Game-based Learning Experiences Research Articles

Effects of the instructional message used to introduce game-based learning, prior knowledge, prior gaming experience and flow on learning

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether the instructional message used to introduce game-based learning (GBL), prior knowledge, flow and prior gaming experience have an impact on secondary students’ learning outcomes, perceived game utility and motivation to use the game. Design/methodology/approach Fifty-four 9th grades students enrolled in this quasi-experimental study. Both groups played the same game. The experimental group was told that they would be playing a game, whereas the control group was told that they would be doing an exercise. The game was designed to promote knowledge recall about familiar mathematical concepts. Prior knowledge was assessed. An immediate and a two-days delayed post-evaluated learning outcomes. Flow, prior gaming experience, perceived game utility and motivation to use the game were assessed with questionnaires after playing. Findings Introducing the GBL activity as a game increased immediate learning outcomes for low knowledgeable students, but these benefits did not extend to longer term. Indeed, when the GBL activity was presented as an exercise, low higher knowledgeable students obtained poorer longer-term learning outcomes than more knowledgeable ones, whereas no difference appeared when the GBL was introduced as an exercise. Prior gaming experience and the type of instructional message used to introduce a GBL activity positively influenced perceived game utility and motivation to use the game. Originality/value This study is the first to highlight that the way a GBL activity is framed affects differently low and higher knowledgeable students’ learning outcomes and influences perceived game utility and motivation to use the game.

The Effectiveness of Scrabble Games to Promote Vocabulary Achievement of Migrant Workers’ Children in Malaysia

Vocabulary skill is crucial for every English as foreign language (EFL) learners as it forms the foundation for effective communication, comprehension, and overall language proficiency. However, Indonesian migrant workers’ children who attend school at PPWNI Klang that has only two teachers who are not experts in the field of English, resulting in a lack of enthusiasm among students to learn the language. The study aimed to examine whether the use of Scrabble games was effective in increasing students' vocabulary achievement or not. The research design was a pre-experimental research design, with one group pretest-posttest used by the researchers. The sample of the study was 21 students of grade 9 SMP PPWNI Klang Malaysia, selected using purposive sampling. The results of the pretest and posttest data were analyzed using the paired sample t-test through the SPSS software. The findings of the study showed that Sig. (2-tailed) of 0.000 < 0.05. This means that there is a significant difference and effectiveness in learning outcomes after using the scrabble games method in learning English vocabulary. As the conclusion, a scrabble game is an effective strategy for teaching vocabulary especially to students facing various challenges, such as limited teacher resources and an unsupportive learning environment, they can be comfortable and motivated to continue learning due to the enjoyable game-based learning experience.

Exploring the Usability and Engagement of Students in an Educational Board Game on Personal Financial Planning

Traditional teaching approaches lack engagement, personalization, flexibility, and effective evaluation, thereby limiting learning outcomes. Consequently, these systems face challenges in engaging students, meeting their individual needs, adapting to diverse learning situations, and accurately assessing their competency. Educational board games (EBGs) offer a dynamic and engaging learning experience through play and personalized learning, promising optimal outcomes to overcome these obstacles. The objective of this study is to investigate how usability influences student engagement using the MEEGA+ evaluation approach during EBG play in a Personal Financial Planning course at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Melaka, Kampus Bandaraya Melaka. This quantitative study involved a self-administered questionnaire and a purposive sample of 200 bachelor’s degree students in the course. PLS-SEM was utilized to assess the model and hypothesized relationships. The operability and accessibility of educational games significantly enhanced student engagement, underscoring the utility of board games for learning through play. Usability, experience, and engagement should be integral considerations in instructional game design. The MEEGA+ assessment model can be applied to evaluate game-based learning across various EBGs. Board games have the potential to enhance educational outcomes, underscoring the necessity for further research in game-based learning. The study also suggests that the MEEGA assessment model can assist designers and educators in developing effective game-based learning experiences.

Game-Based Learning experiences in primary mathematics education

Using game-based learning (GBL), especially digital game-based learning (DGBL), as a teaching and learning environment can be a pedagogical resource and a good strategy in the classroom to support mathematical learning. Effective manipulatives and games play a crucial role in promoting mathematical understanding. They support students in building, reinforcing and connecting varied representations of mathematical concepts. High-quality games are particularly valuable for learners as they provide them with control and adaptability. These games have properties that are adapted to cognitive and mathematical structures, facilitating the development of connections between different pieces and forms of knowledge. Digital games can help to achieve the same effects. In this paper, we conduct a quasi-experiment using games developed for this purpose. Our aim is to investigate whether non-digital games vs. digital games yield different results. Our results indicate that while students enjoyed themselves and found the task-solving enjoyable during both types of game-based learning, the use of non-digital games vs. digital games can sometimes lead to different outcomes.

The impact of storytelling and narrative variables on skill acquisition in gamified learning

This research attempts to better understand how students in Saudi Arabia benefit from narrative and story aspects in gamified learning environments. Data from a sample of 500 persons with varying levels of education are analyzed using quantitative methods such as descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The findings point to strong positive correlations between the use of gamification in education, the influence of storytelling, narrative variables, and the acquisition of new skills. There has been a significant shift toward the use of narrative variables as measures of mastery in gamified classrooms. This study's results show that using gamified learning with story elements may increase students' interest, motivation, and knowledge retention. Efforts are now being made by Saudi Arabia to update its educational system and provide its youth with the tools they'll need to succeed in the country's emerging knowledge-based economy. The use of game-based learning and narrative-rich experiences has promising results in this setting.

The Effect of Game-based Learning on Student’s Conceptual Change in Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

The conceptual change approach has been a prevalent theoretical foundation for comprehending students’ acquisition of scientific knowledge. Despite its extensive use, only a limited number of studies have employed this framework to examine the effectiveness of game-based learning (GBL). The GBL was utilized to teach 101 middle school students concerning bioaccumulation and biomagnification concepts. Concept cartoons were used for pre- and post-test to assess the extent of conceptual change. Students’ reflections were employed to understand the emotional and social aspects analyzed by content analysis. The result indicated that before engaging in the GBL activity, most students had limited concepts of bioaccumulation (50%) and held partially accurate concepts of bioaccumulation without biomagnification (49%). After learning with the game activity, the students changed their concepts range from limited concepts to accurate concepts of bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a significant change (Z = 2850, p ≤ 0.001), with an effect size of 1.00 indicating a large effect. This result provided evidence of the cognitive and the intentional aspects of conceptual change in which students extended their conceptions through GBL experiences. Furthermore, the students reported feeling joyful and expressed positive sentiments toward the learning activity and collaborative work.

How ChatGPT can inspire and improve serious board game design

Designing engaging serious board games that effectively address students' diverse and complex needs presents a significant challenge for educators. As a possible solution, Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT can assist educators in designing and evaluating game-based learning experiences. This study explores three primary ways ChatGPT can enhance educators' game design process. Firstly, ChatGPT can assist with brainstorming, suggesting game themes and mechanisms aligned with curriculum and learning goals. Secondly, it can provide templates or exemplars of game components, allowing educators to create customized games that offer what their students need. Lastly, ChatGPT can offer valuable feedback on game prototypes, identifying areas for improvement and guidance to enhance the game's efficacy as an educational tool. We attempted to advance the ongoing discourse on the roles of artificial intelligence and board games in education by providing valuable insights into the potential of these tools.

Promoting the Sustainability of Artisanal Fishing through Environmental Education with Game-Based Learning

Oceans provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including food and cultural ecosystem services derived from fisheries. The sustainability of fisheries is addressed by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 on ocean conservation, and education strategies should include ways to achieve it. In this paper, we describe a game-based learning environmental education experience for the promotion of artisanal fishing developed in northwest Spain, in which more than a thousand primary education students (aged 6–12) participated. Following a qualitative methodology, we analyze our own generated games, their formative assessment, and the results of their implementation in schools and informal education events. Moreover, we compare the educational games generated with other game-based learning experiences on ocean literacy and the sustainability of fisheries. These educational experiences provide play-based learning opportunities in which students show great motivation and increase their knowledge about marine biodiversity, the socio-environmental effects of fisheries, and ocean conservation. Some differences were identifiable in the choice and design of the games, including their type and duration, the dimensions of sustainability analyzed, the specific learning objectives sought, the historical and cultural references used, cooperative peer learning, and the generation of shared knowledge. In this experience, the inclusion of education for responsible consumption (SDG 12) within the sustainability of fisheries represents a remarkable innovation, empowering students in their role as fish consumers.

Comparing effectiveness of educational video games of different genres in computer science education

Educational video games have been proven effective for many purposes. However, little research has been conducted in order to analyze the effect of the game genre on the pedagogical effectiveness of the game-based learning experiences conducted using them. This article aims to fill this gap by analyzing and comparing, for the first time, the instructional and motivational effectiveness of two educational video games of different genres: third-person shooter and endless runner. The research questions addressed in this article are as follows: Is Game-Based Learning using teacher-authored video games effective in terms of knowledge acquisition and motivation to learn about database administration in computer science education? Does the effectiveness of Game-Based Learning in computer science education depends on playing a third-person shooter or an endless runner game? An experimental design (randomized controlled trial with pre-post test design) supported by instruments to gather the knowledge acquisition and opinion of the students allowed for a rigorous analysis of the conducted experience. A total of 45 computer science students organized in two groups learned about database administration by playing two educational video games created through a teacher-oriented authoring tool. One group played a third-person shooter game, whereas the other group played an endless runner game. Both games integrated the same learning content and were played by the students the same amount of time. The results show that the analyzed video games are highly and equally effective in terms of knowledge acquisition (learning gains were statistically significant with a medium effect size in both groups) and motivation (average student ratings above 4.5 out of 5 in both groups). Although the students expressed a preference for third-person shooter games, they also expressed that they would have learned the same with other types of games. In conclusion, the evidence reported in this article suggests that educational effectiveness of game-based learning does not depend on video game genre.

Game-based reflective learning: a modular experience for teachers and students

Video games may represent an experience mediated by digital environments in which an immersive learning happens. Game-based learning (GBL) entails a high degree of metacognitive skills: learning is deeper when gamers are prompted to explain their thoughts and actions, to reflect on learning and on their self-regulation. To foster the metacognitive nature of GBL a modular reflective design framework (MO.RE.GBL) is proposed, focusing the phased construction of the learning process, the role of teachers and students’ autonomy and self-regulation, through a reflective approach. The framework can be used by teachers to design GBL activities or with their students to focus the learning process. Students may use it to self-regulate and personalize their GBL experience through the selection of their sequence of activities.

Application of game-based online learning platform: Kahoot a formative evaluation tool to assess learning

AimThis educational innovation learning activity aims to describe the application of a game-based learning platform such as Kahoot, a formative evaluation tool to assess students’ learning. MethodsThe Kahoot game-based learning experience was implemented into a fundamentals course with 37 undergraduate nursing students. Six sessions from the Kahoot learning activity were introduced over a 15-week semester using six competencies from the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) framework. ResultsTwo reflective questions were given post-Kahoot sessions to assess students' perspectives about the learning activity. They attested that Kahoot helped them gain knowledge and improve their critical thinking skills to prioritize patient care. ConclusionKahoot game-based learning helps support students in achieving their learning outcomes. However, some barriers can hinder its implementation time and discourage students' efforts and achievements. The nursing faculty's roles are to assess the different learning styles of students before implementing Kahoot to see if it fits their learning needs because each student may construct their learning differently.

Constructing Seamless Learning Through Game-Based Learning Experiences

The goal of this paper is to explore how game-based experiences can be leveraged through mobile technology to activate learner engagement and achieve a seamless connection between formal and informal learning. The paper presents a mobile game authoring tool that enables educators to create gamified lesson paths, drawing on the concept of atomic learning. Preliminary evaluation revealed three main findings. First, mobile games constitute a key driver in seamlessly blending informal, unguided learning that is driven by natural human curiosity with learning experiences which are driven by defined, formal learning objectives. Second, ensuring learning elements are suitable for direct use, and reuse, within game-based tools, requiring learning content with high granularity. Third, the success of gamified learning depends on visual and audio impact, along with an appropriate blend of challenges, rewards, learning content, and assessment units that form the narrative backbone.

Triggering STEM interest with Minecraft in a hybrid summer camp.

We investigated the application of Minecraft in the context of both in-person and hybrid summer camps for informal science learning. Our work focuses on determining the ways in which digital game-based learning experiences can act as triggers of interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Campers were invited to explore simulations of hypothetical versions of Earth (e.g., What if the Moon did not exist?), make observations of how these worlds are different from our own, and build habitats suitable for survival on these and other alien worlds. Multiple forms of data, including field notes, interviews, game log data, and in-game knowledge assessments, suggest that many different aspects of the game and informal learning contributed to interest development. In particular, learners were found to have their interest triggered by various in-game and contextual aspects of the learning experiences, such as instructional conversation, novelty, ownership, and challenge. These interest triggers remained constant across in-person and remote camp settings with no consistent differences emerging between the two settings.

A Reflective Game Design framework for Game-Based Learning

Reflective practice is the ability to revisit and reassess one's previous actions to engage intentionally in the process of learning. The concept of reflection leads from unconscious aspects of learning or experience to mindful awareness, giving an individual the power to absorb everyday experiences to make appropriate conscious choices. Digital games in game-based learning (GBL) offer interactive learning with authentic practice and a high retention rate. Digital games are also considered an immersive and safe medium of stealth learning with the freedom to identify, explore, fail, and then retry. Main game elements such as feedback in a user interface (UI), head-up displays (HUDs), maps, prompt messages, and social discourse are reflective in nature; therefore, by default, games are reflection machines and appropriate mediums for triggering and supporting reflective learning. However, despite reflective learning having the ability to improve teaching and learning experiences in a practical form, work dedicated to reflective design in GBL is still limited. Previous studies have incorporated reflective practices into a learning environment to improve the learning rate. These practices may vary over domains and yield different outcomes that are not converged yet. While current game design comprises all features that facilitate reflection "as a whole set", it misses individual reflection differences. However, getting maximum usage of the reflective nature of games with authentic learning content while maintaining the fun criteria can be challenging. Hence, a sound design methodology and guidelines are needed to assist the game designer in aiding effective learning with reflective practices. In this paper, our primary purpose is to align reflective learning practices with existing GBL approaches and then provide a framework to incorporate reflective learning practices into designing GBL. The intention is that this framework will help designers, educators, and researchers to design game-based learning experiences following reflective design practices.

Engaging educators in the ideation of scenarios for cross-reality game-based learning experiences

Cross-reality media technology creates alternate reality experiences in which the physical and the virtual world are interconnected and influence each other through a network of sensors and actuators. Despite technological advances, the landscape of cross-reality technology as an enabler of alternate reality educational experiences has not been explored yet. The technical expertise required to set up and program such mixed environments is too high to engage the problem owners (i.e. educational experts) in the design process and, hence, user-driven innovation remains challenging. In this paper we explore the co-creation of cross-reality experiences for educational games. We created a no-programming toolkit that provides a visual language and interface abstractions to quickly build prototypes of cross-reality interactions. The toolkit supports experience prototyping and allows designers to coproduce, with educational experts, meaningful scenarios while they create, try out and reconfigure their prototypes. We report on a workshop with 36 educators where the toolkit was used to ideate cross-reality games for education. We discuss use cases of game-based learning applications developed by the participants that follow different pedagogical strategies and combine different physical and virtual spaces and times. We outline implications for the design of cross-reality interactions in educational settings that trigger further research and technological developments.

Experiences of Game-Based Learning and Reviewing History of the Experience Using Player's Emotions.

In this paper, we discuss whether the history of a learning experience, containing action and emotion information, is useful for review of the experience in game-based learning using virtual space. We developed a game-based story generation system that automatically generates scripts in real time by using a player's emotions and actions. The system has two functions: a game-based experiential learning environment and automatic story generation. The system provides the player with a virtual world and a virtual tool operated by using a hand controller and a display. The system recognizes the player's real-time emotions through facial expressions, and it outputs reactions based on these emotions and actions via a knowledge-based system when the player operates the tool. Then, it outputs scripts based on the emotions and the history of actions. We evaluated the system by conducting experiments with university students as subjects. As a result, subjects found the stories generated by this system interesting because they were based on the player's experience in the game and used the player's behavioral history and emotions. If we consider this as a record of the learning experience, the learning history is an impressive record accompanied by emotions. Thus, historical information that records the actions and emotions of the learner in real time is considered effective because it allows the learner to recall his or her own experiences after the game experience. The results suggest that the historical information, including the learner's real-time actions and emotions, is helpful for review in learning. There is a possibility that experiential learning through games using virtual spaces, such as the one used in this study, will become widespread in the future. In such cases, it will be necessary to examine the learning effects of using historical information with emotions. Therefore, we believe that the results and discussions in this study will be useful for experiential learning using virtual spaces.

Applying Game-Based Experiential Learning to Comprehensive Sustainable Development-Based Education

To promote the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), public awareness of the importance and urgency of sustainable development should be raised by providing relevant education programs. Although game-based learning has been confirmed to be one of the most effective routes to deepen public understanding of the SDGs and sustainable development in general, games for comprehensive sustainable development-based courses have yet to be popularized. Thus, we developed a game-based learning approach that delivers comprehensive conceptual information on SDGs. Based on Kolb’s theory of experiential learning, students understood the relevance of the SDGs by playing a board game designed to simulate the real world, including national and international policies. Furthermore, considering the suspension of in-person learning and shifts to digital instruction caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a digital version of the board game was created to compare the effects of digital and non-digital game-based learning. A comprehensive sustainable development evaluation questionnaire was developed and optimized using the fuzzy Delphi method to assess the participants’ knowledge of and attitudes toward the SDGs. Our results reveal that the digital and non-digital board game both improve students’ knowledge and attitude toward sustainable development. However, the digital board game was more effective than the non-digital board game.

Performance Over Enjoyment? Effect of Game-Based Learning on Learning Outcome and Flow Experience

Competitiveness in serious games and game-based learning contexts, have been suggested to be associated with variations in flow experience pertaining from game experience. Evidence from the game-based learning literature suggested that game-based learning in general enhances learning outcomes, and applicable to learning psychology at the undergraduate level. Yet the magnitude of such effect remains mixed from empirical evidence. The current study examines whether game-based learning, in competitive and non-competitive game format, would lead to differentiated gains on learning outcomes, perceived flow experience from game-based learning, and their interaction. We wish to test whether competitive and non-competitive formats of game-based learning could be characterized with different configurations of game flow experience that encapsulate the game-based learning experience, as well as the extent to which such predominant game flow experience would correlate with observed learning outcomes from featured game-based learning conditions. Effect of game-based learning was tested with an 2 × 2 experimental design. Participating learners (n= 142) were randomly assigned into either one out of four experimental conditions based on a 2 × 2 block design with two independent variables, competitiveness of game-based learning (competitive vs. non-competitive), and format of game-based learning (group vs. individual). Participating Learners in each of the conditions were assessed on learning outcomes related to the subject matters intended for the game-based learning artefacts. Results on learning outcomes revealed a significant main effect of competitiveness of game-based learning was observed, but not for format nor interaction effect. Main effect of format of game-based learning when learning in groups was observed from another two-way ANOVA analysis in a finite set of eGameFlow constructs including feedback, autonomy, goal clarity, and social interaction. Interaction effects between competitiveness of game-based learning and format was observed in autonomy and goal clarity constructs. Results from this study suggested that competitiveness and group format does not necessarily warrant improvement on learning outcomes in the game-based learning context. Main effects on cognitive flow dimensions align with the performance orientation among Asian learners. Further research would shed light on identifying levels of optimal gamified elements while assuring improvement on intended learning outcomes in the Asian tertiary education context.

University Students’ Perceptions toward the Use of an Online Student Response System in Game-Based Learning Experiences with Mobile Technology

<p style="text-align:justify">The progressive integration of mobile technology in the classroom is generating new scenarios to innovate teaching methods. The aim of this study was to analyse the perceptions of university students toward the use of Socrative and its implications in gamified learning situations. This is a descriptive-survey investigation, complemented with content analysis techniques. The data were collected using a questionnaire designed ad hoc by Quiroga-Estévez et al. and structured interviews. The sample consisted of undergraduate students (n=472) of the degree of Primary Education from the Faculty of Education Sciences of a Spanish university. The results show significant changes in the learning process of the students, in social relations and in the teaching methodology.</p>

Towards digital game-based learning content with multi-objective reinforcement learning

Game-based learning experiences establish immersive, effective and engaging learning activities. The interest in data-driven learning growth approaches, which personalizes learning experience automatically, has grown over the past years through tips, feedback, and problem scenarios. Learning creators are designed in game-based learning environments to modify simulated activities to meet different goals, such as better learning or cooperation with the pupils, which could be complementary or contradictory. This paper proposes a multi-target enrichment framework to induce game-based learning planners who compromise learning and engagement enhancement in game-based learning environments. To induce a key planner from various student knowledge with a game-based learning experience for the higher education students, we analyze a linear multi-political algorithm, Convex Hull Value Iteration. The findings suggest that a multi-target strengthening curriculum creates more effective policies than single-target interventions in combining multiple rewards. A contextual analysis of basic policy and multifunctional preference vectors shows how an MLS affects the selection of learning activity in student game-based learning experiences. Optimal learning and engagement results are accomplished.