دانلود رایگان مقاله بررسی عوامل اثرگذار در یک بازی سوادآموزی اطلاعاتی

Abstract

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has become increasingly popular. With elements such as narratives, rewards, rules, and interactivity, DGBL can actively engage learners, stimulating desired learning outcomes. In an effort to increase its appeal, affective embodied agents (EAs) have been incorporated into DGBL as learning companions or instructors. However, claims about the efficacy of using affective EAs in DGBL have scarcely been subjected to empirical analysis. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of affective EAs on students' learning outcome, motivation, enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and behavioral intention in an information literacy (IL) game. In total, 159 tertiary students were recruited and randomly assigned in a pre-test post-test between-subjects experiment with three conditions: affective-EA, neutral-EA, and no-EA. Results suggested that students benefited from interacting with the affective EA in the IL game, in terms of learning motivation, enjoyment, perceived usefulness and behavioral intention. However, there was no significant difference in learning outcome.

8. Conclusion

Given the rapid adoption of online learning environments and DGBL in education, the findings from this study have important implications. Theoretically, this study reaffirms the positive influence of affective EAs on students learning, and extends it in an IL educational setting. Most prior studies used affective EAs to teach lower-order skills such as facts and concepts, while this study focused on teaching higher-order IL skills. Put differently, it undertook the first step in formally examining the influence of affective EA in an IL digital game. In addition, using EAs with affective expressions and feedback can significantly increase students’ motivation, enjoyment, perceived usefulness and behavioral intention. Librarians and educators can tap on this opportunity to tackle the low interest in IL learning from students. Some implications on IL game design can also be gleaned from this study. The first is to consider incorporating affective EAs in IL games. In our study, using affective EAs increased participants' learning motivation and enjoyment significantly. Considering that self-efficacy is closely related to learning motivation, the benefit of using EAs in IL games is promising in promoting library instruction. Secondly, using the image of a librarian as a helpful pedagogical EA in the game could potentially increase students' trust and positive attitudes towards librarians. This would help students gain confidence in librarians' inputs and become less hesitant or anxious when approaching librarians for help in the future. Thirdly, simultaneously adhering to pedagogical principles and user needs in DGBL design can be challenging, as the two sometimes contradict with each other. For example, participants complained the game took too long to complete, compromising on game enjoyment, as they could not progress to the next level without answering quiz questions correctly. However, if the game had allowed this, the librarian's feedback would be less effective pedagogically, and participants might have perceived the game less useful. Therefore, instead of adopting participants' suggestions unquestioningly, DGBL designers have to balance learning and player enjoyment when they contradict. For example, this can be achieved by studying the trade-off through iterative evaluation of different game design ideas.