Examining the Predictors of Moderating Student’s Achievement from Game-Based Learning Studies
We-Hsiung Wu
Department of Information Management, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Hao-Yun Kao
Department of Healthcare Administration and Medical Informatics, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C haoyun@kmu.edu.tw
Chung-Hsing Alex Hu
Department of Health Industry Information Technology, Meiho University, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Game-based learning (GBL) is increasingly being applied in education. However, few studies have examined its theoretical bases. One exception is the exploratory work conducted by Kebritchi and Hirumi (2008). For extending their work, this study first categorized four major ‘isms’ that might serve as pedagogical theoretical bases: behaviorism, cognitivism, humanism, and constructivism. Based on this foundation, the study applied meta-analytic methodology to present the findings quantitatively using GBL-related documents such as articles. Through the meta-analytic processes, the study presented an important contribution by examining the articles that contain predictors that moderate achievement. In sum, this study can extend research issues related to the pedagogical theoretical bases of the GBL.
Key words: game-based learning, pedagogical issue, learning theory, meta-analysis