This week we will begin examining practical applications for games’ ability to induce flow outside of the enjoyment that comes from playing the games themselves. Specifically we will look at a study on game-based classroom learning. The authors (Hung, Sun, & Yu, 2015) tested whether the degree of challenge in an educational game would improve various measures of classroom performance. Their findings indicate that such a game can induce flow, as well as prove beneficial overall to students’ learning experiences.
A child sits, begrudgingly listening to the teacher’s instruction while daydreaming about having fun after school. The lesson ends, and the child begins to complete their worksheet without really focusing much on the content. This is not an optimal classroom experience.
One solution to this problem is to implement flow theory, which specializes in optimal experiences. As we’ve discussed previously, a state of flow is characterized by intense focus, engagement, and an experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding. These things would be great to have in a learning environment, but how would flow be achieved in a classroom? We’ve talked about how video games can meet the conditions for flow, but those are games, and a classroom is a much different environment than sitting on the couch in front of the TV. However, the same principles behind what makes games enjoyable can be applied to any activity.
Hung, Sun, and Yu (2015) tested exactly that. They used tablet-based games of differing levels of challenge to see whether that condition of flow would have an influence on classroom performance. In the control group, second-graders played a simple matching game as part of the lesson, while the experimental group played a more challenging version of the game that required more complex solutions. Those students in the challenging group showed significantly higher levels of flow and reported more feelings of control and enjoyment. They also showed signs of being distracted far less often than the students in the control group. Finally, students in the experimental condition performed significantly better on posttest measures of learning achievement. So, the researchers concluded that increasing the challenge of a classroom learning activity has several benefits on both academic outcomes and general classroom experience.
This study about tablet game-based learning has implications for all classroom settings, not just those that utilize games in their curriculum. If the only difference between the two groups was the level of challenge in the game they played, then any activity, not just games, could likely benefit from an increase in challenge. Of course, a challenge too difficult for the participant’s level of skill will be overwhelming and thus detract from the flow experience. However, the authors of the above study (Hung, Sun, & Yu, 2015) note that students in the challenging condition did ask teachers for assistance several times throughout the experiment. They note that the presence of teachers, who presumably are more than capable of overcoming the challenge of an educational game, can raise the effective level of skill of the student, which will allow them to tackle larger challenges while maintaining flow. Challenges that may seem too difficult for students can be supplemented by teacher assistance to maximize flow.
So if increasing the level of challenge of a learning activity is enough to increase flow, then why use games in particular? While most classroom activities can be made more challenging fairly easily, they do not have the same ability as games to provide clear goals and immediate feedback. A single student in a classroom full of other students will simply be unable to have their questions answered immediately, and they will of course need to wait for their assignment to be graded before knowing whether they did it correctly. On the other hand, someone playing a game will instantly know whether what they’re doing is correct because the game will tell them as soon as they do it. Games are so good for creating optimal experiences because they can literally be programmed to be optimal. So, the principles behind what makes games enjoyable should be applied to the classroom to make for optimal learning experiences.
References:
Hung, C. Y., Sun, J. C. Y., & Yu, P. T. (2015). The benefits of a challenge: student motivation and flow experience in tablet-PC-game-based learning. Interactive Learning Environments, 23(2), 172–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2014.997248
Game Flow 