To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field Study
Learning grammar requires practice and practicing grammar can be boring. We examined whether an instructional game with intrinsically integrated game mechanics promotes this practice: compared to rote learning through a quiz. We did so “in the field.” Tens of thousands children visited, in their lei...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.856623/full |
| _version_ | 1818059647981977600 |
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| author | Cyril Brom Lukáš Kolek Jiří Lukavský Jiří Lukavský Filip Děchtěrenko Filip Děchtěrenko Kristina Volná |
| author_facet | Cyril Brom Lukáš Kolek Jiří Lukavský Jiří Lukavský Filip Děchtěrenko Filip Děchtěrenko Kristina Volná |
| author_sort | Cyril Brom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Learning grammar requires practice and practicing grammar can be boring. We examined whether an instructional game with intrinsically integrated game mechanics promotes this practice: compared to rote learning through a quiz. We did so “in the field.” Tens of thousands children visited, in their leisure time, a public website with tens of attractive online games for children during a 6-week-long period. Of these children, 11,949 picked voluntarily our grammar training intervention. Thereafter, unbeknown to them, they were assigned either to the game or the quiz condition. By means of learning analytics, we examined variables related to participants’ persistence and performance. The results showed large participant drop-out before completing the first level in both conditions (42.2%), confirming the boringness of the topic. More children completed at least one level in the game compared to the quiz (61.8 vs. 53.6%). However, more children completed the intervention (all six levels) with the quiz (6.0 vs. 4.3%). In the game, children answered fewer questions correctly (36.3 vs. 47.4) and made more errors compared to the quiz (16.1 vs. 13.1). These findings suggest that even if a game initially catches user attention, it may not hold it. Plus, even if it is a minimalistic game with intrinsic integration of learning and playing, it may be distractive. We conclude that persistence in practicing grammar may be driven by other means than by a game’s shooting mechanics; for instance, by a desire to learn the topic and a feeling of achievement or by quizzing mechanics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T13:19:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2614b6b8e7e9455fa7ca313edc33e26b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T13:19:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2614b6b8e7e9455fa7ca313edc33e26b2022-12-22T01:47:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-04-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.856623856623To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field StudyCyril Brom0Lukáš Kolek1Jiří Lukavský2Jiří Lukavský3Filip Děchtěrenko4Filip Děchtěrenko5Kristina Volná6Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaFaculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaFaculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaInstitute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, CzechiaFaculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaInstitute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, CzechiaDevelopment and New Media Department (decko.cz and ctart.cz), Czech TV, Prague, CzechiaLearning grammar requires practice and practicing grammar can be boring. We examined whether an instructional game with intrinsically integrated game mechanics promotes this practice: compared to rote learning through a quiz. We did so “in the field.” Tens of thousands children visited, in their leisure time, a public website with tens of attractive online games for children during a 6-week-long period. Of these children, 11,949 picked voluntarily our grammar training intervention. Thereafter, unbeknown to them, they were assigned either to the game or the quiz condition. By means of learning analytics, we examined variables related to participants’ persistence and performance. The results showed large participant drop-out before completing the first level in both conditions (42.2%), confirming the boringness of the topic. More children completed at least one level in the game compared to the quiz (61.8 vs. 53.6%). However, more children completed the intervention (all six levels) with the quiz (6.0 vs. 4.3%). In the game, children answered fewer questions correctly (36.3 vs. 47.4) and made more errors compared to the quiz (16.1 vs. 13.1). These findings suggest that even if a game initially catches user attention, it may not hold it. Plus, even if it is a minimalistic game with intrinsic integration of learning and playing, it may be distractive. We conclude that persistence in practicing grammar may be driven by other means than by a game’s shooting mechanics; for instance, by a desire to learn the topic and a feeling of achievement or by quizzing mechanics.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.856623/fullgame-based learning (GBL)quizintrinsic integrationlearning analyticspersistenceinterest |
| spellingShingle | Cyril Brom Lukáš Kolek Jiří Lukavský Jiří Lukavský Filip Děchtěrenko Filip Děchtěrenko Kristina Volná To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field Study Frontiers in Psychology game-based learning (GBL) quiz intrinsic integration learning analytics persistence interest |
| title | To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field Study |
| title_full | To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field Study |
| title_fullStr | To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field Study |
| title_short | To Quiz or to Shoot When Practicing Grammar? Catching and Holding the Interest of Child Learners: A Field Study |
| title_sort | to quiz or to shoot when practicing grammar catching and holding the interest of child learners a field study |
| topic | game-based learning (GBL) quiz intrinsic integration learning analytics persistence interest |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.856623/full |
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