University Students’ Perceptions of Gamified Learning: A Comparison of Students with and Without Prior Experience

The growing integration of gamification and digital technologies in higher education has led to increasing interest in students’ perceptions of gamified learning environments. While existing research predominantly focuses on the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes, less attention has been paid to differences between students’ expectations and actual experiences. This study addresses this gap by comparing the perceptions of students with and without prior experience with gamified learning. A quantitative survey was conducted among 189 engineering students from a technical university using a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. Two groups were compared: students with prior experience in gamified learning and those without such experience. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, the Mann–Whitney U test and Cliff’s Delta. The findings suggest that prior experience was associated primarily with differences in perceived learning interest. A statistically significant difference was identified only for this dimension, with students who had prior experience reporting significantly higher levels of agreement regarding the ability of gamification to make learning more interesting. For the remaining dimensions, including motivation, engagement, involvement, enjoyment of competitions, and distraction, differences between the groups were observed but were not statistically significant. Reliability analysis indicated higher internal consistency among students with prior experience. However, no formal statistical comparison of the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients was performed, and this finding should therefore be interpreted with caution. The study compares the perceptions of students with and without prior experience of gamified learning and discusses the findings from a theoretical perspective. Rather than directly measuring expectations, the findings provide a conceptual interpretation of how prior experience may be associated with students’ perceptions of gamified learning and offer implications for the design and implementation of gamification in higher education.