Process-genre writing instruction has been shown to produce substantial improvements in argumentative writing quality, genre knowledge, metacognitive awareness, and self-efficacy among English-as-a-second-language learners, yet most evidence comes from conventional classroom delivery that draws little on principles of game-based learning. This study proposed a conceptual model that mapped the four phases of the enhanced process-genre approach onto established game mechanics, including badges, quests, levels, and progress feedback, with the aim of enhancing motivation and self-efficacy among English-as-a-second-language writers. Grounded in self-efficacy theory and previous gamification research, the model linked each phase to a specific mechanic and proposed the theoretical rationale underlying each link as a testable hypothesis rather than an established effect. This study also specified design propositions, boundary conditions, and operational considerations for classroom implementation and concluded with implications for course design and directions for future empirical research.
Game-based learning environments have generated detailed behavioral logs able to complement surveys and formal assessments. This study examined whether gameplay logs from a four-week classroom Minecraft curriculum predicted pre-to-post improvement across seven outcomes for 169 middle-school students; 148 contributed gameplay data and outcome-specific sample sizes ranged from 100 to 142. Neural models combined pre-assessment scores, completion-based static features, and gameplay sequence representations using embedding, optional transformer encoding, and x-vector-inspired pooling. Random forest and XGBoost provided simpler static-feature comparisons. Across five repeated stratified random-shuffle evaluations, the embedding plus transformer plus x-vector setting achieved the highest mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for five outcomes; the non-sequential baseline was highest for career interest, and random forest was marginally highest for pattern recognition (0.7853 versus 0.7842).
This study compared VR and non-VR serious games for high-rise fire evacuation education, focusing on immersion, cognitive load, decision-making, and learning outcomes. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to a VR group or a non-VR group. They completed pre- and post-tests, immersion and self-efficacy scales, the Raw NASA-TLX, and a situational judgment test; completion time and failures were also recorded. The VR group reported significantly greater immersion and cognitive load than the non-VR group. However, no significant group differences were found in completion time, failure frequency, post-test knowledge, knowledge gain, situational judgment, or self-efficacy. Immersion and cognitive load were not significantly associated with, nor predictive of, completion time. Both formats improved fire evacuation knowledge, but VR provided no additional learning advantage. VR may therefore be better suited to experiential scenario training, whereas non-VR games may offer a more accessible and cognitively efficient option for broader educational use.
This cross-sectional study examined sex-based differences in recreational modern board gaming in Spain and their relevance to inclusive board game–based learning. A total of 1,090 participants aged 10–86 completed an online survey; inferential analyses compared 446 men and 634 women. Women reported earlier, more family-based entry into board gaming, whereas men more often entered through friends. Men reported more frequent and longer play, greater event attendance, larger collections, greater use of specialized media and platforms, greater self-perceived confidence in game mechanics, and more solo play. After adjustment for age and education, men had higher odds of BoardGameGeek/LaBSK registration and event attendance and were more likely to be classified as Type II/Facilitators or Type III/Specialists. Although classroom behavior and learning outcomes were not assessed, the findings suggest unequal experiential starting points that educators should consider when scaffolding rules, rotating facilitation roles, and designing equitable board game-based learning environments.
This article presents a classroom design evaluation of a teacher-guided analog tabletop instructional sequence for basic music notation practice. The intervention, Adventure in the Land of Magical Notes, consisted of three sequential tabletop activities targeting note recognition, staff positions, note values, and rests. Thirty-two Grade 7 students participated in a 12-period sequence that combined teacher briefing, small-group play, answer checking, feedback, debriefing, and evaluation. Developmental pilot tests with non-sample students indicated that the materials met the 80/80 instructional-efficiency benchmark used in Thai educational media development practice (80.39/81.17). In the main classroom sample, posttest scores on a 40-item notation test were higher than pretest scores, and satisfaction ratings were high. Because the study used a single-group pretest-posttest design, findings are interpreted as preliminary within-group classroom evidence rather than causal evidence of effectiveness. The article offers a design case for aligning tabletop mechanics with classroom notation tasks.
