Gamification educational technology to detect patterns of conceptual change: a gameplay ABC model

This study aims to identify patterns of student conceptual change from the process data of playing a serious game application (the APP). The APP is a virtual classroom of mathematics focused on affect/gamification/constructivism or based on a gameplay affect/behavior/cognition (ABC) model. Data were collected from 61 students in four mathematics classrooms, who conducted 107 trials of playing the APP. In addition to the process data collected by the APP, all the teachings in the real classrooms were recorded fully on video, and students’ responses to post-teaching questionnaires were collected. A mixed method methodology incorporating qualitative and quantitative analyses was utilized to examine the data. The analysis finds four patterns of conceptual change (gameplay learner types): limited change (fast doers), vague change (striving thinkers), positive change (thriving sense-makers), and perfect change (calm watchers). The four patterns of gameplay add novel information to the gameplay ABC model, which suggests efficient serious game design. Gamification educational technology with expert-based ABC design can promote or detect learners’ patterns of conceptual change and misconceptions, a likely cost– and time-saving measure for customized instruction to support teacher real classroom teaching.