Success Factors for the Development and Integration of Gamification into the Learning Process in VET

Abstract

This master thesis analyses how practitioners can successfully develop and implement gamification into the learning process, to improve learning outcomes and to promote 21st Century Skills in vocational education and training (VET) in Switzerland. This is important because practitioners often must develop and integrate their own solutions due to a lack of applicable gamification tools, as well as due to a lack of guidelines which are tailored towards the use of gamification in VET. To answer this question, two use cases for the development and implementation of gamification in VET in Switzerland were explored. (1) Conception and development, (2) preparation, (3) instruction and practice, (4) learning assessment and knowledge transfer, and (5) evaluation and further development were identified as the important steps of this process. Semi-structured expert interviews were performed to identify the success factors in each of these steps. In each case, the perspective of the project manager who developed the solution, as well as the perspective of the vocational trainer who applied the solution in practice, were investigated. Additionally, a senior researcher with practical experience was interviewed. Based on the results of this research process, suggestions are proposed.