Can typical game features have unintended consequences? A study of players’ learning and reactions to challenge and failure in an educational programming game

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21297187
AutoresCatherine C Chase (0000-0003-1161-1141, Columbia University, autor correspondente), Laura J Malkiewich (0000-0002-2662-8387), Alison Lee (0000-0001-5518-5442), STEFAN SLATER (0000-0002-1016-1516), Ahram Choi, Chenmu Xing (0000-0003-4558-1112)
Ano2021
Volume52
Fascículo1
Páginas57-74
Data de publicação2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoBritish Journal of Educational Technology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0007-1013 • E-ISSN: 1467-8535
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjet.13021
OpenAlexW3082004868
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas56

It is difficult to motivate learners to seek out and persist at challenging learning tasks where failure is likely. However, in game environments, people seem highly motivated to engage with challenges and respond productively to failure. Many typical game features purportedly enhance intrinsic motivation and self‐efficacy, which should improve students’ reactions to challenge and failure, which should in turn enhance learning. An experimental study with early middle school students tested these assumptions by comparing a “Full” version of a typical, commercial programming game to a “Minimal” version of the same game where common game features such as narrative, performance metrics, high‐quality graphics, and sound were removed. In contrast to our hypotheses, players of the Full Game were less likely to choose coding challenges, were less tolerant of coding failures and gained less coding knowledge. Intrinsic motivation and self‐efficacy did not differ between conditions. Correlational analyses showed that failure tolerance and challenge seeking may critically affect learning from educational games. The current study offers an existence proof that some common game features can hinder players' failure tolerance, challenge‐seeking and learning, in certain game contexts. Future research should isolate the effects of individual game features, test generalizability and explore which contextual variables influence the findings

Coding (social sciences) · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Educational game · Game based learning · Game design · Generalizability theory · Mathematics education · Multimedia · Narrative · Serious game · Unintended consequences · Video game · Computer Science · Educational Games and Gamification · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Psychology · Teaching and Learning Programming