Exploration of Approaches to Improving Learning Engagement through Inclusive Design Integrating Gamified Learning in Special Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/my5k9y87Keywords:
Gamified Learning, Special Education, Inclusive Design, Learning Engagement, Inclusive EducationAbstract
Special education in China has been widely promoted to date, and now the quality of inclusive education is gradually attracting attention. According to the 2024 Statistical Bulletin of the Ministry of Education, there are 915,900 special education students in China, of which only 37.71 per cent attend special education schools, and most of the others are in regular classes. However, the phenomena of "mere presence in class" and "going through the motions in regular classes" are still prevalent, and special students' classroom engagement is lacking; thus, the improvement of the quality of inclusive education has not been achieved. Based on self-determination theory and Flow theory, this paper examines why gamified learning is effective for students with special needs, introduces core design guidelines such as "accessibility first", and discusses how to implement them in the curriculum, resources and teacher training. Sousa et al. (2021) conducted a meta-analysis to find that the effect size of a gamified learning intervention on individuals with intellectual disabilities was g=0.417 (95% CI: 0.169-0.666), and it was significantly higher than that achieved by traditional teaching. In short, with the intention of promoting inclusivity in the design, gamified learning can help motivate special needs students more effectively and provide a new path for enhancing the quality of inclusive education.
Downloads
References
[1] Bertills, K., Granlund, M., & Augustine, L. (2019, August). Inclusive teaching skills and student engagement in physical education. Frontiers in Education, 4, 74. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00074
[2] Meindl, J. N., Delgado, D., & Casey, L. B. (2020). Increasing engagement in students with autism in inclusion classrooms. Children and Youth Services Review, 111, 104854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104854
[3] Mngo, Z. Y., & Mngo, A. Y. (2018). Teachers’ perceptions of inclusion in a pilot inclusive education program: Implications for instructional leadership. Education Research International, 2018, 3524879. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3524879
[4] Van Roy, R., & Zaman, B. (2018). Need-supporting gamification in education: An assessment of motivational effects over time. Computers & Education, 127, 283–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.08.012
[5] Rodríguez-Ferrer, J. M., Manzano-León, A., Aguilar-Parra, J. M., & Cangas, A. (2023). Effectiveness of gamification and game-based learning in Spanish adolescents with dyslexia: A longitudinal quasi-experimental research. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 141, 104603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104603
[6] Metatla, O., Bardot, S., Cullen, C., Serrano, M., & Jouffrais, C. (2020, April). Robots for inclusive play: Co-designing an educational game with visually impaired and sighted children. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–13). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376161
[7] Terlouw, G., Kuipers, D., van ’t Veer, J., Prins, J. T., & Pierie, J. P. E. (2021). The development of an escape room–based serious game to trigger social interaction and communication between high-functioning children with autism and their peers: Iterative design approach. JMIR Serious Games, 9(1), e19765. https://doi.org/10.2196/19765
[8] Lämsä, J., Hämäläinen, R., Aro, M., Koskimaa, R., & Äyrämö, S. M. (2018). Games for enhancing basic reading and maths skills: A systematic review of educational game design in supporting learning by people with learning disabilities. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(4), 596–607. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12632
[9] Politis, Y., Robb, N., Yakkundi, A., Dillenburger, K., Herbertson, N., Charlesworth, B., & Goodman, L. (2017). People with disabilities leading the design of serious games and virtual worlds. International Journal of Serious Games, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.17038/ijsg.v4i2.16
[10] Nyström, T. (2021). Exploring the darkness of gamification: You want it darker? In Intelligent Computing (pp. 491–506). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82263-6_41
[11] Sitra, O., Katsigiannakis, V., Karagiannidis, C., & Mavropoulou, S. (2017). The effect of badges on the engagement of students with special educational needs: A case study. Education and Information Technologies, 22(6), 3037–3046. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9606-8
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Education and Humanities
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
