This study explored the use of an innovative instructional approach called Productive Failure (PF) to design an educational game and its support. The study then examined the effects of two different types of instruction--PF vs. Direct Instruction (DI)--on learning genetics and relevant mathematical knowledge in a Game-Based Learning (GBL)…

This study employed a pretest-posttest control group experimental design to investigate the impact of self-explanation prompts on content learning in the game-based context. Additionally, it explored the effectiveness of different delivery timings for the prompts--either during or after gameplay--in enhancing students' cognitive engagement in…

In this study, we investigated the validity of a stealth assessment of physics understanding in an educational game, as well as the effectiveness of different game-level delivery methods and various in-game supports on learning. Using a game called "Physics Playground," we randomly assigned 263 ninth- to eleventh-grade students into four…

The present study investigates the impact of the educational game Sociopolis on student engagement in the context of tenth-grade social science education. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research examines engagement behaviors quantitatively and categorically. The participant pool consists of 183 students from four public schools in…

Logical thinking and reasoning of geometric space are among the key abilities of science and technology education. This research developed a framework of an alternate reality-based board game incorporating augmented reality (AR) exploration with multi-dimensional scaffolding, including "cognitive scaffolding," "metacognitive…

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become an essential issue for schools facing major challenges such as bridging the knowledge-action-gap. Interactive simulations could help to focus on action-oriented learning. As part of a design-based research (DBR) process, we investigated the learning potential of game elements within a digital…

In-game learning supports aim to help students solve game levels (i.e., game-related supports), and connect to underlying content (i.e., content-related and hybrid supports). Students with different levels of prior knowledge may have different needs for in-game supports. In this study, we designed a 2D physics game with game-related,…

This article focuses on the case study of the concept of covalent bonding for 10th grade pupils in France. On the basis of their conceptions and difficulties, didactical engineering has been established that should lead to an improvement in the understanding of this concept. After analyzing the pupils' difficulties, we reflected on the…

To drive effective change towards sustainable development, several courses of action have been devised, and education was pointed as a way to attain this goal. Recognizing the impact of learning in context, it is essential to develop innovative educational proposals that bring schools into other social contexts. This study aims to present, albeit…

This study aims to determine the effects of educational computer games on the tenth grades students' academic achievement and attitudes towards the course. The research was conducted with 60 tenth-grade students attending an Anatolian high school during the school year of 2019-2020. The study was designed as a quasi-experimental design with a pre…

We examined the use and effectiveness of an incentive system--one of the five elements of a theory-based motivational architecture in educational games that we proposed--in a computer-based physics game on students' learning and performance. The incentive system's purpose was to motivate students to access learning supports designed to facilitate…

Sorting is a fundamental computing concept. As for today, it is taught at the secondary school level. However, this kind of algorithm is an obstacle for some students due to its high level of abstraction. To prevent discouragement as well as to incorporate a fun and challenging algorithmic task, a novel tablet-based digital game,…

In partnership with both formal and informal learning institutions, researchers have been building a suite of online games, called choicelets, to serve as interactive assessments of learning skills, e.g. critical thinking or seeking feedback. Unlike more traditional assessments, which take a retrospective, knowledge-based view of learning,…

Too many students are entering post-secondary education lacking foundational mathematics skills that are critical to performance on placement examinations. As a result, students are forced to take remedial courses that are often non-credit bearing and hinder their progress toward graduation. Research suggests that a lack of number sense may…

In English teaching classes, teachers use some teaching methods that may have positive or negative impacts on students' learning attitudes. The purposes of this study were 1) to compare the differences between a traditional and gamified teaching methods in terms of understanding and remembering phrasal verbs and 2) to investigate students'…