Game-Based Learning

Game-Based Learning Kimberly Nelson PS300-02 Kaplan University Game-based learning is regarded as a promising way for encouraging students’ active participation and engaging them in learning. Digital games have characteristics that engage students, such as imaginary, challenges, competition, fantasy, curiosity, uncertainty, goal, decision, discussion, and emotional connection. The learning gains of digital games include visual attention, spatial abilities, problem solving skills, analogical reasoning, and subject matter mastery (Zhi-Hong, Liao, Cheng, Yeh, & Tak-Wai, 2012). Zhi-Hong & associates conducted a quasi-experiment to answer their research question: What are the influences of game quests on students’ math learning in terms of perception of enjoyment and goal-pursuing? They hypothesized that game quests would increase interaction, would enjoyment, and goal-pursuing. One way of creating educational games is using a three-tier-framework. The top tier represents the learning activities of the system, and its purpose is to embed learning activities into the game world. The middle tier represents the coupling mechanism, and its purpose is to provide students with goal-oriented mechanism for guiding them to undertake and increase times on learning tasks. The bottom tier represents the game world, and its purpose is to stimulate and sustain students’ participation and motivation in learning activities through a virtual game world (Zhi-Hong et al, 2012). In the study by Zhi-Hong & associates, they created a system based on this three-tier-framework. The system they created to test their hypothesis was called a My-Pet-My-Quest system. It targeted elementary students, and embedded math learning into a pet-nurturing game. The pet-nurturing game represented the bottom tier of the three-tier-framework (the game world), and stimulates the students’ motivation and facilitate interaction. The quest mechanism represented the middle tier (the coupling mechanism). Each quest consists of three elements: objectives, learning tasks, and rewards. The learning activities represented the top tier. Each unit contained three type of learning tasks: conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem solving (Zhi-Hong et al, 2012). The participants included in the study were from two fourth-grade classes, including 29 boys and 24 girls. Two different versions of the My-Pet-My-Quest system were prepared; one with quests and one without. All of the participants experienced both of the system versions, each for two 40 minute sessions, once a week. A goal-pursuing questionnaire, administered at the end of the two sessions of each system version, was developed and used to measure the students’ perception in three categories: enjoyment, goal orientation, and goal intensity. During the sessions, the number of tasks that the participants’ attempted were recorded as supporting evidence for the goal-pursuing questionnaire (Zhi-Hong et al, 2012). The results of the study showed that the system that included quests were higher in all three categories of the questionnaire (enjoyment, goal orientation, and goal intensity) than the system that did not include quests. The total number of attempted tasks recorded were significantly higher while the participants used the system with quests than while using the system without quests. This indicates that students were more motivated while using the system with quests, which was consistent with the results of the questionnaire. According to Zhi-Hong et al (2012), “Quests were found to exert significant influences on students’ perceptions, including enjoyment, goal orientation, and goal intensity. In addition, the findings revealed that quests encouraged active participation and increased the intensity of attempted learning behaviors” (p. 326). The results of Zhi-Hong and associates supported their hypothesis that game quests can increase students’ interaction, enjoyment, and goal-pursuing. Researchers can use the results of this quasi-experiment as the basis for further research. Implementing systems similar to the My-Pet-My-Quest system used in the study could be applied to other learning areas, and assist in the engagement and enjoyment of students’ academic studies, as well as developing other skills, such as goal setting and problem solving skills. References Zhi-Hong, C., Liao, C. Y., Cheng, H. H., Yeh, C. C., & Tak-Wai, C. (2012). Influence of Game Quests on Pupils' Enjoyment and Goal-pursuing in Math Learning. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 15(2), 317-327. GAME-BASED LEARNING