Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations Department of Middle and Secondary Education Fall 12-21-2018 The Effects of a Platform Digital Game-Based Learning Environment on Undergraduate Students Achievement and Motivation in a Multivariable Calculus Course MALCOM W. DEVOE Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/mse_diss Recommended Citation DEVOE, MALCOM W., "The Effects of a Platform Digital Game-Based Learning Environment on Undergraduate Students Achievement and Motivation in a Multivariable Calculus Course." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2018. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/mse_diss/73 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Middle and Secondary Education at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, THE EFFECTS OF A PLATFORM DIGITAL GAME-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT AND MOTIVATION IN A MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS COURSE, by MALCOM W. DEVOE, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree, Doctor of Philosophy, in the College of Education and Human Development, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chairperson, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. _____________________________________ _________________________________ Iman C. Chahine, Ph.D. Joseph R. Feinberg, Ph.D. Committee Chair Committee Member _____________________________________ _________________________________ Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh, Ph.D. Natalie S. King, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member ______________________________________ Ying Zhu, Ph.D. Committee Member _________________________________ Date _____________________________________ Gertrude Merilyn Tinker Sachs Chairperson, Department of Middle and Secondary Education _____________________________________ Paul A. Alberto, Ph.D. Dean College of Education and Human Development AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education and Human Development’s Director of Graduate Studies, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will to involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. ______________________________________ Malcom W. Devoe Jr. NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University Library must be used in Accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Malcom W. Devoe Jr. 3714 Waterford Club Drive Lithia Spring, GA 30122 The director of this dissertation is: Dr. Iman Chahine, Ph.D. Middle and Secondary Education College of Education and Human Development Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 CURRICULUM VITAE Malcom Devoe ADDRESS: 3714 Waterford Club Drive Lithia Spring, GA 30122 EDUCATION: Ph.D. 2018 Georgia State University Department of Middle and Secondary Education Masters Degree 2012 Georgia State University Computational and Applied Mathematics Bachelors Degree 2004 Morehouse College Computer Science PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2017 – present Mathematics Instructor University of West Georgia 2018 – present Adjunct Mathematics Professor Mercer University 2018 – present Subject Matter Expert of Computational & Applied Mathematics and Online Math Course Designer USG eCore 2014 – present Online Professor of Mathematics USG eCore 2014 – 2017 Professor of Mathematics Atlanta Metropolitan State College 2013 – 2014 Mathematics Instructor University of West Georgia 2013 – present Adjunct Professor of Mathematics Atlanta Technical College 2013 – 2013 Adjunct Professor of Mathematics Atlanta Metropolitan State College 2009 – 2012 Mathematics Instructor Georgia State University 2011-2012 Math Support Teacher Georgia State University PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS: Devoe, M. W. (2018, May). The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning on Undergraduate Student Achievement and Motivation in A Multivariable Calculus Course. 2018 eCore Annual Meeting. Carrollton, GA Devoe, M. W. (November/December). ‘Round ‘N’ ‘Round We Go!. Mathematics Teacher Vol. 111, No. 3, p.172 – 175 Devoe, M. W. (2017, October). The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning on Undergraduate Student Achievement and Motivation in A Multivariable Calculus Course. 5th Annual Black Doctoral Network Conference. Atlanta, GA Devoe, M. W. (2017, June). The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning on Undergraduate Student Achievement and Motivation in A Multivariable Calculus Course. 11th Annual GAMTE Conference. Eatonton, GA Devoe, M. W. (2017, March). The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning on Undergraduate Student Achievement and Motivation in A Multivariable Calculus Course. 11th Annual GAMTE Conference. Eatonton, GA Devoe, M. W. (2017, August). The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning on Undergraduate Student Achievement and Motivation in A Multivariable Calculus Course. Georgia Scientific Computing Symposium. Athens, GA Devoe, M. W. (2014, October). Educational App Modeling and Game Design, GAMTE Conference, Eatonton, GA Devoe, M. W. (2012, May). Cellular Neural Networks with Switching Connections, Mathematics and Statistics Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA Devoe, M. W. (2011, September). Pade` Approximation, Mathematics and Statistics Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA Devoe, M. W. (2011, October). Newton’s Method for Solving Nonlinear Systems, Mathematics and Statistics Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA Devoe, M. (2011, December). Linear Finite Difference Method, Mathematics and Statistics Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS 2018 (MAA) Mathematics Association of America The Effects of a Platform Digital Game-Based Learning Environment on Undergraduate Students Achievement and Motivation in a Multivariable Calculus Course by Malcom W. Devoe Jr. Under the Direction of Dr. Iman Chahine ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of a researcher-designed digital game-based learning (DGBL) environment called Adventures of Krystal Kingdom on undergraduate students’ mathematics achievement and motivation in a Multivariable Calculus course. Multivariable Calculus is a specific area of computational and applied mathematics that focuses on the differentiation and integration of functions of several variables in fields like physics and engineering. The study employed a single exploratory embedded case study design with quantitative and qualitative techniques. A case study is the appropriate methodology for this study, which is a bounded system that facilitates a deeply contextualized understanding of a case through giving descriptions, analyses, and interpretations (Yin, 2014). The quantitative sample comprised 29 undergraduate students, and the qualitative sample included 6 students selected through stratified sampling based on the level of achievement. Quantitative data was collected using two surveys: demographic and motivation surveys, and two tests: academic achievement test and a game performance test. Analysis of quantitative data used a paired sample t-test. Qualitative data were collected from interviews, observations, and artifacts. Analysis of qualitative data used coding procedures suggested by Creswell (2014) where patterns were identified and grouped to allow the emergence of themes. The results of the study indicated no statistical significance in achievement (p=0.88 >0.05), however, there was overall improvement found in achievement scores of the students who played the game. Three themes emerged from the study: 1) Undergraduate students saw the use of the Adventures of Krystal Kingdom as learning tool to enhance their understanding of concepts in Multivariable Calculus.; 2) Undergraduate students saw the use of the Adventures of Krystal Kingdom as a way to engage themselves in mathematical fun in a digital environment; and 3) Undergraduate students saw input semiotics, automated reflexes, Task Relevant Support and other core mechanics as components that affect students’ gameplay. Results of the interviews, observations, and artifacts revealed that students benefited from using DGBL as an alternative approach to learning mathematics and to use such advanced techniques in biology, engineering, and computational neuroscience. The overall results indicate that DGBL used in the study was an appropriate teaching and learning tool to improve students' mathematics skills. INDEX