Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform used to review students' knowledge, for formative assessment or as a break from traditional classroom activities. It is among the most popular game-based learning platforms, with 70 million monthly active unique users and used by 50% of US K-12 students. Since the platform was released in 2013, many studies have been published on the effect of using Kahoot! in the classroom, but so far, no systematic analysis of the results. This article presents the results of a literature review on the effect of using Kahoot! for learning and, more specifically, on how Kahoot! affects learning performance, classroom dynamics, students' and teachers' attitudes and perceptions, and students' anxiety. The literature review includes 93 studies, and the main conclusion is that Kahoot! can have a positive effect on learning performance, classroom dynamics, students' and teachers' attitudes, and students’ anxiety. However, there are also studies where Kahoot! has little or no effect. The main challenges mentioned by students include technical problems such as unreliable internet connections, hard to read questions and answers on a projected screen, not being able to change answer after submission, stressful time-pressure for giving answers, not enough time to answer, afraid of losing, and hard to catch up if an incorrect answer had been given. Further, the main challenges mentioned by teachers include getting the difficulty level of questions and answers right, problems related to network connectivity, scoring based on how quickly the students answer reducing student reflection and cause some students to guess without thinking, that some students can have a problem with failing a quiz, and some teachers find it challenging to use the technology.

The effect of using kahoot! for learning – A literature review

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reflections of gamification activities that are used as a formative assessment tool based on academic achievement and student engagement in learning environments. It was also aimed to investigate whether the utilization of the gamification tool led to a difference in academic achievement and student engagement. Three research groups were determined; two experimental groups where 7E instructional model gamified with Kahoot and Quizizz was implemented and a control group where conventional 7E instruction method was implemented. The groups were determined by random assignment of 97 pre-service teachers who took scientific research methods course in the 2017–2018 academic year spring semester. However, since only 71 of the assigned pre-service teachers voluntarily participated in the study, the study data included 71 pre-service teachers. At the beginning and the end of the six-week-long instruction activities, the academic achievement test and student engagement scale on the content instructed in the six-week-long scientific research methods course were applied. Furthermore, in-depth views of pre-service teachers were obtained with focus group interviews. Therefore, the study was conducted with mixed design principles. The study findings demonstrated that the scientific research methods academic achievement x student engagement × group interaction model (Wilks's lambda = .819, F[2, 66] = 7.301, p

Comparing success and engagement in gamified learning experiences via Kahoot and Quizizz

The implementation of gamification in education has attracted many researchers to increase engagement and achieve learning more effectively. Implementing technology in science curricula has seen a massive influx over the past years to stop the decline in students’ motivation towards science learning and promote scientific thinking. This study’s objective is to present the empirical findings of the state-of-the-art literature on the use of gamification in science education. Therefore, we performed a systematic literature review of 24 empirical research papers published in various electronic databases and the web search engine for scholarly literature and academic resources, Google Scholar, between 2012 and 2020. This review reveals the latest emerging trends of gamification in science education while revealing the literature gap, challenges, impediments, and extending the possibilities for future research directions. It examines the conflicting findings of other studies and provides a framework and insight for future researchers regarding content areas, educational levels, theoretical models, outcomes, methodologies, game elements, and assessment tools.

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Gamification in Science Education. A Systematic Review of the Literature.

This study investigated the potential of Virtual Reality (VR), using 360-degree (360°) videos, as a tool to teach children about water-safety skills. Children (n = 182) aged 10–12 years were randomly assigned to learn about water safety using one of three instructional mediums: 360° VR videos, traditional video, or poster. The training was designed to address specific themes that contributed to drowning in coastal environments, allowing children to learn about dangers of rip currents in a relatively safe environment. Overall, 95% showed improved knowledge of water safety after participating in the water-safety workshop and retained their knowledge during the subsequent tests both one and eight weeks later. No difference was found in the learning outcomes obtained across the three mediums; however, participants in the 360° VR medium reported higher levels of interest and enjoyment than participants using the other two mediums (91% of students in the 360° VR video group found the activity engaging versus 61% for traditional video and 51% for the poster). Teacher feedback also indicated that 360° VR videos are a useful, engaging, and effective method of learning. Overall, we found support for the hypothesis that 360° VR videos are a useful tool to teach targeted skills, and that using 360° VR videos is more motivating and engaging than using traditional learning methods. We also found evidence to support the hypothesis that 360° VR videos are an effective tool for self-directed learning.

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The potential of 360-degree virtual reality videos to teach water-safety skills to children

Investigation of the effects of an online instant response system on students in a middle school of a rural area

Technology is being increasingly integrated into teaching environments in view of enhancing students’ engagement and motivation. In particular, game-based student response systems have been found to foster students’ engagement, enhance classroom dynamics and improve overall students’ learning experience. This article presents outcomes of research that examined students’ experience using a game-based student response system, Kahoot!, in an Information Systems Strategy and Governance course at a research-intensive teaching university in New Zealand. We conducted semi-structured interviews with students to learn about the extent to which Kahoot! influence classroom dynamics, motivation and students’ learning process. Key findings revealed that Kahoot! enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom, with the highest influence reported on classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation and improved learning experience. Our findings also suggest that the use of educational games in the classroom is likely to minimise distractions, thereby improving the quality of teaching and learning beyond what is provided in conventional classrooms. Other factors that contributed to students’ enhanced learning included the creation and integration of appropriate content in Kahoot!, providing students with timely feedback, and game-play (gamification) strategies.

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Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning

Individuals that combine features of both genders-gender blends-are sometimes appealing and sometimes not. Heretofore, this difference was explained entirely in terms of sexual selection. In contrast, we propose that part of individuals' preference for gender blends is due to the cognitive effort required to classify them, and that such effort depends on the context in which a blend is judged. In two studies, participants judged the attractiveness of male-female morphs. Participants did so after classifying each face in terms of its gender, which was selectively more effortful for gender blends, or classifying faces on a gender-irrelevant dimension, which was equally effortful for gender blends. In both studies, gender blends were disliked when, and only when, the faces were first classified by gender, despite an overall preference for feminine features in all conditions. Critically, the preferences were mediated by the effort of stimulus classification. The results suggest that the variation in attractiveness of gender-ambiguous faces may derive from context-dependent requirements to determine gender membership. More generally, the results show that the difficulty of resolving social category membership-not just attitudes toward a social category-feed into perceivers' overall evaluations toward category members.

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Johnny Depp, Reconsidered: How Category-Relative Processing Fluency Determines the Appeal of Gender Ambiguity.

Aim/Purpose: We aimed to investigate the circumstances under which Kahoot! (a Game-based Student Response System (GSRS)) increases junior and senior Information Science university students’ learning and knowledge retention beyond that of traditional teaching methods. We also explored whether the positive learning impacts of Kahoot! vary as a function of student subject knowledge (i.e., junior vs senior students).

Background: The effectiveness of game-based student response systems (GSRSs) as learning tools in the classroom remains unclear, given inconsistent findings across educational research. Kahoot! enhances secondary and tertiary students’ attention and motivation during class, but its effectiveness on learning and retention of course knowledge may vary depending on situational and individual factors. In New Zealand universities, students spend three years studying towards a Bachelor’s degree, majoring in subject(s) of their choice. By the end of their third year of study, students are eligible to graduate with a sound knowledge of their chosen major. Thus, first-year students (referred to as “junior students”) and third-year students (“senior students”) may differ in terms of their learning styles and their ability and willingness to integrate Kahoot! use into their course work and revision. It is hypothesised that differences in subject knowledge between junior versus senior students will influence the perceived effectiveness of Kahoot!. 

Methodology: Thirteen first-year (junior) and fourteen third-year (senior) Information Science students (total n = 27), who used Kahoot! in seven lectures (for 30 minutes per lecture) were interviewed about their perception of Kahoot!’s effectiveness. We conducted a mixed-methods case study of students’ interview transcripts, demographic records and student scores, where thematic (content) analysis was used to analyse interview responses. Then, we quantified themes for a one-way ANCOVA, with student subject knowledge predicting Kahoot!’s effectiveness, when controlling for students’ duration of tertiary study and study habits (i.e., hours dedicated to course work per week) as potential confounders.

Contribution: This study addresses the conflict in existing literature around whether GSRSs improve student learning beyond traditional teaching methods. To our knowledge, this is the first study that shows GSRSs (namely Kahoot!) use improves, or at least, supplements tertiary students’ learning and knowledge retention of lecture content. This study also reveals how student characteristics (i.e., accumulated tertiary experience) and their subject knowledge influence the effectiveness of Kahoot! as a learning tool. 

Findings: Kahoot!’s use increased students’ learning and knowledge retention, among other positive impacts (e.g., attention and engagement). However, the perceived learning impact of Kahoot! was greater for senior students. Senior students found Kahoot! more useful for learning new knowledge and revising previously acquired knowledge. On the other hand, while junior students also experienced positive learning impacts using Kahoot!, they reported concerns regarding limited and shallow content coverage, and the time-consuming and distracting nature of the platform.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Educators should take care to ensure GSRSs are appropriately implemented to support rather than replace traditional teaching methods (e.g., “chalk and talk” style presentations, PowerPoint use). In addition, lecturers using GSRSs should clearly inform students about the examinable content and their expectations for performance in formal assessments.

Recommendation for Researchers: The positive impact of Kahoot! use on students’ learning and knowledge retention may be due to stronger interactions and engagement during class. Researchers should more closely explore how student-lecturer interactions and in-depth discussions following GSRS use influence learning. Thus, there is a need to re-evaluate Malone’s (1980) intrinsic motivation theory in relation to the “interactive” or “enjoyability” components experienced during Kahoot! use.

Impact on Society: The positive impacts of Kahoot! use on student learning vary for junior and senior students. However, our findings indicate that both cohorts of students benefit from 15-minute Kahoot! sessions at the end of a lecture or course unit, allowing them to test their knowledge and revise* previously taught material. Kahoot! provides a comfortable platform that allows students to ask and answer questions without embarrassment. More experienced students can also evaluate their learning by creating their own Kahoot! quizzes and providing feedback to the lecturers. Overall, Kahoot! use could have a positive impact on teaching and learning globally.

Future Research: Beyond the recommendation for researchers above, future research should explore how differences in lecturers’ teaching styles and students’ self-regulation of learning impact Kahoot!’s effectiveness as a learning tool.



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Game-Based Student Response System: The Effectiveness of Kahoot! on Junior and Senior Information Science Students’ Learning

Injuries can have detrimental impacts on mental health, even after physical recovery. In our Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study (POIS), 25% of participants experienced psychological distress (assessed using the Kessler 6) three months after a sentinel injury event (SIE), declining to 16% at 24 months post-SIE. Internationally, studies of hospitalised patients found distress persisted beyond 24 months post-injury and remained higher than the general population. However, most studies only assessed distress at one timepoint, relied on long-term recall, or were limited to small samples or specific injury types. Therefore, we aim to describe the prevalence of psychological distress 12 years post-SIE and to investigate pre-injury, injury-related and early post-injury characteristics associated with long-term distress.POIS is a longitudinal cohort study of 2856 New Zealanders injured between 2007 and 2009, who were on the national injury insurer, Accident Compensation Corporation entitlement claims' register. Of these, 2068 POIS participants completed an interview at 24 months and agreed to further contact. They were invited to a follow-up interview 12 years post-SIE which included the Kessler-6 (K6), the psychological distress outcome of interest. Data about a range of pre-injury, injury-related and early (3 months) post-injury characteristics were collected via earlier interviews or administrative data sources (e.g. hospital discharge data).Twelve years post-SIE, 1543 (75%) people were re-interviewed and 1526 completed the K6; n = 177 (12%) reported psychological distress. Multivariable modified Poisson regression models found pre-injury characteristics were associated with an increased risk of clinically relevant distress at 12 years, i.e. having inadequate income, identifying as Māori, Pacific or Asian and having one mental health condition. Early post-injury psychological distress and dissatisfaction with social relationships also increased risk. However, being older was associated with a reduced risk of distress.Clinically relevant distress persists long-term post-injury among adults with varying injury severity, types and causes, and at higher prevalence than in the general population. Early identification of injured people at risk of long-term psychological distress provides opportunities for timely interventions to reduce psychological distress. 

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Psychological distress 12 years following injury in New Zealand: findings from the Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study-10 years on (POIS-10)

Information technology and software services are pervasive, occupying the centre of most aspects of contemporary societies. This has given rise to commonly expected norms and expectations around how such systems should work, appropriate penalties for violating these expectations, and more importantly, indicators of how to reduce the consequences of violations and sanctions. Evidence for expectation violations and ensuing sanctions exists in a range of portals used by individuals and groups to start new friendships, explore new ideas, and provide feedback for products and services. Therein lies insights that could lead to functional socio-technical systems, and general awareness and anticipations of human actions (and interactions) when using information technology and software services. However, limited previous work has examined such artifacts to provide these understandings. To contribute to such understandings and theoretical advancement we study expectation violations in mobile apps, considered among the most engaging socio-technical systems. We used content analysis and expectancy violation theory (EVT) and expectation confirmation theory (ECT) to explore the evidence and nature of sanctions in app reviews for a specific domain of apps. Our outcomes show that users respond to expectation violation with sanctions when their app does not work as anticipated, developers seem to target specific market niches when providing services in an app domain, and users within an app domain respond with similar sanctions. We contribute to the advancement of expectation violation theories, and we provide practical insights for the mobile app community.

Helen E. Owen

Papers

Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning

Johnny Depp, Reconsidered: How Category-Relative Processing Fluency Determines the Appeal of Gender Ambiguity.

Game-Based Student Response System: The Effectiveness of Kahoot! on Junior and Senior Information Science Students’ Learning

Psychological distress 12 years following injury in New Zealand: findings from the Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study-10 years on (POIS-10)

Investigating Expectation Violations in Mobile Apps