Contributing to OSS projects can help students to enhance their skills and expand their professional networks. However, novice contributors often feel discouraged due to various barriers. Gamification techniques hold the potential to foster engagement and facilitate the learning process. Nevertheless, it is unknown which game elements are effective in this context. This study explores students' perceptions of gamification elements to inform the design of a gamified learning environment. We surveyed 115 students and segmented the analysis from three perspectives: (1) cognitive styles, (2) gender, and (3) ethnicity (Hispanic/LatinX and Non-Hispanic/LatinX). The results showed that Quest, Point, Stats, and Badge are favored elements, while competition and pressure-related are less preferred. Across cognitive styles (persona), gender, and ethnicity, we could not observe any statistical differences, except for Tim's GenderMag persona, which demonstrated a higher preference for storytelling. Conversely, Hispanic/LatinX participants showed a preference for the Choice element. These results can guide tool builders in designing effective gamified learning environments focused on the OSS contributions process.

翻译：参与开源软件项目有助于学生提升技能并拓展专业人脉。然而，新手贡献者常因各种障碍而感到气馁。游戏化技术具有促进参与度和辅助学习过程的潜力。然而，目前尚不清楚在此背景下哪些游戏元素是有效的。本研究探讨了学生对游戏化元素的看法，旨在为游戏化学习环境的设计提供参考。我们对115名学生进行了调查，并从三个视角对分析进行了细分：(1) 认知风格，(2) 性别，以及 (3) 族裔（西班牙裔/拉丁裔与非西班牙裔/拉丁裔）。结果显示，任务、积分、统计数据和徽章是受青睐的元素，而与竞争和压力相关的元素则不太受欢迎。在不同的认知风格（人物画像）、性别和族裔之间，我们未观察到显著的统计学差异，但Tim的GenderMag人物画像显示出对叙事元素更高的偏好。相反，西班牙裔/拉丁裔参与者表现出对选择元素的偏好。这些结果可以指导工具构建者设计专注于开源软件贡献过程的有效游戏化学习环境。