Digital game for international students' adjustment.

• Main Author: Bisadi, Maryam.
• Other Authors: Alton Chua Yeow Kuan
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Education
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51239
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

As a consequence of rapid development in technology and communication, the global village provides the opportunity of studying in foreign universities all over the world. Though this journey has a valuable outcome, it can turn out to be stressful and challenging for International students. To accelerate the adjustment process of international students, this study presents the design and evaluation of a computer-based application, known as 'Digital Game for International Student Training' (DGIST). The purpose of this game is to transfer adjustment-related information. Immersion, challenges and social interaction, as three major aspects of fun were incorporated into the design of DGIST in order to make the adjustment process enjoyable. The effectiveness of DGIST on transferring information was compared to a document-based method using a pre-test-post-test experimental design. A total of 80 international students from a local university in Singapore were invited to participate in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups and were requested to answer an identical set of adjustment-related questionnaire comprising 39 close-ended items. Thereafter, those in the control group were given a document containing adjustment-related information while those in the experimental group were exposed to DGIST. Finally both groups were given the chance to refine their answers to the questionnaire. The results after evaluation of both groups indicated that although both methods increased the information level of students, the game-based method was more effective and preferable.