News Finding: The final analysis shows that the mixed-reality game improved learning by almost five times more than the screen-only alternatives, both in the mouse-controlled and physically controlled conditions.
Paper Finding: It is important to isolate the factors that are important for learning in mixed-reality environments.
News Context: A game that combined real-world experiments with interactions on a computer tablet improved learning by almost five times more than screen-only alternatives. The final analysis shows that the mixed-reality game improved learning by almost five times more than the screen-only alternatives, both in the mouse-controlled and physically controlled conditions. Not only that, but students enjoyed the game more in the mixed-reality conditions.
Paper Context: Since creating such affordances in the real world is technically challenging, it is tempting to hope that integrating easier-to-develop physical controls into a screen-based environment may improve enjoyment and learning just as well. It is important to isolate the factors that are important for learning in mixed-reality environments. Piaget and Bruner showed that children had an easier time while solving problems when given concrete materials to work .