Despite the increasing interest in gamification, a review of the gamification literature by Seaborn and Fels (2015) found that very few... Show moreDespite the increasing interest in gamification, a review of the gamification literature by Seaborn and Fels (2015) found that very few articles addressed the connection between theoretical considerations and empirical findings. Landers (2014) developed the theory of gamified learning to provide researchers with a framework to explore the effect of gamification on learning outcomes. The present study empirically tested the mediational process of Lander’s (2014) theory of gamified learning as well as proposed and tested an extension to examine the moderating role of an individual difference. Specifically, this study explored the moderating role of goal orientation on the mediational pathway from Assessment game attributes (i.e., badge, progress bar and combined) to self-efficacy to learning outcomes (i.e., declarative knowledge, skill demonstration and job-search self-efficacy). A gamified resume course was developed for this study on a gamification platform called Gametize. Participants were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and instructed to respond to a pre-course questionnaire containing demographic information and the goal orientation assessment, they were then directed to the Gametize website to complete the gamified resume course after which they were re-directed to Qualtrics to complete a post-course questionnaire collecting job-search self-efficacy measures. Results show there was insufficient evidence to support the predictions based on the theory of gamified learning, and moreover the hypothesized moderating effect of goal orientation. Nonetheless, an interesting outcome of this study was the significant interaction of the badge condition with LGO and APGO, suggesting badges can help improve self-efficacy in a gamified learning experience. A unique contribution of this study is a blueprint for examining individual differences as an extension of the theory of gamified learning. Practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. Show less