Games are used in classrooms in order to increase student motivation and engagement. But do they, really? This question is at the crux of research performed by the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS). Using the What-If Hypothetical Implementations Using Minecraft (WHIMC) developed at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC) as a platform, ALLS studies the effects of WHIMC on student interest in STEM, student affective states, and student in-game behaviors, among others.
For this research, Ms. Maricel A. Esclamado, Dr. Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo and Dr. Jenilyn A. Casano were awarded the Best Technical Design Paper Award for their paper entitled, “Achievement, Behaviors, and STEM Interest of Frustrated and Bored Learners using Minecraft” at the 30th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2022) held on Nov. 28 – Dec. 2, 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ICCE is the flagship conference of the Asia Pacific Society for Computers in Education. The Best Technical Design Paper award is given to papers that discuss the application of existing technological tools to teaching, learning, and/or assessment in a highly innovative manner.
Analyzing student-game interaction logs and out-of-game assessments, the authors found that the game had no impact on the STEM interest of students who expressed boredom and frustration. Students who are frustrated tended to disengage from the game while students who are bored tend to do less well on post-game assessments.
