How Does Order Of Gameplay Impact Learning And Enjoyment In A Digital Learning Game?

When students are given agency in playing and learning from a digital learning game, how do their decisions about sequence of gameplay impact learning and enjoyment? We explored this question in the context of Decimal Point, a math learning game that teaches decimals to middle-school students. Our analysis is based on students in a high-agency condition, those who can choose the order of gameplay, as well as when to stop. By clustering student mini-game sequences by edit distance - the number of edit operations to turn one sequence into another - we found that, among students who stopped early, those who deviated more from a canonical game sequence reported higher enjoyment than those who did not. However, there were no differences in learning gains. Our results suggest that students who can self-regulate and exercise agency will enjoy the game, but the type and number of choices may also have an impact on enjoyment factors. At the same time, more investigation into the amount and means of delivering instruction to maximize learning efficiency within the game is necessary. We conclude by discussing digital learning game design lessons to create a game that more closely aligns with students' learning needs and affective states.