Game experience and the effectiveness
of Number Navigation Game
a
Padilla ,
a
Brezovszky ,
a
Pongsakdi ,
Gabriela Rodríguez
Boglarka
Nonmanut
a
bc
ab
ab
Tomi Jaakkola , Minna Hannula-Sormunen , Jake McMullen , Erno Lehtinen
aCentre
for Learning Research, University of Turku, Finland
bDepartment of Teacher Education, University of Turku, Finland
cTurku Institute for Advanced Studies
BACKGROUND
KEYWORDS
The Number Navigation Game (NNG) has been developed to enhance students’ arithmetic
flexibility and adaptivity. Players control a ship by inputting mathematical equations which
take the ship from one numerical-location to another. The NNG was conceived as an engaging
platform in which to explore and reflect upon number combinations and the relationships
between numbers.
The aim of the study is to find out whether the NNG is effective at increasing students’
arithmetic fluency and achievement motivation and to investigate the role of game
experiences on these. Motivation is looked at through the expectancy-value model (Wigfield
& Cambria, 2010) and is comprised of self-efficacy, interest, attainment value, utility, and cost,
while the dimensions of game experience are flow, immersion, competence, challenge,
positive affect, negative affect, tension, and positive value.
motivation, expectancy-values, arithmetic
fluency, Serious Game, GEQ
RESEARCH QUESTION
1. What is the effect of intervention on
arithmetic fluency and expectancy-values?
2. What is the effect of game experiences on
the change in arithmetic fluency and
expectancy-values?
METHOD
• Participants: Sixty-one 4th-6th grade classes (N=1168 students) were randomized into experimental (n=642) and control (n=526) groups.
• Design: Pre-test intervention 10-week period  post-test. Control group continued with traditional book-based curriculum.
• Measures: Pre- and post- tests on arithmetic fluency and expectancy-values, post-test Game Experience Questionnaire (Poels and colleagues,
2010). A K-means cluster analysis was carried out based on self-reported game experiences and students were sorted into three groups
(negative game experiences, positive game experiences, mixed game experiences).
RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
Effects of Intervention on Arithmetic Fluency
82
80.15
80
Experimental
*
78
77.87
Control
Range 0-160
76
K-means cluster analysis by game experience:
 Positive game experiences (n=83)
 Mixed game experiences (n=206)
 Negative game experiences (n=151)
74
72
70.56
70
Repeated Measures by condition:
Interaction effect of arithmetic fluency and
condition (phase/experimental):
F (1,986) = 5.994, p = 0.015, ηp2 = 0.006
70.03
68
Repeated Measures by game experience:
No interaction effect on arithmetic fluency
but effect on expectancy-values.
66
64
Pre-test
Post-test
Experimental group’s expectancy-values at pre- and post- test by game experience grouping
interest
Pre-test
5
math selfefficacy
interest
Post-test
5
4
4
3
3
2
1
utility
math selfefficacy
2
1
Game Experience:
positive
mixed
negative
cost
REFERENCES
utility
0
0
attainment
value
positive
mixed
negative
cost
• The intervention had a positive effect on
arithmetic fluency.
• The game experiences moderated the
effectiveness of intervention on expectancy
values but not on arithmetic fluency. The
expectancy-values of students with mixed
or negative game experiences decreased,
while these values increased for students
with positive game experiences.
• Based on the results the next steps are to
study the game’s efficacy in promoting
adaptivity in arithmetic problem solving
and to further develop the game to see
whether new game features lead to
meaningful improvements in game
experiences.
attainment
value
Poels, K., IJsselsteijn, W., de Kort, Y., and Van Iersel, B. (2010).
Digital Games, the Aftermath. Qualitative insights into Post
Game Experiences. In R. Bernhaupt, R. (Ed.). Evaluating User
Experiences in Games. Berlin: Springer.
Wigfield, A. and Cambria, J. (2010). Expectancy-value theory:
retrospective and prospective. In T. Urdan, & S.A. Karabenich
(Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement. The next
decade of research in motivation and achievement, Vol. 16A
(pp.35-70). London: Emerald.
Contact info: [email protected]