Chapter 8: Implementing Gamified Learning Experiences Into Core Content Areas to Drive Student-Driven Engagement

Student engagement in the classroom is a chronic issue that has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic forced learning to go online in light of quarantines and social distancing (Toth, 2021). Student engagement has been a long-studied topic due to the significant correlation that engagement has with academic achievement and high school completion rates (Zhen et al., 2020). At the same time, Ross (2020) reported that the effective implementation of technology into learning, and one-to-one access to a personal computing device, such as a laptop or tablet, has a significant impact on student engagement. However, as quarantine requirements and remote learning subsided and students returned to in-person classrooms, student engagement hit an all-time low. Students report feeling less engaged in the classroom than before the COVID19 pandemic, even though student access to one-to-one computer devices is at an all-time high (Klein, 2021; Toth, 2021). The increase in available devices does not seem to correlate with higher student engagement, and the research shows a need for change to mitigate the current negative trend reported in K–12 classrooms (Duncan, 2020).