The influence of game-based design elements on learning performance in digital learning environments
In the last ten years, the use of game-based learning has increased significantly and the main arguments for the implementation of games as an educational tool are based on their potential to foster learning outcomes via their capability to increase engagement and motivation, as well as to enhance l...
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| Formato: | doctoralThesis |
| Idioma: | pt_BR |
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Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
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| Acceso en liña: | https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/56315 |
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| Resumo: | In the last ten years, the use of game-based learning has increased significantly and the main arguments for the implementation of games as an educational tool are based on their potential to foster learning outcomes via their capability to increase engagement and motivation, as well as to enhance learner experience. However, additional (game) elements embedded in learning materials might distract learners and/or divert attention away from the essential content to be learned and thus impair learning and/or performance – such distractors are often referred to as seductive details. As such, a careful balance of game elements and instructional features is necessary not to hinder learning when using games. In this vein, this study aims at investigating the influence of game elements present in a digital game-based environment on the users’ performance and learning, as well as on engagement, motivation, and emotions. Overall, the study has three stages, and initially, a pre-post training study comparing a game-based to a non-game-based training condition on fraction magnitude revealed that participants improved their fraction magnitude understanding from pretest to posttest and their improvement did not differ significantly between groups. However, during the training, participants in the game-based condition responded more accurately but were slower than those in the non-game-based condition suggesting that game elements might increase participants’ cognitive engagement and result in a speed-accuracy trade-off. In the second stage, a comparison between a game-based and a non-game-based group intervention was implemented with pre and post-self-reported survey measuring motivation, emotions, and engagement. The learning content was changed for a pairing association of symbols and numbers to exclude prior knowledge biases. The results showed that game elements affect both participant attrition and engagement during the interaction with the task. Participants with low self-efficacy were particularly prone to study dropout in the absence of game elements. Game elements further affect both learning efficacy and efficiency and mediation analysis revealed that task attractivity partially mediated the effect of game elements on learning performance. To deeply understand the dynamics of the use of game elements in learning, a multimodal data collection study was conducted and revealed that game elements are not harmful for learning. The same study evidenced that a game-based learning task can engage learners more than an equivalent task with no game elements involved as well as increase self-efficacy and self-interest. Hence, the use of game-based learning approaches is recommended considering their capacity to change learners’ perspectives towards learning environments |
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