Serious game as a way to boost self-regulated learning in higher education

Educational technology favors learning in the university context. In the same way, in the last decades, selfregulated learning has gained relevance in the scientific community because students controls, at their own pace, the way they learns best. Therefore, the present study analyzes educational praxis linked to serious game, in order to identify the self-regulation strategies that are enhanced. Design-Based Research was utilised to examine a group of 30 students of Sociology at the Technical University of Machala (UTMACH), in Ecuador. During the analysis of the data collected with a parametric t-test it was identified that out of the 10 self-regulation strategies analyzed, serious gaming primarily boosts three of them: goal-setting and planning; seeking information; and self-consequences. INTRODUCTION At present, serious gaming is seen as a valuable alternative to promote learning; however, there still are unexplored aspects (e.g. self-regulation). There is no clear evidence of the contribution of this type of computational game in self-regulated learning. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to identify whether self-regulated learning is enhanced during an educational praxis using the "Seré Investigador" ("I will be an investigator") game (Samaniego, 2015). Connection between serious games with learning in higher education A Serious Game (SG) is a type of computer software that favors learning. It has actually been a challenge for the designers of these educational games, in the last decades, to integrate entertainment with learning (Wouters, Van Oostendorp, Boonekamp and Van der Spek, 2011). This software has been used in the educational praxis of technical and scientific universities (Bellotti, Berta, De Gloria, Lavagnino, Antonaci, Dagnino, Ott, Romero, Usart, Mayer, 2014). During the educational praxis using a SG in higher education, the most relevant aspects that have been favored are: critical thinking and scientific reasoning (Halpern, Millis, Graesser, Butler, Forsyth, Cai, 2012); student engagement (Boyle, MacArthur, Connolly, Hainey, Manea, Kärki, and Van Rosmalen, 2014); and academic performance (Carr and Bossomaier, 2011; Hainey, Connolly, Stansfield, Boyle, 2011; Boada, Rodriguez-Benitez, Garcia-Gonzalex, Olivet, Carreras, & Sbert, 2015). The self-regulation of learning: an emerging conception in higher education Self-regulated learning refers to the process by which students activate and maintain by themselves their motivation, cognition, and behaviors that are systematically aimed towards the attainment of their learning goals (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2011). This form of learning has been researched in the last decades as aptitude and as an event (Winne and Perry, 2000). Self-regulation has been evaluated as an aptitude using mainly the following instruments: the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) developed by Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & Mckeachie (1993); the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) designed by Weinstein, Schulte, & Palmer (1987); and the Self-Regulated Learning Interview Scale (SRLIS) developed by Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons (1986). Furthermore, according to Winne and Perry (2000), self-regulated learning has been measured as an event using protocols to measure thinking aloud (Think Aloud Measures) and methodologies that trace the path of student activities (Trace Methodologies). Serious game and self-regulated learning at UTMACH In the present study the self-regulation strategies of the "Seré Investigador" serious game was adapted. The game was redesigned to support self-regulated learning. This research considered self-regulation as the student's aptitude and was structured based on the following question: does serious game boost self-regulation?