Effects and Motivation/Engagement of an Interactive Digital Game for Special Education Students in Elementary School: A Case Study Analysis

Objective: The rapid changes in and development of information technology have made life convenient. Tablets are used in classrooms, allowing students to learn through digital games. This study aimed to explore the learning effects and learning interests of special education students, to whom a lively interactive digital game along with an appropriate course design were applied. Materials and Methods: This study applied the case study method to eight students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cerebral palsy from a special education class in an elementary school. The effects of an interactive digital game on learning outcomes and learning interest (motivation/engagement) were analyzed through observation and documentation by the researchers. Results: The findings revealed that the composition of the special education students was highly heterogeneous, and the learning effect varied among individuals. The learning effect and time-series analyses on participants’ learning interest indicated more or fewer effects and outcomes in the eight participants. In addition to discovering the learning traits of each case, behavioral patterns and characters that differed from those in traditional teaching were observed for each participant, and involved some facets the researchers had never observed in other courses. In addition, the students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were observed to sit well on their seats to operate the game; they watched with concentration, and their eyes moved following the protagonist in the game. In addition to operating the tablets in their hands, they occasionally looked at other classmates to see the parts they were playing, and they were attentive to others. Conclusion: All of them could accomplish the mission by following game instructions, and their motivation and engagement significantly improved during the game.