Abstract
Narrative as a game design feature constantly yields mixed results for learning in the literature. The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods case study was to examine design heuristics and implications governing the role of narratives in a digital game-based learning (DGBL) environment for math problem solving. We collected data via observation, semi-structured interviewing, and video recording with twenty-seven college students with diverse demographic backgrounds. Video logging resulted in 2276 behavioral events for quantitative analysis. The study indicated: (1) 11 narrative-governed actions for game-based math problem solving; (2) the positive correlations between narrative usage and successful game-based math problem solving; and (3) the gender effects: girls are supported by game narratives designed with intrinsic integration (i.e., object-oriented narrative) for math problem solving more than boys. The study findings highlighted the critical role of game narratives in a sandbox DGBL environment for math problem solving as well as gender-inclusive design of narratives. A set of data-driven design heuristics and implications for the game narrative in DGBL were delineated and suggested.
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Adapted from Creswell and Plano Clark (2018)
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This work was funded by the National Science Foundation, Grant No. 1720533. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The authors also thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their efforts and thoughtful comments for the manuscript.
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Dai, CP., Ke, F. & Pan, Y. Narrative-supported math problem solving in digital game-based learning. Education Tech Research Dev 70, 1261–1281 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10129-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10129-5