Abstract:

Research conducted over the past several decades has pointed to a steady decline in students’ motivation in science subjects, especially in physics. This downward trend raises important concerns, as numerous studies have demonstrated a close relationship between students’ motivation in science and their learning outcomes, including academic achievement, persistence, and engagement in STEM-related disciplines. For more than two decades now, the popularity of video games has sparked the curiosity of educational researchers, who see them as an opportunity to foster students’ motivation. Although recent meta-analyses suggest that these tools can be effective learning resources when used in specific instructional contexts, there is still no clear consensus on their ability to foster motivation in science learning settings, especially at post-secondary levels. Given these considerations, the present study sought to address the following question: What is the impact of an educational video game on students’ learning and motivation in college-level physics?

The quasi-experimental study design involved a total of 294 participants enrolled in a postsecondary physics course. Participants were divided into two instructional conditions:
(1) a game + course experimental condition, in which students completed three one-hour gameplay sessions, during which they progressed through levels of the educational video game;
(2) a course-only group, in which students received three hours of traditional classroom instruction on kinematics, delivered by a physics teacher.

Both conditions were implemented in collaboration with four different teachers (2 teachers for each condition), each teaching a college-level course in mechanical physics. The game, Space Tow Truck, is an educational puzzle game designed to help students explore kinematics concepts at the post-secondary level. Participants in both conditions were evaluated using pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test measures for learning and motivation in physics. Both dimensions were assessed using French adaptations of widely used and calibrated questionnaires. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to examine changes in physics test scores over time according to the instructional condition. While no significant main effect of instructional condition was detected, a significant time × condition interaction was observed. These results suggest that while students in both conditions began with similar levels of conceptual understanding, those exposed to the experimental condition learned more over time, highlighting the added value of the game in supporting conceptual learning in physics. As for motivation, the repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant main effect of time, while the time × condition interaction was not statistically significant. These results suggest that motivation decreased similarly over time for both conditions. Overall, the results suggest that integrating video game-based learning into a physics course can promote learning while maintaining stable levels of student motivation. Even if the game does not appear to enhance motivation, it contributes positively to learning without introducing motivational costs. This makes it a valuable complementary tool in instructional design, particularly in science education where student engagement is often difficult to sustain.

Keywords:

Videogames, STEM education, motivation, learning.