Search

Background: Effective learning in computer programming courses has been a constant challenge for university teachers and has become a relevant competence for current professionals. The literature on gamification in learning presents mixed results, mainly due to problems in instructional design and inconsistency in gamification. Studies with positive empirical results on computer programming formative activities and showing under what conditions gamification is effective still need to be included. Objectives: This study aimed to quantify the effects of gamification techniques in software tools that support computer programming learning applied to data‐structures university students. The study focused on determining whether there are differences in learning when using gamification techniques in online exercising formative activities. The effects of gamification on learning objectives with diverse complexity are studied. Methods: The study was conducted on computer engineering university students following a pretest‐intervention‐posttest design. They were divided into control and experimental groups, where both used a bank of exercises in Moodle to support learning. The experimental group considered gamification techniques, including points, leaderboards, and badges. Results and Conclusions: Gamification techniques significantly outperformed in learning gains in exercising activities without gamification. Regarding learning complexity, increasing taxonomic complexity did not negatively affect gamification learning effects. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter?: Gamification has been explored as a strategy to enhance learning motivation in various educational contexts, including computer programmingLiterature shows mixed quantitative results on learning improvements under gamification.Few studies cover formative exercises, deal with computer programming tasks, or use a LMS like Moodle.Lack of literature exploring the conditions for effective gamification use, and involving learning objective complexity. What does this paper add to the existing body of research?: Quantifies the impact of gamification techniques on learning outcomes, specifically focusing on computer‐programming in university.Provides empirical evidence on gamification significantly improving learning gains compared to non‐gamified data‐structures exercisesGamification is effective in tasks of diverse levels of taxonomic complexity, with consistent effectiveness regardless of learning difficulty. Implications of study findings for practitioners: Gamification techniques, can be used in higher education to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes in computer programmingThe gamification information (e.g. points and ranking) do not require an automatic update, can be processed manually and published daily.It is effective to use gamification for learning tasks of medium‐high difficulty in Moodle on computer programming topics.It is key a thoughtful instructional design when applying gamification, ensuring alignment with learning objectives and task complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Learning which letters correspond to which speech sounds is fundamental for learning to read. Based on previous experimental studies, we developed a serious game aiming to boost letter‐speech sound (L‐SS) correspondences in a motivational game environment. Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of this game in training L‐SS correspondences in pre‐readers. Additionally, an extended version of the game was developed given the importance of handwriting in audio‐visual integration. We established whether including a motoric component in the game boosted the letter‐speech sound training on top of the effect of the game without the motoric component. Methods: One‐hundred forty‐five kindergartners were randomly allocated to play either the standard audio‐visual version of the game, the motoric version or a control math game. All children were pre‐ and post‐tested on L‐SS knowledge and reading accuracy. Results and conclusions: We found that playing the game enhanced pre‐readers' L‐SS knowledge, but not reading accuracy, after a short, intensive intervention period of 3 weeks. However, children who played the motoric version of the game did not differ significantly from either the standard or the control condition. Implications: This game was efficient in training L‐SS correspondences in pre‐readers. These results suggest that this game might be useful as a preventive evidence‐based intervention for at‐risk children in kindergarten who might benefit from a head start before learning how to read. Future studies are needed to examine whether a longer intervention period results in L‐SS knowledge being translated into reading skills. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Automatised and fluent reading requires much exposure and practice, but intensive teacher support for all at‐risk readers is economically and practically unfeasibleHandwriting movement likely to enhance coupling of auditory and visual informationOne way to provide high exposure is with game‐based interventionsLack of studies examining the efficacy of these interventions What this paper adds: Serious game enhances letter‐speech sound knowledge in pre‐readers after 3 weeks of intensive interventionThis effect did not transfer to reading performanceNo additional effect of the handwriting movement, possibly due to the short intervention periodIn‐game measures slightly mediated intervention progress Implications for practice and/or policy: Growing evidence of game‐based interventions as promising tools to support reading developmentGame can possibly serve as evidence‐based intervention for at‐risk children in kindergarten who might benefit from a head start before learning how to read [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality (VR) can promote design performance, and may generate a high cognitive load and affect creative design thinking as well. In order to examine the effect of VR application on cognitive load and engineering design creativity, this study recruited 81 eighth‐grade students as participants and employed a non‐equivalent‐groups quasi‐experimental design to examine how VR application influences creativity components and creative performance. A creativity component scale (creative motivation, creative thinking, and professional cognition), a measurement of creative performance, and a cognitive load scale were used to collect data. The study also investigated the ability of VR application to predict creativity components and creative performance, using cognitive load as the mediator. The conclusions are as follows: (1) VR application had marked effects on professional cognition and creative motivation but no effect on creative thinking skills. (2) VR application had marked effects on the novelty and usefulness aspects of creative performance, particularly with respect to usefulness. (3) VR application had marked effects on extraneous and germane cognitive load, but no influence on intrinsic cognitive load, and (4) Both VR application and cognitive load were able to predict creativity components and creative performance. Their abilities to predict creative performance approached an acceptable level. Nevertheless, VR application had no effect on general creative thinking skills; therefore, other teaching strategies are needed to strengthen creative thinking. Lay Description: What is already known about this topicVirtual reality (VR) can transmit complex knowledge.Virtual reality (VR) can promote design performance.What this paper addsInfluence of VR application on creativity components and creative performance.Ability of VR application and cognitive load to predict creativity components.Ability of VR application and cognitive load to predict creative performance.Implications for practice and/or policyUsing VR teaching to improve learning effects and creativity in high‐risk, expensive, and inaccessible learning fields.Using VR teaching to practice repeatedly, and facilitate basic understanding of the application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responsive feeding serves as an important protective factor for infant growth and overall health development. This study based on self‐determination theory (SDT) aimed to assess the effects of a responsive breastfeeding (RBF) intervention programme on maternal breastfeeding and infant growth and development. A total of 110 mother–infant pairs were recruited and randomly divided into an intervention group (n = 55) and a control group (n = 55). The primary outcomes were breastfeeding motivation score, breastfeeding self‐efficacy (BSE) and exclusive breastfeeding rate; the secondary outcomes were infant physical development at 6 weeks and 3 months. A repeated measures ANOVA indicated that the intervention group had significantly higher Enjoyment scores compared to the control group at three time points: at discharge (MD: 5.28; 95% CI: 3.68 to 6.89; p < 0.001), 6 weeks post‐partum (MD: 5.06; 95% CI: 3.80 to 6.31; p < 0.001) and 3 months post‐partum (MD: 5.24; 95% CI: 4.12 to 6.35; p < 0.001). Similarly, the intervention group reported significantly higher connection and mother's self‐perception scores at discharge (MD: 4.31; 95% CI: 3.07 to 5.56; p < 0.001), 6 weeks post‐partum (MD: 4.69; 95% CI: 3.71 to 5.68; p < 0.001) and 3 months post‐partum (MD: 4.93; 95% CI: 4.14 to 5.72; p < 0.001), compared to the control group. In contrast, the pressure from significant others scores were higher in the control group relative to the intervention group at discharge (MD: −2.09; 95% CI: −2.88 to −1.31; p < 0.001), 6 weeks post‐partum (MD: −4.35; 95% CI: −5.20 to −3.49; p < 0.001) and 3 months (MD: −4.89; 95% CI: −5.70 to −4.08; p < 0.001). Finally, the intervention group also reported higher Instrumental Needs scores at all three time points: at discharge (MD: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.35 to 2.58; p < 0.001), 6 weeks post‐partum (MD: 3.58; 95% CI: 3.05 to 4.11; p < 0.001) and 3 months post‐partum (MD: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.68 to 1.69; p < 0.001). BSE scores were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group at discharge (MD: 14.29; 95% CI: 10.38 to 18.21; p < 0.001), 6 weeks post‐partum (MD: 14.04; 95% CI: 11.05 to 17.02; p < 0.001) and 3 months post‐partum (MD: 6.80; 95% CI: 4.66 to 8.94; p < 0.001). The rates of exclusive breastfeeding were higher in the intervention group than in the control group at each stage of the intervention (p < 0.01). At 6 weeks post‐partum, the intervention group's infants showed slower weight (t = −0.90, p = 0.371) and length (t = −0.69, p = 0.495) growth compared to the control group, though not significantly. By 3 months post‐partum, there was a significant difference in both weight (t = −3.46, p = 0.001) and length (t = −2.95, p = 0.004) between the groups. The findings in this study suggest that the RBF intervention programme based on SDT may be effective in improving mothers' motivation to breastfeed, building breastfeeding self‐confidence and increasing the rate of exclusive breastfeeding. The effects of the intervention on infant physical development will need to be verified with longer follow‐up in future research. Key messages: This study validated the application of responsive breastfeeding (RBF) intervention during the exclusive breastfeeding phase of Chinese infants.The RBF intervention may help to increase mothers' level of autonomous motivation for breastfeeding, enhance breastfeeding self‐efficacy and increase exclusive breastfeedingrates. The intervention had no significant effect on the weight and length of 6 week old infants but significantly impacted 3monthold infants, with slower growth observed in the intervention group compared to the control group.Future intervention programmes shouldinclude extended follow‐up periods to investigate the long‐term effects of RBF on infant growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]