There is increasing interest in the application of game-based learning approaches to education. Educators across a wide range of contexts are using digital games such as educational escape rooms to promote learner motivation and support skills development. Whilst the literature describes multiple game-based learning theories that can underpin such…

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of block-based coding education on middle school students' computational thinking skills and attitudes towards coding with Blocky example. The training phase of the implementation process was planned and implemented by subject experts in 4 weeks and 2 hours a week. In the research, both quantitative…

The purpose of this study was to examine the pre-service teachers' computational thinking (CT) skills and self-efficacy (SE) towards teaching CT, who attended a course in which educational games were developed in a block-based programming environment and lesson plans were prepared accordingly. The research was conducted with thirty seven…

The personalization feature has been implemented in various ways in educational games but the effectiveness of personalization feature on students' engagement was mixed in literature. Culture might be one possible reason but has been seldom explored in previous studies. This study filled in this gap by investigating the impact of the…

Academic achievement of students with disabilities has long been a concern in special education, and this work addresses the academic achievement gap between students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their typically developing peers. This study aimed to increase mathematical achievement in fluency and calculation skills for students with…

The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the impact of game mechanics on developing collaborative problem solving (CPS) skills. CPS skills are important for the complex work environments of the 21st century, and games appear to provide potential learning experiences where such skills can develop. The research questions of…

The majority of children in mainstream (no fee, poorly resourced, African language dominant) public schools in South Africa fall significantly behind curricular norms in mathematics by Grade 3; the early learning gap grows across time. The provision of "quality" instructional materials is a well-recognised component of effective…

The past few years have proven a need in higher education for tools that help educators and students maintain a flexible and highly adaptive approach to their coursework. Research into applied improvisation has shown that the improvisational mindset is beneficial to educational settings in this way, in part because of the way it encourages…

Alternative teaching methodologies are required for grade-9 students diagnosed with difficulties learning chemistry. This study examines the progress made in learning atomic structure by 11 Spanish Students Diagnosed with Learning Difficulties (SDLD, experimental group), including those with poor academic performance, specific learning…

The majority of user models in gamification are based on user's gamer personality. However, the motivations driving individuals' learning behavior differ from their motivations when playing. There is no evidence that learners' experiences in gamified activities are described by these models. Thus, an alternative model capturing learners'…

We explored whether problem-solving interactivity within an instructional game fosters learning for children aged 8-10 years. Participants (N=139) studied a biological topic either through a game-based learning environment (in which they solved assigned problems by interacting with a plant model) or from a standard learning environment (in which…

This essay explores the possibility that a particular type of video game--real-time strategy games--could have worrisome educational impacts. In order to make this case, I will develop a theoretical framework originally advanced by French social critic Paul Virilio. In two key texts, Speed and Politics (1977) and "The Aesthetics of…

As a digital learning medium, serious games can be powerful, immersive educational vehicles and provide large data streams for understanding player behavior. Educational data mining and learning analytics can effectively leverage big data in this context to heighten insight into student trajectories and behavior profiles. In application of these…

In this paper, we discuss our approach to designing a board game, the Green Economy, that promotes systems thinking. We anchored our game design process on design-by-analogy and rapid prototyping concepts by taking a modular approach to overcome the trade-off between realism and simplicity. The unique feature of the Green Economy enables players…

Escape rooms are collaborative puzzle solving activities that require the participants to utilize logical reasoning and teamwork. With a slight refocusing on previously acquired knowledge, escape rooms can also be used to test and promote learning of certain topics. This paper describes the development of a one-hour in-person STEM focused escape…