Relationships between motivational support and game features in a game-based virtual reality learning environment for teaching introductory archaeology

ABSTRACT Virtual reality (VR) and game-based learning strategies have rarely been investigated together with a keen focus on motivational processing. This lack of understanding on motivational support of VR game-based learning has hindered the design of such environments to effectively and efficiently support intended learning processes. The study revealed relationships between learners’ motivational processing and perceived game features in a VR learning environment for delivering introductory archaeology content to college students. The first part of the study adopted the complementary concurrent mixed-method design, which applied qualitative results to clarify quantitative findings to delineate motivational support perceived by 40 participants. The second part employed quantitative survey data only from the same sample to reveal perceived game features and relationships between motivational support and game features. Findings suggest that learners’ motivational processing was supported by the Confidence and Satisfaction components of the ARCS motivational design model. Additionally, not all motivational components were supported by perceived game features according to multiple regression analyses. The discussion of the findings is focused on in what areas and to what extent multimedia-rich VR elements might compete with game-based learning in the same learning environment for learners’ limited cognitive and behavioral learning capacities.