Background. The increased usage of educational video games with their strong graphical and technical potential raises the question of how to optimize the instructional elements of gameplay. In this article, the instructional goal was analyzed with the theoretical background of both motivational psychology (goal-setting theory) and cognitive psychology (goal-free effect). Aim. We compared different goal types within an educational video game specifically produced for this context, using MINECRAFT as a content creation tool. Method. Within a quantitative, empirical experiment, 87 students divided into three goal groups (specific learning goal, specific performance goal, goal-free condition) played the video game for nearly three hours per test session to gain knowledge about basic elements of computer science and basic electric engineering. Results. The results show effects of goal-setting on cognitive load and affective measures. Having specific learning goals lowered extraneous and intrinsic cognitive load. Additionally, players following a specific learning goal reported having significantly more fun, indicating the affective impacts of goal-setting. Conclusions. The outcomes of this study have practical implications for the creation of educational video games and theoretical implications for further work within the field of instructional psychology.
Zusammenfassung. Lehrkräfte könnten ihren Rechtschreibunterricht in der Grundschule mithilfe von Apps leichter differenzieren und effektiver gestalten. Apps sind Software auf mobilen Endgeräten (z.B. Smartphones). Sie können die Lernförderung bereichern, weil sie eigenständiges, redundanzreiches, adaptives, multimodales, spielerisches Üben ermöglichen. Die Güte von Apps zur Rechtschreibförderung ist jedoch schwer zu beurteilen. In diesem Beitrag präsentieren wir einen Ansatz, wie die Qualität von Apps zur Rechtschreibförderung beurteilt werden kann. Zu diesem Zweck leiten wir aus Theorien zum Schriftspracherwerb, zur Instruktions- und Motivationspsychologie, aus Meta-Analysen zur Effektivität von Fördermethoden sowie aus Differenzierungsvoraussetzungen Gütekriterien für Rechtschreib-Lernapps ab und geben einen Überblick, inwiefern aktuell verfügbare Apps diese Gütekriterien erfüllen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass keine App alle Gütekriterien erfüllt und sich die Apps in Bezug auf die erfüllten Gütekriterien stark unterscheiden. Apps zum Training der deutschen Rechtschreibung sollten daher theorie- und evidenzbasiert weiterentwickelt werden, bevor ihr volles Potenzial für den Einsatz im differenzierten Unterricht ausgeschöpft werden kann.
A major problem in teacher education is the gap between theory and practice. Engaging student teachers in materials development is one way to integrate theory and practice in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher education. It is during the complex process of materials development that student teachers start to envision learning processes and outcomes of specific language learning tasks. However, materials development does not take care of itself. It is argued that methods of cognitive apprenticeship can be a tool to support student teachers in the complex process of materials development. Cognitive apprenticeship is about modelling and verbalizing the internal cognitive processes underlying complex problem-solving tasks such as adapting authentic materials and writing rubrics. This paper reports how these methods are applied in an EFL teacher education project on materials development. Engaging student teachers in materials development can be a worthwhile opportunity-to-learn in university-based teacher education for any subject whatsoever.
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