Racing to Learn: A Formula 1-Inspired Gamification Framework that Sustains Motivation Through Repeated Competitive Cycles

This study evaluates a Formula 1-inspired gamification framework in a third-semester undergraduate Internet of Things course at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. Students were randomly assigned to five racing teams and earned progress, measured in meters, through optional activities across three races spanning ten weeks, with periodic resets sustaining competition over repeated cycles. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the work responds to limited evidence on narrative-driven competitive gamification in higher-education STEM contexts and addresses three questions: participation levels, the relationship between gamified engagement and academic performance, and how repeated competitive cycles shape the distribution of performance.

The quasi-experimental comparison involved 56 undergraduates, 27 in the gamified condition and 29 in a control group. Gamified students achieved a higher final exam mean (89.56 versus 84.97), corresponding to a moderate effect size (Cohen's d = 0.46). However, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.087), so the advantage should be interpreted as suggestive rather than conclusive. Engagement with optional activities correlated strongly with exam performance (r = 0.81), a finding the authors appropriately caution does not establish causation, since motivated students may both engage more and perform better independently of the framework.

The theoretical foundation draws on a body of literature framing gamification as a motivational tool whose effects depend heavily on design choices. Cited work, including Ryan and Deci's review of self-determination theory and Sailer et al.'s experimental study of game elements and psychological need satisfaction, supports this view, while Toda et al.'s account of gamification's negative effects in education underscores the risks of poorly designed systems.

Overall, the study's scope is a single course at one institution over one term, limiting generalizability across regions, disciplines, and longer time horizons. Its contribution lies in a detailed, theory-informed account of a narrative-based competitive design and its engagement patterns, offering promising but statistically tentative evidence that such frameworks may enhance academic outcomes in technical education.