Session 1: Group Presentation about Kahoot!

 

Introduction 

Kahoot is an online eLearning tool that has a game-based student response system (Wang, 2014). A game-based student response system “focuses on engaging and motivating the students through attractive graphical user-interfaces and audio” (Wang, Zhu and Saetre, 2016, p. 729). In Kahoot, the gamification is achieved by temporarily transforming the classroom into a game show where the teacher has the role of a game show host and the students are the competitors (Wang, Zhu and Saetre, 2016). Through gamification, Kahoot presents a student-response system which focuses on motivation and engagement (Wang, Zhu and Saetre, 2016). Kahoot is “fast-paced and fun, which supports creative energy and student participation” (Plump and LaRosa, 2017, p. 151).

How do you use Kahoot? 

Kahoot is compatible with a variety of devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers. Players can choose to play the Kahoot game from two different modes. A 1:1 device mode requires each player to have one device, while in team mode, they only need one device per team. Players do not need to create their own account or download the application. They merely need to enter a nickname for the sole use of this Kahoot game.

Before playing, the players need to sign in using the web address www.kahoot.it and enter the game pin to access the platform. When the Kahoot game is played live, the players need to answer the questions in real time by selecting the symbol with the correct answer. Points are awarded once all the players have answered within the time limit. They are awarded points based on their response time and whether their answer is correct. The nicknames of the top 5 players with the highest points are displayed on a general scoreboard. After all of the questions have been answered, the general scoreboard shows the nicknames of the top 5 players.

When creating the quiz, the questions can include images and videos. The teacher can choose the time that players have to answer the question and whether points would be awarded or not. A question can be added by clicking on the “Next” button on the top right side of the page. Once finished, all of the questions can be seen and the Kahoot game can be saved. The Kahoot game can be set to private or public. A private one would be visible only to the creator. Whereas, a public one would be made visible to Kahoot users.

How is it used in the classroom? 

There four ways in which Kahoot can be used in the classroom. Kahoot can be used as a quiz, jumble, survey or discussion. Since it is a student response system, it requires students to be engaged and proactive in the activities.

The quiz can be used to test students’ comprehension and understanding on any given topic through a series of questions. However, the questions can only be close-ended questions or true and false questions. The quiz can be created by teachers to test students’ understanding before or after a particular topic, and as a review of what they have learned. Students can also create their own Kahoot quizzes for others to use. This is the best way of using a game-based student response system because students have to show a great understanding of the topic to be able to create their own questions and answers.

The jumble can be used for questions relating to sequencing. There is a greater focus on answering the question correctly. Players have to place the answers in the correct order. While a survey and discussion can be used to collect students’ thoughts and opinions on a given question. This provides a safe place for students to voice out their opinion. It is important to note that Kahoot is an eLearning tool that provides a means for teachers to gamify their classroom. Using Kahoot alone does not necessarily lead to student learning.

Advantages 

Figure 1 Advantages of Using Kahoot! in the classroom (Plump and LaRosa, 2017)

Kahoot is a powerful form of formative assessment. It provides immediate feedback to both teachers and students. After answering each question, the teachers and players are able to see a bar chart which shows how many players chose which answer option. The teacher is able to provide immediate feedback on the question and answer to the students. At the end of the Kahoot game, the teacher is able to export an Excel spreadsheet showing which questions students got correct and incorrect. This data can be used to inform the teacher’s teaching and students’ learning. Through the discussion that takes place during or after the game, Kahoot provides an opportunity to assess students’ conceptual understanding and facilitates the construction of new knowledge and understanding (Plump and La Rosa, 2017).

The gamification of Kahoot has contributed to an increase in student engagement. Wang (2014) conducted a study to investigate the wear out effect of a game-based student response system. It was discovered that Kahoot as a gamed-based student response system was able to maintain students’ engagement despite its repeated use. Wang (2014) reported that even after five months of playing the same quiz game, 90% of the students still found the game engaging. Through competing against each other for points and trying to reach the top 5 during the Kahoot quiz facilitated student engagement (Wang, 2014). In addition, some students from the study reported that they paid more attention and were more focused because they knew they had to use what they learned in the Kahoot quiz (Wang, 2014).

Disadvantages

In a study conducted by Plump and LaRosa (2017), feedback was collected by both undergraduate and graduate students from different business courses. In the feedback students were asked “How would you describe your experience using Kahoot! in this course?” and it showed that 9.1% reported negative comments (Plump and LaRosa, 2017). The negative responses collected were about participants losing motivation after answering questions wrong and feeling stressed due to the time limitation (Plump and LaRosa, 2017).

While the game-based platform does encourage student engagement and motivation, there is a threat that those who continuously answer wrong do not attempt to answer anymore and lose motivation. After answering the question, players are shown their ranking among the rest of the players. Furthermore, the time limitation may create a stressful environment in which players have to answer instantly and correctly or risk losing points (Plump and LaRosa, 2017).

Questions created on Kahoot are limited in that they can only be closed-ended questions. In addition, there is a limit to the number of characters that can be used when creating the question and responses on Kahoot. Kahoot does not allow for teachers to create questions that are open-ended nor receive open-ended responses from players.

Kahoot is user-friendly and makes it easy for teachers to create their own quizzes. However, they need to ensure that they don't develop a false sense of confidence that the quiz made on Kahoot leads to learning (Graham, 2015). Teachers still need to take into consideration of the learning outcomes and ensure that the questions and answers are aligned with what they are teaching (Graham, 2015).

Comments from different stakeholders 

Upper Secondary Bible Teacher at Gyeonggi Suwon International School in Suwon (GSIS)
Ryan Dellos My experience with Kahoot! has been fantastic. I have used Kahoot! in each one of my three classes. When I first introduced the game, students in each of the three grade levels were excited about playing. Students picked up the format of the game very quickly. I have many English Language Learners (ELL) students in my classes, so being able to create quizzes with pictures and music to prompt students thinking was very helpful.

Receiving immediate feedback on the Excel document at end of the quiz as well as seeing how many students answered the questions correctly was very helpful. Feedback is critical in the learning process, therefore creating an environment where students are comfortable receiving feedback is necessary. Kahoot! encourages student curiosity and involvement, which provides the opportunity for the educator to identify “gaps” or areas of weaknesses in content understanding. Students in my classes were curious when they answered a question incorrectly, which allowed me to encourage them to research questions where they had difficulty.

Not only have I used Kahoot! for game-like quizzes, but I turned it over to the students to create their own quizzes. My senior students chose a topic to research in order to create a quiz they would use to test their peers’ knowledge. The students worked diligently in creating their quizzes and were actively involved taking the quizzes their peers had created. Due to the non-traditional format of the quiz, surprising students emerged as some of the most successful participants in the class-wide activity. This was encouraging for me the educator, and the student because the student was able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding without the pressure of speaking out loud in class. Students are able to flourish using this technology as a means to demonstrate their abilities.

Dellos, R. (2015). Kahoot! A digital game resource for learning. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. 12(4), 49-52.


Figure 2 Descriptive statistics and results from Mann-Whitney Test (Wang, 2014)

Based on a study conducted by Wang (2014), most of the participants showed a positive response to the use of Kahoot in their lecture.

Here are the top testimonials from Christel’s students!
“As well as revising, we also have fun competing with other students in the class.” - Roshni
“What I like about Kahoot! Is that when a question comes on, it makes your brain start to think because you have a certain amount of time to get it right!” - Chloe

“It’s creative, helps me learn, fun, and makes lessons less boring!” - Alana

How would you describe your experience using Kahoot! in this course?
“I looked forward to coming to class when I knew we had a [Kahoot!] quiz”
“My [Kahoot!] team bonded during the semester, talked about the course, read the material, and planned our strategy for the quizzes because no one wanted to let the team down”
“I participated more than I have in any other class because Kahoot! made me want to”
“It focused class discussions in a way that made the course more tailored to our interests rather than a generic one size fits all course.” “Everyone gets involved and learns to think quickly and effectively.” - Ryan

Recommendations

Considering that some students may lose motivation due to the scoreboard, we suggest that a feature be added where teachers can choose to show the number of students’ name showing up on the scoreboard.

While players are not required to create a login in order to access Kahoot, it would perhaps be beneficial for students if they did create an account which they used when they played. This would allow them to have their own record of their performance during the Kahoot game. This would enable them to become self-directed learners where they can review the answers they answered incorrectly. This can be used in relation to the new feature of Kahoot quizzes being made available to students outside the classroom. If they can have a record of their performance for each Kahoot game, they would be able to see their own progress and go back to previous Kahoot games and revise.

References 

Alvarado, N. C., Coelho, D. & Dougherty, E. (2016). Mobile apps for ELLs: Supporting language learning with engaging digital tools. Argentinian Journal of Applied Linguistics. 4(1), pp. 43-58.

Balakrishnan, & Gan. (2016). Students’ learning styles and their effects on the use of social media technology for learning. Telematics and Informatics, 33(3), 808-821.

Dellos, R. (2015). Kahoot! A digital game resource for learning. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. 12(4), 49-52.

Graham, K. (2015). Getting into Kahoot!(s): Exploring a Game-Based Learning System to Enhance Student Learning, LOEX Quarterly, 42(3), pp. 6-7.

Johns, K. (2015). Engaging and Assessing Students with Technology: A Review of Kahoot! Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 81(4), 89-91.

Plump, C. M. & LaRosa, J. (2017). Using Kahoot! in the classroom to create engagement and active learning: A game-based technology solution for eLearning novices. Management Teaching Review, 2(2), pp. 151-158.

Wang, A. I., Zhu, M. &n Saetre, R. (2016). The Effect of Digitizing and Gamifying Quizzing in Classrooms. In Connolly, Thomas; Liz, Boyle [Eds.] Proceedings of The 10th European Conference on Game Based Learning (pp. 729-737). London, England: Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited.