Adopting a pretest-posttest experimental design with repeated measures, this study examined the effects of three types of game-based learning supports in the form of modeling on knowledge development that contributed to successful math problem solving and students' perceived game flow. Forty-one sixth-grade students participated in the study and…

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…

This mixed-method study aims to explore the feasibility of using the game-based, multimodal representation of mathematical problems to support middle school students' practice and performance of math problem representation and solving. A three-dimensional architectural simulation game, called E-Rebuild, was developed to engage students in…

Using multimodal data fusion techniques, we built and tested prediction models to track middle-school student distress states during educational gameplay. We collected and analyzed 1,145 data instances, sampled from a total of 31 middle-school students' audio- and video-recorded gameplay sessions. We conducted data wrangling with student gameplay…

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…

A promising method to support game-based learning is to facilitate learners' externalization of cognitive and metacognitive processes. Externalizing Problem Representation (EPR) refers to a cognitive behaviour in which a learner constructs her own representations overtly. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether learning supports…

In this design-based research project, we investigated how and to what extent participating in architectural building and problem solving via a simulation game-based learning platform (called E-Rebuild) would facilitate mathematical practices of middle-school students in the informal learning setting. This study encompasses 2 iterative design…

The promise of using games for learning is that play- and learning-engagement would occur cohesively as a whole to compose a highly motivated learning experience. Yet the conceptualization of such an integrative process in the development of play-based learning engagement is lacking. In this analytical paper, we explored and conceptualized the…

This mixed methods study is aimed to examine the feasibility of integrating mathematical problem solving with architectural design via a 3D epistemic simulation game to promote active mathematics learning for middle-school students. The experimental-control pretest/posttest group design was adopted to examine whether the experience of interacting…

Via a systematic review of the literature on learning games, this article presents a systematic discussion on the design of intrinsic integration of domain-specific learning in game mechanics and game world design. A total of 69 articles ultimately met the inclusion criteria and were coded for the literature synthesis. Exemplary learning games…

This experimental study was intended to examine whether game-based learning (GBL) that encompasses four particular game characteristics (challenges, a storyline, immediate rewards and the integration of game-play with learning content) in an OpenSimulator-supported virtual reality learning environment can improve perceived motivational quality of…

This experimental study was intended to examine whether the integration of game characteristics in the OpenSimulator-supported virtual reality (VR) learning environment can improve mathematical achievement for elementary school students. In this pre- and posttest experimental comparison study, data were collected from 132 fourth graders through an…

The purpose of this study was to investigate future teachers' experiences and perceptions of using a virtual reality game for elementary math education. The virtual reality game was designed and developed to integrate a musical activity (beat-making) into the math learning of fractions. Five math education major students participated in this…

This exploratory study examined the design issues related to a virtual-reality-based, gamelike learning environment (VRGLE) developed via OpenSimulator, an open-source virtual reality server. The researchers collected qualitative data to examine the VRGLE's usability, playability, and content integration for math learning. They found it important…

This in-situ, descriptive case study examined the potential of implementing computer mathematics games as an anchor for tutoring of mathematics. Data were collected from middle school students at a rural pueblo school and an urban Hispanic-serving school, through in-field observation, content analysis of game-based tutoring-learning interactions,…