Abstract
Econometrics is a discipline requiring considerable mathematical competence and sophisticated analytical ability, yet standard teaching approaches may not always provide the necessary engagement for effective learning. Digital gamification is a new instructional style that bridges this gap. This study explores students’ perceptions of EcoTacToe, a digital gamification application similar to the game of TicTacToe, designed to enhance Econometrics teaching in terms of competition and interaction. A quantitative cross-sectional methodology was employed to recruit 86 undergraduate students from a Malaysian public university. A systematic self-administered questionnaire measuring five dimensions: personal traits, acceptance, utility, enjoyment and user-friendliness was used to collect data. Reliability analyzes confirmed internal consistency for all constructs, with coefficients ranging from ? = .75 (Good) to ? = .93 (Excellent). Descriptive analyzes revealed predominantly positive appraisals across all variables, with enjoyment reaching the highest average, followed by simplicity of use and utility. Independent samples t-tests indicated no significant differences between male and female students on any dimension. The findings demonstrate that EcoTacToe is an effective blend of competitive gaming with the distribution of Econometrics material, and a practical addition to regular classroom education.
Keywords
- Digital Gamification Search this journal for Digital Gamification (opens in a new tab)
- Econometrics Education Search this journal for Econometrics Education (opens in a new tab)
- App-Based Learning Search this journal for App-Based Learning (opens in a new tab)
- Higher Education Search this journal for Higher Education (opens in a new tab)
- Malaysia Search this journal for Malaysia (opens in a new tab)
- Technology Acceptance Model Search this journal for Technology Acceptance Model (opens in a new tab)
References
- Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Normal personality assessment in clinical practice: The NEO Personality Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 4(1), 5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.4.1.5
- Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
- Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining "gamification". Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments. (pp. 9-15) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040
- Gyedu, F. O., Partey, P. A., Boafo, F. A., & Agbo, D. D. (2026). Gamification effect: Enhancing student learning outcomes in higher education: A meta-analysis and policy implications. SAGE Open, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440261421375 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440261421375
- Hoo, W. C., Sundram, V. P. K., Mokhtar, A. R. M., Dzulkalnine, N., Ramdhan, N. A., Chhetri, P., & Wolor, C. W. (2024). Gamification in supply chain education: A comparative study of supply chain card games and board games in Malaysian tertiary institutions. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 8(6), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v8i6.1703 DOI: https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v8i6.1703
- Jack, E., Alexander, C., & Jones, E. M. (2025). Exploring the impact of gamification on engagement in a statistics classroom. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications: An International Journal of the IMA, 44(1), 93–106. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrae009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrae009
- Kasdi, S. A., Ibrahim, I., Sundram, V. P. K., & Azly, S.H.A. (2025). Enhancing supply chain education through analog gamification: A quasi-experimental study of Logispreneur 101. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(6), 1745–1758. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.906000137
- Senawi, A. R., & Harun, S. (2025). Tablet and Apps Impacts on Students’ Learning Performance: A Digital Literacy and Student Engagement Mediation Analysis. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 9(11), 671–685. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.91100054 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.91100054
- Sundram, V. P. K., Mokhtar, A. R. M., Ramdhan, N. A., & Ibrahim, I. (2025). Gamification in supply chain management education: Enhancing engagement and learning outcomes through game-based techniques. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(14), 126–140. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.914mg0010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.914MG0010
- Venkatesh, V. (2000). Determinants of perceived ease of use: Integrating control, intrinsic motivation, and emotion into the technology acceptance model. Information Systems Research, 11(4), 342–365. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.11.4.342.11872
- Zeng, J., Sun, D., Looi, C.-K., & Fan, A. C. W. (2024). Exploring the impact of gamification on students' academic performance: A comprehensive meta-analysis of studies from the year 2008 to 2023. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(6), 2478–2502. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13471 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13471
- Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J. C., & Griffin, M. (2000). Business Research Methods (Vol. 6). Dryden Press.
Downloads
Full-text downloads recorded for this article, by month.
No downloads have been recorded for this article yet. Figures appear here once readers begin downloading the full text.
How to Cite
Share this article
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Azhan Rashid Senawi, Shariff Harun, Mohammad Zulfakhairi Mokhtar, Husna Husain, Li Shuang, Nik Musri Erwan Eddy Nik Mustapha (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.
Keywords
- Digital Gamification Search this journal for Digital Gamification (opens in a new tab)
- Econometrics Education Search this journal for Econometrics Education (opens in a new tab)
- App-Based Learning Search this journal for App-Based Learning (opens in a new tab)
- Higher Education Search this journal for Higher Education (opens in a new tab)
- Malaysia Search this journal for Malaysia (opens in a new tab)
- Technology Acceptance Model Search this journal for Technology Acceptance Model (opens in a new tab)
Section
Published in
Vol. 18 No. 3(I) (2026)
Digital Transformation, Sustainability & Learning Innovation
View issue contents
Published
Submissions
Have research to publish? Information Management and Business Review welcomes submissions.
Make a Submission