Game-based Learning Design Research Articles

An Exploratory Study on the Role of Generative AI in Designing Educational Board Games

The educational landscape is transforming due to new skill demands, fragmented attention spans, evolving communication patterns, and increased information access. Game-based learning (GBL) has emerged as a potential solution, fostering subject competency and broader skills. However, integrating games into education faces challenges for educators and schools. This study examines Generative AI's (GenAI) role in facilitating board game use in education, based on a case study in an Italian high school implementing a GenAI-enhanced board game for foreign language teaching. Two state-of-the-art GenAI technologies assisted in the whole GBL design process. Findings indicate GenAI can streamline board game integration through flexible rule adaptation, customized artifact production, and rapid content creation, reducing educator workload, as well as extend their capabilities with novel, creative solutions. Benefits are more pronounced when GenAI use is based on an overarching educational strategy. Study's findings have implications for educators and researchers seeking to effectively integrate GBL and GenAI in educational settings.

The Design of Game-based Learning for Elementary Mathematic Based on Learning Science Perspective

Mathematics was regarded as a fundamental subject and plays a critical role in students' cognitive development and future career prospects in STEM fields. However, due to the abstract nature of mathematics and the extensive practice required, students often find it monotonous and challenging. Thus, games have become an urgent need to stimulate students interest, maintain long-term engagement, and promote effective math learning. This study analyzes the types of math games and the features and effects of games for math learning, it was concluded that games for math classrooms should primarily consist of tabletop analog games that are simple and easy to integrate into learning segments. Long-time, exploratory digital games are not recommended for classrooms. For out-of-class math practice, context-based role-playing games are preferable to foster students' long-term motivation for training. Then this study proposes a design model that combines digital and analog games to promote math learning both in-class and outclass based on learning science, a case was designed to show the application of the model and development of game-based learning in mathematics education.

Motivation Elements in Game-Based Learning (GBL) for Tajweed Learning

Tajweed is a Quranic knowledge, and it is essential to provide a Quranic generation that is fluently and accurately reading the Quran. Unfortunately, previous studies depicted many students unable to read the Quran and indicated low achievement in Quranic subjects. Therefore, there is a need for efforts to create an interactive environment that can support the teaching and learning process, such as Game-Based Learning (GBL). GBL is a teaching aid that can be customized for teaching and learning and encourages students to be actively involved. Meanwhile, various factors are still being investigated in game design to ensure the success of GBL implementation, including motivational elements as an aspect of game design. Therefore, this study aims to identify the effect of GBL design on students' motivation in learning Tajweed. The game (i-Tajweed) deployed a Game Development Framework (GDF) and was tested using a quasi-experimental method on 120 students at primary schools by a purposive sampling method. The study used a set of questionnaires and a set of Tajweed Tests as the instruments for collecting data. The findings of the analysis revealed that the level of significance (0.000 < 0.05) value of the correlation coefficient (r) is 0.310. The result suggests that there is a significant correlation between student's achievement and motivation. Hence, the result proves that using GBL with motivational elements in the design can increase student motivation positively.

Developing a game design framework to embed student-centred learning

PurposeThis paper presents the student-centred experience (SCE) game design framework, which aims to guide the design of holistic student-centred digital game-based learning (SCDGBL) experiences, which fully integrate all seven tenets of student-centred learning (SCL). The paper also rationalises the need for the framework and presents the steps taken in its development.Design/methodology/approachInitially, the background areas of SCDGBL and digital game-based learning (DGBL) are examined, and the need for a framework in digital educational game design that has a focus on SCL is then established. The rigorous and systematic design thinking process through which the framework was developed is then stepped through. The completed framework is then presented, and each section is detailed to explain its utilisation within the process of digital game design.FindingsThe paper presents the completed student-centred experience (SCE) framework alongside a worked example of how it can be deployed in practice. Also included is guidance on the roles of the game designer and education practitioner at all stages of design, development and deployment and how they may contribute their experience during the game design process to create high-quality tools for learning.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the SCE framework presented is complete, it is presented as a first version and will benefit from wider deployment and testing.Originality/valueThis paper presents a new game design framework integrating existing knowledge on SCL and DGBL, which guides practitioners in the design of experiences that fully deliver the techniques of both areas.

THE IMPACT OF “PERISIK KECIL” A GAME-BASED LEARNING ON STUDENT’S SELF-EFFICACY TOWARDS SCIENCE LEARNING

Self-efficacy plays a crucial role in academic success and overall well-being. This study investigated the potential of game-based learning (GBL) to enhance self-efficacy in Form Four students from a secondary school in Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang. By gaining insight into students' self-efficacy profiles, educators can adapt their teaching strategies, provide targeted support and create a positive learning environment that promotes self- confidence and performance in science tasks. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and, Pearson’s correlation. Following a GBL activity, 59 students completed a general self-efficacy (GSE) survey. Descriptive analysis revealed an average GSE score (M = 3.10, SD = 0.65), indicating that students have average self-efficacy when trying to solve the game’s problems. Pearson’s correlation analysis identified significant positive correlations between items focussing on confidence in academic and non-academic tasks, suggesting a holistic strengthening of self-efficacy through GBL. This study lays the groundwork for further research exploring how specific GBL design elements impact different aspects of self-efficacy and contribute to long-term learning outcomes.

Mathematics Games Creation by Using Block-Based Programming (Scratch) to Enhance Students Learning Experiences

The use of information technology in making teaching materials by teachers can improve students' learning experiences. One of learning methods that can be adopted with technology integration is game-based learning design. The problem is that teachers generally lack the ability to utilize technology in learning process. Through this service activity, the team provides assistance to teachers at MTsN 5 and MTsN 6 Padang in designing interesting learning process using game-based learning design. This approach produces active involvement of students in the learning process while increasing students' creativity and understanding.

Integrasi Psikologi Pendidikan dan Analisis Kesalahan Bahasa dalam Peningkatan Kualitas Pembelajaran

This study aims to explore how the integration of educational psychology and error analysis in language can improve the quality of learning. Through a systematic literature review (SLR) approach, this research examines various relevant studies to identify effective methods for enhancing students' learning interest and reducing language errors. The results show that game-based learning design can increase students' learning interest by 330%, and the implementation of an independent curriculum has a positive impact on producing skilled and creative generations. The empowerment of pedagogical competence based on reflective capabilities and training in phenomenon-based learning methods have also proven effective in improving the quality of learning interactions. These findings emphasize the importance of teacher training in information technology and innovative teaching methodologies, as well as the development of information systems that support better educational administration. The integration of educational psychology and language error analysis not only improves student learning outcomes but also prepares them to compete globally. Further research is needed to optimize the use of technology and family environmental factors in supporting students' learning processes.

A scoping review of game-based learning for mathematics teacher education

We conducted a scoping review on game-based learning (GBL) for mathematics teacher education. In recent decades, GBL has been largely applied to K-12 education contexts. GBL has aimed to promote students’ deeper understanding of mathematics knowledge via game-based activities. With the evolving needs of GBL in mathematics education, recent research has increasingly raised the importance of mathematics teacher development specialised in GBL implementation. However, there is a lack of literature synthesis identifying how GBL has been taught and developed for mathematics teachers. Using both bibliometric and qualitative thematic analysis, we identified key characteristics of GBL design and implementations for various mathematics learning contexts in teacher education. Based on the study findings, we identified key trends and issues of GBL in mathematics teacher education. Also, we suggest theoretical and design implications of GBL for mathematics teacher education.

Game Based Learning Design and Development for Effective Instructional Process at Senior High School Level

Game Based Learning Design and Development for Effective Instructional Process at Senior High School Level

Ostrakinda: A Game-Based Learning Toolkit for Ancient Mediterranean Cities

The study develops the 'Ostrakinda' toolkit for teaching morphologies of ancient Mediterranean cities. The methodology consists of a triple structure involving design, play, and analysis phases. In the design phase, the level of interest and actual demands of students regarding game-based learning (GBL) and ancient cities were explored through pre-experiments. The play phase involved experimental studies conducted in courses and workshops, where both physical and digital toolkits were tested by a total of 331 students. The analysis phase aimed to evaluate the impact of the game by systematically addressing five research questions. The results of the paired t-test confirm a significant difference in scores before and after playing the game, thus validating the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. Additionally, Chi-square (X2) tests revealed significant relationships between the form of play and the level of abstraction in the game outputs. Individual and group experiences during gameplay were associated with various interactions, and group experiences particularly fostered competitive and collaborative learning. The extensive analysis using the GBL Design Scale, comprising ten critical factors (GBL-Fn), showed that the challenge factor (F8) had the weakest values, while fantasy (F5) and narrative (F6) had the highest values in the correlation matrix. Overall, the study contributes methodologically and contextually to the existing literature, offering valuable findings for the future development of similar strategies in architectural education. However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of this interdisciplinary study, particularly with regards to technical, cognitive, and archaeological aspects. Nevertheless, the clear and effective structure of the game holds promise as a valuable tool for learning.

Training Teachers to Design Game-Based Learning Activities: Evidence from a Pilot Project

Game-based learning (GBL) provides direct experience, reflection, and self-assessment opportunities. To support their knowledge and expertise on GBL, a group of Italian teachers volunteered in a four-month, free-access online training on GBL characteristics and GBL design to take games in school during the pandemic. Before the training, teachers had very high and generalized trust in relation to the potential of GBL, despite limited exposure. After the training, teachers developed more insightful opinions and expectations, strengthening their positive feeling of GBL. The study also analyzed teachers’ methodological choices and skills in implementing GBL activities in blended and digital learning environments. Teachers used games for different goals to promote student engagement and academic continuity in times of crisis, but also as a flexible and effective environment to promote active learning strategies in both face to face and distance education.

The design of game-based learning and learning analytics

Game-based learning has received increasing attention in recent years as it could help improve pupils’ motivation, self-efficacy, and achievement. Technological innovations like learning analytics (LA) and GBL offer pedagogical support for teachers. GBL could significantly support pupils’ learning as a learning approach compared to conventional approaches. Therefore, there is a need to elevate “ teachers’ level of knowledge on the impact of GBL. In the meantime, LA could be used to collect, analyze, and report data on the impact of GBL on pupils’ learning performance. In this light, GBL applications have been developed to facilitate the use of LA for teaching and learning. This paper describes the design of GBL with LA integration for teaching mathematics in primary schools. It documents the construction of the GBL and AL app, which is grounded on the Dick, Carey, and Carey Model and the theory of constructivism. In addition, the cognitive load theory was applied to ensure that the application accommodates pupils’ cognitive load. This study also validated the design of the GBL, and it was found to be relevant and engaging.
 
 Keywords: Game-based learning, mathematics, analytics, technology, education

Impact Study of the Learning Effects and Motivation of Competitive Modes in Gamified Learning

At a time when game-based learning has become a research hotspot, this study focused on the competition mechanism in gamified learning, aiming to explore the impact of different competition modes on students’ vocabulary learning effect and learning motivation. A group of 79 sixth grade students from China were randomly assigned to a non-competitive class, an individual competition class, and an inter-group competition class. The experiment was conducted in an English vocabulary course, and the game competition was carried out using the Quizlet Live game platform. The results indicated that: (1) the vocabulary learning effect and motivation of students in the competitive classes (individual competition and inter-group competition) were better than those in the non-competitive class; (2) the learning effect of students in the inter-group competitive class outperformed that of the individual competitive class, but there was no significant difference in learning motivation. Through the qualitative analysis of the students’ interviews, it was found that the results of inter-group competition may be related to the student’s perception of learning and emotional support. The findings of this study can provide relevant support for the subsequent game-based learning design.

Engaging Elementary School Children in Mindful Learning Through Story-Based Creativity Games Facilitates Their Growth Mindset

A growth creativity mindset is critical to the learning of creativity which is regarded as an important future skill. To cultivate such a positive belief and to understand what mechanisms may help improve growth mindset among children, we developed a story- and game-based learning system for creativity training, through which a five-class experimental instruction was conducted. Specifically, we aimed to examine the learning effect of growth creativity mindset and the relationship between mindful learning, mastery experience, and growth creativity mindsets in the context of game-based learning. Participants were 118 5th and 6th graders selected from six elementary schools in Taiwan. Led by a story called “Treasure Hunt,” which takes place across seven countries, the participants were scaffolded through interdisciplinary learning covering geography and creativity. The concerned variables were measured by 6-point Likert-type scales. Results of repeated measure analysis of variance revealed that the students’ perceived growth-external control mindset, but not the growth-internal control mindset, was significantly enhanced after the game-based learning. Moreover, a path model analysis indicated that mastery experience acts as a mediator between mindful learning and growth creativity mindset (especially the growth-internal control mindset). The results suggest that game-based learning in the context of a story helps in engaging students in mindful learning, achieving mastery experience, and strengthening a growth creativity mindset. This study also demonstrates the possibility of interdisciplinary design in game-based learning. The success of intervention and the theoretical framework proposed in the study provide insights to creativity education and the design of game-based learning.

Identifying Player Types to Tailor Game-Based Learning Design to Learners: Cross-sectional Survey using Q Methodology.

BackgroundGame-based learning appears to be a promising instructional method because of its engaging properties and positive effects on motivation and learning. There are numerous options to design game-based learning; however, there is little data-informed knowledge to guide the choice of the most effective game-based learning design for a given educational context. The effectiveness of game-based learning appears to be dependent on the degree to which players like the game. Hence, individual differences in game preferences should be taken into account when selecting a specific game-based learning design.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify patterns in students’ perceptions of play and games—player types and their most important characteristics.MethodsWe used Q methodology to identify patterns in opinions on game preferences. We recruited undergraduate medical and dental students to participate in our study and asked participants to sort and rank 49 statements on game preferences. These statements were derived from a prior focus group study and literature on game preferences. We used by-person factor analysis and varimax rotation to identify common viewpoints. Both factors and participants’ comments were used to interpret and describe patterns in game preferences.ResultsFrom participants’ (n=102) responses, we identified 5 distinct patterns in game preferences: the social achiever, the explorer, the socializer, the competitor, and the troll. These patterns revolved around 2 salient themes: sociability and achievement. The 5 patterns differed regarding cheating, playing alone, story-telling, and the complexity of winning.ConclusionsThe patterns were clearly interpretable, distinct, and showed that medical and dental students ranged widely in how they perceive play. Such patterns may suggest that it is important to take students’ game preferences into account when designing game-based learning and demonstrate that not every game-based learning-strategy fits all students. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to use a scientifically sound approach to identify player types. This can help future researchers and educators select effective game-based learning game elements purposefully and in a student-centered way.

Development of a Virtual Ecological Environment for Learning the Taipei Tree Frog

The learning objectives of environmental education emphasize investigation in real life to enhance students’ skills and experiences in solving practical problems. This study used the virtual reality (VR) technology to develop a virtual ecological environment for learning about the Taipei tree frog, supported by situated learning and game-based learning design to enhance students’ learning interest and motivation. Users can wear the head-mounted display (HMD) to explore the virtual environment for learning the Taipei tree frog’s ecological behavior, such as foraging and mating as well as its habitats and predators. A teaching experiment was conducted to investigate students’ learning effectiveness and the senses of presence and anxiety after using the virtual ecological environment. The experimental group (wearing the HMD) contained 40 students, the control group (using the desktop VR) contained 40 students, and both groups were used as samples to learn about the Taipei tree frog. The results indicated that using HMD VR and desktop VR could both enhance learning achievements, but the learning effectiveness of the former was significantly higher than that of the latter. The levels of anxiety for both groups were about the same, but the level of presence for the experimental group was higher than that of the control group because the HMD VR provided a more immersive experience than the desktop VR. The virtual ecological environment can save the time and effort of travelling to the natural habitat for observing the Taipei tree frog, and the design of role-playing game (RPG) can enhance learners’ interest and motivation. Therefore, it is a useful tool for promoting environmental education.

A blended design of game-based learning for motivation, knowledge sharing and critical thinking enhancement

ABSTRACT This study proposed a game-based instruction approach by using bingo games and a mobile application to investigate its effects on motivation, knowledge sharing and critical thinking ability during the learning of information management. The participants were 86 undergraduate students who participated in an 18-week experimental instruction of information management in which bingo games and Socrative were employed. Both the qualitative and quantitative data were analysed. The results showed that while the bingo games may carry more effects on enhancing learning motivation, Socrative may lead to more knowledge sharing and critical thinking. In addition, both instructional methods had positive influences on learning outcomes through different mechanisms and shared mechanisms. The shared mechanisms included focused attention, brainstorming, active participation, interaction and logical thinking. Notably, there were interactions among motivation, knowledge sharing and critical thinking; moreover, the blended approach, which integrated the bingo games and Socrative, improved the participants’ critical thinking ability.

Assistive HCI-Serious Games Co-design Insights: The Case Study of i-PROGNOSIS Personalized Game Suite for Parkinson’s Disease

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and games set a new domain in understanding people’s motivations in gaming, behavioral implications of game play, game adaptation to player preferences and needs for increased engaging experiences in the context of HCI serious games (HCI-SGs). When the latter relate with people’s health status, they can become a part of their daily life as assistive health status monitoring/enhancement systems. Co-designing HCI-SGs can be seen as a combination of art and science that involves a meticulous collaborative process. The design elements in assistive HCI-SGs for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients, in particular, are explored in the present work. Within this context, the Game-Based Learning (GBL) design framework is adopted here and its main game-design parameters are explored for the Exergames, Dietarygames, Emotional games, Handwriting games, and Voice games design, drawn from the PD-related i-PROGNOSIS Personalized Game Suite (PGS) (www.i-prognosis.eu) holistic approach. Two main data sources were involved in the study. In particular, the first one includes qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, involving 10 PD patients and four clinicians in the co-creation process of the game design, whereas the second one relates with data from an online questionnaire addressed by 104 participants spanning the whole related spectrum, i.e., PD patients, physicians, software/game developers. Linear regression analysis was employed to identify an adapted GBL framework with the most significant game-design parameters, which efficiently predict the transferability of the PGS beneficial effect to real-life, addressing functional PD symptoms. The findings of this work can assist HCI-SG designers for designing PD-related HCI-SGs, as the most significant game-design factors were identified, in terms of adding value to the role of HCI-SGs in increasing PD patients’ quality of life, optimizing the interaction with personalized HCI-SGs and, hence, fostering a collaborative human-computer symbiosis.

Transforming a Theoretical Framework to Design Cards: LEAGUE Ideation Toolkit for Game-Based Learning Design

Educational game design is a complex process demanding multi-dimensional focus in a heterogeneous team to balance multiple aspects. The existing Game-based learning (GBL) frameworks detail the required knowledge but are hard to use in design practice. Conversely, card-based design tools are a lightweight approach used to assist the early design phase. While several game design cards exist, none is specific for informing GBL knowledge. There is a lack of operationalizable approaches for designing learning games that integrate research based GBL knowledge into the actual ideation process. This paper presents a card-based GBL ideation toolkit to reduce the complexity of framework application and introduction of key GBL concepts in the design process as a tangible reference point to facilitate multi-dimensional focus, supporting idea generation, critical reflection, and creation of a shared understanding in the collaborative design process. The paper describes a ten-step process of transforming the LEAGUE framework into the LEAGUE toolkit (GBL ideation cards), an evaluation of the toolkit with design workshop participants, and design lessons detailing strengths and limitations to support GBL design practices.

국내 게임기반학습과 교육 게이미피케이션 설계연구에 대한 체계적 문헌분석

국내 게임기반학습과 교육 게이미피케이션 설계연구에 대한 체계적 문헌분석