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Inspired by the positive impact of serious games on science understanding and motivated by personal interests in scientific outreach, we developed "Bacttle," an easy-to-play microbiology board game with adaptive difficulty, targeting any player from 7 years old onward. Bacttle addresses both the lay public and teachers for use in classrooms as a way of introducing microbiology concepts. The layout of the game and its mechanism are the result of multiple rounds of trial, feedback, and re-design. The final version consists of a deck of cards, a 3D-printed board, and tokens (with a paper-based alternative), with all digital content open source. Players in Bacttle take on the character of a bacterial species. The aim for each species is to proliferate under the environmental conditions of the board and the interactions with the board and with other players, which vary as the play evolves. Players start with a given number of lives that will increase or decrease based on the traits they play for different environmental scenarios. Such bacterial traits come in the form of cards that can be deployed strategically. To assess the impact of the game on microbiological knowledge, we scored differences in the understanding of general concepts before and after playing the game. We assessed a total of 169 visitors at two different university open-day science fairs. Players were asked to fill out a brief survey before and after the game with questions targeting conceptual advances. Results show that Bacttle increases general microbiology knowledge on players as young as 5 years old and with the highest impact on those who have no "a priori" microbiology comprehension.

Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood neurodevelopment disorder, and severe digital game use has recently shown significant promise in this psychotherapeutic area. Digital serious games have also been used as an innovative teaching and learning approach. This study aimed to explore middle school teachers' perceptions of the use of digital severe games for students with ADHD. The conceptual framework for this study was Sherry's model of game engagement. The two research questions for this basic qualitative study focused on middle school teacher perceptions regarding the benefits and challenges related to the use of digital serious games for students with ADHD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten middle school teachers from southern U.S. school districts who had used digital serious games for at least one academic school year. Data analysis using emergent codes showed that middle school teachers reported that the social aspect of digital serious games encouraged teamwork and camaraderie while also emotionally building student confidence. Challenges included students being distracted by their peers, anxiety, frustration caused by not understanding the game concepts, and time constraints that influence a student's performance within a game. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing teachers and administrators with the knowledge and leverage they need to understand the benefits and challenges of using serious games when teaching students with ADHD, thereby improving student success through teacher support and professional development.

Researchers and educators have been exploring innovative methods in entrepreneurship education to address traditional approach failure at engaging students and developing their skills. Educational technology has shown promising results in early studies. Yet, there is a scarcity of reviews on their effectiveness in developing entrepreneurial competencies. This paper systematically reviews the empirical literature on the outcomes of educational technology used to teach entrepreneurship at higher education institutions. From an initial 316 search hits, 26 articles were selected for in-depth review. The learning outcomes were translated into entrepreneurial competencies, using the EntreComp Framework as a reference. Findings show that educational technologies, in general, positively impacted entrepreneurial competencies, especially financial and economic literacy, motivation and perseverance, and initiative taking. Gaming and simulations were the most researched, having an overall positive influence, while online learning and MOOCs showed limited and sometimes contradictory effects. The study fills the scholarly gap by connecting educational technology, entrepreneurship education, and entrepreneurial competencies. It provides a basic mapping linking each educational technology to the competencies it develops and advocates for a competency-based pedagogy in the delivery and assessment of entrepreneurship education. Educators can apply the findings and the mapping developed in this study to design and deliver entrepreneurship courses, incorporating educational technologies more insightfully and effectively in their pedagogies.

The background of this research is the need for teacher innovation in developing digital-based learning media in Indonesian language learning. The research method used is research and development (R&D) with the analysis, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (ADDIE) model, which consists of five research stages: analysis, planning, development, implementation, and evaluation. Data collection techniques are questionnaires, in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation that present the results regarding innovation, features, applications, and the impact of using the "benkangen" game in learning Indonesian in elementary school. The subjects of this study were 25 teachers from 25 elementary schools, and 66 students from 10 elementary schools in Magelang district and Magelang city. The results showed innovation in the development of game applications based on Magelang local wisdom with game features in the form of puzzles of Magelang culture and local wisdom, Indonesian language learning materials packaged in the form of questions accompanied by the number of points in each answer, and audio that reflects local wisdom in Central Java. The novelty of this research is the development of the "benkangen" game based on Magelang local wisdom, which still needs to be developed by teachers in Indonesia. Future research needs to explore the innovation of Indonesian language learning games through the latest software.

This systematic literature review (SLR) aimed to investigate the potential of digital online game-based learning (DOGBL) to enhance motivation in English as a foreign language (EFL). Online gaming has grown in popularity among students, opening up the possibility of using games as powerful instructional resources. Academic achievement depends on motivation, and this study, led by self-determination theory (SDT), explored how external rules, like rewards and recognition, could increase motivation in EFL utilizing DOGBL. The study used the SLR method, examining databases and choosing articles based on predetermined criteria. The chosen publications were examined in-depth, and a preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) diagram was employed for analysis. For results, DOGBL could enhance teaching EFL by providing flexible and interesting learning environments. Key elements in motivating in DOGBL included game design, personalization, social engagement, curricular integration, and instructor assistance. As a promising method to improve EFL instruction, game-based learning, especially DOGBL, saw considerable developments between 2018 and 2023. Thus, these groundbreaking techniques transformed the way people learn English vocabulary and provided a fun and engaging way to learn the language. For educators and students, the potential for DOGBL to change EFL education is still exciting as technology develops.

Coding tools that use blocks to create programs are popular among kids and play a key role in learning how to code. The effectiveness of the coding courses that are available nowadays depends on how well the tools match the students' needs. The aim of this study is to reveal the impact of digital game design-supported coding education with Scratch on gifted students' Scratch academic achievement and self-efficacy. The research was conducted with a one-group pre-test and post-test experimental design. The sample of the study consists of 40 gifted 3rd grade students studying at a Science and Art Center in Türkiye. The Scratch achievement test and the Scratch self-efficacy scale were used as pre- and post-tests before and after the training. The data from the study were analyzed with a dependent group t-test. The post-test scores of the students obtained from the Scratch achievement and self-efficacy scale showed statistically significant increases compared to the pre-test scores. It was revealed that digital game design-supported education contributed positively to students' scratch achievement and self-efficacy in coding.

Game-based learning has attracted great interest in science education as an effective way to increase student achievement. Most studies in this field have focused on digital or non-digital games. In the literature, some studies generally compare educational games with traditional teaching methods. More studies need to be conducted to compare the effects of digital and non-digital games on achievement. For this reason, the study's primary purpose is to examine the impact of different types of games, namely educational and digital games, and their combinations on students' academic achievement and views on the learning process. In this context, the researcher used three different methods to be applied to three experimental groups and one control group. The research was carried out on 77 5th-grade students studying in a public school in Turkey. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in the quasi-experimental design. Data were obtained through the 'Human and Environment Unit Achievement Test' and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that students in the educational and digital games sections were significantly better at science achievement than students in the textbook-oriented section. No significant difference was found between the digital game-based and educational game-based students in terms of achievement. The academic achievement of the group in which these two game types were used together was higher than the others. In addition, most students were satisfied with the using educational and digital games in science lessons and found the games fun and motivating.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the activities that children engage in with technology. In this direction, preschool children's ownership of technological devices, which devices they own and what they do with these devices were examined. This study was designed as qualitative research. The study group consisted of 34 preschool children studying during the 2023-2024 academic year. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of the study revealed that most of the children have a device at home and these devices are mostly tablets, and by smartphones. It was determined that almost all the children played digital games and the games varied. It was seen that all the children participating in the study watched cartoons, and most children watched YouTube. It was concluded that many of the children participating in the study did not watch TikTok. A thorough examination of the content they watched revealed the coexistence of appropriate and inappropriate materials. Therefore, informing parents about parental lock and similar applications that can be installed on devices, and preparing guides, books, seminars, etc. on the use of technology for parents were suggested.

This quantitative-correlational study aimed to examine the relationship between online game addiction and mental well-being of high school students from Angeles City, in the Philippines, during the COVID-19 pandemic. To obtain data from the respondents, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale--Short-Form and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were utilised. After obtaining data from purposively selected 162 high-school students, it was observed that there was a positive and significant relationship between online game addiction and mental well-being. The study highlighted that individuals who are highly dependent on online games are more likely to experience higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Based on the findings, implications for theory and practice, particularly in learning and development, are presented, along with recommendations for schools, teachers, students, and future research directions.

This research sets out to examine digital games containing sexuality and sympathetic violence. The study group of the research consists of 5 digital games; 3 digital games with sexuality and 2 digital games with sympathetic violence. A checklist developed by the researcher is used as a data collection tool in the study. The research has been carried out with the document review method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, and the digital games that constitute the study group of the research have been analyzed with the content analysis technique. As a result of the research, it has been determined that the digital games involving sexuality include explicit body lines, touching (sexually), flirting, kissing (sexually), hugging (sexually), wrong attitude (Begrudge, get angry, cry, sorrow, ridicule), body care (like adult) not suitable for their age and wearing clothes that are not suitable for their age. Punching, shooting, killing-dying, grappling-fighting, destroying-breaking-smashing-damaging, chasing-scaring, crashing, locking -- imprisoning, hurt-pain have been determined in digital games containing sympathetic violence. Various recommendations have been presented in line with the results of the research. Being aware of the great danger in digital games and taking the necessary precautions will positively support children's development and guide families and educators.

The present study investigated the effects of gamified grammar and vocabulary learning using Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Quizlet on learning performance, motivation, enjoyment, anxiety, and classroom dynamics and engagement in an English course. The investigation also involved the effects of gamified learning on gender, proficiency, and learning outcomes. Gamified learning was implemented for eight weeks, consisting of Cycle 1 (grammar) and Cycle 2 (vocabulary). Data were collected using survey questionnaires, grammar and vocabulary tests, and English proficiency tests. The results indicated high positive effects on the five survey constructs and significant increases were noted for learning motivation and classroom dynamics and engagement while reducing learning anxiety. The effects remained constant for female and male students, yet high-level students would likely enjoy and be engaged more in gamified learning than low-level students. Despite these highly perceived effects, they were not significant predictors of students' grammar learning outcomes. Only the degrees of students' learning enjoyment and anxiety can help estimate students' achievement in vocabulary learning.

This research explores the development, execution, and student feedback on a multi-themed digital escape room (ER) activity, designed for teaching medicinal chemistry during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aimed to examine students' perceptions of the ER activity, focusing on its effectiveness in enriching students' understanding of medicinal chemistry and increasing their engagement level. Implemented in a synchronous online lecture for third-year pharmacy students, this ER activity was designed with the intention of fostering active learning and teamwork. A total of 184 students participated in various medicinal chemistry-themed challenges, using puzzles on a virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms for team discussions. The findings gathered from the post-implementation survey highlight the impactful learning outcomes associated with a replicable ER activity designed for online medicinal chemistry courses. This innovative teaching strategy not only cultivated a deeper understanding of key medicinal topics among students (mean=4.36) but also enhanced their collaborative skills through increased peer interaction (mean=3.73). They also reported higher level of engagement due to the interesting activities (mean=4.53). The quantitative results were affirmed by the qualitative feedback obtained from the open-ended questions, indicating a consistently positive learning experience and student reception towards the ER implementation. Although they encountered obstacles like stress, internet issues, and unfamiliarity with the ER format, more than 70% of the students agreed that the ER activity was a highly effective learning tool. This digital ER activity also demonstrates promise as an educational tool to encourage active learning and enhance students' motivation in learning medicinal chemistry. The study has showcased the potential benefits of integrating digital ERs into traditional teaching methods, especially for catering to the preferences of Generation Z students in a collaborative learning environment. In addition, the research offers valuable insights into the use of ERs in pharmacy education, contributing to the scarce literature on ER applications in medicinal chemistry and opening avenues for further research on ER-based educational strategies.

The main purpose of the research is to determine teachers' views on the use of digital games in science education. In accordance with this purpose, the research was carried out with the phenomenology method which one of the qualitative research methods, was conducted with eight volunteer science teachers working in different public schools within the 2022-2023 academic year. The participants of the study were selected via the criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods. A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool in the research. The data collected taking this interview form into consideration was analyzed using the content analysis method. Through the interviews was concluded that digital games are a tool that helps students focus on their attention and learn permanently. Besides, teachers stated that digital games measure science achievements at the sub-cognitive level (knowledge and comprehension) of Bloom's taxonomy. Based on this, digital games ought to be designed to measure the meta-cognitive level of Bloom's taxonomy.

The purpose of this study was to implement the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach employing online games for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning. The participants were 53 EFL Ecuadorian university students, 17 males and 36 females, who were enrolled in an English Major and a TEFL Master program. Their proficiency level corresponded to B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference. The study followed a mixed-method approach, which involved the administration of a diagnostic survey, an online perceptions questionnaire, an interview, and an observation checklist. Games designed in Quizizz, Kahoot, Genially, and Socrative were implemented for 8 weeks so that the participants could access them to practice the content of each lesson. The findings revealed that the CLIL approach through games improves language learning and communication. Moreover, they foster students' confidence, knowledge retention, and comprehension of the subject matter, enhancing reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking, and cultural awareness.

The pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives including education and that has caused the Government to provide alternative teaching methods and make recommendations for online learning. Since smartphones and laptops using the internet are the only tools for learning, students are increasingly playing online games and being exposed to English vocabulary. This research aimed at identifying and analyzing whether students' participation in online games and vocabulary mastery simultaneously correlate with their learning motivation. This research is a quantitative research with a correlation design. The research was conducted at SMPN I Koba, Central Bangka, Bangka Belitung, with 93 students as respondents. The data collection technique used a questionnaire with a Likert scale on the online games questionnaire and learning motivation and the Guttman scale on the vocabulary mastery questionnaire. The prerequisite test uses the normality test, homogeneity test, and linearity test. Analysis using correlation analysis of r-Product moment and multiple regression analysis. The research results have shown that there is a correlation between students' participation in online games and vocabulary mastery simultaneously with learning motivation.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of gender, the number of siblings, and grade level on digital game playing motivation and addiction levels in secondary school students and to reveal the relationship between digital game motivation and addiction. A total of 394 students, 168 boys and 226 girls, participated in the study voluntarily. Personal Information Form, Digital Game Playing Motivation Scale, and Digital Play Addiction Scale for Children were used as data collection tools. Digital game playing situation (yes/no) was associated with gender and number of siblings (p<0.05) but not with grade level (p>0.05). The motivation and addiction levels for playing digital games are related to gender and grade level (p<0.05) but not to the number of siblings (p>0.05). There is a positive relationship between motivation and addiction to playing digital games (p<0.05). In light of these findings, more effort should be made to prevent digital addiction in males according to gender and in 8th graders according to grade level.

With the advent of online gaming becoming such an inherent part of popular culture, the issue of toxicity, particularly in online competitive games, has never been more relevant. In the /all chat, however, where communication between players of opposing teams is expected to be hostile, there have been debates in community forums about whether that type of communication constitutes as toxicity or another form of aggressive discourse, trash-talking. Because both concepts have never been reconciled together in past studies, this study attempts to develop a preliminary framework using categories and definitions from prior studies of each discourse, for the purpose of analyzing instances of toxicity and trash-talking in the /all chat. Thus, a total of 26 /all chat logs from the Southeast Asian server of the online competitive game "Dota 2" were procured. Using content analysis, the /all chat logs were then coded for toxic and trash-talking instances to determine how they are manifested among players in the /all chat with key reference to context. It was found that toxic instances occurred rarely in the /all chat and were mostly derived from in-fighting between players of the same team. Trash-talking particularly dominated the /all chat and though the talk appears unpleasant, it is representative of an aggressive discourse with competitive stakes. Finally, new types and categories were also found and documented for each discourse, further contributing to the existing literature of both toxicity and trash-talking.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of digital gamification-based instruction on the attitudes towards mathematics and anxiety of seventh-grade gifted students in the "Equation and Equation" unit. In this study, pretest-posttest unbalanced group experimental design was used. The study was conducted in the 2022-2023 academic year with a total of 30 seventh-grade gifted students, 15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. During the study, the control group received a mathematics lesson based on traditional teaching and the experimental group received a mathematics lesson supported by digital gamification. In addition, the participants in the experimental group were asked to keep a diary throughout the implementation process to reflect their thoughts about digital gamification-based instruction. In the study, it was concluded that digital gamification-based instruction positively affected the attitudes of gifted students toward mathematics. It was observed that the anxiety levels of the students decreased after the application, but there was no statistically significant difference. In the study, students stated that mathematics lessons based on digital gamification were fun and their prejudices about the subject were broken.

The development of digital technology in leaps and bounds has resulted in offering different learning options and alternatives in physical education. In this regard, technology techniques, like gamification, have been utilized in several areas of education, leading to the identification of its several usage benefits. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies concerning how gamification would enhance students' skills in physical education. Therefore, this study systematically reviews gamification in the physical education literature from 2015 to 2022, focusing on 27 indexed papers published in international databases. Based on the results, most studies had positive findings on gamification effectiveness in physical education samples. Besides, based on the findings, gamification studies primarily focused on how physical skills can be enhanced among physical education students. The findings contribute to the way technology enhances students' skills in physical education. To this end, more studies are required to mitigate the remaining gaps in gamification literature.

Climate change and its effects are impacting our world more and more with each passing day. For this reason, we must ensure that our children, as the society of the future, grow up as individuals with high environmental awareness, being aware of climate change and its effects. The aim of this study is to inform students about the subject of climate change and to educate them as individuals with climate change literacy. In this context, a digital game about climate change and its effects was developed for primary school students. A qualitative research method and techniques were adapted in this research. Interview, observation, and document analysis techniques were used to ensure variety in data acquisition in the research. The study was conducted in the 2022 spring semester during the science courses. It was conducted at an urban primary school in Ankara. 22 fourth grade students were participated as control group and 23 fourth grade students were participated as treatment group in the study. It was determined that the students enjoyed this game, called Stop Climate Change; they had fun and simultaneously learned about concepts related to climate change.

The "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education" posits that the practice of asking questions in order to deepen inquiry and understanding is a key element of information literacy. While the "Research as Inquiry" frame is teachable in library instruction, it can be difficult to scale. Popular instructional design software tends to present information in linear formats that can limit how students understand the iterative nature of research. This article presents an attempt at an asynchronous tutorial that overcomes this limitation of medium and that presents "Research as Inquiry" through an iterative and question-based online game. We discuss the development, implementation, and assessment of the tutorial, as well as issues of sustainability and scale.

In contemporary education, game-based learning (GBL) has become a captivating instructional method applied across various academic subjects, including mathematics. The utilization of online GBL in mathematics education constitutes a segment of the activities that mathematics educators can employ during their lessons to teach students and enhance their educational progress. The primary goal of this study was to examine recent research endeavors involving the use of online GBL in mathematics education for Generation Z cohort. To achieve this objective, a systematic review (SR) was carried out to investigate the types of online games employed, analyze previous research methodologies, and explore the educational contexts relevant to mathematics education that align with the needs of Generation Z. An SR process was conducted to gather relevant articles from three databases, namely Science Direct, Scopus, and Springer. Full-text articles were meticulously assessed based on predetermined eligibility criteria. The review revealed many online games suitable for mathematics education, including Augmented Reality, Digital Inquiry Game, E-Rebuild, Math-Island Game, NanoRoboMath, Quizizz, and Wuzzit Trouble. The incorporation of online games in mathematics education offers numerous advantages.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major disruption to higher education as face-to-face teaching had to shift to distance teaching overnight. In this paper, we describe the adaptation of an operations management undergraduate core module, taught to first-year students, from face-to-face delivery to emergency online delivery. In our online version, we used a mix of traditional and flipped classroom techniques. We adopted a "live" online lecture, where students were encouraged to interact with their instructors and ask questions, and flipped live online tutorials, where students and instructors discussed case studies. In addition, we used a web-based simulation game as a learning and assessment tool. After the simulation game was complete, we assessed our students using a reflective group presentation regarding the decisions they made throughout the game. Based on student feedback, the curriculum design and the module adaptations that we adopted for its emergency online delivery can be considered successful. In particular, students were satisfied with the module quality and structure. Following our experience from adapting our face-to-face module for emergency online delivery, we provide a framework for switching to emergency online teaching along with some useful insights and recommendations to operations management educators.

This study explored the influence of the dynamic assessment of human--computer interactive games on children's language potential. Thirty-seven special children aged 3--7 years were selected to participate in the study. They were divided into three groups according to their scores on the Autism Behaviour Checklist: (1) a non-autism group, (2) a suspected autism group and (3) an autism group. In two stages of static and dynamic assessment, all three groups of children completed language tests under the conditions of no mediated prompt and mediated prompts, and the data generated in the game interactions were processed and analysed. The findings suggest the following: (1) static assessment may ignore children's language potential, while dynamic assessment can measure and differentiate children's potential language development ability; (2) children with ASD need more mediation prompts and are more likely to complete tasks with explicit mediation prompts; (3) children with ASD have weaker language potential, and children with suspected ASD or non-ASD children have homogeneous language potential; and (4) assessors should pay timely attention to and maintain children's learning status and psychological changes. This study demonstrates the importance of human--computer interactive games as a dynamic assessment tool to tap into children's language potential and to determine their proximal developmental zone, which has important implications for teachers in understanding groups with different language abilities.

Alphabet training of primary school students is an essential, but challenging activity. Alphabet knowledge is an important fundamental literacy skill which has been found to directly impact the future academic success of students. Game-based learning and the use of multimodal engagement activities have been found to be effective intervention strategies in successful alphabet training programmes. In this study, a Kinect based digital Catcher Game was developed for English alphabet training of primary school students. For a duration of 4 weeks, a control group (CG) consisting of 41 Class-III students received traditional classroom training for 60 min each day. During the same period, an intervention group (IG) consisting of 45 Class-III students was trained for 30 min in the traditional class and using a Catcher Game session for another 30 min. The alphabet knowledge performances of the two groups were compared before and after the game-based training intervention. During the pre-test, no statistically significant differences were observed in the alphabet knowledge performance of the CG and IG. In the post-intervention evaluation, the IG students were found to perform significantly better in the test than the CG. During their post-intervention feedback, most of the IG students and teachers talked favorably about the use of Catcher Game intervention and attributed the significant improvement in IG performance to this intervention. Post-intervention, the teachers also reported a significant improvement in the motivation and engagement among the IG students during regular classroom sessions.

Smoking poses a significant threat to adolescent health because of its immediate and long-term detrimental health effects. Smoking refusal self-efficacy predicts smoking behavior in adolescence. In adolescents' health education, digital interventions are potential tools to support smoking refusal self-efficacy. The aim of this two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital health game intervention compared with a no-intervention control group on smoking refusal self-efficacy in 10- to 13-year-old Finnish early adolescents. The early adolescents (n = 781) were randomized to the control group (n = 394) and the health game intervention group (n = 387). Smoking refusal self-efficacy, sources of smoking and snus refusal self-efficacy, and motivation to decline smoking and snus use in the future were measured at baseline, 2-week postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using linear mixed model and Wilcoxon rank-based test for clustered data. According to the results, the intervention group made improvements in sources of smoking and snus refusal self-efficacy between baseline and postintervention, and in sources of snus refusal self-efficacy between baseline and follow-up, compared with the control group. The intervention group showed improvements in smoking refusal self-efficacy among 12-year-olds between baseline and follow-up, and postintervention and follow-up compared with the control group. Similar improvements were also found among those with a smoking friend or a smoking parent between postintervention and follow-up. The results were promising for the use of digital health game interventions to promote early adolescent smoking refusal self-efficacy and preventing smoking experimentation. Further research can evaluate the long-term effects for adolescents.

Prior studies have shown the efficacy of computer-based cognitive training programs in improving cognitive and academic functions in children diagnosed with a specific learning disorder (SLD). However, these studies often focused on center-based approaches without considering the involvement of parents or the inclusion of home-based tasks in evaluating their effectiveness, which needs to be addressed. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a mixed cognitive training program in children with SLD. The program consisted of computer-based games combined with home-based activities involving parental participation. In this pilot study, a single-subject research design with an A-B-A analysis was employed to assess the effects of a mixed cognitive intervention program. Six children (aged 10-13 years) with SLD participated in ten intervention sessions and underwent six pre- and post-evaluation sessions over a six-eight-week period. Parent interviews conducted before and after the training program provided insights into parents' perceptions of these cognitive activities and their access, knowledge, and utilization of these types of digital devices. The utilization of computer-based interventions, followed by home-based tasks, demonstrated effectiveness in improving cognitive and academic functions, fostering parental involvement, and enhancing the overall effectiveness of the program. After the intervention, all participants exhibited improvements in their cognitive and academic skills, the results indicated significant improvements in executive functions, including working memory, processing speed, attention, and academic functions, as assessed in the pre- and post-evaluation. While the parents' views regarding the effectiveness of the cognitive programs became more favorable. The utilization of computer-based interventions integrated with home-based tasks proved highly effective in enhancing cognitive and academic functions and promoting parental engagement and overall program efficacy. The participants displayed noticeable advancements in cognitive and academic skills, with parents' perceptions of the program's effectiveness improving. Furthermore, the study revealed significant enhancements in executive functions, such as working memory, processing speed, attention, and academic performance, as evidenced by pre-post evaluations. This comprehensive approach underscores the potential of a mixed intervention approach in both centers (clinics and families) to holistically enhance cognitive development and academic performance in children.

The problem of propagating disinformation (a.k.a. "fake news") on social media has increased significantly in the last few years. There are several initiatives around the world to combat this serious problem. Maybe the most promising ones involve training people to identify "fake news." The use of digital educational games (DEG) to implement such initiatives has presented significant results. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, most of the existing DEG applied to this purpose are designed for English-written News articles, leaving an important gap for news written in other languages, such as Portuguese, for example. Faced with this scenario, this article presents JEDi, a DEG that trains students to identify "fake news" written in Portuguese. JEDi is a version of the known "Trail Game" where the players must traverse the board by correctly distinguishing real from false news. We raise the hypothesis that as the students play JEDi, they develop the ability to recognize disinformation. It is also important to highlight that JEDi collects detailed data from every match in order to provide longitudinal analyses of each player's performance. This paper reports the application of JEDi in three case studies. While the first study involved 43 students from high school, the second and the third were developed with 29 undergraduate and 33 graduate students, respectively. Quantitative and qualitative results obtained in the three studies point to JEDi's effectiveness as a "fake news" detection training instrument. Mining techniques such as association rule mining were employed in data analysis and revealed frequent information that occurred simultaneously in JEDi's database (e.g. some mined association rules showed that even students who considered themselves experts in identifying "fake news" could improve their skills by playing successive rounds of the game).

Previous research showed that the parents acknowledged the technology's benefits for their young children's learning, however, they are still worried about the extended screen time, lack of physical activity and lack of social interactions. To address these concerns, we developed Kid Space to enable pedagogically appropriate technology use for children in early childhood education by combining various sensing technologies with a multi-modal conversational artificial intelligence system that can interact with children, understand individual progress and provide personalised learning experiences. To understand the impact of Kid Space on the parents' initial concerns about technology use by their young children, we conducted a multi-method user study: (1) a quasi-experimental design and (2) formative research method using an exploratory case study with a set of children and their parents experiencing Kid Space in their homes. The results show that after experiencing Kid Space with their children, the parents felt significantly less concerned about screen time, social interactions and physical activity and reported positive perceptions towards pedagogical value of Kid Space. Detailed analysis on the multi-modal data quantitatively and qualitatively validated why Kid Space alleviated these concerns. Future research is needed to validate long-term educational value of Kid Space and generate insights for improvement for next iterations.

The growing importance of researching online activities, such as cyber-deviance and cyber-crime, as well as the use of online tools (e.g. questionnaires, games, and other interactive tools) has created new ethical and legal challenges for researchers, which can be even more complicated when researching adolescents. In this article, we highlight the risks emerging from the current European legal and ethical landscape when researching potentially vulnerable groups, with a special focus on online research. It is not always clear how to differentiate research ethics consent from consent for data processing activities: when can an adolescent independently consent to research, or when is parental consent needed? Additional problems emerge when parents do not consent to research activities, but their adolescent children do. A serious ethical challenge can arise when the parents do not communicate with researchers, but the adolescent wishes to participate, especially when weak parental oversight is coupled with research on sensitive topics. We offer some guidance on what to keep in mind when conducting online research with adolescents and highlight possible ways that these issues can be dealt with in pan-European projects.

Black and Latinx adolescents in urban schools can derive numerous benefits from tailored career and health education. However, many factors may prevent schools and teachers from offering such programing. To address the need for career and health education, we prototyped Caduceus Quest, a theory-based, digital role-playing game designed to provide information on health and biomedical science careers and sexual health (specifically HIV) for Black and Latinx adolescents. Forty high-school-aged adolescents participated in small group sessions to playtest the prototype. Post-intervention, adolescents reported increased interest in health and biomedical science careers, as well as HIV knowledge and PrEP awareness.

Nowadays, the role of factors such as the virtual world, social networks, and online games and their impacts on learners` lives under no circumstances cannot be overlooked and are starting to show their usefulness in second/foreign language learning and testing through creative methods of teaching, learning, and testing (Qiao et al., 2022). Today's learners who have been grown up via Internet facilities almost never experienced a globe without the internet, Children between the ages of five and eight are most likely to learn how to use computers (Dede, 2005; Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). The use of digital gaming in conjunction with instructional material may aid language learners in comprehending linguistic information. Clandestine assessment games have been found to be excellent learning aids in which learning activities are inserted covertly, enable deep understanding, and results can be measured based on the intended skill without the students being aware of it. In the English classrooms of the Safir language institution, this qualitative case study investigated an instructor`s perspectives to determine to what extent teaching and learning are affected by such assessment games. This study uncovered trends in how and why Iranian EFL learners' linguistic knowledge growth might be guided and supported by covert assessment games.

The aim of the study is to reveal the teachers' view about 8th grade English Course book and educational programme about vocabulary teaching. The study is valuable for examining 8th grade English teaching programme and course book in terms of vocabulary teaching and revealing the current situation in the programme and the course book. Vocabulary is the first step of language teaching. For that reason, teachers' presenting opinions to reveal problems or deficiencies as appliers of the programme and course book will contribute literature. Moreover, data about vocabulary teaching which affects communicative skills directly and is a main object of language teaching will be revealed. The research was carried out by the case study research design, one of the qualitative research methods. The research group isn't identified, all secondary schools in city-centre of Odunpazari-Eskisehir, were informed. 15 teachers from 11 different schools volunteered to take part in the study. Interview as a tool for collection of qualitative data was used for the study and the interview protocols presented to experts and the questions was revised according to their ideas. The collected data was examined by the descriptive analysis techniques, one of the qualitative analysis techniques. The categories and codes were formed after analysis. According to the results of the study, the teachers found the vocabulary as a key concept of language. The evaluation of the teachers shows that the book activities in vocabulary teaching are not sufficient. Vocabulary affects all four basic language skills; reading, writing, speaking, listening. When views about the learning outcomes in 8th grade English Language Teaching Programme examined, the outcomes are higher than level of students. Because of that High School Entrance Exam is applied at the end of 8th grade, communicational purpose of the program is neglected. The programme contents are not cohesive and progressive with the previous grades. While teaching 8th grade vocabulary contents, the teachers preferred the educational and digital games more than other teaching techniques and methods. As a result of the study, these suggestions are made: the teaching contents in course book should be increased, the learning outcomes in educational programme should be appropriate for the student's level and progressive. The contents should be spreaded the previous grades and the course book should be supported by the digital tools.

This cross-sectional observational study sought to examine the environmental correlates of physical activity and screen-time among youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents of youth with ASD (n = 1,165) from seven countries/regions provided responses to an online survey form measuring environmental correlates (i.e., physical activity neighborhood environment, social network, social trust and cohesion, bedroom media, social home environment) and outcomes (i.e., physical activity, screen-time). Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine environmental predictors of the outcomes. Physical activity neighborhood environment (B = 0.15, p = 0.047), social network (B = 0.16, p = 0.02), and social home environment (B = 1.07, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with physical activity, whereas social trust and cohesion and bedroom media were not. Further, social trust and cohesion (B = -0.14, p = 0.001), bedroom media (B = 0.10, p = 0.001), and social home environment (B = -0.16, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with screen-time while neighborhood environment and social network were not. The identified environmental attributes of physical activity and screen-time behaviors should be targeted for health promotion among youth with ASD.

Information sampling about others' trustworthiness prior to cooperation allows humans to minimize the risk of exploitation. Here, we examined whether early adolescence or preadolescence, a stage defined as in between childhood and adolescence, is a significant developmental period for strategic social decisions. We also sought to characterize differences between autistic children and their typically developing (TD) peers. TD (N = 48) and autistic (N = 56) 8- to 12-year-olds played an online information sampling trust game. While both groups adapted their information sampling and cooperation to the various trustworthiness levels of the trustees, groups differed in how age and social skills modulated task behavior. In the TD group social skills were a stronger overall predictor of task behavior. In the autistic group, age was a stronger predictor and interacted with social skills. Computational modeling revealed that both groups used the same heuristic information sampling strategy--albeit older TD children were more efficient as reflected by decreasing decision noise with age. Autistic children had lower prior beliefs about the trustee's trustworthiness compared to TD children. These lower priors indicate that children believed the trustees to be less trustworthy. Lower priors scaled with lower social skills across groups. Notably, groups did not differ in prior uncertainty, meaning that the priors of TD and autistic children were equally strong. Taken together, we found significant development in information sampling and cooperation in early adolescence and nuanced differences between TD and autistic children. Our study highlights the importance of deep phenotyping of children including clinical measures, behavioral experiments and computational modeling.

This study reports the results of a mixed-methods investigation on the impact of task-based speaking practices using the Clubhouse application outside the classroom on EFL learners' oral fluency and willingness to communicate (WTC). Sixty upper-intermediate EFL learners were divided into experimental and control groups practicing speaking skills with and without the Clubhouse application. Data was collected through participants' speaking pre- and post-tests scores (speech rate, number of pauses, and linking ideas together without hesitation), WTC scale, and focus group semi-structured interviews. A one-way ANCOVA was used to investigate whether EFL learners' participation in out-of-class speaking activities using Clubhouse makes any significant difference in their oral fluency compared to conventional classes. The pre-test fluency scores were considered as the covariate. Similarly, two One-way ANCOVAs were run to investigate measures of WTC. The thematic analysis explored participants' attitudes and perceptions toward using Clubhouse for task-based speaking practices. Quantitative results revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group regarding oral fluency; this group was more willing to communicate at the end of the experiment. The thematic analysis of the qualitative data indicated that Clubhouse activities improved the participants' oral fluency and WTC measures.

Inclusion of students with marginalization tendencies has been one of the demands in the field of education over the last decades, but it remains unrealized. At the same time, our daily lives appear to have changed rapidly because of extensive use of digital media. This fact may have both positive and negative consequences. So, we were inspired to investigate the relationship between teenagers who may be marginalized and the use of digital media, as well as the degree to which they promote or prevent inclusion, by the foregoing considerations. We chose mixed methodological approach as the most appropriate. Specifically, sequential exploratory strategy was used to collect the data, while grounded theory was used for their analysis. The quantitative part sample consists of 600 Secondary Education students. Accordingly, the sample of the qualitative part of the research was 138 Secondary Education students. The survey was conducted over a period of three months (from October 2019 to December 2019). By completing the research project, we concluded that the use of digital media and especially the engagement of adolescent students who show marginalizing tendencies with social media, digital games and distance education leads to their inclusion.

Digital educational game-based apps can be effective in helping young children develop language skills, particularly when paired with formal instruction. However, we need to know more about how educational games benefit learning in the absence of formal instruction, given children's proficiency with and willingness to use mobile devices anytime, anywhere. This study uses a randomized controlled trial design to investigate the impact of a digital app--"ABCmouse English"--on L2 learning of seven- and eight-year-old Japanese children over a 16-week period. Pre- and post-assessments of the children's English proficiency, together with an analysis of when and how they played with the app, were used to shed light on the relationship between the children's in-app game choices and their language learning outcomes. Surveys and interviews with parents provide qualitative insights and information about the experiences of children and their families while using the app and its impact on their development as language learners.

This study aimed to create a game as scaffolding in 3D virtual worlds to enhance linguistic communication skills (LCS) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Two ADHD children participated in the 17-week study. In 8 of the 17 weeks of the study, they logged in 3D virtual worlds to learn LCS through play twice a week, one hour every time. Before, after, and five weeks after the 8-week treatment, both children took the receptive and expressive vocabulary test (REVT). The REVT scores and their learning processes were recorded and analyzed. Both children's opinions on the learning activities in the VR environment were obtained through interviews after the treatment. The results showed that both ADHD children made a great improvement in LCS and learning behavior. They enjoyed the learning activities with high motivation. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also provided.

Much research attention has been focused on learning through game playing. However, very little has been focused on student learning through game making, especially in science. Moreover, none of the studies on learning through making games has presented an account of how students engage in the process of game design in real time. The present study seeks to address that gap. We report an exploratory embedded case study in which three groups of students in one classroom created a computer game designed to teach peers about climate science, while drawing on scientific knowledge, principles of game design, and computational thinking practices. Data sources were student design sheets, computer video, and audio screen capture while students created their game, and interviews after completing the curriculum unit. A theme-driven framework was used to code the data. A curricular emphasis on systems across climate systems, game design, and computational thinking practices provided a context designed to synergistically supported student learning. This embedded case study provides a rich example of what a collaborative game design task in a constructionist context looks like in a middle school science classroom, and how it supports student learning. Game design in a constructionist learning environment that emphasized learning through building a game allowed students to choose their pathways through the learning experience and resulted in learning for all despite various levels of programming experience. Our findings suggest that game design may be a promising context for supporting student learning in STEM disciplines.

While more universities are including IT accessibility in their computer science programs for undergraduate and graduate students, there is little accessibility training available for K-12 teachers. We created an intervention through which postsecondary students had opportunities to experience five computer games with a simulated impairment (color-blindness, auditory impairments, physical disabilities, blindness, or low-vision); first they played the game that was inaccessibly designed and then they played a version that was accessibly designed. The activity ended with a discussion of accessible design techniques. We tested the intervention with 18 teachers who were students in a university web development course that was part of their computer science training. Results show that teachers were very receptive to including accessibility topics in their future classrooms and thought the intervention was an effective method for teaching high school, middle school, and elementary school students about accessible design.

Today, the use of technology not only affects social relations, but also affects the relations of family members who are part of the society. Technology can negatively affect especially adolescent parent relationships within the family. In this study, it was aimed to examine the roles of social media and digital game addictions, which are technology-based addiction types, in the conflicts in adolescent parent relationships. The sample of the study consists of 686 high school students studying at various high schools in Eskisehir. In the study, personal information form, adolescent-parent conflict scale, social media addiction scale for adolescents and game addiction scale for adolescents were used in order to obtain data. The predictive correlational research design, one of the relational models, was used in the study. According to the results of the study, it was found that both social media addiction and game addiction were positively and statistically significantly correlated with adolescent parent conflict. According to the results of the regression analysis, it was found that social media and game addictions significantly predicted adolescent parent conflict. The findings and results were discussed in the light of the relevant literature and suggestions for future studies were presented.

Online game addiction and psychological distress are two continuously developing problems in the Philippines, with Filipinos aged 18 to 24 being the second largest age group to overuse interactive online-related games. This sequential explanatory mixed method study aimed to assess the young adults' gaming addiction and perceived psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify the other factors contributing to the respondents' frequent engagement in online interactive games, which served as a basis for a preventive intervention program. The researcher administered the survey questionnaires of the Gaming Addiction Scale and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 to 399 young adults aged 18-24 and a semi-structured interview guide to 20 addicted and non-addicted gamers. Key results showed that a small percentage of the respondents experienced polythetic and serious monothetic addiction to interactive online games. In contrast, half of the respondents manifested mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Major findings also found no significant gender differences in the level of online game addiction and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a moderate level of relationship substantiated the association. Further results revealed that the negative compensatory factors were associated with addicted gamers' frequent engagement with online games, whereas non-addicted gamers were associated with positive, beneficial factors. This phenomenon has hardly ever been the focus of in-depth research, and the results of this study can be used to further refine the conceptualization of "internet gaming disorder" as a mental disorder and develop a more comprehensive treatment method.

Television watching and video/computer playing are favorite leisure activities among children and adolescents. Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have several special characteristics in relation to attention and impulsivity compared with non-ADHD individuals. This study investigates parental perceptions of electronic media use among children and adolescents with ADHD and a control group. A total of 54 participants with ADHD and 51 controls aged 7-15 years old took part in the study. A questionnaire was constructed to collect quantitative data from parents. ADHD children tend to spend more time per day on electronic devices compared to non-referred children. Age but not gender seemed to affect the frequency of children's media play. Inattention, anxiousness and disorganization are more common in the ADHD group in activities such as reading, doing homework, doing sports or playing with toys in comparison to media activities. Parents of both groups worry a lot about their child's habits of videogame playing. Finally, parents of ADHD children recognize some of the benefits of videogames in the areas of memory, attention and motivation but not in the academic area. In conclusion, the present study highlights important aspects of the topic of media use by children with ADHD as well as risk factors to take into account.

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has shown to be an effective approach to gamifying the learning experience in any course and learning environment. To make learning more active and engaging for students, college faculty can use educational technologies such as game-based student response systems (SRSs) and interactive PowerPoint games as a formative assessment for assessing student learning and improving learning outcomes in their courses. This quasi-experimental research study examined differences among undergraduate elearners' posttest summative scores comparing game-based epedagogies (Socrative vs. interactive PowerPoint game) using the Technological, Pedagogical, Content, and Knowledge (TPACK) theoretical framework. An independent t-test was used to test for differences in summative scores between the Socrative and interactive PowerPoint game group and there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.05). Results from the t-test showed that the interactive PowerPoint game group scored significantly higher compared to the Socrative group on the summative assessment. Two recommendations for practice were for higher education leadership to (a) encourage DGBL approaches for teaching and learning for elearners enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, and (b) to encourage college faculty to use game-based epedagogies such as game-based SRSs and interactive PowerPoint games as formative assessments to not only enhance their teaching but also improve student learning outcomes. A recommendation for future research is to conduct a quasi-experimental study with a between-groups design using interactive PowerPoint games to determine the causality of differences based on gender, course subject, and learning modality.

In this study, which is based on the fact that the nature of learning is and should be understood on the basis of social constructivism, interaction and collaboration in language development are explored and digital games are discussed as an instructional technology. For digital games developed with learning in mind, the effects of educational change for learners have not yet been fully explored. The effects of digital games supported with reciprocal activities related to reading comprehension, reading motivation, and reading anxiety for science texts were investigated in this study. Eighty-five participants were randomly assigned to a group that played digital games without reciprocal activities (control group, n=43), and they were compared to a group that played digital games with reciprocal activities (experimental group, n=42), reading ten different texts over a ten-week period. The study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design to compare reading comprehension, reading motivation, and reading anxiety outcomes. Considering the effectiveness of reciprocal activities, the participants who were supported by collaborative activities were more motivated and less anxious than those in the group that used the digital games without collaborative activities. These findings indicate that the use of collaborative activities should not be ignored when planning to employ the supporting role of any instructional technologies while teaching reading skills.

Digital games can be used as educational tools for tackling structural inequalities and promoting social justice. Designing games with these purposes is a complex task that requires a myriad of combined expertise, including games' mechanics, software development, educational game design, pedagogy and knowledge of the educational topic (which can target specific social issues). Democratising the design of educational games is used to increase the agency and participation of diverse and novice groups throughout design processes and can be used to improve the efficiency of such games as it directly leads to the inclusion of broad voices, knowledge, experiences and perspectives. This research adopted a Design-Based Research methodology to create, evaluate and validate 13 design principles to democratise the design of educational games for social change. Three research phases were implemented in turn: a preliminary, prototyping and evaluation phase. The preliminary phase was based on creating these principles by grounding them on fundamentals of Critical Pedagogy, a theory of education which presents pedagogical techniques to accelerate learning, engagement and social change. The prototyping phase was based on conducting semi-structured interviews to assess and improve these principles with educational and game design experts. During the evaluation phase, these principles were applied and evaluated during two weekend-long game design events, called Game Jams. These were open to anyone interested in creating a digital game to raise awareness of gender inequalities, and 13 of the 23 participants (57%) had no previous experience in game design. This research presents theoretical and practical contributions related to how to democratise educational game design for social change. It evidenced the relevance of facilitating design principles that address "what" could be done to trigger learning in games; "why" this learning could be facilitated, from both pedagogical and gaming perspectives; and "how" to implement these principles into educational games.