The instructional effects of customization features in child learning games have rarely been examined. This value-added study addresses the existing gap with regards to user-initiated cosmetic customization of environment elements (i.e., non-avatar customization). Participants (N = 143; M[subscript age] = 9.41) studied a biological topic for about…

Background: Children with low reading skills are less frequently engaged in reading activities and therefore the likelihood of improving their reading skills decreases. Digital game-based interventions have emerged as a promising tool for promoting reading development in children, particularly those with reading difficulties. As syllable-based…

Background: Owing to the exponential growth of three-dimensional (3D) environments amongst researchers and educators to create simulation games (SGs) in primary education, there is a growing interest to examine their potential support in computer science courses instead of visual programming environments. Objectives: This study explores the…

The present study investigates affective-motivational, attention, and learning effects of unexplored emotional design manipulation: "Contextual animation" (animation of contextual elements) in multimedia learning game (MLGs) for children. Participants (N = 134; M[subscript age] = 9.25; Grades 3 and 4) learned either from an experimental…

In the present study, a 5-week tablet-based word reading efficiency game intervention (Reading Turbo) was integrated in a comprehensive phonics-based reading curriculum. The aims of the study were to examine whether the game would advance children's word reading efficiency, and to determine the extent to which pre-reading capacities and in-game…

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of a pedagogical model of digital games on students' scientific competencies that are advocated by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). As a single game-based learning strategy may not be enough to enhance such competencies, the online game in the current study incorporated…

This study examined the perceptions and experiences of a teacher and students in a Shanghai public primary school when digital games were used in a second-grade math class. The participants included one teacher and 45 students. Data collection methods included classroom observation, focus-group and individual interviews, and document analysis.…

With the advent of mobile technologies, well-designed fraction apps can be used to help children gain fraction knowledge, a challenging topic for both teachers and students. The present pilot study adopted a quasi-experimental design to investigate whether children can learn fraction concepts equally well if half of the lesson time (20 min) is…

We used a randomized controlled trial to investigate if a mobile game, GraphoLearn (GL), could effectively support the learning of first graders (N = 70), who have severe difficulties in reading and spelling. We studied the effects of two versions of the game: GL Reading, which focused on training letter-sound correspondence and word reading; and…

There has been a steady rise in the support for games as learning environments. This support is largely based on the strong levels of engagement and motivation observed during gameplay. What has proven difficult is the ability to consistently design and develop learning games that are both engaging and educationally viable. Those in the game-based…

This study examined the effects of an intervention with a multicomponent reading game on the development of reading skills in 60 Dutch primary school children with special educational needs. The game contains evidence-based reading exercises and is based on principles of applied gaming. Using a multiple baseline approach, we tested children's…

Although the Internet is widely used by students in both formal and informal environments, little is known about how and where youth spend their time online. Using Internet search and Web analytics data, this study discovered a large-scale phenomenon associated with the poor performance of elementary school students in the USA that has been…

In this study, we developed a digital game-based learning (DGBL) system, called the ToES, to foster students' creativity. Fifty-one fifth-grade students from two classes in a public school in Taipei, Taiwan, were recruited and consented to participate. Both classes consisted of students with mixed abilities studying a foundation unit entitled…