Comparison of the Effects of Gamification and Traditional Educational Methods on Students' Basic Psychological Needs and Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors in Physical Education Classes
Keywords:
gamification, physical education, prosocial behaviors, self-determination theoryAbstract
Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of gamification and traditional educational methods on students' basic psychological needs and prosocial and antisocial behaviors in physical education classes.
Methods and Materials: In this quasi-experimental study, the statistical population consisted of seventh-grade female students in Tabriz schools. Two classes were selected using convenience sampling from one of the schools and were then randomly assigned, with one class serving as the experimental group (n = 33) and the other as the control group (n = 25). The experimental group received basketball training through a gamification approach, whereas the control group received the same content using a traditional teaching approach. The intervention was implemented over eight sessions (one session per week, with each session lasting 90 minutes). Data were collected using the Basic Needs in the Game questionnaire developed by Ballou et al. (2024) and the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale developed by Kavussanu and Boardley (2009).
Findings: The findings showed that gamification, compared with the traditional method, increased satisfaction of competence and relatedness and reduced autonomy frustration among students. Gamification also increased prosocial behaviors and decreased antisocial behaviors.
Conclusion: Based on these findings, the use of gamification in girls' junior high school physical education classes can be considered an effective approach in the educational process by influencing students' basic psychological needs and prosocial and antisocial behaviors.
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