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Effects of Scaffolding in Digital Game-Based Learning on Student’s Achievement: a Three-Level Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Previous empirical studies on the effect of scaffolding in game-based learning environments have shown inconsistent findings. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effect of scaffolding in digital game-based learning (DGBL) and to explore a range of moderating factors that may have contributed to the inconsistencies of primary studies. We used the three-level meta-analysis method to analyze the data for handling data non-dependency issues of multiple effect sizes in one study. A total of 49 primary studies and 154 effect sizes were identified through systematic literature search. The results show that scaffolding in DGBL could effectively improve learning (g = 0.43, 95% CI: [0.30, 0.56]), and the heterogeneity among studies was significant (Q = 708.99, p < 0.001). Furthermore, our results indicate that the studies involving elementary school students and university students showed larger effect sizes of scaffolding than those involving secondary school students. Scaffolding also appeared to be differentially effective in different types of games: more effective in adventure, puzzle, and simulation games than in role-playing and strategy games. Future studies should pay attention to the design of scaffolding mechanisms in educational digital games and to the influence of scaffolding on behavioral patterns and learning processes of learners engaged in DGBL.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 62107018 and 62077016) and grant CCNU20QN025 from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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  1. School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Zhihui Cai, Peipei Mao & Dandan Wang

  2. School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China

    Jinbo He

  3. Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, USA

    Xinjie Chen

  4. Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Xitao Fan

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Cai, Z., Mao, P., Wang, D. et al. Effects of Scaffolding in Digital Game-Based Learning on Student’s Achievement: a Three-Level Meta-analysis. Educ Psychol Rev 34, 537–574 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09655-0

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