Effects of a collaborative and gamified online learning methodology on class and test emotions

This study examines the influence of students’ individual attitude and social interactions on participation in collaborative and gamified online learning activities, as well as the influence of participating in those activities on students’ online class- and test-related emotions. Based on a sample of 301 first year Economics and Law university students and using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling approach, all the relationships among first-order and second-order constructs included in the model are validated. The results support all the hypotheses studied, confirming the positive relationship that both students’ individual attitude and social interactions have on participation in collaborative and gamified online learning activities. The results also show that participating in those activities is positively related with class- and test-related emotions. The main contribution of the study is the validation of the effect of collaborative and gamified online learning on university students’ emotional well-being through the analysis of their attitude and social interactions. Moreover, this is the first time in the specialised learning literature that students’ attitude is considered as a second-order construct operationalised by three factors: the perceived usefulness that this digital resource brings to the students, the entertainment that this digital resource brings to the students, and the predisposition to use this digital resource among all those available in online training. Our findings aim to shed light for educators when preparing and designing computer mediated and online teaching programs that seek to generate positive emotions as a motivation for students.