The present study explores police cadets’ perceptions of the Psychology course within their training context. The sample consisted of 111 first-year cadets who completed a structured questionnaire including subscales measuring attitudes toward the course, perceived professional usefulness, contribution to personal development, content evaluation, level of understanding, and comparative evaluation with other courses. The findings indicate a moderate to positive overall attitude, with particularly strong recognition of the course’s professional relevance. However, lower levels of intrinsic motivation and perceived contribution to personal development were observed. The course content was evaluated as contemporary, relevant, and appropriately demanding, although it did not strongly engage students’ interest. A key finding of the study is the clear preference for more interactive and experiential teaching methods, which appear crucial for enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. Overall, while the Psychology course is acknowledged as an essential component of police education, the results highlight the need for a pedagogical redesign focusing on applied learning and active participation.
The research aimed to examine the effects of gamification environments on university students' achievement, flow experiences, and emotional states. This study utilized a mixed-methods design, incorporating a quasi-experimental approach for the quantitative phase and a phenomenological approach for the qualitative phase. The study group consisted of 80 students (Quizizz, n = 32; Quizlet, n = 48) enrolled in the Educational Psychology course at a state university. Data were collected through the Achievement Test, Flow Experience Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect Scale. Both groups showed significant pre-test to post-test gains in achievement, with no significant difference between the two groups. Flow experience was positively correlated with positive emotion in both groups, but with achievement only in the Quizlet group. In the Quizizz group, achievement was moderately and negatively correlated with negative emotion, whereas no such relationship was found in the Quizlet group. No significant relationship was found between achievement and positive emotion in either group. Qualitative findings revealed that students actively engaged in both environments, reported higher motivation, and found learning more enjoyable. However, they experienced the platforms differently. Quizizz users emphasized excitement through competition and scoring, whereas Quizlet users highlighted confidence gained from repetition and individual progress. Overall, these results indicate that gamification tools led to similar achievement gains, but through different flow and emotional processes.
