Making homework fun: The effect of game-based learning on reading engagement

Abstract

This study was based on game-based learning as an approach to engage students enrolled at a Danish gymnasium in reading parts of Herodotus' The Histories. From this study, we can conclude that game-based learning can be used to engage students and extend their motivation to read and do their homework. The study included 42 students from two classes. One class, with 27 students, was included in the experimental study, in which game-based learning was employed as part of reading the story. The other class, with 15 students, served as the control group and engaged only in an analog reading of the story. The evaluation criteria, which were assessed through a questionnaire, were based on items from the user engagement scale and a knowledge test. Further, the evaluation consisted of an interview with a teacher of classical civilization courses and interviews with nine students. The findings revealed a positive effect on students' engagement in the gaming group. The knowledge test revealed higher performance in the gaming group, with better recalls of important aspects of the story; 78% of the students in the gaming group were engaged with the story, in contrast to 27% of those in the control group. 85% of the gaming group perceived a clear understanding of the text, whereas only 33% of the control group did. Further, 90% of the gaming group read the mandatory homework, in contrast to 72% of the control group.