A pedagogy-based framework for optimizing learning efficiency across multiple disciplines in educational games

Abstract

Educational games are gaining recognition and popularity as a novel teaching technology in the recent decade. However, most existing studies on its design either fail to examine game mechanics through the lens of pedagogical theories or address the design variation in games integrating different fields of study. This paper aims to resolve the deficiencies in prior research and shed light on the heuristic of creating effective educational games through a structured, pragmatic, and multidimensional design framework. An empirical study is conducted on 50 representative games stratified based on 5 categories of academic disciplines. A total of 25 game mechanics that promote learning outcomes are identified and analyzed in relation to three schools of learning theories-behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Finally, the findings in game mechanics, academic disciplines, and learning theories are synthesized to derive a pedagogy-based framework with the intent to help game designers optimize learning efficiency in their games and create a better learning experience for players.