Mobile game‐based learning in secondary education: engagement, motivation and learning in a mobile city game

TLDR

Mobile games can merge situated and active learning with enjoyment, offering a promising educational approach. The study examined whether the mobile city game Frequency 1550 increases pupil engagement, medieval Amsterdam knowledge, and motivation for History and the Middle Ages. A quasi‑experimental design involved 458 pupils in 20 classes across five schools, with half playing the game and half receiving standard project‑based lessons. Students who played the game were more engaged and achieved significantly higher medieval Amsterdam knowledge, but motivation for History and the Middle Ages did not differ between groups.

Abstract

Abstract Using mobile games in education combines situated and active learning with fun in a potentially excellent manner. The effects of a mobile city game called Frequency 1550, which was developed by The Waag Society to help pupils in their first year of secondary education playfully acquire historical knowledge of medieval Amsterdam, were investigated in terms of pupil engagement in the game, historical knowledge, and motivation for History in general and the topic of the Middle Ages in particular. A quasi‐experimental design was used with 458 pupils from 20 classes from five schools. The pupils in 10 of the classes played the mobile history game whereas the pupils in the other 10 classes received a regular, project‐based lesson series. The results showed those pupils who played the game to be engaged and to gain significantly more knowledge about medieval Amsterdam than those pupils who received regular project‐based instruction. No significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to motivation for History or the Middle Ages. The impact of location‐based technology and game‐based learning on pupil knowledge and motivation are discussed along with suggestions for future research.