Male students game the system significantly more than female students in the self-explanation step of a digital learning game, across three studies¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In the game condition, male students gamed the system significantly more than female students within the self-explanation steps (Study 1: F(1,68)=4.83, p=0.031; Study 2: F(1,156)=4.82, p=0.030). → Baker 2025

Evidence¶

Baker 2025¶

Baker, R. S., Richey, J. E., Zhang, J., Karumbaiah, S., Andres-Bray, J. M., Nguyen, H. A., Andres, J. M. A. L., & McLaren, B. M. (2025). Gaming the system mediates the relationship between gender and learning outcomes in a digital learning game. Instructional Science, 53, 203–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-024-09679-3

q3 · i? · associational · r2

ANOVA on Study 1 data (153 students after exclusions; 70 game, 83 non-game) comparing gaming rates by gender in the game condition. Male students gamed significantly more in the self-explanation step, "indicating that male students demonstrated more disengagement than female students in the game."

"However, in the game condition, male students gamed the system significantly more than female students within the self-explanation steps (F(1,68) = 4.83, p = 0.031), indicating that male students demonstrated more disengagement than female students in the game."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• No significant gender difference in gaming the system appears in the non-game control condition or in the problem-solving step — related
• Male participants were almost twice as likely as females to be engaged in gaming — related
• Gaming the system is significantly negatively correlated with test performance in the digital learning game — related
• Automated gaming-the-system detectors built with XGBoost reliably recognize gaming in both problem-solving and self-explanation steps — related