The Impact of Reward System Visibility on Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes in a Digital Math Platform

Student motivation is essential for learning, especially in digital environments where students must regulate their own engagement. Reward systems are commonly used to encourage engagement, but these features can go unused, either because students do not find the rewards engaging or because they are not well understood. In the present study, we tested whether increased visibility of a reward system within a mathematics learning platform for middle-school students would drive increased engagement and whether this improved performance within the system. Using log data from 30,826 students across the United States, we analyzed how the purchase and application of non-instructional rewards related to lesson completion, passing the first attempt, and passing after initial failure. In a series of path models, increased visibility significantly raised both purchasing and application of rewards. Engagement driven by increased visibility ultimately increased completion rates of lessons, but the relationship to passing the lesson differed based on the type of reward; e.g., whether or not it gave a coin bonus for a correct answer or preserve coins in case of a wrong answer. Coin bonuses predicted higher pass rates whereas coin preservers predicted lower pass rates. The findings suggest reward features may function as indicators of struggle and persistence, with their effectiveness contingent on learners’ understanding of how and when to use them. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that reward systems can meaningfully increase engagement with lessons when they are visible and well understood by students. Further, how students engage with the rewards may signal their comprehension of the material.