Dr Jamie Murray is an expert in the field of human episodic memory and uses his knowledge to enhance learning in educational settings. Jamie obtained his Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Stirling within the Psychological Imaging Laboratory and subsequently completed two postdoctoral positions focused on understanding how memory precision changes as we age. During this time, Jamie was also a visiting researcher at Humboldt University in Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Jamie later became a full-time lecturer at the University of Stirling for three years before moving to the University of Glasgow in August 2021. In addition to lecturing, Jamie leads the School of Psychology and Neuroscience Employability Network, where he works with colleagues to support students’ professional skills development, and he also serves as the international coordinator. Jamie’s research focuses on how to effectively design online learning environments to reduce cognitive load and increase learning performance, with a particular emphasis on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. He is passionate about teaching, enhancing the student experience, and creating opportunities to boost student employability. In his personal life, Jamie enjoys spending time with his young family, is a horror movie enthusiast, and is a fan of the works of Stephen King and Ursula Le Guin. You can connect with Jamie on LinkedIn.

Technology is increasingly transforming the way students engage with learning materials. One prominent use of technology in education is gamification, where game-like elements are applied to non-game environments to enhance engagement and motivation. Leaderboards, challenges, and competitions are commonly used in this approach, offering the potential to make learning both fun and rewarding. Despite the growing enthusiasm around gamification, questions remain about how to best implement these technologies to truly benefit learners. One key question is whether gamified technology can foster deeper engagement and intrinsic motivation, or if it risks being merely a distraction.

This question is at the heart of a recent experimental study by Loukia David and Netta Weinstein from the University of Reading (1). Their research, grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (2), explores how Student Response Systems (SRS) (3) – a type of classroom gamification technology – can be used to optimize motivation, increase satisfaction of psychological needs, and improve overall academic well-being among students.

Self-Determination Theory emphasizes three core psychological needs that must be met to foster intrinsic motivation: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy refers to a sense of control or choice over one’s actions; competence involves feeling effective and capable of achieving goals; and relatedness reflects the sense of connection and belonging with others. When these needs are satisfied, students are more likely to be motivated from within, driven to engage in activities because they find them inherently satisfying rather than being motivated by external rewards (4).

David and Weinstein hypothesized that using gamified technology like SRS, when paired with specific motivational strategies, could enhance these psychological needs. For example, giving students voluntary, self-directed challenges would increase their sense of autonomy, while badges, leaderboards, and performance feedback could boost competence by allowing learners to track their progress. Likewise, leaderboards, multiplayer games, and team-based challenges should foster relatedness by encouraging students to feel part of a group. However, prior to this study, the evidence for how game elements satisfy these core psychological needs was limited, making this investigation crucial for understanding the potential of gamification as a driver of intrinsic motivation and academic well-being.