“In traditional classrooms, students typically have very little time to interact with materials, each other, or the teacher. Moreover, students often must wait days or weeks after handing in classroom work before receiving feedback. In contrast, research suggests that learning proceeds most rapidly when learners have frequent opportunities to apply the ideas they are learning and when feedback on the success or failure of an idea comes almost immediately” [Roschelle et al., 2000].
Research indicates that computer supported learning can encourage rapid interaction and feedback, can encourage students to spend extended periods on their learning task, and in some situations, can analyze each student’s performance and provide more timely and targeted feedback than the student typical receives in traditional classrooms [Schofield, 1995; Anderson et al., 1995; Roschelle et al., 2000]. Computer software has been viewed as a potential tool for helping students increase motivation, gain a deeper understanding of concepts and develop better problem solving skills [Sivin-Kachala and Bialo, 1999]. The use of computers in education has grown tremendously over the last ten years. In order to understand how to maximize the use of computers in classrooms in terms of academic and social priorities, sound research in Computer Science, Education, Psychology, and related disciplines is needed.
Electronic games, more than any other interactive technology, have become a significant part of children's contemporary culture, yet they are rarely considered for their educational benefits. A remarkable feature of electronic games is their power to motivate. Common features of electronic games such as active participation, intrinsic and prompt feedback, challenging but achievable goals, and a mix of uncertainty and open-endedness, contribute to motivation. Motivation plays a central role in any learning activity [Dweck, 1986]. Thus, it is a logical step to try to take advantage of the motivating nature of electronic games by using this medium for educational purposes rather than simply for pure entertainment. Research indicates that well-designed computer games can meet some of the psychological needs of children and motivate them want to learn [Sedighian and Sedighian, 1996]. In addition, hardware advances in the last ten years have made possible the concept of computer-based edutainment - education in the form of entertainment - where learners can arrive at the goal of learning by having fun. However, creating educational computer games is not simply a matter of adding educational content to some kind of games. The software itself should be conceived as the result of evidence that the particular educational content can be effectively delivered in a computer game environment [Heo and Byun, 2001]. There are numerous issues in the design of educational computer games. Research in this area is quite recent and remains sparse. More guidelines and principles are needed by educational game designers in order to make their software more effective in enhancing learning.
Many students find learning mathematics difficult, and do not like studying mathematics. Sedighian [1997] states that the difficulty in helping students learn mathematics is twofold: one is to motivate them to want to spend time and engage in mathematical activities, the other is to aid them cognitively to construct mathematical knowledge. Some researchers suggest that computer games can be highly effective in increasing children’s learning and enjoyment of mathematics [Klawe, 1998a; Randel, Morris, Wetzel and Whitehill, 1992].
The design and evaluation of a game-based interactive learning environment developed to assist students in enhancing their understanding of fractions. Questions addressed in this research include:
1. How should a learning environment motivate children to explore the underlying mathematical concepts?
2. How should the user interface be designed to support children’s learning of mathematical concepts?
3. What are some design features that are effective in promoting reflective cognition and better learning?
4. How should a learning environment meet children’s affective needs? What are some design features that can make children’s learning of mathematics more enjoyable?
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