Gamification and adult literacy

This report was created as part of Literacy Link South Central’s Job Creation Partnership Project “Using Technology to Facilitate Connections between Literacy and the Broader Community” (2014).
This resource is written for tutors and resource developers looking for ways of increasing adult engagement in literacy learning. This report examines best practices for incorporating gamification and game elements into adult literacy education.
The report begins by defining gamification and looking at the history of the term.
Understanding how to incorporate gamification in education comes from an understanding of the core drives that make games appealing. In order to understand these core drives, it is important to understand how individuals react to different game elements.
Then the research look at examples of gamification from advertising, marketing, and education, concluding with an examination of two educational gamification projects in Ontario, Canada.
The report concludes by offering 3 do’s and 3 don’ts for using gamification and game elements in adult literacy education.
Gamification may offer a new and novel way for the adult literacy sector to reach the gaming population.