Learning efficacy and user acceptance of a game-based social skills learning environment

• Main Author: Tan, Jean Lee
• Other Authors: Ang Pei-Hui, Rebecca
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Library and information science::Libraries::Information systems; DRNTU::Library and information science::Libraries::Technologies
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/53394
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Social maladjustment places children at risk in early life as they are integral to many emotional, behavioral and psychological problems. If left untreated, these negative consequences may be precursors of serious problems in adulthood such as adult psychopathology and criminality. The possible deleterious effects of social skills deficits have underscored the importance placed on social skills programs in schools. To address the issue of acquisition of social skills, a Web-based game, as a specific instantiation of educational games for social skills training in a classroom setting was developed for this research. The game, Socialdrome® is aimed to intentionally teach children to identify and manage feelings, exercise self-control, solve social problems and negotiate conflict situations. Specifically, the research seeks to design and evaluate the game based on instructional and game design principles and investigate the learning efficacy and user acceptance that the children derive from the game-based learning environment, Socialdrome®. The Game Design and Evaluation Model, which was influenced by the Crick and Dodge’s Social Information-Processing Model, Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, Gagné’s Events of Instruction and Keller’s ARCS Motivation Model, was developed to provide a frame of reference for the design and evaluation of the game as a pedagogically meaningful tool for learning and entertainment. The model was constructed on the postulate that learning is a constructive process, anchored in an experiential game-based environment with real-life examples and social problems usually experienced by children in their everyday interactions. Both formative and summative evaluation studies were carried out. Study I was undertaken to evaluate the game prototype during the start of the development to ensure that the game attributes were successfully embodied in the final game prototype. Two methods, heuristic evaluation by prospective users and participatory design, were adopted to elicit feedback and ideas to assess whether the features of the game pose playability and usability issues to the young users and to translate the children’s contributions into game design directions. For Study II, a summative evaluation methodology was constructed drawing from research streams of educational, game design, human computer interaction and information systems academic communities. Quantitative data collection was adopted in a formal school setting to examine how the distinctive immersive game features affect the learning efficacy and user acceptance among the participants. The study established that the game was effective in promoting social skills knowledge acquisition. It demonstrated that increasing playability influences playfulness in gameplaying and the importance of reflecting playfulness as an intrinsic factor in shaping an individual’s acceptance of a game. Game design researchers should place high priority on the two success factors, playability and playfulness, when designing gaming tasks. Three variables, gender, gaming experience and gaming self-efficacy, introduced in the research, had no effect on behavioral intention. By combining these two approaches, the study provided evidence about the educational efficacy and impact of the game and a better understanding of the users’ profiles, experiences and behavioral intention to use the game.