Using Gamification to Promote Accurate Data Entry of Practicum Experience Hours in Graduate Students
Turn hour logging into a game and watch practicum data accuracy jump to a large share.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team turned practicum-hour logging into a video game. They called it Practicum Slayer.
Fifteen graduate students earned points and badges for entering their BACB tracker data on time.
The study ran across three classes using a multiple-baseline design.
What they found
Fourteen of the fifteen students hit a large share accuracy within weeks.
Plain feedback emails helped a little, but the game crushed them.
How this fits with other research
Mercado Baez et al. (2024) saw the same boost when they turned recess into a T-Rex chase game. Preschoolers doubled their steps. Same trick, new age group.
Critchfield (2018) begged schools to make training faster. Parry-Cruwys answered with a ready-made tool that saves supervisor time.
Britton et al. (2021) warn that late BACB reports are an ethical trap. Gamified logging plugs that leak before it starts.
Why it matters
If your students drag their feet on hour logs, skin the task. Add points, badges, and a fun theme. You will see near-perfect compliance without nagging emails.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The current study evaluated the effects of a gamified package intervention on the accurate data entry of practicum experience hours by 15 behavior analysis graduate students at a small private university. The gamified intervention (Practicum Slayer) included feedback, added reinforcement in the form of points to access putative primary reinforcement, badges, and thematic enhancement. We compared this intervention to a feedback-only condition using a multiple-baseline design across classes. We collected weekly data on the percentage of students per class who entered data into the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Fieldwork Tracker with 100% accuracy. The intervention was effective at increasing accurate data entry for all classes, and 93.33% (14 of 15) of participants reached 100% accuracy in their data entry by the end of the study. Social validity data indicated that participants received the gamification package with moderate positivity. We discuss limitations of the study and areas for future research.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2021 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00421-2