Game-based Learning Activities Research Articles

Design of a dual-hierarchy scaffolding board game-based learning activity for EFL reading comprehension

Promoting English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ reading comprehension, improving their reading motivation, and reducing their anxiety have always been the focus of EFL researchers. Educational board games have gradually received attention from educators. Various studies have found that board game-based teaching can improve students’ learning performance, motivation, and classroom engagement, and contribute to increasing discussion. However, there are few discussions on board games in the field of EFL, so further discussion is necessary to fill the research gap of board games in EFL reading comprehension. This study developed a dual-hierarchical scaffolding board game activity framework integrating game-based learning (GBL) and scaffolding strategies, and used card board games as teaching materials to promote EFL students’ reading comprehension. The game activity framework provides a scaffolded language learning environment with dual-hierarchy concepts to support students in building successful reading strategies. Moreover, the verbal and visual representations are displayed together on the cards game component. Game mechanics can help students to link verbal and image information. On the other hand, this framework emphasizes allowing students to first use the group discussion and collaborative reading mode to conduct self-directed and game-based learning activities with the dual-hierarchy scaffolding strategy. Then the teacher guides the students to use the concepts learned in the game activities to analyse and read the text so that they can understand the text content. A quasi-experimental design was conducted in a high school English reading course to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. The experimental results showed that the proposed framework not only significantly promoted the EFL students’ reading comprehension and learning motivation and decreased their learning anxiety, but also helped them maintain a high level of learning motivation in the process of the activities. It is expected that the proposed structure can lead to better EFL teaching practices.

Localized Game-Based Learning Activity Sheets in Mathematics 7

To become a critical thinker and problem solver, learners need the mastery of the basic competencies. To ensure that meaningful learning occurs in a mathematics classroom, learning resources reflecting their context must be readily available. Unfortunately, there has been a dearth of localized materials for the Ilocano learners. Hence, this study developed Localized Game-Based Learning Activities (LGBLAs) in Mathematics 7 based on the teachers’ perceived level of mastery of the learners along with the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) in Number and Number Sense, Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Following the research and development (R and D) framework, data were gathered using a survey rating scale from the 66 Mathematics 7 teachers in the Schools Division of Ilocos Norte. Means with their equivalent descriptive interpretations were utilized to analyze and interpret the data. The results showed that learners exhibited nearly mastery in some of the learning competencies in Mathematics 7. This could mean that they have not sufficiently acquired the fundamental skills required to move to more advanced mathematical learning tasks. However, the key concepts and skills could be enriched by supplementing instruction with appropriate, contextualized, and relevant curriculum support materials. Hence, LGBLAs in Mathematics 7 was developed. The LGBLAs was found to be very highly valid and very highly acceptable as a curriculum support material for mathematics instruction as evaluated by the content experts and the key teachers in Mathematics 7. It is then recommended that LGBLAs be adopted for classroom use to improve the mastery level of learners in the different learning competencies along with Number and Number Sense, Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.

Migration of an Escape Room-Style Educational Game to an Online Environment: Design Thinking Methodology.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has led to a sudden change in education, closing schools and shifting to online teaching, which has become an enormous challenge for teachers and students. Implementing adequate online pedagogical approaches and integrating different digital tools in the teaching process have become a priority in educational systems. Finding a way to keep students' interest and persistence in learning is an important issue that online education is facing. One possible way to establish engaging and interactive learning environments, using the energy and enthusiasm of students for educational purposes, is the use of game-based learning activities and gamification of different parts of the educational process.ObjectiveThis paper presents a use case of migrating an escape room–style educational game to an online environment by using the design thinking methodology. We wanted to show that the design thinking methodology is useful to create engaging and motivating online games that provide educational value.MethodsStarting from students’ perspective, we created a simple digital escape room–style game where students got an opportunity to self-assess their knowledge in computer science at their own pace. Students tested this prototype game, and their opinions about the game were collected through an online survey. The test's goal was to evaluate the students' perceptions about the implemented digital escape room–style educational game and gather information about whether it could achieve students' engagement in learning computer science during online teaching.ResultsIn total, 117 students from sixth and seventh grades completed the survey regarding the achieved student engagement. Despite the differences in students’ answers about game complexity and puzzle difficulty, most students liked the activity (mean 4.75, SD 0.67, on a scale from 1 to 5). They enjoyed the game, and they would like to participate in this kind of activity again (mean 4.74, SD 0.68). All (n=117, 100%) students found the digital escape room–style educational game interesting for playing and learning.ConclusionsThe results confirmed that digital escape room–style games could be used as an educational tool to engage students in the learning process and achieve learning outcomes. Furthermore, the design thinking methodology proved to be a useful tool in the process of adding novel educational value to the digital escape room–style game.

GAME-BASED ACTIVITIES AND GAMIFICATION IN THE MASTERY OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

This paper utilized systematic literature review method to determine and analyze the pros and cons of incorporating game-based activities and gamifications in science education. Also, this paper reviewed relevant research studies, articles, and literature reviews to identify educational innovations and programs that can potentially enhance the strengths and alleviate the problems of utilizing and integrating game-based learning activities in science online learning. It was found that game-based activities and gamifications had the capability to support and digitize classroom instructions with smooth transition, and can increase students’ motivation and interest towards learning, and social and communicative skills from working with their peers. And in spite of the fact that these innovative tools revealed its positive effects and impactful results in education, numerous challenges and drawbacks were identified and determined. Concerning these snags, it was determined and reported from several research studies and literature reviews that some of the game-based elements and features which are leader scoreboards, badges, level of challenges, and reward systems were saturated with problems and negative impacts on student learning. Concurrently, it was also found that teachers strove to a lot of pedagogical and technical problems when utilizing and integrating gamified learning activities in their classroom instructions. It was concluded that this paper could be used as basis for more research studies that would be conducted in the future, and scrutinizing the effectiveness and educational barriers of game-based learning and gamifications must continue to present and provide relevant educational resources and professional and technical preparations from educators to prevent the possible risks.

The use of Massive Online Games in game-based learning activities

The popularity of massively multiplayer online games such as Minecraft and Roblox has aroused the attention of teachers and educational researchers in the past decade. The purpose of this paper is to provide preliminary classroom experience using Roblox in game-based learning activities through action research. Convenience and quota sampling were used, intervening in four groups from different educational levels: 1 secondary, 1 high school, and 2 colleges. The learning activities with Roblox were conducted during the 2020-2021 academic year during the COVID-19 pandemic that forced Mexican schools to go digital. Roblox was used to learn content (like dinosaurs, contagious diseases, system definition) and interpersonal skills (negotiation, cooperation). The participants’ learning perception was explored through quantitative and qualitative data. Findings suggest that students enjoyed the Roblox learning activity as it allowed social interaction between classmates. The students evaluated the learning through the Roblox activity class on different scales (3,08; 3,18; 4,07 and 4,21 on the Likert scale). The results indicate that there are generational differences between groups. Finally, the paper offers concrete suggestions for the use of Roblox in the educational context.

Design principles for introducing 21st century skills by means of game-based learning

Educators are drawn into a battle for student attention and engagement in any learning environment. This article describes how a learning environment can be changed into a game-based activity to ensure student engagement. Modules aimed at the professional development of students present numerous challenges in the structuring of learning environments that develop communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking skills, the 4Cs of 21st century skills. This article is based on an activity designed for 145 engineering students and intended to habituate them to the university while simultaneously exposing them to opportunities for the development of the 4Cs. During the design, execution and refinement of the learning environment in five consecutive years, 15 design principles that could be employed to facilitate the implementation of a game-based learning activity emerged. Student reflection essays, lecturer observations, field notes and a focus group interview conducted with tutors and colleagues were analysed qualitatively to inform the investigation into students’ experiences of a game-based learning environment aimed at their professional development. The voices of the students were used to confirm the value of this environment. The design principles can be employed in other learning environments to support practitioners’ game-based learning efforts.

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.

Game-Based Learning in Pharmacy Education.

Game-based learning (GBL) involves adding game elements to non-game activities to encourage engagement. Pharmacy curricula are required to incorporate active learning to meet accreditation standards. The literature supports that well-designed GBL holds the attention of students and improves knowledge in some instances. Furthermore, these adaptable experiences can be leveraged for a variety of content areas in pharmacy education. Some activities utilized by educators require large amounts of technological expertise, while others involve minimal use of technology. The incorporation of technology can create highly immersive experiences for learners; however, there are barriers (e.g., financial and technology prowess) to implementation compared to simpler designs. One area of GBL that is not well defined in the literature is how to adequately assess student learning outcomes. Most current studies describe subjective attitudes and confidence or assess content knowledge through objective pre- and post-tests. In the future, more defined and connected methods for assessment—such as active demonstrations within the game—will be needed to better incorporate GBL into pharmacy curricula. Based on the collective evidence in the literature, some GBL activities may serve as useful tools to improve pharmacy student engagement and learning.

Endorsing gamification pedagogy as a helpful strategy to offset the COVID-19 induced disruptions in tourism education

This study explores the role and benefits of game-based learning activities in tourism higher education in the context of COVID-19-induced disruptions. Interpretive paradigm guided by qualitative research design was adopted. Data were collected through a combination of semi-structured interviews, online questionnaires and participant observation. The study findings identified five main advantages of gamification: a) Enhancing student engagement, participation, and motivation; b) Adding learning-experience value; c) Embracing diversity and inclusion; d) Simplifying assessment and feedback; e) Nurturing employability skills. These findings underline the effectiveness of using game-based learning in vocational disciplines like tourism technologies to enhance the quality of teaching. They also identify gamification as a multifaceted tool for a great learning experience amid the disruptions of the pandemic in the higher-education sector.

A Game-Based Learning Activity to Promote Conceptual Understanding of Chordates’ Phylogeny and Self-Efficacy to Learn Evolutionary Biology

<p style="text-align:justify">Understanding phylogenetic trees representing evolutionary relationships of living organisms is essential in school biology. Traditional instructions based on lectures and textbooks with pictorial presentations have been proven ineffective to promote students’ understanding of the concept. This study, therefore, developed a game-based learning activity called the VERT card game to enhance students’ learning of the phylogenetic taxonomy of chordates. The VERT card game was designed to lay the foundation for different characteristics of chordate classes, as well as to allow students to construct and interpret their evolutionary relationships based on the phylogenetic tree. The effectiveness of the VERT card game was verified by a pre-test and post-test design with 109 middle school students in Thailand. The statistical result revealed that students’ mean scores increased significantly in the post-test, compared to the pre-test, indicating their improved understanding. In addition, after participating in the learning activity, the student participants were found to increase their self-efficacy to learn evolutionary biology statistically. Also, it showed positive views towards the usefulness of the developed card game as a large number of them expressed that they would like to use it for their lesson reviews and wished to have this form of learning activity in other topics in biology.</p>

Exploring the effectiveness and the transversal competency retention of a game-based learning activity one year after student participation

Most studies in engineering education focus on the effectiveness of the teaching interventions and what transversal competencies engineering students gain from those interventions immediately after they take place. This study explores the effectiveness of an existing game-based learning activity and the competency retention of the participating students one year after its implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to nine students who participated in the activity at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. The findings showed that students remembered and benefited from the activity. This exploratory study indicated that this activity is valid to retain students transversal competencies because it provides active learning, engagement, rules, risk-taking, cooperation and competition, and it can be plugged-and-played in any engineering context. This study encourages researchers in the field of engineering education to conduct transversal competency retention studies, which are fundamental to understand how the teaching practices shape students’ competencies in the period after their participation.

Medical Students' Perceptions of Play and Learning: Qualitative Study With Focus Groups and Thematic Analysis.

BackgroundIn times where distance learning is becoming the norm, game-based learning (GBL) is increasingly applied to health profession education. Yet, decisions for if, when, how, and for whom GBL should be designed cannot be made on a solid empirical basis. Though the act of play seems to be intertwined with GBL, it is generally ignored in the current scientific literature.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to explore students’ perceptions of play in leisure time and of GBL as part of a mechanistic, bottom-up approach towards evidence-informed design and implementation of GBL in health profession education.MethodsWe conducted 6 focus group discussions with medical and dentistry students, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 58 students participated. We identified 4 major themes based on the students’ perception of play in leisure time and on the combination of play and learning. Our results indicate that, while play preferences were highly various in our health profession student cohort, pleasure was the common ground reported for playing. Crucially, play and the serious act of learning seemed paradoxical, indicating that the value and meaning of play are strongly context-dependent for students.ConclusionsFour key points can be constructed from our study. First, students play for pleasure. Perceptions of pleasure vary considerably among students. Second, students consider play as inefficient. Inefficiency will only be justified when it increases learning. Third, play should be balanced with the serious and only be used for difficult or tedious courses. Fourth, GBL activities should not be made compulsory for students. We provide practical implications and directions for future research.

Supporting Youth With Autism Learning Social Competence: A Comparison of Game-and Nongame-Based Activities in 3D Virtual World

This study explored youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) learning social competence in the context of innovative 3D virtual learning environment and the effects of gaming as a central element of the learning experience. The empirical study retrospectively compared the social interactions of 11 adolescents with ASD in game-and nongame-based 3D collaborative learning activities in the same social competence training curriculum. We employed a learning analytics approach - association rule mining to uncover the associative rules of verbal social interaction and nonverbal social interaction contributors from the large dataset of the coded social behaviors. By comparing the rules across the game and nongame activities, we found a significant difference in youth with ASD’s social performance. The results of the group comparison study indicated that the co-occurrence of verbal and nonverbal behaviors is much stronger in the game-based learning activities. The game activities also yielded more diverse social interaction behavior patterns. On the other hand, in the nongame activities, students’ social interaction behavior patterns are much more limited. Furthermore, the impact of game design principles on learning is then discussed in this paper.

A Classification of Computational Thinking Model Based on Computational Thinking Abilities in Game-Based Learning Activities

This article reports a structural classification taxonomy on computational thinking abilities among tertiary students in game-based learning activities focusing on the playing games approach. The computational thinking abilities among tertiary students involves with the two main constructs which are solving problem creatively and making decision in game-based learning activity for their learning purposes. This study described the fundamental issue of applying computational thinking to tertiary students in university setting towards nurturing 21st Century skills. The issues were then analysed using attributes embedded in three different areas which are the computational thinking, game-based learning activities, and the 21st Century skills. A case study with ten students was used as the qualitative research design, and subsequently through interview protocol and observations. From the case study conducted, a taxonomy of computational thinking for enhancing 21st Century skills in game-based learning (playing games) approach was developed to classifying computational thinking with student’s experiences in game-based learning activity. It is believed that this research can helps educators and curriculum decision makers in identify the appropriate computing activities for tertiary students in university.

Game-Based Learning and Nursing Students' Clinical Judgment in Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Pilot Study.

Nurse educators are searching for ways to deliver and evaluate the clinical judgment model (CJM) into undergraduate education to adequately prepare students for the Next Generation NCLEX project. A game-based learning (GBL) activity, including seven postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) stations, was developed and implemented in an undergraduate nursing course. Following the design of the Minute to Win It® game show, teams of students participated in timed challenges to facilitate engagement with the CJM. Student scores improved significantly for every aspect of the CJM applied to PPH (recognition, analysis, action, evaluation) from the pre- to posttest after using the PPH Minute to Win It. The teaching-learning strategy was positively received by students for the purposes of enhancing engagement and retaining knowledge. GBL is effective for incorporating the CJM into the classroom and enhances exposure, knowledge, and retention for specific topics such as PPH. Students associate GBL with increased engagement and learning related to complex course content. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(3):159-164.].

Effects of digital escape room on gameful experience, collaboration, and motivation of elementary school students

The current study examined the effects of digital escape room perceived by 528 elementary school students. Several precursors connected to those learning practices, namely, gameful experience, collaboration and motivation were examined. A game-based learning questionnaire applied in the study was validated. Findings indicated that students perceived the gameful experience as affecting their motivation and collaboration. Collaboration had a very low effect on motivation, whereas grade level played a mediating role in linking gameful experience and motivation. Significant differences were found between experiment group learning via digital escape room and control group learning via digital games in all main and sub-constructs, when students’ learning via a digital escape room showed higher levels of attitudes in all learning constructs - gameful experience, collaboration, and motivation. Results indicate students preferred the digital escape room game over other digital game-based learning activities in elementary school as it enhanced higher collaboration and social experience among students, greater internal and external motivation to learn, and stronger gameful experience creating challenge, playfulness, and a sense of accomplishment in learning. The study bridges the gap in the knowledge of using digital educational games in elementary school showing the advantage of escape room game effects on student learning.

Work-Integrated Learning: A Game-Based Learning Activity That Enhances Student Employability

Enhancing student employability is a key aspect of any chemistry-based degree; however, embedding such activities in the curriculum is often challenging. Placements (internships in the USA) or experiential visits are the most widely used approach, but these are not always inclusive. Work-integrated learning (WIL), the practice of combining traditional academic study or formal learning with student exposure to the world-of-work, is widely seen as an alternative approach to provide key employability skills. Our study utilizes a game-based learning activity based on the TV show The Apprentice to conduct WIL. Working in teams, students evaluated the performance of two different chromatography analytical columns and are asked to generate various marketing materials to highlight the performance of one column over the other. This included creating an infomercial and marketing flyer before finally pitching their findings to an expert panel. This activity provided a creative platform for students to showcase a range of employability skills, which they reflected upon immediately afterward and a year after graduating. Students indicated that the real-life work-based content of this specific activity significantly enhanced their employability and helped them secure a job. This educational WIL can be modified for any discipline of chemistry, providing a unique and inclusive way to provide a vast array of skills to enhance employability.

Student Pharmacists' Assessment of a Serious Game on Opioid Medication Safety.

To explore second- and third-year student pharmacists' perspectives on the design and use of a digital game to teach opioid medication safety. To explore the game-based learning approach to teach about appropriate drug use and pediatric education. The lead author developed MedSMART: Adventures in PharmaCity, an educational video game focused on adolescent opioid safety. Second- and third-year students in a Midwestern School of Pharmacy enrolled in an elective course focused on appropriate use of abused drugs, played the digital game during a classroom session on adolescent opioid misuse. Using a small group discussion guide, students summarized their reflections and perspectives on gameplay. Students retained fundamental messages of the game including opioid safety and identified that social interactions contribute to decision-making and consequences of opioid misuse. Student pharmacists found the game's visual appearance engaging, dialogue amusing, and the settings and scenarios relatable. Feedback regarding game controls, environment, dialogue, instructions, and level summaries was provided by students to improve the game design and content. This project provides an example of a thoughtful approach to game-based learning in pharmacy classrooms with the purpose of enhancing student pharmacists' knowledge about opioid safety education, communication, social collaboration, and critical-thinking. Future projects can further investigate student pharmacists' preferences of using game-based active learning. Additionally, retention rates of students from joint lectures and game-based learning activities can be analyzed.

Fostering Computational Thinking Through Unplugged and Robotic Collaborative Game-Based Learning on Primary School Students

Computational thinking is considered one of the skills that individuals should possess in current society. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of implementing unplugged and robotics game-based learning activity in the context of multidisciplinary learning. A total of 27 fourth-grade students at ten years old on average participated in the teaching experiment. Two research questions were evaluated in this study: i.e., the differential effectiveness of the approach between unplugged and robotic collaborative game-based learning in terms of CT skill and science, and ARCS motivation models of game-based learning carried out in the class for the use of learning tools. There were two phases of the learning process: in phase I, students played with an unplugged activity named Meta-Mind Table Game, and in phase II, students played with robots named Meta-Mind Robotic games. Each phase was then analyzed by both mid-test and post-test. The study revealed the inclusion of both unplugged and robotic game-based learning was beneficial to the students. Students were significantly motivated and greatly enhanced in terms of learning effectiveness.

Designing Game-Based Writing Projects to Foster Critical Ethical Reasoning in the English Classroom: A Case Study Using Plague Inc: Evolved

Background.Over the past two decades, scholars in the field of Critical Game Studies have discussed ethics in relation to the self-reflexive practices that players undertake when navigating in-game scenarios. Similarly, researchers who are interested in the pedagogical value of game-based learning activities also emphasize self-reflexive player practices when discussing the benefits of incorporating video games into traditional educational environments.Problem.Despite the shared interest in player self-reflexivity within ethics- and education-focused scholarship, qualitative research that explores the ability to design learning experiences around video games’ ethical dimensions is still in its emergent stages.Intervention.This article bridges the gap between ethics and pedagogy by discussing the author’s experience designing a long-form writing assignment around Plague Inc: Evolved for a college-level English seminar. For this project, students first narrated how they refined personal gameplay strategies over the course of several game sessions. Students then discussed how the logic underlying their in-game strategies could be used to further enhance or refine the rationale they use to navigate complex real-world issues in their daily lives beyond the classroom.Results.In undertaking this long-form writing project, students were able to use their self-reflexive gameplay strategies as an outlet for re-thinking how they interpret real-world problems. In doing so, students engaged in a form of ethical inquiry premised upon critical introspection.Conclusion.This examination demonstrates how game-based writing assignments can help students reflect upon and revise the ethical reasoning they use to diagnose and solve complex real-world problems.