International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) Vol. 14, No. 3, June 2025, pp. 1985~1994 ISSN: 2252-8822, DOI: 10.11591/ijere.v14i3.29858  1985 Journal homepage: http://ijere.iaescore.com Gamification with self-determination theory to foster intercultural communicative competence and intrinsic motivation Su Min 1 , Noor Azean Atan 1 , Akhmad Habibi 2 1 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia 2 Department of Educational Technology, Graduate School, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Received Jan 4, 2024 Revised Oct 1, 2024 Accepted Oct 30, 2024 In globalization, possessing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is essential for individuals’ success. However, students face motivational barriers in online intercultural learning. Thus, this study aims to explore the effectiveness of integrating gamification with self-determination theory (SDT) to enhance the intrinsic motivation, ultimately aiding in the development of intercultural communication competence among Chinese vocational college students enrolled in online English intercultural learning. Employing a mixed-methods approach involving pre-post questionnaires and interviews, the study engaged 38 vocational college students from the automobile and rail transit faculty in a four-week online English intercultural learning module enriched with gamified elements such as points, badges, leaderboards, levels, and quests. The findings indicate that gamified learning effectively fulfills students’ needs for competence and autonomy, partially addressing their needs for relatedness and consequently fostering an upsurge in intrinsic motivation. Additionally, improvements were observed in knowledge, attitude, and skill, with marginal changes noted in awareness. It is concluded that gamified learning approaches based on SDT can positively contribute to the development of intrinsic motivation and intercultural communication competence. These findings hold practical implications for educational institutions and researchers to cultivate intrinsic motivation and ICC through online gamified learning. Keywords: Gamification Intercultural communicative competence Intrinsic motivation Online learning Self-determination theory This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. Corresponding Author: Noor Azean Atan Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia Email: azean@utm.my 1. INTRODUCTION In a globalized world, intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is essential, as it enables individuals to engage with people from diverse cultures effectively [1]. Chinese educational guidelines have underscored the importance of integrating intercultural competence into foreign language curricula [2], [3]. Online language learning provides a promising avenue for Chinese students to access diverse intercultural resources, fostering the development of ICC [4]. However, online intercultural learning presents challenges for students, particularly in maintaining motivation [1], [4], given the nature of online environments where students may struggle to sustain interest in completing tasks without immediate supervision [5]. Moreover, acquiring various knowledge and skills demands mental and emotional engagement, which can prove daunting for students [6]. Intercultural learning, in particular, may expose students to cultural shock and