Heiko Holz
ABSTRACT
Educational games have been shown to provide support for children with learning disabilities to overcome their challenges. Gaming and feedback elements can benefit the learning process while keeping children engaged and help them to regain motivation for learning. We present the design of a mobile serious game for German dyslexic primary school children that incorporates gaming elements such as narrative, pedagogical agents, tutorials, feedback, and reward mechanisms. We derive our game design decisions and specify the rationales behind with special focus on the needs and demands of the target group. We evaluate the gaming elements based on the results of 63 children who played the game at home during a period of 9-10 weeks. Results indicate overall positive perception of the game elements. Children were immersed in the fantasy-themed world, liked the pedagogical agents, and indicated that the interactive tutorials gave an easy start into the game, and emphasized the special importance of praise.
Supplemental Material
- Philip Abrami, Eugene Borohkovski, and Larysa Lysenko. 2015. The Effects of ABRACADABRA on Reading Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis of Applied Field Research. Journal of Interactive Learning Research 26, 4 (2015), 337--367.Google Scholar
- Chadia Abras, Diane Maloney-Krichmar, and Jenny Preece. 2004. User-centered design. Bainbridge, W. Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications 37, 4 (2004), 445--456.Google Scholar
- Sylvester Arnab, Theodore Lim, Maira B. Carvalho, Francesco Bellotti, Sara de Freitas, Sandy Louchart, Neil Suttie, Riccardo Berta, and Alessandro De Gloria. 2015. Mapping learning and game mechanics for serious games analysis . British Journal of Educational Technology 46, 2 (mar 2015), 391--411.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Kay Berkling. 2017. Phontasia: A phonics game for German and its effect on orthographic skills--first corpus explorations. In WOCCI 2017: 6th International Workshop on Child Computer Interaction. ISCA, ISCA, 7--16.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Max V. Birk, Cheralyn Atkins, Jason T. Bowey, and Regan L. Mandryk. 2016. Fostering Intrinsic Motivation through Avatar Identification in Digital Games. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '16. ACM Press, New York, New York, USA, 2982--2995. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Elizabeth A. Boyle, Thomas Hainey, Thomas M. Connolly, Grant Gray, Jeffrey Earp, Michela Ott, Theodore Lim, Manuel Ninaus, Claudia Ribeiro, and João Pereira. 2016. An update to the systematic literature review of empirical evidence of the impacts and outcomes of computer games and serious games . Computers & Education 94, Supplement C (2016), 178--192. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Luciana Cidrim and Francisco Madeiro. 2017. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applied to dyslexia: literature review . Revista CEFAC 19, 1 (feb 2017), 99--108.Google Scholar
- Gemma Corbalan, Liesbeth Kester, and Jeroen J.G. van Merrië nboer. 2009. Dynamic task selection: Effects of feedback and learner control on efficiency and motivation . Learning and Instruction 19, 6 (dec 2009), 455--465.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Diana I. Cordova and Mark R. Lepper. 1996. Intrinsic motivation and the process of learning: Beneficial effects of contextualization, personalization, and choice. Journal of Educational Psychology 88, 4 (1996), 715--730.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Sebastian Deterding, Dan Dixon, Rilla Khaled, and Lennart Nacke. 2011. From Game Design Elements to Gamefulness: Defining "Gamification". In Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments (MindTrek '11). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 9--15. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Athanasios Drigas and Elektra Batziaka. 2016. Dyslexia and ICTs, Assessment and Early Intervention in Kindergarten. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET) 11, 02 (feb 2016), 53.Google Scholar
- Allison Druin. 1999. Cooperative Inquiry: Developing New Technologies for Children with Children. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '99). ACM Press, New York, New York, USA, 592--599. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Allison Druin. 2002. The role of children in the design of new technology. Behaviour & Information Technology 21, 1 (jan 2002), 1--25.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Kevin Durkin, James Boyle, Simon Hunter, and Gina Conti-Ramsden. 2013. Video Games for Children and Adolescents With Special Educational Needs. Zeitschrift fü r Psychologie 221, 2 (jan 2013), 79--89.Google Scholar
- Severine Erhel and Eric Jamet. 2013. Digital game-based learning: Impact of instructions and feedback on motivation and learning effectiveness. Computers & Education 67, September (sep 2013), 156--167.Google Scholar
- Tracy Fullerton. 2008. Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann, Heidelberg. https://books.google.de/books?id=OjIYWtqWxtACGoogle ScholarCross Ref
- Gabe Zichermann and Christopher Cunningham. 2011. Gamification by Design-Implementing Game Mechanics in Web and Mobile Apps. Vol. 27. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 208 pages. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ref/id/CBO9781107415324A009 Google ScholarDigital Library
- Benjamin Goldberg and Janis Cannon-Bowers. 2015. Feedback source modality effects on training outcomes in a serious game: Pedagogical agents make a difference. Computers in Human Behavior 52, 1--2 (nov 2015), 1--11. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Abbie Gonzalez. 2014. OpenDyslexic (2014). https://www.opendyslexic.org/Google Scholar
- Usha Goswami, Natasha Mead, Tim Fosker, Martina Huss, Lisa Barnes, and Victoria Leong. 2013. Impaired perception of syllable stress in children with dyslexia: A longitudinal study. Journal of Memory and Language 69, 1 (2013), 1--17.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Thomas Hainey, Thomas M. Connolly, Elizabeth A. Boyle, Amanda Wilson, and Aisya Razak. 2016. A systematic literature review of games-based learning empirical evidence in primary education. Computers & Education 102 (2016), 202--223. Google ScholarCross Ref
- Heiko Holz, Katharina Brandelik, Benedikt Beuttler, Jochen Brandelik, and Manuel Ninaus. In press 2018. How to train your syllable stress awareness -- A digital game-based approach for German dyslexic children. International Journal of Serious Games (In press 2018).Google Scholar
- Heiko Holz, Katharina Brandelik, Jochen Brandelik, Benedikt Beuttler, Alexandra Kirsch, Jü rgen Heller, and Detmar Meurers. 2017. Prosodiya -- A Mobile Game for German Dyslexic Children. In Games and Learning Alliance: 6th International Conference, GALA 2017, Lisbon, Portugal, December 5-7, 2017, Proceedings, Jo a o Dias, Pedro A. Santos, and Remco C. Veltkamp (Eds.). 73--82.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Heiko Holz, Manuel Ninaus, Detmar Meurers, and Alexandra Kirsch. 2018. Validitiy and Player Experience of a Mobile Game for German Dyslexic Children. In Extended Abstracts Publication of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '18 Extended Abstracts). ACM. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Elena Ise and Gerd Schulte-Kö rne. 2010. Spelling deficits in dyslexia: Evaluation of an orthographic spelling training. Annals of Dyslexia 60, 1 (2010), 18--39.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Gracia Jimé nez-Ferná ndez, Nicolá s Gutié rrez-Palma, and Sylvia Defior. 2015. Impaired stress awareness in Spanish children with developmental dyslexia. Research in Developmental Disabilities 37 (feb 2015), 152--161.Google Scholar
- Maria N. Kazakou and Spiros Soulis. 2015. Feedback and the speed of answer of pupils with dyslexia in digital activities. Procedia - Procedia Computer Science 67 (2015), 204--212.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Fengfeng Ke and Tatiana Abras. 2013. Games for engaged learning of middle school children with special learning needs. British Journal of Educational Technology 44, 2 (2013), 225--242.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Christian Klicpera and Barbara Gasteiger Klicpera. 2000. Sind Rechtschreibschwierigkeiten Ausdruck einer phonologischen Stö rung? Zeitschrift fü r Entwicklungspsychologie und Pä dagogische Psychologie 32, 3 (jul 2000), 134--142.Google Scholar
- Jonna Koivisto and Juho Hamari. 2014. Demographic differences in perceived benefits from gamification. Computers in Human Behavior 35 (jun 2014), 179--188.Google Scholar
- Karin Landerl. 2003. Categorization of vowel length in German poor spellers: An orthographically relevant phonological distinction. Applied Psycholinguistics 24, 4 (2003), 523--538.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Victoria Leong, Jarmo Hämäläinen, Fruzsina Solté sz, and Usha Goswami. 2011. Rise time perception and detection of syllable stress in adults with developmental dyslexia. Journal of Memory and Language 64, 1 (2011), 59--73.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Sohye Lim and Byron Reeves. 2010. Computer agents versus avatars: Responses to interactive game characters controlled by a computer or other player. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 68, 1--2 (jan 2010), 57--68. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Manuel Ninaus, Kristian Kiili, Jake McMullen, and Korbinian Moeller. 2016. A Game-Based Approach to Examining Students' Conceptual Knowledge of Fractions. In Games and Learning Alliance: 5th International Conference, GALA 2016, Utrecht, The Netherlands, December 5-7, 2016, Proceedings, Rosa Bottino, Johan Jeuring, and Remco C. Veltkamp (Eds.). Springer International Publishing, 37--49.Google Scholar
- Manuel Ninaus, Matthias Witte, Silvia E Kober, Elisabeth V C Friedrich, Erwin Hartsuiker, Christa Neuper, Guilherme Wood, Jü rgen Kurzmann, Erwin Hartsuiker, Christa Neuper, and Guilherme Wood. 2014. Neurofeedback and Serious Games. In Psychology, Pedagogy, and Assessment in Serious Games, Thomas M Connolly, Thomas Hainey, Elizabeth Boyle, Gavin Baxter, and Pablo Moreno-Ger (Eds.). IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA, 82--110.Google Scholar
- Donald A Norman and Stephen W Draper. 1986. User Centered System Design; New Perspectives on Human-Computer Interaction. Journal educational computing research 3, 1 (1986), 129--134.Google Scholar
- Hyacinth Nwana. 1990. Intelligent tutoring systems: an overview. Artificial Intelligence Review 4 (1990), 251--277.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Louise E. Parker, Mark R. Lepper, Kim Bartholomew, Diana Cordova, and John Mayer. 1992. Effects of fantasy contexts on children's learning and motivation: Making learning more fun. Journal of personality and social psychology 62, 4 (1992), 625--633.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Jan L. Plass, Steffi Heidig, Elizabeth O. Hayward, Bruce D. Homer, and Enjoon Um. 2014. Emotional design in multimedia learning: Effects of shape and color on affect and learning. Learning and Instruction 29 (2014), 128--140.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Jan L. Plass, Bruce D. Homer, and Charles K. Kinzer. 2015. Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist 50, 4 (oct 2015), 258--283.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Clark N. Quinn. 2005. Engaging learning: Designing e-learning simulation games. John Wiley & Sons. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Janet C. Read. 2008. Validating the Fun Toolkit: an instrument for measuring children's opinions of technology. Cognition, Technology & Work 10, 2 (apr 2008), 119--128. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Carola Reuter-Liehr. 1993. Behandlung der Lese-Rechtschreibschwäche nach der Grundschulzeit: Anwendung und Ü berprü fung eines Konzeptes. Zeitschrift fü r Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie 21, 3 (1993), 135--147.Google Scholar
- Katharina Sauter, Jü rgen Heller, and Karin Landerl. 2012. Sprachrhythmus und Schriftspracherwerb. Lernen und Lernstö rungen 1, 4 (2012), 225--239.Google Scholar
- Kelly L. Schmitt, Lisa B. Hurwitz, Laura Sheridan Duel, Deborah L Nichols Linebarger, and Deborah L. Nichols Linebarger. 2018. Learning through play: The impact of web-based games on early literacy development. Computers in Human Behavior 81 (2018), 378--389.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Valerie J. Shute. 2008. Focus on Formative Feedback. Review of Educational Research 78, 1 (mar 2008), 153--189.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Sven Staffeldt. 2010. Einfü hrung in die Phonetik, Phonologie und Graphematik des Deutschen. Ein Leitfaden fü r den akademischen Unterricht. Stauffenburg, Tü bingen.Google Scholar
- Pieter Wouters, Christof van Nimwegen, Herre van Oostendorp, and Erik D van der Spek. 2013. A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games. Journal of Educational Psychology 105, 2 (2013), 249--265.Google ScholarCross Ref
Index Terms
- Design Rationales of a Mobile Game-Based Intervention for German Dyslexic Children
Recommendations
Validity and Player Experience of a Mobile Game for German Dyslexic Children
CHI PLAY '18 Extended Abstracts: Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended AbstractsApproximately 4-10% of the German population suffers from developmental dyslexia, influencing affected children's educational, personal, and social development negatively. Digital interventions have shown great promise to support dyslexic children ...
Digital games-based learning for children with dyslexia
Taking a process-orientated, social constructivist lens, we examine the case of a digital game called Words Matter. The game was designed for children with dyslexia and was informed by principles from casual games and evidence-based practice from ...
ARLexic game: an augmented reality-based serious game for training of dyslexic and dysgraphic children
AbstractOver the years, researchers have discovered increased problems among children related to reading and writing. Dyslexia and Dysgraphia are the most common problems they try to solve with various paper-based activities and gaming interventions. But ...
Comments