Kai Hsin Tai

Comparing animated and static modes in educational gameplay on user interest, performance and gameplay anxiety

To compare the perception of animated to static mode of gameplay and how it affects the emotional state and performance of playing, this study designed two games, Chinese idiom string up game (CISUG) and Chinese idiom fishing game (CIFG). Seven classes with a total of 238 students were invited to participate in CIFG, and six classes with a total of 211 students were recruited for CISUG. All participants were 5th and 6th grade elementary school students. Performance achievement, interest level and gameplay anxiety were statistically examined using paired sample t-tests. The results revealed that the static mode fostered better performance. In addition, interest was found to be better maintained in the static mode than in the animated mode, but there was no difference between the two types of game modes in respect of gameplay anxiety. However, for both modes, gameplay anxiety did decrease slightly upon subsequent playing, though it did not reach a level of statistical significance. The results suggest that in educational game design, the use of static rather than animated modes should be considered when the objective is to help students achieve better performance in a competitive setting. Static mode fostered better achievement than the animated mode.Gameplay interest can be better maintained in the static mode.Educational game design should consider the use of static rather than animated mode.

Intrinsic motivation of Chinese learning in predicting online learning self-efficacy and flow experience relevant to students’ learning progress

ABSTRACT Students of Southeast Asian Heritage Learning Chinese (SSAHLC) in Taiwan have frequently demonstrated difficulty with traditional Chinese (a graphical character) radical recognition due to their limited exposure to the written language form since childhood. In this study, we designed a Chinese radical learning game (CRLG), which adopted a drill and practice mode, for SSAHLC to practice recognizing Chinese radicals. To facilitate Chinese writing, non-native learners need to use aspects of the radical knowledge as cues to encode characters, from which the contents of the game were built up for SSAHLC to master the Chinese written forms by playing the CRLG with gesture-based interactions. In addition, the game was used to explore the students’ intrinsic motivation relevant to online learning self-efficacy, as well as the experience of flow, to predict the degree of learning progress. Data were collected from 78 SSAHLC participating in the study, and 73 valid questionnaires were returned. After applying confirmatory factor analysis as well as structural equation modeling to the valid data, it was found that four constructs, namely intrinsic motivation, online learning self-efficacy, flow experience, and learning progress, were all positively correlated. Our results indicated that intrinsic motivation of Chinese learning predicted online learning self-efficacy, and that flow experience was relevant to the students’ learning progress. Moreover, the degree of learning progress could be predicted by the mediating factors. These findings imply that heritage language teachers may utilize the CRLG to enhance learners’ Chinese radical recognition ability, and eventually improve their Chinese character recognition ability.

Parental Monitoring Predicts Students' Prosocial and Impulsive Tendencies Relevant to Consequence-Based Reasoning in a Blended Learning Environment.

Consequential reasoning relevant to moral development has not been effectively practised in elementary schools in Taiwan. The present study designed a “To Do or Not To Do” website for students to explore moral dilemma situations and exercise consequence-based moral reasoning. Effective data from 160 fifth-grade students were collected for a confirmatory factor analysis and subjected to structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated that with a higher perceived level of parental monitoring; the participants had a higher level of pro-social tendency and a lower level of impulsivity. In addition, a lower level of impulsivity was significantly associated with a greater interest in blended learning to practice moral consequential reasoning. The results suggest that teachers could use the To Do or Not To Do website as part of a flipped classroom for students to practice moral consequential reasoning to maximize the moral development of less impulsive students.