Why do some students learn better than others in digital game based learning? The role of hope and social support

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests the technically-enriched educational games can enhance students’ learning motivation and interest. However, a paper that successfully explains the variation in students’ performance in similar setting is still very rare. This study aims to fill in the gap by proposing the question “why do some students learn better than others in the digital game based learning?”. Hong Kong secondary school students (N = 384) participated in the study and answered questionnaires about their psychological factors as well as their overall reflections after playing the digital sexuality education game. Preliminary results suggested that the role of hope and social support predicted the students’ learning outcomes in the game; while taking the mediation role of games usability into account, it partially mediated the relationship between the psychological factors and learning objectives. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.