Gamification is not just fun: the effect of gamification design elements on shaping intrinsic motivation and learning persistence

As digital learning becomes more common in higher education, learners in online and blended learning environments may encounter challenges such as insufficient engagement, distraction, and course non-completion. Therefore, promoting sustained participation and long-term learning persistence has become an important issue in educational technology and instructional design. In recent years, gamification has attracted increasing attention because of its potential to support learner engagement, feedback, progress visualization, and social interaction. However, its longer-term motivational mechanisms in educational contexts remain insufficiently clarified. This study examined the relationships among gamification design elements, intrinsic motivation, and learning persistence in a 16-week blended digital game-based learning course. A one-group post-intervention survey design was adopted. A total of 337 students from a university in Taichung, Taiwan participated in the study, and data were collected through paper-based self-report questionnaires at the end of the course. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis indicated acceptable construct validity and internal consistency of the measurement scales. Structural equation modeling showed that gamification design elements were significantly and positively associated with intrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation was significantly and positively associated with learning persistence. Gamification design elements were also directly associated with learning persistence. The mediation analysis further indicated that intrinsic motivation partially mediated the relationship between gamification design elements and learning persistence. The model fit indices suggested acceptable model fit, and the standardized path coefficients indicated meaningful but moderate positive associations. Overall, the findings provide preliminary empirical support for the proposed model and suggest that need-supportive gamified instructional design may be related to higher intrinsic motivation and stronger learning persistence. The study contributes to gamified learning research by interpreting gamification design as a need-supportive instructional structure rather than merely as a reward-based strategy.