Will game-based learning enhance performance?

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJAIM-07-2021-0136
• Published date: 13 September 2021
• Date: 13 September 2021
• Pages: 651-668
• Subject Matter: Accounting & finance,Accounting/accountancy,Accounting methods/systems
• Author: Siew H. Chan,Qian Song,Pailin Trongmateerut,Laurie H. Rivera

Will game-based learning

enhance performance?

Siew H. Chan

University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia, USA and

Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand

Qian Song

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA

Pailin Trongmateerut

Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand, and

Laurie H. Rivera

Retired, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Abstract

Purpose –Extending the study of Chan et al. (2016), this paper aims to focus on specific aspects of

performance (conceptual and factual knowledge) to provide insightinto whether computer game attributes

designedinto Prrinciples Aren’t That Hard (PATH) improve performance.

Design/methodology/approach –A between-subjects experimentis conducted to test the hypotheses.

The experimentaland control groups are PATH and traditional paper medium, respectively.

Findings –The results reveal that PATH users perform better on the conceptual knowledge questions

compared to the traditional paper medium users. No significant difference in performance on the factual

knowledge(computational) questions is found between PATH and traditionalpaper medium users.

Research limitations/implications –This study demonstrates that PATH creates an engaging

learning environment, which facilitatesthe acquisition of conceptual knowledge and improved (conceptual)

performance. Research can investigate whether technology may be used to facilitate automation of

computational tasks which downplay the importance of computational skills (factual knowledge)and focus

on the design of computer game attributes in educational or training programs to enhance conceptual

knowledgeand (conceptual) performance.

Practical implications –The findings of this study will assist educators and educational technology

developers to identify and design motivation-enhancing computer game features to promote rememberand

understandcognitive processes which improve (conceptual)performance.

Originality/value –Game-basedlearning serves as the underlying theoretical frameworkfor the design of

PATH used in an experimentalstudy to examine the positive effects of motivation-enhancingcomputer game

attributes on remember and understand cognitive processes whichfacilitate (conceptual) performance. This

study also uses separate measures of performance; that is, conceptual and factual knowledge, to provide

additionalinsight into the findings of Chan et al. (2016).

Keywords Performance, Game-based learning, Conceptual knowledge,

Educational computer games, Factual knowledge

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Utilization of educational technology in higher education was primarily a personal choice of

instructors prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Fogarty, 2020). Digital technology, cloud meeting

platforms and social networking sites have become imperative solutions for communication

Game-based

learning

Received7 July 2021

Revised15 August 2021

Accepted20 August 2021

InternationalJournal of

Accounting& Information

Management

© Emerald Publishing Limited

1834-7649

DOI 10.1108/IJAIM-07-2021-0136

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

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and socialization (Khobzi and Teimourpour, 2014), especially during the pandemic. While

educators worldwide have adopted digital platforms for online course delivery and academic

activities (Liu, 2021), higher education institutions constantly face the challenging task of

enhancing the quality of learning and course delivery to meet societal expectations on costs,

efforts, competencies and educational outcomes (Pasewark, 2020). Thus, research is needed to

provide insight into the design and implementation of technological tools for improving

teaching methods to enhance engagement in learning (Apostolou et al.,2017;Sangster et al.,

2020).

Chan et al. (2016) design a computerized program named Prrinciples Aren’t That Hard

(PATH) to examine whether game-based features incorporated into the program can

promote intrinsic motivation and performance. The findings indicate that PATH users

exhibit the highest intrinsic motivation which increases system usage compared to

Blackboard and traditional paper medium users. Perceived usefulness, a type of extrinsic

motivation, also enhances intrinsic motivation which further increases system use.

Additional results reveal that perceived competence fully mediates the effectof system use

on performance (Chan et al.,2016). Further, Chan et al. (2016) assess performance via 10

questions administeredat the start of the semester (prior to exposure to the course materials)

and the same 10 questions at the end of the semester. While these questions are designedto

test the participants’knowledge of the course materials, they do not focus on a specific

aspect of performance. Building on the study of Chanet al. (2016), the present research uses

10 questions to test the participants’conceptual and factual knowledge and investigates

whether the motivation-enhancing computer game attributes designed into PATH will

result in improved conceptual and factual knowledge performance (compared to the

traditional papermedium).

Gamification pertains to the utilization of a game-based concept to develop innovative

features to stimulate a game mindset to increase users’motivation to engage in problem-

solving and learning (Kapp, 2012). The pedagogical attributes of gamification include

application in the educational context to facilitate learning, design of innovative game

features, social interactions in a game context to encourage user motivation and

involvement and development of critical thinking skills which enhance learning (Kapp,

2012). Consistent with the gamification concept, this research incorporates interesting

computer game features (such as lives and scores) into PATH to create a game-based

learning environment to enhance remember and understand cognitive processes for

effective knowledgeacquisition.

Conceptual knowledge entails knowledge of classifying attributes, generalizing

principles and applying theories, models and frameworks in discipline-specific contexts

(Krathwohl, 2002). Conceptual knowledge acquisition operates at a deep level (Star, 2005).

The motivation-enhancing computer game features designed into PATH may promote

remember and understandcognitive processes, leading to conceptual knowledgeacquisition

and improved performance.

Procedural knowledge is acquired superficially if the procedures or sequence of actions

are followed (Star and Stylianides, 2013). This type of procedural knowledge is similar to

factual [1] knowledge of definitions of terms and the specific details and attributes for

problem-solving (Krathwohl, 2002). Students may acquire factual knowledge at a surface

level if the introductory financial accounting course is delivered with a focus on

computational skills which require students to plug in the values of variables into a formula

and follow specific steps for solving computational problems. This study posits that factual

knowledge acquired superficially is unlikely to have long-term positive performance effects.

Since factual knowledge may be acquired via rote learning or memorization of the procedures

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