Abstract:

Improving students’ engagement with, and perceived value derived from, higher education is desired by many educators as traditional approaches do not seem to be working as well for students as they did in the past. From a managerial perspective, the perceived value of, and satisfaction with, collaborative learning methodologies are important drivers of educational quality. Moreover, Masters Degree programs awarded with quality accreditations by national organizations (i.e. ANECA,) and international organizations (AACSB, etc.) must deliver value to students and achieve higher levels of student satisfaction every year. As gamification can increase the perceived value students derive from the learning process, Master´s Degree directors can use gamification to increase students’ satisfaction with the programs. Despite their managerial and academic importance, little is known about the individual beliefs that can lead students to engage with new learning methodologies, such as gamification. This research aims to fill this gap in the academic literature by focusing on how the use of gamification methodologies can improve Master´s Degree students perceived value, satisfaction and word of mouth. A sample of 85 students from the Masters in Marketing and Market Research and from the International Master in Business Administration at the University of Valencia participated in this research during the academic years 2016-17 and 2017-18. A gamified activity was carried out through the online interactive quiz Kahoot!, which has been used by more than 30 million teachers since it was created in 2011. Students worked in teams. After the Kahoot! sessions, the participants filled in a questionnaire. A model estimation was run in order to assess the impact of cognitive (perceived ease of use and perceived performance) and affective antecedents (copresence and flow) on students’ perceived value and satisfaction, which, in turn, influences students’ positive word of mouth about the use of Kahoot. We estimated the proposed theoretical model using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) algorithm via SmartPLS 3.0. The results reveal the complex, dynamic and idiosyncratic nature of the collaborative learning phenomenon, identifying the antecedents of perceived value, satisfaction and eWOM. Overall, students approved of the associated social interaction, enjoyment, and increased learning, which suggests that gamification is particularly suited to learning approaches such as social constructivism. The study results extend our understanding about collaborative learning activities and significantly contribute to the development of thinking about collaborative learning involving cross-cultural teams of students. Managerial implications for educational institutions are provided.

Keywords:

Gamification, collaborative learning, perceived performance, flow, perceived value, satisfaction, word of mouth.