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Effects of Simulation Games on students' Computational Thinking and Game Experience for Programming Courses in Primary School.

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Title: Effects of Simulation Games on students' Computational Thinking and Game Experience for Programming Courses in Primary School.
Authors: Pellas, Nikolaos1 (AUTHOR) aff00192@uowm.gr
Source: Computers in the Schools. Jan-Mar2024, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p23-50. 28p.
Subject Terms: *Primary schools, *Education students, Simulation games, Knowledge acquisition (Expert systems), Virtual reality, User interfaces
Abstract: There is substantial evidence that incorporating interactive environments for game-based instruction has a significant potential to support the development of computational thinking and programming skills in primary education students. However, it is not clear whether a simulation game (SG) with different user interface elements, created via three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds and visual programming environments to project various problem-solving exercises in a simulated reality, can significantly influence students to think and practice "computationally" their solution plans into code. The current study aims to identify any possible added value of each instructional approach by measuring students' game experience and learning performance. This quasi-experimental study involved ninety participants (n = 90) aged between 10 and 11 years that consisted of two comparison conditions. The experimental group (n = 45) received training using OpenSimulator in combination with Scratch4SL, whereas the control group (n = 45) was trained using Scratch. The findings indicate considerable differences in students' game experience and satisfaction, but no statistically significant difference in their learning performance and knowledge gain was identified. This study provides several design implications for user interface and game elements to inform educational practitioners and instructors about the benefits that each approach can offer students for better knowledge acquisition and deeper disciplinary understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Computers in the Schools is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Effects of Simulation Games on students' Computational Thinking and Game Experience for Programming Courses in Primary School.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Computers+in+the+Schools%22">Computers in the Schools</searchLink>. Jan-Mar2024, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p23-50. 28p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Primary+schools%22">Primary schools</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Education+students%22">Education students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Simulation+games%22">Simulation games</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Knowledge+acquisition+%28Expert+systems%29%22">Knowledge acquisition (Expert systems)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Virtual+reality%22">Virtual reality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22User+interfaces%22">User interfaces</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: There is substantial evidence that incorporating interactive environments for game-based instruction has a significant potential to support the development of computational thinking and programming skills in primary education students. However, it is not clear whether a simulation game (SG) with different user interface elements, created via three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds and visual programming environments to project various problem-solving exercises in a simulated reality, can significantly influence students to think and practice "computationally" their solution plans into code. The current study aims to identify any possible added value of each instructional approach by measuring students' game experience and learning performance. This quasi-experimental study involved ninety participants (n = 90) aged between 10 and 11 years that consisted of two comparison conditions. The experimental group (n = 45) received training using OpenSimulator in combination with Scratch4SL, whereas the control group (n = 45) was trained using Scratch. The findings indicate considerable differences in students' game experience and satisfaction, but no statistically significant difference in their learning performance and knowledge gain was identified. This study provides several design implications for user interface and game elements to inform educational practitioners and instructors about the benefits that each approach can offer students for better knowledge acquisition and deeper disciplinary understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Computers in the Schools is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/07380569.2023.2206825
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 28
        StartPage: 23
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Primary schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Education students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Simulation games
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Knowledge acquisition (Expert systems)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Virtual reality
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      – SubjectFull: User interfaces
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      – TitleFull: Effects of Simulation Games on students' Computational Thinking and Game Experience for Programming Courses in Primary School.
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              M: 01
              Text: Jan-Mar2024
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              Y: 2024
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              Value: 41
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