaps. The study suggests focusing on challenges and feedback in NEP 2020 platforms like DIKSHA. The limitations of the study point to the need for long-term follow-up research.