ERIC Number: EJ1484815
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1382-4996
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1677
Available Date: 2024-09-12
Unlocking Knowledge: A Meta-Analysis Assessing the Efficacy of Educational Escape Rooms in Health Sciences Education
Nicholas J. Kakos1; Rebecca S. Lufler2; Brendan Cyr1; Christian Zwirner1; Erin Hurley1; Christina Heinrich1; Adam B. Wilson3
Advances in Health Sciences Education, v30 n3 p837-857 2025
Educational escape rooms within health sciences education are gaining traction as a unique and engaging game-based strategy for reviewing instructional content. Educational escape rooms cultivate valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, creativity, attention to detail, and the ability to apply knowledge under time pressures. While several studies have independently assessed learners' knowledge gains after educational escape room interventions, the present work meta-analyzes the efficacy of educational escape rooms across studies and student learners within health sciences education. A systematic search across seven databases was performed by a health sciences librarian from inception to March 24, 2023. Record screenings, full-text reviews, and data extractions were managed within Covidence. MERSQI criteria were used to assess study quality. Pooled effect sizes (Standardized Mean Differences = SMD) were estimated through meta-analysis to summarize learner performance outcomes after educational escape room interventions. Eleven studies followed a longitudinal pretest--posttest design, and five studies followed a control-treatment group design. Learners' posttest scores after participating in an educational escape room were statistically higher than their pretest scores as indicated by a large positive summary effect size (SMD = 0.893; p <0.001). Educational escape rooms were also effective for treatment group participants (n = 508), who significantly outperformed (SMD = 0.616; p <0.001) control group participants (n = 555). Most escape rooms were employed as a mechanism for reviewing educational content. This meta-analytic review suggests escape rooms are effective educational interventions for increasing knowledge gains among health sciences learners and highlights common implementation practices to help guide educators interested in this game-based learning approach.
Descriptors: Educational Games, Game Based Learning, Health Sciences, Allied Health Occupations Education, Teamwork, Instructional Effectiveness, Scores, Effect Size, Meta Analysis
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, USA; 2Tufts University School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education, Boston, USA; 3Rush University, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Chicago, USA

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