Article 2023

Effects of Game-Based Learning on Students’ Computational Thinking: A Meta-Analysis

LZ
Lu, Zhuotao
 CM
Chiu, Mingming
 CY
Cui, Yunhuo
 MW
Mao, Weijie
 LH
Lei, Hao
Journal of Educational Computing Research
Journal · Vol. 61 · Issue 1 · pp. 235-256
Abstract

This meta-analysis determined game-based learning’s (GBL) overall effect on students’ computational thinking (CT) and tested for moderators, using 28 effect sizes from 24 studies of 2,134 participants. The random effects model results showed that GBL had a significant positive overall effect on students’ CT (g = 0.677, 95% confidence interval 0.532–0.821) with significant heterogeneity among effect sizes. Among game types, role-playing yielded the largest GBL effect size, followed by action, puzzles, and adventures. Moreover, the effect of GBL on CT was weaker among students in countries that were more individualistic than others. Lastly, interventions between four hours and one week showed the largest GBL effect size, followed by those over four weeks, up to four hours, and between one week and four weeks. © The Author(s) 2022.

Keywords

Author Keywords

meta-analysis Computational thinking Game-based learning Effect size moderating analysis

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Institute of Curriculum and Instruction, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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