Manuel Ninaus

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Verified

Manuel verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• MSc. Dr.
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Graz

Accumulating evidence identifies emotions as drivers of effective learning. In parallel, game-based learning was found to emotionally engage learners, allegedly harnessing the fundamental tie between emotions and cognition. Questioning further whether and how game-based learning elicit emotional processes, the current fMRI study examined the neurof...

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence make its use in education more likely. In fact, existing learning systems already utilize it for supporting students’ learning or teachers’ judgments. In this perspective article, we want to elaborate on the role of humans in making decisions in the design and implementation process of artificial intel...

Background In recent years, the importance of emotions in learning has been increasingly recognized. Applying emotional design to induce positive emotions has been considered a means to enhance the instructional effectiveness of digital learning environments. However, only a few studies have examined the specific effects of emotional design in game...

Even though game elements can increase motivation and engagement, they also might distract learners and thereby decrease performance and learning outcomes. In the current study, we investigated the effects of intrinsically integrated game elements on performance and learning outcomes. In a pre-post training study, 85 adult participants were randoml...

This perspective piece explores the transformative potential and associated challenges of large language models (LLMs) in education and how those challenges might be addressed utilizing playful and game-based learning. While providing many opportunities, the stochastic elements incorporated in how present LLMs process text, requires domain expertis...

Building adaptive game-based learning (GBL) interventions (e.g., immediate feedback) has been a recent effort to maximize learning effectiveness. State-of-the-art algorithms often overlook the concurrent emotions and motivation of individuals and its impact on GBL interventions. This pilot study utilized a 3 (feedback type: results, elaborative, at...

Initially a marketing strategy, gamification has been implemented in learning settings involving digital technologies to enhance learning processes. Between the hopes of improving learning outcomes and the critiques of the approach and its pitfalls, educational practitioners and researchers alike wonder how the use of game design elements in non-ga...

We present a novel method for approximating potential psychological effects of video games on players utilizing computational text analysis and artificial intelligence. Focusing specifically on growth mindset-a psychological construct associated with learning and resilience-we analyze player-generated reviews on the Steam gaming platform. In partic...

Earlier studies repeatedly showed increased learner motivation due to game elements, while overall cognitive effects on learning outcomes were absent. One possible explanation for this discrepancy is provided by theories integrating cognitive and affective learning processes: the beneficial effect on learner motivation eventually balancing simultan...

Building adaptive game-based learning (GBL) interventions (e.g., immediate feedback) has been a recent effort to maximize learning effectiveness. State-of-the-art algorithms often overlook the concurrent emotions and motivation of individuals and its impact on GBL interventions. This pilot study utilized a 3 (feedback type: results, elaborative, at...

Early prediction of children's literacy skills is crucial for successful literacy development. However, standardized screenings for pre-readers are mainly paper-based and designed for one-on-one sessions, demanding significant resources. We present the development and feasibility evaluation of a digital, game-based literacy screening for German pre...

Game-based learning (GBL) environments are designed to foster emotional experiences conducive to learning; yet, there are mixed findings regarding their effectiveness. The inconsistent results may stem from challenges in measuring and modeling emotions as multi-dimensional constructs during GBL. Traditional approaches often use one data channel and...

Significant resources have been allocated to the development of training programmes designed to enhance executive functions. Recently, digital games have emerged as a promising tool for this purpose. However, the impact of adaptive games, which adjust game difficulty based on the player's performance, on trained and untrained executive functions (i...

Significant resources have been allocated to the development of training programmes designed to enhance executive functions. Recently, digital games have emerged as a promising tool for this purpose. However, the impact of adaptive games, which adjust game difficulty based on the player’s performance, on trained and untrained executive functions (i...

Designing a good game is hard. Designing a learning game might be even harder as it requires engaging game elements to be aligned with the respective learning content. However, when this alignment is successful—referred to as intrinsic integration—games become effective tools for learning. In this article, the idea of collectible content is introdu...

The use of game elements in learning tasks is often motivated by the aim of utilizing their motivational capabilities. Even if game elements do not directly affect cognitive learning outcomes, they can keep learners engaged and support long-term loyalties. In this contribution, we present an investigation of the effect of game elements with a speci...

Fraction understanding is a significant predictor of future math achievement. In addition to more traditional instruction, digital game-based approaches have been found successful in facilitating conceptual understanding of fractions (including aspects such as part-whole relations represented as pie-charts, or measurement, i.e., magnitude in terms...

Despite its potential to support reading and spelling development in children with or without dyslexia, research on the effectiveness of digital trainings carried out at home is scarce. This study investigated the effectiveness of a novel digital game-based spelling training for unassisted use at home (Prosodiya). The pedagogical approach differs f...

The use of game elements in learning tasks is thought to facilitate emotional and behavioral responses as well as learner engagement. So far, however, little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms of game-based learning. In the current study, we added game elements to a number line estimation task assessing fraction understanding and compa...

The editorial of this issue of the International Journal of Serious Games is the last one signed by our Editor in Chief and Founder, Prof. Alessandro De Gloria. Alessandro passed away in Genova, Italy, on March 20th, few days after his 68th birthday. He founded the Serious Games Society and served as its first President, then as Honorary President....

Misinformation and fake news are severe threats to society. Despite the promising results of game-based interventions to mitigate the effects of misinformation, the corpus of research on critical reading games needs an overview. Therefore, a systematic literature review was conducted to analyze how games have been used to tackle misinformation and...

Fraction understanding seems a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is an important predictor of later mathematical achievement. On the other hand, it is also one of the topics students struggle most in secondary math education. To complement traditional instruction, digital learning games were developed and found to successfully foster fraction...

Gamification of cognitive tasks might positively affect emotional-motivational factors (emotional design perspective) or negatively affect cognitive factors like working memory load (minimalistic design perspective). The current study examined the effects of gamification in a spatial n-back working memory task on task performance, task load (i.e.,...

Feedback is a critical aspect of optimised learning design, but there are few, if any, feedback models that map different types of feedback and how they may assist students to increase performance and enhance their learning experience. This research paper outlines a feedback model as an extension of the four-dimensional framework which includes a c...

Math anxiety is defined as negative feelings associated with mathematical tasks in educational but also real-life situations. Evidence shows that math anxiety negatively affects the ability to solve mathematical tasks. Game-based learning has proven to be an effective approach to improve attitudes toward math. This study looked at the effects of a...

Computerized systems are taking on increasingly complex tasks. Consequently, monitoring automated computerized systems is becoming increasingly demanding for human operators, which is particularly relevant in time-critical situations. A possible solution might be adapting human–computer interfaces (HCI) to the operators’ cognitive load. Here, we pr...

Research has shown that difficulty adaptation is a promising instructional technique in digital game-based learning. Nevertheless, although the strength and direction of difficulty adaptation can affect motivational outcomes, these effects remain insufficiently examined in game-based learning. This within-subject study examined how the strength and...

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Die Rolle und der Einsatz von künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) und Machine Learning im Lernkontext wird seit der Digitalisierungsoffensive stark diskutiert. KI-basierte Werkzeuge bieten vielversprechende Möglichkeiten, um Lernprozesse besser zu verstehen und im weiteren Fortgang zu optimieren. Der Zuwachs an Daten und Metr...

Die empirische Lehr-Lern-Forschung geht davon aus, dass eine lernförderliche Gestaltung digitaler Lern- und Lehr-Medien auf die Art und Weise abgestimmt sein muss, wie Menschen Informationen verarbeiten und im Gedächtnis speichern.

Regular exercise improves cognitive control abilities and successful self-regulation of physical activity. However, it is not clear whether exercising also improves the ability to self-regulate one’s own brain activity. We investigated this in 26 triathletes and 25 control participants who did not exercise regularly. Within each group half of the p...

Statistical knowledge is a key competency for psychologists in order to correctly interpret assessment outcomes. Importantly, when learning statistics (and its mathematical foundations), self‐efficacy (defined as an individual's belief to successfully accomplish specific performance attainments) is a central predictor of students’ motivation to lea...

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Die COVID-bedingten Restriktionen einschließlich der Umstellung auf Fernlehre führten bei Studierenden zu schlechteren akademischen Leistungen. Ziel der vorliegenden Untersuchung war die systematische Erfassung von pandemiebedingten Belastungsreaktionen bei Studierenden. Methoden: Insgesamt nahmen 187 Psychologiestudie...

There is increasing effort to integrate Computational Thinking (CT) curricula across all education levels. Therefore, research on CT assessment has lately progressed towards developing and validating reliable CT assessment tools, which are crucial for evaluating students' potential learning progress and thus the effectiveness of suggested curricula...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries implemented social distancing measures to contain virus transmission. However, these vital safety measures have the potential to impair mental health or wellbeing, for instance, from increased perceived loneliness. Playing social video games may offer a way to continue to socialize while adhering to s...

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides reliable results for determining cognitive load based on averaged cortical blood flow during multiple repetitions of short cognitive tasks. At the same time, it remains unclear how to use this technique for assessing cognitive load during prolonged single-trial activity. In this study, we used...

The main aim of this article was to investigate the educational potential of a game-based math game competition to engage students in training rational numbers. Finnish fourth (n = 59; Mage = 10.36) and sixth graders (n = 105; Mage = 12.34) participated in a math game competition relying on intra-classroom cooperation and inter-classroom competitio...

Critical reading - the ability to critically evaluate information - has become a crucial skill in our modern information society and the rise of fake news. Games might be able to help to address this rather new field of education. Therefore, we first conducted a literature analysis on the use of games that aim at supporting critical reading and med...

Users' emotional engagement in a task is important for performance and motivation. Non-intrusive, computerized process measures of engagement have the potential to provide fine-grained access to underlying affective states and processes. Thus, the current work brings together subjective measures (questionnaires) and objective process measures (faci...

While game-based learning seems to be an effective instructional approach, the underlying learning and engagement mechanisms of games are still poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated to what extent flow experience and situational interest are different indicators of engagement in game-based learning. Fifty-two Finnish 5th graders...

Background Real-time fMRI neurofeedback is growing in reputation as a means to alter brain activity patterns and alleviate psychiatric symptoms. Activity in ventral striatum structures is considered an index of training efficacy. fMRI response in these brain regions indicates neurofeedback-driven associative learning. Here we investigated the impac...

Serious games have become an important tool to train individuals in a range of different skills. Importantly, serious games or gamified scenarios allow for simulating realistic time-critical situations to train and also assess individual performance. In this context, determining the user’s cognitive load during (game-based) training seems crucial f...

Background: Gamification in mental health could increase training adherence, motivation, and transfer effects, but the external validity of gamified tasks is unclear. This study documents that gamified task variants can show preserved associations between markers of behavioral deficits and health-related variables. We draw on the inhibitory control...

The COVIDiSTRESS global survey collects data on early human responses to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic from 173 429 respondents in 48 countries. The open science study was co-designed by an international consortium of researchers to investigate how psychological responses differ across countries and cultures, and how this has impacted behaviour, copin...

Serious games have become an important tool to train individuals in a range of different skills. Importantly, serious games or gamified scenarios allow for simulating realistic time-critical situations to train and also assess individual performance. In this context, determining the user’s cognitive load during (game-based) training seems crucial f...

Research has shown that serious games, digital game-based learning, and educational video games can be powerful learning instruments. However, experimental and meta-research have revealed that several moderators and variables influence the resulting learning outcomes. Advances in the areas of learning and game analytics potentially allow for contro...

Zusammenfassung: Lernspiele gewinnen auch in der Schule zunehmend an Bedeutung als motiva tionsförderliche Lehr und Lernmethode. In einer Feldstudie mit 256 Schülerinnen und Schülern der siebten Schulstufe wurde daher untersucht i) inwiefern sich grundlegende Effekte der For schung zu numerischer Kognition mit einem digitalen Lernspiel zur Messung...

Assessment of cognitive load is a major step towards adaptive interfaces. However, non-invasive assessment is rather subjective as well as task specific and generalizes poorly, mainly due to methodological limitations. Additionally, it heavily relies on performance data like game scores or test results. In this study, we present an eye-tracking app...

The purpose of this study was to investigate flow experience and situa-tional interest in a math learning game that included adaptive scaffolding. Fifty-two Finnish 5th graders played the game about fractions at home during COVID-19 enforced distance learning. The results showed that flow experience correlated positively with situational interest....

Leaderboards are a popular way to implement competition, trigger social comparison, increase participation, and provide goals and performance-based feedback to the players. Even though game-based learning has become more common in education, relatively little is known about the motivational power of leaderboards in team-based educational settings....

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries implemented social distancing measures to contain virus transmission. However, these vital safety measures have the potential to impair mental health or well-being, for instance, from increased perceived loneliness. Playing social video games may offer a way to continue to socialize while adhering to...

BACKGROUND Gamification in mental health could increase training adherence, motivation, and transfer effects, but the external validity of gamified tasks is unclear. The present study documents that gamified task variants can show preserved associations between markers of behavioral deficits and health-related variables. We draw on the inhibitory c...

Inclusion of game elements in learning environments to increase motivation and learning outcome is becoming increasingly popular. However, underlying mechanisms of game-based learning have not been studied sufficiently yet. In the present study, we investigated effects of game-based learning environments on a neurofunctional level. In particular, 5...

Children increasingly use computing devices. However, it is unclear whether they have basic knowledge of security-related issues such as computer viruses and, in case they do not, what they can learn about them. It was found previously that Czech 8-year-olds have only limited knowledge of computer viruses, but neither naïveunderstanding of older ch...

Children increasingly use computing devices. However, it is unclear whether they have basic knowledge of security-related issues such as computer viruses and, in case they do not, what they can learn about them. In this study, we first examined preconceptions of computer viruses among Czech and German primary school students using a newly developed...

Research on instructional design provides inconsistent results on the use of game elements in cognitive tasks or learning. Cognitive load theory suggests that game elements increase extraneous cognitive load and thus may distract the users. In contrast, from an emotional design perspective, the use of game elements is argued to increase performance...

It is a great pleasure for us to introduce this issue of the IJSG, which is dedicated to the Games and Learning Alliance Conference (GaLA Conf) that was held in Athens, November 27-29, 2019. Almost 70 participants converged in this beautiful, historic city in order to share knowledge and experiences related to serious games and gamification, their...

Gaming may not primarily be associated with the elderly part of the population, but senior gamers represent a growing proportion. Evaluating the applicability of educational games across the lifespan is therefore crucial to better understand potential requirements in different domains and age groups. The current study applied a math learning game t...

Background : Fractions are known to be difficult for children and adults. Behavioral studies suggest that magnitude processing of fractions can be improved via number line estimation (NLE) trainings, but little is known about the neural correlates of fraction learning. Method : To examine the neuro-cognitive foundations of fraction learning, behav...

The literature on serious games and gamification suggests that game elements have a positive influence on learning and performance in cognitive tasks. However, the mechanisms by which game elements affect these outcomes are not well understood. Building on theorizing in the self-control literature, the present research investigated whether game ele...

Lecturers in educational videos often use gestures to emphasize what has been said or highlight learning relevant information, which is visible on the screen. However, differences in types of lecturer gestures, such as rhythmic (beat) gestures and signaling (deictic) gestures, have not been investigated thoroughly yet concerning human lecturers in...

Zusammenfassung Lernspiele gewinnen auch in der Schule zunehmend an Bedeutung als motivationsförderliche Lehr- und Lernmethode. In einer Feldstudie mit 256 Schülerinnen und Schülern der siebten Schulstufe wurde daher untersucht i) inwiefern sich grundlegende Effekte der Forschung zu numerischer Kognition mit einem digitalen Lernspiel zur Messung de...

Because educational games increasingly find their way into the classroom, we aim at outlining potentials but also limitations of game-based learning. First, we compile widely acknowledged benefits, like the ability of learning games to engage and meet the learner's situation. Moreover, we argue that the reduced use of games for learning in higher e...

The unfolding empowerment of instructors as game designers with approachable and widely available tools such as Scratch, Minecraft, or Unreal Engine shifted the perspective on game-based assessment (GBA). An increasing number of instructors are capable of creating games themselves, subsequently gaining access to the mechanics and the embedded data....

Gaming is acknowledged as a natural way of learning and established as a mainstream activity. Nevertheless, gaming performance and subjective game experience were hardly examined across adult age groups for which the game was not intended to. In contrast to serious games as specific tools against a natural, age-related decline in cognitive performa...

Personalization and adaption have become crucial in game-based learning to optimize user experience and performance. Recent advances in sensor technology allow for acquiring physiological data of players which, in turn, allows for acquiring more fine-grained information on internal changes of the player than conventional user interaction data. Ther...

Coding as a practical skill and computational thinking (CT) as a cognitive ability have become an important topic in education and research. It has been suggested that CT, as an early predictor of academic success, should be introduced and fostered early in education. However, there is no consensus on the underlying cognitive correlates of CT in yo...

Academic self-concept, motivational beliefs, and attitudes towards a school subject are relevant for learning and educational achievement. A positive self-concept in science and mathematics is argued to motivate students to persist and advance in studying these subjects. In particular, self-concept, motivational beliefs, and attitudes towards STEM...

The reliable estimation of cognitive load is an integral step towards real-time adaptivity of learning or gaming environments. We introduce a novel and robust machine learning method for cognitive load assessment based on behavioral and physiological measures in a combined within- and cross-participant approach. 47 participants completed different...

Mobile devices have now become omnipresent in our everyday lives with almost all households being equipped with at least one mobile phone or tablet. Hence, it is no wonder that their educational potential has been increasingly explored by app developers already targeting at very young users. Nevertheless, although educational apps for preschoolers...

It is often argued that game-based learning is particularly effective because of the emotionally engaging nature of games. We employed both automatic facial emotion detection as well as subjective ratings to evaluate emotional engagement of adult participants completing either a game-based numerical task or a non-game-based equivalent. Using a mach...

The present paper illustrates that the game-based implementation of a learning task - here to train basic math skills - entails benefits with strings attached. We developed a game for learning math with its core element based on the number line estimation task. In this task, participants have to indicate the position of a target number on a number-...

This paper reports results from an ongoing project that aims to develop a digital game for introducing fractions to young children. In the current study, third-graders played the Number Trace Fractions prototype in which they estimated fraction locations and compared fraction magnitudes on a number line. The intervention consisted of five 30 min pl...

Computational thinking (CT) is a term widely used to describe algorithmic thinking and logic reasoning concepts and processes often related to computer programming. As such, CT as a cognitive ability builds on concepts and processes that derive from computer programming, but are applicable to wider real-life problems and STEM domains. CT has recent...

This literature review on digital game-based rational number learning investigated the integration of rational number content and established rational number learning principles with core game mechanics. A total of 34 papers eventually met the defined inclusion criteria. The review showed that the literature on digital game-based rational number le...

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Games and Learning Alliance, GALA 2019, held in Athens, Greece, in November 2019. The 38 regular papers presented together with 19 poster papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 76 submissions. The papers cover the following topics: serious game design an...

Approximately 4-10% of the German population suffer from developmental dyslexia, influencing children's educational, personal, and social development negatively. Digital interventions have shown great promise to additionally support dyslexic children outside of school or learning therapy. We present the results of a mobile serious game for German d...

Educational games have been shown to provide support for children with learning disabilities to overcome their challenges. Gaming and feedback elements can benefit the learning process while keeping children engaged and help them to regain motivation for learning. We present the design of a mobile serious game for German dyslexic primary school chi...

Game-based approaches can be a motivating and engaging way of teaching and learning, in particular for younger students. To evaluate the suitability of game-based approaches for teaching programming in primary school, we conducted a field study on Computational Thinking (CT). CT can be characterized as the ability to understand, formulate, and syst...

Developmental dyslexia is one of the most frequent learning disorders and affects 4-10 % of the German population. The learning disorder affects educational, personal, and social development of children in a negative way. We examine three different approaches to treat learning disorders. That is, therapeutic, computer-based, and digital game-based...

Tablet-based screenings have been shown to enhance diagnostics of symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's or Parkinsons by providing more diagnostic data through digital media in addition to conventional paper-and-pencil tests. However, user acceptance/experience with older patients have not been systematically researched in this...

As a cognitive ability computational thinking describes a specific way of algorithmic reasoning building on concepts and processes derived from computer programming/coding. Recently, computational thinking was argued to be a fundamental and educationally relevant 21st century skill that should be fostered already in childhood. Accordingly, we devel...

Abstract It was argued recently that number line based training supports the development of conceptual rational number knowledge. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated training effects of a digital game based on the measurement interpretation of rational numbers. Ninety-five fourth graders were assigned to either a game-based training group (n = 54...

The main aim of this article was to investigate the educational potential of a game-based math game competition to engage students in training rational numbers. Finnish fourth (n = 59; Mage = 10.36) and sixth graders (n = 105; Mage = 12.34) participated in a math game competition relying on intra-classroom cooperation and inter-classroom competitio...

Play, that is, self-motivated activities for enjoyment, is a significant aspect for human devel- opment and essential to learning and skill acquisition. Games, the structured form of play, are increasingly being used in brain–computer interface (BCI) and neurofeedback (NF) applications. In BCI and NF applications, patterns of the users’ brain activ...

The overall objective of the present study was to investigate associations between emotions, flow experience, intrinsic motivation, and playing performance in a math game competition. Finnish 3rd-6th graders (n = 251) participated in a math game competition relying on intra-classroom cooperation and inter-classroom competition. During a three-week...

The educational value of games for learning is of prime importance. To design tasks that promote learning, findings from basic research and user data from earlier versions of the game can be very helpful. In the current study, we reanalysed data from two studies using a game-based assessment and a training tool for improving fraction magnitude know...