Journal of Educational Psychology· 2013Q1· Review
A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games.
- 1,779citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2013year
Short summary
Serious games significantly improve learning and retention compared to conventional instruction, but do not show a significant motivational advantage.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Serious games enhance learning by a moderate effect size (d=0.29) over conventional methods.
- Serious games improve knowledge retention more effectively (d=0.36) than traditional instruction.
- Serious games did not show a statistically significant advantage in motivating learners (d=0.26).
- Learning benefits are maximized when serious games supplement other instruction, use multiple sessions, or involve group play.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
It is assumed that serious games influences learning in 2 ways, by changing cognitive processes and by affecting motivation. However, until now research has shown little evidence for these assumptions. We used meta-analytic techniques to investigate whether serious games are more effective in terms of learning and more motivating than conventional instruction methods (learning: k = 77, N 5,547; motivation: k = 31, N 2,216). Consistent with our hypotheses, serious games were found to be more effective in terms of learning (d= 0.29, p <.01) and retention (d = 0.36, p <.01), but they were not more motivating (d = 0.26, p > .05) than conventional instruction methods. Additional moderator analyses on the learning effects revealed that learners in serious games learned more, relative to those taught with conventional instruction methods, when the game was supplemented with other instruction methods, when multiple training sessions were involved, and when players worked in groups.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Educational Psychology, 2013 · DOI ↗
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Field: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Developmental and Educational PsychologyPsychology