We analyze the thesis that a fully immersive gamified learning platform benefits students, improving their enjoyment, time management, and performance by engaging them with the subject matter. We assert that an immersive experience centered around a true game produces better results than exercises with just a few gamified elements (e.g., points,…

One approach to teaching game design to students with a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds is through team game projects that span multiple weeks, up to an entire term. However, open-ended, creative projects introduce a gamut of challenges to novice programmers. My goal is to assist game design students with the planning stage of their…

Executive functions (EF) are important cognitive processing skills required for planning, reasoning, problem solving and self-monitoring. It is vital to various aspects of human development from behavioral, social-emotional to academic. There is an increasing interest in identifying and developing cognitive skills training interventions. Results…

Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) demonstrated a positive impact on students' motivation, engagement, knowledge acquisition, and many other areas. However, all the benefits DGBL can offer for the classroom do not seem to be enticing enough to persuade classroom instructors to implement DGBL in their classroom. There is a disconnect between…

This dissertation examines how analog and digital history games complicate and challenge the dominant discourse of teaching American History through Texas state high school-focused texts and these texts complicity in suppressing non-normative histories. These histories are formed at the intersection of political, social, and cultural power…

This study explored the use of gamification when teaching Greek as a L2. It examined how Greek teachers in different schools in Cyprus use gamification and if it affects their students in learning. It explored their perceptions of the effects on student motivation and engagement. The study was of qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore how community college nursing faculty with experience of virtual gaming simulation (VGS) from a community college in north central Texas describe the challenges and benefits of utilizing VGS as a teaching tool to help nursing students progress in the development of clinical judgment…

Bullying is one of the most common yet tolerated forms of violence. "BREAKAWAY" is an educational game purposefully designed to use entertainment-education and digital gaming to help youth around the world to learn about different types of bullying and coping strategies. This dissertation reports the design and results of a pilot study…

According to the Entertainment Software Association (2020), 70% (51.1 million) of children under the age of 18 are gamers in the United States and consume an average of two and a half hours per day playing digital-based games, making these games one of the most widely known leisure activities worldwide. Today's Net Generation (Kindergarten through…

This dissertation is a phenomenological study exploring the lived experiences of industry video game writers. The findings of the study highlight the areas of competence necessary for game writing in the workplace, including writing and storytelling, communication and collaboration, understanding systems and dynamics, tool proficiency, and…

Social studies teachers are consistently looking for new avenues to motivate learners. To facilitate this process, simulations and roleplaying have garnered considerable attention. However, game-based simulations have received little consideration in social studies classrooms. Through game-based simulations, teachers can create sophisticated…

"Guitar Hero III" and similar games potentially offer a vehicle for improvement of musical rhythmic accuracy with training delivered in both visual and auditory formats and by use of its novel guitar-shaped interface; however, some theories regarding multimedia learning suggest sound is a possible source of extraneous cognitive load…

This ethnographic case study aims to examine second language socialization (SLS) in a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) called "Stronghold Kingdoms" (SK). To explore the affordances of this community for SLS, the social dynamics in a faction community during 4 life-time periods, namely, war, post-war peace and life in exile, end…

Using active learning strategies, such as games, can make a positive impact on how students learn, how they process and retain information, and how they interact with digital media. This quantitative comparative research study examined differences among online freshman students' posttest information literacy (IL) summative scores comparing…

Traditional teacher education programs focus on pedagogy and, to a lesser extent, assessments of knowledge (Siedlecki, 2012). Pedagogy and assessments should be fundamental components of any secondary teacher's curriculum planning (Knight, Shum, & Littleton, 2014). This study sought to consider the possible effects of three pedagogical…