THE IMPACT OF GAMIFIED LEARNING IN HIGHER VOCATIONAL COLLEGE PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES ON STUDENTS' PHYSICAL FITNESS, MENTAL HEALTH, AND LEARNING MOTIVATION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

China's higher vocational education students face declining physical fitness, mental health challenges, and low learning motivation. This Solomon four-group trial examined gamified learning among 200 students aged 18 to 25 from nursing, rehabilitation, and pharmacy majors. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the 16-week intervention featured game-based points, activities, feedback, and rankings. Physical fitness was measured using national standards, mental health via the DASS-21, and motivation through PALMS. Five hypotheses tested pretest effects, overall effectiveness, mediation mechanisms, domain-specific patterns, and performance differences. Results showed the strongest effects on motivation, moderate effects on physical fitness, and selective benefits for mental health. The study extends Self-Determination Theory to gamified contexts, provides implementation guidelines, and supports China's education modernization goals.-