Relationship between learning styles and genres of games

Abstract

Computer based games for learning, like any other computer games, have different genres. They can be categorized as action, puzzle, strategy, and so on. On the other hand, different learners have different characteristics, such as learning styles, personality and cognitive traits. Because of that, they receive and process information differently. Recommending computer based games for learning, based on which genre suits a learner’s characteristics best, could enhance learners’ motivation and lead to a better learning experience. In this context, this study investigates the relationship between one of the learner characteristics, namely learning styles, and genres of games. In particular, this study proposes four relationships between two dimensions of Felder-Silverman learning style and four genres of computer games. In order to validate the proposed relationships, experimentation was conducted in a tertiary school in Tunisia (ISIG Kairouan) in which 74 participants answered two questionnaires about preferences on genres of games and learning styles. Data gathered from the instruments was analyzed through the use of the statistical test Chi-square. Results of the experimentation validated two relationships among four and rejected two. The confirmed relationships can be exploited by teachers and E-Learning recommendation systems in order to provide more personalized recommendations to learners.