Modification and Evaluation of the Educational Mobile Games Heroes of Knowledge in Children

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The goal of the proposed research is to adapt and rigorously evaluate educational mobile games, designed as a downloadable mobile apps to be played on smartphones or tablets. Investigators will be partnering with Yogome for this project. Yogame is a company dedicated to creating educational games that aim to reinforce knowledge acquired in school and help children learn new things in an entertaining and fun way.

Detailed Description
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This study will modify and evaluate the Heroes of Knowledge (HoK) games, beginning with the Math Heroes game which was designed to be played for up to 8 hours. Other games in the HoK series may be included in this process if they are fully developed and available for testing. In testing the efficacy of the Math Heroes game, children will play the game for 1-1.5 hours per week, 2-3 times per week, for 2-4 weeks (to accumulate 6-8 hours of game play). The game has been designed to target math knowledge skills identified by the Common Core Standards for Mathematics (2012).

Official Title
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Modification and Evaluation of the Educational Mobile Games Heroes of Knowledge in Children

Conditions
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Math Knowledge

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Heroes of Knowledge
* Behavioral: Attention/Time Control Game


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Participants must be in first grade and interested and able to participate in a mobile app-based videogame (willing to sit with a tablet computer for approximately 1-1.5 hours, 2-3 times per week for 2-4 weeks). Exclusion Criteria: None

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 5 Years
Maximum Age: 8 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Heroes of Knowledge Game<br> | Behavioral: Heroes of Knowledge<br>* Participants will play their assigned game(s) on a tablet computer for 1-1.5 hours, 2-3 times per week for 2-4 weeks (to accumulate 6-8 hours of gameplay).<br>|
| Active Comparator: Attention/Time Control Games<br> | Behavioral: Attention/Time Control Game<br>* Participants will play their assigned game(s) on a tablet computer for 1-1.5 hours, 2-3 times per week for 2-4 weeks (to accumulate 6-8 hours of gameplay).<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pearson KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment (KeyMath-3DA) | A comprehensive, norm-referenced measure of essential mathematical concepts and skills. Test items are grouped into 10 subtests that represent three general math content areas: Basic Concepts (conceptual knowledge), Operations (computational skills), and Applications (problem solving). | Baseline | 
| Pearson KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment (KeyMath-3DA) | A comprehensive, norm-referenced measure of essential mathematical concepts and skills. Test items are grouped into 10 subtests that represent three general math content areas: Basic Concepts (conceptual knowledge), Operations (computational skills), and Applications (problem solving). | 2-4 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Academic Self Competence will be captured using a structure alternate format scale | Self-Competence will be captured using a structure alternate format scale designed for young children adapted from the 28-item Perceived Competence Scale in Children. For this study, self-competence is defined as a child's sense of cognitive competence. Each item is scored from 1 to 4, where a score of 1 indicates low perceived competence and a score of 4 reflects high perceived competence. Scores are summed and then averaged. | Baseline | 
| Academic Self Competence will be captured using a structure alternate format scale | Self-Competence will be captured using a structure alternate format scale designed for young children adapted from the 28-item Perceived Competence Scale in Children. For this study, self-competence is defined as a child's sense of cognitive competence. Each item is scored from 1 to 4, where a score of 1 indicates low perceived competence and a score of 4 reflects high perceived competence. Scores are summed and then averaged. | 2-4 weeks |