Inproceedings,
A Critical Examination of Feedback in Early Reading Games.
proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, page 1-12. ACM, (2018)
Abstract
Learning games now play a role in both formal and
informal learning, including foundational skills such as
literacy. While feedback is recognised as a key pedagogical
dimension of these games, particularly in early learning,
there has been no research on how commercial games
available to schools and parents reify learning theory into
feedback. Using a systematic content analysis, we examine
how evidence-based feedback principles manifest in five
widely-used learning games designed to foster young
children’s reading skills. Our findings highlight strengths in
how games deliver feedback when players succeed. Many
of the games, however, were inconsistent and not proactive
when providing error feedback, often promoting trial and
error strategies. Furthermore, there was a lack of support
for learning the game mechanics and a preference for taskoriented rewards less deeply embedded in the gameplay.
Our research provides a design and research agenda for the
inclusion of feedback in early learning games.
