Androniki Koutsikou

• Nikos Antonopoulos, Assistant Professor, Ionian University, Department of Digital Media & Communication (Supervisor)
• Spyros Polykalas, Professor, Ionian University, Department of Digital Media & Communication
• Dimitrios Ampeliotis, Assistant Professor, Ionian University, Department of Digital Media & Communication

Abstract

This doctoral thesis investigates user experience (UX) within an educational application that incorporates gamification features for primary education. In the rapidly evolving educational landscape, educators face the challenge of establishing new pedagogical objectives to prepare students as active digital citizens, equipped with essential social skills, technological proficiency, critical thinking, initiative, and innovation. At the heart of this endeavor is the essential concept of literacy, which enhances students' ability to engage with digital media and the surrounding information creatively and reflectively. The dissertation explores the role of human-computer interaction in the design of educational applications that incorporate gamification elements and examines how these features affect students’ cognitive engagement, self-motivation, and metacognitive development. This research will be conducted in a natural educational environment, aiming to capture students’ experiences within authentic learning conditions. It employs quantitative research methods to assess both the usability of the interface and the educational effectiveness of the application. This thesis is distinctive because it focuses on early school-age students, a group that has not been sufficiently studied in the field of gamification. Furthermore, it investigates the relationship between the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into the learning process and the principles of critical literacy.