Multimodal Nudge and Gamification in Classroom Design: Effects on Learners’ Motivation and Interaction in a Crossover Trial

Research in learning motivation increasingly highlights the importance of task design that gently guides behavior without coercion. Drawing on behavioral-science “nudges” (e.g., EAST/MINDSPACE) and multimodal, gamified activity structures, we evaluate whether a STEAM-based task can enhance motivational experiences relative to a conventional Japanese language lesson. We conducted a two-sequence crossover study in a university class: one sequence experienced the STEAM task followed by the conventional lesson, and the other experienced the reverse order. Motivational outcomes included enjoyment, interest, satisfaction, perceived acquisition of new expressions, clarity, persistence, immersion, enjoyment of interaction, and perceived difficulty. Within-participant effect sizes (Cohen’s dz) were computed from difference scores after aligning both sequences to a common contrast (STEAM − conventional).Across 49 participants, STEAM produced medium within-participant advantages on interest (Q2: dz = 0.64, 95% CI [0.35, 0.92]), enjoyment of interaction (Q8: dz = 0.61, 95% CI [0.32, 0.89]), and enjoyment (Q1: dz = 0.50, 95% CI [0.21, 0.78]). By contrast, perceived acquisition of new expressions favored the conventional lesson (Q4: dz = −0.55, 95% CI [−0.84, −0.27]), indicating a plausible trade-off: the STEAM design appears to nudge affective–social engagement, whereas explicit instruction better supports perceived linguistic uptake. Effects on the remaining indicators were small to medium, with several confidence intervals including zero.These findings suggest that multimodal, gamified task design can nudge intrinsic-motivation–relevant experiences (enjoyment, interest, and social interaction) in language learning, while conventional lessons may retain advantages for perceived declarative gains. We discuss practical implications for combining both approaches—using STEAM tasks to prime engagement and interaction, followed by focused instruction to consolidate language forms.