PRE2017 3 Groep9 - State of the Art

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State of the Art

Before starting a project it is important to know what has been done before. Therefore this section will talk about previous research into learning through games as well as physicality in learning. This page will give a general overview of this research.

Viability of game based learning

Research has been done using the valence, the psychological value, of game-based learning as a measuring tool. The research set out to test the following hypotheses:

1. Potential learners will have greater pre-training valence for gamified instruction than for a traditional (i.e., PowerPoint-driven) instructional approach.

2a.Attitudes towards game-based learning will moderate the relationship between training design and valence; specifically, people with positive attitudes toward game-based learning will anticipate better outcomes from gamified instruction.

2b: Experience with video games will moderate the relationship between training design and valence; specifically, people with video game experience will anticipate better outcomes from gamified instruction.

The results show that in the end the participants near the mean. As for the hypotheses, on average hypotheses 1 holds. As for evidence of the other two hypotheses, although there was a mean effect, participants with poor attitudes towards game-based learning and limited experience with games had poorer valence for game-based learning than for lecture-and-powerpoint instructions.

Learning concepts in games

Games have been using teaching methods to teach their players about the game, that only recently have been thought of in the realm of education. The most prominent of these have been listed by, among others, James Paul Gee in his paper Learning and games. According to this paper the biggest difference between the learning methods used in education and those used in games is the general approach to teaching. Schools often focus on the content to be learned, whereas games focus on the meaning and uses of this content. That is to say that schools let their students learn the facts, while games focus on the use of those facts. Another big difference is the role of failure in learning. In games the costs of failure are relatively low and the failure itself if mostly seen as a learning opportunity. Multiple papers also talk about the role of competition. Competition is a big part of games and provides motivation to get better and learn more. Games in general have shown to increase motivation considerably, making not only the way of learning more interesting but also the concept itself,making the concept more interesting. So motivation is definitely one of the biggest advantages of learning with games.

Skills developed through game based learning

Games can be used to develop a plethora of skills. Research has shown that games can teach or help to develop soft skills, like leadership. A particular study about leadership showed that the use of a game could also identify what type of leader people were. This kind of effect of games, where they are used to learn something about the player, instead of the other way around, has not been used anywhere else as far as we have seen. Other research has shown that virtual worlds can be used to have engaging and effective social conferences, allowing for a good environment for discussions. Another skill taught by games is that of collaboration. Another study has shown that creative skills can be learned through games.

Creating a virtual World

The book "Understanding learning in virtual worlds" is a combination of multiple papers, which each provide a view on the creation of a virtual world fit for learning. One of the ideas mentioned is that of conception, that is to say that the conception of reality is just as important as the actual perception of it. This means that the meaning and context of the things perceived is just as important as the perception. That is to say that if we want to design a good virtual environment for education, it is not enough to just copy physical objects to the virtual world. Instead the focus should be on the possibility of conception. This conception can be gained through physical and social interaction, which can both be provided by a virtual environment. Other research has been done into the use of text based interviews in virtual worlds. This method of interviews is important to understand the learners' experience. Doing these interviews in-world allows us to use the location and context of the learning experience to get a better understanding. Another study argues that to create a truly effective virtual learning environment the foundations of this environment should be centered on the engagement, knowledge creation and collective reflection of the students. This allows the students to learn effectively and expand beyond the problems presented in the virtual world.

Physical learning

Research has shown that physical activity can improve learning. It can lead to improvements in attentiveness and motivation for studying. The same paper also mentions that video games with educational value can increase physical activity and motivation by incorporating physical activity into those games.