Gamification method in music education and its implementation in public primary schools in Beijing, China

Gamification teaching has become one of the main teaching methods used by Chinese primary school music teachers. However, the level of teachers’ use of gamification varies and students’ learning initiative in the classroom can be influenced by their teaching methods. Hence, there is a need for a more in-depth study of the way gamification is implemented in primary music classrooms. The is a case study on the application of gamification methods in primary school music education in Beijing, China, to investigate the content, use and factors influencing teachers’ use of gamified teaching methods in music classrooms and to explore the challenges encountered by the teachers. The participants of the study were 90 students and 3 music teachers from 1 st, 2nd and 3rd grades of the No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Shijingshan District, Beijing, China. Research data were collected through 47 lesson observations and 3 interviews. Data were analysed through thematic and comparative analyses. The study found that the current situation of music teaching in this primary school had the following aspects: 1) the number of music lessons per week is reasonably organised; 2) teachers were able to choose appropriate teaching content according to the age of students, but the number of times of effective gamification was relatively low. Factors affecting the use of gamification were 1) influence of students’ learning status, lesson content, teachers’ preparation time and lack of training, and the presence of other teachers in the classroom; and 2) The type of game in terms of its flexibility and convenience, whether the game will disrupt the classroom, the difficulty of the game, and the materials used in the game. The teachers mainly faced three challenges in using gamification: 1) inadequate professional teaching skills; 2) inadequate facilities for teaching music; and 3) influence of lessons time on the effectiveness of teaching. To overcome these challenges, it is recommended that: 1) training can be categorised according to the needs of teachers and the characteristics of the music, while enriching the forms of participation in training; 2) choosing appropriate gamified content; and 3) flexible use of game teaching aids. In addition, the use of gamification occasionally increases the number of times the teachers needed to maintain order, potentially creating difficulties for teachers when teaching music, which could be explored in depth in future research. The findings of this study on effective gamification methods can be used as references to improve teachers’ use of gamification and the quality of their teaching, increase their willingness to use gamification, and provide better learning environments that will enhance students’ learning experiences.

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