Impact of an active educational video game on children's motivation, science knowledge, and physical activity

Abstract

BackgroundActive educational video games (AVGs) appear to have a positive effect on elementary school students' motivation leading to enhanced learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of an AVG on elementary school students' science knowledge learning, physical activity (PA) level, and interest-based motivation.MethodsIn this randomized controlled study, 53 elementary school students were assigned to an experimental condition or a comparison condition. The experimental condition provided an AVG learning environment, whereas the comparison condition was based on sedentary educational video games.ResultsThe results of repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the knowledge test showed that students in both groups performed better on the post-test than they did on the pre-test (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.486), and their post-test scores did not differ significantly. The experimental condition provided a more active environment since the students' average heart rates (HRs) were in the Target-Heart-Rate-Zone (HR = 134 bpm), which was significantly higher than the average HR (103 bpm) from the comparison condition (t = 7.212, p < 0.001). Students in the experimental condition perceived a higher level of situational interest than their counterparts in the comparison group (p < 0.01, and η2 = 0.301).ConclusionThese results suggest that AVGs benefit children more in terms of PA and motivation than traditional video games by providing an enjoyable learning experience and sufficient PA.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of physically active classrooms on educational and enjoyment outcomes in school age children

“…There were no studies of high school students. Three trials randomized individual students to the intervention or control condition [30–32]. In the remaining trials randomization was completed at the level of the cluster; the unit of randomization was the school in 6 trials [28,33–37] and the classroom in 16 trials [20,38–51].…”

The Role of Interest in Physical Education: A Review of Research Evidence

“…The results clearly demonstrated a higher situational interest from the exergaming unit than that from the conventional fitness unit. In another study on the relationship between situational interest and an active-game based science unit, Sun and Gao (2016) provided evidence showing low to moderate correlation between situational interest dimensions and physical activity levels measured by heart rate (r ranged from .12 to .44). This finding indicates that when the activities are derived from a classroom-based content (i.e., science), the relationship might become unstable.…”

Effectiveness of Exergaming in Improving Cognitive and Physical Function in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: Systematic Review

“…Exergames have been gradually implemented in rehabilitation [ 37 , 38 ], education [ 39 ], and other fields [ 40 ], and have been widely accepted by a range of populations from children [ 41 , 42 ] to the elderly [ 43 , 44 ]; moreover, positive results were found for individuals with various diseases such as dementia [ 45 ], stroke [ 46 ], Parkinson disease [ 34 ], multiple sclerosis [ 47 ], cystic fibrosis [ 48 ], and cancer [ 49 ]. Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of exergaming in improving physical functions such as gait and balance [ 50 ], motion control [ 51 ], and exercise capacity [ 52 ].…”