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Self-Regulation Within Game-Based Learning Environments

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Serious Educational Game Assessment

Abstract

Digital games have the potential to provide an ideal environment for students to “learn how to learn.” However, this potential remains as of yet untapped (Squire, 2006). It is no secret that today’s youth have become mesmerized by computer games and gaming consoles. The motivating factors inherent in games grab the attention of youth compelling them to play the same game for hours at a time. Moreover, youth do not seem deterred by the time required to conquer the steep learning curve necessary to succeed in complex, open-ended gaming environments. For these reasons, gamebased learning environments (GBLEs) have garnered increasing attention in the educational research community. However, serious games, or games that are used for purposes other than entertainment, are still not common in educational settings. By juxtaposing the captivating nature of games with educational content, it seems reasonable to assume students would find similar motivation to conquer GBLEs that could discreetly yield educational gains. Furthermore, these environments provide promising contexts in which to study self-regulated learning (SRL) due to the complex yet autonomous settings that they afford.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

    John Nietfeld & Lucy R. Shores

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  1. John Nietfeld
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  2. Lucy R. Shores
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  1. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Leonard Annetta

  2. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA

    Stephen C. Bronack

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Nietfeld, J., Shores, L.R. (2011). Self-Regulation Within Game-Based Learning Environments. In: Annetta, L., Bronack, S.C. (eds) Serious Educational Game Assessment. SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-329-7_2

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