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Game-Based Learning: An Investigation of Academic Growth
Game-Based Learning: An Investigation of Academic Growth
Abstract
Game-based learning is a developing field that facilitates learning in the classroom.
Game-based learning incorporates a number of design features that help educators present
material and content in an interactive and engaging way, and game-based learning helps drive
student motivation and mastery. Games, play, video games, and video game play use a variety
of tools, elements, and features, and this study investigates how these factors contribute to
student learning, academic acquisition, and adherence to curricular standards.
Introduction
Traditional classroom environments struggle to engage and motivate students. Whether
its morning math lessons or social studies at the end of the day, students become detached
from the lesson and the material, and when students disengage from the teacher and the
classroom, they have difficulty connecting with the information and understanding the content.
Fortunately, new research and technology are investigating ways to engage and motivate
student learning as well as drive classroom involvement, energy, and value. Games and play
are being incorporated into the classroom as game-based learning to captivate and focus
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students. Game-based learning comes in a variety of forms, and some forms are more
successful at educating students than others. Some settings use games as motivation for
students, but do not incorporate the learning aspect of game-based learning: One reason for
this unsuccessful hybrid is that designers have taken a chocolate-covered broccoli approach in
which the gaming element is a reward for completing the educational component. Educational
games need to be designed in a way that allows for the learning material to be delivered
through the parts of the game that are most motivating (Habgood, Ainsworth, & Benford, 2005
& Bruckman, 1999, as cited in Tran et al., 2012, p. 1). This study investigates the role of gamebased learning on elementary school students, and it evaluates how elements of game-based
learning facilitate mastery of content and adherence to curriculum.
Game-Based Learning
Game-based learning is the combination of educational content and gamic properties,
and it works to mirror and improve upon the educational results of traditional learning methods
(Prensky, 2001). At the core of game-based learning is a game and gamic properties. A game is
any mental and/or physical activity that is defined by goals, rules, challenges, a feedback
system, voluntary participation, and results in a quantifiable outcome (Game, n.d.; McGonigal,
2011; Salen & Zimmerman, 2004). Digital game-based learning is a technological advancement
of game-based learning, and it is the marriage between educational content and video games
(Prensky, 2001). A video game is a complex form of digital media that incorporates gamic
properties, and it requires the active interaction between a human and computer (Galloway,
2006; Wardrip-Fruin, 2009).
Games, video games, game-based learning, and digital game-based learning come in
different shapes and flavors; however, they inherently possess fundamental features that can be
designed and understood. These features include the player(s) of the game, i.e. who is the
decision-maker that interacts with the system; the purpose(s) of the game, i.e. the reason for the
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games existence; the procedure(s) of the game, i.e. what actions and methods guide the player
and help him/her acquire skills; the rule(s) of the game, i.e. what boundaries limit and control the
players behavior; the resistance(s) of the game, i.e. the uncertainty, opposition, tension, and
conflict the player experiences; the resource(s) of the game, what objects, attributes, and states
the player acquires and uses; the feedback(s) of the game, i.e. how the system evaluates and
responds to player actions; and finally the format(s) of the game, i.e. the games blackbox-formal elements and the physical engine that contains the game (Dignan, 2011; Fullerton,
2008). The combination and manipulation of these properties create a unique experience that
has affects students in various ways.
based learning incorporates these educational paradigms, i.e. childrens software, learning
games, and edutainment, to create a site of learning (Ito, 2009).
variety of ways, provide several ways to plan and perform tasks, and motivate and engage
players (About UDL, n.d.). From a physical perspective, they affect several areas in the brain:
sensory and recognition areas such as the visual cortex, the auditory cortex, and the
somatosensory cortex, strategy and execution regions like the premotor cortex, the motor
cortex, and the prefrontal cortex, as well as reward centers and affective networks such the
basal ganglia, the limbic system, and structures in the medial forebrain circuit (Gazzaniga, 2009;
Goldstein, 2011; Kalat, 2013; Linden, 2011). In other words, games, play, and game-based
learning use the entire brain to learn, and more brain involvement means more interaction and
engagement with the immediate experience.
Game-based learning makes information interactive, which allows a player to recognize
and understand that information in a personal way (Figure 1 - Column 1). Allowing players to
recognize and understand objects, controls, and other gamic properties is an important and
easily employable characteristic of game-based learning. As players learn, plan, and execute
physical and mental tasks, they make choices to achieve goals and objectives, which reflect
what they know and how they express that knowledge (Figure 1 - Column 2). Each action is
coupled with feedback, which promotes deliberate learning and mastery towards the task at
hand. When successful, feedback provides gratification for actions executed at the right time
with a reward for each accomplishment. By giving players small and frequent rewards, they
maintain a constant level of interest, and it instills in them self-belief and confidence to achieve
larger goals (Figure 1 - Column 3). Students show greater attention to learning when they have
clear and specific goals--including both short- and long-term educational goals (Garris, et al.
2002, as cited in Alkhafaji et al., 2012, p.51). Game-based learning is challenging and
rewarding, and game-based learning research has shown that student choice has a positive
impact on motivation and engagement (Fishman & Aguilar, 2012). As Gabe Zichermann asserts,
status--not cash--is the best reward. Introducing skill levels encourages positive competition,
and it reduces the fear of failure because students skill levels can only increase (Moth, 2012).
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Figure 1: The Universal Design for Learning Guidelines depict three main principles:
Representation, Action, and Engagement.
Columbia University researchers Lee & Hammer point out, Gamification attempts to
harness the motivational power of games and apply it to real-world problems--such as, in our
case, the motivational problems of schools (as cited in Arora, 2013). In order to be effective,
games should challenge students. If the game is too easy, students will become bored. If the
game is too difficult, students will become frustrated. Effective games allow students to win by a
small margin to keep them engaged. (Alkhafaji et al., 2012). Teachers can personalize
instruction and assess knowledge through game-based learning, which provides them with
useful data on their students (Millstone, 2012). Game-based strategies can be applied to
assignments and assessments as a purpose to engage and motivate learners. When students
have choice of and control over their assignments, research shows that students are
encouraged to work harder. For example, an education course used experience points for
assignments that were given and skill points to increase their grades. If students lost points,
such as for missing a class or assignment, they could select assignments on their own to earn
enough points for their desired grade. In other words, students worked to earn the grade they
wanted by obtaining extra points that bumped their grade. The research showed that students
greatly enjoyed this game-inspired grading system and many worked harder (Fishman &
Aguilar, 2012).
Research Question
This study is interested in finding out how:
Games and video games can help players learn academic content.
Game-based learning drives student activity and if students learn more than, less
Methods
This study will investigate the use of game-based learning through a quasi-experimental
setup that investigates the effects of game-based learning on student achievement and
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Results
This study is a hypothetical study. There is no actual data.
Discussion
Our hope is that the experimental game-based group experiences:
1. A deeper understanding and/or better recall of the lessons content.
2. Motivate students to pursue the material more.
3. More enjoyment from the classroom.
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Once the study is conducted, well be able to analyze the data we collect to determine
the effects of game-based learning on student achievement and motivation. However, we lack
the games, the content and curriculum focus, and the age / grade level to test this study. Ideally,
we would prioritize the study based on funding or budgetary constraints. This would give shape
and direction to the study. For example, the games used in the study could range from free
online games to purchasable games for devices like an iPad to games that must be created for
a custom lesson. Additionally, there may be a specific grade level or content area that we have
to focus on.
Limitations that can impact the results of the study include factors such as the individual
differences among students and the prior knowledge they activate, learning behaviors, learning
styles, any accommodations they need, access to the games and interactive material, and other
personal and environmental differences. Many of these limitations would be noted with the
results from the initial questionnaire. In addition to the students learning styles, teachers
instructional styles need to be taken into consideration as well. Teachers present information in
different ways and have access to various resources, which can impact their comfort level with
the content, as well as their command of the subject matter. Another limitation can be found
with the technology that is offered in the classroom. If a teacher is not comfortable with
technology, or is unable to use gaming technology, he or she may not be able to implement the
technology into his or her classroom. The amount of technology offered in a classroom also
could have a large impact on the study, such as if the classroom has one-to-one technology or
has a high ratio of students to technology in the classroom, which may impact how the time is
allotted for students to play games.
For future research, we will design a study that investigates the elements within each
game, test the games outside of the classroom environment, and then analyze those results
using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Each game will be broken into the player(s),
purpose(s), procedure(s), rule(s), resistance(s), resource(s), feedback(s), and format(s) of the
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game. Next, we would compare the elements of each game, the results of each group, and how
the elements affected the results. After analyzing which factors, such as resources or
resistances, differed in the more successful groups, we would reconstruct the games with the
amended features and measure the new outcomes.
Game-based learning is a promising field that offers a lot to students and teachers. As
we understand more about game-based learning, well be able to design for specific students,
content, and curriculums. It is also important to acknowledge that there is no single approach,
but rather a tremendous variety of ways that game-based and game-inspired thinking may
transform the way we think about formal education (Fishman & Aguilar, 2012, p. 116).
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