The multidimensional influence structure of college students’ online gamified learning engagement: A hybrid design based on QCA-SEM

In the post-epidemic era, gamification is widely recognized for its potential to enhance the asynchronous nature of college students' online learning interactions and mitigate efficiency deficits. However, the intrinsic structure and core conditions influencing online gamified learning engagement remain unclear. The challenge lies in understanding the mechanisms through which gamification alters learning behaviors. This study employs fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (FSQCA) for core condition identification and robustness testing, innovatively combining it with structural equation modelling (SEM). Drawing on the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) theory, this research delves deeply into the structural relationships that influence student engagement in online gamified learning. The evaluation reveals that immersive experience and habit are core conditions fostering high engagement among college students in online gamified learning. A lack of immersive experience leads to non-high engagement results. Structural equation modelling confirms the mediating role of immersive experience and habit in the effects of performance expectations and perceived fun in student engagement. Furthermore, the study substantiates the moderating influence of learning style on perceptual factors and normalizing elements and describes an interactive relationship between perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and online gamification behavior. This research extends our understanding of perceptions, norms, and structural factors within a gamified learning environment. It uncovers the mechanisms of engagement from perception to normalization factors, highlighting the positive bidirectional influence of subjective cognition and objective factors on gamified learning and emphasizing the moderating role of learning style between perceptual factors and normalization elements. These findings provide a solid foundation for future research and practice in online gamified learning.