The interplay of rewards and competition in digital game-based learning: Effects on intrinsic motivation, game performance and behaviors, and computational thinking
{"title":"The interplay of rewards and competition in digital game-based learning: Effects on intrinsic motivation, game performance and behaviors, and computational thinking","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101995","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Although there is controversy surrounding rewards and competition in education, they are key elements in digital game-based learning (DGBL). Research on the influence of rewards and competition in DGBL often yields mixed results, suggesting a need to investigate individual game elements and their interactions. This study implemented DGBL focusing on computational thinking (CT) in 7th-grade classes. Both quantitative and behavioral data were collected to understand the impact of rewards (power-up or customization) and competition (with or without) on students’ intrinsic motivation, game performance, behaviors, and CT skills. The findings uncovered significant interactions between rewards and competition. Students with both competition and power-up rewards achieved the highest game points but the lowest CT performance, whereas those exposed to the same power-up rewards without competition attained the lowest game points but the best CT performance. Implications are drawn for DGBL research and practice.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48357,"journal":{"name":"Learning and Instruction","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Learning and Instruction","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475224001221","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Although there is controversy surrounding rewards and competition in education, they are key elements in digital game-based learning (DGBL). Research on the influence of rewards and competition in DGBL often yields mixed results, suggesting a need to investigate individual game elements and their interactions. This study implemented DGBL focusing on computational thinking (CT) in 7th-grade classes. Both quantitative and behavioral data were collected to understand the impact of rewards (power-up or customization) and competition (with or without) on students’ intrinsic motivation, game performance, behaviors, and CT skills. The findings uncovered significant interactions between rewards and competition. Students with both competition and power-up rewards achieved the highest game points but the lowest CT performance, whereas those exposed to the same power-up rewards without competition attained the lowest game points but the best CT performance. Implications are drawn for DGBL research and practice.
期刊介绍:
As an international, multi-disciplinary, peer-refereed journal, Learning and Instruction provides a platform for the publication of the most advanced scientific research in the areas of learning, development, instruction and teaching. The journal welcomes original empirical investigations. The papers may represent a variety of theoretical perspectives and different methodological approaches. They may refer to any age level, from infants to adults and to a diversity of learning and instructional settings, from laboratory experiments to field studies. The major criteria in the review and the selection process concern the significance of the contribution to the area of learning and instruction, and the rigor of the study.