Ethical Gamification Guidelines for Primary Education in Sweden: Development and Teacher Evaluation
2025 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE credits
Student thesisAlternative title
Etiska Riktlinjer för Spelifiering inom Svensk Grundskola : Utveckling och Lärarutvärdering (Swedish)
Abstract [en]
This thesis develops and evaluates a set of ethical guidelines to assist Swedish primary school teachers to responsibly implement gamification in their classrooms. Grounded in Teachers’ Professional Ethics (TPE) and Landers Gamified Learning Theory (GLT), a document analysis was conducted using three separate documents related to the aforementioned key sources, which resulted in twelve guidelines addressing ethical concerns being formulated. These guidelines were then evaluated through four semi-structured interviews with practicing and soon-to-be-graduated teachers. The results confirm both the ethical relevance and pedagogical value of the guidelines, while also highlighting the challenges for practical application and issues of individual guidelines. Implementing the ethical guidelines is more complicated than simply following the DOs and DON’Ts; the teachers are required to navigate different student needs, constraints and group dynamics beyond their immediate control. This study contributes a theoretical framework for ethically grounded gamification, aimed at the Swedish primary educational context, that may help teachers prevent unintended negative consequences. Additionally, suggestions on how further research could increase the effectiveness of the guidelines are outlined.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Keywords [en]
gamification, Gamified Learning Theory, Teachers’ Professional Ethics, primary education, ethical guidelines
National Category
Human Computer Interaction
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-140471OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-140471DiVA, id: diva2:1980521
Subject / course
Informatics
Educational program
Interaction Designer, 180 credits
Supervisors
Examiners
2025-07-032025-07-022025-07-03Bibliographically approved