12th Grade Female Student Perceived Value, Achievement, Cost and Self-Regulated Engagement Associated with Serious Simulation Game Level Attainment

Abstract

Little is known about the motivational factors or design features that might lead female career and technical education (CTE) health sciences students to persist in self-regulated engagement to win state achievement in serious simulation games (SSGs). In this study, 12th grade female CTE health sciences students played a 3-Level hand hygiene SSG that was developed based on a learner analysis of a prior cohort of students. A within-subjects repeated measures design was used to assess differences in student motivation using a 10-construct Value-Achievement-Cost (VAC) Survey between baseline and the time they exited the SSG. Student choice to persistently engage in each level of the SSG was also evaluated using a 10-item SSG design feature score board. The average time that the Level III achievement students were engaged in the SSG was twice as long as Level I/II achievement students. Three of the 4 perceived mean Cost construct scores significantly decreased with large effect from baseline for students who persisted to the SSG Level III win state while all pre-post Value and Achievement orientation constructs scores remained unchanged. Mean average differences were not statistically significant for any of the ten core SSG design elements regardless of engagement time.