Gamified Approach in Strategic Intervention Material on Students' Academic Achievement and Interest among Grade 12 Physics

Abstract

As the world becomes more digital, gamification has emerged as a promising approach to enhancing students' learning experiences. Still, many senior high school students in the Philippines face challenges with their academic performance and maintaining interest in Physics. This study examined the effectiveness of a Gamified Strategic Intervention Material (GSIM) on the academic achievement and interest of Grade 12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students at Bukidnon National School of Home Industries. It contributes to the limited research on the use of gamified methods in Philippine Physics education. The main goals were to assess students' academic achievement and interest across three areas: Feelings, Value, and Re-engagement, and to identify differences between students using GSIM and those who did not. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent groups design with 93 Grade 12 STEM students divided into experimental and control groups, the study found that the GSIM group scored significantly higher on posttests than the non-GSIM group. The GSIM group also showed greater interest across all three dimensions, with large-to-very-large effect sizes in Value and Re-engagement. While these improvements are evident, the GSIM group's overall interest reached High Interest, and many students still fall short of expected achievement levels. These findings show that adding gamified features to Strategic Intervention Materials can successfully boost both understanding and interest. By consistently applying gamification in teaching approaches, educators can support students' learning experience and foster a deeper, more enduring interest in Physics.