Development and evaluation of multiple competitive activities in a synchronous quiz game system

Abstract

Competitive learning activities are among the various learning activities that play a significant role in online learning environments. A competitive learning environment obviously stimulates different feelings in winners and losers, and it is imperative to consider how to design such an environment so as to motivate users. This work describes the design of an online competitive learning environment that involves three basic competitive forms and 16 competitive activities. A system called ‘Joyce’ has been implemented, in which users can compete with either a computer agent or real life user(s) on a single computer or alternatively can play via the Internet. Because of the format of the item bank being sets of multiple-choice questions, the system is not restricted by the age of its target users. In a game-learning environment, learning is a side-effect of participating in the game. In the present example, learners are motivated to read more materials to win the game. The system attempts to involve students in a competitive gaming-learning environment that stimulated their motivation to learn. Three studies have been conducted to examine how users responded to the novel system and obtained the following analytical results: first, users were found to be highly motivated to use the Joyce system; second, more able users had a greater chance of winning the game, while less able users still had some chance of winning; and third, users are inclined to take risks and have the control of the game in their own hands.