STUDENT RECEPTIVENESS TO KAHOOT! IN HIGHER EDUCATION A. Pires 1 , S. Pais 1 , L. Chagas 2 1 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria (PORTUGAL) 2 Universidade de Lisboa (PORTUGAL) Abstract The use of technology in higher education has been increasing in the past few years and new online tools have emerged for very different purposes. Kahoot! is an example of a platform that can be used for reviewing content and motivating students for learning. Our research is based on data from a quantitative survey conducted in the previous school year and the participants were 86 undergraduate students from a Portuguese higher education institution. The preliminary results of the survey showed that students are very receptive to this tool and highly recommend it, as it promotes motivation. Other studies have shown that higher education students are usually receptive to web tools and consider technology can positively impact learning. To better understand students’ responses to the platform, in this study we aim at analysing the results according to area of study and investigating new correlations between variables, specifically (i) gender vs receptiveness to Kahoot!, (ii) gender vs recommendation of its use and (iii) technology readiness vs receptiveness to Kahoot!. Keywords: higher education; web tools; gender; technology readiness; technology receptiveness. 1 INTRODUCTION As in our days interactive technologies tend to become more prevalent and democratic in terms of their availability and affordability, learning contexts, including higher education, have witnessed a growing resort to gamification elements in order to increase students’ motivation and engagement [1]. These gamification techniques, which can be described as the design, implementation and use of game mechanics in non-gaming contexts [2] started with student response systems (SRSs) and online student response systems (OSRSs), that evolved into contemporary game-based student response systems (GSRSs) [3] [4]. The main advantages of GSRSs in comparison with SRSs and OSRSs are the possibility of immediate interaction between the users and the establishment of a rewarding system [5]. GSRSs such as Kahoot! integrate gamification techniques such as graphics, animation, audio and the use of score in order to activate the students’ previous knowledge and evaluate their performance while they play and learn [6] [7]. Games and game technologies can enhance learning, as students become so motivated and engaged that they are not aware that they are learning while they are playing [3]. Several authors have studied students’ acceptance to the integration of technology in education in e- learning or b-learning contexts, as well as other technology-enhanced environments. However, few studies investigate the relationship between gender / area of study and game-based learning acceptance, specifically, hence the relevance of our research. 2 METHODOLOGY Aiming at investigating students’ perspectives on the use of Kahoot! in higher education, the authors conducted a survey to assess their perception regarding motivation for learning. The curricular units involved in the study were Statistics/Mathematics and English and for the conclusion of each of the syllabus topic (three in total), the authors decided to develop an online quiz as a revision tool. All Kahoot! quizzes were applied at the end of the lecture and lasted for 20 minutes, approximately. The preliminary results of that survey showed that students are very receptive to this tool and find it motivating, so they recommend its use [8]. Proceedings of INTED2019 Conference 11th-13th March 2019, Valencia, Spain ISBN: 978-84-09-08619-1 7197