Full length articleMobile game-based learning in secondary education: Students’ immersion, game activities, team performance and learning outcomes
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.
Section snippets
Mobile game-based learning
Mobile or location-based games provide teachers in school the possibility of moving their teaching outside the classroom and connecting their teaching to student learning using meaningful objects and environments outside of the school. Most studies on mobile game-based student learning have focused on the usability of these games for teaching and learning in school settings, on their effects on students' motivation for both learning and the game itself, and on learning from the game (e.g.,
The case: NoCredit, GameOver!®
The game examined in the current study is a serious mobile urban game called “NoCredit, GameOver!®” (NCGO) and is a project and registered brand of Lieve Achten for the ‘[ew32]’ organization (http://www.ew32.be/about/about-ew32-english-version/, [email protected]). The game is designed to offer an interactive learning context about debts and is played in a city using a tablet. The goal of the game is for players to decrease their debts.
Secondary school students played the game in groups of two or
Participants
The participants of this study were 181 students who played the game in the city of Oostende (Belgium). The students (66 males and 115 females) varied in age from 15 to 22 years. Most students (169) were in the fifth to seventh grades from four secondary education schools. The students played the game in teams of two or three students (N = 69 teams). The teachers of the students had signed their students up to play the game. Most students played the game as a part of their secondary education
Students’ learning outcomes
In Table 5, the results for students learning outcomes are summarized. We found a significant difference between Subject knowledge before playing the game (M = 2.23; SD = 0.67) and after playing the game (M = 2.87; SD = 0.56; t(178) = -13.55, p < 0.001). The students showed more subject knowledge after playing the game than before. This can be understood as a large effect (Cohen's d average variance = 1.04, see Cohen, 1988).
A significant difference was also found between Interest in the subject
Discussion
In this study, we examined whether students' learned from a mobile game. In addition, to provide insights into the relationship between students' game activities and the game outcomes, we examined whether students’ immersion in the game and character and team game activities were related to learning outcomes.
Students reported being more interested in the game topic and to knew more about the topic of the game after playing the game than before. No changes were found with respect to their
References (26)
- et al.
The concept of flow in collaborative game-based learning
Computers in Human Behavior
(2011) - et al.
The relationship between character identification and flow state within video games
Computers in Human Behavior
(2016) - et al.
The effects of integrating mobile devices with teaching and learning on students' learning performance: A meta-analysis and research synthesis
Computers & Education
(2016) - et al.
Gameplay engagement and learning in game-based learning
Review of Educational Research
(2015) - et al.
Enriching archaeological parks with contextual sounds and mobile technology
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction
(2012) - et al.
Mapping learning and game mechanics for serious games analysis
British Journal of Educational Technology
(2015) - et al.
Research and trends in mobile learning from 1976 to 2013: A content analysis of patents in selected databases
British Journal of Educational Technology
(2015) - et al.
Digital games, design, and learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Review of Educational Research
(2016) Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences
(1988)- et al.
Playful urban spaces
Simulation & Gaming
(2009)
Game design and learning: A conjectural analysis of how massively multiple online role-playing games (MMORPGs) foster intrinsic motivation
Educational Technology Research & Development
Mobile learning vs. traditional classroom lessons: A comparative study
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
The practical accomplishment of location-based game-play: Design and analysis of mobile collaborative gaming
International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction
Cited by (60)
What explains the next level of gaming? An experience-anticipation model for amateur esports participation
2024, Computers in Human BehaviorLearning with serious games in economics education a systematic review of the effectiveness of game-based learning in upper secondary and higher education
2022, International Journal of Educational ResearchCitation Excerpt :These studies attributed marginal effects of GBL to instructional deficiencies, particularly in information processing by debriefing. In one case, debriefing was missing (Rogmans & Abaza, 2019), and in another case, game immersion was negatively correlated with the development of content knowledge and interest (Huizenga et al., 2019), which, according to the authors, could be improved by better debriefing of the game (ibid.). The aim of this paper was to determine whether GBL in EE offers advantages over other learning media.
Classifying games in container terminal logistics field: A systematic review
2022, Entertainment ComputingThe effects of game quality and cognitive loads on students’ learning performance in mobile game-based learning contexts: The case of system analysis education
2023, Education and Information TechnologiesAndragogical principles in a gamification concept: how does it work for adult learners in an online class?
2023, Journal of Applied Research in Higher EducationUnderstanding primary school students' desire to play games on smart mobile devices in their leisure time
2023, Research on E-Learning and ICT in Education: Technological, Pedagogical, and Instructional Perspectives