What increases learning retention: employing the prediction-observation-explanation learning strategy in digital game-based learning

ABSTRACT

Many studies have confirmed that digital game-based learning can effectively improve students’ learning motivation and that properly integrating learning strategies into digital games can effectively improve students’ learning achievement. However, rare research has been considered the long-term effect of learning retention. In the current study, a game-based learning system that integrated a “Prediction-Observation-Explanation” learning strategy was developed to provide learners with appropriate guidance and feedback during the learning process to improve the learning retention. A quasi-experiment was conducted in an elementary school mathematics course to evaluate the effectiveness of the method. The experimental result shows that the proposed approach can significantly improve students’ learning achievement and learning retention. According to the analysis of students’ behavioral pattern, the proposed approach can help students focus on the learning material of the game. Therefore, the proposed approach is a potential and effective way to help students with better long-term learning performance.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital game-based learning
• POE strategy
• learning retention
• learning behavior analysis

Acknowledgements

This study is supported in part by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China under contract number MOST 107-2511-H-152-007-MY2.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China [grant number MOST 107-2511-H-152-007-MY2]; Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [grant number MOST 109-2511-H-152-009].

Notes on contributors

Kai-Hsiang Yang

Dr. Kai-Hsiang Yang is currently a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Information Education at National Taipei University of Education in Taiwan. His research interests include digital game-based learning, information technology-applied instructions, data mining and web-based learning.

Hsiao-Hua Chen

Ms. Hsiao-Hua Chen is a graduate student of the Department of Mathematics and Information Education at National Taipei University of Education in Taiwan. Her research interest is digital game-based learning.