The Learning Curve: Is Kahoot a Classroom Game-Changer or Just a Distraction?

Anyone who’s spent time in a modern-day classroom knows the sound of that upbeat, slightly frantic lobby music that signals a Kahoot game is about to begin. It’s a sound that usually triggers immediate focus (and sometimes a little bit of confusion or chaos). For this EdTech inquiry, my group, Ellen, Elissa, Annika, and I, decided to dive deeper into that energy. We wanted to know if this was actually helping students learn, or if it was just fuelling a digital adrenaline rush. To share our findings, we chose to create our own news-report-style video called The Learning Curve. You can watch our full report at this link here as well as above, but I wanted to use this space to reflect on what we discovered through our research.

Engagement Paradox

One of the most interesting things we found during this inquiry was what Ellen explained in the beginning regarding the “engagement paradox”. We often equate an excited, leaning-forward student with a learning student. However, research by Cameron and Bizo (2019) suggests that while students find Kahoot to be a positive, immersive social experience, there isn’t always a direct statistical link between those high engagement scores and their final assessment grades.

Essentially, students might be having a good time, but it doesn’t automatically guarantee a higher GPA. This was a great reminder for our group that while gamification is a powerful tool for boosting student morale, it can’t replace more structured, foundational ways of teaching and learning. It’s important as educators in this day and age to understand that we can’t let technology completely replace things like handwritten notes and more conventional, traditional instruction. It’s all about finding the right balance.

Does the Knowledge Stick? 

As we wrapped up our newscast-style video, I focused on one of the most common questions/concerns that every educator has: once the music stops and the podium is announced, what actually stays in students’ brains? For my segment of this inquiry, I looked into the mechanics of short-term recall versus long-term retention. As I explained in the video, it’s easy to see why Kahoot is such a powerful tool for immediate recall; the ticking clock and the pressure of the “streak” reward fast, reflexive thinking. But we have to ask ourselves, is this a lasting learning experience or just a race to the finish line for our students?

Critics often worry that the “speed-to-click” nature of gamification prioritizes recognition over genuine, deep processing. However, the data I found suggests a much more optimistic reality. I looked closely at a 2026 experimental study from Bartin University involving English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. The results were really interesting: the experimental group not only outperformed the control group, but they also showed significantly higher success and retention rates at large effect levels.

Image Credit: Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education

This image shows that, in academic terms, an eta-squared value of 0.20 is a big deal, because it means that the game-based approach explained a large part of the variation in student memory. But, behind the numbers, there is an intriguing human element at play. As educators, we can think of that competitive adrenaline not just as excitement but also as a cognitive “save button” for the brain.

From a pedagogical standpoint and teaching perspective, this is a strong example of retrieval practice. Every time a student has to search through their brain for an answer under pressure, they aren’t just playing a game; they are also strengthening and building the neural pathways that actually lead to long-term proficiency. This interactive feedback loop provides an immediate correction that helps information move away from temporary storage into active, lasting long-term memory. For me, the takeaway is clear: the knowledge does stick, as long as we use the game as a connection point to deepen understanding rather than just a digital distraction. It’s about building a foundation that will last long after the devices have been put away and the Wi-Fi is disconnected.

What the Students Think

Annika brought in some really fascinating statistics from studies conducted in 2020 and 2022 that really humanised the data. When you ask the students themselves, the numbers are pretty interesting:

• 71.6% of students agreed that Kahoot increases their motivation to learn through healthy competition
• 91.7% felt it increased the effectiveness of their learning by using time more efficiently.
• 81.2% believed it helped develop their problem-solving and active recall skills.

It’s clear that, from a student perspective, the “fun” isn’t just a distraction; it’s actually a motivator that makes them want to show up and participate.

Video Credit: TEDx Talks via YouTube

Strategies for the Classroom

Of course, as future educators, we had to look at the “how”. Elissa broke down the best practices to keep the classroom from turning into pure chaos. A few of our favourite tips included the following:

1. The Student Contract: Before the phones come out, collaborate with students to create guidelines on appropriate language and focus.
2. Formative, Not Summative: Use these games as low-stakes “check-ins” to see where the class is at, rather than as a final grade.
3. Mind the Gap: Always consider equity. If a student has a slower device or a weak connection, the high-speed nature of Kahoot can become a barrier rather than a bridge.

Video Credit: TEDx Talk via YouTube

Final Thoughts

Collaborating on The Learning Curve has definitely been a profound exercise in looking past the bright colours and catchy soundtracks of educational technology to see the actual pedagogical learning happening beneath. If this inquiry has taught our group anything, it’s that tools like Kahoot are not “plug-and-play” solutions or simple answers for student achievement. As we deconstructed the data and shared our findings/conclusions through our news report, it became clear that no piece of software or technology can replace a teacher’s intentionality and humanity.

While the research highlights Kahoot’s undeniable strength in encouraging and supporting retrieval practice while also creating a vibrant, social classroom culture, this efficacy is not inherent to the code itself. The true, genuine work happens in the connection between the high-energy excitement of the game and the quiet, in-depth processing of the materials. Without purposeful and intentional scaffolding, such as a post-game debrief, a student-led discussion, or a connection to conventional tactile methods, the experience risks becoming a digital distraction rather than a significant milestone in a student’s learning journey.

Taking on the role of a news reporter for this project helped me to view these classroom dynamics through a more critical, analytical lens. It forced me to ask not just, “Do they like it?” but also, “Is this truly serving my students’ learning?” Moving forward into my own future classroom, I feel much more equipped to include these gamified elements with a sense of balance and purpose. I’ve learnt that my role isn’t just to encourage and facilitate the “fun” but to also ensure that the joy of competition is always grounded in the principles of equity and long-term understanding. Overall, I would say that this project has truly improved and enhanced my understanding of how to use technology as a catalyst for community and a support for diverse learners, rather than just a race to the top of a leaderboard. 

Video Credit: Tech Tutorials for Teachers via YouTube

References

Cameron, K. E., & Bizo, L. A. (2019). Use of the game-based learning platform KAHOOT! to facilitate learner engagement in Animal Science students. Research in Learning Technology, 27. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v27.2225

Cpatete. (2026, March 2). Use gamification in the classroom with Digital Games for Learning. YSU. https://online.ysu.edu/degrees/education/msed/curriculum-instruction-digital-teaching/gamification-in-the-classroom/ 

Konuk, T., & Fidan, M. (2026). The impact of gamification on motivation in teacher education: A meta-analysis. International Journal on Social and Education Sciences, 8(1). https://ijonses.net/index.php/ijonses/article/view/5980

Mahaseth, H., Bajpai, A., & Gupta, A. (2025). Gamified Learning in Education: How Online Quizzes like Kahoot Transform Classroom Dynamics. Engineering Proceedings, 107(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025107041

M. Correia and R. Santos, “Game-based learning: The use of Kahoot in teacher education,” 2017 International Symposium on Computers in Education (SIIE), Lisbon, Portugal, 2017, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/SIIE.2017.8259670

Özdemir, O. (2026). How Digital Gamified Learning Enhances Vocabulary Learning and Retention in EFL Classrooms: An Experimental Study Using Kahoot! Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, 15(1), 88-112. https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.1667817

Pratama, G. A. (2020). Students’ perception of gamification to promote classroom engagement and motivation in senior high school. Language Research Society, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.33021/lrs.v1i1.1040

Rusmardiana, A., Sjuchro, D. W., Yanti, D., Daryanti, F., & Iskandar, A. (2022). Students’ perception on the use of Kahoot as a learning media. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 14(2), 2205–2212. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i2.2139

Rozelle, C. (2017, December 20). 5 tips for using digital games in class. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-tips-using-digital-games-class/ 

Wang, A. I., & Tahir, R. (2020). The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review. Computers & Education, 149, 103818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103818

Warsihna, J., Ramdani, Z., & Prakoso, B. H. (2019). Using Kahoot to improve students’ achievement and critical thinking in undergraduate of psychology students. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age (CELDA 2019), 144–150. https://doi.org/10.33965/celda2019_201911l018

4 ways to use Kahoot in the classroom. Kesler Science – Middle School Science Curriculum. (n.d.). https://keslerscience.com/4-ways-to-use-kahoot-in-the-classroom