Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking

This study explores the impact of leaderboard systems on student motivation and personal growth within the context of mathematical physics education. While leaderboards are increasingly used in educational settings, their effects on student behavior, particularly in higher education and challenging...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Malayao, Sotero Jr., Javellana, Michael, Bendoy, Meige, Pinar, Fredyrose Ivan, Acut, Dharel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:upcommonspor::e86a4355c28e7b0591c6cf08d91326e8
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/460499
https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/jotse.3321
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Gamification
Physics -- Study and teaching
Academic achievement
Higher education
Leaderboard system
Performance tracking
Physics education
Ludificació
Física -- Ensenyament
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Metodologies docents::Aprenentatge actiu
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spelling Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance trackingMalayao, Sotero Jr.Javellana, MichaelBendoy, MeigePinar, Fredyrose IvanAcut, DharelGamificationPhysics -- Study and teachingAcademic achievementGamificationHigher educationLeaderboard systemPerformance trackingPhysics educationLudificacióFísica -- EnsenyamentÀrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Metodologies docents::Aprenentatge actiuThis study explores the impact of leaderboard systems on student motivation and personal growth within the context of mathematical physics education. While leaderboards are increasingly used in educational settings, their effects on student behavior, particularly in higher education and challenging subjects like mathematical physics, remain underexplored. Existing research on gamification and educational technologies predominantly focuses on primary and secondary education, with limited attention given to higher education, particularly in the Philippines. To address this gap, the study examines the experiences of 45 students enrolled in a public higher education institution in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Although the relatively small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings, it offers valuable contextual insights into how leaderboard systems function in a real classroom setting. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative data from students’ performance records and qualitative data from surveys. The findings revealed a positive correlation between leaderboard rankings and improved academic performance for higher-performing students, while lower-ranking students experienced decreased motivation. Further analysis using a heatmap showed varying motivation levels across subjects, with stronger engagement in the mathematical physics class. The boxplot analysis revealed that lower-ranked students exhibited greater variability in their quiz scores across the prelim to final terms, suggesting potential challenges in maintaining consistent academic performance. The study concludes that leaderboards can enhance student motivation, resilience, and personal growth, although their impact varies depending on individual perspectives and subject contexts. While leaderboards promote achievement and healthy competition, they can also induce stress for lower-ranking students. This research contributes to the understanding of gamified learning in higher education and provides insights for educators and policymakers on optimizing leaderboard systems to balance motivation with emotional well-beingPeer ReviewedOmniaScience20262026-03-0120262026-04-13journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501NAhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_be7fb7dd8ff6fe43info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2117/460499https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/jotse.3321reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPCinstname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internationalhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:dnet:upcommonspor::e86a4355c28e7b0591c6cf08d91326e82026-05-27T15:37:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
title Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
spellingShingle Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
Malayao, Sotero Jr.
Gamification
Physics -- Study and teaching
Academic achievement
Gamification
Higher education
Leaderboard system
Performance tracking
Physics education
Ludificació
Física -- Ensenyament
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Metodologies docents::Aprenentatge actiu
title_short Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
title_full Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
title_fullStr Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
title_full_unstemmed Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
title_sort Gamifying academic achievement in mathematical physics through student feedback on leaderboard performance tracking
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Malayao, Sotero Jr.
Javellana, Michael
Bendoy, Meige
Pinar, Fredyrose Ivan
Acut, Dharel
author Malayao, Sotero Jr.
author_facet Malayao, Sotero Jr.
Javellana, Michael
Bendoy, Meige
Pinar, Fredyrose Ivan
Acut, Dharel
author_role author
author2 Javellana, Michael
Bendoy, Meige
Pinar, Fredyrose Ivan
Acut, Dharel
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Gamification
Physics -- Study and teaching
Academic achievement
Gamification
Higher education
Leaderboard system
Performance tracking
Physics education
Ludificació
Física -- Ensenyament
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Metodologies docents::Aprenentatge actiu
topic Gamification
Physics -- Study and teaching
Academic achievement
Gamification
Higher education
Leaderboard system
Performance tracking
Physics education
Ludificació
Física -- Ensenyament
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Metodologies docents::Aprenentatge actiu
description This study explores the impact of leaderboard systems on student motivation and personal growth within the context of mathematical physics education. While leaderboards are increasingly used in educational settings, their effects on student behavior, particularly in higher education and challenging subjects like mathematical physics, remain underexplored. Existing research on gamification and educational technologies predominantly focuses on primary and secondary education, with limited attention given to higher education, particularly in the Philippines. To address this gap, the study examines the experiences of 45 students enrolled in a public higher education institution in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Although the relatively small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings, it offers valuable contextual insights into how leaderboard systems function in a real classroom setting. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative data from students’ performance records and qualitative data from surveys. The findings revealed a positive correlation between leaderboard rankings and improved academic performance for higher-performing students, while lower-ranking students experienced decreased motivation. Further analysis using a heatmap showed varying motivation levels across subjects, with stronger engagement in the mathematical physics class. The boxplot analysis revealed that lower-ranked students exhibited greater variability in their quiz scores across the prelim to final terms, suggesting potential challenges in maintaining consistent academic performance. The study concludes that leaderboards can enhance student motivation, resilience, and personal growth, although their impact varies depending on individual perspectives and subject contexts. While leaderboards promote achievement and healthy competition, they can also induce stress for lower-ranking students. This research contributes to the understanding of gamified learning in higher education and provides insights for educators and policymakers on optimizing leaderboard systems to balance motivation with emotional well-being
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026
2026-03-01
2026
2026-04-13
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
NA
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_be7fb7dd8ff6fe43
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2117/460499
https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/jotse.3321
url https://hdl.handle.net/2117/460499
https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/jotse.3321
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv OmniaScience
publisher.none.fl_str_mv OmniaScience
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
instname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
instname_str Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
reponame_str UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
collection UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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