Gamified Teaching Enhancing Joyful Learning and Student Well-Being in Yunnan

Abstract

This study aimed to examine how gamified education can affect junior high school students’ enjoyable learning and psychological well-being, focusing on the mediating role of learning motivation. A four-week gamified educational intervention was employed to enhance students’ learning engagement and experience using points, badges, levels, and cooperation. We conducted a quasi-experimental study with first-grade students at primary schools in Kunming, Yunnan Province (N=60) by performing classroom observations and semi-structured interviews on perceived pedagogical climate, motivation to learn, and health. Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, quantitative analyses, correlation analysis, and bootstrapped mediation analysis were used. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that gamification in education enhanced learning pleasure and boosted learners’ motivation, class participation, and achievement feelings. The general well-being of students in the experimental class improved dramatically, especially in terms of their sense of purpose in learning, sense of belonging, and pleasure with the classroom. Mediation analysis suggested that learning intention significantly mediated the relationship between game-based instruction and students’ health, suggesting that feeling happy and motivated is an important psychological tool. Qualitative research confirms this, as students describe the gamified classroom as a more interactive, cooperative, and inspirational place. The results suggest that gamified education improves students’ mental health by increasing classroom pleasure, stimulating active learning motivation, and facilitating good emotional experiences. This study has significant implications for the design of emotionally responsive teaching and educational practices that can be used to improve student learning motivation. Future studies should verify and expand on the theoretical framework by testing the long-term sustainability of gamified learning outcomes, larger sample sizes in various educational situations, and by testing other mediating and moderating factors such as teacher facilitation tactics, digital ability, and socio-emotional talent.