Integrating games as a means to develop e‐learning: Insights from a psychological perspective

Abstract

Although the Education sector has pioneered the use of technology, the pace of technological change has outstripped the slower processes of theoretical development and critical reflection, so the field is highly fragmented and lacks a comprehensive evidence base to support future development. In this paper, we consider how the insights offered by games and a psychological perspective can address the current challenges. Both games and e-learning specialists are facing similar challenges and would therefore benefit from adopting a more integrated approach in the future. We demonstrate how this integration can best be achieved by viewing the challenges through a psychological lens which informs theory, research and practice in user-centred design, supports the development of more widely applicable theories of learning and pedagogy, recognises of the complexity of the contexts in which learning occurs and offers an established evidence-based framework to aid integration at the theoretical level. This emphasises the continued importance of classic concepts such as transfer, cognitive load and the increasing blurred boundaries between formal and informal learning, but also in terms of methodology and as a catalyst for future debate and discussion.

Gamification in E-Learning and Sustainability: A Theoretical Framework

“…However, intrinsic motivation refers to doing something because it is appealing or pleasant, and it is related to three aspects: autonomy, relationship, and competence [8,33,89,101]. Some factors encourage motivation: competition, challenge, imagination, collaboration, goals, cooperation, reward, and recognition, many of which are present in games [12,28,39,87,91,97,100].…”

“…In addition to motivation, educational games improve interest and concentration, improving students' learning [94]. [55]; Terras and Boyle, 2019 [12]; Romero-Rodríguez et al, 2019 [11]; Gauthier and Jenkinson, 2018 [71]; Kyewski and Krämer, 2018 [8]; Pérez-Manzano and Almela-Baeza, 2018 [72]; Olszewski et al, 2018 [73]; Jackson et al, 2018 [74]; Ge, 2018 [75] [88]; Fitó-Bertran, Hernández-Lara, and López, 2015 [114]; Ibáñez, Di-Serio, and Delgado-Kloos, 2014 [106]; Zafar, Safdar, and Zafar, 2014 [115]; Martín-SanJosé et al, 2014 [28]; Jackson and McNamara, 2013 [92]; Sancho, Torrente, and Fernández-Manjón, 2012 [95]; Kanthan and Senger, 2011 [96]; Moreno-Ger et al, 2010 [109]; Regueras et al, 2009 [98] Engagement is another behavioral attitude identified as a valuable indicator of academic performance and positively correlates with student learning outcomes [103,106], as seen in 26 articles. Engagement happens when someone's attention is completely focused on a specific activity.…”

“…Another crucial behavioral attitude is student satisfaction, which positively affects learning and brings a sense of pleasure [75,80], according to 21 articles. Satisfaction is related to student performance and is an indicator of educational quality as well as an important factor in measuring success [9][10][11][12][13]72,78] or the effectiveness of the e-learning process [98,115].…”

“…New pedagogies, practices, and theories are emerging in the educational technology, such as gamification [5][6][7]. Gamification refers to applying game design aspects in nongaming contexts to increase engagement, motivation and improve task performance [8][9][10][11][12][13]. It is used as an innovative way to engage citizens in sustainability practices directed at climate change, water scarcity, or extreme weather events, etc.…”

Performance Over Enjoyment? Effect of Game-Based Learning on Learning Outcome and Flow Experience

“…Transplanted to the game-based learning context, flow theory has been widely applied for understanding how learning through games approximates flow and peak experience that allow learners to be absorbed in the game-based learning experience and arrive at enhanced learning outcomes thereafter (Kasurinen and Knutas, 2018;Koivisto and Hamari, 2019;Reiners and Wood, 2015;Sweetser and Wyeth, 2005;Terras and Boyle, 2019). Competitive games, in both serious games and game-based learning contexts, have been suggested to be associated with variations in flow experience pertaining from game experience, including challenge (Cairns, 2016), feedback on learning (Chapman and Rich, 2018), as well as autonomy and social relatedness (Sailer et al, 2017).…”