Does Gamification Really Help Students Learn?

Students cheer when a quiz game starts, but are they learning or just racing for points? Kahoot! Senior Director, Global Education Liz Crawford says engagement means little unless it drives outcomes, and she cites more than 300 independent peer-reviewed studies that she says show an impact on motivation and test scores. Matthew Farber, a University of Northern Colorado professor and former middle school social studies teacher, explains why most quiz games are a review with a timer and why he warns against grading them. Ira Apfel talks with both guests about what separates real learning from a chase for points. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Why Liz Crawford says gamification works when it drives outcomes, and how she says retrieval practice, instant feedback and lower stakes for mistakes keep learning active. How Kahoot!’s accuracy experience and creator settings let teachers remove timers and speed bonuses How Matthew Farber separates gamification from game-based learning, and why he says play matters more than points and leaderboards. Why Matthew wants teachers to pair narrative games with novels, the way they already pair texts with film and podcasts. RELATED EDSURGE STORIES A Decade Into Experiments With Gamification, Edtech Rethinks How to Motivate Learners by Olina Banerji To Get Serious About Games, Teachers Experiment With Play in the Classroom by Olina Banerji STAY CONNECTED Subscribe to EdSurge newsletters at www.edsurge.com/newsletters Find the latest education news at edsurge.com/news Follow EdSurge on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. HOST AND CONTRIBUTORS Host: Ira Apfel, Editorial Director, EdSurge Featuring: Liz Crawford, Senior Director, Global Head of Education, Kahoot! Matthew Farber, Associate Professor of Educational Technology, University of Northern Colorado