Effectiveness of Game-Based Learning: Influence of Cognitive Style

Today students have grown up using devices like computers, mobile phones, and video consoles for almost any activity; from studies and work to entertainment or communication. Motivating them with traditional teaching methods such as lectures and written materials becomes more difficult daily. That is why digital games are becoming more and more considered to have a promising role in education process. We decided to conduct a study among university students. Purpose of that study was to try to find some empirical evidence to support the claim that educational games can be used as an effective form of teaching. We also invested an effort to measure effects of different teaching approaches with the respect of individual differences in cognitive styles. Initial results provide a good argument for use of educational games in teaching. In addition, we reported some influence of cognitive style on effectiveness of using educational games.

[1]  Baltasar Fernández-Manjón,et al.  NUCLEO: Adaptive Computer Supported Collaborative Learning in a Role Game Based Scenario , 2008, 2008 Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies.

[2]  I. B. Myers Manual: A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator , 1985 .

[3]  Andrew Simon Roberts,et al.  Cognitive styles and student progression in architectural design education , 2006 .

[4]  Jean-Michel Hoc,et al.  Cognitive styles as an explanation of experts' individual differences: A case study in computer-assisted troubleshooting diagnosis , 2006, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[5]  Elizabeth R. Peterson,et al.  Learning Styles and Approaches to Studying , 2004 .

[6]  Murray Ws,et al.  Testing the bipolarity of the Jungian functions. , 1996 .

[7]  de AguileraMiguel,et al.  Video games and education , 2003 .

[8]  Mladjan Jovanovic,et al.  Educational Games Design Issues: Motivation and Multimodal Interaction , 2008, WSKS.

[9]  Marc Prensky,et al.  Digital game-based learning , 2000, CIE.

[10]  Michael Barnett,et al.  Electromagnetism Supercharged! Learning Physics with Digital Simulation Games , 2004, ICLS.

[11]  Jenova Chen,et al.  Flow in games (and everything else) , 2007, CACM.

[12]  Xiaohui Liu,et al.  Investigation of behavior and perception of digital library users: A cognitive style perspective , 2008, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[13]  A. Reber The Penguin dictionary of psychology , 2002 .

[14]  Nigel Ford,et al.  Individual differences, hypermedia navigation, and learning: an empirical study , 2000 .

[15]  Merrilea J. Mayo,et al.  Games for science and engineering education , 2007, CACM.

[16]  Miltiadis D. Lytras,et al.  Emerging Technologies and Information Systems for the Knowledge Society, First World Summit on the Knowledge Society, WSKS 2008, Athens, Greece, September 24-26, 2008. Proceedings , 2008, WSKS.

[17]  Mandy M. Cheng,et al.  The Effects of Cognitive Style Diversity on Decision‐Making Dyads: An Empirical Analysis in the Context of a Complex Task , 2003 .

[18]  Miguel de Aguilera,et al.  Video games and education: (Education in the Face of a “Parallel School”) , 2003, CIE.

[19]  Michael Workman,et al.  Performance and perceived effectiveness in computer-based and computer-aided education: do cognitive styles make a difference? , 2004, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[20]  Aristide Saggino,et al.  Item factor analysis of the Italian version of the Myers-Briggs type indicator , 1995 .