An Investigation of the Interrelationships between Motivation, Engagement, and Complex Problem Solving in Game-based Learning

Digital game-based learning, especially massively multiplayer online games, has been touted for its potential to promote student motivation and complex problem-solving competency development. However, current evidence is limited to anecdotal studies. The purpose of this empirical investigation is to examine the complex interplay between learners’ motivation, engagement, and complex problem-solving outcomes during game-based learning. A theoretical model is offered that explicates the dynamic interrelationships among learners’ problem representation, motivation (i.e., interest, competence, autonomy, relatedness, self-determination, and selfefficacy), and engagement. Findings of this study suggest that learners’ motivation determine their engagement during gameplay, which in turn determines their development of complex problem-solving competencies. Findings also suggest that learner’s motivation, engagement, and problem-solving performance are greatly impacted by the nature and the design of game tasks. The implications of this study are discussed in detail for designing effective game-based learning environments to facilitate learner engagement and complex problemsolving competencies.

[1]  J. Michael Spector,et al.  Highly integrated model assessment technology and tools , 2010, CELDA 2008.

[2]  Dirk Ifenthaler,et al.  Model-based reasoning , 2013, Comput. Educ..

[3]  R. Mayer.  Cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational aspects of problem solving , 1998 .

[4]  Gregory K. W. K. Chung,et al.  An Exploratory Study to Examine the Feasibility of Measuring Problem-Solving Processes Using a Click-Through Interface , 2003 .

[5]  R. Klatzky,et al.  Semantic factors in cognition , 1978 .

[6]  Dirk Ifenthaler,et al.  Dynamic Modeling as Cognitive Regulation Scaffold for Complex Problem Solving Skill Acquisition in an Educational Massively Multiplayer Online Game Environment , 2011 .

[7]  Dirk Ifenthaler,et al.  Assessment for Game-Based Learning , 2012 .

[8]  David H. Jonassen,et al.  Structural Knowledge: Techniques for Representing, Conveying, and Acquiring Structural Knowledge , 1993 .

[9]  A. Bandura.  Perceived Self-Efficacy in Cognitive Development and Functioning , 1993, Educational Psychologist.

[10]  Dirk Ifenthaler,et al.  Facilitating Complex Learning by Mobile Augmented Reality Learning Environments , 2013 .

[11]  Frank M. Pajares,et al.  Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Academic Settings , 1996 .

[12]  P. Pintrich.  The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. , 2000 .

[13]  Richard Van Eck,et al.  Gaming and Cognition: Theories and Practice from the Learning Sciences , 2010 .

[14]  Richard M. Ryan,et al.  Autonomy and Relatedness as Fundamental to Motivation and Education , 1991 .

[15]  Dirk Ifenthaler,et al.  Assessment in Game-Based Learning: Foundations, Innovations, and Perspectives , 2012 .

[16]  Robert D. Tennyson,et al.  An Empirically Based Instructional Design Theory for Teaching Concepts , 1986 .

[17]  E. Deci,et al.  Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. , 2000, The American psychologist.

[18]  Tracy Fullerton,et al.  Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting Games , 2004 .

[19]  N. Seel.  Epistemology, situated cognition, and mental models: 'Like a bridge over troubled water' , 2001 .

[20]  D. Schunk,et al.  Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation , 2002 .

[21]  Chris Dede,et al.  Immersive Interfaces for Engagement and Learning , 2009, Science.

[22]  A. Bandura.  GUIDE FOR CONSTRUCTING SELF-EFFICACY SCALES , 2006 .

[23]  J. Reeve.  Teachers as Facilitators: What Autonomy‐Supportive Teachers Do and Why Their Students Benefit , 2006, The Elementary School Journal.

[24]  R. Shavelson.  Methods for examining representations of A subject-matter structure in a student's memory , 1974 .

[25]  Dirk Ifenthaler,et al.  Alternative Assessment Strategies for Complex Problem Solving in Game-Based Learning Environments , 2011 .

[26]  Donald A. Norman,et al.  Accretion, tuning and restructuring: Three modes of learning , 1976 .

[27]  Andrew K. Przybylski,et al.  The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach , 2006 .

[28]  Yu Guo,et al.  Interactivity 3 Design and Assessment Framework for Educational Games to Promote Motivation and Complex Problem-Solving Skills , 2012 .

[29]  Richard Van Eck,et al.  Aligning Problem Solving and Gameplay : A Model for Future Research and Design , 2010 .

[30]  Joachim Funke,et al.  Solving complex problems: Exploration and control of complex systems , 1991 .

[31]  Richard E. Clark,et al.  Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching , 2006 .

[32]  N. Seel,et al.  A longitudinal perspective on inductive reasoning tasks. Illuminating the probability of change , 2011 .

[33]  B. Weiner.  An attributional theory of motivation and emotion , 1986 .

[34]  B. Zimmerman,et al.  The Psychology of Problem Solving: Motivating Self-Regulated Problem Solvers , 2003 .

[35]  Tim Jordan,et al.  The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games and Learning , 2009 .

[36]  Deniz Eseryel.  Expert conceptualizations of the domain of instructional design: An investigative study on the deep assessment methodology for complex problem-solving outcomes , 2006 .

[37]  Dirk Ifenthaler,et al.  Validation study of a method for assessing complex ill-structured problem solving by using causal representations , 2013, Educational Technology Research and Development.

[38]  Andrew Harrison,et al.  Timed Report Measures Learning: Game-Based Embedded Assessment , 2012 .

[39]  Patricia M. Greenfield,et al.  Video Games Revisited , 2010 .