Digital Game-based Learning Research Articles

Sustainable Mathematics Learning Using Digital Game-Based Learning: The Impact on Student’s Self-efficacy and Mathematics Achievement

The digital game-based learning (GBL) had potential to improve the quality of the Mathematics teaching and learning process. Previous studies have shown that GBL has many advantages in education to solve the challenges in learning Mathematics due to the difficulty and often tedious nature of the subject. However, few focuses on the mechanisms behind promoting inquiry motivation, such as the effect of GBL on learners’ self-efficacy and mathematics achievement. This study developed Mathematics digital game-based learning application based on the constructivism theory. A quasi-experimental study method was used, and 64 primary school students aged 9 were randomly assigned to experimental and control group. After a 10-week intervention, it was found that digital GBL application helps to increase students’ self-efficacy and Mathematics achievement. The findings of the study show that digital GBL application has succeeded in improving students' self-efficacy and the achievement of mathematics. Further research and practice must be consider about students motivation to increase students self-efficasy and Mathematics achievement.

Improving Pediatric/Neonatology Residents' Newborn Resuscitation Skills With a Digital Serious Game: DIANA.

BackgroundSerious games, and especially digital game based learning (DGBL) methodologies, have the potential to strengthen classic learning methodology in all medical procedures characterized by a flowchart (e.g., neonatal resuscitation algorithm). However, few studies have compared short- and long-term knowledge retention in DGBL methodologies with a control group undergoing specialist training led by experienced operators. In particular, resident doctors' learning still has limited representation in simulation-based education literature.ObjectiveA serious computer game DIANA (DIgital Application in Newborn Assessment) was developed, according to newborn resuscitation algorithm, to train pediatric/neonatology residents in neonatal resuscitation algorithm knowledge and implementation (from procedure knowledge to ventilation/chest compressions rate). We analyzed user learning curves after each session and compared knowledge retention against a classic theoretical teaching session.MethodsPediatric/neonatology residents of the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana (AOUP) were invited to take part in the study and were split into a game group or a control group; both groups were homogeneous in terms of previous training and baseline scores. The control group attended a classic 80 min teaching session with a neonatal trainer, while game group participants played four 20 min sessions over four different days. Three written tests (pre/immediately post-training and at 28 days) were used to evaluate and compare the two groups' performances.ResultsForty-eight pediatric/neonatology residents participated in the study. While classic training by a neonatal trainer demonstrated an excellent effectiveness in short/long-term knowledge retention, DGBL methodology proved to be equivalent or better. Furthermore, after each game session, DGBL score improved for both procedure knowledge and ventilation/chest compressions rate.ConclusionsIn this study, DGBL was as effective as classic specialist training for neonatal resuscitation in terms of both algorithm memorization and knowledge retention. User appreciation for the methodology and ease of administration, including remotely, support the use of DGBL methodologies for pediatric/neonatology residents education.

Foreign Language Tandem Learning in Social VR

Abstract Hololingo! is a social virtual reality app for real-time immersive distance learning of German as a Foreign Language (GFL). The acquisition of discoursive oral language skills for applied authentic contexts is challenging for group-based classroom settings and is often outsourced to autonomous analogue tandem learning. We operationalise a Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) approach for distance learning, which relieves tandems from overstraining autonomy and self-guidance. Hololingo! supports tandems in their learning activities by providing entertaining communicative, collaborative, and didactically designed team tasks. These are embedded in a narrative adventure, target linguistic phenomena, and support the holistic acquisition of oral discourse competencies and fluency. The combination of the tandem principle, immersive Social VR gamification, barrier-free access to a global pool of expert/native speakers, and a curricular connection through task selection facilitates language learning and provides transcultural contacts. App development follows a Design-Based-Research cycle of conception, implementation, and evaluation. The results of a qualitative discourse analysis of the learning interaction are discussed with regard to tandem role behaviour, the relation between task design and communication as well as affective and creative behaviour.

The Psychology of Rewards in Digital Game-Based Learning: A Comprehensive Review

A significantly accelerated speed in the growth and acceptance of new technology has been observed in recent decades. This rapid technological transition has affected almost every economy, environment, culture, and education. The rapid technological evolution has led to the frequent use of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL), where users learn and play simultaneously. DGBL has been implemented to supplement formal classroom lessons. Despite the extensive use of DGBL and other implementation methodologies, no study has yet synthesised the use of the "reward system" and its associated components. This study reviewed over fifty scientific publications on the forms of rewards in DGBL and their effects on learners, published between 2000 and 2021.

Evaluation of math anxiety and its remediation through a digital training program in mathematics for first and second graders

IntroductionMath anxiety severely impacts individuals’ learning and future success. However, limited is understood about the profile in East Asian cultures where students genuinely show high‐level math anxiety, despite that they outperform their Western counterparts. Here, we investigate the relation between math anxiety and math achievement in children as young as first and second graders in Taiwan. Further, we evaluate whether intensive exposure to digital game‐based learning in mathematics could ameliorate math anxiety.MethodsThe study first evaluated a group of 159 first and second graders’ math anxiety and its correlation with math performance. Subsequently, a quasi‐experimental design was adopted: 77 of the children continued and participated in multi‐component digital game training targeting enumeration, speeded calculation, and working memory. Post‐assessment was administered afterward for further evaluation of training‐associated effects.ResultsResults confirmed that math anxiety was negatively associated with school math achievement, which assessed numerical knowledge and arithmetic calculation. Furthermore, children's math anxiety was remarkably reduced via digital training in mathematics after 6‐week intensive remediation. Crucially, this math anxiety relief was more prominent in those with high‐level math anxiety. Although the children who underwent the training showed training‐induced math achievement and working memory enhancement, this cognitive improvement appeared to be independent of the math anxiety relief.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that students can show highly negative emotions and perceptions toward learning even in high‐achieving countries. Auspiciously, the feeling of distress toward learning has the feasibility to be relieved from short‐term intensive training. Our study suggests a new approach of early treatments to emotional disturbance that can lead to permanent consequences in individuals.

Attitude of Prospective Teachers towards Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL)

Attitude of Prospective Teachers towards Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL)

Impact of gender and prior knowledge on learning performance and motivation in a digital game-based learning biology course

Impact of gender and prior knowledge on learning performance and motivation in a digital game-based learning biology course

Experiential serious-game design for development of knowledge of object-oriented programming and computational thinking skills

ABSTRACT Background and Context Though still a nascent area of research, serious games have been presented as means of engaging students in computer programming and computational thinking due to their immersive and interactive nature. Existing research is limited in its ability to provide systems based on sound instructional design models, and only a few studies validate their design with statistical support. Objective This study investigated the effects of a game which is based on experiential learning theory under framework of the four-component instructional design model on undergraduate students’ learning performance in conceptual knowledge of object-oriented programming and computational thinking skills. Method A pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental design was used to study the effects of the experiential serious games on conceptual knowledge of OOP and CT skills of 61 non-engineering students with and without prior programming knowledge. Findings The statistical analyses reveal that students with and without programming experience significantly improved their understanding of fundamental concepts of OOP. There were only weak correlations among students’ creative problem solving, attitudes towards digital game-based learning of programming, and learning. Implications We provide several recommendations for researchers and practitioners for designing and developing an effective serious game to teach novice programmers computer programming.

Churn prediction in digital game-based learning using data mining techniques: Logistic regression, decision tree, and random forest

Educational Technology (EdTech) is an industry that integrates education and technology advances. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is one of the narrowed-down categories of EdTech. One of the common issues in the EdTech market is the higher churn rate. However, because the DGBL market is still in the early stage, few studies related to marketing perspectives exist. Besides, the approach in education or online gaming industries can be only partially applicable to DGBL. A popular approach for addressing a higher churn rate is churn prediction. By using a dataset from a Japanese company providing DGBL services, this work proposes an approach for the combination of defining churn and churn prediction for DGBL. This work has three objectives. First, determining churn in DGBL by comparing the recency and the addition of average and two standard deviations of user inactive time. Second, clarifying the churn rate of the Japanese service, which became evident as 56.77% by using the newly created churn definition. Third, developing a churn prediction model by comparing logistic regression (LR), decision tree, and random forest models. Feature selection, dataset split ratio comparison, and hyperparameter tuning were conducted to achieve better predictions. Based on the results, LR scored the highest AUC of 0.9225 and an F1-score of 0.9194. These results are on the higher side comparing with the past churn prediction studies in online gaming and education industries. As a consequence, the results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for churn determination and prediction in DGBL.

Collaborative interactions in problem-solving activities: School children’s orientations while developing digital game designs using smart mobile technology

Digital technologies in combination with creative activities have been introduced in schools as a strategy for learning and teaching activities offering scaffolding opportunities. Additionally, digital game-based learning (DGBL) activities have also been tried out in schools in recent years, as well as different mobile technologies, with the ambition to create smart learning. In this study, we aim to explore how school children’s collaborative interactions, while engaged in problem-solving activities using smart and mobile technology, unfolds. Drawing from a contextual perspective on learning, our study combines theoretical views on joint participation, affordances and sense of community in relation to collaborative interactions. Questions posed in this study are: (1) In what ways do children’s digital game design activities drive and/or support collaborative interactions while engaged in problem-solving activities? and (2) How are children’s digital game design ideas manifested during game design activities involving smart mobile technology? The study is based on a case where a creative workshop involving 22 Swedish third-grade children (9–10 years of age) participating in game design activities carried out in a pedagogical lab setting. By employing a thematic analysis, the results of the study show that the children deployed different orientations in their collaborative interactions, and that a sense of community emerged when the children worked on solving the problem of designing and producing a joint digital game idea, using mobile technology. On the basis of this, we argue that, when designing for educational activities involving smart mobile technology, it is pivotal to be aware of the pedagogical context, since this aspect of the design creates meaningful collaborative interactions; it is only then smart mobile technology becomes smart. These results have important implications for the methodological field of including smart mobile technology in learning situations.

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.

Flipped Classroom–Digital Game-Based Learning (FC-DGBL): Enhancing Genetics Conceptual Understanding of Students in Bilingual Programme

Flipped Classroom–Digital Game-Based Learning (FC-DGBL): Enhancing Genetics Conceptual Understanding of Students in Bilingual Programme

The Impact of Serious Game on the Nursing Students' Learning, Behavioral Engagement, and Motivation

Digital game-based learning is a ludic approach that has evolved through the development of information and communication technologies (ICT), making the learner an active participant in the virtual learning environment instead of a mere observer. It is an electronic simulation tool suitable for improving learning efficiency as well as learner engagement and motivation. The integration of this educational technology in the teaching and learning process can contribute to the construction of knowledge, the development of new skills and attitudes among students.
 The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of serious game on the learning, behavioral engagement, and motivation of nursing students. To do this, we first conducted a study with a sample of 58 polyvalent nursing students divided into two groups; one experimental and the other as a control. Both groups benefited from the same content taught at a distance, however, the experimental group benefited from an online serious game after the course. By comparing the summative scores of the two groups using the Student's t-test, the results show that the serious game improved the students' clinical knowledge of pediatric nursing (t= -2.706,p=0.009). However, it did not have an effect on clinical skills (t= -0.373, p=0.711). As a second step, we have studied the impact of the game on the learners' behavioral engagement based on the analysis of the digital traces of the students' work. Meanwhile, the motivation is analyzed using a questionnaire developed from the ARCS scale of Killer (2010), which is distributed to the experimental group. By comparing the means and deviation standards, the results show that the students give the satisfaction factor the highest score (4.71±0.34) followed by the relevance, attention, and confidence factors.
 To obtain reliable results, however, it is necessary to repeat the serious game experience in several nursing modules. In addition, the impact of combining serious game with simulation on the learning of nursing students should be studied.

EVALUATION OF STUDIES ON LANGUAGE SKILL AREAS OF DIGITAL GAME-BASED FOREIGN

Digital game-based foreign language learning has grown as a popular topic in recent years. Vocabulary knowledge has been prioritized in this research, particularly in the application of several skill areas in foreign language teaching. However, with the rapid growth of technology and the game business, this circumstance may necessitate the study of language skills in a variety of fields. In recent years, digital game-based foreign language learning has grown as a popular topic. This study seeks to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the skill areas of digital game-based foreign language acquisition in diverse educational and non-educational situations throughout the world. The evaluation of the literature covers current investigations completed between 2010 and 2021. The research is in the scanning model, and it is being examined using the content analysis approach. Within the scope of the study, 145 academic papers were investigated, and 57 studies were classified according to the defined criteria, omitting those that were unrelated to the issue. IBM SPSS 26.0 was used to compute the data as frequency - percentage. To confirm the study's reliability, the coding reliability was computed and determined to be 91%. According to the findings of the study, the number of studies on digital game-based foreign language instruction has grown in recent years, with the majority of these studies focusing on vocabulary. As a consequence of this research, it is advised that future studies on digital game-based foreign language instruction should include reading, writing, and listening abilities in addition to vocabulary. This study is expected to contribute to the literature by assessing skill areas in digital game-based foreign language instruction.

Effects of Scaffolding in Digital Game-Based Learning on Student’s Achievement: a Three-Level Meta-analysis

Effects of Scaffolding in Digital Game-Based Learning on Student’s Achievement: a Three-Level Meta-analysis

ELuna: A Co-Design Framework for Narrative Digital Game-Based Learning that Support STEAM

STEAM education enables the cross-curricular study of subjects based on their naturally occurring relationships through holistic and integrated methods. Narratives are enablers of STEAM learning environments, something that is evident in the exploration of narrative learning from pre-recorded history until present. Narrative Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) use narratives to drive the game. The extended Ludo Narrative Variable Model (the Variable Model) is a narratological model for categorization of narrative DGBL. Empirical evidence from categorizing narrative DGBL on the Variable Model shows that there is a particular set of categories that incur positive effects on engagement, motivation, and learning. This article introduces the eLuna co-design framework that builds on these categories and empowers educators to participate alongside game developers in multidisciplinary design and development of narrative DGBL. eLuna comprises 1) a four-phase co-design method, and 2) a visual language to support the co-design and co-specification of the game to a blueprint that can be implement by game developers. Idun’s Apples, a narrative DGBL co-designed, co-specified, and implemented into a prototype using eLuna, is presented to illustrate the use of the method and visual language. Arguing that narrative DGBL are vessels for STEAM learning, seven eLuna co-designed games are examined to illustrate that they support STEAM. The article concludes that narrative DGBL co-designed using the eLuna framework provide high opportunity and potential for supporting STEAM, providing educators and game developers with a STEAM co-design framework that enforces positive effects on engagement, motivation, and learning.

Entertainment Video Games for Academic Learning: A Systematic Review

Entertainment video games are very popular among young audiences. Nevertheless, despite their potential to improve cognitive functioning, they are still studied rarely as a tool for digital game-based learning. To better understand video gaming practices’ value in the classroom, this article provides a systematic review of literature on the effect of entertainment video games on academic learning. Our literature search yielded 49 relevant intervention studies published between 2005 and 2019 that integrated entertainment video games into academic curricula from preschool to college. Our review revealed that entertainment video games can be an effective educational tool and are beneficial in almost all academic disciplines, particularly in foreign language and science. However, research on entertainment video gaming’s effects on academic learning is still not extensive enough and remains mostly qualitative. Future studies need to provide a quantitative approach to complete and confirm already-existing literature, particularly in the environmental and social sciences, physical education, and programming. Given entertainment video games’ popularity and benefits on cognition and learning, it seems essential to investigate their practical value further in the education sector and to determine the mechanisms that mediate their effects on academic learning.

The Impact of Mobile Digital Game in Learning Arabic Language at Tertiary Level

In the 21st century, the advancement of technology has changed how people, especially the younger generation communicate and socialise with each other, as well as how they learn, acquire and process information. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impact on the employment of digital game-based learning in Arabic class at the tertiary level. This study is a qualitative study and data obtained through semi-structured interview sessions with 16 students at tertiary level, who exposed to the mobile digital game in learning the Arabic language. The students were chosen purposively based on several determining characteristics. The major findings indicated that the mobile digital game produces a significant effect on their learning achievement and enhances their Arabic vocabulary acquisition. Besides, the digital game-based learning also promotes a student-centred and interactive learning, while additionally creates an enjoyable environment for learning that could encourage student participation in class activities, sustain their learning engagement, and improve their motivation. This study explored opportunities for Arabic language lecturers to practice digital game-based learning as it promotes student-centred learning, which would enhance student’s participation in language activities and provide them with a joyful, fun, and active learning environment.

Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL): The Voice of EFL University Students and Teachers

Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL): The Voice of EFL University Students and Teachers

Game Design in TBLT Classes: Exploring Pragmatics

Based on reviews of various types of research, it is possible to generalize that combining TBLT and GBLL would promote language pragmatics. Pragmatics is critical in developing learners' ability to communicate effectively in the target language. As a result, it is possible to conclude that the combination of TBLT and GBLL would be beneficial and meaningful for second language learners learning their target language. Furthermore, task-based games in language learning have the potential to motivate and engage learners in meaningful learning while promoting autonomy and reducing anxiety, particularly among second language learners. It was also discovered that digital game-based learning is more effective than non-digital game-based learning because non-digital game-based learning cannot cover all critical elements of TBLT during implementation. Therefore, this essay will explore the possibility of implying game design to TBLT classrooms to achieve students' language pragmatics. Finally, some potential shortcomings and future developments will also be mentioned.