Study on the Influence Mechanism of Virtual Simulation Game Learning Experience on Student Engagement and Entrepreneurial Skill Development.

Qixing Yang,Yue Zhang,Yawen Lin

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.772157

Abstract

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual simulation games have provided an effective teaching method for online entrepreneurship education. By exploring the mechanisms that influence student engagement and learning outcomes from different perspectives, such as game design, team and individual perspectives, numerous scholars have demonstrated that such a teaching method can effectively improve students’ engagement and learning performance. However, the existing studies are relatively scattered, and there is a scarcity of studies in which the effects of said factors are considered. Based on the learning process 3P model (presage-process-product) proposed by Biggs (1993), students’ perceived experience of game design, teamwork and self-efficacy were taken as variables in the early learning stage in the present study, and the influence mechanism of virtual simulation game learning experience on students’ engagement and entrepreneurial skill development was explored, so as to close the gap in existing research. In the present study, 177 college students from Chinese universities were surveyed and the data were surveyed using AMOS 23.0 software. Although the empirical results show that students’ “goal and feedback” and “alternative” experience of game design did not have a significant positive impact on students’ engagement, there was a direct and significant effect the development of entrepreneurial skills. Students’ experience of teamwork and general self-efficacy could not only directly and significantly affect the development of entrepreneurial skills, but also indirectly affect the development of entrepreneurial skills through learning engagement. The research results are practically significant for teachers in the selection and development of virtual simulation games, can be effectively applied in teaching process management, and can improve students’ engagement and learning performance.

Highlights

In recent years, determining how to improve college students’ learning experience of entrepreneurship education and achieve better results of entrepreneurship learning has become a trending topic in the field of entrepreneurship education (Fayolle, 2013; Yang et al, 2021)
Since the focus of the virtual simulation game adopted in the present study was on the application of knowledge and improvement of analytical and decision-making ability, entrepreneurial skill development was measured as an indicator of learning results
Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the learning experience scale using SPSS 23.0 software

Summary

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, determining how to improve college students’ learning experience of entrepreneurship education and achieve better results of entrepreneurship learning has become a trending topic in the field of entrepreneurship education (Fayolle, 2013; Yang et al, 2021). Hernández-Lara et al (2019) surveyed 115 undergraduate and master’s students and found that, in business simulation game courses, students’ generic skills (such as teamwork, decision-making ability, information processing ability, entrepreneurial ability, and new technology application ability) could have a significant positive impact on learning outcomes. Since the focus of the virtual simulation game adopted in the present study was on the application of knowledge and improvement of analytical and decision-making ability, entrepreneurial skill development was measured as an indicator of learning results. Zulfiqar et al (2021) introduced business simulation into entrepreneurship courses and confirmed that such teaching method significantly increased student engagement, which in turn significantly improved entrepreneurial intentions and learning performance. The following hypotheses are proposed in the present study: H4: In the virtual simulation game course, student engagement has a significant positive impact on the development of entrepreneurial skills. All question types were measured by the 7-level Likert scale, with 1 meaning strongly disagree and 7 meaning strongly agree

RESULTS

Research Conclusion

Research Limitations and Prospects

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT