The Influence of Competition/Cooperation Scenarios and Gender Differences on Learners’ Attitude and Behavior in Game-Based Learning

• Main Authors: LU,HUI-YU, 呂慧玉
• Other Authors: LUO,JIA-JUN
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/85524096526393031522

碩士 === 中華大學 === 資訊管理學系 === 104 === With the advent of information technology and popularization of electronic devices, computer and mobile games have also become increasingly prevalent in recent years. According to observations made by psychologists, games facilitate cognitive, social and emotional development in children. Gamified learning is therefore extremely effective. Digital games designed for education can be used in various fields in order to accomplish educational goals and improve efficiency in learning. However, the competitive aspect of gamified learning is often over-emphasized, resulting in anxiety and negative personality development in participating students. Therefore, a combination of competitive and cooperative learning may improve learning attitude in students while enhancing their learning results. This study examines the attitude and behavior of fourth grade elementary school students when being taught English vocabulary through an online multi-player game of Monopoly, under different types of cooperative and competitive gameplay, and in groups of different gender ratios. The subjects of the study are six classes of a total of 156 students, from Wang Xi Elementary School in Yonghe District, New Taipei City. Throughout the duration of the experiment, there was one student who took leave and 11 who could not be assigned into groups. The remaining, actual sample size is 144 students, evenly divided between male and female. This experiment divides each class in to six groups of four people, each of one of three possible gender compositions: all males, two males and two females, and all females. The gameplay in each group is in turn assigned to be one of two modes: “cooperative” or “competitive”. In the cooperative groups, two students form two teams within the group, and the members on the same team cooperate to compete with the other team in the group. In competitive groups, each student competes with every other student. Before and after the experiment, questionnaires are distributed to the subjects, and the gathered data is analyzed with the T-test、two-factor ANOVA, and the chi-sqaured test. The results of this study indicate that gamification of learning can indeed improve results. We also find that different modes of gameplay and gender composition of groups have significant influences of the behaviors of the participants. Male students in the study are found to be less likely to cooperate with a partner of the same gender, and are more aggressive in their use of game items, and perform better alone. In contrast, female students are more cooperative. We conclude that, in assigning pupils to groups for the purpose of competitive learning, instructors should take into account the gender composition of the groups.