Evaluation of an educational game for health sciences students

J Nurs Educ. 1998 Sep;37(6):240-6. doi: 10.3928/0148-4834-19980901-04.

Abstract

An educational game was developed to promote student problem solving in the context of small group, problem-based learning (PBL). This study evaluated the game's effects on hypothesis and issue generation in PBL. Students in the Year III PBL course of a BScN program (N = 131) were stratified by program status and then randomly assigned to groups of 9 to 11 people per group. Half of the groups were randomly assigned to use the game (G); the remaining groups used the conventional method (CM) of generating issues and hypotheses. The G and CM groups crossed over for Term II. A Term I posttest demonstrated G groups had a higher proportion of accurate responses (85%) than CM groups (74%). A Term II posttest demonstrated no important differences between G and CM groups, suggesting the educational impact of the game persisted after students stopped using it. Strengths and limitations of the game as a learning aid also are addressed.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Cross-Over Studies
  • Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / methods*
  • Educational Status
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Problem-Based Learning / methods*