Sol y Agua: A Game-based Learning Platform to Engage Middle-school Students in STEM

Game-based learning (GBL) has increasingly been used to promote students’ learning engagement. Although prior GBL studies have highlighted the significance of learning engagement as a mediator of students’ meaningful learning, the existing accounts failed to capture specific evidence of how exactly students’ in-game actions in GBL enhance learning engagement. Hence, this mixed-method study was designed to examine whether middle school students’ in-game actions are likely to promote certain types of learning engagement (i.e., content and cognitive engagement). This study used and examined the game E-Rebuild, a single-player three-dimensional architecture game that requires learners’ application of math knowledge. Using in-depth gameplay behavior analysis, this study sampled a total of 92 screen-recorded and video-captured gameplay sessions attended by 25 middle school students. We adopted two analytic approaches: sequential analysis and thematic analysis. Whereas sequential analysis explored which in-game actions by students were likely to promote each type of learning engagement, the thematic analysis depicted how certain gameplay contexts contributed to students’ enhanced learning engagement. The study found that refugee allocation and material trading actions promoted students’ content engagement, whereas using in-game building tools and learning support boosted their cognitive engagement. This study also found that students’ learning engagement was associated with their development of mathematical thinking in a GBL context.

Download Full-text

Automated Analysis of Middle School Students’ Written Reflections During Game-Based Learning

Lecture Notes in Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence in Education ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-52237-7_6 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 67-78

Author(s):

Dan Carpenter ◽

Michael Geden ◽

Jonathan Rowe ◽

Roger Azevedo ◽

James Lester

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Automated Analysis ◽

Game Based Learning ◽

School Students

Download Full-text

Exploring the Relationships Among Middle School Students’ Peer Interactions, Task Efficiency, and Learning Engagement in Game-Based Learning

Simulation & Gaming ◽

10.1177/1046878120907940 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 310-335

Author(s):

Jewoong Moon ◽

Fengfeng Ke

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Peer Interaction ◽

Peer Interactions ◽

Game Based Learning ◽

School Students ◽

Learning Engagement ◽

Interaction Efficiency ◽

Task Efficiency

Background. Middle school students’ math anxiety and low engagement have been major issues in math education. In order to reduce their anxiety and support their math learning, game-based learning (GBL) has been implemented. GBL research has underscored the role of social dynamics to facilitate a qualitative understanding of students’ knowledge. Whereas students’ peer interactions have been deemed a social dynamic, the relationships among peer interaction, task efficiency, and learning engagement were not well understood in previous empirical studies. Method. This mixed-method research implemented E-Rebuild, which is a 3D architecture game designed to promote students’ math problem-solving skills. We collected a total of 102 50-minutes gameplay sessions performed by 32 middle school students. Using video-captured and screen-recorded gameplaying sessions, we implemented behavior observations to measure students’ peer interaction efficiency, task efficiency, and learning engagement. We used association analyses, sequential analysis, and thematic analysis to explain how peer interaction promoted students’ task efficiency and learning engagement. Results. Students’ peer interactions were negatively related to task efficiency and learning engagement. There were also different gameplay patterns by students’ learning/task-relevant peer-interaction efficiency (PIE) level. Students in the low PIE group tended to progress through game tasks more efficiently than those in the high PIE group. The results of qualitative thematic analysis suggested that the students in the low PIE group showed more reflections on game-based mathematical problem solving, whereas those with high PIE experienced distractions during gameplay. Discussion. This study confirmed that students’ peer interactions without purposeful and knowledge-constructive collaborations led to their low task efficiency, as well as low learning engagement. The study finding shows further design implications: (1) providing in-game prompts to stimulate students’ math-related discussions and (2) developing collaboration contexts that legitimize students’ interpersonal knowledge exchanges with peers.

Download Full-text

RemedialTutor: A blended learning platform for weak students and study its efficiency in social science learning of middle school students in India

Education and Information Technologies ◽

10.1007/s10639-018-9813-4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 1925-1941 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dhawaleswar Rao CH ◽

Sujan Kumar Saha

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Social Science ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Science Learning ◽

School Students ◽

Learning Platform

Download Full-text

Increasing middle school students’ awareness and interest in manufacturing through digital game-based learning (DGBL)

Computer Applications in Engineering Education ◽

10.1002/cae.21836 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 785-799 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Stefano Perini ◽

Maria Margoudi ◽

Manuel Fradinho Oliveira ◽

Marco Taisch

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Digital Game ◽

Game Based Learning ◽

School Students

Download Full-text

Developing Game-Based Learning Requirements to Increase Female Middle School Students Interest in Computer Science

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1541931213601086 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 380-384 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Desmond Bonner ◽

Michael Dorneich

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Computer Science ◽

Middle School Student ◽

Student Interest ◽

Game Based Learning ◽

School Students ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Stem Interest ◽

Positive Effect

This paper presents work on the development of a Game-Based Learning (GBL) application’s requirements for female middle school students which teaches fundamental concepts of programming. Currently, there are not enough students who desire to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic (STEM) career fields. Additionally, female are underrepresented in STEM fields, and increased female participation may help partially address this gap. GBL was used to encourage middle school student interest in STEM by allowing them to practice computer science concepts in engaging contexts outside the classroom. The game Sorceress of Seasons was built to teach fundamental programming concepts, and was based on six requirements specifically targeted at female middle school students. The game was tested with 15 middle school-aged students. Playing the game had a positive effect on students’ attitudes towards programming, with female students reporting a larger increase in computer science interest than males when compared with their previous attitudes. The results suggest that the game may be successful in increasing interest in STEM in these students. The requirements developed to guide the design of the game played a role in the game’s effectiveness, and may be useful when developing an educational tool targeting female STEM interest.

Download Full-text

A Study on Parents’ Willingness to Pay for Online Learning of Middle School Students Based on Perceived Value

Mobile Information Systems ◽

10.1155/2021/4300434 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Guomin Chen ◽

Xiaoyong Zhou ◽

Yingwei Jin ◽

Yang Liu

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Online Learning ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Perceived Value ◽

Exploratory Research ◽

School Students ◽

Learning Platform ◽

The Impact

The purpose of this study is to conduct a mixed research from the perspective of customers perceived value and objective situational factors. The online learning platform for middle school students has a special situation of users (students) using and customers (parents) paying. When it studies the influencing factors of customers (parents) willingness to pay, it puts aside the interference of users’ using influencing factors and conducts a separate study. Firstly, the exploratory research based on the grounded theory carries out category extraction and model construction. Secondly, through empirical research to identify the specific relationship between the variables, we finally get the specific influencing factors of perceived value that affect customers’ willingness to pay. In objective situations, social influence directly affects customers’ willingness to pay. Online comments play a positive moderating role in the impact of perceived value on willingness to pay.

Download Full-text