Cultivating critical game makers in digital game-based learning: learning from the arts

Digital games have the potential of being a transformative tool for applying constructionist principles to learning within formal and informal learning settings. Unfortunately, most recent attention has focused on instructionist games. Connected gaming provides a tantalizing alternative approach by calling for the development of games that are both instructive and modifiable by learners. If game design is to be used as a pedagogical tool in this manner, emphasis should be placed on the concurrent development of critical makers. In this paper, we advance the notion of connected gaming through positing a conception of a critical maker. To accomplish this, we look to the arts as a domain where pedagogical approaches are in place from which the game-based learning community can draw insights from, along with an overview of the potential challenges and opportunities that may accompany any attempt to develop critical makers.     

Exploring young children's performance on and acceptance of an educational scenario-based digital game for teaching route-planning strategies: a case study

Researchers suggest that game-based learning (GBL) can be used to facilitate mathematics learning. However, empirical GBL research that targets young children is still limited. The purposes of the study is to develop a scenario-based digital game to promote children's route-planning ability, to empirically explore children's learning performance in route planning through the game, and to probe children's technology acceptance of the game. A total of 71 children participated in the study, and both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used, including an interview analysis as well as performance and content analyses of learners’ route-planning tasks. The findings showed that the game had a positive effect on children's learning of route-planning strategies, that children's route-planning strategies were improved with the support of the game, and that children demonstrated high technology acceptance toward the game. This study may be of importance in offering insight into children's GBL.     

An investigation of the effects of a graphic organizer in an online serious game on learning outcomes and attitudinal perceptions

A serious game, which is designed for learning purposes rather than recreational purposes, has been applied for digital game-based Learning. This study investigated the effects of graphic organizers in a serious game, “The Transistor”, on learning outcomes and attitudinal perceptions. A total of 99 participants were randomly assigned to three groups: non-organizer group, advance organizer group, and post organizer group. The results revealed that participants using a post organizer, which was presented after the game for review, outperformed those using a non-organizer and an advance organizer on both learning outcomes (recall test scores and recycling intention) and attitudinal perceptions (perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction). These findings implied that a post-graphic organizer could enhance the instructional value of a serious game. More detailed implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Examining the effects of combining self-explanation principles with an educational game on learning science concepts

Educational researchers have indicated that although computer games have the potential to promote students’ motivation and engagement, the work on how to design effective games that fulfil educational purposes is still in its infancy. This study aimed to examine how integration of self-explanation into a computer game affected primary schoolers’ acquisition of light and shadow concepts. The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group and played a computer game with or without self-explanation prompts individually as a treatment. Students’ conceptual understanding was evaluated through a pretest and a posttest administered right after the treatment. The results revealed that by controlling the pretest scores, students who played the game with self-explanation features did not outperform those who played the game without any prompts in the posttest. Further analyses of the experimental group students’ responses to the self-explanation prompts also indicated that the students with more correct responses to the prompts did not perform better than those with lower accuracy rates. The deficits in the use of self-explanation prompts are identified, and possible improvements to enhance the function of self-explanation in educational games are proposed.     

A learning log analysis of an English-reading e-book system combined with a guidance mechanism

Learning English by reading articles on multimedia e-book devices can assist students in improving their vocabulary and in understanding the associations among vocabulary, textual meaning, and paragraph composition. Adaptive integration of reading technologies and strategies not only strengthens their language ability and reading comprehension, but it also increases the effectiveness of their language learning. Therefore, this study developed an English-reading e-book system that integrated a guidance mechanism that analyses a student's learning profile and recommends articles according to article difficulty, relevance, and the learner's language ability. The frequency and pattern of learning behaviors as well as the system functions that students used were analyzed to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. The results indicate that the proposed reading guidance mechanism can improve students' reading comprehension and reduce their reliance on the system's translation functions.     

运用数字设备进行视觉学习的行为解析——以设计专业学生为例

运用问卷调查并就结果进行分析,探讨学生对数字影像的解读、判断与使用的习惯与能力,借以了解设计专业学生的视觉思维与价值观,用以提供执行教学策略时的参考。     

Informal STEM: learning with robotics and game design in an urban context

Abstract

This mixed methods study examined how engagement in robotics and game design influenced students’ self-efficacy, STEM attitudes, and computational thinking (CT) skills. Predominantly African-American students engaged in engineering and computer science tasks during informal learning environments. Results revealed students’ self-efficacy scores on computer gaming increased significantly. Focus group data supported these findings, revealing that computer programing was challenging, but students enjoyed the tasks, added elements of culture in some cases, and valued the agency the tasks provided. Focal students were also able to make connections to STEM-related careers. Observational data demonstrated that focal students exhibited substantive CT during robotics and moderate CT during game design. Results support the idea that robotics and game design may be used to broaden underrepresented students’ participation in STEM.     

Developing essay writing skills: an evaluation of the modelling behaviour method and the influence of student self-efficacy

Social cognitive learning theory has shown that observational learning positively influences essay writing development in high-school students, and that self-efficacy impacts on motivation. This study investigated the relative contribution of model observation, model evaluation, post-submission feedback, and factors relating to self-efficacy, as measured through academic confidence, in the essay writing development of 142 university students. The research compared students’ essay marks between two semesters in order to explore whether observational learning had an impact on the development of the complex skills involved. The results revealed that all students benefit from traditional feedback and higher levels of self-efficacy when developing their essay writing performance. Underperforming students particularly benefited from actual essay writing. However, contrary to the predictions drawn from the literature, students in this study did not appear to benefit from observational learning when developing their skills. Limits to social learning theory are discussed.     

Effects of an augmented reality-based educational game on students' learning achievements and attitudes in real-world observations

Augmented reality (AR) has been recognized as a potential technology to help students link what they are observing in the real world to their prior knowledge. One of the most challenging issues of AR-based learning is the provision of effective strategy to help students focus on what they need to observe in the field. In this study, a competitive gaming approach is proposed to support AR-based learning activities conducted in real-world contexts. An experiment has been conducted on an elementary school ecology course to explore the effectiveness of the proposed approach in comparison with the conventional AR-based mobile learning approach in field trips. The experimental results show that the AR-based gaming approach can improve not only students' learning attitudes, but also their learning performance on the field trip. Accordingly, discussions and some suggestions for future work are provided.     

Investigating gaze behavior during processing of inconsistent text-picture information: Evidence for text-picture integration

In two experiments, eye tracking was used to investigate whether learners construct a mental representation during learning that integrates information from text and pictures. The experimental groups received inconsistent text-picture information on one or two pages of the learning materials. The control groups received only consistent text-picture information. It was expected that learners of the experimental groups should have difficulties in integrating text-picture information when faced with the inconsistencies. This should be reflected in their gaze behavior. Experiment 1 (N = 51) and Experiment 2 (N = 45) confirmed that assumption for several eye tracking variables. Regarding learning outcomes, only in Experiment 1 worse performance of the experimental group was observed. Furthermore, Experiment 2 revealed that the majority of learners did not remember the inconsistency between text and picture when asked for it after learning. In sum, the results add to our understanding about the cognitive processes underlying multimedia learning.     

Trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy: A longitudinal analysis of self-efficacy and its sources

The beliefs children hold about their capabilities as readers are known to influence their reading achievement. The aim of this study was to extend previous work by examining trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy among primary school students (N = 1327) and the relations between the trajectories of self-efficacy and their hypothesized sources over 11 months. Using growth mixture modeling, we identified four trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy, involving increasing, stable, and declining trends. These trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy were associated with students’ varying experiences with the four sources of self-efficacy over time. Higher levels of mastery, verbal persuasion, and vicarious experiences and lower levels of physiological arousal were related to positive developmental trajectories of self-efficacy. Students with declining experiences of social sources of self-efficacy (i.e., verbal persuasions and vicarious experiences) had decreasing self-efficacy trajectories. These findings point to the importance of considering the variability in changes in reading self-efficacy and the interplay between changes in self-efficacy and sources of self-efficacy during primary school years, as well as the importance of monitoring these changes over time.     

The benefits of a challenge: student motivation and flow experience in tablet-PC-game-based learning

Advances in technology have led to continuous innovation in teaching and learning methods. For instance, the use of tablet PCs (TPCs) in classroom instruction has been shown to be effective in attracting and motivating students' interest and increasing their desire to participate in learning activities. In this paper, we used a TPCs game – an iPad app called Motion Math: Hungry Fish – to help young students learn to theoretically understand and practically implement the mathematical concepts of addition and subtraction. Based on findings from a pilot study, we categorized the game's 18 levels of difficulty into “challenging” (experimental group) and “matching” (control group) games. We aimed to investigate whether challenging games were more able than matching games to improve the students' motivation, flow experience, self-efficacy for technology, self-efficacy for science, feelings about the TPC game, and satisfaction with the learning approach. The findings showed that the students in the experimental group achieved better flow experience, learning performance, and satisfaction.     

Exploring the role of flow experience,learning performance and potential behavior clusters in elementary students' game-based learning

Well-designed game-based learning can provide students with an innovative environment that may enhance students' motivation and engagement in learning and thus improve their learning performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among elementary school students' flow experience and learning performances. We also investigated the gender and grade differences as well as the types of potential clusters of flow experiences and performance. Thirty-four elementary school students participated in this study. This study conducted correction analysis, difference analysis and a two-stage cluster analysis. The findings suggested that the students with higher flow experiences tended to have higher learning performances. The results of gender differences showed that female students had high performance scores and great flow experiences in the mini-educational game in this study. Moreover, the results revealed that the students of higher grade had significantly higher scores in both performance and flow experience than the students of lower grade. The result of cluster analysis fell into three categories: low performance/low flow experience students, high flow experience students and high performance/high flow experience students. On the basis of our findings, we also proposed suggestions for future game-based learning research.     

儿童问题行为研究热点领域构成及演变——基于1999-2019年CNKI数据库1050篇文献的可视化分析

为推进儿童问题行为研究深入发展,更客观地了解近20年来儿童问题行为研究的热点领域构成及演变,对未来的发展趋势进行更好地预测,使用     

Exploring the structure of science learning self-efficacy: the role of science learning hardiness and perceived responses to capitalization attempts among Taiwanese junior high school students

Background: Despite the growing body of research on self-efficacy, previous studies have failed to clarify exactly how it is constructed. Meanwhile, the literature indicates that, in Taiwan, junior high school students tend to show lower self-efficacy in learning science compared with elementary and senior high school students.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a mediational model providing the factors accounting for Taiwanese junior high school adolescents’ science learning self-efficacy (SLSE), especially from the perspectives of both interpersonal and intrapersonal factors.

Design: We therefore proposed a mediational model to delineate the relationships among students’ perceived responses to capitalization attempts – science learning (PRCA-SL), science learning hardiness (SLH) and SLSE by conducting structural equation modeling (SEM).

Sample: A total of 1,170 junior high school students in Taiwan were invited to take part in the study.

Results: The results confirmed our hypothesis that students’ PRCA-SL fostered their science learning hardiness, which in turn contributed to their science learning self-efficacy.

Conclusions: The findings confirmed the mediational model wherein science learning hardiness completely mediated the relationship between PRCA-SL and science learning self-efficacy.     

Effects of learning approaches,locus of control,socio-economic status and self-efficacy on academic achievement: a Turkish perspective

In this study the effects of learning approaches, locus of control (LOC), socio-economic status and self-efficacy on undergraduate students in North Cyprus was investigated. Four questionnaires were administered on 99 students in order to collect data regarding the learning approaches, LOC, self-efficacy and demographic factors. High cumulative grade point average and self-efficacy were shown to be an indicator of academic achievement and high self-efficacy was related to the use of deep approach (DA). Students, whose mothers had lower levels of education, were found to also predict academic success. No direct significant relationship between DA and academic achievement was found.     

Programme recruitment and evaluation: the effect of an employability enhancement programme on the general self-efficacy levels of unemployed graduates

This paper reports research that engaged in the evaluation of an intervention programme designed to enhance the employability of a group of unemployed graduates. The evaluation adopted a quasi-experimental intervention research method employing a general self-efficacy scale, which had been validated in prior research. Results revealed that participants displayed higher levels of GSE after engagement in the programme. Results also revealed the effect of ‘behavioural plasticity’ on the intervention experiences of unemployed graduate participants. The findings of this study are discussed in relation to programme design, recruitment and evaluation.     

Example-based learning: Effects of different types of examples on student performance,cognitive load and self-efficacy in a statistical learning task

Previous research has indicated the disconnect between example-based research focusing on worked examples (WEs) and that focusing on modeling examples. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the effect of four different types of examples from the two separate lines of research, including standard WEs, erroneous WEs, expert (masterly) modeling examples, and peer (coping) modeling examples, on student performance (knowledge retention, near transfer, and far transfer), cognitive load, and self-efficacy. One hundred and sixteen students participated in the study by undergoing computer-based instruction in one of the four versions differing in how examples were provided. The results showed that, overall, expert modeling examples were most effective in promoting knowledge retention, near transfer, and far transfer, while peer modeling examples were shown to be superior in fostering self-efficacy among the four different types of examples.