The Campaign for Motivation: Comparing Tabletop Role-Playing Game Running with Classroom Instruction
Abstract
Motivation is a cornerstone of effective teaching and learning, influencing student engagement, satisfaction, and academic performance. This descriptive case study examines Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TRPGs) as an underutilized pedagogical approach in higher education and compares the motivational processes involved in TRPG game running with those in classroom instruction. Leveraging the mere exposure effect (Zajonc, 1968), the study proposes that faculty unfamiliar with TRPGs can lower perceived barriers to adoption by identifying familiar motivational elements shared with classroom teaching. The study draws on self-determination theory, motivational frameworks, and case study methodology to analyze structural parallels between TRPG game mastering and instructional facilitation. Findings suggest that motivational drivers—including autonomy, competence, relatedness, narrative, and improvisational scaffolding—are meaningfully shared between the two contexts. Implications for professional development and the adoption of game-based learning in higher education are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Bawa, Arpit
(2026)
"The Campaign for Motivation: Comparing Tabletop Role-Playing Game Running with Classroom Instruction,"
Journal of Research Initiatives: Vol. 9:
Iss.
2, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/jri/vol9/iss2/2
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons