Mobile game-based learning in secondary education: Students’ immersion, game activities, team performance and learning outcomes

Highlights

• Mobile collaborative game-based learning was studied in an urban area.

• Empathizing with a character was negatively related to learning outcomes.

• Content authenticity was negatively related to students' spending money wisely.

• Navigating was negatively related to team performance.

• Visiting organizations was positively related to team performance.

Abstract

Studies on game-based learning show positive effects, but insights into the relationship between students' game activities and the outcomes of these activities are lacking. In this study of the game “NoCredit, GameOver!^®” (NCGO), students' game activities are explored and related to their learning outcomes and performance in the game. Secondary school students used tablets to access virtual information about having debts and to perform tasks in an urban environment. Data were gathered from 181 students who completed questionnaires concerning their game activities in a team, immersion into the game and character assigned to them, and learning outcomes. The extent to which students empathized with the game characters appeared be negatively related to their interest in and knowledge of the subject. In addition, perceived content authenticity was negatively related with students' spending money wisely. Searching the internet with a team was positively related to students’ self-reported spending money wisely. Visiting organizations, which was one of the scheduled game activities, showed a positive relationship with team game performance. Implications for teaching with games and future research are suggested.

Introduction

Educational practices with mobile learning and game-based learning show positive effects on students’ learning achievements, motivation for learning in school and interest in the subject matter that they learn in school (Abdul Jabbar & Felicia, 2015; Furió, Juan, Seguí, & Vivó, 2015; So & Seo, 2018; Sung, Chang, & Liu, 2016; Wilson et al., 2009; Wouters, Van Nimwegen, Van Oostendorp, & Van der Spek, 2013). Mobile learning in schools is mostly applied in environmental education or out-of-class schooling (Chiang et al., 2015). This type of learning with mobile devices with wireless network connections, cameras, RFID readers and GPS (Jeng, Wu, Haung, Tan, & Yang, 2010) expands learning with games from the screen to learning in a mixed-reality environment using urban spaces as a game board. These types of games are called mobile location-based games or urban games when they are played in an urban environment (De Souza e Silva & Hjorth, 2009).

Enabled by technological developments, new possibilities for teaching with mobile games are emerging. However, much information remains to be discovered regarding the processes by which mobile game-based learning cause positive effects (Iten & Petko, 2016). Insights into the relationship between students' activities during a mobile game and the outcomes of these activities still need to be developed. The current case study in secondary education explores students' game activities in a location-based game and examines how these activities are related to students’ learning outcomes and their game performance.