Learn your way: How User Autonomy Shapes Intrinsic Motivation in Gamified Learning

Abstract

This research will investigate how providing users with autonomy, a core psychological need in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) alongside competence and relatedness, can enhance intrinsic motivation and engagement. For the purpose of this research, participants will interact with the online gamified learning app, Squla, interacting with its learning path feature. Initially, a control group will experience the path without autonomy. Subsequently, autonomy features will be introduced to assess the impact of this psychological need on intrinsic motivation. The experimental group will interact with the app version that contains these new features. This study will explore various implementations of user autonomy, such as allowing users to choose the timing and sequence of activities. Furthermore, it will investigate how users perceived the interaction with the autonomy feature. The A/B test performed to assess autonomy revealed that, while the feature did not have a major significant impact, it did show some potential regarding increasing user engagement.