article

The concept of flow in collaborative game-based learning

Authors:

Wilfried Admiraal,

Jantina Huizenga,

Sanne Akkerman,

Geert ten DamAuthors Info & Claims

Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 27, Issue 3

Pages 1185 - 1194

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.12.013

Published: 01 May 2011 Publication History

Abstract

Generally, high-school students have been characterized as bored and disengaged from the learning process. However, certain educational designs promote excitement and engagement. Game-based learning is assumed to be such a design. In this study, the concept of flow is used as a framework to investigate student engagement in the process of gaming and to explain effects on game performance and student learning outcome. Frequency 1550, a game about medieval Amsterdam merging digital and urban play spaces, has been examined as an exemplar of game-based learning. This 1-day game was played in teams by 216 students of three schools for secondary education in Amsterdam. Generally, these students show flow with their game activities, although they were distracted by solving problems in technology and navigation. Flow was shown to have an effect on their game performance, but not on their learning outcome. Distractive activities and being occupied with competition between teams did show an effect on the learning outcome of students: the fewer students were distracted from the game and the more they were engaged in group competition, the more students learned about the medieval history of Amsterdam. Consequences for the design of game-based learning in secondary education are discussed.

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cover image Computers in Human Behavior

Computers in Human Behavior Volume 27, Issue 3

May, 2011

242 pages

ISSN:0747-5632

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Copyright © Elsevier Ltd © 2011.

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Elsevier Science Publishers B. V.

Netherlands

Publication History

Published: 01 May 2011

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