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Designing and developing games for learning is a difficult endeavor. Educational game designers must not only make an engaging and motivating game, but must also ensure that learning takes place as a result of gameplay. Educational researchers have sought to define design principles in order to lessen the difficulty involved with game design. In sp...
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Citations
... Also, there are large variations in learning outcomes between individual educational games. This could very well align with the large variations within the design of educational games (Clark et al., 2016;Denham, 2016;Ke, 2016;Lameras et al., 2017;Timotheou et al., 2023). Furthermore, increased interest in methodologies for educational game design (Ávila-Pesántez et al., 2017), is rarely reflected in detailed descriptions on the interaction between gameplay and learning objectives. ...
... A possible way to increase the educational benefits of a game may be to integrate the educational content with the gameplay itself (Denham, 2016). This is referred to as intrinsic integration: the subject matter and the game idea are integrated. ...
Background
Research on cognitive effects of educational games in general shows promising results. However, there are large variations in learning outcomes between individual educational games. Research on the design process and different design elements of educational games has led to some interesting directions, but some design aspects remain unclear.
Objectives
We examined how an educational game designed on the basis of intrinsic integration theory, based on a strong alignment between game and learning goals, supports the learning of Newtonian mechanics.
Methods
This study applied a mixed‐methods approach (N = 223). A pre‐ and post‐test design was used to examine possible learning and transfer effects fostered by playing the educational game, Newton's Race. To examine how players played the game, log data for each player were digitally recorded during gameplay.
Results and Conclusions
Our findings demonstrated a significant positive learning effect of Newton's Race (p = 0.003, d = 0.201). This can be explained through the acquired log data. Log data show that players' gameplay mostly matched expected learning during the game, with physically correct game settings occurring more and more as gameplay progressed. The ability to transfer learned knowledge to other situations was shown to be limited to situations closely resembling the game environment.
Implications
Similarly, designed intrinsically integrated games on different (physics) subjects could also foster learning in a relative short time. To foster transfer to other situations we propose embedding the game within other instructional activities.
... Graphical representation of the conditions for flow to occur (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, p. 96) To complement the arguments and examples of flow activities included in Csikszentmihalyi's book, several studies have shown the cognitive and motivational efficacy of his theory in intrinsically integrated educational games (JacobHabgood and Ainsworth, 2011;Echeverría et al., 2012;Denham, 2016;Ke, 2017;Shi et al., 2022). ...
Making games is a common practice to learn game design or programming in higher education. However, here it is hypothesised that beyond game-related or programming skills, the process of making games represents a learning approach that can extend curriculum-based education in different subject areas. Drawing on that hypothesis, the learning activity proposed in this study challenges students to design games through which their expertise in chemical engineering is communicated. Learners practice how to deal with a challenge, which is particularly relevant to thinking critically and proposing innovative solutions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines.
The aim of the present study is twofold. Firstly, the investigation is centred on the main pillars required to integrate a game creation event into the chemical engineering curriculum, i.e. learning approach, tools, and context. Secondly, this research explores the implications of students making games in an engineering course, mainly focused on cognitive, motivational, and social outcomes.
In pre-school education, infants learn by playing with toys. Among those toys, building blocks typically done out of wood are quite popular in kindergartens. These blocks are inspiring, visual elements to create and learn during the creation process. Infants observe those blocks to reflect on what can be created and how the blocks could be combined to attain the desired outcome. Similarly, this investigation proposes a visual game editor for young adults to learn from the game design process in higher education. In this design-based research, students take on the role of game designers as a student-centred approach in which students enjoy a high degree of autonomy during the learning experience. Learning occurs as students explore and experiment by themselves to create a game, instead of following instructions. The conceptual approach builds on ideas of Seymour Papert’s constructionism, which extends constructivist theories because, besides creating their own knowledge, students create a digital game level. Since creators feel the need to share their creations and interact with others, the learning experience can be improved.
To facilitate the study's investigation, a game level editor has been developed. The Game Editor for Learning (G.E.L.) is a custom-made editing tool for the present study, which has been inspired by 2D drag-and-drop platform game level editors. In addition to the pre-made game items to create levels, the G.E.L. includes a feature to upload 2D pictures, through which new game items can be skinned. With that feature, the editor allows non-game designers to integrate engineering-related content in their creations and, most importantly, to reflect on how the content should be integrated with the different game elements and mechanics, as part of the learning process.
An additional contribution to this investigation is offering an educational context that echoes cultural trends. More precisely, the specific learning experience, named CHEM Jam, is a collaborative event known as game jam in game studies. Game jams are hackathon-like events to create games in a relatively short period of time. Hackathons and game jam events can attract participants and engage them cognitively and socially around the creation process. However, it is argued that game jams, unlike other types of hackathons, are fundamentally a game to make games and, as such, have the added advantage to engage participants playfully. In the final part, the present study addresses the implications of conducting a CHEM Jam, which was aligned with an undergraduate process design course in Autumn 2021. During the intervention, chemical engineering students created game levels with the G.E.L. for learning.
Overall, this interdisciplinary investigation aims to contribute to the fields of game studies, educational science, and engineering education. Particularly educational practitioners in engineering disciplines may find in this book an inspirational source to integrate a learner-centred activity, with game making at its core, in their lectures or teaching.
... Designing and developing apps for learning is a challenging endeavor (e.g., Denham, 2016). It is common for researchers to call for more rigorous studies of educational software (e.g., Cheung & Slavin, 2013;Mayer, 2014). ...
The present paper documents the design and development of a mobile mathematics appli- cation targeted to improve magnitude representation skills. Educational experts worked together with an app developer with the goal of creating an educational app as a math learning tool for children 5–8 years old. The description of the app design processes includes five core elements that we believe are central to the creation of a theory driven educational app. Creating a theory driven educational app is a difficult task; it involves a set of complex decisions as illustrated in this article.
... In the former, this relationship has been described as 'integral and continuing' (Malone & Lepper, 1987, p. 240); hence, the game story is endogenous to the learning content. Whereas in the latter, the instructional content being taught is outside the actual game; therefore, the relationship between these two elements is exogenous (Denham, 2016). ...
The application of mathematical skills is essential to our daily routine and is foundational
for numerous disciplines. Among various computer-supported learning
methods, Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) has been perceived as a promising
method in teaching mathematics, promoting students’ interest, and motivation.
Therefore, the aim of this systematic literature review is to provide a detailed synthesis
of literature regarding the effectiveness of DGBL applications in K-12 mathematics
education and extend the findings of previous reviews. This study reviewed
a total of 43 articles published in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) of Web
of Science, and other top-ranked educational technology journals between 2008 and
2019. The findings were then evaluated according to the multi-dimensional framework
and classified into three main categories: knowledge acquisition, perceptual
and cognitive skills, and affective, motivational, and behavioral change. This
revealed that most of the reviewed studies have reported positive gains in all categories,
with the traditional method of teaching being the most popular comparison
approach. Numerous scholars also demonstrated a particular interest in the subject
of arithmetic operations. The study also found that a considerable number of DGBL
applications were constructed based on a specific design feature or learning theory.
Furthermore, this study highlighted a number of research gaps in this domain
according to which more research is required to understand how different dynamics
(e.g., collaborative/cooperative, competitive) influence students’ learning. Additionally,
more studies are required to address the lack of research on twenty-first-century
skills such as creativity and critical thinking. The findings of this review could
benefit researchers and educators who are interested in using educational computer
games to teach mathematics.
... To be effective, an educational game has to be both pedagogically sound and engaging. This is difficult to achieve, as Denham (2016) points out. In fact, educational game designers often have pedagogical skills, but are not skilled designers of motivating games or, vice versa, are experts in creating engaging games, but not experts in educational and pedagogical aspects. ...
... This fundamental principle, which embodies a form of cognitive and epistemic continuity between the deductive logic of justification and the logic of investigation, makes the DIG endogenous in the sense that it originates from mathematics and Game Theory Logic. Experience is also endogenous because there is a continuous relationship between the context, the educational contents (Denham 2016) and the students, with their participation in the discussions strongly influencing the interpretations of the game experience. The last part of the activity is aimed at making students reflect on the game they have played in order to enter progressively into its rationale. ...
This paper aims to show how the Logic of Game Theory can facilitate the structuring of games for the learning of mathematical concepts, in a way which is cognitively resonant with students’ attitudes and epistemologically sound from the mathematical standpoint. We propose a kind of game, based on an inquiry approach to mathematics, called Digital Inquiry Game (DIG), the aim of which is to foster students’ positive beliefs about their mathematical capabilities with regards to problem solving and to improve the way students are able to grasp the epistemic aspects of the mathematical knowledge in question. The main issues surrounding the theoretical background and the inspiring key constructs of the DIG are explained. The design of a DIG is validated through a case study concerning some properties of integers and a general divisibility criterion. Finally, some issues for further researches are considered.
... In the case of consumers, attitude surveys would be able to explore such things brought into consideration through this study, such as attitudes and product viability. For the end-consumers, putting the products in the hand of the local targeted group could help assess the usability and fitness of the product when put to use , as playtesting with the target population is vital to integrate in the design of learning games (Denham, 2016). This is important since targeting users from a new cultural environment means expanding the range of intended users, which in turn makes the games partly untested (in relation to the Chinese market). ...
This study explores suitable applications of culturalization in the case of educational games for children, specifically in relation to the Chinese market. Culturalization, in the context of video games, are design choices and adjustments applied to a product in order to cater to the needs of different cultural environments. The characteristics of both this genre, and this target locale, determines to which aspects of the product culturalization should be applied.
Using three commercial educational games as a basis for discussion, the research was conducted through a series of expert interviews with pedagogues, localizers and game researchers in China. By analyzing the data gathered through these interviews, a series of aspects to consider for culturalization was defined. These were: usage of cultural references; the branding of the product; educational utility in relation to the local school curriculum; choice of gamification design.
... In spite of the theoretical and empirical support for DGBL, there has not been widespread adoption of this medium within formal learning environments. While a variety of issues have been cited as hindrances to the large-scale integration of digital games within classrooms (time constraints, issues locating games, lack of resources, etc), the most glaring contributor would be the paucity of professional development offerings available to pre-service and in-service teachers (Denham, 2016). While an international survey has yet to conducted, a nationwide survey of teachers in the US found only 17% of teachers learned about DGBL from professional development, with majority of those teachers collaborating with other teachers to support their subsequent professional learning (Takeuchi & Vaala, 2014). ...
Currently there are few pedagogical models available for mathematics teachers who are interested in digital game‐based learning. The Play Curricular‐activity Reflection and Discussion (PCaRD) model attempts to address this, but lacks the needed exploratory research on its implementation within formal mathematics classrooms. Through the use of semi‐structured interviews, this study examined three middle school teachers’ initial experience using PCaRD, the influence of this experience on their digital game‐based learning knowledge, and their perceptions on how teaching with digital games impacts student achievement. The findings showed teachers feel PCaRD is a sound Pedagogical model, but needed more practice using it to fully realize its usefulness. Also teachers felt the need to make adaptions to PCaRD based on the composition of their class, and had difficulty implementing the reflection and discussion phases. Finally, teachers felt their low achieving students benefitted most from the use of digital games. Future directions for research are also discussed.
... This came as no surprise, as the task of designing an educational game is a difficult one. Not only must one create a game that is enjoyable, engaging, and replayable, one must also ensure that learning results from time spent in gameplay (Denham 2016). The DGBL community responded to this challenge by creating interdisciplinary design and development teams that consist of educators, game designers, and instructional designers. ...
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.
The integration of learning goals with game mechanics in serious games used in urban and spatial planning processes has the potential to enable game designers and planners to create games with narratives tightly aligned to particular processes and lead to increased learning outcomes. This study presents the results from testing Energy Safari, a serious game for the energy transition in the province of Groningen, and empirically associates specific game mechanics with learning events, derived from players' reports. The research is based on the analysis of post-play questionnaires. Play-testing Energy Safari illustrates that different learning events can be triggered by the same game mechanics, an observation which can be applied in serious game design to facilitate players with different learning needs and styles. In addition, play testing to evaluate the learning performance of serious games should be integrated in the game design process. However, to achieve lasting learning and actionable knowledge, serious games should be used complementarily with other civic participation methods.
Designing games from the ground up is a popular activity for helping students think in designerly ways. Despite their benefits, such game design activities may place higher-than-anticipated demands on cognitive and institutional resources. In an effort to alleviate these demands, this study explored how playing and fixing partially completed games may elicit engagement with designerly thinking. This paper reports on the results of examining participants' talk during a playfixing activity in which, rather than designing wholesale, participants mended incomplete or “broken” tabletop games. Results suggest participants focused on problem identification, demonstrated quick and sustained engagement with thinking like designers, and drew from designerly modes non-linearly. These results illustrate that broken games may hold potential as accessible alternatives for helping learners think in designerly ways.
