Improving Transfer of Learning: Relationship to Methods of Using Business Simulation

Abstract

This study investigates whether the processes associated with the use of business simulations can be structured to improve transfer of learning from the classroom environment to the workplace.The answer to this question is explored by investigating teaching methods used to introduce the simulation, the amount of time students spend on decisions, team decision-making characteristics, and student performance levels in the course. The results indicate that students have higher perceived transfer of learning when they learn the simulation by reading the student manual and from peers rather than from the instructor or from hands-on experience. Also, the results indicate that perceptions of time spent on strategic decisions, financial decisions, and student expectations of their final grade were related to perceived transfer of learning.

Simulation and Learning Dynamics in Business Games

“…Finally, the results correspond to the observations of students from four higher education institutions and only one business game in particular, as in other studies (e.g. Dias et al, 2013a, Meij et al, 2013, Mayer et al, 2011. Similar analyzes with different business games need to be done before generalized assertions can be made, nonetheless the results of this study provide some evidence that business games learning may be associated with the dynamics of simulation.…”

“…No statistically significant correlation or beta weight (p-value > 0.05) was found between student learning and professor (Mayer et al, 2011).…”

“…In addition, the results of regression analysis indicated that the transfer of learning can be predicted from the way students learned the simulation with significant beta weight for learning from the team (β = 0.24, p-value = 0.018) (Mayer et al, 2011).…”

“…It should be noted that although the adjusted coefficient of determination may seem low (R 2 adjusted = 0.321), it is common to find values of this order in practical applications of multiple regression analysis in the social sciences. For example, the study by Mayer et al (2011), whose regression analysis uses the variables manual, professor, interaction with the team and professor, to analyze how the simulation was learned by the participants of the business game, obtained R 2 = 0.18. In addition, R 2 captures only the relationship between the variables used in the model.…”

Debriefing’s Influence on Learning in Business Game: An Experimental Design

“…Dias, Sauaia & Yoshizaki, 2013, Meij et al, 2013, Mayer et al, 2011, of which we can not refute that their results are dependent on that particular game, there is no possibility of generalization for business games. On the other hand, the results suggest relationships that can be used in future studies.…”