Student Perceptions of Engagement With Secondary Mathematics in a Gamified, Standards-Based Grading System: A Basic Qualitative Study

Abstract

In the secondary school setting, student engagement with mathematics has been declining for various reasons and for a significant amount of time. Gamification and standards-based grading are strategies that have the potential to improve student engagement with mathematics. The problem was poor student engagement with classroom activities in secondary mathematics. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore former students’ perceptions regarding the student engagement in teaching and learning activities they experienced with secondary mathematics content in the gamified, standards-based grading system at a rural high school in a midwestern state. This basic qualitative research study sought to fill a gap in the literature by investigating former student perceptions of their engagement with mathematics. Grounded in constructivist learning theory, this study reported student perceptions of their engagement. Fifteen to twenty-five former students from the population of 46 who have experienced gamified, standards-based grading in their high school math class were selected by voluntary response sampling. Participants in the study first answered an online questionnaire asking about their perceptions of their experiences and then completed an interview conducted and transcribed on Zoom. Participants indicated that the standards-based grading system positively impacted their engagement, improved their understanding of learning objectives, promoted self-regulation, and preferred the system over points-based grading systems. Most respondents enjoyed and were motivated by the gamified elements. The major recommendation of this study is that educators should explore and implement constructivist learning strategies, including gamification and standards-based grading in secondary education.