Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 39 Number 1: Fall 2006

	Edited by Dr. Lynne Schrum, George Mason University
formerly Journal of Research on Computing in Education

Volume 39 Number 1 Fall 2006

Using Virtual Reality with and without Gaming Attributes for Academic Achievement

Jennifer J. Vogel
University of Central Florida and Florida State University
Adams Greenwood-Ericksen, Jan Cannon-Bowers, and Clint A. Bowers
University of Central Florida

Abstract

A subcategory of computer-assisted instruction (CAI), games have additional attributes such as motivation, reward, interactivity, score, and challenge. This study used a quasi-experimental design to determine if previous findings generalize to non simulation-based game designs. Researchers observed significant improvement in the overall population for math skills in the non-game CAI control condition, but not in the game-based experimental condition. The study found no meaningful, significant differences in language arts skills in any of the conditions.This finding has implications for the design of future learning games, suggesting that a simulation-based approach should be integrated into the gaming technology.

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Contributors

Jennifer J. Vogel, MS, is currently on the research faculty at Florida State University studying reading skill acquisition in children with significant cognitive impairments. She also has a research lab at the University of Central Florida called HANDS, where she conducts the majority of her research with deaf children. Specifically, her interests focus on using computer-based programs for special education populations for learning.

Adams Greenwood-Ericksen is a doctoral student at the University of Central Florida. His research focuses on the impact of interactivity and anchored instruction.

Jan Cannon-Bowers, PhD, is an associate professor of digital media at the University of Central Florida. She is also a senior research scientist at the university’s Institute for Simulation and Training, and is the founding director of UCF’s new Center for Dynamic Media. She has more than 15 years of experience conducting research into learning and performance in complex systems. She is currently principal investigator on several efforts aimed at applying technology to K–12 education and workforce development, including a grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate synthetic learning environments.

Clint Bowers, PhD, is the associate dean of research, academic promotion, and technology for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Central Florida. He is also a professor of digital media at that school. Bowers is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a past president of the organization’s Division of Applied and Experimental Psychology. He serves on several editorial boards, including Human Factors and The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied. Bowers has been involved in several efforts to apply and evaluate technology in learning and decision support system design, with diverse populations.

Copyright 2006, (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.