Does gamification mediate the relationship between digital social capital and student Performance? A survey-based study in Spain

This article aims to investigate the potential mediating role of gamification in the relationship between students' digital social capital and their academic performance. Social networks are informal platforms where students can develop their own skills in order to adapt to the digital environment and where there is visibility in public rankings. Consequently, we argue that digital social capital developed through the use of social networks can promote student motivation and engagement in online gamification practices, which in turn might help to enhance their course performance. Our empirical study applies a survey-based approach on a sample of 133 under-graduate students enrolled in a hybrid course in corporate finance at a Spanish public university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Empirical evidence suggests that stronger digital social capital (i. e. a greater number of following contacts in social networks) increases a student's propensity to participate in Kahoot! gamification. Additionally, digital social capital has a positive indirect effect on a student's academic performance, with this relationship being mediated by Kahoot! participation. This educational research encourages links between different digital technologies to be exploited to a greater extent in order to strengthen student engagement and maximize their academic performance.