The evaluation of an educational game to promote pre-service teachers’ self-regulated learning

Abstract

The present study describes the evaluation of Regulatia, an immersive web-based educational game for pre-service teachers to promote self-regulated learning (SRL). Based on Zimmerman’s model of SRL, learners immerse themselves in the underwater kingdom Regulatia and must find a way back home. Regulatia fosters the use of SRL-specific strategies and combines game elements with learning content. In this paper, the goal is to evaluate the first functional prototype of the game, examining its usability as well as users’ game experience to create a basis for an effective game in the future. The findings based on a sample of N = 31 pre-service teachers from a Southwestern German university indicate great usability and a good feedback system, high perceived knowledge improvement, and pleasant visual aesthetics. Potential for optimization was revealed for the scope and the level progression of the game.