The purpose of this case study is to explore effects of digital gamification on engagement and achievement in a third-grade social studies course for students of multiple nationalities and with varied native languages attending the English language international branch of a private, affluent school in eastern China. The case study is framed by theories of play in education including those developed by Vygotsky (1978), Dewey (1916), and Bandura (1986) and built on recent theories regarding the effectiveness of digital gamification in education. The research questions are: (1) What learning environment does a digitally gamified social studies curriculum produce? What patterns in behavior, language, and beliefs are exhibited by students participating in digitally gamified versus traditional instruction in a third-grade social studies unit?; (2) What relationship, if any, exists between digitally gamified lessons on social studies topics and achievement in the course? Data for the study include researcher field notes, teacher reflections, student survey responses, student interviews, video footage of social studies lessons, and scores on homework and formative and summative assessments during the research period. Data analysis involved recursive analysis in phase one and phase two coding (Saldana, 2012). Findings are supported by respected theories indicating play is innate and natural in childhood and children play for enjoyment, to explore their surroundings, to practice what they already know, and to learn new information and skills (Vygotsky, 1978). In keeping with Dewey (1916) and Bandura's (1986) theories for learning and motivation, students learn well by "doing" through student-centered, digitally gamified instruction. The findings indicate a positive relationship may exist between digital gamification and both student engagement and achievement. Study participants in a single Gamification Group achieved higher average scores on homework, formative assessments, and a summative assessment than their peers in two Comparison Groups receiving non-gamified instruction, digital or otherwise. This study contributes to closing the gap in research regarding how digitally gamified curricula impact young students' engagement and achievement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]