Digital Game-based Learning Environment Research Articles

Developing students’ self-regulated learning strategies to facilitate vocabulary development in a digital game-based learning environment

This study investigated how a digital game-based learning (DGBL) environment affected low- (LP) and high-proficiency (HP) primary school students’ self-regulated learning strategies and vocabulary development. Data were collected from 62 sixth graders (20 LP and 20 HP students) who learned English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The statistics suggested DGBL benefited both LP and HP students’ self-regulated learning strategies and vocabulary development. DGBL encouraged LP students to develop cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management aspects of self-regulated learning strategies. With self-regulated learning strategies, LP students could benefit more from DGBL than HP students did in vocabulary development, reducing the gaps between LP and HP students. The prediction of the simple regression analysis also showed self-regulated learning strategies in DGBL contributed to students’ progress in vocabulary learning.

Assessing Game Design Experience: Insights from Educators in Design Studio Environments

Although video games, one of the most popular tools of new media, have become an important focus of playing and informal learning, their lack of active use in education is an important phenomenon to be considered. Though researchers have focused on the potential benefits of using games in education and integrating them into curricula, this transition has yet to be effectively implemented. Especially why educators do not use games effectively and make them a part of education is an important situation that needs to be emphasized. Certain problems are mentioned in the literature about the reasons for this situation. The reasons that come to the forefront are that educators have doubts about the benefits of including games in the curriculum, educators do not have enough experience in games and game-based education, and the idea that efforts to include games in the curriculum will not yield the desired results. Well-designed digital games or digital game-based learning environments gain a more powerful and potential structure in terms of education as they offer positioned learning experiences with transferable information and instant feedback, unlike the structure of traditional education that focuses on knowledge rather than doing. In order to see the perspectives of educators and to understand how to create a common framework, this study has identified focusing on the game design experience and educators' approaches and perceptions towards digital game-based learning environments as a research problem. The fact that most of the research in the literature is on student experience supports the approach of the study.

Exploring students’ learning support use in digital game-based math learning: A mixed-methods approach using machine learning and multi-cases study

Digital game-based math learning environments (math DGBLE) are promising platforms that provide students with opportunities to master conceptual understanding and cultivate mathematical thinking, on which the contemporary mathematics education places an emphasis. Literature on learning support in digital game-based learning (DGBL) rarely investigate learners' support-use behaviors and interaction patterns in relation to math learning. We addressed this research gap in this exploratory mixed-methods study. We designed and developed a packet of learning supports (i.e., Task Planner and Math Story) in a math DGBLE. Task Planner is designed to assist learners' systematic and planned efforts for math problem solving whereas Math Story features historical stories and real-life applications of math concepts. With the data collected via mixed-methods approach, we extracted six clusters of learning-support-use behaviors via unsupervised machine learning technique (i.e., Gaussian Mixture Model), including 1) skills development and application of mathematical problem decomposition, 2) conceptual knowledge development, 3) metacognitive mathematical connections, 4) metacognitive regulation, 5) information selection using cognitive aids, and 6) sustained motivation for necessary aversive practices. Qualitative multi-cases study revealed nuanced details regarding learners’ interactions with the learning supports in DGBLE. Results showed that the designed in-game learning supports facilitated individual meaningful and mindful math problem-solving experiences. The findings suggested that a mixed-methods research design integrating machine learning with multi-cases study could act as a tool for learner behavior and interaction pattern research that informs the design of adaptive and effective DGBL.

Raising student motivation and interest in football through rich media platforms: the experience of China

ABSTRACT Under the current information technology development and social interaction digitalization, China shows an increasing interest in the possibilities of digital solutions improving the effectiveness of pedagogical processes when forming and developing sports competencies and skills in football players. The present article is devoted to the study of the influence of a digital game-based learning environment on the development of young football players’ tactical thinking skills, football interest, and motivation to play it. The study offers an innovative football training model based upon the synergy of virtual (eFootball PES 2021 and SkillShare platforms) and real experiences. Testing of the developed model was carried out on the example of young football players (10–12 years) studying at the X sports school. The conducted educational experiment revealed the benefits of introducing game simulation in football training. The experiment results showed that game simulation and group participation in virtual football matches in eFootball PES 2021 helped master basic football techniques, facilitated the acquisition of competitive experience, fostered a culture of teamwork and camaraderie, and contributed to the rise of conscientiousness and self-discipline.

Patterns of Using Multimodal External Representations in Digital Game-Based Learning

Although prior research has highlighted the significance of representations for mathematical learning, there is still a lack of research on how students use multimodal external representations (MERs) to solve mathematical tasks in digital game-based learning (DGBL) environments. This exploratory study was to examine the salient patterns problem solvers demonstrated using MERs when they engaged in a single-player, three-dimensional architecture game that requires the acquisition and application of math knowledge and thinking in game-based context problem solving. We recorded and systematically coded the behaviors of using MERs demonstrated by 20 university students during 1.5 hours of gameplay. We conducted both cluster and sequential analyses with a total of 2654 encoded behaviors. The study indicated that the maneuverable visual-spatial representation was most frequently used in the selected architecture game. All of the participants performed a high level of representational transformations, including both treatment and conversion transformations. However, compared to the students in the second cluster who were mostly non-game players, students in the first cluster (composed of mainly experienced video game players) displayed a higher frequency of interacting with various MERs and a more cautious and optimized reflective problem-solving process.

The effects of digital game-based learning on children’s Chinese language learning, attention and self-efficacy

ABSTRACT This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of digital game-based learning (DGBL) on elementary-school students’ Chinese language learning, self-efficacy and attention. In total, 126 fourth-graders participated in the study for 6 weeks. Two digital games with different mechanisms (completion-contingent and performance-contingent rewards) that integrated content from the fourth-grade Chinese language-arts curriculum were developed. Data on attention were collected from wearable electroencephalographic sensors while participants played the games. Students’ playing behaviours were coded into five patterns. Students in the DGBL groups outperformed those in the control group in Chinese language-arts learning. Different game mechanisms had significant positive effects on children’s attention and self-efficacy. The performance-contingent reward game significantly enhanced students’ attention, and the completion-contingent reward game significantly enhanced their emotions and confidence in the Chinese language arts. The performance of more leaning behaviours in the DGBL environment was associated with higher Chinese language-arts achievement scores, especially among players with high levels of attention and self-efficacy during game play. These findings support the effectiveness of DGBL in enhancing students’ Chinese language learning.

Yükseköğretimde Dijital Oyun Tabanlı Öğrenme Ortamından Yansımaların İncelenmesi

With this research, it is aimed to reveal the reflections of the digital game-based learning environment. The study group of the research consists of 28 mathematics teacher candidates studying at a state university. In the research conducted within the scope of the case study, the data were collected through worksheets used in the process of playing digital games, the opinion form for the games and observations. The research constitutes the 3 week part of the Teaching Mathematics by Game course, which is conducted for 14 weeks, 2 hours theoretical per week. In the designed learning environment, digital games were introduced to pre-service teachers, they were asked to play the games, take notes regarding the game during the game play, and reveal the mathematical results behind the games. After the game activities, teacher candidates were asked to evaluate the games. The data obtained were evaluated qualitatively and the thinking styles of the teacher candidates in the process of playing games and their views on games were presented with direct quotes and screenshots. The findings of the research revealed that the designed learning environment offers prospective teachers unique opportunities to think about mathematically strong contexts and to experience different methods of teaching and learning mathematics. The learning environment provided opportunities for teacher candidates to get to know, play, and understand and evaluate the mathematics behind the games, as well as discuss, think and collaborate in a meaningful context. In the study, it was concluded that educational digital games can become a powerful tool and an effective learning environment for learners, and prospective teachers need a radical approach that makes mathematics teaching interesting.

Improving rational number knowledge using the NanoRoboMath digital game

Rational number knowledge is a crucial feature of primary school mathematics that predicts students’ later mathematics achievement. Many students struggle with the transition from natural number to rational number reasoning, so novel pedagogical approaches to support the development of rational number knowledge are valuable to mathematics educators worldwide. Digital game-based learning environments may support a wide range of mathematics skills. NanoRoboMath, a digital game-based learning environment, was developed to enhance students’ conceptual and adaptive rational number knowledge. In this paper, we tested the effectiveness of a preliminary version of the game with fifth and sixth grade primary school students (N = 195) using a quasi-experimental design. A small positive effect of playing the NanoRoboMath game on students’ rational number conceptual knowledge was observed. Students’ overall game performance was related to learning outcomes concerning their adaptive rational number knowledge and understanding of rational number representations and operations.

Accelerating Early Math Learning with Research-Based Personalized Learning Games: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

This study examines whether My Math Academy, a digital game-based learning environment that provides personalized content and adaptive embedded assessments, can improve math knowledge of Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten students. A cluster randomized study was conducted with 20 classrooms, 10 of which were randomly assigned to use My Math Academy for 12–14 weeks. Results of hierarchical linear models indicated that after using the app for about 5 hours, treatment students significantly outperformed the control group in math knowledge and skills as measured by TEMA-3. My Math Academy produced the greatest learning gains in students who began with a moderate level of math knowledge and on the most difficult skills assessed. Additionally, the more games students played, the greater the learning gains they experienced. Teacher surveys revealed that My Math Academy produced positive impacts on students’ interest and self-confidence in learning math. Teachers also recognized My Math Academy as a user-friendly, valuable learning resource that they will continue to use. The study results will inform ongoing development of My Math Academy, including tools to enable teachers to help children with low levels of prior math knowledge.

Supporting Acquisition of Spelling Skills in Different Orthographies Using an Empirically Validated Digital Learning Environment.

This paper discusses how the association learning principle works for supporting acquisition of basic spelling and reading skills using digital game-based learning environment with the Finland-based GraphoLearn (GL) technology. This program has been designed and validated to work with early readers of different alphabetic writing systems using repetition and reinforcing connections between spoken and written units. Initially GL was developed and found effective in training children at risk of reading disorders in Finland. Today GL training has been shown to support learning decoding skills among children independent of whether they face difficulties resulting from educational, social, or biological reasons.

Sixth-grade students’ experiences of a digital game-based learning environment: A didactic analysis

Students' conceptual understanding and mathematical process skills can be improved through digital games in mathematics education. The starting point of this study is the idea of having students encounter this kind of environment. The study didactically describes the process of 6th-grade students’ experiences of a digital game-based learning environment. A combination of the Theory of Didactical Situations (TDS) and Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) was used in the design of the digital game. The research focused on knowledge-based interactions (teacher-student-game) during the implementation of the game called Race with Numbers, designed in line with this synthesis. The case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. Research participants consist of 16 middle secondary school students studying in the 6th grade in a public school. The research data were collected with a video camera and two voice recorders. The research application lasted 75 minutes. The data analysis related to the application was carried out by describing the interaction between the students and the game at stages of TDS. The study findings indicated that TDS has significant potential in designing DGBL environments. However, strong evidence is presented that such environments enable students to realize their own learning and encourage them to use mathematical process skills (such as problem-solving, reasoning, proving, and transfer). Finally, the study highlights the importance of the digital game-based learning approach in mathematics teaching for students.

Principles and Best Practices of Designing Digital Game-Based Learning Environments

Playing games holds an important role in learning and development. While designing and using digital game-based learning (DGML) environments becomes more appealing to educators, there is a disconnect between the goals that educators try to achieve and the design strategies they utilize to achieve their goals. The inclusion of game elements alone is insufficient to improve students’ learning, and it does not solve educational problems that DGBL environments are aimed to solve. The current state of research on the design of DGBL environments calls for an updated review of the best practices in recent years for developing DGBL environments, which prompted this literature review. It draws from successful examples of educators implementing learning games in classes, and it highlights five key principles that facilitate the effectiveness of DGBL: (1) interactivity, (2) immersiveness, (3) adaptive problem solving, (4) feedback, and (5) freedom of exploration. Practical examples are used to illustrate the effective implementation of these principles in DGBL environments and to underscore the significance of each component.

A mobile game-based learning system with personalised conceptual level and mastery learning approach to promoting students' learning perceptions and achievements

Mobile learning game has been widely used for encouraging students whenever and wherever. However, several studies have indicated that without properly incorporating students' personalised characteristic and learning assistance mechanism into the digital game-based learning environment might fail to motivate students learning and to help them acquire knowledge. To address this issue, this study proposes an integrated learning diagnosis and mastery learning mechanism to generate appropriate gaming stage according to the conceptual levels of an individual student in a pre-test and monitor learning during the gaming process. A mobile game-based learning system was developed on the general science course in four Thai elementary schools with 282 students to evaluate its effectiveness. The experimental results showed that the students achieved the concepts of force and motion through the proposed approach. The findings also highlight relationships between the proposed game and the conventional game in terms of students' achievement clusters, performance, and perceptions.

A mobile game-based learning system with personalised conceptual level and mastery learning approach to promoting students' learning perceptions and achievements

Mobile learning game has been widely used for encouraging students whenever and wherever. However, several studies have indicated that without properly incorporating students' personalised characteristic and learning assistance mechanism into the digital game-based learning environment might fail to motivate students learning and to help them acquire knowledge. To address this issue, this study proposes an integrated learning diagnosis and mastery learning mechanism to generate appropriate gaming stage according to the conceptual levels of an individual student in a pre-test and monitor learning during the gaming process. A mobile game-based learning system was developed on the general science course in four Thai elementary schools with 282 students to evaluate its effectiveness. The experimental results showed that the students achieved the concepts of force and motion through the proposed approach. The findings also highlight relationships between the proposed game and the conventional game in terms of students' achievement clusters, performance, and perceptions.

Utilizing Cognitive Load Theory and Evidence-Centered Design to Inform the Design of Game-Based Learning Environments

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) environments are increasingly utilized to facilitate classroom instruction. For the game in our study, a formative stealth assessment tool, in the form of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is guided by evidence-centered assessment design (ECD). Cognitive Load Theory and ECD are utilized as diagnostic tools to analyze upsurges in hints delivered by the ITS and inform game design revisions that will promote improved learner support and learning outcomes.

Effectiveness of digital games in producing environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviors: A mixed methods study

Awareness of environmental sustainability issues alone is not enough. Environmental Sustainability Education (ESE) should produce changes in attitude and encourage lifelong behaviors. However, behavioral changes are curtailed by constraints and negative perceptions, necessitating the use of persuasive pedagogical tools in ESE. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) environments can provide cognitive knowledge, besides emotionally engaging learners by letting them test new behaviors and seeing the consequences instantly. This study examined the effectiveness of DGBL in producing attitudinal and behavioral changes regarding environmental sustainability and about learning experiences from a game, through a mixed methods study. One group of undergraduate students in an educational technology course played EnerCities, an ESE game. Another group played a Science game that was not connected to ESE. The Attitudinal Learning Instrument was administered to collect quantitative data pertaining to attitudinal and behavioral learning after one week and after five weeks of game play. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to develop a model to measure learning. PLS-SEM helps analyze relationships simultaneously in complex models. Quantitative data analysis using PLS-SEM showed that EnerCities was effective in producing attitudinal and behavioral changes that were retained until one week of game play. Thematic analysis of qualitative data, collected through interviews after five weeks of game play, helped interpret why and how attitudinal changes were produced by the game. This provided insights into what game features facilitated cognitive, affective, behavioral and social learning and learning retention, that could be used in future game design. Future research could apply the measurement model to measure long-term retention of attitudinal and behavioral learning using games and other interventions on socio-scientific topics.

The Potential of Rich Digital Game-Based Learning Environments to Promote Low-Achieving Students' Participation in Mathematics

This study focuses on the interactions between students, their peers, their teacher, and digital game-based multiple supports provided by a rich learning environment designed in order to promote meaningful mathematics among low-achieving students. Attempting to identify which aspects of the setting facilitated meaningful learning and which were ineffectual or even detrimental to it, the authors traced the knowledge building processes of 11 fifth grade LAS over eight weeks in which they studied subtraction of decimal numbers. Pre- and post-program data were also collected through diagnostic interviews. Microanalysis of lesson transcripts, videotaped computer activities, and individual worksheets revealed differences in tool-use and in interactions among supports, which led to different learning results. The results suggest that digital game-based learning environments may be a key to promote meaningful learning in terms of mathematical strategy building. At the same time, it highlights the complexity of each tool in the environment as well as interactions among tools.

Effects of a formative assessment-based contextual gaming approach on students’ digital citizenship behaviours, learning motivations, and perceptions

Several previous studies have indicated that secondary school students face problems in digital situations. Digital citizenship is therefore an essential conception for fostering students' correct behaviour and safe daily life habits while using computer and communication technologies. However, scholars have indicated the challenges of promoting students' digital citizenship owing to the lack of opportunities to situate them in decision-making situations. The advancement of computer and multimedia technologies has encouraged an increasing number of studies on digital game-based learning, which provides students with opportunities to experience various situations, and to cope with problems encountered in daily life. Several previous studies have indicated that digital game-based learning environments with proper learning strategies might help students realize the importance and meaning of digital citizenship. To address this issue, this study proposes a formative assessment-based contextual gaming approach to guide students to make decisions and to monitor their learning during the gaming process. A digital game-based learning environment was developed based on this approach, and a quasi-experiment on the digital citizenship topic was conducted in northern Thailand to evaluate its effectiveness. The experimental results show that the proposed approach not only enhanced the students’ digital citizenship behaviours, but also promoted their motivations and perceptions.

Higher Sustainability of Mental Models Acquired from a Digital Game in Comparison with a Live Action Role-playing Game and a Traditional Lecture

This article analyses the effectivity of teaching EU law using various educational media. It specifically explores the differences between, and sustainability of, mental models constructed within three various educational environments: (1) a digital game played on PCs, (2) a non-digital role-playing game, and (3) a traditional lecture with discussions. We conducted a laboratory experiment, in which participants (253 high school students, M = 112, F = 141, mean age 16.5) studied EU laws, institutions, and politics in the three above-mentioned environments. We evaluated and compared mental models participants constructed through content analysis of the concept maps they drew immediately after the experiment and others made one month later. Within the analysis, we studied content, architecture, and changes in mental models over time. The resulting data offer unique insight into the process of mental models creation and sustainability thereof within game-based learning; particularly, when using a digital game. Digital game-based learners’ concept maps differed in comparison with those of the educational role-playing and traditional lecture groups; the students tended to keep less altered mental models in their long-term memory: even after the one month period. The results suggest that a digital game-based learning environment could be more successful in mental model retention and for efficacy of future recall; particularly, when dealing with complex phenomena like EU law.

An in-depth analysis of the interaction transitions in a collaborative Augmented Reality-based mathematic game

ABSTRACTCollaborative learning has long been proved to be a crucial agent for enhancing students’ social skills, problem-solving abilities and individual learning performance. Understanding how students move from one phase to another in their collaboration process can inform educators of how best to facilitate such learning. However, this is still an area needing more vigorous research. This study explores the process of students’ co-construction of knowledge in a digital game-based learning environment using a sequential analysis approach, with the aim to identify the significant features of students’ interactional transitions that would potentially lead to better learning. To achieve this aim, we designed a collaborative learning environment in which 24 sixth graders worked in 6 groups to compete in an Augmented Reality-based mathematic game that we designed. The results from the analysis of their interaction show that phases of interaction in a digital game-based learning environment transited differently in many ways from those in online text-based forums, and that task types, modalities, participant characteristics and learning goals all played a crucial role in determining how learners co-constructed knowledge.