AUTHOR=Liu Sa , Grey Brian , Gabriel Mina TITLE=“Winning could mean success, yet losing doesn’t mean failure”—Using a mobile serious game to facilitate science learning in middle school JOURNAL=Frontiers in Education VOLUME=8 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1164462 DOI=10.3389/feduc.2023.1164462 ISSN=2504-284X ABSTRACT=

Researchers have recognized the potential of using Mobile Serious Games (MSG) in teaching various subject matters. However, it is not clear how MSG impacts students differently based on their in-game performance. To fill this gap, the current study examined the MSG “SpacEscape” that teaches middle school students about the solar system through problem-solving activities. To understand whether SpacEscape could facilitate middle school student science learning based on their in-game performance, this study adopted a randomized experimental design and collected pre-test, post-test and game play data from the participants. Independent sample t-test and MANOVA with repeated measures (N = 228) were conducted. The results showed that SpacEscape significantly improved science learning for middle school students. In addition, the game significantly improved students’ science knowledge test scores regardless of their in-game performance. Furthermore, students enjoyed playing SpacEscape in the class, and we hope this study will inform the direction of future study in the field.