Incorporating elements of gaming into learning environments and workplaces is proving not just trendy, but also effective in producing positive learning outcomes, according to new research from Assistant Professor of Psychology Kristina Bauer and industrial-organizational psychology Ph.D. students Danny Gandara and Caribay Garcia-Marquez.

Bauer has been studying “gamification,” or the application of gaming elements in non-game contexts, for several years. This fall, two new studies she co-authored were published. One of the new publications is a book chapter, “Teaching with Games and Gamification: Best Practices and Future Research Needs,” which appears in the Handbook of Teaching with Technology in Management, Leadership, and Business, published by Edward Elgar Publishing. The chapter is a combination of literature reviews Bauer co-authored with Gandara and Garcia-Marquez, whose research on their dissertation and thesis, respectively, contributed to this chapter.

Bauer’s second collaborative paper, “An Examination and Extension of the Theory of Gamified Learning: The Moderating Role of Goal Orientation,” was published in Simulation and Gaming and culled from Garcia-Marquez’s thesis, with Bauer co-authoring. This study found evidence suggesting that receiving virtual badges within a learning context could help motivate individuals who otherwise tend to avoid situations where they fear they may demonstrate incompetence.