| dc.description.abstract | English is a common language in the world, but most learners lack opportunities to practice spoken English and feel afraid of it, which results in low learning motivation. Digital game-based learning is an effective way to improve learning motivation. Digital game-based learning has become a teaching trend, which contains rich multimedia materials, which can provide learners with different experiences, thus helping to improve learners′ learning motivation and performance. Multimedia environments in digital games increase learners′ sense of immersion, thus affecting learners′ gaming flow experience. Past studies have found that gaming flow experience not only affects learners′ engagement and immersion, but also improves learners′ learning performance. In addition, digital game-based learning environments will also have an impact on learners′ self-efficacy. Past studies have shown that digital game-based learning environments can improve self-efficacy and it is an effective factor to predict learners′ language learning performance. However, not all learners are suited to digital game-based learning environments, so individual differences among learners must be considered. Among the different individual differences, cognitive styles are widely studied. According to the previous literature, cognitive styles are classified into different categories, among which Holist and Serialist are regarded as important categories. Learners of Holist and Serialist will use different preference ways to process information, thus affecting their learning performance.
Therefore, this study explored the effects of learners with different cognitive styles and gaming flow experience on vocabulary learning performance, game performance and self-efficacy in a game-based English learning environment, and further explored the relationship among vocabulary learning performance, game performance, self-efficacy and gaming flow experience. There were 56 participants in this study, including 26 college students and 30 graduate students. They were measured by the cognitive styles scale and gaming flow experience scale into Holist or Serialist and high gaming flow experience or low gaming flow experience. Followed by learners based on Holist or Serialist, the way to select tasks is divided into style-matching or style-non-matching. The total experiment time was 80 minutes.
The results showed that for cognitive styles, although there was significant improvement between the pre-test and the post-test of vocabulary learning performance, there was no significant difference in vocabulary learning performance, game performance and self-efficacy between the learners of different cognitive styles and style-matching or style-non-matching. For gaming flow experience, there was significant improvement between the pre-test and the post-test of vocabulary learning performance of the learners of high gaming flow experience and low gaming flow experience, and the learners of high gaming flow experience were significantly higher in scores of progress than the learners of low gaming flow experience. The learners of high gaming flow experience were significantly higher in the number of reborn in game performance than the learners of low gaming flow experience. In addition, the learners of high gaming flow experience were significantly higher in self-efficacy than the learners of low gaming flow experience. Furthermore, on the results of the relationship, the number of reborn in game performance was negatively correlated with vocabulary learning performance, gaming flow experience and self-efficacy. There was a positive correlation between gaming flow experience and self-efficacy, and vocabulary learning performance was positively correlated with the total amount of gold coins and the number of tasks completed. The results of this study can help learners with different cognitive styles and gaming flow experience to improve their learning performance. In addition, researchers can provide a design framework for developing a game-based learning environment in the future. | en_US |