Exploring the effects of gamification pedagogy on children’s reading: A mixed‐method study on academic performance, reading‐related mentality and behaviors, and sustainability

Abstract Gamification is becoming increasingly popular in primary education due to the widespread use of digital technology. However, gamified reading is new, and there is little empirical evidence regarding its effectiveness. The sustainability of the effects of gamification pedagogy is also in doubt as some scholars think that such effects are short‐term and not sustainable. This paper presents the results of three sub‐studies of examining the effects of an online gamified reading platform and the sustainability of these effects. Study 1 examined the change in students’ academic performance between two groups divided based on their different participation levels. Study 2 addressed the question of how students/parents/teachers perceive students’ motivation and gaining in the use of the gamified platform. Study 3 explored the sustainability of the effects of the gamified platform from a longitudinal perspective. Findings suggest that students’ deep engagement in the gamified e‐learning platform can help increase their reading motivation and improve their reading abilities. Such effects can be sustained for several semesters. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Reading is very important for children’s development. However, the ubiquity of digital entertainment (eg, digital games & online videos) occupies children’s attention and energy, resulting in a decline in children’s reading motivation. At present, gamification has been widely used in e‐learning to increase learners’ learning motivation and engagement. Few studies have focused on children’s gamified reading supported by sufficient empirical evidence. What this paper adds This study proposes a gamification pedagogy with a gamified reading platform to facilitate primary students’ reading motivation and competence. This study uses a mixed‐method approach to examine the effects of the proposed gamification pedagogy on students’ reading interest, motivation, habits and abilities. This study explores the sustainability of the gamified platform effects and fills the research gap regarding the sustainability of gamification pedagogy. Implications for practice and/or policy Active users of the gamified reading platform benefit from it in reading interest, motivation, habits, and abilities. The effects of gamification pedagogy can be sustainable when users’ intrinsic learning motivation is aroused.