Gamified Infection Control Education for Nursing Students: Effects on Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Learning Outcomes

The Impact of Gamified Infection Control Education on Academic Self-Efficacy, Learning Motivation, and Cognitive Achievement in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Infection control is a critical component of nursing education, ensuring the safety of patients and healthcare workers. Gamification, which integrates game-based principles into educational activities, has emerged as a promising approach to improve student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes in healthcare education. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a gamified infection control education program on cognitive achievement, academic self-efficacy, and learning motivation among first-year nursing students. The study employed a randomized controlled trial design involving 60 first-year nursing students from a private university in Turkey. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=30) or a control group (n=30). The intervention group participated in a four-week Gamified Infection Control Program featuring physical games, case studies, and escape rooms. The control group received traditional lecture-based instruction. Data were collected using validated instruments, including the Infection Control Cognitive Achievement Measurement Questions Form, the Academic Nurse Self-Efficacy Scale (ANSES), and the Learning Motivation Scale in Higher Education (EMAPRE-U). Statistical analyses included t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and regression analyses.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Students, Nursing
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Gamified Infection Control Education Program; Other: Traditional Lecture-Based Instruction

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Ankara, Turkey, 06100
    • Lokman Hekim University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• First-year nursing students enrolled in a nursing program
• Students who have not previously completed formal infection control training
• Students who are willing to participate in the study and provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Students with prior knowledge or certification in infection control practices
• Students who are unable to attend the full four-week program due to scheduling conflicts
• Students with any medical or psychological condition that would prevent full participation in study activities

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; Participants who received the Gamified Infection Control Education Program.	Other: Gamified Infection Control Education Program; A four-week educational program integrating gamification techniques such as physical games, case studies, and escape rooms to teach infection control practices.Designed to enhance engagement, learning motivation, and cognitive achievement among nursing students.
Other: Control; Participants who received traditional lecture-based instruction.	Other: Traditional Lecture-Based Instruction; Standard didactic teaching method focusing on infection control principles without incorporating gamification. Served as the comparator to evaluate the effectiveness of the gamified program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognitive Achievement in Infection Control	Improve cognitive understanding of infection control principles, including sterilization and sepsis practices. The investigators used the Infection Control Cognitive Achievement Measurement Questions Form as the measurement tool. Each question has a single correct answer. Each correct answer is worth one point, and higher total scores reflect higher levels of The Infection Control Cognitive Achievement Measurement. The lowest total score is '0' and the highest total score is '100'.	Assessed immediately after the four-week intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Learning Motivation	Change in learning motivation levels among nursing students. The investigators used the Learning Motivation Scale in Higher Education as the measurement tool. Participants select their level of agreement about (item) using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (disagree) to 3 (agree). Higher scores reflect higher motivation to learn. The lowest total score is '23' and the highest total score is '69'.	Assessed immediately after the four-week intervention.
Academic Self-Efficacy	Change in students' confidence in their academic abilities related to infection control. The investigator used the Academic Nurse Self-Efficacy Scale as the measurement tool. Participants respond to the prompt, "How confident are you about (item)?" using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (very little confidence) to 5 (completely confident). Higher scores reflect greater levels of academic self-efficacy. The lowest total score is '14' and the highest total score is '70'.	Assessed immediately after the four-week intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Lokman Hekim Üniversitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 18, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 18, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): November 20, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 11, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2025
• Last Verified: January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: infection control; self efficacy; academic success; Gamification; nursing student
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Infections
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024071

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No