Investigation of Pre-service Social Studies Teachers’ Gamification User Types
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/ankad.v10i1.347Keywords:
User type, gamification, pre-service teacher, social studiesAbstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the gamification user types of pre-service social studies teacher. The participant group of the study, which used a survey method, consisted of 138 pre-service social studies teachers reached through cluster and convenience sampling methods. The Gamification User Type (Hexad) scale, developed by Tondello et al. (2016) and adapted into Turkish by Akgün and Topal (2018), was used as the data collection tool. IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software was used to analyze the data collected in the study. The results were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Friedman analyses. The research results indicated that among pre-service social studies teacher, the gamification user types were, in order, free-spirited and achievers, types with lower averages followed by philanthropists, player, and socializer. The least common gamification user type among pre-service teachers was the type that likes to push boundaries and break rules (disrupter). It was revealed that pre-service teachers’ gamification user types showed significant differences according to gender, preferred game mode, game category, and gaming habits, but did not show significant differences according to age and grade level. The results of the study suggested that pre-service social studies teachers possess different motivational characteristics. In line with these findings, it is recommended that gamified learning environments for social studies in higher education be developed by considering the user types and personal characteristics of the pre-service teachers thereby creating individualized gamification designs.
References
Aydın, Z. (2022). Eğitimde oyun, oyunlaştırma ve oyunlaştırılmış ders planı tasarımı. E. Ünal (Ed.), Eğitimde yeni yaklaşımlar (ss.129-170). Eğiten Kitap.
Akgün, Ö. E., & Topal, M. (2018). Adaptation of the gamification user types hexad scale into Turkish. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 5(3), 389-402. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.379139
Arkün-Kocadere, S., & Samur, Y. (2016). Oyundan oyunlaştırmaya. A. Şişman, H. F. Odabaşı & B. Akkoyunlu (Ed.). Eğitim teknolojileri okumaları (ss. 397-415). TOJET. https://www.tojet.net/books.htm
Bartle, R. (1996). Hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades: Players who suit MUDs. Journal of MUD Research, 1(1), 19.
Baah, C., Govender, I., & Rontala-Subramaniam, P. (2023). Exploring the role of gamification in motivating students to learn. Cogent Education, 10(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2210045
Barz, N., Arndt, P., Dörrenbächer-Ulrich, L., Benick, M., & Perels, F. (2022). Pre-service teachers' player types and their relation to self- efficacy with digital media. Proceedings of the 16th European Conference on Games Based Learning, UK, 16(1), 91-98. https://doi.org/10.34190/ecgbl.16.1.524
Birch, H. J. S. (2023). Understanding motivational differences through the lens of gamification user types. International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.55221/1932-7846.1303
Bovermann, K., & Bastiaens, T. (2020). Towards a motivational design? Connecting gamification user types and online learning activities. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 15(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-019-01214
Brophy, J. (2004). Motivating students to learn (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Buda, A., & Pesti, C. (2024). Gamification solution in teacher education. Acta Educationis Generalis, 14(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.2478/atd-2024-0008
Cheong, C., Filippou, J., & Cheong, F. (2014). Towards the gamification of learning: Investigating student perceptions of game elements. Journal of Information Systems Education, 25(3), 233-244.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th edition). Pearson Edu Inc.
Çeker, E., & Özdamlı, F. (2017). What “Gamification” is and what it’s not. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 6(2), 221-228.
Dasoo, N. (2024). Influence of gamification on student learning and teacher training. Proceedings of 2024 The International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research. Vol.2024, 56-67. https://doi.org/10.26803/myres.2024.05
Desnenko, S., Pakhomova, T., Starostina, S., & Tokareva, J. (2021). Gamification in the formation of digital skills of future teachers. Proceedings of the XIV. International Scientific and Practical Conference State and Prospects for the Development of Agribusiness. Vol. 273, 12118, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127312118
Demirbaş, Y. K. (2022). Oyuna yer açın: Dijital oyunlara eleştirel yaklaşımlar. Dora Yayınları.
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining gamification. Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, USA, 9-15. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040
Dichev, C., & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: What is known, what is believed and what remains uncertain: A critical review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(9), 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0042-5
Ekiz, D. (2017). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri: Yaklaşım, yöntem ve teknikler (5. baskı). Anı Yayıncılık.
Erden, M. (1998). Sosyal bilgiler öğretimi. Alkım Yayınları.
Google Trends (2025, Eylül). Gamification, educational game, game based learning. https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?cat=74&date=all&q=gamification,educational%20game,game%20based%20learning
Hellberg, A. S. & Moll, J. (2023). A point with pointsification? clarifying and separating pointsification from gamification in education. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1-13, https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1212994
Hooda, A. (2021). Gamification user types and preferences for game characteristics amongst student teachers [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. University of Jyväskylä.
Hooda, A., Nousiainen, T., Vesisenaho, M., Ahlström, E., Fort, S., Subirats, L., & Sacha, G. M. (2022). School of digital wizards: Exploring the gamification user types in a blended it course. Proceedings of the Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 1-5, https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE56618.2022.9962592.
Kim, B. (2015). Gamification in education and libraries. Library Technology Reports, 51(2), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.5860/ltr.51n2
Kim, S., Song, K., Lockee, B., & Burton, J. (2018). Advances in game-based learning. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47283-6
Klock, A. C. T., Gasparini, I., Pimenta, M. S., & De Oliveira, J. P. M. (2015). “Everybody is playing the game, but nobody's rules are the same": Towards adaptation of gamification based on users characteristics. Bulletin of the Technical Committee on Learning Technology, 17(4), 22-25.
Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J. (2019). The rise of motivational information systems: A review of gamification research. International Journal of Information Management, 45, 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.10.013
Lopez, C. E., & Tucker, C. S. (2019). The effects of player type on performance: A gamification case study. Computers in Human Behavior, 91, 333-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.10.005
Marczewski, A. (2015). Even ninja monkeys like to play: Gamification, game thinking and motivational design. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Nacke, L. E., & Deterding, S. (2017). The maturing of gamification research. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 450-454. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.062
Nousiainen, T., Vesisenaho, M., Ahlström, E., Peltonen, M., Fort, S., & Gômez, S. (2020). Gamifying teacher students’ learning platform: Information and communication technology in teacher education courses. Proceedings 8th International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality, USA, 688–693. https://doi.org/10.1145/3434780.343665
Özdemir, M. (2023). Türk öğretmenlerin oyunlaştırma kullanıcı türleri ve eğitimleri için oyun ögeleri tercihleri [Yayınlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi]. Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi.
Poecze, F., Roncevic, A., & Zlatic, S. (2019). Further differentiating factors of gamers' hexad player types. M. Milkovic, D. Kecek & K. Hammes (Eds.), Economic and Social Development (Book of Proceedings), (p.98-108).
Santos, A. C. G., Oliveira, W. Hamari, J., Joaquim, S., & Isotani, S. (2023). The consistency of gamication user types: A study on the change of preferences over time. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 7(CHI PLAY), 1253–1281. https://doi.org/10.1145/3611068
Santos, A. C. G., Oliveira, W., Vassileva, J., Hamari, J., & Isotani, S. (2025). The relationship between gamification user types, demographic factors, and gaming habits. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 41(18), 11806–11820.
Serice, L. (2023). Prisms of neuroscience: Frameworks for thinking about educational gamification. AI, Computer Science and Robotics Technology, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.5772/acrt.13
Sezgin, S., & Yüzer, V. (2020). Oyun ve oyunlaştırma. Gece Kitaplığı Yayınları.
Subirats, L., Nousiainen, T., Hooda, A., Rubio-Andrada, L., Fort, S., Vesisenaho, M., & Sacha, G. M. (2023). Gamification based on user types: When and where it is worth applying. Applied Sciences, 13(2269), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042269
Şenocak, D. (2019). Açık ve uzaktan öğrenmede oyuncu tiplerinin motivasyon ve akademik başarı bağlamında incelenmesi [Yayınlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi]. Anadolu Üniversitesi.
Şenocak, D., Büyük, K., & Bozkurt, A. (2021). Examination of the Hexad user types and their relationships with gender, game mode, and gamification experience in the context of open and distance learning. Online Learning, 25(4), 250-266. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i4.
Tondello, G. F., Mora, A. Marczewski, A. & Nacke, L. E. (2019). Empirical validation of the gamification user types hexad scale in English and Spanish. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 127, 95-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2018.10.002
Tondello, G. F., Wehbe, R. R., Diamond, L., Busch, M., Marczewski, A., & Nacke, L. E. (2016). The gamification user types hexad scale. Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, USA, 229-243. http://doi.org/10.1145/2967934.2968082
Yıldırım, O. G., & Özdener, N. (2021). An exploratory study on the change of students’ gamification user types over time. In 8th Instructional Technologies and Teacher Education Symposium, Türkiye, 356–364.
Yıldırım, O. G., Özdener, N., & Geris, A. (2021). Gamification user types and game playing preferences of university students. Global Journal of Information Technology:Emerging Technologies, 11(2), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.18844/gjit.v11i2.5287
Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2016). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (10. baskı). Şeçkin Yayıncılık.
Yıldız, İ., Topçu, E., & Kaymakcı, S. (2021). The effect of gamification on motivation in the education of pre-service social studies teachers. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 42, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100907
Yılmaz, E. A. (2020). Oyunlaştırma: Herkes için oyunlaştırma. Abaküs Yayınları.
Zourmpakis, A. I, Papadakis, S., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2022). Education of preschool and elementary teachers on the use of adaptive gamification in science education. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 14(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijtel.2022.120556
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Anatolian Cultural Research

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.




