Educational Games and Diverse Student Groups: Investigating the How and Why of Differential Effects

Educational games are widely used in education and previous research has indicated the overall effectiveness of games in improving students’ cognition, motivation, and behavior. However, little is known about whether the effectiveness of games depends on certain student background characteristics or individual differences. As more advanced technologies, such as AR, are increasingly being used in educational games, it is even more critical to consider the influence of student-related factors. Given the heterogeneity of today’s classroom student population, it is essential to examine whether educational games are equally effective for different groups of students or if some groups benefit more than others. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was twofold: 1) to provide insight into student-related factors that influence the effectiveness of educational games and 2) to gain insight into differences in student performance in educational games. Findings from the studies show that overall, applying educational games in classrooms is a beneficial method to increase students’ performance and motivation. Yet, the present dissertation shows that the effectiveness of games can depend on student-related factors and highlights the need for additional research given the lack of understanding on which individual factors play a role in students’ ability to succeed in educational games and how to support students in educational games better.