Game mechanics difficulty positively predicts persistence in Physics Playground problems¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Each one-unit increase in a problem's game mechanics (GM) difficulty was associated with a 3% average increase in persistence, controlling for other predictors. → Rahimi 2021

Evidence¶

Rahimi 2021¶

Rahimi, S., Shute, V., & Zhang, Q. (2021). The effects of game and student characteristics on persistence in educational games: A hierarchical linear modeling approach. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science (IJTES), 5(2), 141-165. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.118

q2 · i? · associational · r2

In the same HLM analysis of nested gameplay data, the GM difficulty slope was significant (t(3,628) = 2.27, p < .05), with persistence rising 3% per unit of GM difficulty; the article reports "the more difficult the problem, the more students persisted."

"The average effect of GM difficulty on persistence was significant: = .03 (t(3,628) = 2.27, p < .05). This finding means that with one unit increase in the problem's GM, students' persistence increases by 3% on average controlling for all other predictors."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Physics understanding difficulty is a stronger predictor of in-game persistence than game mechanics difficulty in Physics Playground — related
• Gender, gaming frequency, and physics knowledge were not significant predictors of persistence — related
• Persistence varies both within and between students, warranting multilevel modeling, and level-1 predictors explained 18% of variance — related