Virtual escape rooms as a game-based learning strategy through the lens of the ARCS model

Abstract

Generation Z students, who have grown up immersed in digital technologies, bring distinct expectations to their learning experiences. Yet, their motivation in online and hybrid learning environments remains a significant challenge. The study examines virtual escape rooms as a game-based learning strategy to enhance student motivation, aligned with a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to measure motivation in a Microsoft Excel virtual escape room. Drawing on 461 voluntary survey responses and five in-depth interviews, the authors designed and facilitated the intervention within a compulsory university first-year digital literacy module. Results indicated that the immersive, gamified design of escape rooms boosted student motivation substantially, promoted collaborative learning, and enhanced critical thinking. Students reported greater motivation through attention-grabbing game elements, real-world applications, confidence-building challenges, and satisfaction from task completion. The study concludes that virtual escape rooms can serve as an effective, innovative strategy to promote active learning and student motivation. While international literature often generalises Generation Z as digitally fluent, this study acknowledges that South African students may have varied technological experiences due to differing access and educational backgrounds. Educators in Southern Africa could implement a similar digital strategy, like virtual escape rooms, to improve student motivation.