Exploring the role of flow experience, learning performance and potential behavior clusters in elementary students' game-based learning

Abstract

Well-designed game-based learning can provide students with an innovative environment that may enhance students' motivation and engagement in learning and thus improve their learning performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among elementary school students' flow experience and learning performances. We also investigated the gender and grade differences as well as the types of potential clusters of flow experiences and performance. Thirty-four elementary school students participated in this study. This study conducted correction analysis, difference analysis and a two-stage cluster analysis. The findings suggested that the students with higher flow experiences tended to have higher learning performances. The results of gender differences showed that female students had high performance scores and great flow experiences in the mini-educational game in this study. Moreover, the results revealed that the students of higher grade had significantly higher scores in both performance and flow experience than the students of lower grade. The result of cluster analysis fell into three categories: low performance/low flow experience students, high flow experience students and high performance/high flow experience students. On the basis of our findings, we also proposed suggestions for future game-based learning research.

Keywords:

• flow experience
• learning performance
• elementary school
• game-based learning
• cluster analysis

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by projects from the National Science Council, Republic of China, under contract number NSC-100-2628-S-011-001-MY4, NSC-100-3113-S-011-001, NSC-100-2631-S-011-002 and NSC-99-2511-S-011-007-MY3.

Notes on contributors

Ya-Hui Hsieh is a PhD candidate at Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Her research interests include the game-based learning, computer-supported collaborative learning, positive psychology and knowledge transfer/sharing.

Yi-Chun Lin is a PhD candidate at Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. She received her M.S. degree from the Instructional System Technology Department, Indiana University Bloomington. Her research interests include the game-based learning, collaborative learning, informal reasoning, epistemology, and efficacy and motivational beliefs.

Huei-Tse Hou is an Associate Professor of Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. His research interest focuses on e-Learning behavioral pattern analysis, e-Learning system development, instructional knowledge management/sharing and game-based learning systems.