Design and evaluation of a game-based App to support the upper-grade elementary school students' learning of computational thinking
| Autor: | Liu, Chia-Chi, 劉佳琦 |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 106 This study integrates the characteristics of mobile learning and game-based learning to design an App called “Birdy’s Treasure Hunt” to support the upper-grade elementary school students’ learning of computational thinking. To understand students’ capabilities of computational thinking and to set up the focal points of the system design, the author reviewed relevant research literature and available programming-instruction software and interviewed three middle-school and elementary-school teachers at the stage of the needs analysis. According to the results of the needs analysis, the author developed a prototype of the “Birdy’s Treasure Hunt.” The evaluation includes the expert evaluation and the field trial of target learners. Three experts evaluated the prototype, filled out the QUIS questionnaires, and participated in semi-structured interviews. The author concluded the experts’ suggestions about how to revise the system interface, learning content, test questions and revise the system prototype according to the results of the expert evaluation. To find out learning outcomes and learning experiences of the target learners, 49 upper-grade elementary school students participated in the field trial after the prototype revision. Before and after the trial, the students took the pre- and pro-tests of programming concepts such as variables, selection, and control. Also, all participants filled out an attitude scale after the system trial, and five participants were interviewed to report their game-based learning experiences. The results show that the students reported positive attitudes toward learning programming concepts via the “Birdy’s Treasure Hunt,” and that their programming concepts significantly improved after playing the game. Additionally, the target learners thought the system is easy to operate and challenging enough to learn, and they generally agreed they can learn programming concepts from playing the game. Besides, they recommended some possible improvements of the game such as adding more levels, integrating more game elements, and improving qualities of the art design. For future studies, the author suggests the system be revised based on the field-trial results and be employed as supplementary learning materials for formal information-education classes. The system could be compared with other instructional methods in students’ learning outcomes and learning motivation of computational thinking. The learning differences of learners with different strategies during playing the system could also be investigated. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
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