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The Impact of Gamification Upon Technology Acceptance and Self-Efficacy Among Senior Adults�

Deborah Cockerham, Rubaiyat Iqbal, Rabita Islam, Yongluan Ye, Yunjo An, Taliah Ales

University of North Texas

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Senior Adults

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…are expected to use technology to support everyday needs (e.g., health, continuing education, socializing).

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…may lack the skills and experience to navigate new technology programs and learn new skills (Minge & Cymek, 2020)

…may be hesitant or stressed in taking training courses to gain technology skills and experience. (Czaja, 2006, cited in Yagil et al., 2021).

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Gamified Learning

Game elements are used to support:

  • Positive emotional experiences
  • Engagement
  • Motivation

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(An, 2020; Hamari et al., 2014; Kapp, 2016)

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Gamification Design

Design Considerations (An, 2020)

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  1. Meaning
  2. User-centered design
  3. Challenges and feedback
  4. Choices and autonomy
  5. Perils and advantages of extrinsic rewards
  6. Social interaction and relatedness
  7. Competition vs. cooperation
  8. Failure as an opportunity to learn

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Research Questions

Among senior adults, to what extent can technology training through gamified instruction impact:

  • technology skills?
  • technology self-efficacy?

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Participants

  • 27 senior adults (8 Males; 19 Females)
  • Ages 58 – 78 (M = 68. 8)
  • Recruited from technology training courses offered for senior adults at Tarrant County College

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Methods

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Gamified Elements Used

  • Challenges
  • Levels
  • Social interaction
  • Choices
  • Recognition

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Technology Self-Efficacy

Senior adults showed significantly more positive (p ≤ 0.05) attitudes towards:

  • viewing computer as “easy to use”
  • understanding actions when using computers
  • knowing where to find help for technology needs
  • feeling productive when using computers
  • looking forward to using technology

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Elements of Self-Efficacy Showing Significant Differences

(N = 27)

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Conclusions

Gamified learning that incorporates challenges and levels can build senior adults’ technology skills and positively impact senior adults’ technology self-efficacy.

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References

  • An, Y. (2020). Designing effective gamified learning experiences. International Journal of Technology in Education, 3(2), 62-69. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.v3i2.27.
  • Czaja, S. J., Charness, J., Fisk, A. D., Hertzog, C., Nair, S. N., Rogers, W. A., & Sharit, J. (2006). Factors predicting the use of technology: Findings from the center for research and education on aging and technology enhancement. Psychology of Aging, 21, 333-352.
  • Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014, January). Does gamification work?--a literature review of empirical studies on gamification. In 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 3025-3034.
  • Kapp, K. M. (2016). Choose your level: Using games and gamification to create personalized instruction. In M. Murphy, S. Redding, & J. Twyman (Eds.), Handbook on personalized learning for states, districts, and schools (pp. 131–143). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University, Center on Innovations in Learning.
  • Minge, M., & Cymek, D. H. (2020). Investigating the potential of gamification to improve seniors’ experience and use of technology. Information, 11(5), 249-265.
  • Yagil, D., Cohen, M., & Beer, J. D (2016). Older adults’ coping with the stress involved in the use of everyday technologies. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(2), 131-149.