To reward or not reward: how the interpretation of virtual rewards affects intrinsic motivation in gamified learning

Paper Title

To reward or not reward: how the interpretation of virtual rewards affects intrinsic motivation in gamified learning

Publication Info

• Topic area: The impact of virtual rewards on intrinsic motivation in gamified learning environments.
• Keywords: Gamification, virtual rewards, intrinsic motivation, Cognitive Evaluation Theory, autonomy satisfaction, competence satisfaction, Duolingo, HCI, educational technology, Self-Determination Theory.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: While gamification is widely used to enhance motivation in learning, the interpretation of virtual rewards and their impact on intrinsic motivation remains underexplored. Prior studies have often treated rewards as binary (use or avoid) without considering their functional significance.
• Significance: Understanding how virtual rewards influence intrinsic motivation can guide the design of gamified learning systems to better support user engagement and satisfaction.
• Motivation and related work: Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET) suggests that rewards can either enhance or undermine intrinsic motivation depending on their perceived informational or controlling significance. However, the application of CET to virtual rewards in gamified learning contexts has been limited, leaving a gap in understanding how these rewards affect autonomy and competence satisfaction.

Solution

• Proposed approach: The study applies CET to investigate how learners’ interpretation of virtual rewards in the gamified learning application Duolingo predicts intrinsic motivation.
• Novelty:
  1. Extends CET to virtual rewards in gamified learning contexts.
  2. Differentiates between the informational and controlling significance of rewards in predicting psychological need satisfaction.
  3. Provides empirical evidence on the relationship between virtual rewards, autonomy, competence satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation.
  4. Proposes design heuristics for reward-based gamified systems.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  1. Conducted a cross-sectional survey with 162 active Duolingo users.
  2. Measured constructs (informational/controlling significance, autonomy/competence satisfaction, intrinsic motivation) using adapted validated scales.
  3. Analyzed data using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess relationships between constructs.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Informational significance of rewards positively predicted competence satisfaction (β = 0.67, p < 0.05).
  • Both autonomy satisfaction (β = 0.25, p < 0.05) and competence satisfaction (β = 0.55, p < 0.05) positively predicted intrinsic motivation.
  • Controlling significance of rewards did not significantly affect autonomy satisfaction (β = 0.08, p > 0.05).
  • The model explained 44% of variance in competence satisfaction and 56% in intrinsic motivation.
• Advantage over baselines: Demonstrates that the interpretation of virtual rewards, rather than their mere presence, determines their impact on intrinsic motivation.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Participants: 162 Duolingo users (ages 19–67, M = 32, SD = 10).
  • Data collection: Survey with Likert-scale items and qualitative responses.
  • Metrics: Path coefficients, R² values, and predictive power of the structural model.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Limited generalizability due to focus on Duolingo and self-selected participants.
  • Measurement reliability issues with controlling significance scale.
  • Cross-sectional design precludes causal inference.
  • Future research should explore diverse gamified systems, develop more reliable measures, and incorporate experimental or longitudinal designs.

Summary

This study investigates how the interpretation of virtual rewards in gamified learning affects intrinsic motivation, using Duolingo as a case study. Findings show that rewards perceived as informational enhance competence satisfaction, which in turn boosts intrinsic motivation. Contrary to expectations, controlling significance did not reduce autonomy satisfaction, possibly due to Duolingo’s autonomy-supportive context. The results suggest that designers should focus on crafting rewards that provide meaningful feedback and encouragement while operating in autonomy-supportive environments. These insights advance CET in gamification research and offer practical guidelines for designing motivational learning systems.