The Cognitive Learning Outcomes of Digital Game-Based Learning

The proposed research is designed to address a major deficit in digital game-based learning research,
namely, the lack of an established research strategy to evaluate the effectiveness of digital games in
education. Study methodologies across the field are inconsistent, leading to contradictory findings.
Despite these inconclusive results, teachers have begun incorporating digital games into their
curriculums. Therefore, it is essential to properly determine the effectiveness of digital game-based
learning to ensure that the additional time and money that is being invested into the application of
digital games in education is worthwhile. This is the focus of my proposed research, which will involve a
series of experiments comparing digital game-based learning to traditional learning. Conditions
incorporating techniques that are already known to be effective for learning, such as retrieval practice
and distributed practice, will also be included as comparisons. The comparisons between all these
conditions means that not only will I be able to determine whether digital games are effective for
learning, but also exactly how effective they can be. To date, no other studies have compared the
usefulness of digital game-based learning to that of well-established learning techniques. This will build
towards a more conclusive answer regarding the effectiveness of digital game-based learning, informing
its potential application in education and suggesting a possible baseline study design to evaluate the
potential learning benefits of digital games.