Abstract
Badges in education are an increasingly popular phenomenon, and given the relative recency of this phenomenon, a variety of questions exists as to the abilities and effectiveness of badges. In this study, the effect of digital badges within a Moodle-based online homework system was studied for an undergraduate general physics course at a large research-based university in northeast Taiwan. Students (N=162) self-selected themselves into two course sections; students in one course section (N = 68) were able to earn one badge per assignment for turning their assignments in earlier than the assignment deadline – treatment group, while students in the other section (N = 94) could not – control group. In addition to submission before a special badge deadline, students in the treatment group were also required to obtain maximum scores to get these badges. However, assignments were designed to be easy enough for students to earn the maximum grade (which students generally did). Additionally, students in the treatment group were able to earn higher-level badges by combining the assignment badges. Students in the treatment group were intended to be fully aware of badges, and badge requirements; moreover, the badge design was visible. The study results showed that students in the treatment group turned in their assignments earlier than students in the control group did, and this difference was statistically significant. However, the fact that students in both groups came from markedly different departments weakened the internal validity of the study’s results. Further analysis showed that students in the treatment group spaced their assignment practice more than students in the control group did, and the difference was statistically significant. Additionally, students in the treatment group actively attempted to earn badges, as there was a statistically significant increase in the number of badges earned by students in the treatment group over those in the control group. Based on a questionnaire given to study participants towards the conclusion of the study, the study found that students’ perception of badges was positive. All of the aforementioned gains were observed despite an absence of any statistically significant differences in the learning outcomes of both study groups. These findings corroborate earlier findings by other researchers that badges can be used to motivate specific behaviours in students whilst requiring minimal changes to the course structure. However, further corroborating earlier research is the finding that badges may not be particularly useful to motivate students towards challenging tasks. An earlier study of this course, in a preceding academic year found that students are appreciative of the online homework system; and it appears from this study that the primary function of badges within the system is to enhance the experience of students, as well as to motivate timely engagement with assignments.