Computer games development experience and appreciative learning approach for creative process enhancement

Nurturing children into thinking creatively needs to take account of what interest them. Therefore, the study conducted engaged students with computer games development as it corresponded with the young generation’s habits and interests. This was done with the purpose to enhance the creative process experienced by students. It involved 69 Malaysian form one (grade seven) students, aged 13–14 year-old. Appreciative learning approach, which consisted of discover, dream, design and destiny stages, was applied in treatment group whiles control group applied self-paced learning, followed by do-it-yourself session. Findings showed students in treatment group gained accelerated mean score in creative process experienced on the second week and stabilized thereafter for the following weeks. These mean scores were significantly higher than control group, throughout the study. Although students in control group exhibited significantly lower mean scores in creative process, yet these mean scores gradually getting higher and higher each week significantly. As a conclusion, appreciative learning approach contributes significantly on the level of creative process experienced by students. However, creative process experienced did not happen in a clear-cut order of inspiration, clarification, evaluation, distillation, incubation, perspiration (ICEDIP). In addition, it is not true that without appreciative learning approach, students will not experience any creative process. Creative process happens all the time when the mind is active but the level can be accelerated by appropriate pedagogical approach. Caution is warranted, as this article is just part of the action research being carried out in applying appreciative learning approach as a teaching practice in computer games development class.     

Computer games development and appreciative learning approach in enhancing students’ creative perception

Creativity is an important entity in developing human capital while computer games are the current generation’s contemporary tool. This study focused on the teaching of computer games development in order to enhance the creative perception of secondary school children. The study applied randomised subjects, with control group experimental design, which involved 69 Malaysian form one students, aged 13–14 year-old. Different pedagogical strategies were being investigated on the abilities to enhance students’ creative perception. Treatment group adopted appreciative learning approach, which was based on Appreciative Inquiry (AI) theory. Meanwhile, control group adopted self-paced learning, followed by do-it-yourself session. Previous studies indicated that although appreciative learning approach is still in its infancy development, the approach is gaining its momentum in educational settings as it focuses on strengthening a person’s capacities and potential. Students’ creative perception was assessed using Khatena-Torrance Creative Perception Inventory (KTCPI). It was found students in treatment group gained a mean score of 71.82, which was significantly higher at .05 level of significance compared to the mean score of 50.49 exhibited by the control group. Yet, both treatment and control groups showed significant increases in pre-to-post-test scores. Dimensions within KTCPI were further analysed in order to present a better picture of students’ creative perception. As a conclusion, different pedagogical strategy generated different level of creative perception enhancement.     

A team-teaching model for practicing project-based learning in high school: Collaboration between computer and subject teachers

Project-based learning (PBL) is a highly effective means of motivating students to learn independently. However, training or encouraging teachers to practice PBL in their classrooms is challenging, especially if the educational system does not accommodate creative teaching practices. In particular, in a test-driven educational system, time constraints and an excess of teaching content makes it difficult to practice PBL at the high school level. This work presents a novel team-teaching model that is based on collaboration between subject teachers and the computer teacher to facilitate PBL in the classroom. A two-year experiment was conducted to study the feasibility of the proposed model, in which the school computer teacher conducts PBL with the 10th grade students in the first year, and subject teachers conduct PBL with the 11th grade students in the second year. Experimental results indicate that the proposed model is feasible in the given educational setting. No class time was lost, and the subject teacher successfully conducted PBL activities. Furthermore, a follow-up survey indicated that the students enjoyed the PBL activities in both classes.     

Scaffolding game-based learning: Impact on learning achievements,perceived learning,and game experiences

One of the central challenges of integrating game-based learning in school settings is helping learners make the connections between the knowledge learned in the game and the knowledge learned at school, while maintaining a high level of engagement with game narrative and gameplay. The current study evaluated the effect of supplementing a business simulation game with an external conceptual scaffold, which introduces formal knowledge representations, on learners' ability to solve financial-mathematical word problems following the game, and on learners' perceptions regarding learning, flow, and enjoyment in the game. Participants (M_age = 10.10 years) were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: a “study and play” condition that presented the scaffold first and then the game, a “play and study” condition, and a “play only” condition. Although no significant gains in problem-solving were found following the intervention, learners who studied with the external scaffold before the game performed significantly better in the post-game problem-solving assessment. Adding the external scaffold before the game reduced learners' perceived learning. However, the scaffold did not have a negative impact on reported flow and enjoyment. Flow was found to significantly predict perceived learning and enjoyment. Yet, perceived learning and enjoyment did not predict problem-solving and flow directly predicted problem solving only in the “play and study” condition. We suggest that presenting the scaffold may have “problematized” learners' understandings of the game by connecting them to disciplinary knowledge. Implications for the design of scaffolds for game-based learning are discussed.     

“Games are made for fun”: Lessons on the effects of concept maps in the classroom use of computer games

Does using a computer game improve students’ motivation to learn classroom material? The current study examined students’ motivation to learn history concepts while playing a commercial, off-the-shelf computer game, Civilization III. The study examined the effect of using conceptual scaffolds to accompany game play. Students from three ninth-grade classrooms were assigned to one of three groups: one group used an expert generated concept map, one group constructed their own concept maps, and a control group used no map. It was predicted that the use of concept maps would enhance the educational value of the game playing activity, in particular students’ motivational levels; however, the opposite happened. Students who used a concept map showed lower motivation on the task relative to their baseline motivation for regular classroom instruction. In contrast, the levels of motivation in playing the game, for students in the control group, met or exceeded their levels of motivation during regular classroom instruction. These results suggest that using a conceptual scaffold can decrease students’ motivation to learn classroom material through game play, perhaps because conceptual maps can (a) focus students’ attention on the difficulty of learning the concepts and on the extrinsic rewards for playing the game and (b) make game play less autonomous, less creative, and less active. All of these can negate the primary property that provides playing its principal potential pedagogical power: fun.     

Patterns of use of an agent-based model and a system dynamics model: The application of patterns of use and the impacts on learning outcomes

A classification system that was developed for the use of agent-based models was applied to strategies used by school-aged students to interrogate an agent-based model and a system dynamics model. These were compared, and relationships between learning outcomes and the strategies used were also analysed. It was found that the classification system could also be applied to the use of the system dynamics model, with the addition of criterion. This means that a classification system exists for both styles of models. The fact that the strategies could be identified, despite differences in the actual model, and the model type, compared to the original study, means that there are implications for training teachers or systems to also identify the strategies. Initial findings of this study identified links between prior knowledge and the strategy chosen, as well as links with learning outcomes.     

A reactive blended learning proposal for an introductory control engineering course

As it happens in other fields of engineering, blended learning is widely used to teach process control topics. In this paper, the inclusion of a reactive element – a Fuzzy Logic based controller – is proposed for a blended learning approach in an introductory control engineering course. This controller has been designed in order to regulate the workload for each student, according to his activity and performance. The proposed course is based on a web tool called ControlWeb, which includes a complete vision of control topics and is used intensively along the course. The results of the evaluation of the methodology attest its efficiency in terms of learning degree and performance of the students.     

Antecedences to continued intentions of adopting e-learning system in blended learning instruction: A contingency framework based on models of information system success and task-technology fit

The objective of this study is to propose a research framework that investigates the relation between perceived fit and system factors that can motivate learners in continuing utilizing an e-learning system in blended learning instruction. As learners have the face-to-face learning opportunity in interacting with lecturers, the study aims at investigating the critical features the e-learning system can provide in assisting learning. Both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus group interview) methods are applied in this paper. Results reveal that the information quality and task-technology fit influence the confirmation of system acceptance. Perceived usefulness and system satisfaction have major impacts on continuance intentions. Notions from contingency theory are used to interpret these findings.     

Motivating the learning of science topics in secondary school: A constructivist edutainment setting for studying Chaos

In this paper, we present an Edutainment (education plus entertainment) secondary school setting based on the construction of artifacts and manipulation of virtual contents (images, sound, and music) connected to Chaos.     

A case study of the in-class use of a video game for teaching high school history

This study examines the case of a sophomore high school history class where Making History, a video game designed with educational purposes in mind, is used in the classroom to teach about World War II. Data was gathered using observation, focus group and individual interviews, and document analysis. The high school was a rural school located in a small town in the Midwestern United States. The teacher had been teaching with the game for several years and spent one school week teaching World War II, with students playing the game in class for three days of that week. The purpose of this study was to understand teacher and student experiences with and perspectives on the in-class use of an educational video game. Results showed that the use of the video game resulted in a shift from a traditional teacher-centered learning environment to a student-centered environment where the students were much more active and engaged. Also, the teacher had evolved implementation strategies based on his past experiences using the game to maximize the focus on learning.     

A computer game as a context for non-routine mathematical problem solving: The effects of type of question prompt and level of prior knowledge

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of type of question prompt and level of prior knowledge on non-routine mathematical problem solving. A computer game was blended within the pattern reasoning tasks, along with question prompts, in order to demonstrate and enhance the connections between viable problem-solving strategies and the content knowledge in a visible manner. Seventy-eight 9th graders from two classes in a public junior high school participated in the 6-week experimental instruction. Participants were randomly assigned to the specific-prompt group and the general-prompt group to receive the one-hour weekly treatment. The results revealed that (a) the interaction of question prompts and prior knowledge was not significant, and (b) for the problem-solving performances, the specific-prompt group outperformed the general-prompt group and the high prior-knowledge group outperformed the low prior-knowledge group. Further, students receiving specific prompts outperformed those receiving general prompts in the problem-solving performance: reasoning for two variables. Students with high prior knowledge outperformed those with low prior knowledge in the two problem-solving performances: reasoning for one variable and reasoning for two variables. It was also found that prior knowledge and comprehensive mathematical ability were important predictors for the two problem-solving performances: reasoning for one variable and reasoning for two variables. However question prompts and mathematics attitude were not significant predictors for predicting the problem-solving performance of reasoning for one variable. Lastly, implications for these results and recommendations for future research were discussed.     

The values of college students in business simulation game: A means-end chain approach

Business simulation games (BSGs) enable students to practice making decisions in a virtual environment, accumulate experience in application of strategies, and train themselves in modes of decision-making. This study examines the value sought by players of BSG. In this study, a means-end chain (MEC) model was adopted as the basis, and ladder method soft laddering was used to conduct in-depth interviews with students who had experience in using BSGs. The chain concept of “attribute-consequence-value” was used to understand students’ value cognition structures. Content analysis was used to analyze the attributes-consequences-values for BSGs players, then converted into a Hierarchical Value Map (HVM). The results showed that students consider teamwork and market diversity as the most important attributes, and the consequences of a cooperative approach and market diversity are emotional exchange and multi-thinking, with the ultimate value brought to users by exchanges between teams and constant thinking being interpersonal relationships and a sense of accomplishment.     

Effects of commercial video games on cognitive elaboration of physical concepts

The authors use physical concepts to investigate cognitive elaboration using a commercial game-based review teaching method versus a lecture-based method. Experiments involved two popular casual games: Cut the Rope (pendulum concept) and Angry Bird Space (circular motion), with concept maps and multiple-choice tests used as assessment tools. Our goal was to analyze concept reinforcement and reorganization via commercial games for a group of junior high school students. A total of 83 students (15–16 years old), were randomly assigned to an experimental group (review using commercial casual games) or a control group (lecture-based review). Our results suggest that (a) the games supported the elaboration potential of learned physical concepts as measured by concept maps, and (b) concept maps are more suitable than multiple-choice tests for estimating the effects of commercial games on cognitive elaboration. Three key design features of commercial games that can support cognitive elaboration of physical concepts are discussed.     

The timing of online lecture slide availability and its effect on attendance, participation, and exam performance

The use of PowerPoint slides has become an almost ubiquitous practice in university classrooms, however little research has examined whether the timing of lecture slide availability to students (either before or after lecture) affects classroom behaviour or exam performance. Using a 2 (slide availability condition) × 2 (course type) between-subjects design, the present study examined lecture slide availability differences in attendance, participation, and exam performance in two courses – Research Methods and Cognitive Development – taught in both the Fall and Winter semesters. For each type of course, lecture slides were made available on the course website before lecture in one semester and after lecture in the other semester. Course material was held constant across semesters. Results showed that mean attendance was higher when slides were available before lecture, but only for the type of course that did not include attendance points as part of students’ final grades. For students who participated in class, participation was more frequent when slides were available before lecture. No significant difference in exam performance was found between lecture slide availability conditions, however. These findings suggest that making lecture slides available to students before lecture may lead to better overall attendance and participation, but exam performance is determined by more than just whether or not students have lecture slides available for their note-taking.     

Promoting conceptual change of learning sorting algorithm through the diagnosis of mental models: The effects of gender and learning styles

It has been advocated that pedagogical content knowledge as well as subject matter knowledge are important for improving classroom instructions. To develop pedagogical content knowledge, it is argued that understanding of students’ mental representations of concepts is deemed necessary. Yet assessing and comparing mental model of each individual is very tedious and time consuming. This study attempted to use gender and learning styles to associate mental models in learning sorting algorithm. The Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) was used to measure learning styles of the participants. Mental models were assessed using the Pathfinder Scaling Algorithm (PSA). Results indicated that females showed greater similarity in mental models than males and concrete learners also exhibited closer resemblance to the expert mental model than abstract learners. These suggest that gender and learning styles can be meaningfully used to associate mental models in order to provide a group-based instead of individual-based diagnosis and thus promote conceptual change in learning.     

Effect of metacognitive strategies and verbal-imagery cognitive style on biology-based video search and learning performance

Videos have diverse content that can assist students in learning. However, because videos are linear media, video users may take a longer time than readers of text to evaluate the context. Therefore, the process of video search may vary from one user to another depending on the users' individual characteristics, and the effectiveness of video learning may also vary across individuals. This study evaluated 100 Taiwanese fifth graders searching for videos related to “understanding animals” on YouTube and examined the effects of the students' metacognitive strategies (planning, monitoring, and evaluating) and verbal-imagery cognitive style on their video searches. The observable indicators were quantitative (search behaviors, search performance, and learning performance) and qualitative (search process observations and interviews). The study concludes that metacognitive strategy is the primary influencer of video search. Students with better metacognitive skills used fewer keywords, browsed fewer videos, and spent less time evaluating videos, but they achieved higher learning performance. They reviewed the video metadata information on the user interface and did not attempt to watch videos on the video recommendation lists, particularly videos that were irrelevant to the task requirements. During the course of the searches, keyword usage had a significant influence on the students' search performance and learning performance. The fewer keywords the students used, the better search and learning performance they were able to achieve. Our results are different from those of previous studies on text, image, and map searches. Accordingly, users must adopt different search strategies when using various types of search engines.     

Enhancement of student learning performance using personalized diagnosis and remedial learning system

Although conventional student assessments are extremely convenient for calculating student scores, they do not conceptualize how students organize their knowledge. Therefore, teachers and students rarely understand how to improve their future learning progress. The limitations of conventional testing methods indicate the importance of accurately assessing and representing student knowledge structures. The personalized diagnosis and remedial learning system (PDRLS) proposed in this study enhances the effectiveness of the Pathfinder network by providing remedial learning paths for individual learners based on their knowledge structure. The sample was 145 students enrolled in introductory JAVA programming language courses at a Central Taiwan technology university. The experimental results demonstrate that learners who received personalized remedial learning guidance via PDRLS achieved improved learning performance, self-efficacy, and PDRLS use intention. The experimental results also indicated that students with lower knowledge level gain more benefits from the PDRLS than those with higher level of knowledge and that field dependence (FD) students obtain a greater benefit from PDRLS than field independence (FI) students do.     

The study on integrating WebQuest with mobile learning for environmental education

This study is to demonstrate the impact of different teaching strategies on the learning performance of environmental education using quantitative methods. Students learned about resource recycling and classification through an instructional website based on the teaching tool of WebQuest. There were 103 sixth-grade students participating in this study and broken down into three groups: traditional instruction, traditional instruction with WebQuest and WebQuest instruction with outdoors. The major contribution of this study is the introduction of WebQuest into the outdoor instruction. The results of this study show that using WebQuest in outdoor instruction influences students’ learning performance positively. Two other interesting results are: (1) when WebQuest was used in real situations, students could acquire more knowledge and experiences, and (2) in the learning activity of the experiment, the students accomplished different learning tasks and expressed their own opinions and perspectives, which could foster their critical thinking skills. On the other hands, the students in outdoor situation could be positive to participate in learning activity; furthermore, they could ponder the learning contents by observing the real context and then they began to classify/categorize the resources. These findings will contribute to the development of teaching and learning for government, schools and teachers; for instance, teachers act as assistants or tutors and provide students with others public network resources, including PDAs, smartphones, tablet personal computers or the Internet, to improve their learning in outdoor learning environments, such as campus, museums or zoos.