PSY 125 - 6. An Evidence-Based Approach to Computer Games for Learning PDF

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Took course with Professor Mayer...

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An Evidence-Based Approach to Computer Games for Learning 1. INTRODUCTION Rationale for Studying Computer Games for Learning • Educational computer games have promise for improving learning, we are just beginning to test that potential in scientific research • Game design should be consistent with evidence-based theories of how people learn and with research evidence concerning what works

Three kinds of cognitive processes during learning • Extraneous (+ game features) • Essential (+ instructional features) • Generative (+ game features / - instructional features) • Instructional features take away the excitement of the game Potential and Pitfalls of Educational Computer Games What can happen

Cognitive mechanism

Potential - game features can promote motivation

Increase generative processing

Potential - instructional features can promote learning

Increase essential processing

Pitfall - game features can diminish learning

Increase extraneous processing

Pitfall: instructional features can diminish motivation

Decrease generative processing

Problem: games have potential to improve motivation but may distract from learning → Solution: • Balance game features (to promote generative processing) with instructional features (to promote essential processing) • Minimize game features that lead to distraction (i.e minimize extraneous processing) and instructional features that reduce motivation (i.e do not minimize generative processing) Players in Game Research ** critical - notice what works and what doesn’t Who

What they do

How they view games

Visionaries

inspire

positive

developers

dazzle

positive

educators

connect

positive

investigators

inform

critical

Problem: strong claims based on weak evidence → develop game research methodologies → produce high-quality evidence base on games for learning → ground game research in cognitive theory → foster collaboration among visionaries, developers, educators, and investigators Games for learning - Games intended to promote learning (i.e. intended to improve performance on target tasks) Characteristics of educational games • Rule-based - events occur based on a set of knowable rules • Responsive - environment allows for player to act and responds promptly and saliently • Challenging - environment provides opportunities for success on difficult tasks • Cumulative - current state of the environment reflects player’s previous actions and allows for assessment of progress towards goals Three Genres of Game Research • Value added • Cognitive consequences • Media comparison 2. VALUE ADDED APPROACH TO GAME RESEARCH

Circuit game - explanative feedback after each move? • Base group - no explanative feedback • Enhanced group - explanative feedback after each key move

• Transfer test - solve 25 new circuit problems on level 10 ⟹ Explanative feedback principle: people learn better in games when they get explanative feedback after each key move Circuit game - asked to select an explanation for their moves • Base group - no self-explanation

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Enhanced group - w/ self-explanation

• Transfer test - solve 25 new circuit problems on level 10 ⟹ Self explanation principle: people learn better in games when they are asked to select an explanation for their moves Circuit game - promoted to reflect on underlying principles • Base group - no prompts • Enhanced group - included prompts based on a worksheet ⟹ Pre-training Principle (Prompting): people learn better in games when they are prompted to reflect on underlying principles Circuit Game - competitive features • Base group - play circuit game without competitive features • Enhanced group - play circuit game with competitive features (competition = win one ticket for each level and exchange tickets for a chance to win $50. Number of tickets shown on screen) • Transfer test - solve 25 new circuit problems on level 10 as an embedded test ⟹ Competition principle - women learn better and men learn worse when competition is added to a game Profile Game - receive pretraining in the key concepts • Base group - no pretraining • Enhanced group - with pre training

⟹ Pre Training Principle: people learn better in games when they receive pretraining in the key concept group

Virtual Factory game - onscreen agent uses polite vs direct wording • Base group - direct wording (“Press the ENTER key”) • Enhanced group - polite wording (“shall we press the ENTER key?”) • Test - comprehension test ⟹ Personalization Principle (politeness): people learn better in games when an agent uses polite rather than direct wording Cache 17 - strong narrative theme • Base group - play Cache 17 without a strong narrative theme • Enhanced group - play Cache 17 with introductory animation that presents a narrative theme about lost artwork • Narrative theme - short introductory animation about lost artwork that may be stored in a WWII bunker system • Transfer test - solve new problems about electrical devices ⟹ Narrative theme principle: people do NOT learn better in games with strong narrative themes Summary of Value Added Research in Mayer Lab: Which features improve learning?

Summary of Value Added Research Literature: What works • Modality - present words in spoken form • Personalization - use conventional style • Pretraining - provide pre-game experiences or worksheets • Coaching - provide advice or explanations • Self-explanations - provide prompts to explain Summary of Value Added Research Literature: What does not work • Immersion - use immersive virtual reality • People do not learn better when a game is rendered in realistic 3D virtual reality rather than in 2D. • Redundancy - use printed AND spoken words • People do not learn better when a game includes printed and spoken text together rather than spoken text alone. Summary of Value Added Research Literature: What has not yet been shown to work • Competition - show score for competition • Segmenting - break screen into parts • Image - include agnet’s image on screen

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Narrative theme - add engaging storyline Choice - allow learner to choose format Learner control - allow learner to control order Compares the learning outcome performance of students who learned by playing a game vs students who were assigned to play the same game with one instructional feature added • “Does adding feature X improve learning?” ⟹ the value added approach is a useful methodology for identifying effective features of computer games for learning

3. COGNITIVE CONSEQUENCES APPROACH: WHAT IS LEARNED FROM AN OFF-THESHELF GAME? Examples of cognitive consequences research : Does playing an off the shelf game improve cognitive skills? Just simple games • Unreal Tournament - What do students learn? • Game group - novices play UT for 10 hours • Control group - matched students are randomly selected to not play UT • Pre test and Post test applied • Post test is a transfer test (take a battery of spatial cognition tests) • Paper folding test, mental rotation test, race test, interception test • ⟹ Null cognitive consequences: people do not learn spatial cognitive skills from playing UT Brain Training Games • Tetris • Game group - novices play Tetris for 10 hours • Control Group - matched students are randomly selected to not play Tetris • Transfer test - take a battery of spatial cognition test • ⟹ people do not learn spatial cognition skills from playing Tetris • Lumosity (brain training games) • Game group / control group / pre & post training test • ⟹ people do NOT learn cognitive skills from playing Lumosity Games designed to train a specific skill • Portal - designed to teach physics and spatial skills • **control group - matched students are randomly selected to play Text Twist for 75 minutes (word search game) • ⟹ people do not learn spatial cognition skills or physics concepts from playing Portal for a short duration • All You Can ET - design to train shifting (aka multitasking) • Control group play Bookworm (word search game) • Transfer test on executive function tests • ⟹ Cognitive Consequences - people learn executive function skills from played the game for 2 hours or more Summary of Cognitive Consequences Research

Summary of Cognitive Consequence Research Literature: What Works • First person shooter - perceptual attention • Spatial puzzle - 2D mental rotation (Tetris like shapes) Summary of Cognitive Consequences Research: What does NOT work • Spatial puzzle - spatial cognition • Real time strategy - perceptual attention & executive function • Brain training - spatial cognition • Various - reasoning • Various - memory Closer Look at Action Video Games: Meta-analysis • Criteria: • 8 hours of playing first vs third person shooter game • Active control group • Pretest and delayed posttest • Dependent measures involve cognitive processing • Type of study • Cross sectional study (d = 0.55) • Intervention study (d = 0.34) 4. MEDIA COMPARISON APPROACH: DO PEOPLE LEARN BETTER WITH GAMES THAN WITH CONVENTIONAL MEDIA? • Examples of media comparison Design - A - Plant Game vs online lesson? • Game group - choose parts of the plan. Interact with Herman. Get narrated explanation • Conventional group - get narrated explanation • Transfer test - determine best environment for various plants ⟹ positive media comparison effects: people learn better from the game than from an online lesson • Game provides higher level of motivation to learn Decimal Point vs online lesson

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Game group - play games in amusement park arcade that involve arranging decimals in order

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Conventional group - receive same problems and information about decimal numbers via a computer-based tutoring system

Transfer test - write answers to novel decimal problems on immediate and delayed tests ⟹ media comparison effect - people learn better from the Decimal Point game than from the online lesson Cache 17 vs slideshow • Game group - solve a mystery problem by moving a character through a bunker system and building three electrical devices to open doors along the way • Conventional group - receive the same information about electrical devices via a slideshow • Transfer test - write answers to questions about electrical devices • ⟹ Negative media comparison effect - people do not learn better from the Cache 17 game than from a slideshow Crystal Island vs slideshow • Game group - figure out the cause of a disease on an island by gathering information and conducting tests with a microscope • Conventional group - receive the same information about infectious diseases via a slideshow • Transfer test - write answers to questions about infectious diseases • ⟹ Negative media comparison effect - people do not learn better from the Crystal Island game than from a slideshow • You have to look for the answer yourself in the game so you sometimes might not come across the answer Summary of Media Comparison Research • •

Summary of media comparison research literature

Summary of main points • Many strong claims are made for educational value of games, but it is useful to take an evidence-based approach that is grounded in cognitive theory • Research on educational games is in its early stage, but there is a growing research base • Three genres of game research are value added, cognitive consequences, and media comparison Take Home Message • When the goal is to help people learn with games, the design of educational games should be informed by scientific research evidence and grounded in cognitive theory. • Psychological science can contribute to the science of games for learning, which helps create effective educational games....