Research on the feasibility of employing gamification technologies in the training process of IT specialization seekers

Abstract

Despite the significant amount of published work on gamification in education, many aspects remain unexplored. Including question of gamification in gender perspectives and age-related considerations that has not been investigated yet. Amount of evidence-based researches, long-term studies and effective recommendations on gamifying educational content are equal to zero. The aim of this study is to find out the feasibility of introducing gamification technologies into the process of training applicants for IT majors. To achieve this aim, various scientific research methods were used, including literature analysis, experiments, result comparisons, and data analysis techniques. Multiple hypotheses on the effectiveness of gamification technologies in the process of training applicants for IT majors were formulated and investigated. Specifically, the study examined if there’s a significant correlation between participation levels in gamified courses and overall learning effectiveness, if active time spent in gamified courses positively impacts effectiveness, and if task completion relates to learning improvement for each specific task. Visualizations of the obtained results have been conducted. Particularly, a Scatter Plot with Regression Line has been constructed to depict the relationship between the level of participation in the gamified course and overall academic performance. Additionally, a Heat map correlation matrix has been created to display the level of dependence between the number of attempts for each test and the final exam score, along with other graphs. Python library tools in the Jupyter Notebook environment facilitated these analyses. In conclusion, participation in the gamified course positively impacts learning effectiveness, although its strength may vary depending on specific conditions.