Gamification and game-based learning have been used in the educational setting as an active learning strategy to increase student engagement. This study investigated the extent of the effect of gamification and game-based learning on student engagement of online Allied Health students in the Cultural and Ethical Influences course at Northwestern…

The purpose of this study was to gather expert instructional designers' descriptions of their decision-making processes and procedures while designing and developing formative game-based activities for online courses in workplace environments. The question addressed by the study is "How do instructional designers describe their…

We are witnessing an excitement about digital games and related immersive media as these become ever more prevalent in the world. Governments, private companies, and research institutes are investing in these technologies in hopes of transforming education. However, while scholarship on digital game-based learning has been steadily growing over…

Students across the nation struggle with learning mathematics for a variety of reasons such as the abstract nature, there is only one correct answer and how math is foundational. With the recent increase in the use of digital programs, school districts across the nation have turned to digital math programs for math intervention and learning.…

Interest development is a topic that has fascinated and puzzled educators since the 20th century. Despite decades of research and important advances in the field, questions remain about interest and its relationship to learning. In particular, given the pervasiveness of technology in our daily lives, it is essential to understand how interest…

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to assess differences between US K-12 teachers who participated in digital game-based learning (DGBL) and those who participated in digital learning (DL), in terms of pre-/posttest gains in computational thinking (CT) and pre-/posttest changes in perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived…

The purpose of this multiple-paper dissertation is to design a digital game and stealth assessments within the game to assess young second language learners' Chinese reading proficiency. In Chapter 2 (Paper 1), I describe the game designed for this dissertation and how it was implemented in a dual language immersion classroom. This study found…

Math proficiency rates are strikingly low for children from high poverty communities. Therefore, it is urgent to find solutions that help them develop basic math skills. Given theoretical considerations about math learning, a potentially promising option is to target children's cognitive engagement. In this study, I investigate a program that was…

The current study examined the impact of experiencing either a guided play or direct instruction learning environment on causal learning, curiosity, and divergent thinking. Forty-three children (age 4- to 6-years) participated in an online experiment in which they completed a causal learning task in either guided play or direct instruction…

A quantitative research study was conducted to understand the extent to which gamification (i.e., game elements and mechanics) impact adult learners' satisfaction (in terms of app usability), perception, motivation and knowledge when they interact with a gamified mobile app on Spanish-as-a-foreign language learning. An online experimental study…

The research underlying this dissertation consisted of a mixed-methods approach seeking to observe any changes in an adult learner's leadership behavior scores after participating in an online collaborative leadership exercise in the game Minecraft. After measuring the quantitative differences, it was discovered that participation in the online…

This study investigated the relationship between adult learner attitudes toward technology and learning style. A sample of community college Spanish students in a Midwestern city in the United States was surveyed to determine (a) an attitude score toward Spanish e-instruction based on the Lukow ATUTS (Attitudes toward Using Technology Survey) and…