Background: As one of the gamification elements, leaderboard, especially absolute leaderboard, is widely used in educational gamification systems. However, empirical studies on the optimal use condition of the leaderboard and underlying influence mechanisms are deficient. Objectives: This study explored which difficulty was more conducive to…

Wargames and crisis simulations can be useful pedagogical tools when deliberately used. This paper explores the spectrum of pedagogical objectives; what use are wargames for learning? What types of objectives can they explore? How do you align the learning objectives with the right type of game? The paper leverages Bloom's Taxonomy of learning as…

Digital games are among the most common reasons children use the internet, and the time children spend playing digital games is increasing day by day. This research aims to identify the characteristics of the digital games most preferred by children, while also examining their digital gaming habits. The study was conducted using a qualitative…

Movement is prospective. It structures self-generated engagement with objects and social partners and is fundamental to children's learning and development. In autistic children, previous reports of differences in movement kinematics compared to neurotypical peers suggest that its prospective organisation might be disrupted. Here, we employed a…

This paper examines how digital strategy and management games that have been initially designed for entertainment can facilitate the practice of dynamic decision-making. Based on a comparative qualitative analysis of 17 games--organized into categories derived from a conceptual model of decision-making design--this article illustrates two ways in…

Background: Performance goal orientations are influential motivational factors for predicting learning performance. However, a lack of attention has been paid to investigating the effects of performance goal orientations on learning performance and in-game performance in the context of digital game-based learning. Objectives: This study…

In recent years, several studies have reported the potential of employing digital games in EFL (English as Foreign Language) courses to promote students' learning motivation. However, scholars have pointed out that students generally lack self-learning ability, which is the key to the success of learning a foreign language. Therefore, it is…

Although badges are among the most-used game elements in gamified education, studies about their optimal features to motivate learning are scarce. How should a badge be designed to represent an incentive for a specific goal like optimal exam preparation? This study examines usage data of a higher education learning app to determine whether the…

Pair programming is a collaborative learning mode to foster novice learners' computer programming. Previous empirical research has reported contrasting conclusions about the effect of pair programming on student learning. To further understand students' pair programming, this study uses a mixed method to analyze three contrasting pairs'…

Critical factors that influence the value of digital game-based learning (DGBL) for enhancing learning effectiveness remain debatable. Based on the self-determination theory (SDT), people can be autonomously motivated to adopt DGBL to enhance learning effectiveness if their basic psychological needs are satisfied. Additionally, studies that…

To understand how learner metacognition and goal orientation affect learner problem-solving in a Serious Game (SG) environment, this study examined 12 undergraduate students' metacognition, goal orientations, and problem-solving performances and processes while playing a SG that adopts problem-based learning pedagogy to teach space science.…

Objective: The rapid advancement in screen-based technology enables teenagers today to devote significant amounts of time to occupational engagement in the virtual context. Societal concerns regarding adolescent screen time have been well-substantiated by numerous studies that have revealed an inverse relationship between adolescent screen time…

We investigated the effects of proximal grouping of numbers, problem-solving goals to make 100, and prior knowledge on students' solution strategies in an online mathematics game. Logistic regression on 857 problem-level data points from 227 middle-school students showed that students were more likely to use productive solution strategies on…

Emerging cognitive control supports increasingly efficient goal-directed behaviors. With age, children are increasingly expected to decide autonomously and with little external aid which goals to attain. However, little is known about how children engage cognitive control in such a self-directed fashion. The present study examined self-directed…

According to social dilemma theory, students may be characterized as being indifferent to reciprocal behavior and disengaged from interacting with the board gaming process. Given a common goal, students' prosociality can affect the collective efficacy and goal achievement motivation that reflects their flow experience in a cooperative-competitive…