Testing the Impact of a Pre-instructional Digital Game on Middle-Grade Students’ Understanding of Photosynthesis

Abstract

Rigorous studies of the impact of digital games on student learning remain relatively rare, as do studies of games as supports for learning difficult, core curricular concepts in the context of normal classroom practices. This study uses a blocked, cluster randomized controlled trial design to test the impact of a digital game, played as homework prior to instruction, and associated supplemental instructional activities, on middle grade students' understanding of the process of photosynthesis. The role of the teacher as a potential moderator of the game's impact on student outcomes was also investigated, using Classroom Assessment Scoring System-Secondary Edition (CLASS-S) observations as a measure of instructional quality. Study findings demonstrate that the intervention did not have a significant impact on student understanding of photosynthesis. The interaction of treatment teachers' CLASS-S scores and students' average photosynthesis assessment scores approached significance. This study suggests that when digital games are used as a step in the process of learning difficult conceptual material, teachers may need support and guidance to make productive connections between in-game experiences and the target concepts.

Teacher–student interactions and feedback in English as a foreign language classrooms

“…This has led researchers to develop observation systems for different purposes and with varying degrees of subject specificity (Bell et al, 2019;Hardman & Hardman, 2017). Former CLASS-S studies have typically included emphasis on mathematics and science (Allen et al, 2013;Casabianca, Lockwood, & McCaffrey, 2015;Culp, Martin, Clements, & Lewis Presser, 2015;Gamlem, 2019;Malmberg et al, 2010), and a mix of a variety of subjects (Gamlem & Munthe, 2014;Virtanen et al, 2018). Nevertheless, a few studies have an explicit focus on a subject discipline or sub-discipline, for example, algebra (Bell et al, 2012;Casabianca et al, 2013).…”

The effectiveness of Game-Based Science Learning (GBSL) to improve students’ academic achievement: A meta-analysis of current research from 2010 to 2017

“…The community of science education (physics, biology, chemistry, and general sciences) also concern with the potential of game-based learning. Some researchers investigate the effectiveness of GBSL in some science subject matter such as Newtonian mechanics (Clark et al, 2011), human immunology (Cheng, Su, Huang, & Chen, 2014), and photosynthesis (Culp, Martin, Clements, & Lewis Presser, 2015). They argue that science is challenging for some students because of abstract concepts and invisible objects.…”

The EFFECTIVENESS OF GAME-BASED SCIENCE LEARNING (GBSL) TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOME: A META-ANALYSIS OF CURRENT RESEARCH FROM 2010 TO 2017

“…The community of science education (physics, biology, chemistry, and general sciences) also concern with the potential of gamebased learning. Some researchers investigate the effectiveness of GBSL in some science subject matter such as Newtonian mechanics (Clark et al, 2011), human immunology (Cheng, Su, Huang, & Chen, 2014), and photosynthesis (Culp, Martin, Clements & Lewis, 2015). They argue that science is challenging for some students because of abstract concepts and invisible objects.…”