Abstract:

MISSIONS WITH MONTY is a game-based learning environment (GBLE) focused on improving 5th graders’ science literacy. More specifically the program targets metacomprehension skills for informational texts aligned with classroom science curriculum. The program, funded by the National Science Foundation, promotes self-regulated learning (SRL) and includes ecosystem curriculum. In the current study, we examined the timing of metacognitive monitoring judgments in the first MISSIONS WITH MONTY module entitled MISSING MONTY. For this module the player fills the role of a promising young science professor traveling to work with Monty, a monitor lizard and world-renowned scientist known for his ability to solve real-life problems. Monty has created Wildlife University (WU) in a remote rainforest. The students and professors at WU are animals of many different types focused on becoming more scientifically literate in order to save their natural habitats. Unfortunately, upon arrival at WU the player is presented with two major problems to solve:
1) Monty has gone missing and
2) WU has been recently closed due to animals getting sick.

Metacognitive monitoring is important for effective SRL (Winne & Hadwin, 1999) and performance in GBLEs (Nietfeld, et al., 2014). Research, primarily from lab studies using paired associate tasks, have generally found that having learners make delayed judgments of learning (JOLs) improves monitoring accuracy (Dunlosky & Nelson, 1992). However, less is known about the impact of delayed monitoring judgments on performance (Tekin & Roediger, 2021), particularly within authentic learning environments. The purpose of the current study was to analyze the impact of delayed monitoring judgments on both monitoring accuracy and science knowledge in MISSING MONTY.

Fifth-grade students from public schools in the USA received were randomly assigned to either the immediate monitoring (IM) (n = 142) or the delayed monitoring (DM) condition (n = 171). All students completed a pre and posttest of science knowledge and made item-level confidence judgments on each test. The students then played MISSING MONTY for approximately 2-5 weeks depending upon class schedule. During gameplay students visited various animal researchers, read informational texts, and completed knowledge and monitoring challenges. In the IM condition, students rated their confidence on a 100-point scale immediately following each item. In the DM condition, the students first completed the knowledge challenge and then provided monitoring judgments following the completion of all items. Results showed no significant difference between the conditions on science knowledge. However, both groups showed significant improvements in science knowledge (p < .001, ηp2 = .33). In addition, results indicated that there was no significant difference between conditions on monitoring accuracy (calibration). However, both groups showed significant improvements in calibration accuracy (p < .001, ηp2 = .17). Thus, MISSING MONTY appeared to have positive effects on both resultant science knowledge and monitoring accuracy regardless of when monitoring was assessed. Implications for the design of learning environments and SRL will be discussed.

Keywords:

Self-regulated learning, metacognition, game-based learning, monitoring, science, comprehension.