This study used a mixed-methods research design to examine the effectiveness of a digital breakout to learn English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in higher education. In educational settings, it is usually used to teach content while developing cognitive skills to improve learners' performance. Therefore, these benefits stated above -i.e., the grammar gains, the motivation, and the development of these cognitive skills-have led us to explore the impact of the implementation of a digital breakout, as a form of gamification-based approach, on pre-service English teachers of primary education.Īn educative breakout is a modified version of the popular immersive entertainment experience of escape rooms, in which game elements and game design techniques are used in non-game contexts. Research conducted in this area has shown not only grammar learning effectiveness through the use of online games combined with riddles and puzzles designed with a high level of difficulty to teach curricular content (Wichadee & Pattanapichet, 2018) but also better results in terms of skill-based learning (Bartlett & Anderson, 2019 Hunt-Gómez et al., 2020 Jiménez et al., 2020 Pham et al., 2021), long-term memory (Connolly et al., 2012 O'Brien & Pitera, 2019), problem-solving skills (Manzano-León et al., 2021 Wichadee & Pattanapichet, 2018 Wiemker et al., 2015), critical thinking (Manzano-León et al., 2021) and creativity (Fotaris & Mastoras, 2019 Grande-de-Prado et al., 2021 Jiménez et al., 2020). In this paper, we presented a new educational game that teaches students about plagiarism by using a new crime story and an immersive 3D gaming environment representing the libraries of the University of Johannesburg. In total, 30 students were selected to evaluate the game.Įvaluation of the game mechanics and storyline showed that the student gamers enjoyed the game and learned about plagiarism. The game plays out in a 3D environment representing the major libraries of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. This either demonstrated their knowledge by plagiarizing within the game as a mafia member or catching plagiarists within the game as a detective. To do this at a level that is beyond quizzes, we proposed a game storyline and mechanics that allow the player (or student) to play as a mafia member or a detective.

In this paper, we propose a game called Plagi-Warfare that attempts to teach students about plagiarism. Plagiarism is a major problem among undergraduate and postgraduate students at universities. Future directions for study include flipping game design to student groups, and further analysis of correlations between concepts learned through traditional teaching techniques and those learned in Breakout EDU classes.Įducational games have been proven to support the teaching of various concepts across disciplines. Comparisons of final grades in the gamified courses with previous, non-gamified courses revealed that students achieved more A’s and fewer D’s and F’s in the gamified courses.

Over 80% of students indicated the games helped them understand course concepts. At the end of the semester students completed another survey about their experiences. After each escape room class session, students completed a short survey. The puzzles were focused on reinforcement of the key concepts. Games were devised for three of the course units, with each unit identifying 4-5 information literacy skills or concepts. Authors initially obtained 9 kits from Breakout EDU, a company specializing in immersive games. Instructor objectives were to increase student engagement with the course material, and to foster teamwork among students in a cooperative learning environment. Students practiced research techniques in a classroom environment that bypassed their expectations of traditional course instruction. This study employed an escape room motif to engage students to use information literacy course material to solve puzzles.

Free break out edu math games