Encouraging Student Agency Using Gamification & Game-Based Learning to Support Student Mental Health

Teaching methods and practices used in North American Secondary Schools lack the flexibility and support structures needed to aid students who identify as marginalized and living with a mental health disorder. This study seeks to identify means by which gamification, in combination with game-based learning, can develop student agency and desire for academic success. In exploring literature pertaining to the subject, this paper will present new grounds in personal development, suggesting supplementary practices and digital tools that may help these students achieve academic fulfillment through the development of their agency and behavioural change. This MRP will present a game that utilizes practices found in gamification and game-based learning to demonstrate how this process can be applied within society.