DESIGN VARIABLES OF ATTRACTION IN QUEST-BASED LEARNING by Charles Christopher Haskell A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction Boise State University May 2012 © 2012 Charles Christopher Haskell ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COLLEGE DEFENSE COMMITTEE AND FINAL READING APPROVALS of the dissertation submitted by Charles Christopher Haskell Dissertation Title: Design Variables of Attraction in Quest-Based Learning Date of Final Oral Examination: 13 March 2012 The following individuals read and discussed the dissertation submitted by student Charles Christopher Haskell, and they evaluated his presentation and response to questions during the final oral examination. They found that the student passed the final oral examination. Jennifer Snow, Ph.D. Chair, Supervisory Committee Lisa Dawley, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee Andy Hung, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee David Gibson, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee The final reading approval of the dissertation was granted by Jennifer Snow, Ph.D., Chair of the Supervisory Committee. The dissertation was approved for the Graduate College by John R. Pelton, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College. DEDICATION To Ali, the best friend and love anyone could have. To Kim, Kennedy, Keaton, and Kelly for their eternal patience and long-suffering during 6 months without their father. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This would have not been possible without the loving support of my wife, Ali. She refused to let me quit, delay, or whine too much. Her willingness to handle the big business of running a family while I got to “play doctor” with the long hours of writing and editing is as much of an accomplishment as this dissertation. Any and all credit, honors, or prestige from completing this process are shared fully and completely with my best friend. I would also like to thank my committee for their commitment in time, energy, encouragement, and support. Dr. Jennifer Snow, Dr. Lisa Dawley, Dr. Jui-long “Andy” Hung, and Dr. David Gibson were essential in completing this dissertation. Dr. Snow never allowed me to give up or let down (Astley, 1987) and was willing to step in as committee chair. She got more than she bargained for. My friend and colleague Dr. Lisa Dawley deserves a huge amount of credit for constantly asking “why” and calling me on fluffy or superfluous writing (Note: The use of “superfluous” would have warranted a mark from Lisa’s red pen). Dr. Jui-long “Andy” Hung introduced and guided me through a completely foreign brand of statistical analysis. His tutelage was critical in the success of this dissertation. Dr. David Gibson served with distinction as friend, colleague, guide, and mentor has continued to expose me to ideas and lines of thinking like no other person I know. This “Fantastic Four” are heroes of mine, professionally and personally. iv I wish to thank my parents, Kim and Maureen Haskell and Nancy and Ed Hoffman, for their constant support, encouragement, and unwillingness to get out of “my pocket.” Dr. Phil Kelly helped me to define attractiveness, Dennis Beck helped me to visualize the path, and Dr. Ross Perkins helped remind me that the dissertation “is a season.” My fellow doctoral students were also incredibly supportive. Margaret Sass, Danielle Konkol, Meleah McCully, Glen Croft, Alex Fuhrman, and others propelled me through this process. v ABSTRACT Critics of the American education system point to student boredom, lack of personalized and relevant instruction, and a deficit of 21st century skills as challenges to producing productive citizens of a modern, digital society (Barab et al., 2009; Eccles & Wingfield, 2002; Ketelhut, 2007; U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology, 2010). Digital learning, including game-based approaches, offers opportunities to bring about meaningful, engaging, individualized learning (Barab & Dede, 2007; Gee, 2005; Squire, 2003). Quest-based learning is an instructional design theory of game-based learning that focuses on student activity choice within the curriculum, which offers promising pedagogical possibilities in the area. This study expands upon current research of video game characteristics and variables of attractiveness in learner choice. Identifying these attractive characteristics in game-based educational design can increase engagement (Barab et al., 2009), educational effectiveness (Sullivan & Mateas, 2009), and impact instructional design decisions. Quests were coded and tagged to identify features and attributes. An educational quest taxonomy was developed building on Merrill’s Knowledge Object (Redeker, 2003; Wiley, 2000) classification and expanded to include current digital tools and thinking. Electronically collected decision data from a quest-based learning management system was analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and data mining techniques. Educational quests were differentiated by a number of data points and identified as more or less attractive using an initial interest score and a vi completion score. User rating was also considered for descriptive purposes. Data mining and text mining highlighted the specific characteristics of attractive quests including clusters of characteristics identified as most attractive as well as their significance. Suggestions for future attractive quest-based learning design are suggested. (Keywords: Quests, quest-based learning, game-based learning, 3D GameLab, play styles, learner preferences, rewards, badges, gamification, MMORPGs, virtual environments, informal learning.) vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ......................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. xiii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ xv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ........................................................................................................ 2 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 4 Assumptions and Limitations ....................................................................................... 6 Significance ................................................................................................................... 7 Definition of Terms ....................................................................................................... 9 Attractiveness .................................................................................................... 9 Game-Based Learning .................................................................................... 11 Quests .............................................................................................................. 11 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................... 13 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 13 Games and Play ........................................................................................................... 14 Play is Ever-Present ........................................................................................ 14 States of Play................................................................................................... 15 viii From Play to Game ......................................................................................... 15 Video Games Are Ubiquitous ..................................................................................... 16 The Ubiquity of Games ................................................................................... 16 Age and Gender in Game Play ........................................................................ 17 Variety in Gameplay ....................................................................................... 18 Play Styles ................................................................................................................... 20 Diversity of Play ............................................................................................. 20 BrainHex, DGD1, and Player Satisfaction ..................................................... 22 Play Types and Educational Games ................................................................ 24 Learner Motivation Through Play .............................................................................. 25 Motivating Factors in MMORPGs ................................................................. 26 Pleasure Centers .............................................................................................