Assessing Ethoshunt as a Gamification-Based Mobile App in Ethics Education: Pilot Mixed-Methods Study

Noor Syamilah Zakaria; M Iqbal Saripan; Neerushah Subarimaniam; Alyani Ismail

doi:10.2196/18247

Assessing Ethoshunt as a Gamification-Based Mobile App in Ethics Education: Pilot Mixed-Methods Study

JMIR Serious Games. 2020 Aug 10;8(3):e18247. doi: 10.2196/18247.

Authors

Noor Syamilah Zakaria¹, M Iqbal Saripan², Neerushah Subarimaniam¹, Alyani Ismail²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
² Department of Computer and Communication Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

PMID: 32663153
PMCID: PMC7445620
DOI: 10.2196/18247

Abstract

Background: Gamification has remarkable potential in the learning space. The process of creating a gamified system and its influence on human behavior reflect the interaction between educators and machines.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to present Ethoshunt as a gamification-based mobile app that can be used in teaching and learning ethics.

Methods: This study involved a mixed-methods research design. The researchers surveyed 39 undergraduate students who were introduced to Ethoshunt in order to examine the relationships between mobile app usability and positive emotions, ethical competency, and user experience. Affinity diagramming was used as a tool to organize the opinions and experiences of participants using featured gamification elements.

Results: Game dynamics and game mechanics explained the functionality of Ethoshunt. In addition, the learning flow through Ethoshunt was discussed. Overall, the findings were positive, and mobile app usability had the strongest relationship with positive emotions (r=0.744, P<.001), followed by ethical competency (r=0.686, P<.001) and user experience (r=0.614, P<.001).

Conclusions: Positive emotions could be perceived as an important dimension in the development and usability of Ethoshunt. The researchers suggest that the gamification-based mobile app advocated in this study may provide ideas for ethics educators who wish to develop a technology-mediated learning environment.

Keywords: education; ethical competency; ethics; ethics education; gamification; mobile app; mobile app usability.

©Noor Syamilah Zakaria, M Iqbal Saripan, Neerushah Subarimaniam, Alyani Ismail. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (http://games.jmir.org), 10.08.2020.